• BROTHERS OSBORNE’S NEW ALBUM, PORT SAINT JOE, IS AVAILABLE NOW.

    Brothers Osborne release their highly anticipated sophomore album, Port Saint Joe, today. In support of the album release, John and TJ Osborne will perform their current Top 40 single “Shoot Me Straight” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert April 23rd.

    The GRAMMY-nominated duo co-wrote all 10 tracks on Port Saint Joe which was produced by Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town).

    Fans can watch a special Facebook Live performance of several Port Saint Joe tracks from Terrapin Care Station in Denver, Colorado starting at 11am CT HERE. Afterwards, Brothers Osborne will host a Reddit AMA “Ask Me Anything” at 12pm CT.

    “After years of writing, traveling, playing and evolving we’re finally releasing new music,” says John Osborne. “This music, tracked in a beach house in Florida, is a sonic representation of the road we’ve been traveling.”

    TJ adds, “in the making of Port Saint Joe, we weren’t trying to be anything or anyone that wasn’t truly us. Imperfections and all.”

    Critics continue to praise the new record with Rolling Stone calling it “a superlative new album…cementing their status as a band essential to the vitality of today’s country music.” The New York Times notes it’s “an invigoratingly footloose follow up” and The Tennessean says it’s “raw, direct, guitar-driven songs delivered with an intensity that leaves no room for doubt: Brothers Osborne is as authentic as it gets.”

    The singer/songwriter siblings recently took home two trophies at the 53rd Annual ACM Awards and maintained their reign as “Vocal Duo of the Year” in addition to winning “Video of the Year” for their rowdy Top 10 hit “It Ain’t My Fault”.

    Brothers Osborne are set to perform next Saturday, April 28 at Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California. The Maryland natives will then embark on their first headlining UK tour starting May 4 in Dublin, Ireland with additional stops in Belfast, London, Manchester, Glasgow and more.

    This summer, the duo will join Dierks Bentley on the “Mountain High Tour” kicking off May 17 in Columbia, MD. Tickets and additional information can be found at www.brothersosborne.com

    For a full list of tour dates, news, images and more, visit: www.BrothersOsborne.com

    To purchase a special “Record Store Day” vinyl package of Port Saint Joe, click HERE.

    Audio / Brothers Osborne talk about recording their new album in a beach house, instead of a Nashville studio.

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    Brothers Osborne (recording in a house) OC: (JOHN) …the right move. 1:10
    JOHN: “The studio wasn’t a studio. It was a house. I mean the place was not in any way, shape or form built for recording, which made it even cooler. That was the best part about it so we just set up in the living room. The drums set up near the fireplace. The ceiling was kind of vaulted so we got some pretty cool room sounds. And the kitchen was all there in one spot and Jay had his brother come down and he was cooking food for us. So, literally as we were tracking drums, guitar, bass, we’re all in this room together.” TJ: “It’s the kitchen, living room and dining room were in one big communal room.” JOHN: “Yeah. And they were flipping burgers. If you solo some tracks, you can actually hear him cooking, like spoons banging and pots banging on the stove. So, it was cool. We were over there jamming and we look over and he’s just like over there playing air guitar and making food. This is not how you’re supposed to do it. We were in Nashville where there’s like a $1 million studio everywhere you look. It’s the mecca for recording, and we decided to scrap that whole thing and just go down to a beach house that is not meant for recording at all and just have fun. I think it was the right move.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (available now)

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  • LUKE BRYAN DEBUTS NEW SINGLE ON AMERICAN IDOL FINALE AND PREPS THE NEXT LEG OF HIS AWARD-WINNING TREK, WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY TOUR.

    Luke Bryan celebrated the Season 1 finale of ABC’s American Idol Monday night (May 21st) by premiering his new single “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” from his No. 1 debuting What Makes You Country album. The song, written by Zach Crowell, Ryan Hurd and Chase McGill, is the follow up to Luke’s 20th career No. 1 single “Most People Are Good.”  Find it here–http://strm.to/SunriseSunburnSunset

    On May 31st, Luke will resume his “What Makes You Country Tour, which won Top Country Tour Sunday night (May 19th) on the Billboard Music Awards. The summer dates kick-off with two back-to-back stadium concerts the first weekend- Toronto’s Rogers Centre and MetLife Stadium outside New York City. The stadium dates are coined “WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY TOUR XL STADIUM SIZED” and by the end of October, Luke will headline some of the North America’s biggest and best sports venues in 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.

    “I’m excited to kick this summer tour off and get back in front of the fans,” said Luke. “To think about the opportunity to also include 13 stadiums is unreal!  This line up is going to have so much energy. Can’t wait!”

     

    What Makes You Country Tour:

     

    DATE                    CITY                                                    VENUE
    5/31                        Toronto, ON                                        Rogers Centre
    6/2                          East Rutherford, NJ                          MetLife Stadium
    6/9                          Myrtle Beach, SC                                Carolina Country Music Fest
    6/10                        Nashville, TN                                        CMA Music Festival
    6/14                        Columbia, MD                                     Merriweather Post Pavilion
    6/15                        N Lawrence, OH                                  Country Fest Ohio
    6/16                        Cincinnati, OH                                    Great American Ball Park
    6/21                        West Palm Beach, FL                         Coral Sky Amphitheatre
    6/22                        Jacksonville, FL                                   Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
    6/23                        Tampa, FL                                           Raymond James Stadium
    6/28                        Raleigh, NC                                          Coastal Credit Union Music Park
    6/29                        Charlotte, NC                                       PNC Music Pavilion
    6/30                        Pittsburgh, PA                                     Heinz Field
    7/6                          Boston, MA                                          Fenway Park
    7/8                          Cavendish, PE                                      Cavendish Beach Music Festival
    7/14                        Calgary, AB                                          The Calgary Stampede
    7/15                        Craven, SK                                           Country Thunder
    7/20                        Monticello, IA                                      Great Jones County Fair
    7/21                        Minneapolis, MN                                Target Field
    7/22                        Twin Lakes, WI                                   Country Thunder
    7/25                        Lake Tahoe, NV                                  Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s
    7/26                        Paso Robles, CA                                  California Mid-State Fair
    7/28                        Los Angeles, CA                                  Dodger Stadium
    8/1                          Rogers, AR                                            Walmart AMP
    8/2                          Omaha, NE                                           Century Link Center
    8/4                          Denver, CO                                          Sports Authority Field at Mile High
    8/17                        Syracuse, NY                                        Lakeview Amphitheater
    8/18                        Bristow, VA                                          Jiffy Lube Live
    8/19                        Saratoga Springs, NY                          Saratoga PAC
    8/24                        Indianapolis, IN                                   Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
    8/25                        St Louis, MO                                       Busch Stadium
    8/26                        Kansas City, MO                                 Sprint Center
    9/1                          Chicago, IL                                          Wrigley Field
    9/7                          Houston, TX                                         Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
    9/8                          Dallas, TX                                             Dos Equis Pavilion
    9/13                        Rapid City, SD                                     Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
    9/14                        Billings, MT                                          Rimrock Auto Arena
    9/19                        Missoula, MT                                       Big Sky Brewing
    9/20                        Boise, ID                                               Ford Idaho Center
    10/11                     Portland, OR                                         Moda Center
    10/12                     Seattle, WA                                           White River Amphitheater
    10/13                     Vancouver, BC                                   BC Place Stadium
    10/25                     Rochester, NY                                      Blue Cross Arena

    10/26                     Detroit, MI                                           Ford Field

    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 www.lukebryan.com.

    Video /

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  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD AND DIERKS BENTLEY SURPRISE THE CROWD AT THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF GAMES AGAINST THE WINNIPEG JETS.

    Carrie Underwood showed up to support the Nashville Predators (and husband Mike Fisher) and surprised the crowd by performing the National Anthem before Game 2 of the second round Stanley Cup Playoffs series against Winnipeg at Bridgestone Arena Sunday (April 29th).  She must have been a good luck charm, since the Preds bounced back from a loss to the Jets on Friday with a thrilling 5-4 double overtime win on Sunday to tie the series 1-1.

    https://twitter.com/NHLonNBCSports/status/990731290667376640

    Dierks Bentley teamed up with bluegrass legend Del McCoury to perform the Anthem prior to Game 1 on Friday.

    Already this season of playoffs has seen Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Maren Morris performing the anthem in the first round against Colorado.

    Last year was unprecedented with the Preds in the Stanley Cup Finals. Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Little Big TownTrisha Yearwood, Kelly Clarkson, Martina McBride  and Faith Hill were the surprise Anthem performers.

  • DARIUS RUCKER’S ‘FOR THE FIRST TIME’ IS NO. 1.

    Darius Rucker’s “For the First Time” climbs into the top spot on both the Country Aircheck Mediabase and Billboard country charts this week. He co-wrote the song with Derek George and Scooter Carusoe, and the tune made him think about some of the things he wanted to accomplish.

    “That song really made me sit down and write out a list of things I want to do that I’ve never done; not so much bucket list stuff, just stuff that ‘why have I never done that?’ And it was really cool, and now I’m trying to do all those things,” says Darius. “But for me, that’s why I wanted that song to be a single. I wanted people to sit back for a second and go, ‘When was the last time I did something?’”

    Darius was chosen to receive the Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award, which is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry professional who is devoted to improving lives through the power of music, has a generosity of spirit, and is committed to serving others. The award will be handed out during the ACM Honors August 22nd at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

    Darius will co-headline the Summer Plays On Tour with pals Lady Antebellum. The trek kicks off July 19th in Toronto, Ontario.

    Audio / Darius Rucker says the song, “For the First Time,” helped him realize there were things he wanted to accomplish.

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    Darius Rucker (For the First Time song) OC: …did something? :34
    “The opening line is so me. You know, that ‘you say you never danced to a dashboard singin’ REM’ – that was so who I am and me, and so I started laughing and then I started thinking about all of the stuff that I haven’t done that I wanted to do. That song really made me sit down and write out a list of things I want to do that I’ve never done; not so much bucket list stuff, just stuff that ‘why have I never done that?’ And it was really cool, and now I’m trying to do all those things. But for me, that’s why I wanted that song to be a single. I wanted people to sit back for a second and go, ‘When was the last time I did something?’”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Shania, Brothers O, Kacey, Dierks

    Shania Twain will appear on VH1’s Rupaul’s Drag Race Friday (April 20th) at 8pm ET.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BhwkJ8TnDYb/?taken-by=shaniatwain

    Brothers Osborne will perform a song from their new Port Saint Joe album on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Monday (April 23rd) on CBS.

    Kacey Musgraves will be the musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live with host Amy Schumer.

    Watch Dierks Bentley perform “Woman, Amen” from his upcoming album, The Mountain, on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live right here.

  • DARIUS RUCKER ROCKS “WAGON WHEEL” ON “AMERICAN IDOL” SEASON FINALE WITH RUNNER-UP CALEB LEE HUTCHINSON; TEES UP MORE MEDIA THIS WEEK.

    Darius Rucker brought his widely popular hit “Wagon Wheel” to the “American Idol” stage on Monday night, as he partnered with eventual runner-up Caleb Lee Hutchinson on the show’s highly anticipated season finale.

    “It’s so inspiring to see how much talent, passion and ambition these contestants have,” said Rucker. “I loved being a part of Caleb’s experience on ‘American Idol.’ He’s got that old school voice.

    Rucker, whose current single “For The First Time” is currently in the Top 3 on the country charts, will return to national television on Thursday, May 24th at 11:35 p.m. EDT as the musical guest for a special Fleet Week episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

    The man Billboard calls “one of the torch-bearers for the format” will again bring a selection of his country music hits to fans nationwide as he graces the “TODAY” plaza stage for the Citi Summer Concert Series on Friday, May 25 starting at 7:00 a.m. EDT.

    Rucker will continue his summer of music with the ninth annual “Darius and Friends” show benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Monday, June 4th, as well as his co-headlining Summer Plays On Tour with Lady Antebellum, kicking off Thursday, July 19th in Toronto, Ontario.

    For more information about new music, appearances and tour dates, please visit www.dariusrucker.com or follow on social media @DariusRucker.

    About Darius Rucker 
    Rucker first attained multi-Platinum status in the music industry as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of GRAMMY award-winning Hootie & the Blowfish. Since releasing his first country album in 2008, he has celebrated four summits to the top of the Billboard Country albums chart and earned a whole new legion of fans. In 2014, Rucker won his third career GRAMMY award for Best Solo Country Performance for his 4x Platinum selling cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel,” off his album, True Believers. Rucker’s first two country albums, Learn To Live and Charleston, SC 1966 produced five No. 1 singles including “Come Back Song,” “This,” “Alright,” “It Won’t Be Like This For Long,” and “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.” Southern Style, his fourth studio country album, features his seventh No. 1 single “Homegrown Honey,” co-written by Rucker, label mate Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, and Nathan Chapman. Rucker’s latest album on Capitol Records Nashville, When Was The Last Time, featured the lead single “If I Told You,” his eighth No. 1 on country radio. The album’s second single, “For The First Time,” is currently Top 3-and-climbing.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith, Kacey, Shania

    Keith Urban will perform on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday (April 30th).

    Kacey Musgraves has been announced as one of the performers at Japan’s biggest music festival, Fuji Rock Festival ’18. She’ll be joined by such acts as Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar, Skrillex, Fishbone and Jack Johnson for the three-day festival running July 27th through July 29th.

    Shania Twain is set to host the Canadian Country Music Association September 9th at the First Ontario Center in Hamilton Ontario.

  • LUKE BRYAN CELEBRATES THE AMERICAN FARMER WITH HIS 10TH ANNUAL FARM TOUR.

    As a nod to his own family upbringing, country music superstar Luke Bryan will once again honor the American farmer this fall as his tenth annual FARM TOUR is set for September 27th to October 6th. Luke will take the six-city tour from Ohio to Florida setting up stages in the fields of local farmers across those states. Over 100,000 fans have attended the tour each year since its inception in 2009. Luke will continue giving back to the farmers by awarding college scholarships to students from farming families who are attending the local college or university near the tour stops. To date, more than 50 scholarships have been granted.

    Tickets for the “Bayer Presents Luke Bryan Farm Tour 2018” go on sale June 6 at 10AM local time at www.lukebryan.com/FarmTour.  Presale tickets for Luke’s Fan Club (the Nut House), Luke’s official App and Citi® cardmembers at www.CitiPrivatePass.com begin June 1 at 10AM local time.

    “I can’t believe we’ve been doing this 10 years!” said Luke. “Our goal was to bring big-city production concerts into these small towns across the U.S. giving those communities the opportunity to attend shows that would never come their way.”

    Sept. 27           Irwin, OH                    Springfork Farms
    Sept. 28           Pesotum, IL                 Atkins Farm
    Sept. 29           Boone, IA                    Ziel Farm
    Oct. 4               Archer, FL                   Whitehurst Cattle Company
    Oct. 5               North Augusta, SC       Misty Morning Farms
    Oct. 6               Ringgold, GA               Doug Yates Farms
    To listen to Luke’s Farm Tour playlist go HERE
    Bayer will continue their #HeresToTheFarmer campaign. For every share, Bayer will donate a meal to someone in need through Feeding America®.  In years past nearly 2 million meals have been donated and $140,000 went to area food banks and local farmers in each of the tour cities.Visit HeresToTheFarmer.com to learn more.

    The tour is sponsored by Bayer, Chevrolet, Cabela’s, Can-Am®, Citi®, CID, Monster Energy and Verizon.

    Luke Bryan has once again partnered with CID Entertainment to offer Harvest Time VIP Experiences throughout the 2018 Farm Tour. VIP Experiences include a Farm Tour ticket, VIP viewing area access, private restrooms, and merchandise gifts. To view Luke Bryan Farm Tour VIP Experience details, please visit https://www.cidentertainment.com/events/luke-bryan-farm-tour.
  • ERIC CHURCH’S ’61 DAYS IN CHURCH’ LP COMING ON RECORD STORE DAY.

    Eric Church’s relationship with his fans is undeniable, unconditional and often unconventional. And he delivers on that mission again with the release of live covers from his epic project 61 Days In Church.

    The covers, which feature popular music by Soundgarden, Billy Joel, Little Feat, Bob Seger and more, is available Saturday, April 21 during Record Store Day. The musical milestone, released by EMI Nashville, is available on LP with 2,500 exclusive copies available to fans.

    Church recorded the ambitious project in 2017 during his Holdin’ My Own Tour, which ran from January through May and was named a Tour of the Year by none other than Rolling Stone, which opined: “Over the years, Church concerts have always been parties. But in 2017, they went from merely ass-kicking to epic.”

    During the 61-date tour, Church recorded 30 songs per night for a total of more than 200 hours of live music. The Record Store Day exclusive release is a selection of the very best cover songs from those shows (available only at participating record stores).

    The collection includes the following eight special cover songs:
    1.     “Better Man” (Live At Tacoma Drive, Tacoma, WA, March 18, 2017)
    2.     “Turn The Page” (Live At CenturyLink Center, Omaha, NE, April 8, 2017)
    3.     “Dixie Chicken” (Live at Pepsi Center, Denver, CO, April 5, 2017 with Chuck Leavell)
    4.     “Six Days On The Road” (Live at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, April 21, 2017)
    5.     “Rusty Cage” (Live at Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., May 19, 2017)
    6.     “Allentown” (Live at Santander Arena, Reading, PA, May 18, 2017)
    7.     “Midnight Rider” (Live at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, May 27, 2017)
    8.     “American Woman” (Live at Pepsi Center, Denver, CO, April 5, 2017 with Glenn Hughes)

    The Holdin’ My Own Tour was presented in two sets with an intermission. The tour reached nearly a million fans culminating with two sold-out shows at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Performing nearly 40 songs a night, Church’s fans interact and engage with a fervor usually reserved for shows with traveling rock cult bands such as Phish and the Grateful Dead.

    Fans connect with Church’s artistic independence and reciprocal loyalty. He cancelled 33,000 tickets destined for sale by scalpers. He went so far as to commission his own technology to vet suspicious online purchases to protect his fans and their hard-earned cash. In 2015 he released his album Mr. Misunderstood for free to the Church Choir (then 80,000 followers) – a day before it was available for sale on iTunes.

    Bucking convention isn’t an easy path, but for Church there is no question about where he prioritizes his relationship with his fans and the lengths he will go to provide the ultimate musical experience for his steadfast audience of devoted Choir members.

    For information and to sign up for the Church Choir, visit www.ericchurch.com.

  • MEMORIAL DAY 2018

    Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. However, by the turn of the 20th century, Memorial Day celebrated Americans who have sacrificed their lives in all wars. 

    Some of your favorite country artists talk about what it means to be free because of the brave men and women willing to fight and sacrifice for our freedom.

     

    Audio / Brandon Lay says he’s incredibly humbled by anyone who has or is serving in the military and thanks them for their dedication and service.

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    Brandon Lay (Memorial Day) OC: …without you. :37
    “My dad was in the National Guard for six years, and his dad was in the Army and in North Africa during World War II. One of my good buddies, Dan Berry, is a captain at Fort Campbell. I’m incredibly humbled every time I’m around those guys, because it really just puts it in perspective. Memorial Day is a special time to remember and gain perspective that everything we enjoy comes with a price, and these guys have paid the ultimate price and so have their families. So, to anybody that’s served in the military, we salute you, and we couldn’t have the life we have without you.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, whose own father was a World War II veteran, talks about the sacrifices made by U.S. servicemen and women.

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    Dierks (Memorial Day) OC: …upon them. :37
    “On the most basic level, I think, for me on the road, I just think about being gone two, three days at a time, maybe a couple of weeks at a time, you know. That seems like a long time when you have kids and family, but these soldiers, they’re gone for months and years at a time – they’re doing 12 to 15 to 18 months — and they have family back home. That, in itself, is such a huge sacrifice, and that’s just the beginning of it. That’s just scratching the surface of what these guys [and gals] are doing every day – preparing for battle, actually being in battle, being wounded in battle, sometimes dying in battle. So, this country obviously, we would not exist without those courageous men and women, and our future depends upon them.”

    Audio / Eric Church, whose grandfathers served in World War II, says the sacrifices the men and women in the military make are really touching.

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    Eric Church (grandfathers in WW2) OC: …touching to me. :21
    “Both of my grandfathers were World War II veterans. I mean, that’s something that’s very rare. I’m not unique, you know. There’s a lot of people out there like that that their grandfathers served. The way that I was raised was very much red, white and blue and very patriotic, and I think that it’s the fact that what they give up is the real thing that’s very touching to me.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis thanks the service men and women who have sacrificed to protect and defend America.

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    Jordan Davis (Memorial Day) OC: …gave it all. :29
    “You know, both my grandparents were in the service; my cousin was also a Marine, so the military hits close to home. I mean I can’t say enough about ‘em. We live in the best country in the world, and it’s because of those guys and because of the people that came before ‘em. So, I can’t thank ‘em enough. I wish we had Memorial Day every day, but it is great to have one day to thank the men and the women that gave it all.”

    Audio / Keith Urban wrote and recorded “For You” a few years ago for the film, Act of Valor, which was inspired by real life events and starred a group of active-duty Navy SEALs. After hanging out with the SEALS, he was very impressed with their commitment of service.

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    Keith Urban (SEALS mantra) OC: …conviction. :30
    “They have a mantra, and they say ‘the only easy day was yesterday’ and they had this spirit of brotherhood and that’s a particular thing that’s the way in which, I think, it exists is very specific to the Seals. I mean, military in general have this very strong brotherhood code; it’s a particular kind of thing in the Seals. As was the testament, to Lt. Roark who is the lead guy in the film; when he was interviewed talked about funerals he had been to, and he says ‘there isn’t really any one of us who isn’t just a little bit jealous of the guy who’s died,’ and ok, I heard that, that’s a particular way of being that I cannot relate to. That is an unbelievable depth of commitment and conviction.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild says they’re overwhelmed by the huge sacrifices that both the military and their families make in order to be free.

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    LBT (Memorial Day) OC: …whenever we can. :44
    KAREN: “It’s such a huge sacrifice what these men and women do for us, not only the ones that are serving, but the families that are left here at home. Kimberly and I met a young girl…she [was] 21 years old, and she has a third baby, and her husband has served multiple times overseas. She’s raising these children at home and doing a great job and the best that she can, and he’s serving our country. He’s making a monstrous sacrifice, but so is she, and so are those children. And we just can’t take it for granted. I mean, it’s just a huge commitment that they make, and what an honor. We love to be able to sing for them and entertain them and to say thank you whenever we can.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about his grandfather who served during World War II.

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    Sam Hunt (Memorial Day) OC: …those freedoms. :40
    “My granddad was in World World II. He was on the USS Texas battleship, and he was over at Normandy and over near Japan and he spent a lot of time right in the thick of World War II. He really took pride in what that meant, and it was something I got to see it first hand, as somebody who got to experience that; somebody who had that galvanized American trait. It’s hard to describe it. It was just somebody who’s been through that, seen that and really appreciates what that means. I try to channel that into my life, because I haven’t fought in any war, but I have a ton of respect for folks who have, folks who’ve sacrificed, families who’ve lost lives and just sacrificed years of their own lives and time and effort to maintain those freedoms.”