"CMT CROSSROADS: 38 SPECIAL AND TRACE ADKINS" To Premiere Saturday, September 27 on CMT

NASHVILLE � September 10, 2008 � Southern rock and country collide for an unmistakably loud new episode of the hit series CMT CROSSROADS when 38 Special takes the stage with country star Trace Adkins. CMT CROSSROADS: 38 SPECIAL AND TRACE ADKINS premieres Saturday, September 27 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT.

The one-hour episode features the hits from both artists, including 38 Special's "Hold On Loosely" and "Rockin Into the Night," and Trace Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" and "Ladies Love Country Boys."

"We had such a blast with this show," Adkins tells CMT. "The guys in my band and I are such big fans, so we have been like excited little kids. In fact, I really can't think of a time when I've had more fun since I've been in this business."

"You can probably tell he's a baritone singer and we're both tenor singers." Says 38 Special's Don Barnes about Adkins. "We've been trying to maneuver things around and offer some more surprises melody-wise. He made certain verses of our songs his own, and we tried to take that big voice of his on his songs and try to make it ours. We're doing our best Trace impersonation!"

For a preview of one of the musical performances from the latest episode of CMT CROSSROADS, log on to CMT.com http://www.cmt.com/videos/misc/272686/wild-eyed-southern-boys.jhtml?id=1594239

38 Special and Trace Adkins join an elite group of performers who have taped CMT CROSSROADS, which pairs country music stars with popular artists from other genres�pop, rock, R&B�to play together, swap stories, and share their common love of music. Previous episodes of CROSSROADS have included Maroon 5 and Sara Evans; Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; Joss Stone and LeAnn Rimes; Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire; John Fogerty and Keith Urban; Bon Jovi and Sugarland; and Lindsey Buckingham and Little Big Town. CMT will tape a new episode featuring Def Leppard and Taylor Swift later this fall and scheduled to premiere in November.

Neighborhood friends Donnie Van Zant, the brother of late Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant, and Don Barnes co-founded 38 Special in their hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., over three decades ago. In its early days, the band built its reputation with its brand of Southern boogie and blues-rock, before transforming into a more arena-rock-friendly style. In its second decade, the band scored big with a slew of hits, including such rockers as "Caught Up in You," "Hold on Loosely," "If I'd Been the One," and "Rockin' into the Night." Since 1975, the band has sold in excess of 15 million albums and they've toured relentlessly, performing as many as 100 shows per year. 38 Special includes guitarist and co-lead singer Don Barnes, rhythm guitarist and co-lead singer Donnie Van Zant, guitarist Danny Chauncey, bassist Larry Junstrom, keyboardist Bobby Capps, and drummer Gary Moffatt.

Trace Adkins has enjoyed a remarkable 12-year career full of radio hits, national TV appearances and highly successful tours. More than 25 of his singles have appeared on Billboard's country charts since releasing his platinum debut album in 1996, including "Every Light In The House Is On," "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing," "Chrome," "Hot Mama," "I'm Tryin,'" "Arlington," "Songs About Me," "You're Gonna Miss This," and more. Earlier this year, Adkins was one of fourteen celebrities competing for charity on "The Celebrity Apprentice," ultimately becoming one of the show's two finalists. As a result, he was introduced to millions of Americans who don't listen to country music and raised more than $500,000 for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) for his designated charity. On October 3, Adkins will appear in David Zucker's ("Airplane!," "The Naked Gun") new satirical comedy film, "An American Carol." He continues his 2008 American Man Tour this fall and later this month, Adkins will travel to the Persian Gulf for his second USO tour. His latest hit still heating up the charts is "Muddy Water," the first single from his tenth album scheduled for release November 25.

CMT CROSSROADS is presented by Alltel Wireless, the first title sponsor of the critically-acclaimed series. Alltel is owner and operator of the nation's largest wireless network and has 12 million customers.

CMT CROSSROADS is produced by Tom Forrest. John Hamlin, Margaret Comeaux and Bill Flanagan serve as executive producers for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 87 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, Gametrailers and Xfire.