• ALAN JACKSON HONORED WITH CMA’S WILLIE NELSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

    Superstar Alan Jackson’s music and career were celebrated at Wednesday’s 56th Annual CMA Awards when the iconic entertainer was given an all-star tribute – and a standing ovation – as he was honored with the Country Music Association’s highest honor, the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

    “Country music’s been real good to me. I fell in love with it when I was a young man,” Jackson said in accepting the award. “I wanted to come to Nashville and try to carry it on.”

    Jackson received an immediate ovation when he surprised the Bridgestone Arena – and a national TV audience – with a performance of his platinum-selling hit, “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.” His appearance capped an all-star tribute that began moments earlier as Carrie Underwood took the stage to sing Jackson’s “Remember When,” followed by Dierks Bentley’s take on “Chattahoochee.” Jon Pardi served up “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” while Lainey Wilson turned to the early days of his career with “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow”… before Jackson emerged to a roar of applause with his band The Strayhorns (watch HERE).

    “I came to Nashville with nothing,” Jackson noted, joking he arrived in Music City with “three chords and a prayer.” “As my mama would say, ‘I’m so blessed.’” He went on to thank “all the parts of country music that have been so good to me”… giving special recognition to “the wonderful fans I’ve had all over the world” and his wife, Denise. “She’s hung in there and rode this roller coaster ride with me,” he said. “We’ve survived a lot…and she’s my best friend.”

    “I’ve definitely lived the American Dream,” Jackson concluded, raising his award aloft as he proclaimed, “And I’m still livin’ that honky tonk dream, y’all!”

    Jackson’s receipt of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award places him among the genre’s true greats. Given to an iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in country music, the award was established to recognize artists who have positively impacted and contributed to the growth of the genre and proven to have an unprecedented historical impact on fans and industry alike…which is evident in the list of previous recipients – Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Charley Pride and Loretta Lynn.

    Once-in-a-lifetime moments at the CMA Awards are nothing new for Jackson. Five years ago, he closed the show with a rousing “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” in celebration of his induction to the Country Music Hall of Fame weeks earlier. In 1999, he turned his own performance of “Pop a Top” into a tribute to his friend and mentor George Jones, segueing into the legend’s nominated “Choices,” which wasn’t being performed during the event. And, of course, one of his career-defining moments occurred at the 2001 ceremony when the entire world heard “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” for the first time ever. He’s also one of the CMA’s most-honored artists, having previously won 16 awards…he’s one of only five artists to have been named CMA Entertainer of the Year three or more times…and he remains the second most-nominated artist in the 56-year history of the ceremony.

     

    Jackson has still more reason to celebrate a day after being honored at the CMA Awards, as 20 of his hit singles and albums receive new gold, platinum and multi-platinum certification from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). Leading the way, is his multi-platinum Greatest Hits, Volume II album, now certified 7-times platinum. His holiday favorites Honky Tonk Christmas (2x platinum) and Let It Be Christmas (platinum) have also reached new certification heights.

     

    Jackson’s singles continue to be enjoyed by listeners in the digital age, as evidenced by the 17 titles earning new certification status. Six songs (“Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Midnight in Montgomery,” “Sissy’s Song,” “Summertime Blues,” “Where I Come From” and “Where Were You [When the World Stopped Turning]”) have been newly certified gold…while another seven (“Country Boy,” “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” “Drive [For Daddy Gene],” “Gone Country,” “Little Bitty,” “Livin’ on Love” and “Small Town Southern Man”) have earned simultaneous gold and platinum digital single status. Additionally, “Good Time” has become a platinum digital single…“Chattahoochee” and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” have been simultaneously certified platinum and multi-platinum (3x each)…and “Remember When” has achieved incredible 4x-platinum stature.

     

    All this caps another unprecedented year in the icon’s life and career. Jackson’s Last Call: One More for the Road Tour was one of his fastest-selling ever, and found the superstar playing to capacity and sellout crowds from coast-to-coast. He celebrated the launch of Silverbelly, a new premium bourbon whiskey distilled exclusively for – and hand-selected by – the country superstar, which is available in several states and continues its nationwide rollout this fall…while AJ’s Good Time Bar, his four-story honky-tonk in the heart of downtown Nashville featuring daily live music and a rooftop view of Music City remains a top draw for tourists and locals alike. And – in a career first – he shared a spot on the initial Grammy ballot with his daughter, Mattie Jackson Selecman, as a song they co-wrote (“Racing the Dark,” recorded by Jackson and released alongside Selecman’s book Lemons on Friday) made the first-round cut in the Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance categories.

     

    About Alan Jackson:
    A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Alan Jackson’s membership among music’s all-time greats is part of a long line of career-defining accolades that include three CMA Entertainer of the Year honors, over 30 years of membership in the Grand Ole Opry, a Billboard ranking as one of the Top 10 Country Artists of All-Time, induction to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Heritage Award as the most-performed country songwriter-artist of ASCAP’s first 100 years.

    The man from rural Newnan, GA has sold nearly 60-million albums worldwide, ranks as one of the 10 best-selling male vocalists of all-time (rock, pop and country). He has released more than 60 singles – registering 50 Top Ten hits and 35 #1s (including 26 Billboard chart-toppers). He has earned more than 150 major music industry awards – including 19 Academy of Country Music Awards, 17 Country Music Association Awards, a pair of Grammys and ASCAP’s Founders and Golden Note Awards.

  • CMA AWARDS 2022: THE WINNERS, PERFORMANCES AND MORE.

    The 56th CMA Awards are now in the history books, and there were lots of great memories made, awards won and inspiring performances.

    Chris Stapleton picked up his sixth trophy for Male Vocalist of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards. During his acceptance speech, he dedicated the award to his 12-year-old daughter Ada, who was celebrating her birthday on Wednesday (November 9th). “ Man, thank you so much for this — thank you. It means so much I got an award from my friends back here. I was sitting over there and all the guys in the category all deserve this award, everybody’s killing it and I’m so honored to be in the country music community. I promised my daughter if I got up here — it’s her birthday tonight — so, Ada, happy birthday.  She’s twelve tonight. I love ya, baby. This one’s for you!”

    Brothers Osborne picked up their fifth CMA Duo of the Year trophy, and during their acceptance speech, John Osborne dropped some exciting news after telling presenter Wynonna Judd that it was an honor to receive the award from her and that they learned so much from her and her family. “I just want to say real quick, I’ve told a bunch of people, but letting the world know my wife Lucie is pregnant, we’ve got twins on the way! I love you, babe, you’ll be an amazing mom. Huge thanks to the CMAs, thanks to everyone who has a low part or huge part in our lives, it’s just an incredible ride. Thank you for letting us be on it. Thank you.”

    Jordan Davis, along with his brother Jacob Davis and friends/co-writers/brothers Matt and Josh Jenkins, won Song of the Year for the multi-platinum, two-week No. 1 song “Buy Dirt.”

    “Oh man, I did not expect that! Oh my God, Zach Sutton, Callie Bartz, Universal Music Group, Brian and Stephanie Wright, these guys behind me – Oh my God, I want them to say something, too! God, country radio, everyone who’s played this song – the fans – we wrote a song about faith and family and if that’s not country music, I don’t know what is.” Jordan called his “Buy Dirt” duet partner, Luke Bryan, up on stage to share the win. “I do remember us finishing this one and Josh saying, ‘You know what? I don’t know where this song goes, if you cut it, if somebody else cuts it, but we should be really, really proud of this.’ We were at a writing retreat when we did that and that night when I started to come back to Nashville, I just couldn’t stop listening to it. I was like, ‘Man, he was right. This is a special song.’

     

    With a touching tribute to the iconic Loretta Lynn, Country Music superstars Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood opened “The 56th Annual CMA Awards,” performing a medley of Lynn’s classics that included “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” and “You’re Looking At Country,” before concluding with all three artists coming together to perform “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Carly Pearce later took the stage, first speaking to how Lynn inspired and mirrored her own musical journey before being joined by Musician of the Year winner Jenee Fleenor, Sonya Isaacs, and Ricky Skaggs to perform Pearce’s original song, “Dear Miss Loretta.”

    The audience jumped to their feet when Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson surprised the crowd by performing his hit “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.” Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson and Carrie Underwood honored the 2022 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient with exceptional performances of Jackson’s greatest hits including “Remember When,” “Chattahoochee,” “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” and “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow.”

    CMA host Luke Bryan performed his latest smash hit, “Country On,” while Carrie Underwood turned in a performance of her new single, “Hate My Heart,” which is from her Denim & Rhinestones album.

     

    Chris Stapleton paired with his wife Morgane Stapleton and the iconic female vocalist Patty Loveless on “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.”

     

    Brothers Osborne teamed up with The War and Treaty on the Rolling Stones’ hit “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)” from the new tribute album, Stoned Cold Country.

     

    Caylee Hammack and John Osborne joined Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark and Pillbox Patti to turn in a performance of Linda Ronstadt’s “When Will I Be Loved.”

     

    Audio / Backstage at Wednesday night's CMA Awards, Brothers Osborne's John Osborne talks about raising his own duo after his surprise announcement he and wife Lucie Silvas are expecting twins.

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    Brothers Osborne (raising duo) OC: …keep ’em out. :13
    “My intention was to have twins to raise our successors. So, we’ll raise them up (TJ: “Is that your retirement plan?”), and we’ll try to use as much nepotism as possible to get them in the industry. But as long as we’re in the game, I’m gonna keep ’em out.”

    Audio / Backstage at last night's CMA Awards, Brothers Osborne's TJ Osborne says the country format is about authenticity.

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    Brothers Osborne (CMAs authenticity) OC: …this genre’s about. :32
    “I think that is one of the things that I really do love about country music and the community is John and I — no news to people — we have a lot of different opinions than a lot of people in our format, but we’ve seen fans show up and I think that people just appreciate that we are who we are and particularly after me being able to come out and then see people, even people that maybe they don’t agree with it, but they love to see me being happy. I think when you get to experience those things in life you realize just really how simple our lives are and to be celebrated tonight for being who we are is just all the  more proof that that’s what this genre’s about.”

    Audio / Backstage at Wednesday night's CMA Awards, Jordan Davis talks about sharing the Song of the Year Award with his brother, Jacob Davis.

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    Jordan Davis (winning CMA Award with brother) OC: …away from us. :37 “Well, I can tell you this — whenever we got called and I went over and gave him a hug first and I just kept telling him, ‘Dude-we won Song of the Year,’ and he finally said, ‘Hey dude — we gotta go. We gotta go. We gotta get on stage.’ But we’ve had some moments backstage to kind of just drink this in. We both moved to town to write songs and just try to make a living doing that. So, we’d have been crazy to think that this was even obtainable, but now that we have it and I have it with my brother — I mean I shared a room with the guy until I was 16 years old, so we’re pretty close — this is something that nobody’s ever gonna be able to take away from us.”

  • COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR ALAN JACKSON TO RECEIVE THE 2022 CMA WILLIE NELSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT “THE 56TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS.”

    The Country Music Association has revealed its 2022 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient—chart-topping Country Music superstar Alan Jackson.

    Jackson will accept the honor during “The 56th Annual CMA Awards,” broadcasting live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, Nov. 9 on ABC. Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood and Lainey Wilson will take the CMA Awards stage for an all-star tribute to the Country Music Hall of Fame member.

    “We are thrilled to honor Alan Jackson this year with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “A three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year, he is responsible for so many iconic moments in CMA Awards history. Just as Alan has been influenced by many Country legends throughout his career, he too has inspired a generation of artists to stay true to the authenticity of Country Music. We are so excited to bring Dierks, Jon, Carrie and Lainey together on the CMA Awards stage for what will surely be an incredible and touching tribute to an artist they each deeply admire. Having had the great fortune of working with Alan over the years, I am delighted we are honoring him with this milestone award next month.”

    The CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is for an iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in Country Music. The award recognizes an artist who has achieved both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, streaming numbers, record sales and public representation at the highest level. The artist receiving this award has positively impacted and contributed to the growth of the genre throughout a course of years that have proven to have an unprecedented historical impact on fans and industry alike.

    Previous recipients of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award include Willie Nelson (2012), Kenny Rogers (2013), Johnny Cash (2015), Dolly Parton (2016), Kris Kristofferson (2019), Charley Pride (2020), and Loretta Lynn (2021).

    Jackson’s unmatched stature as a singer and songwriter flourished by deeply tipping his hat to the legends of his youth and boldly embracing his roots. Throughout his impressive career, he has blended the old and new in a unique style that is urban and rural, rugged and raw, and appeals to the large sector of the Country Music audience that reflects on the past for its musical influences.

    Jackson has released more than 20 albums and collections—including forays into gospel and bluegrass—nine of which went multi-Platinum with 2 million or more in sales. Those albums have led to one of Country Music’s most decorated careers with three CMA Entertainer of the Year Awards (1995, 2002, 2003); two Grammy Awards; and membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, the esteemed Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Jackson was given the first ASCAP Heritage Award (2014) by the performance rights organization, recognizing him as the most performed Country Music songwriter-artist of the last 100 years. Jackson has charted 35 No. 1 hits, sold nearly 60 million albums, and is among the genre’s most decorated and respected figures, with more than 150 awards.

  • ALAN JACKSON NAMED CMT “ARTIST OF A LIFETIME.”

    Country superstar Alan Jackson will be honored with the Artist of a Lifetime award (presented by Ram Trucks) at the 2022 CMT Artists of the Year celebration, joining the ranks of previous recipients Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, Loretta Lynn, Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers and Merle Haggard as he’s celebrated by his peers for a remarkable career spanning more than three decades.

    “I believe I’ve made more videos than just about anybody, and I know how important they have been in bringing my songs to life for the fans, so thank you CMT for all the years and for this sweet honor,” Jackson says. “I’m very proud.”

    “We’re honored to recognize the incomparable Alan Jackson as this year’s CMT Artist of a Lifetime. For more than 30 years, his traditional sound, iconic voice and beloved catalog of music has captivated audiences across the globe and his talent as a recording artist and songwriter are simply unmatched,” shared CMT producers. CMT Artists of the Year will air as a 90-minute special on the network, premiering Friday, October 14 (9:00pm ET/8:00pm CT).

    Jackson’s history with CMT runs deep. He has made and released nearly 60 iconic music videos, starting with his debut single…two of which were honored as the CMA Video of the Year (“Chattahoochee” and “Midnight in Montgomery”), another recognized as the ACM Video of the Year (“Drive (For Daddy Gene)”). He was honored as a “CMT Giant” in 2008…and he received the inaugural Impact Award at the 2014 CMT Music Awards. Jackson has also ranked Number 1 on both CMT’s 40 Greatest Songs of the Decade and CMT’s fan-voted 20 Greatest Men in Country Music lists.

    The Artist of a Lifetime honor is just the latest event in a year that’s already proven memorable for the entertainer. Jackson has been playing to full houses and sellout crowds on his Last Call: One More for the Road Tour since its early summer launch (the tour heads to the West this weekend with stops in Phoenix, AZ and Anaheim, CA…continuing next weekend with a swing to the Northeast that brings over three decades of music to Atlantic City, NJ and Pittsburgh, PA). He recently unveiled Silverbelly, a premium bourbon whiskey distilled exclusively for – and hand-selected by – the country superstar, which is available in several states and continues its nationwide rollout this fall. And AJ’s Good Time Bar, his four-story honky-tonk in the heart of downtown Nashville featuring daily live music and a rooftop view of Music City remains a top draw for tourists and locals alike.

    In addition to Jackson as this year’s Artist of a Lifetime, the 2022 CMT Artists of the Year special will showcase previously announced honorees Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown, Luke Combs and Walker Hayes.

     

  • 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.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Shania Twain, Chris Stapleton, Alan Jackson, Darius Rucker

    Taylor Swift received five nominations for MTV’s Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year, Best Longform Video, Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Editing.

     

    Kacey Musgraves received a pair of nominations for MTV’s Video Music Awards for Best Longform Video and Best Art Direction. The 2022 VMAs will air live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Sunday, August 28th at 8pm ET/PT.

    https://twitter.com/MTV/status/1551914848728088576

    Shania Twain‘s new documentary, Not Just A Girl, is now available for streaming on Netflix.

    In addition, Shania has also released a companion album, Not Just A Girl (The Highlights).

     

    Chris Stapleton has been added to the list of performers at this year’s Farm Aid. The festival, featuring performances by co-founders Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, as well as Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Margo Price and Brittney Spencer, will take place at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 24th. Tickets go on sale July 30th.

    Alan Jackson made a wonderful announcement on his socials this week. There’s a new addition to the Jackson clan — Alan’s daughter, Ali, is pregnant with the country superstar’s first grandchild, a boy, who is due in December.

    If you’re watching Netflix and come across the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair’s three-part docuseries, you might hear a familiar voice. Wrestling fan (and Ric Flair’s biggest fan) Darius Rucker is narrating the documentary, Ric Flair: The Last Match, about the wrestling legend’s life and career, which is all leading up to his last match, scheduled to take place in Nashville on July 31st.

     

     

  • ALAN JACKSON KICKED OFF HIS LAST CALL: ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD TOUR IN FRONT OF SELLOUT CROWDS THIS WEEKEND.

    Country Music Hall of Fame member Alan Jackson kicked off his Last Call: One More for the Road Tour in front of sellout crowds this weekend as he played the first two cities on the tour (Biloxi, MS and Knoxville, TN), thrilling audiences in both cities with setlists that spanned his three-decade-plus career…treating the to-the-rafters crowds to nearly two dozen hits each night (including a rousing “Rocky Top” as part of his Saturday encore on the University of Tennessee campus).

    Jackson’s tour continues over the next four months, with shows scheduled into the fall (tickets and information for all shows are available at alanjackson.com/last-call-tour). Presented by Silverbelly Whiskey…promoted by Live Nation…and named the “Hottest Country Tour of the Summer” by music fans at TasteofCountry.com…Jackson’s Last Call: One More for the Road Tour follows his Fall 2021 announcement that he is living with CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth), a chronic inherited neuropathy condition. $1 from every ticket sold for the Last Call: One More for the Road Tour will be donated to the CMT Research Foundation, and will be matched by a group of CMTRF donors and board members.

  • FOURTH OF JULY AUDIO 2022

    Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain and tyranny.

    The Declaration of Independence, which is on public display in the Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., was primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, however, he worked with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to come up with the final document. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4th, 1776, but the actual signing of the document took place August 2nd, 1776.

    Now, the Fourth of July holiday is commonly associated with fireworks displays, parades, barbecues and concerts. Some of your favorite country stars take time to remember their Fourth of July traditions, memories and what the holiday really means to them.

    Mickey Guyton will host and perform during A Capitol Fourth on the Fourth of July on PBS beginning at 8pm ET. Country star Jake Owen, Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Yolanda Adams, Tony Award winner and Broadway icon Chita Rivera, Grammy Award-winning musician and actor Gloria Gaynor, Blues musician Keb’ Mo’ and many others are also among the stars performing during the special.

     

    To access Fourth of July liners, click here.

     

    Audio / Alan Jackson recalls one of the coolest Fourth of July memories he’s ever enjoyed.

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    AJ (fave 4th of July memory) OC: …very cool. :58
    Well, this one is hard to beat. A couple of years ago, maybe longer than that now, I had an old boat in Florida. It’s like an old antique motor yacht, and it was kind of a cool old boat. I had taken that boat, I’ve always wanted to take it up north like to New York and up in that area, up in the northeast where it’s so pretty. So, we took the boat up there and Denise and the girls, we all went up. They like going to New York City, which I don’t really care about going to the city. So, I got to stay in my boat there at the harbor tied up, which was cool anyway. So they spent time in the city a few days and then that was Fourth of July, and we went out in the Hudson River that night and they shot the fireworks off and we were anchored out in front of the Statue of Liberty and New York City was behind us, and the Statue of Liberty and the fireworks were going off sitting on that boat. That was the coolest thing and my girls still talk about that. I mean, that was the coolest thing on Fourth of July I can ever remember. I can’t top that one probably. It was emotional sitting there watching the Statue of Liberty and thinking about all that. It was very cool.”

     

    Audio / Billy Currington talks about his favorite Fourth of July memories.

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    Billy Currington (4th of July) OC: …of my life. :16
    “My best memories would be hanging out with my mom, brother and sister on the beach on Tybee Island right off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. We’d go there every year, and we’d light our own fireworks and watch the ones that they had for us. They were the best times, some of the best times of my life.”

     

    Audio / Carrie Underwood recalls one of her favorite Fourth of July memories.

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    Carrie Underwood (favorite Fourth of July memory) OC: …work out. :51
    “I think my favorite Fourth of July memory would be going to the fireworks stand and picking out which fireworks I wanted to do. I must’ve been like 7 or 8, and I came home and made a list of what order I wanted to do them in, because I wanted to put a show on for Mom and Dad, and of course I couldn’t wait until it was dark outside (laughs). So, I made my Mom and Dad get the lawn chairs and come out to the backyard and watch some not very dramatic fireworks at like six o’clock in the evening, but I was so proud of myself, and I was so proud of the show that I put on. So, I feel like that was a little training for what I do now – putting on shows, figuring out how it’s all going to work out.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker enjoys setting off fireworks.

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    Darius Rucker (fireworks) OC: …off once. :15
    “Oh, I love fireworks. We had the bottle rocket fights and all that good stuff. I was the typical little crazy kid, you know. In South Carolina, it was always legal, so we shot fireworks when it was legal. We did all that sort of stuff. I almost blew my hand off once.”

    Audio / Eric Church recalls his family activities on the Fourth of July holiday.

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    Eric Church (4th of July) OC: …freedoms. 1:17
    “The Fourth of July for me, growing up we would always go to the lake, we didn’t live on the lake but we would all go to the lake. Had a buddy who had a pontoon and we would always get on the pontoon and you go out and you’d tie all the pontoons together and just have a big time. This was before, I was younger then, the adults were having more fun than we were, you know it was just to go swim in the water and shoot off fireworks. Basically, water tailgating is what it was. And then as we got older, same thing…we would just, us younger kids had our own boat and we had as much fun as the adults.”

    Audio / Jon Langston talks about what he usually does on the Fourth of July,

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    Jon Langston (Fourth of July) OC: …either way. :17
    “The Fourth of July is usually different every year. We’re usually playing shows, or we’re out on the lake or at the beach, or sometimes I’ve said, ‘I’m staying at home,’ shooting fireworks off the back porch or something. That’s probably not the safest thing, but we have a good time either way.”

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS TALKS ABOUT SOME OF HIS FAVORITE CHILDHOOD FOURTH OF JULY MEMORIES.

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    Jordan Davis (Fourth of July) 2 OC: …really cool. :17
    “Probably baseball games, firework shows at baseball games. We’d go to Shreveport Captains games, so yeah, we’d do that or barbecues and fireworks. I can remember being on the lake for a couple of Fourth of Julys. We’d take the boat out and we’d watch the downtown fireworks show from the boat, which was really cool.”

    Audio / Josh Turner talks about the fireworks “wars” his family would have when he was growing up.

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    Josh Turner (fireworks) OC: …of money. [laughs] :20
    “Yeah, we had fireworks around, especially my Daddy’s family. All the individual families had a lot of competition with each other and tried to outdo each other to try to see who had the biggest and baddest fireworks and all that. [laughs] My daddy, I think, was the smartest one. He just went out and bought maybe $25 worth of fireworks and let everybody else put on the big show, so he saved a lot of money.” [laughs]

    Audio / Keith Urban recalls coming over to America for the first time.

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    Keith Urban (coming to America 1st time) OC: …as I could. :39
    “1989 was the first year I came to the States, and it had always been my goal, but I had no plan on how to get here. It was just a case of keep playing, keep getting better at what you do, and then hopefully, somehow, some way I’ll end up over here. The guy who was managing me at the time, we just planned a trip over here – it was actually for the New Music Seminar in New York. And we came over for that, and then we did a trip down to Nashville, and I was shopping my little demo around. I think I humored everybody more than anything else [laughs] with my tragic, ill-fitting demo for the time. So, I left there, but I was just so committed to coming back as quick as I could.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan recalls one of his favorite Fourth of July memories.

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    Luke Bryan (4th of July memories) OC: …we used to. :21
    “Some of my favorite Fourth of July memories were spent on Lake Blackshear down in Georgia with my family. I was always kind of in charge of driving home from Tennessee and picking up all the fireworks and my nieces and nephews always got excited when I rolled in because they knew I had all the fireworks. But, it was always a great memory, and I miss not getting to do that as much as we used to.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about his Fourth of July plans.

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    Luke Bryan (Fourth of July plans) OC: …on the fourth. :15
    “My plans for the Fourth are always to be on the boat somewhere in the water, and buy a few fireworks, send ‘em up in the sky for the boys, but it’s always a boat and water, whether it’s in the Gulf of Mexico, whether it’s in Georgia…we don’t have a total plan yet, but we’ll be having a good time on the fourth.”

    Audio / MADDIE & TAE TALK ABOUT THEIR FOURTH OF JULY TRADITIONS.

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    Maddie & Tae (Fourth of July) OC: …it’s perfect. :29
    TAE: “One of my favorite Fourth of July traditions – I’d say it’s a tradition ‘cause it happens every year, but I’m not always able to make it – is that we go to my grandparents in Oklahoma, and we all line up lawn chairs right in front of their garage and we just light fireworks. We always do it far away and then we light it, and we always run back and watch the fireworks, but that’s probably one of my favorite memories.” MADDIE: “My birthday is July 7th, so I always get built-in fireworks for my birthday, and sometimes we actually celebrate it on the 4th, because there’s fireworks everywhere, so it’s perfect.”

    Audio / PARKER MCCOLLUM TALKS ABOUT HIS FAVORITE FOURTH OF JULY MEMORIES. NOTE: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

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    Parker McCollum (Fourth of July) OC: …days of my life. :23
    “My favorite Fourth of July memories growing up are actually kind of dangerous now that I think about it, but we used to have fireworks wars where we’d shoot like roman candles and bottle rockets. We’d always go to my grandma’s house, pop fireworks and we’d end up shooting ’em at each other and having wars; no eye protection, no nothing, just shooting bottle rockets at each other’s faces. But it was so fun; some of the best days of my life.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block says the Fourth of July is one of her favorite holidays.

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    Priscilla Block (Fourth of July) OC: …we get crazy. :26
    “I love Fourth of July. I usually always have a Fourth of July party. It is known that there is a slip-n-slide at my house on Fourth of July. You know, it’s such a great holiday to just bring friends together and, I don’t know, we get wild on the Fourth. We get crazy.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about what he and his family did over the Fourth of July holiday when he was growing up in Georgia.

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    Sam Hunt (Fourth of July) OC: …good time. :39
    “My granddad on the other side of my family, he would always take a lot of pride…fireworks were actually, I’m from Georgia, and most of them were illegal, I’m pretty sure, growing up. But over in Alabama, that’s where all the firework stands were, and we only had to drive 10, 15 minutes to get to the Alabama line, so we could go get a bundle of fireworks pretty easy. But he would always take a lot of pride in going and finding all the good stuff and coming back with a big pile. He’d have his torch out there at the end of the driveway and we’d all eat homemade ice cream and put down towels on the driveway and he’d shoot off fireworks for 30-45 minutes. Such a good time.”

    Audio / TRAVIS DENNING TALKS ABOUT THE FOURTH OF JULY EVENTS HIS HOMETOWN OF WARNER ROBINS, GEORGIA WOULD THROW EVERY YEAR.

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    Travis Denning (Fourth of July) OC: …will love. :51
    “Fourth of July in Warner Robins, Georgia is an event. It’s something else. In fact, forever they’ve thrown an Independence Day concert, and back in the day, it was huge. It was the biggest thing they did all year. They would actually have the concert in the MAC (McConnell-Talbert Stadium), which was the high school football stadium that Warner Robins and Northside and Houston County shared. I mean, one year they had Wynonna play and then they had Josh Turner one year, Darius Rucker. I mean it was like a big deal, and there’d be 15,000, 20,000 people there, and I think it’s so cool that there’s a little bit of a legacy of people coming together in that town and making something happen, you know? I’ll never forget going to those shows and thinking, I was more proud of what the city had done. I was like, ‘That’s just so cool that they could put together a show like this, an event that everybody will love.”

    Audio / Tyler Hubbard talks about his Fourth of July plans with his family.

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    Tyler Hubbard (Fourth of July) OC: …that freedom. :43

     

  • FOURTH OF JULY LINERS 2022

    Audio / LINER AJ (4th of July)

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    “Hey! This is Alan Jackson, wishing you a happy and safe Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (4th of July)

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    “Hey guys! I’m Billy Currington, wishing you a Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Bros Osborne (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey y’all! I’m John, and I’m TJ, and we are Brothers Osborne, wish you a very Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Fourth of July)

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    “Hi! This is Carrie Underwood wishing you a Happy Fourth of July.”

     

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman, wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Independence Day)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman. Happy Independence Day, y’all.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Caylee Hammack wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

     

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Independence Day)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Caylee Hammack. Happy Independence Day, everybody!”

     

    Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey! This is Chrissy Metz, wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Darius (4th of July)

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    “Hey y’all, what’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a very, very happy Fourth of July!”

    Audio / LINER Darius (Happy Birthday, America)

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    “Hey y’all, what’s up? This is Darius Rucker. Happy Birthday, America!”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (4th of July)

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    “Hey everybody! This is Dierks Bentley, wishing you a Happy and safe Fourth of July.

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (4th of July)

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    “Hey this is Eric Church, wishing you a very happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Jon Langston wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

     

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (4th of July)

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    “Hi, it’s Jon Pardi, wishing you a happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (summer)

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    Hey everybody, Keith Urban here, wanting to wish you all a fantastic and safe summer. Enjoy the sunshine. Hopefully, you’ll get to spend some time with the ones you love, and hopefully, we’ll also get to see you out on the road.”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey y’all. This is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (4th of July)

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    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Fourth of July!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (4th of July)

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    “Hey! This is Luke Bryan, wishing you a very happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (4th of July) 2

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    “Hey y’all, this is Luke Bryan, celebrating the land of the free, the home of the brave and country music.”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Maddie, and I’m Tae and we’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a safe and happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (4th of July)

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    “Hey! This is Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey everybody. I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a Happy and safe Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey, it’s Priscilla Block, wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

     

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Reba McEntire, wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

     

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Fourth of July)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey y’all! It’s Travis Denning, wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Tyler Hubbard (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Tyler Hubbard, wishing you a safe and Happy Fourth of July.”

     

  • ALAN JACKSON INTRODUCES HIS OWN SIGNATURE WHISKEY.

    Country Music Hall of Fame member Alan Jackson is proud to introduce Silverbelly Whiskey, a new premium spirit distilled exclusively for – and hand-selected by – the country superstar.

    Silverbelly takes its name from Jackson’s signature cowboy hat – though many may think it’s white, the color is technically “silverbelly.” Every ounce of Silverbelly Whiskey – created in partnership with Silver Screen Bottling Co. & DSP-KY-10 – is crafted to be worthy of celebrating a career and countless memories for all to enjoy.

    “I opened the first bottle of Silverbelly; this is what happened,” Jackson shares. (CLICK HERE) “Silverbelly – for the Good Times.”

    Available in 750ml bottles and 91 proof with 45.5% alc/vol., Silverbelly Whiskey is described as having an aroma of brown sugar, sweet apple, cherry, honey, and a taste that’s sweet smooth, and spicy; bright fall fruits with a light, silky texture on the mid-palate; soft caramelized oak tones are met with a savory wood spice on the finish. Silverbelly Whiskey is available now in stores across Tennessee (with other states soon to follow), and spirits-lovers across the country can find it online at silverbellywhiskey.com – pre-orders begin today.

    Jackson’s storied career includes 35 chart-topping songs…multiple multi-platinum albums…Grammy, CMA, ACM and Billboard awards…and membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. To celebrate his iconic career, Silverbelly Whiskey’s batch numbers will reflect each of Jackson’s No. 1 hit songs as the years unfold, making each bottle an instant collector’s item. The first batch of Silverbelly Whiskey is named after Jackson’s first hit song, 1990’s “Here In The Real World.”

    Jackson’s daughter – sommelier and best-selling author Mattie Jackson Selecman – notes, “Crafted in honor of classic, bourbon style whiskey, Silverbelly tips its hat to the spirit at the heart of this country. Its smooth texture and medium-light body make it perfect to sip neat at the end of a long day or to raise in a toast of celebration, mixed in your favorite Old Fashioned or Manhattan cocktail. With a subtle kiss of oak and traditional flavors of caramel, spiced apples, and toasty brown sugar, Silverbelly is as American as whiskey comes – a true taste of home.”

    Jackson embarks on his Last Call: One More for the Road Tour this weekend (Friday in Biloxi, MS and Saturday in Knoxville, TN). Silverbelly Whiskey is the presenting sponsor of Last Call: One More for the Road, which was named the “Hottest Country Tour of the Summer” by music fans at TasteofCountry.com. Tickets and information for all shows are available at alanjackson.com/last-call-tour.