Reba McEntire went live on Facebook to announce the nominees for the Song of the Year for this year’s ACM Awards. Sam Hunt‘s mega-hit “Body Like a Back Road,” Keith Urban‘s “Female” and Chris Stapleton‘s “Whiskey and You” will compete against each other alongside Miranda Lambert‘s “Tin Man.”

In case you missed it, @Reba went live on Facebook this morning to announce the nominees for this year’s #ACMawards Song of the Year! And the nominees are… pic.twitter.com/omTT1oO0IZ

— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) March 1, 2018

The 53rd Annual ACM Awards, hosted by Reba, will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 15th at 8pm ET on CBS.

Sam Hunt is thrilled to hit the road with Luke Bryan for the stadium dates on his What Makes You Country Tour, launching May 31st in Toronto. The pair have played some dates together, including Luke’s annual Crash My Playa event earlier this year. However, Sam isn’t the only member of his family who has a connection to Luke.

“I discovered Luke’s music several years ago when I was in college. I came home one weekend and walked in the house, and everybody was gathered around the TV,” recalls Sam. “My mom said, ‘Hey, come over here, come over here! Your brother’s in a country music video.’ And it was an artist named Luke Bryan. He had a song called ‘All My Friends Say,’ and they recorded this video at my brother’s fraternity house. We were all wound up and excited, because we got to see 2.5 seconds of the back of my brother’s head in this Luke Bryan video,” Sam continues. “So, needless to say myself and all the folks back home are excited about this tour.”

In the meantime, Sam has been in the studio working on new music and putting together The Nashional Music Festival, which will take place April 20th-21st in, you guessed it, Nashville.

Chris Stapleton is holding steady at No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart with From A Room: Volume 2. The collection was released in December and is followed by From A Room: Volume 1 at No. 2, while the Kentucky native’s album Traveller is sticking around at No. 5 on the chart.

Sam Hunt will headline the Firestone Legends Day concert May 26th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 102nd Indianapolis 500. Canaan Smith and Filmore will serve as opening acts for the concert.

Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott invited bandmate Charles Kelley and his family (including wife Cassie and son Ward) to meet her twin daughters, Betsy and Emory. She posted a photo of Charles holding both girls on her Instagram account [see below].

Meeting their uncle @charleskelley aunt @cassiemkelley and Ward today sure was special! Dave, Kelli and Lillie came by 10 days ago and of course this tired Mama didn’t get a decent picture(we will get a redo soon @davehaywoodla @kellicashhay with Cash!!!)…but Emory and Betsy sure love their @ladyantebellum family!! #babybellum

A post shared by Hillary Scott (@hillaryscottla) on Feb 17, 2018 at 9:35am PST

Multi-platinum-selling artist Sam Hunt announced that he will be curating his first-ever music festival The Nashional this spring at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville, TN on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21. Hunt will be headlining the musically diverse line-up that includes Nashville genre-bending band Judah & The Lion, R&B rapper Fetty Wap, American country music duo Brothers Osborne, west coast rapper Kyle, indie-pop artist Quinn XCII, LA’s indie-rock band LANY, American country music band LANCO, electronica singer/songwriter/producer Chelsea Cutler, Nashville-based rapper Ernest K. and contemporary country duo Muscadine Bloodline, making it one of the most eclectic music events this spring. Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 9 at 10 AM CT at www.ticketmaster.com.

The Nashional is a unique two-day event that highlights the inclusive, diverse, and genre-blurring landscape of music today.  Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park will be home to this inaugural event and will feature an experiential environment for fans to enjoy.  Hunt, whose own eclectic style owes its roots to country music with influences in pop, folk and R&B, was inspired to create this festival while out on his “15 In a 30” national tour this past summer.

“The sense of community in Nashville helps give it the character and personality that makes me proud to be a part of it,” says Hunt. “I wanted to create an experience at The Nashional that celebrates music, community, and everything they mean to each other and this city.”

Hunt not only made history with his critically-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated debut album, Montevallo but has also delivered this summer’s smash hit “Body Like A Back Road” which landed on the Billboard “Hot 100” as his highest debuting single. It also premiered at No. 1 on iTunes charts. Since, the single has smashed records, becoming the fastest country song to ever reach 100 million and 200 million streams. It has become an RIAA-certified triple platinum track, and has broken a record six decades in the making, spending 35 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The single also climbed pop and adult airplay charts, making it a cross-over hit. Hunt consequently earned two Grammy nominations for “Body Like A Back Road” in both the “Best Country Song” and “Best Country Solo Performance” categories.

Hunt’s debut album on MCA Nashville, Montevallo, is the best-selling debut album from a country artist since 2011. Since the album’s release, Hunt has accumulated over 2.53 billion streams and has earned an additional 10.5 million in RIAA single certifications.  In 2016, Hunt earned his first-ever Grammy^® nomination for “Best New Artist” and “Best Country Album.”  He also celebrated his first American Music Award earning the all-genre “New Artist of the Year” title and was nominated for four Billboard Music Awards. Sam is currently nominated for “Favorite Male Artist – Country” and “Favorite Song – Country” for the 2017 American Music Awards.

For more music and information on Sam, please visit:

Sam Hunt’s Website

Sam Hunt Instagram

Sam Hunt Twitter

Sam Hunt Spotify Profile

Sam Hunt Facebook Page

Sam Hunt Soundcloud

Even though he’ll be a judge on the new reboot of ABC’s American Idol, Luke Bryan is finding time to put on an extra-large tour, or XL for short. Luke Bryan announced during a press conference in Nashville today (January 30th) the addition of 13 stadium concerts to his “What Makes You Country Tour” launching next month. Those dates will be coined “WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY TOUR XL STADIUM SIZED.” By the end of October, Luke will headline some of the North America’s biggest and best sports stadiums in Toronto, New York City, Cincinnati, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Boston, Minneapolis, Los Angeles (the first country concert to ever be held in Dodgers Stadium), Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Vancouver and wrapping the tour in Detroit at Ford Field on October 26th. Information on when tickets will be available will be announced locally in the coming weeks.

Sam Hunt joins the tour as the special guest on all stadium shows along with Jon Pardi. Additional openers include Morgan Wallen (May-August), Carly Pearce (September & October) and DJ Rock. A full tour schedule is available on www.lukebryan.com. All were present during the press conference, and the press, along with fans watching on Facebook Live, received a musical treat as Jon performed his No. 1 hit “Heartache on a Dance Floor,” Sam went to his Montevallo catalog to sing “Take Your Time” and Luke performed the title track of both his album and his tour “What Makes You Country.”

“My excitement to play these iconic sports stadiums is truly uncontainable”, said Luke.  “Playing my music live is the reason I do what I do and the energy of the FANS is what pushes me year after year to deliver a bigger and better experience.  I’m so thankful to be in these venues and cities with some of the brightest names in country music. This lineup fires me up and I can’t wait to get this tour started!”

“What Makes You Country Tour” is named after Luke’s recently released album that debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts. It became his third consecutive album to debut at #1 on the Top 200 and his fifth #1 debut on the Top Country Albums Chart.

Luke is currently making his way up the country charts with “Most People Are Good” from his What Makes You Country album.

“WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY TOUR XL STADIUM SIZED”

DATE             CITY                                      VENUE
5/31/2018        Toronto, ON                          Rogers Centre

6/2/2018          New York City, NY              Met Life Stadium

6/16/2018        Cincinnati, OH                      Great American Ball Park
6/23/2018        Tampa, FL                             Raymond James Stadium

6/30/2018        Pittsburgh, PA                       Heinz Field

7/5/2018          Boston, MA                            Fenway Park

7/21/2018        Minneapolis, MN                   Target Field

7/28/2018        Los Angeles, CA                    Dodger Stadium
8/4/2018          Denver, CO                            Sports Authority Field at Mile High
8/25/2018        St. Louis, MO                       Busch Stadium
9/1/2018          Chicago, IL                            Wrigley Field

10/13/2018      Vancouver, BC                      BC Place Stadium

10/26/2018      Detroit, MI                             Ford Field

The dynamic duo of Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake is back, according to several sources, including Rolling Stone, Hollywood.com and Spin. The two will pair up for their first collaboration on record on the pop superstar’s new album, Man of the Woods, due for release February 2nd. The two previously shared the stage during the 2015 CMA Awards, as well as last year’s Pilgrimage Festival. JT’s new album will also feature appearances by Alicia Keys, Pharrell and Timbaland.

Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley is set to headline the Snowmass Celebrity Ski Fest next month in Colorado. The two-day event, taking place February 21^st and 22^nd, will also feature appearances by Nashville’s Charles Esten and singer-songwriter Edwin McCain and will raise money for Lady A’s charity, LadyAID.

Sam Hunt‘s “Body Like a Back Road” has been certified quadruple platinum (4x) by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).

Darius Rucker is enjoying the winter weather that has hit the Eastern Seaboard. He posted of a photo of his snow-covered front yard in Charleston, South Carolina. Check it out below.

My front yard this is Charleston, SC. WOW!!!! pic.twitter.com/SMk44rsxnP

— Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) January 3, 2018

Sam Hunt posted to his Instagram some photos and video of him and his wife Hannah over the holidays.

He writes, “While I was in Nashville trying to get things going with music, Hannah was providing medical care to Hondurans during the 2009 coup. She was working in Syrian refugee camps and delivering Kurd babies in northern Iraq during the 2014 elections. She spent time in Israel where she helped with a feeding program and worked with Holocaust survivors.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcvNCjfDkF9/?taken-by=samhuntmusic

This photo was taken by @igotnostrings in the Marshall Islands- where she was a part of a team providing basic health care to people on the island of Lib.

Her heart for humanity is one of the things I admire most about her but she’s put her ambitions on hold to be with me for the past year and a half. This winter, thanks to the people who’ve supported me and my music, I’m able to go with her and be a part of her dreams as they’ve become mine. If you’ve ever bought a record or come to a show, God bless you for giving us this opportunity🙏”

Road block

A post shared by Sam Hunt (@samhuntmusic) on Dec 16, 2017 at 5:36pm PST

Bike is viejo so I had to bump start it and scoop up my Spanish tutor on the go.

A post shared by Sam Hunt (@samhuntmusic) on Dec 24, 2017 at 10:45am PST

Stoics

A post shared by Sam Hunt (@samhuntmusic) on Dec 30, 2017 at 6:20am PST

Sam Hunt, who is Billboard’s No. 1 Hot Country Songs Artist for 2017, has a couple of favorite Christmas gifts from when he was a child. One of them was a horse he received one Christmas. “I remember being really excited when, I got into riding horses, and one Christmas I got a Mustang that I named Comanche – a horse – and that was a really exciting time. I rode all the time after that. Before, I had some friends, a babysitter whose kids had horses, so I’d be able to ride occasionally, but now I was able to ride whenever I wanted to.”

Sam was also named Billboard’s No. 1 Country Digital Song Sales Artist and the No. 1 Streaming Songs Artist. His history-making hit “Body Like A Backroad” topped multiple lists as well, including No. 1 Country Airplay Song, No. 1 Country Digital Song and No. 1 Country Streaming Song.