Returning sponsors include Sony Music Nashville and Capitol Nashville.  Sony Music Nashville's luncheon (Thursday) will feature Miranda Lambert and Jake Owen, while the Capitol Nashville luncheon (Friday) will feature Darius Rucker and Little Big Town.  

Wednesday's luncheon is sponsored by new label Golden Music and will feature performances by Benton Blount and Williams Riley Band.

"These luncheons have become an annual high point of the Country Radio Seminar," says CRB Executive Director Ed Salamon.  "We are pleased to have Sony Music Nashville and Capitol Nashville back as returning sponsors and would like to welcome Golden Music as a first-time sponsor of our Wednesday luncheon."

Brief artist bios are below.

Miranda Lambert – As a two-time Grammy nominee, platinum artist and winner of the 2008 ACM Album of the Year Award, Miranda Lambert packs a pretty hard punch.  Her first record, Kerosene, debuted at No. 1 on the country charts, as did her follow-up album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.  Lambert took home Best New Female honors at the 2007 ACM Awards and won Album of the Year in 2008.  That same year, she was nominated for CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, as well as Single of the Year for her first Top 10 single, "Gunpowder & Lead."  Her latest single, "More Like Her," is currently at country radio.  She will tour with Kenny Chesney later this year.  www.mirandalambert.com

Jake Owen – Since releasing his debut album, Startin' With Me, RCA Nashville recording artist Jake Owen has celebrated three consecutive hit singles, including "Yee Haw," "Something About A Woman" and the Top 10 hit "Startin' With Me." Owen also received his first CMA and GRAMMY Award nominations for "Life in a Northern Town" (with Sugarland and Little Big Town).  His sophomore album, Easy Does It, is slated for release on February 24.  The first single and Top 20 hit, "Don't Think I Can't Love You," is the fastest rising single of his career.  www.jakeowen.net

Darius Rucker – Capitol Records Nashville artist Darius Rucker first came to fame as the voice of Hootie & The Blowfish, winning two Grammys in the process.  Recently, the South Carolina native has released his debut country solo album, Learn To Live.  The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart, and "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," the album's debut single, spent multiple weeks at No. 1.  Rucker is currently on tour with Brad Paisley, and his new single, "It Won't Be Like This For Long," is currently a Top 15 hit and climbing.  www.dariusrucker.com

Little Big Town – Little Big Town, comprised of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook, re-released A Place To Land on Capitol Records Nashville last October with four new tracks, including their current single, "Good Lord Willing."  The multiple Grammy nominated foursome and former ACM Top New Vocal Group has toured with Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, George Strait and Sugarland most recently, elevating them to headline their own A Place To Land tour this year.  www.littlebigtown.com

Benton Blount – Growing up in the mountains of North Carolina, Benton Blount never even picked up a guitar or a microphone until he was 18 years old.  More than 10 years later, however, Benton has made a career out of performing and writing music.  After making the move to Nashville, Benton began making his mark on the local music scene immediately, signing a record deal with label Golden Music.  The singer plans to release his debut album and begin touring this summer. www.myspace.com/bentonsmusic

Williams Riley Band – Steve Williams got his first break in the music business through acclaimed musician Edwin McCain, who introduced the Larose, Louisiana native to producer Noel Golden.  Together, the two recorded Williams' debut album, which features contributions from a diverse lineup of musicians, including rock guitarist Slash, country artist Bryan White, and singer-songwriter McCain. www.myspace.com/williamsrileyband

CRS-40 will be held March 4-6, 2009 at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.  Complete seminar information may be obtained by contacting CRB, Inc. at 615.327.4487 or by visiting www.crb.org.  The current rate of $699 expires Feb. 6.  On-site registration is $749.

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(Nashville, TN – Jan. 14, 2009)  Marco Club Connection has announced its list of the ten most requested and played country dance club songs of 2008.

For the fifth consecutive year, a panel of more than 215 nightclubs and dance instructors throughout the country were surveyed during the last four weeks of 2008 to compile the data.

"This year we had the highest number of clubs participating in our survey ever," says Venue Marketing Specialist Bobbe Morhiser.  "It's great to see a mix of new artists like Adam Gregory and The Zac Brown Band on the list along with veterans Alan Jackson and Toby Keith."

The results for the most played country dance club hits for 2008 are as follows:

#1 – Alan Jackson "Good Time" – Jackson's G-O-O-D T-I-M-E was the runaway favorite for 2008, garnering up to three spins a night during the peak of the song's popularity in the summer last year.

#2 – The Zac Brown Band "Chicken Fried" – Interest in this song grew from its initial support in the Southern clubs and spread nationwide within weeks of its release.

#3 – Kid Rock "All Summer Long" – This mash-up of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" was an instant success on country dance floors.

#4 – Matt Stillwell "Shine" – Stillwell's debut single has remained on club playlists for more than six months as interest in this newcomer continues to grow.

#5 – Toby Keith "She's a Hottie" – Clubs were ecstatic to have a new up-tempo Toby Keith song last spring. The success of this single reserved Keith a spot in the Top Ten Country Dance Songs for the fifth year in a row.

#6 – Lady Antebellum "Love Don't Live Here" – This fresh new act exploded on the dance club scene last February with their unique fusion of country and rock.

#7 – Sugarland "All I Wanna Do" – Jennifer Nettles' catchy vocal hook and pop appeal made this song destined for success in the clubs.

#8 – James Otto "Just Got Started Lovin' You" – Otto struck a chord in club patrons across the country with this soulful breakout hit.

#9 – Adam Gregory "Crazy Days" – Gregory's dance remix of his first U.S. single, "Crazy Days," was used in clubs for a classic line dance called "walk the line."

#10 – Craig Morgan "International Harvester" – Morgan chugged into the #10 spot with this heartland hit.

 
About Marco Club Connection:
Marco Club Connection specializes in dance club promotion in nightclubs and dance venues across the country, maintaining a national database of more than 215 venues and world-renowned dance instructor contacts.  Club Connection reaches more than 200,000 club patrons each weekend, and extensive 12-week marketing blitzes directly market music to more than two million club goers.  Ranging from product distribution to full marketing and promotion initiatives, Club Connection provides full-service dance club promotion campaigns in a powerful niche market.  For more information, visit: www.marcoclubconnection.com 

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• Shawn’s co-wrote his debut single, “Everything”.

• Shawn’s passion for Country Music was instilled at an early age through his musician father, who played drums for Grand Ole Opry greats Connie Smith and Jeannie Seely.

• Shawn won his first talent contest at age eight with the somewhat age-inappropriate song, “Hell Yes, I Cheated”.

• Shawn began writing songs and playing drums with his father when he was fifteen.

• Shawn wrote over half of the songs on his forthcoming debut album.

• Shawn’s musical idol was the late Grand Ole Opry star Johnny Paycheck, for whom he served as a bodyguard.  His other influences include George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Alan Jackson.

• Shawn is a world-class black belt practitioner of the martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  He is also a professor of the effective and practical discipline, which he teaches to others.

• Shawn has also been a power-lifter and personal fitness trainer.

• Shawn was raised in the Ohio River town of Newport, Kentucky, where he excelled at football before an injury derailed his dream of playing in college.  He served a short stint in the United States Marine Corps before aggravating the injury.

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The New Faces of Country Music Show (co-sponsored by Radio and Records and The Country Music Association) is one of the most anticipated events of the annual seminar.  Each year, five emerging artists that have achieved significant success at country radio during the qualification period are selected to perform.  Each act plays a 20-minute set during the show, which officially closes the Country Radio Seminar® every year.  

"The New Faces of Country Music show is always one of the highlights at CRS," says CRB President Becky Brenner. "We're excited to present some of the most promising young stars each year to the radio and music industry attendees, and this year looks to have another impressive lineup."

Lady Antebellum is comprised of members Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood.  Formed in 2006, the group signed with Capitol Nashville in 2007 and released its first single, "Love Don't Live Here," off their self-titled debut album.  The group recently won New Artist of the Year at the 2008 CMA Awards and was nominated for two 2009 Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Country Performance By A Duo or Group with Vocals.
 
James Otto's "Just Got Started Lovin' You" was recently named Billboard's No. 1 Hot Country Song for 2008 and was nominated for a 2009 Grammy in the Best Male Country Vocal Performance category. The song is Otto's first single off his Warner Bros. Records debut album, Sunset Man, which remained in the Top 5 on Billboard's Country Albums Chart for its first six weeks.
 
BNA Records artist Kellie Pickler first appeared on the country music scene in the 2005 season of "American Idol."  Since then, she has seen her first two albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart.  Her self-titled sophomore effort features the hit single, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful."
 
Chuck Wicks released his Top Ten single, "Stealing Cinderella," after signing with RCA Records in 2007.  His debut album, Starting Now, was released in early 2008 and the follow-up single, "All I Ever Wanted," broke into the Top 20.
 
The Zac Brown Band sold more than 30,000 CDs independently before signing with Atlantic Records earlier this year.  The Atlanta-based band is known for their dedicated grassroots following, and their major label debut, The Foundation, was released Nov. 18.  The first single, "Chicken Fried," has been steadily climbing the charts.

Artists at the New Faces of Country Music show are selected by the country radio registrants who attended the previous year's Country Radio Seminar.  Attendees were asked to vote for five participants from the ballot.  The Nashville-based firm of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc. audited the votes.

CRS-40 will be held March 4-6, 2009 at the Nashville Convention Center.  Complete seminar information may be obtained by contacting CRB, Inc. at 615.327.4487 or by visiting www.crb.org.  The earlybird registration rate of $499 ends Dec. 15.

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