AARON LEWIS EARNS TWO 2011 CMT MUSIC AWARDS NOMINATIONS “COUNTRY BOY” NOMINATED FOR “USAWEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR” AND “COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR” FANS CAN VOTE NOW THROUGH JUNE 7 AT CMT.COM

AARON LEWIS’ debut solo single and video “Country Boy” has helped to solidify the singer, songwriter and musician’s place in country music, propelled his CD TOWN LINE (Nashville-based Stroudavarious Records) to the top spot on the country albums chart and has now earned him two 2011 CMT MUSIC AWARDS nominations, marking the Staind frontman’s first-ever CMT nominations.

“Country Boy” has been nominated for “USAWeekend Breakthrough Video of the Year” (awarded to the best video from an artist's major breakthrough album) and “Collaborative Video of the Year” (awarded to the best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists). The 2011 CMT Music Awards mark the 10th anniversary of the awards show and will air live from Nashville on Wednesday, June 8 on CMT and CMT.com.  Fans can vote now through June 7 at CMT.com for the winners.

TOWN LINE–released March 1–debuted on the Billboard Country Albums Chart at #1. The critically acclaimed EP, produced by Grammy Award-winner James Stroud, also landed at #7 on the Top 200 Albums Chart, with first week sales exceeding 37,000 copies.

Ahead of the official single release, “Country Boy” generated widespread airplay, with various rock and country stations adding it to their playlists on their own.  The striking video for “Country Boy”–featuring legends George Jones and Charlie Daniels–debuted at #1 on the CMT.com chart, has received over 1.2 million views to date and has been a fixture on CMT’s “Top 20 Countdown.” It has now been viewed over 4.9 million times on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQzw_Ax8Cw.

This track is a fitting introduction of LEWIS to this new genre. LEWIS tells his story like never before on the song, his voice carries a catchy chorus over a slide guitar, and he opens up about his past, present, and future. Featuring a fiery fiddle lead from Daniels and a booming verse from Jones, "Country Boy" strikes a balance between classic and modern country.

The video features images of LEWIS, Jones and Daniels in the studio but also draws from LEWIS' own family archives, giving a glimpse into his youth, home, passions, and so much more.

TOWN LINE has drawn critical praise from a wide variety of writers, including COUNTRY WEEKLY’s Jessica Phillips who said, "The songs here are rich with imagery, coupled with soulful arrangements, and should appeal to fans of Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum (3/7/11)."  PEOPLE’s Chuck Arnold noted that "He proves to be a natural on nostalgic ballads like 'The Story Never Ends,’ (3/14/11)," while ASSOCIATED PRESS’ Michael McCall wrote, “He injects a flavor of his own into a polished, commercial country sound in a way that could win over country fans who've never heard of Staind (2/28/11).”

New solo acoustic shows have been added to LEWIS’ itinerary (full dates below). Many of these freewheeling performances have been selling out and earning positive reviews.
 
Check out LEWIS on the road:
 
Date            Venue    City   
Sat    4/30        Marshall Army Airfield (Free, open to the public)    Fort Riley, KS
Thu     5/5        Honeywell Center    Wabash, IN
Fri     5/6        The Gillioz Theatre    Springfield, MO
Sat     5/7        Mystique Casino (7pm; 9pm)    Dubuque, IA
Wed     5/11        Yankee Candle Flagship South    Springfield, MA
Thu    5/12        City Limits Saloon (QDR Twist This)    Raleigh, NC
Fri    5/13        Hart Plaza (99.5 WYCD Downtown Hoedown)    Detroit, MI
Thu    5/26        Ponderosa Lounge (American Cancer Society Benefit)       Portland, OR
Sun     5/29        Edgewater Casino & Hotel    Laughlin, NV
Mon    5/30        Soboba Casino (West Coast Thunder Bike/Run)    Riverside, CA
Thu    6/2        Harris Riverfront Park (w/ Eric Church)    Huntington, WV
Sat    6/4        Susquehanna Bank Center (WXTU 27th Anniversary)       Camden, NJ
Sat    6/18        US 131 Motorsports Park (B93 Birthday Bash)    Martin, MI   
Fri     6/24        Chinook Winds Casino    Lincoln City, OR
Sat     6/25        Chinook Winds Casino    Lincoln City, OR
Sat    7/2        Seven Clans Casino    Red Lake, MN
Sun    7/10        Cavendish Beach Music Festival (w/ Toby Keith, Eric Church)   
Cavendish, Prince Edward Island
Fri    7/22        House of Blues    N Myrtle Beach, SC
Sat    7/23        Fillmore                                               Charlotte, NC
Sat    8/6        The MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa    South Lake Tahoe, NV
Sat    8/13        Peppermill Casino    Wendover, NV
Sun    8/14        Jackson Rancheria    Jackson, CA
Sun    8/28        The Summer Stage at Tag’s (w/ Blake Shelton)    Big Flats, NY
 
 
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