FANS GIVE THOMPSON SQUARE THEIR FIRST-EVER CMT MUSIC AWARD

Husband/ Wife Duo Defy the Statistics To Take “Duo Video of the Year” Crown for Hit Single “I Got You”


NEW SINGLE, “GLASS,” SOARS INTO TOP 20 THIS WEEK

(NASHVILLE, TN) – Last night, Country music fans voted Thompson Square’s, “I Got You,” the winner of the coveted “Duo Video of the Year” at the CMT Music Awards.

The carefree, up-tempo crowd favorite and follow-up to the #1 anthem, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not,” was a Top 10 hit on both the Billboard and Mediabase Country charts.

Directed by Wes Edwards (who also directed the video for Thompson Square’s #1 anthem, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” and “Glass (Version T2)”), “I Got You,” is a spoof on the classic Sonny & Cher Show.  Husband/wife duo Keifer and Shawna Thompson played every single character featured in the video – from talk show hosts to fire eaters.  

(Watch “I Got You”)

“We want to thank Country radio, Stoney Creek Records, our manager and entire team – as well as Wes Edwards who made an awesome video that really showed off our personalities,” said Keifer Thompson backstage while dutifully holding his wife’s stilettos after the long work day. 

“Additionally, we want to say thank you to all the fans who have changed our lives forever,” Keifer continued.

“Thanks also to Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum for taking us out on tour with them and helping us make a whole new circle of fans,” said Shawna Thompson.  “A few years ago we were selling boots and buckles at a shop downtown to make ends meet – so it feels really good to be getting one right now!”

Especially significant about the win is that Thompson Square defied the typical split-vote statistic that follows artists nominated twice within the same category.  The reigning ACM Duo of the Year’s fan showing was so strong that it overwhelmed the typical awards show curse and propelled Thompson Square to victory.

Adding to the good news, Thompson Square’s latest hit single, “Glass” soared into the Top 20 on the Mediabase Country Chart this week.  The powerful, romantic ballad that The Washington Post hailed as a “poignant meditation on human vulnerability,” showcases a more serious side of Thompson Square, flag-shipped by Shawna Thompson’s powerhouse vocals.

It’s been an extraordinary year for the husband/wife duo who celebrated 13 years of marriage in May.  In fact, Keifer and Shawna Thompson pounded the pavement for all of that 13 years in the music industry before finally signing to tiny independent label Stoney Creek Records.  The young married couple worked odd jobs, played bar shows and knocked on countless closed doors during that time.

One of those odd jobs was as bartenders at Nashville’s Lower Broad night spot The Wheel.  This week, Keifer and Shawna returned to their old stomping grounds for an exclusive, in-depth profile with E! News.  It was at The Wheel that Keifer and Shawna were both bartending when Broken Bow Records President/ CEO Benny Brown signed them to his brand new independent label Stoney Creek Records (sister label to Broken Bow Records and home to Jason Aldean).

The reigning ACM “Vocal Duo of the Year,” Thompson Square has earned an astounding list of accolades in its first year on the Country music scene. The husband/wife duo’s #1 smash, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not,” earned them 2 GRAMMY Nominations as well as an American Music Award, 2 CMA, 5 CMT Music Award nominations, a Nationwide “Best New Live Act” nomination as well as a 2012 Teen Choice Award nomination for “Choice Country Group.”  Keifer and Shawna Thompson are also winners of 3 fan-voted American Country Awards.  “AYGKMON” is nearing Double Platinum sales status, was the #1 Digital Soundscan Single for 5 weeks straight, the #1 Country Ringtone for 12 consecutive weeks and was iTunes’ 2011 Country Song of the Year.  Thompson Square’s whirlwind year has seen them on national tours supporting Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum as well as gracing the stages of The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Conan, Fox & Friends All American Concert Series and the 45th Annual CMA Awards. Thompson Square (or T2) ended 2011 as Billboard’s #1 New Country Artist in terms of digital sales and the #6 New Artist across all genres.

Next up, Thompson Square will perform tonight (Thursday, June 8) at The Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville as part of the A Concert for Cystic Fibrosis charity benefit along with Randy Houser, James Wesley, Kristy Lee Cook and Parmalee. Doors open at 9:30 pm and general admission tickets are $10 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

PHOTO CAPTION:  Shawna and Keifer Thompson of Thompson Square pose backstage at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena – winners envelope and stilettos in hand — on June 6, 2012, moments after winning the CMT Music Award for Duo Video of the Year for their hit, “I Got You.”

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