Artist Updates (6/20/14)

Country singer Sarah Darling is one of the first performers named as a competitor on ABC’s new musical reality competition “Rising Star,” which debuts Sunday, June 22 at 9 p.m. ET. Brad Paisley, Josh Groban, Kesha and Ludacris has signed on to take part as experts in the competition.

“I am so excited to be a contestant on RISING STAR!!!,” says Darling. “It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to perform before the entire country LIVE! The fans at home can make a difference for me, and I hope they all download the Rising Star app and raise the wall for me!”

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Sony Music Nashville recording artists Tyler Farr, Jerrod Niemann and Chris Young performed for industry executives and Country Radio Broadcasters board members at Nashville-based event venue, Ruby, on Wednesday (June 19). All three appeared in conjunction with the annual CRB board and CRS agenda committee meetings, held to plan Country Radio Seminar 2015. CRS 2015 will be held Feb. 25-27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn.

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Love and Theft‘s Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles performed at Pandora presents Love and Theft at StubHub’s Next Stage Series at Cannery Ballroom on Tuesday (June 17) in Nashville.

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Tracy Lawrence will join Craig Morgan for Morgan’s eighth annual charity event on July 20, benefitting the Dickson County Craig Morgan Foundation.
The event will launch at 8 a.m. on Sunday, July 20 at Paul Allen Farm, located at 1286 Bell Hollow Rd in Vanleer, Tenn. The event will include a motocross exhibition, followed by a group trail ride and lunch. Participants this year include Kevin Windham, Malcolm Stewart, Destry Abbott, Fred Andrews, Randy Hawkins, Andrew Short, and Larry Ward.
Later that night, fans can catch performances from Morgan and Lawrence on the Dickson War Memorial Lawn. A live and silent auction will also take place at the concert. Tickets are available at craigmorgan.com and all Dickson Tri-Star Bank locations.

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The Voice season 5 Team Blake contestant Brandon Chase recently revealed the video for his debut single, “One,” to seventeen.com. The clip was featured in conjunction with their “Crush of the Week” and CMA Music Festival. The video was shot in his home state of Texas.
The Arlington, Texas native graduated high school at age 15, and completed a masters certificate in songwriting from Berklee College of Music at age 17. He taught himself to play piano and guitar, and has been writing original music since age 14.

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English actor Tom Hiddleston, 33, perhaps best known for his role of Loki in The Avengers franchise, will portray the late Country legend Hank Williams, Sr., in the upcoming Hank Williams biopic.
I Saw The Light will begin shooting in Louisiana in October, and will tell the story of Williams’ rise to stardom.
Alabama native Hiram King “Hank” Williams died at age 29 on Jan. 1, 1953, and is responsible for the classic hits “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Move It On Over,” “I’m A Long Gone Daddy,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” and numerous others.