• THE 2022 CMA NOMINATIONS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED; CHRIS STAPLETON AMONG THE MOST NOMINATED.

    The nominations for the 56th Annual CMA Awards have been announced. Lainey Wilson leads the list of nominees with six nods.

    Chris Stapleton has five nominations including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Music Video of the Year (“I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”), Single and Song of the Year for “You Should Probably Leave.”

    With this year’s five nods, Stapleton has amassed 39 career nominations. He is a six-time nominee for Entertainer of the Year and an eight-time nominee for Male Vocalist, a category he has won five times. “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” collects Stapleton his third nomination for Music Video, a category he won in 2016. The video is directed by Lively and is performed with 27-time nominee Taylor Swift. “You Should Probably Leave” marks Stapleton’s fifth nomination for Single of the Year and third nomination for Song. He is a two-time winner in both categories, claiming both trophies in 2018 and 2021. Stapleton co-produced the single with Dave Cobb and it was mixed by Vance Powell. He co-wrote the song with Chris DuBois and Ashley Gorley.

    Carrie Underwood earned three nominations including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for “If I Didn’t Love You” with Jason Aldean.

    With this year’s nominations, Underwood has garnered 40 career nods since 2006. This year marks her 16th nomination for Female Vocalist, a trophy she’s claimed five times. She is a four-time nominee for Musical Event, earning a nod this year for “If I Didn’t Love You,” a duet with Jason Aldean produced by Michael Knox. She collects her fifth nomination for the night’s most coveted trophy, Entertainer of the Year.

    Jordan Davis picked up two CMA nominations for Single of the Year for the multi-week No. 1 single “Buy Dirt” featuring Luke Bryan (who is also nominated); and for Song of the Year for “Buy Dirt,” which he wrote with his brother Jacob Davis (who earned his first CMA nomination), along with Matt and Josh Jenkins.

    Jon Pardi also picked up a pair of nominations for his collaboration with Midland on “Longneck Way To Go” for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year. The song also appears on Jon’s brand new album, Mr. Saturday Night.

    2020’s Entertainer of the Year Eric Church earned a nod for Male Vocalist of the Year, while Little Big Town earned a nomination for Vocal Group of the Year, a category which they’ve won SIX times!

    Reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne and Maddie & Tae pick up nods for Vocal Duo of the Year.

    Dierks Bentley is nominated along with BRELAND and HARDY for Musical Event of the Year for the trio’s chart-topping tune, “Beers On Me.”

    Parker McCollum earns his first CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year

    The 56th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, will broadcast LIVE from Nashville November 9th at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC.

    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

    • Luke Combs
    • Miranda Lambert
    • Chris Stapleton
    • Carrie Underwood
    • Morgan Wallen

    SINGLE OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer  

    • “Buy Dirt” – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan
      Producer: Paul DiGiovanni
      Mix Engineer: Jim Cooley
    • “half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (feat. Kenny Chesney)
      Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins
      Mix Engineer: Dan Grech-Marguerat
    • “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
      Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
      Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
    • “’Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson
      Producer: Trent Willmon
      Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke
    • “You Should Probably Leave” – Chris Stapleton
      Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
      Mix Engineer: Vance Powell

    ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s) 

    • Growin’ Up – Luke Combs
      Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
      Mix Engineers: Jim Cooley, Chip Matthews
    • Humble Quest – Maren Morris
      Producer: Greg Kurstin
      Mix Engineer: Serban Ghenea
    • Palomino – Miranda Lambert
      Producers: Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, Mikey Reaves
      Mix Engineer: Jason Lehning
    • Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ – Lainey Wilson
      Producer: Jay Joyce
      Mix Engineer: F. Reid Shippen
    • Time, Tequila & Therapy – Old Dominion
      Producers: Shane McAnally, Old Dominion
      Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank

    SONG OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Songwriter(s) 

    • “Buy Dirt”
      Songwriters: Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins
    • “Never Wanted To Be That Girl”
      Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce
    • “Sand In My Boots”
      Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Josh Osborne
    • “Things A Man Oughta Know”
      Songwriters: Jason Nix, Jonathan Singleton, Lainey Wilson
    • “You Should Probably Leave”
      Songwriters: Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley, Chris Stapleton

    FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

    • Miranda Lambert
    • Ashley McBryde
    • Carly Pearce
    • Carrie Underwood
    • Lainey Wilson

    MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

    • Eric Church
    • Luke Combs
    • Cody Johnson
    • Chris Stapleton
    • Morgan Wallen

    VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

    • Lady A
    • Little Big Town
    • Midland
    • Old Dominion
    • Zac Brown Band

    VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

    • Brooks & Dunn
    • Brothers Osborne
    • Dan + Shay
    • LOCASH
    • Maddie & Tae

    MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist(s) and Producer(s)  

    • “Beers On Me” – Dierks Bentley with BRELAND & HARDY
      Producers: Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman
    • “If I Didn’t Love You” – Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood
      Producer: Michael Knox
    • “Longneck Way To Go” – Midland (featuring Jon Pardi)
      Producers: Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
    • “Never Say Never” – Cole Swindell (with Lainey Wilson)
      Producer: Zach Crowell
    • “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
      Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

    MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

    • Jenee Fleenor, Fiddle
    • Paul Franklin, Steel guitar
    • Brent Mason, Guitar
    • Ilya Toshinskiy, Banjo
    • Derek Wells, Guitar

    MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist(s) and Director(s)  

    • “I Bet You Think About Me” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) – Taylor Swift (featuring Chris Stapleton)
      Director: Blake Lively
    • “Longneck Way To Go” – Midland (featuring Jon Pardi)
      Director: Harper Smith
    • “Never Say Never” – Cole Swindell (with Lainey Wilson)
      Director: Michael Monaco
    • “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
      Director: Alexa Campbell
    • “’Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson
      Director: Dustin Haney

    NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

    • HARDY
    • Walker Hayes
    • Cody Johnson
    • Parker McCollum
    • Lainey Wilson

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1567550562119417856

     

    https://twitter.com/JordanCWDavis/status/1567543539105468419

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS SAYS THE SUCCESS "BUY DIRT" IS HAVING IS VERY SPECIAL.

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    Jordan Davis (Buy Dirt success is special) OC: …more special. :13
    “It just means a lot more. I wrote it with my brother (Jacob) and two my best friends (Josh and Matt Jenkins) in town and just the content of it. It comes from a really, really honest place. So, when you have songs that mean that much and you get to see them have success like ‘Buy Dirt’ is having, it’s a little bit more special.”

  • JON PARDI RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW ALBUM, MR. SATURDAY NIGHT; PREMIERES “MR. SATURDAY NIGHT” MUSIC VIDEO TODAY.

    Jon Pardi has released his highly anticipated fourth studio album, Mr. Saturday Night, out everywhere today. The album features Pardi’s current #1 single, “Last Night Lonely,” which topped both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase Country charts this week, marking Pardi’s fifth #1 hit at Country radio. Pardi shares an inside look at the creative process and the type of songs that make up Mr. Saturday Night here. With 14 tracks steeped in losing, a little loving and what’s in between, Pardi digs beneath the surface on Mr. Saturday Night, returning the genre to an era of buckle-polishing dancefloor encounters, yowling bar-room revelers, and the occasional strong, silent type ballad.

    Pardi will unveil the official music video for the album’s title track today at 12 p.m. CT on YouTube. Fans can sign up now for YouTube Premium for exclusive access to his livestream party following the premiere of his “Mr. Saturday Night” (Official Music Video) by visiting JonPardi.lnk.to/MrSatNightYT. Out of the gate, the track has been praised by Billboard for Pardi’s “signature neo-traditional country” and “clever play on words,” while CMT claims it’s a “quintessential honky-tonk standard.”

    Celebrating the album’s release and his recent chart-topping song, Pardi will bring “Last Night Lonely” to CBS Mornings on Wednesday, Sept. 7th in the 8 a.m. hour. He will join the show’s anchors for a live chat about Mr. Saturday Night, as well as a performance on their special one-year anniversary show. Pardi recently kicked off his album release with an appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (8/9). Check out the high energy performance here.

    Mr. Saturday Night reunites producers Bart Butler, Ryan Gore and Pardi: the same team behind the boards of his critically acclaimed third studio album, Heartache Medication. Nominated for Album of the Year by both the CMA and ACM, Heartache Medication debuted among the top tier of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and was named one of Rolling Stone’s best albums of 2019. The Los Angeles Times also ranked the album as one of its best of the year, where Pardi was the only country artist/album represented.

    A “hero in the making” (Variety), Pardi is noted for his “long-lasting mark on the genre” (Music Row) and his impressive ability to carve out his own path proving “the kind of country music multiple generations came to know, and love can still work on a mass scale” (Variety). Filled with fiddle, twang and steel guitar, Pardi continues to “apply new ideas to country’s old sounds” (Los Angeles Times) and “bring authenticity back into Country music” (People). Pardi is currently headlining arenas and amphitheaters across the country with his AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY TOUR, which extends through his October 1st headlining date in Nashville at Ascend Amphitheater. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit jonpardi.com.

     

    Jon Pardi’s Mr. Saturday Night Track List:

    1. “Mr. Saturday Night” (Benjy Davis, Reid Isbell, Joe Ragosta)
    2. “Fill ‘Er Up” (Jon Pardi, Ross Copperman, Brice Long)
    3. “Last Night Lonely” (Jimi Bell, Joe Fox, Dylan Marlowe)
    4. “Neon Light Speed” (Andy Albert, Josh Dorr, Paul DiGiovanni)
    5. “New Place To Drink” (Jon Pardi, Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird)
    6. “Your Heart Or Mine” (Bart Butler, Justin Ebach, John Pierce)
    7. “Santa Cruz” (Jon Pardi, Luke Laird)
    8. “Longneck Way To Go” (Midland featuring Jon Pardi) (Rhett Akins, Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Ashley Gorley, Mark Wystrach)
    9. “Raincheck” (Will Bundy, John Edwards, Michael Tyler)
    10. “Workin’ On A New One” (Jon Pardi, Rhett Akins, Luke Laird)
    11. “Hung The Moon” (Will Bundy, John Morgan, Jameson Rodgers)
    12. “The Day I Stop Dancin’” (Bart Butler, Justin Ebach, Josh Thompson)
    13. “Smokin’ A Doobie” (Jon Pardi, Rhett Akins, Luke Laird)
    14. “Reverse Cowgirl” (Zack Dyer, Joe Fox, Jared Scott)

    Produced by Bart Butler, Ryan Gore and Jon Pardi

     

    Jon Pardi’s AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY TOUR Dates:

    9/8 | Rochester, MN/Mayo Civic Center Park

    9/9 | Milwaukee, WI/BMO Harris Pavilion

    9/10 | Sterling Heights, MI/Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre

    9/15 | Bridgeport, CT/Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater

    9/16 | Big Flats, NY/Summer Stage @ Tags

    9/17 | Huber Heights, OH/Rose Music Center

    9/22 | New York, NY/Pier 17- the rooftop

    9/23 | Gilford, NH/Bank of NH Pavilion

    9/24 | Boston, MA/Leader Bank Pavilion

    9/29 | Southaven, MS/Landers Center*

    9/30 | Huntsville, AL/Von Braun Center*

    10/1 | Nashville, TN/Ascend Amphitheater*

     

    *Priscilla Block appearing in place of Hailey Whitters

     

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about titling his new album, Mr. Saturday Night.

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    Jon Pardi (titling Mr. Saturday Night) OC: …fourth record. :23
    “’Mr. Saturday Night’ is about a guy, he has a great time wherever he goes, but behind the curtain, he’s sad. He misses his girl, and I don’t know. He said he messed it up, so I don’t know if she’s coming back, but he tries to have the best time, to make the best of it and it goes along by titling it Mr. Saturday Night, because we’ve got a lot of feel-good songs and a lot of great, all kinds of feels on this fourth record.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (available now)

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    Hey everybody, this is Jon Pardi. My new album, Mr. Saturday Night, is available now.

  • JON PARDI’S MR. SATURDAY NIGHT ALBUM AUDIO TOOLKIT.

    Jon Pardi releases his new album on Friday (September 2nd). Click here to download the Mr. Saturday Night Album Audio Toolkit.

     

  • JON PARDI READIES RELEASE OF NEW ALBUM THIS WEEK.

    Jon Pardi is getting ready to release his fourth studio album, Mr. Saturday Night, on Friday (September 2nd). The collection follows the California native’s critically acclaimed, ACM and CMA Album of The Year-nominated Heartache Medication. Tapping some of Nashville’s most esteemed songwriters for the forthcoming project, Pardi has teamed up again with Bart Butler and Ryan Gore to produce Mr. Saturday Night. Including his current No. 1 single “Last Night Lonely,” the album boasts 14 songs steeped in losing, a little loving and what’s in between.

    “When the fans, when they listen to this record, I hope they go away with just another great record to listen to. Put it on (and) let it play from start to finish and rock out to every song,” says Jon. “I feel like emotionally the fans are gonna feel this record more than a lot of the past records.”

    “A lot of these songs we’ve had on hold for two years, written for two years, one year,” he says. “We definitely took our time on this project and let Heartache Medication get through its final single and then BAM! Here’s Mr. Saturday Night. I love the title. I love all of the tracks, and I think everybody’s gonna dig it. But it all comes down to the song and the players and the production. It’s nothing crazy, but it’s definitely fresh for me and I feel like everyone’s gonna really love it.”

    Jon Pardi’s Mr. Saturday Night Track List:

    1. “Mr. Saturday Night” (Benjy Davis, Reid Isbell, Joe Ragosta)
    2. “Fill ‘Er Up” (Jon Pardi, Ross Copperman, Brice Long)
    3. “Last Night Lonely” (Jimi Bell, Joe Fox, Dylan Marlowe)
    4. “Neon Light Speed” (Andy Albert, Josh Dorr, Paul DiGiovanni)
    5. “New Place To Drink” (Jon Pardi, Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird)
    6. “Your Heart Or Mine” (Bart Butler, Justin Ebach, John Pierce)
    7. “Santa Cruz” (Jon Pardi, Luke Laird)
    8. “Longneck Way To Go” (Midland featuring Jon Pardi) (Rhett Akins, Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Ashley Gorley, Mark Wystrach)
    9. “Raincheck” (Will Bundy, John Edwards, Michael Tyler)
    10. “Workin’ On A New One” (Jon Pardi, Rhett Akins, Luke Laird)
    11. “Hung The Moon” (Will Bundy, John Morgan, Jameson Rodgers)
    12. “The Day I Stop Dancin’” (Bart Butler, Justin Ebach, Josh Thompson)
    13. “Smokin’ A Doobie” (Jon Pardi, Rhett Akins, Luke Laird)
    14. “Reverse Cowgirl” (Zack Dyer, Joe Fox, Jared Scott)

     Produced by Bart Butler, Ryan Gore and Jon Pardi

     

    Jon is currently on the road now for his headlining AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY TOUR. For a full list of dates, and to purchase tickets to the Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour, visit jonpardi.com/tour.

     

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about what fans can expect from his new album, Mr. Saturday Night.

    Download

    Jon Pardi (fan expectations) OC: …gonna dig it. :22
    “When the fans, when they listen to this record, I hope they go away with just another great record to listen to. Put it on (and) let it play from start to finish and rock out to every song. I feel like emotionally the fans are gonna feel this record more than a lot of the past records. So, I think it’s gonna be good. Y’all are gonna dig it.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi explains what he’s learned in the recording studio from his first album to his fourth studio album, Mr. Saturday Night.

    Download

    Jon Pardi (what he’s learned in studio) OC: …check it out. :36
    “What I’ve learned from the studio is the best songs are always going to win all of the time. A lot of these songs we’ve had on hold for two years, written for two years, one year. We definitely took our time on this project and let Heartache Medication get through its final single and then BAM! Here’s Mr. Saturday Night. I love the title. I love all of the tracks, and I think everybody’s gonna dig it. But it all comes down to the song and the players and the production. It’s nothing crazy, but it’s definitely fresh for me and I feel like everyone’s gonna really love it, so check it out.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (available this week)

    Download
  • JON PARDI TAKES “LAST NIGHT LONELY” TO THE TOP OF THE COUNTRY CHARTS.

    Jon Pardi’s latest smash and his fastest-rising single to date, “Last Night Lonely,” climbed to the top of both the Billboard and Country Aircheck country charts. The track was written by Joe Fox, Jimi Bell and Dylan Marlowe.

    “Last Night Lonely” is the lead single from his upcoming fourth studio album, Mr. Saturday Night (which is available this Friday, September 2nd). Mr. Saturday Night is produced by Bart Butler, Ryan Gore and Pardi, the same team behind the boards of his ACM and CMA Album of The Year-nominated Heartache Medication. With 14 songs steeped in losing, a little loving and what’s in between, Pardi digs beneath the surface on Mr. Saturday Night, returning the genre to an era of buckle-polishing dancefloor encounters, yowling bar-room revelers and the occasional strong, silent type ballad.

    Jon’s headlining AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY TOUR continues September 8th in Rochester, Minnesota. For a full list of dates, and to purchase tickets to the Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour, visit jonpardi.com/tour.

    Jon Pardi’s AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY TOUR Dates:

    9/8 | Rochester, MN/Mayo Civic Center Park

    9/9 | Milwaukee, WI/BMO Harris Pavilion

    9/10 | Sterling Heights, MI/Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre

    9/15 | Bridgeport, CT/Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater

    9/16 | Big Flats, NY/Summer Stage @ Tags

    9/17 | Huber Heights, OH/Rose Music Center

    9/22 | New York, NY/Pier 17- the rooftop

    9/23 | Gilford, NH/Bank of NH Pavilion

    9/24 | Boston, MA/Leader Bank Pavilion

    9/29 | Southaven, MS/Landers Center*

    9/30 | Huntsville, AL/Von Braun Center*

    10/1 | Nashville, TN/Ascend Amphitheater*

     

    *Priscilla Block appearing in place of Hailey Whitters

    Video /

    View
  • JON PARDI IS SET TO RELEASE MR. SATURDAY NIGHT NEXT WEEK.

    Jon Pardi is getting ready to release his new album, Mr. Saturday Night, next Friday (September 2nd). The title track, written by Benjy Davis, Reid Isbell and Joe Ragosta,  is a neon-tinged, quintessentially country play on words. The slow-rolling track juxtaposes the high-spirited life of the party, with the desolate guy who goes home to face what he’s lost.

    “’Mr. Saturday Night,’ well, it’s a great song. It’s kind of a sad song, but it’s happy. It’s one of the happiest sad songs that I think everybody’s gonna dig, and you can sing along with it and you can dance, and it’s got a really cool sound to it.”

    Mr. Saturday Night follows Pardi’s critically acclaimed, ACM and CMA Album of The Year-nominated Heartache Medication. Tapping some of Nashville’s most esteemed songwriters for the forthcoming project, Pardi has teamed up again with Bart Butler and Ryan Gore to produce Mr. Saturday Night. Including Top 10-and-climbing single “Last Night Lonely,” the album boasts 14 songs steeped in losing, a little loving and what’s in between. The California-born honky-tonker digs beneath the surface in new ways, returning the genre to an era of buckle-polishing dancefloor encounters, yowling bar-room revelers and the occasional strong, silent type ballad.

     

    Jon Pardi’s Mr. Saturday Night Track List:

    1. “Mr. Saturday Night” (Benjy Davis, Reid Isbell, Joe Ragosta)
    2. “Fill ‘Er Up” (Jon Pardi, Ross Copperman, Brice Long)
    3. “Last Night Lonely” (Jimi Bell, Joe Fox, Dylan Marlowe)
    4. “Neon Light Speed” (Andy Albert, Josh Dorr, Paul DiGiovanni)
    5. “New Place To Drink” (Jon Pardi, Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird)
    6. “Your Heart Or Mine” (Bart Butler, Justin Ebach, John Pierce)
    7. “Santa Cruz” (Jon Pardi, Luke Laird)
    8. “Longneck Way To Go” (Midland featuring Jon Pardi) (Rhett Akins, Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Ashley Gorley, Mark Wystrach)
    9. “Raincheck” (Will Bundy, John Edwards, Michael Tyler)
    10. “Workin’ On A New One” (Jon Pardi, Rhett Akins, Luke Laird)
    11. “Hung The Moon” (Will Bundy, John Morgan, Jameson Rodgers)
    12. “The Day I Stop Dancin’” (Bart Butler, Justin Ebach, Josh Thompson)
    13. “Smokin’ A Doobie” (Jon Pardi, Rhett Akins, Luke Laird)
    14. “Reverse Cowgirl” (Zack Dyer, Joe Fox, Jared Scott)

     

    Produced by Bart Butler, Ryan Gore and Jon Pardi

    On the road now for his headlining AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY TOUR. For a full list of dates, and to purchase tickets to the Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour, visit jonpardi.com/tour.

     

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about the title track of his new album, Mr. Saturday Night.

    Download

    Jon Pardi (Mr. Saturday Night) OC: …sound to it. :12
    “’Mr. Saturday Night,’ well, it’s a great song. It’s kind of a sad song, but it’s happy. It’s one of the happiest sad songs that I think everybody’s gonna dig, and you can sing along with it and you can dance, and it’s got a really cool sound to it.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Mickey Guyton, Jon Pardi, Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Shania Twain

    Mickey Guyton appears on NBC’s Today Show on Friday (August 26th), the same day she releases her new song “Somethin’ Bout You,” which she co-wrote with Tyler Hubbard and David Garcia.

    Jon Pardi stars in this week’s episode of “CMT Campfire Sessions,” premiering this Friday (August 26th) at 10p ET/9p CT exclusively on CMT. Joined fireside by his longtime band The All-Nighters, Pardi leads a feel-good jam session, swapping stories and acoustic versions of his biggest hits, including “Head Over Boots,” “Tequila Little Time,” “Heartache on The Dance Floor” and “Dirt on My Boots,” plus new music from his upcoming albumin Mr. Saturday Night, including his latest chart-rising single “Last Night Lonely.” Encores of this week’s episode will air Sunday, September 4th at 11a/10c (CMT), Friday, September 16th at 1a/12c (CMT Music) and Saturday, September 17th at 10a/9c and 6p/5c (CMT Music).

     

    Keith Urban and Darius Rucker will be featured on this weekend’s edition of CMT Hot 20 on Saturday (August 27th) at 9a ET and Sunday (August 28th) at 8a ET.

     

    Keith Urban and Vince Gill will appear on actor-singer Rita Wilson’s upcoming duets album, titled Rita Wilson Now and Forever: Duets. The collection, which will also feature Jimmie Allen, Tim McGraw and Willie Nelson, among others, will be released September 27th.

    Shania Twain was honored with the ACM Poet’s Award during Wednesday night’s (August 24th) ACM Honors.

     

  • LABOR DAY 2022 AUDIO SOUNDBITES

    For many decades, Labor Day was seen as a day for workers to voice their complaints and discuss better working conditions and pay.

    U.S. Congress declared Labor Day a national holiday in 1894, and on Monday, September 5th, we will once again celebrate the people in every occupation whose work and dedication help the nation keep going.

    Labor Day weekend also signals the unofficial end to summer, and many of the hottest country stars are taking a look back at some of the toughest jobs they had prior to making their mark in music or their dream job now.

     

    Audio / Alan Jackson says that working man values have always been a part of his music.

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    AJ (working people songs) OC: … appreciate that. :28
    “I’ve always written songs and recorded songs, other people’s songs, about workin’ people, and workin’, the workin’ life ’cause I mean, that’s where I’m from. I mean, I worked…I’d already had jobs and worked as a grown person before I ever even thought about bein’ in the music business, so I come from that background, and…although I hadn’t had a job in a long time (laughs), I still remember a lot about it, you know, and I remember what the lifestyle is, and I still appreciate that.”

    Audio / Billy Currington recalls some of the jobs he had before landing his record deal in 2003.

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    Billy Currington (Labor Day) OC: …record deal. :40
    “I started working like at [age] 12, landscaping. This was summer, every summers, and roofing. I started when I was about 16 roofing houses, and that was probably one of my toughest jobs because down there in South Georgia, it gets hot, so doing that every day all summer long. The pawn shop when I moved to Nashville was one of my favorites, even though it was one of my least favorites. The concrete job was my least favorite of all – six years of that, and I couldn’t take it no more. After that job, that was my turning point. Either I’m going to do something else for a living [laughs] or quit and try to really focus on music and get this record deal.”

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKS ABOUT THE JOBS SHE HAD GROWING UP AND HER BEST JOB -- PERFORMING FOR HER FANS.

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    Carrie Underwood (Labor Day) OC: …born to do. :59
    “I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad job. I’ve had hard jobs. I’ve had jobs that worked random hours. My first job was at a gas station, and that was a lot of fun actually. While I was working at the gas station, I took another job at a hotel down the street. There was nobody else working there. I had one day of training and then the next day I came in, and the lady that had worked there the longest and was training me just didn’t show. So, the second day at work I was now in charge ‘cause I was now the senior member that was working at the hotel. So, I feel like that one was really challenging to figure my way through it, but I did. My best job is definitely what I do now. I really like being on stage. I really like performing for people and just having fun and singing, because that’s what I feel like I was born to do.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack says her worst job truly smelled bad.

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    Caylee Hammack (Labor Day-worst job) OC: …worst job. (laughs) :38
    “My worst job was working in a nursery, actually. I love kids so I thought I’d be really good at it, but when you’re the new person coming in, you have to change all the diapers first. So, I was changing 45 diapers a day and it got to the point where everything smelled like baby poop. It literally drove me crazy. I would walk my dog and I would have to go to pick up her poop, and it would smell like baby poop, and I just couldn’t handle it, honestly. The smell of poop warded me away. The children were lovely, but the smell of poop lingered, and I couldn’t handle that job. That was my worst job.” (laughs)

    Audio / Darius Rucker recalls one of his worst jobs before turning to music.

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    Darius Rucker (Labor Day) OC: …pizza. :15
    “I was fifteen, and I worked at a pizza place, and the guy decided that at fifteen, that I could not only clean the floors and wash the dishes, but I also had to make pizza. So, for two months, he taught me how to make pizza

    Audio / Dierks Bentley makes a living performing for his fans, and he can’t say enough about them.

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    Dierks Bentley (Labor Day) OC: …generosity. :26
    “Personally, the fans give me amazement. That’s the only word to really sum it up. I look out in the crowd, you know, usually see a lot of faces and fans are cheering. I know each one of these like from the road-the signs are from California…Michelle and Kayla live up in the Ohio area. They’re all, I just see them, and I’m like, ‘Wow!,’ they’re all from different regions. You know when you’re in a different region of the country and you just see certain fans. These people are way more hard core than I am, and I’m just amazed by their generosity.”

    Audio / Eric Church talks about one of his worst job.

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    Eric Church (Labor Day-odd jobs) OC: …bought at 2am. 1:27
    “I had an awful job. I’ve had a lot of awful jobs…my worst one was when I first came to Nashville. I got a job at the Shop at Home Network. I worked midnight, graveyard, midnight to eight. That was bad enough but then I would work all night, go home, shower and then I had writing appointments all day because I was trying to get a career started. I’d go write songs and get meetings just trying to get signed. And end up getting done at 3 of 4 with all of that, I’d go home, take a shower or sleep for a little bit and then I had to be at work again at midnight. So the schedule was bad enough, however, what I had to do at the job…I sold knives from midnight to 7 or 8am. And, anytime somebody calls you at 3 or 4am and needs 200 knives for $19.95, it’s automatically an alarming situation. And I just, I was young and I’d been in a lot of these people’s shoes, I had done this…I knew they were drunk. I knew what they had done. They’d just come home from the bar, flipped on Shop at Home and said, ‘You know what? I need that.’ So the reason the job didn’t last long for me is that I was maybe the worst salesmen in history because I ended up talking a lot of these people out of it, I’d say, ‘I’ll tell you what man, go to bed, call me, I’ll be here in the morning. If you get up in the morning and want these knives you call me back.’ Because I knew what was going to happen, you know. They bought 200 knives for $19.95…first of all some of these people you didn’t know whether you should call the cops. What do you need 200 knives for? Even though I’m selling them…what do you need them for? So, it was awful doing that job. And then they got rid of me because, they were like, ‘You’re the worst. I can’t believe you’re talking people out of it.’ I was like, ‘Man I know…I’ve been there.’ [laughs] I’d want some to talk me out of buying some of the stuff I’ve bought at 2am.”

    Audio / GEORGE STRAIT’S CAREER HAS SPANNED DECADES AND 60 NO. 1 HITS, BUT HE CAN RECALL HEARING ONE OF HIS SONGS ON THE RADIO AND HOW COUNTRY RADIO HAS SUPPORTED HIM.

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    George Strait (first time on radio) OC: …records I’ve put out. :26
    “I took it to a radio station in San Antonio KKYX, and a guy named Jerry King put it on and played it while I ran out to the car to listen to it on the radio. So, it’s just been relationships like that through the years that I’ve had with different people. I don’t know, they’ve just supported me so much and have been very open to the records I’ve put out.”

     

    Audio / Jon Langston talks about his jobs prior to making a career in music.

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    Jon Langston (Labor Day) OC: …is the bomb. :45
    “The worst job – it wasn’t bad – I could just say growing up and stuff and in high school, I was working for my dad. It was a great job, working at the shop. One day I got tired of working for my dad. I thought it’d be smart to go work for somebody else and so I went to work at Chik-fil-a for a family friend, and I’m just not made for cooking chicken. But, I told my dad, ‘Hey, can I come back to work?’ (laughs) So, yeah, I mean, Chik-fil-a a great place to work if you’re into that kind of thing, but not me. But Chik-fil-a is my favorite fast food restaurant of all time. I mean, I will go to war for Chik-fil-a. I eat there probably three or four times a week. Chik-fil-a is the bomb.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about his worst job, which was at a grocery store.

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    Jon Pardi (Labor Day) OC: …so bored! :17
    “The worst job I ever had was at Hometown Grocery Store. I didn’t want to work, I was 15, and I did not want to work at the grocery store. Bagging was fun, but they sent me down the aisles to pull up cans and turn ‘em around and face ‘em, and I would just get so bored!”

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about one of his worst jobs.

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    Jordan Davis (Labor Day) OC: …worst job. :41
    “[My] worst job was probably whenever I got out of school I started working for an environmental group in Baton Rouge, and I was doing actual environmental work at first. I went to my boss probably about four months in and told him that I was going to move to Nashville and write songs. Luckily enough, he let me stay on, but I became the weedeater guy for the landscaping side of the business. I seriously weedeated eight hours a day. The only break I would get would be in-between yard to yard. So, like we would be in the car and I would try to doze off for like 10 minutes. I was covered in grass in the middle of the summer in Baton Rouge. It was awful. That was definitely the worst job.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about one of the worst jobs he had while working on doing music full-time.

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    Keith Urban (Labor Day-job) OC: …to sell things. 1:56
    “I’ve had a lot of crappy jobs. Wow! I don’t know about the worst job, oh, telemarketing. (laughs) I hated it! By all accounts, I was actually pretty good at it, and my boss was really upset that I wanted to quit, ‘cause he said you’d actually be pretty good at it, other than I was just too brutally honest. I was working for a company that at the time sold Franking Machines, which was a thing where – back then – you would put postal impressions on an envelope and send them out, instead of buying a whole stack of stamps. So, you had this thing called a Franking Machine and you’d pre-load it with a whole bunch of pre-paid for stamps. And you just put the envelope(s) in and (sound efx). So, if you’re putting out a whole bunch of mail from a business, it’s much better to get a Franking Machine, then have someone go to the post office all the time. I would have this whole long pitch about, ‘Hi, I’m Keith, blah, blah, blah, what volume of mail would you say you do every week?’ I was talking to this lady from a florist, and she was so sweet, and she goes, ‘Oh, I’d say I send out about three letters a week, love.’ And then I’m supposed to say, ‘Well, then you need a Franking Machine…’ (laughs) ‘cause it’s on the script, you know? I’m going, ‘I’m so sorry, you don’t need what we’re selling. I’m sorry to bother you.’ And she goes, ‘No, no, tell me about this. What are you selling?’ She was the perfect customer, and I went, ‘I promise you. You don’t need this thing. It costs a fortune. You don’t need it. You don’t need it.’ She goes, ‘No, but tell me about it.’ I said, ‘Honestly, I’m not even going to waste your time. You’re so lovely, but thank you so much. Have a great day,’ and I hung up. My boss was standing behind me (laughs), and he goes, ‘They all need Franking Machines. They all need…’ I was like, ‘She didn’t. I hate this job. I quit.’ And that was it. I wasn’t cut out to sell things.”

    Audio / Kip Moore recalls his worst job...ever.

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    Kip Moore (Labor Day-worst job) OC: …than that. :21
    “I’d have to say my worst job ever was laying sod in the south Georgia heat. There’s nothing than that, especially when somebody would think that you’re waiting for the next sod patch to be thrown to you and you got your back turned, and all of a sudden, that big ole piece of sod hits you right on the back. You got nowhere to clean up, and you’re just stuck with dirt on your back for the rest of the day. It doesn’t get any worse than that.”

    Audio / KYLIE MORGAN SAYS BEING ON THE ROAD PERFORMING FOR PEOPLE IS HER “HAPPY PLACE.”

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    Kylie Morgan (the road is her happy place) OC: …that’s me. :48
    “The road is truly my happy place. I love going to sleep and not knowing where I’m going to be the next day. I love hotel beds. I literally just eat and breathe the road. It is truly an adventure all the time, and I knew even when I was little that I had to do something where I traveled because I love the feeling of it. I love experiencing new things, and the fact that I truly feel like what I do is not a job. And the fact that I get to see the world, meet so many amazing people, have a one-on-one connection through my music, I never have to work a day in my life because I would do this for free. It is one of the most liberating feelings to finish a song and see someone turn to someone and go, ‘Omigod, that’s me.’”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about the different jobs he worked in and around Leesburg, Georgia, before heading to Nashville to pursue a career in music.

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    Luke Bryan (Labor Day-jobs) OC: …Nashville… 1:07
    “At age 12 thru 13, I worked at Rubos IGA Supermarket in Leesburg, GA. I worked during the summers on Monday and Tuesday. I stocked and cleaned up the produce.  They paid me under the table…I peeled off all of the brown lettuce. Let’s see, when I was 15, I was a cashier at K-Mart for two months. I worked at K-Mart for two months, and then I reverted back to Rubos because it didn’t really make sense for me to drive all the way into Albany and work for K-Mart. The benefits were great though-you’d get an hour-long on the blue light special. So I started back at Rubos, and then I quit Rubos and worked for my Dad-just awful just driving tractors through cotton all day, and spraying pesticides that eventually would turn your hair green. And then at some point, I started playing guitar. And well, after college I went back and worked for my dad and continued to spray and haul fertilizer around. And then I moved to Nashville…”

    Audio / RISCILLA BLOCK HAD A LOT OF SIDE JOBS WHEN SHE WAS TRYING TO MAKE IT IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, INCLUDING CLEANING AIRBNBS.

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    Priscilla Block (Labor Day) OC: …didn’t care. :34
    “Cleaning Airbnbs, and that was really interesting ‘cause you’d find some crazy things in those Airbnbs. Those bachelorette parties, all I’m saying is I want to be invited next time. I was kind of sad that I had to be the house cleaner and I wasn’t at the bachelorette party. It was great! You’d go in and sometimes there’d be extra food, alcohol. When I walked in and I would see White Claws in the fridge, I’m, ‘Bingo, baby! Let’s go!’ I don’t know if I was supposed to be taking the alcohol, but I didn’t care.”

    Audio / TRAVIS DENNING HAS NEVER HAD ANOTHER JOB OTHER THAN PLAYING MUSIC.

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    Travis Denning (Labor Day) OC: …right for it. :13
    “I’ve always played music. I mean, my first gig was when I was 16-years-old. That was what I did. And as soon as I found out I could make money doing it, I thought I’d much rather make money doing this than anything else, so I went right for it.”

    Audio / Tyler Hubbard learned his work ethic from working manual labor jobs when he was growing up, and it shows now in how hard he works at his music career.

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    Tyler Hubbard (Labor Day) OC: …where I’m at. :43
    “One of the worst jobs – I don’t know if it was the worst job, definitely the most physical, was probably pouring concrete. I did that for a year with a friend that had a concrete business, and we poured a lot of concrete that year, and I just remember really early mornings and really late nights. It was, if the sun was up, we were working, and that was pretty influential in creating the work ethic that I have. It was either that or my dad had a tree service that I grew up working with him doing that, as well, which was again, very manual labor, very long days and taught me a lot about working hard. And so, those were special times and as hard as it was, I’m thankful for those years. I love working hard, and I’m grateful for the struggle that got me where I’m at.”

  • LABOR DAY LINERS 2022

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Labor Day)

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    Hey y’all! It’s Billy Currington, wishing you a very happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Labor Day)

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    This is TJ, and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Labor Day Weekend)

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    Hey everyone! I’m Carrie Underwood, hoping you have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Labor Day)

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    Hey everybody! This is Catie Offerman, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Labor Day)

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    Hey y’all! This is Caylee Hammack. I’m wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Labor Day)

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    Hey! It’s Darius Rucker, and I hope you have a have a happy work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Labor Day)

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    Hey! It’s Eric Church, and I hope you have a have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Labor Day)

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    Hey! I’m Jon Langston. Hope you have a Happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Labor Day weekend)

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    Hey! It’s Jon Pardi, and I hope you have a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Labor Day)

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    Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Labor Day weekend)

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    Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, hoping you have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Labor Day weekend)

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    Hi everybody! This is Keith Urban, wishing you a very happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Labor Day)

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    Hey—what’s happening guys? This is Kip Moore, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Labor Day)

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    Hey, it’s Kylie Morgan, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER LBT (Labor Day)

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    Hi! We’re Little Big Town, hoping you have a work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Labor Day)

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    Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, and I hope you have a have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Labor Day)

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    Hey everybody! I’m Maddie, and I’m Tae, and we’re Maddie & Tae, hoping you have a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Labor Day)

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    Hey everybody, I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Labor Day)

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    Hey, it’s Priscilla Block, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Labor Day)

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    Hey everybody, this is Reba McEntire, wishing you and your family and all your friends a Happy Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Labor Day)

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    Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Have a great and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Labor Day)

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    Hey y’all. It’s Travis Denning, hoping you have a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Tyler Hubbard (Labor Day)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Tyler Hubbard, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

     

  • JON PARDI’S “AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY TOUR” SETLIST TAKES CLUES FROM FANS.

    Jon Pardi has been criss-crossing the country on his Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour with special guests Lainey Wilson and Hailey Whitters, and he’s been having a blast.

    “The ‘Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour’ has been awesome! We’ve been selling out. It’s been amazing, just like a dream come true. Every time we get on stage, we have a blast,” says Jon. “I’m definitely getting my touring legs back, you know, I’ve been playing 100 minutes every night. Voice is holding up; that’s good. Putting a setlist together, that is really difficult. We’ve got a lot of songs but we try to look for little clues from fans on what they want to hear, and checking out streaming and all the things, but we definitely play our big singles and what we want to play. I don’t know. We love performing all the songs. If we could play three hours, we would, but sometimes we really can’t, so Thank you everybody who came out to the ‘Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour,’ and we’ll see you on the next stop.”

    He heads to Lampe, Missouri (Friday, 8/19) and Terre Haute, Indiana (Saturday, 8/20) this weekend.

    Jon is closing in on the top of the country charts with his latest single, “Last Night Lonely,” which is from his upcoming album Mr. Saturday Night.

     

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about his Ain't Always The Cowboy Tour.

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    Jon Pardi (Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour) OC: …next stop. :44
    “The ‘Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour’ has been awesome! We’ve been selling out. It’s been amazing, just like a dream come true. Every time we get on stage, we have a blast. I’m definitely getting my touring legs back, you know, I’ve been playing 100 minutes every night. Voice is holding up; that’s good. Putting a setlist together, that is really difficult. We’ve got a lot of songs but we try to look for little clues from fans on what they want to hear, and checking out streaming and all the things, but we definitely play our big singles and what we want to play. I don’t know. We love performing all the songs. If we could play three hours, we would, but sometimes we really can’t, so Thank you everybody who came out to the ‘Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour,’ and we’ll see you on the next stop.”