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Ben Dukes (born March 20, 1979) is an American Country artist, songwriter, and actor. [1] Dukes has released one EP, "Down in Flames" and one full-length album, "Walkin Thru Hell". He has been award-nominated for his songwriting and has appeared twice as a musical guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Dukes was born on March 20, 1979, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. He grew up in a small town called LaGrange, Georgia. His father worked for a textile company in town, and his mother was a writer for the local paper, the LaGrange Daily News. As a child, he was encouraged to study poetry as well as music. He attended LaGrange High School where he played football, sang in the school choir, and won awards in poetry and acting at local literary competitions. He attended The University of Georgia, at the Terry College of Business, graduating with a BBA. He was awarded the Varsity Football Letter from the University of Georgia [2] as well as several academic ALL-SEC Awards and was named the "Scout of the Year" for the football team in both 1999 and 2000. He is a brother of the Delta Sigma Pi professional fraternity.
In 2008, Dukes entered the "Next GAC Star" Talent competition. His song, "I Can't Pray" and the accompanying video were voted by fans as a top pick in the online competition, and played on the national broadcast of the show.
Dukes performed in small venues for the next few years. He took a job working part-time at the studio of The Late Late Show host, and lived in his truck while working on an EP release. Dukes appeared twice in opening sketches for the program, once as the “French Guitarist” and another time as the “Sinister Man” incoherently questioning the host, Craig Ferguson before the start of the show. The show's host, Ferguson, invited Dukes to play as a guest on the show in 2012, at about the time the EP was released.
Following his television appearance, Dukes was selected to perform a showcase at South-By-Southwest in March 2013. [3] At that time, Dukes also released his first full-length LP, Walkin Thru Hell. [4] The title track, “Walkin Thru Hell” was nominated for Best Country Song by the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. [5] Dukes returned as a Musical Guest on The Late Late Show on May 18, 2013 when he performed his first wide-release single, “Old Fixer Upper.” [6]
Dukes has since gone on to play at a number of festivals across the country. In 2015, he toured in the Southwestern United States. Dukes appeared on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives on May 15, 2015.
John Richard Schneider is an American actor and country music singer. He is best known for his portrayal of Beauregard "Bo" Duke in the American television action/comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard, Jonathan Kent in the 2001–11 TV series Smallville, and James "Jim" Cryer on the television series The Haves and the Have Nots, created by Tyler Perry.
Keith Lionel Urban is an Australian and American singer, guitarist, and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves International Award, thirteen CMA Awards, and six ARIA Music Awards. Urban wrote and performed the song "For You" from the film Act of Valor, which earned him nominations at both the 70th Golden Globe Awards and at the 18th Critics' Choice Awards in the respective Best Original Song categories.
Jason Aldean is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 album, My Kinda Party, is certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His 2012 album Night Train is certified double-platinum, while his 2005 self-titled debut, 2007 album Relentless, 2009 album Wide Open, and 2014 album Old Boots, New Dirt are all certified platinum. Aldean has received five Grammy Award nominations throughout his career, twice for Best Country Album.
Miranda Leigh Lambert is an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place on the television program Nashville Star, a singing competition which aired on the USA Network. Outside her solo career, she is a member of the Pistol Annies formed in 2011 alongside Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Lambert has been honored by the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards. Lambert has been honored with more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist in history.
Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan is an American country singer, songwriter, and television personality. His first ten albums – I'll Stay Me (2007), Doin' My Thing (2009), Tailgates & Tanlines (2011), Crash My Party (2013), Spring Break...Here to Party (2013), Spring Break...Checkin' Out (2015), Kill the Lights (2015), Farm Tour... Here's to the Farmer (2016), What Makes You Country (2017), and Born Here Live Here Die Here (2020) – have included 30 number-one hits. Bryan often co-writes with Jeff Stevens. Since 2018, Bryan has been a judge on American Idol.
Justin Townes Earle was an American singer-songwriter and musician. After his debut, EP Yuma (2007), he released eight full-length albums. He was recognized with an Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist of the Year in 2009 and for Song of the Year in 2011 for "Harlem River Blues". His father is alternative country artist Steve Earle.
Brantley Keith Gilbert is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released Modern Day Prodigal Son and Halfway to Heaven. He is now signed to the Valory division of Big Machine Records where he has released five studio albums—a deluxe edition of Halfway to Heaven, Just as I Am, The Devil Don't Sleep, Fire & Brimstone, So Help Me God, and 14 country chart entries, four of which have gone to number one. He also co-wrote and originally recorded Jason Aldean's singles "My Kinda Party" and "Dirt Road Anthem."
Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, was released on October 11, 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, was released January 27, 2017. Alaina later achieved her first number one on the Country Airplay chart with the album's title track. Her second number one came later that year when she simultaneously topped five Billboard charts with her friend and former classmate Kane Brown on their duet "What Ifs". In addition to this song with Brown, Alaina became an in-demand duet vocalist throughout the next few years, appearing on number one collaborations with Hardy, Devin Dawson, and Dustin Lynch. Her third studio album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was released on September 3, 2021.
Thomas Rhett Akins Jr., known professionally as Thomas Rhett, is an American country singer-songwriter. He is the oldest son of singer Rhett Akins.
Florida Georgia Line are an American country music duo founded in 2010 by vocalists and songwriters Tyler Hubbard of Georgia and Brian Kelley of Florida; however, the band is on an indefinite hiatus from touring and "taking a break" from making music together as the members pursue solo careers. Their 2012 debut single "Cruise" broke two major sales records: it was downloaded over seven million times, making it the first country song ever to receive the Diamond certification, and it became the best-selling digital country song, with 24 weeks at number one, until it was surpassed in July 2017 by Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road". Their music style is described as "bro-country", which incorporates production elements from rock and hip-hop music, and tends to cover subject matter such as partying, drinking, driving trucks and sexual attraction.
Chase Rice is an American country music singer, songwriter and reality television personality. He first came to prominence in 2010 while he was a contestant on Survivor: Nicaragua, where he was the runner-up to Jud "Fabio" Birza. In the same year Rice began focusing on a career in country music, and later co-wrote the diamond-certified single "Cruise", performed by Florida Georgia Line.
Colden Rainey Swindell is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has written singles for Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan, and has released four albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashville. He has released thirteen singles, eight of which have reached number one on the Hot Country Songs and/or Country Airplay charts. Three more singles have reached the Top 10.
Tyler Reed Hubbard is an American singer-songwriter, and musician, best known as a member of the Nashville-based duo Florida Georgia Line. After that duo went on hiatus in 2021, Hubbard began recording as a solo artist on EMI Nashville. His first solo chart entry was a guest vocalist on Tim McGraw's "Undivided", followed by his first solo single "5 Foot 9", which topped the Billboard Country Airplay charts in 2022. He released his self-titled debut album in 2023.
Brian Edward Kelley is an American musician, best known as a member of the Nashville-based duo Florida Georgia Line. Kelley is from Ormond Beach, Florida, and enjoyed playing sports and music growing up. He moved to Nashville to go to school and play baseball at Belmont University, where he met Tyler Hubbard, the other member of Florida Georgia Line.
The Cadillac Three, originally known as The Cadillac Black, is an American rock band consisting of Jaren Johnston, Kelby Ray, and Neil Mason. All three members were originally in the band American Bang. The group has released three albums through Big Machine Records, and has charted three singles on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. In addition to their own work, Johnston has written singles for Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Steven Tyler, Dallas Smith, and Jake Owen.
Sam Lowry Hunt is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Cedartown, Georgia, Hunt played football in his high school and college years and once attempted to pursue a professional sports career before signing with MCA Nashville in 2014.
Kane Allen Brown is an American singer. First garnering a mass following on social media, he released his first EP titled Closer in June 2015, and followed it up with the single, "Used to Love You Sober" in October 2015. After Brown signed with RCA Nashville in early 2016, the song was included on his second EP and major label debut, Chapter 1 in March 2016. He released his eponymous debut studio album on December 2, 2016. The album spawned the single "What Ifs", and in October 2017, Brown became the first artist to have simultaneous number ones on all five main Billboard country charts. Brown released his second album, Experiment, in November 2018, which became his first number one album on the Billboard 200.
Jonathan Thomas Langston is an American country musician from Loganville, Georgia. He released an extended play, Showtime, with Treehouse Records, in 2015. This was his breakthrough release upon the Billboard magazine charts. His extended play, Jon Langston, was released independently in 2015. The release got better placements upon the same Billboard magazine charts.
Tucker Russell Beathard is an American country music singer and songwriter. A son of songwriter Casey Beathard, Beathard was signed to Dot Records, a subsidiary of Big Machine Records in 2015 where he released his debut single titled "Rock On" and released an EP titled Fight Like Hell in 2016. Since then, Beathard has departed Big Machine, releasing his debut album titled Nobody's Everything independently on November 30, 2018, and later signed to Warner Music Nashville in early 2019.
Michael Wilson Hardy, known professionally as Hardy, is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has written songs for Florida Georgia Line, Chris Lane, Blake Shelton, Dallas Smith, Thomas Rhett, and Morgan Wallen. He released his debut album A Rock for Big Loud Records, as well as the mixtape Hixtape, Vol. 1. He has charted the singles "Give Heaven Some Hell" and "One Beer" and was featured on "Some Things Never Change". His most recent album, The Mockingbird & The Crow, topped the country music charts in early 2023.
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