Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's Exclusive Alison Krauss and Union Station CD Reaches 125,000 Unit Milestone in Less Than Two Months

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's Exclusive Alison Krauss and Union Station CD Reaches 125,000 Unit Milestone in Less Than Two Months

Milestone achieved as Cracker Barrel announces new deal with The Charlie Daniels Band

LEBANON, Tenn., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In less than eight weeks, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store(R) ("Cracker Barrel") has sold more than 125,000 units of the "Home on the Highways" CD, an exclusive compilation of songs from Grammy(R) Award-winners Alison Krauss and Union Station. "Home on the Highways" hit Cracker Barrel's retail stores on May 10 and has since become the fastest selling CD on the Cracker Barrel music label.

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"We are delighted with the performance of this CD in such a short time period," said Chris Tomasso, vice president of marketing at Cracker Barrel. "We believed our guests would appreciate the genuine sound of this incredible band. Music is an essential element not only to our guest experience but to who we are as a company as we continue to seek unique partnership opportunities."

"We are really happy with the sales of 'Home on the Highways,'" says Denise Stiff, manager of Alison Krauss & Union Station. "Reaching 125,000 so quickly was beyond our expectations and shows the value of a partnership with a compatible retail outlet. The success of this CD reinforces our decision to partner with Cracker Barrel. We feel like we're reaching our existing fans and making new ones, especially folks who might not go into a traditional record store."

To thank fans for their support and loyalty, Alison Krauss and Union Station will stop by various Cracker Barrel locations for some "old-fashioned picking" performances in the coming months. Dates and locations will be announced at a future time. The band's management jokingly says scheduling the visits will be easy because the band often stops at Cracker Barrel for a meal while touring.

Cracker Barrel today also announced an exclusive CD agreement with Blue Hat Records recording artist, country music legend and Grammy(R) Award-winner Charlie Daniels. The Charlie Daniels Band CD will feature patriotic music and the band's best known songs, including "In America" and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

"I'm proud to be associated with Cracker Barrel because we're a good combination," said Charlie Daniels. "We're both from Tennessee. We both try real hard to give people their money's worth and we're both American to the bone."

Other exclusive music categories available at Cracker Barrel are also a hit with guests. The American Legends CD series - which includes legendary performers such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Ray Charles - has sold more than 400,000 units since August, 2004. The Grand Ole Opry "Live Classics" CD collection has sold more than 30,000 units since its launch in April, 2005. The "Live Classics" collection captures the spirit of America's longest running radio show. These previously unreleased recordings have been digitally re-mastered and allow listeners to enjoy country classics, down-home comedy, heartfelt gospel and more.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CBRL Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBRL). Cracker Barrel was established in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee and operates 529 restaurants and gift shops in 41 states.

About Cracker Barrel

Each Cracker Barrel Old Country Store(R) unit is modeled after a 1900-era country store, featuring old photographs, authentic antiques, memorabilia and a real wood burning fireplace with a stone hearth to add a warm cozy touch to the dining room. The restaurant serves up classic comfort foods such as meatloaf and homemade chicken n' dumplins as well as made-from-scratch biscuits using an old family recipe. The retail store has more than 2,700 gift items including accessories for the home, old-fashioned candies, books on audio, nostalgic items, and children's games and puzzles, including classic favorites such as Raggedy Ann(R) & Raggedy Andy (R) and Slinky(R).

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. operates 529 company-owned locations in 41 states. Every Cracker Barrel unit is open seven days a week with hours Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. - 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. For more information, visit www.crackerbarrel.com.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050712/CLTU015-a http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050712/CLTU015LOGO-b AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN1 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

CONTACT: Holly Chambers, +1-404-877-5533, or holly.chambers@mslpr.com , or Anne Reeves, +1-404-870-6831, or anne.reeves@mslpr.com , both of Manning Selvage & Lee

Web site: http://www.crackerbarrel.com/

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