• LABOR DAY 2016 LINERS: Billy, Bros. O, Canaan, Clare, David, Darius, Church, Paslay, Jon, Kacey, Keith, Kip, LBT, Luke, Sam, TBP and more

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Labor Day)

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    Hey! What’s up, guys? I’m Canaan Smith. Have a great and work-free Labor Day weekend.



    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Labor Day)

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    Hey! What’s up? This is Clare Dunn, and I hope you have a Happy Labor Day weekend.

     

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER David Nail (Labor Day)

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    Hey guys! It’s David Nail, wishing  you a very happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Labor Day weekend)

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



    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Labor Day weekend)

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

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Labor Day weekend)

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



    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER LBT (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER TBP (Labor Day Weekend)

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    Hey everybody! We are The Band Perry, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

  • FOURTH OF JULY 2016: AJ, Billy, Canaan, Darius, David, Dierks, Easton, Eric, Josh, Keith, Kip, Lady A, Luke, Sam

    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. The 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.

    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 / Canaan Smith talks about his Fourth of July memories growing up in Williamsburg, Virginia.

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    Canaan Smith (Fireworks July Fourth) OC: …kinds of stuff. :39
    “Williamsburg, Virginia has a great fireworks display. It’s one of the best in the nation, they say or something like that. We’d go to the Governor’s Palace. They have a big lawn, and we’d sit out there and lay a blanket down. This was before I was old enough to drink, but we probably tried to sneak some in anyhow. And we’d just watch the [show], you know they’d have the grand finale, which always blew my mind ‘cause just when you thought it was over, they’d start bringing out all of the tricks and it just gets crazy. We did that on a regular basis. Other times, we’d do stuff in our own yard. We had a big yard when we were growing up with a dirt track in the back, and our neighbor’s yard was equally as big, so when you put ‘em together, we had a massive area to be destructive and do whatever we wanted. So, we blew up all kinds of stuff.”


    Audio / Darius Rucker, who headlines this year's Freedom Over Texas Fourth of July celebration in Houston, talks about what the Fourth of July means to him.

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    Darius Rucker (4th of July) 1 OC: …in the world. :24
    “The Fourth of July to me is a day to celebrate freedom. We get to travel all over the world and see a lot of stuff, and I’ve been to a lot of countries that aren’t like ours and that’s when you really appreciate the fact that you can do whatever you want. As long as you’re willing to deal with the consequences, you can do whatever you want, you know?  [I] appreciate those soldiers who died for us to be sitting here doing this, and we live in the greatest country in the world.”

    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 / David Nail talks about where he and his friends used to watch the Fourth of July fireworks back home in Kennett, Missouri.

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    David Nail (4th of July) OC: …up front. :45
    “In Kennett, Missouri where I grew up [on] the Fourth of July, it was a race to get your car parked, so we could watch the fireworks at the airport; they did ‘em off the golf course. I wasn’t fortunate enough to be a country club kid to watch it from that side of town, so everybody else had to, you’d be riding through town at 8 o’clock, 9 o’clock in the morning and you could see lawn chairs along the side of the road by people getting their spot so they could see ‘em, even though the town’s so small you could sit in your front yard and watch ‘em. That wasn’t good enough. Everybody wanted to see ‘em up close. I can remember doing that as a kid and then as we got older, it became a little easier to get your spot, but as a kid, you wanted to get there as quickly as possible and be up front just so you could say you were up front.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley explains why he is so patriotic.

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    Dierks Bentley (4th of July-patriotic) OC: …all the time. :17
    “I’m extremely patriotic. I love this country, and I love the history of this country. I read books on this country. I spend my time on the road traveling physically throughout the country. The soldiers and their families are constantly on my mind. We work closely with the Wounded Warriors Project. We think about this stuff all the time.”

    Audio / Easton Corbin recalls his family’s tradition on the Fourth of July.

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    Easton Corbin (Fourth of July) OC: …clown around. :28
    “Fourth of July, I remember growing up and having cookouts, and course we did the whole fireworks thing. I remember my uncle, he’d always get fireworks and bring down like from Alabama, because in Florida, you couldn’t get the bottle rockets and stuff, so he’d always go up to Alabama, ‘cause they live in Tallahassee, which was close to the [state] line. So, he would go over the line and get the good fireworks and bring ‘em down to my grandma’s for me and my cousin, and we’d just hang out all day and shoot off fireworks and clown around.”

    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 / Josh Turner, who will perform during the Independence Day Celebration in Shreveport, Louisiana, 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 defines patriotism.

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    Keith Urban (patriotism) OC: …the unity. :24
    “It’s common, shared beliefs and identity. And I think at its core, it’s an incredibly strengthening, vital thing for our people to have, and it’s particularly gratifying in the midst of so much separating of ideas that it can get fractious. And it’s kind of nice that a sense of patriotism can remind everybody of the unity.”

    Audio / Kip Moore says he’s very proud of the U.S. military and can’t imagine having to do what they do to protect the United States.

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    Kip Moore (Fourth of July-soldiers) OC: …every day. :32
    “I’m a very, very patriotic person, proud of the country that I live in, and I’m very proud of what those guys do for us each and every day, and I don’t take it for granted one bit. My grandparents were in the military, fought wars, and I’ve seen the battle that they go through, just the horror of remember things. When I start to think that I’m half-way tough, I realize how I’m not one bit when I talk to soldiers when I’m out and realize the things that they go through. I can’t imagine facing what those guys face every day.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott talks about her favorite Fourth of July memories.

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    Lady A (4th of July-Hillary) OC: …on my hand. :29
    “For many, many years in a row, we would be up at the lake for Fourth of July, and having those memories of being on the boat and going tubing and skiing and enjoying being out in the summertime, great weather on the water. But, then for me, Fourth of July was when [husband] Chris [Tyrell] proposed. So, I got proposed to on July 2nd up at the lake, the same lake I grew up going to, and so that’s probably the biggest highlight of Fourth of July to me – getting a rock on my hand.”

    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 explains his definition of what it means to be an American.

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    Luke Bryan (American) OC: …we want. :17
    “I think the definition of an American is somebody who stands up during the ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ and stands up when ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is being sung and just appreciates what all the fallen heroes and soldiers have done to keep us living in a country that’s free where we have the right to do anything we want.”

    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.”

     

  • FOURTH OF JULY 2016: LINERS

    Here are Fourth of July liners from several of your favorite artists:

    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 Canaan Smith (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey! What’s up guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a safe and happy Fourth of July!

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Fourth of July)

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    “Hey! This is Clare Dunn, wishing you a very Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (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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    “Happy Birthday, America!”

    Audio / LINER David Nail (4th of July)

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    “This is David Nail, wishing you a happy Fourth of July!”

    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 Easton Corbin (4th of July)

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    “Hey! This is Easton Corbin. Have a safe and happy 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 Eric Paslay (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (4th of July)

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    “Hey! This is Gary Allan. 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 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 Lady A (4th of July)

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    “Hi! This is Charles, Hillary and Dave of Lady Antebellum, wishing you a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (4th of July)

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    “Hey! It’s Lauren Alaina. Have 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 Mickey Guyton (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Fourth of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Toby Keith (Fourth of July)

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    “Hi! It’s Toby Keith, wishing you a safe Fourth of July.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Billy, Easton, Canaan, Vince, Darius

    Billy Currington, Easton Corbin and Canaan Smith, along with Cole Swindell, Michael Ray and Maddie & Tae helped raise more than $250,000 during a concert last week for the One Orlando Fund to help victims and their families of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.

    Vince GillRicky Skaggs and Patty Loveless performed “Go Rest High on That Mountain” during Ralph Stanley’s funeral in McClure, Virginia on Tuesday (June 28th).

    Darius Rucker has earned himself another accolade – he’s getting his own Madame Tussaud wax figure. He tweeted a photo on Wednesday as he was “getting fitted.” Can’t wait to see the final product!

    Easton Corbin is featured in a new initiative with Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts, giving access to mash-ups by NE-YO, DNCE and Keke Palmer, inspired by Pop-Tarts’ new mash-ups with soda flavors – Frosted Crush Orange and Frosted A&W Root Beer. Fans can download the Smule app and record their own mash-ups (or “duets”) with the four artists. Easton and Keke did a version of the country singer’s hit “Baby, Be My Love Song,” as well as Keke’s “Enemiez.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk-5sLWcNe4

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZfjt8hp0XM

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Chris, Dierks, Jon, Luke, Sam, Billy, Easton, Canaan

    Chris Stapleton has just been tapped to open for the reunited Guns N’ Roses at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. The show is scheduled for July 9th.

    Speaking of Chris, his song “Tennessee Whiskey” has been certified platinum and gold by the R.I.A.A. Gold certifications were also handed out to Dierks Bentley for “Somewhere on a Beach” and Jon Pardi’s “Head Over Boots.”

    Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt are among the nominees at this year’s Teen Choice Awards. Sam is up for two awards, including Choice Country Artist, alongside Luke, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini and Hunter Hayes. He’s also up for Choice Country Song for “Make You Miss Me.” The show will air July 31st at 8pm ET on Fox.

    Several country stars are turning out for K92.3’s Country Strong – Orlando’s Night of Healing & Country Music benefit concert on Tuesday (June 21st). The event, which will feature performances by Billy Currington, Easton Corbin, Canaan Smith, as well as Cole Swindell, Michael Ray, Tyler Farr, Jerrod Niemann, Maddie & Tae and Parmalee. The event’s proceeds will go to the families of the victims of the tragic shootings in Orlando last weekend.

  • FATHER’S DAY LINERS 2016

    Father’s Day is Sunday (June 19th), and we have liners with many of your favorite country stars! See and download below.

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Billy Currington, wishing you a very Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is TJ, and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing all you fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day.”

     

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up, guys? I’m Canaan Smith. Happy Father’s Day, Pops!”

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up? This is Clare Dunn, wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

     

    Audio / LINER Easton Corbin (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Easton Corbin. Happy Father’s Day!”

     

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Church, wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Paslay. To all you father’s out there, Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Gary Allan, and I want to wish all the dads out there a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Happy Father’s Day)

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    “Jon Pardi here. Happy Father’s Day to all you father’s out there.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Josh Turner, and I just want to wish all you father’s out there a Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves. Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everyone! It’s Keith Urban, wishing all you Dads out there a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Lady A (Father’s Day)

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    “What’s up all you Dads out there? It’s Lady Antebellum, and we just wanted to wish you all a good, Happy Father’s Day. Thanks for being great dads. Hope you get pampered and you don’t have to barbecue. And we hope you get some good ties this year.” [Hillary laughs]

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! It’s Lauren Alaina. Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Father’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Little Big Town, wishing all you father’s a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Sam Hunt. To all you fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Father’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Shania Twain. Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Vince Gill (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! It’s Vince, and I just wanted to wish you a Happy Father’s Day. Wish mine was still around.”

  • NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL COUNTRY VOLUME 9 DUE JUNE 10TH.

    On June 10th, Universal Music Group Nashville will release Now That’s What I Call Country Vol. 9, the latest installment in the popular NOW series. Country music fans can hear hits by some of their favorite artists including Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney and more. The album is available for pre-orderHERE.

     Now That’s What I Call Country Vol. 9 includes 18 of today’s hottest country hits including 15 #1 singles plus a bonus track from NOW’s What’s Next artist, Clare Dunn.

    1.      Luke Bryan                             Strip It Down

    2.      Sam Hunt                                Take Your Time

    3.      Carrie Underwood                  Smoke Break

    4.      Cam                                         Burning House

    5.      Little Big Town                      Girl Crush

    6.      Chris Young                            I’m Comin’ Over

    7.      Kenny Chesney                       Save It For A Rainy Day

    8.      Brad Paisley                            Country Nation

    9.      Dierks Bentley                        Drunk On A Plane

    10.  Granger Smith                         Backroad Song

    11.  Chris Janson                            Buy Me A Boat

    12.  Maddie & Tae                         Girl In A Country Song

    13.  Kelsea Ballerini                       Dibs

    14.  Jana Kramer                            I Got The Boy

    15.  Brothers Osborne                    Stay A Little Longer

    16.  Billy Currington                      Don’t It

    17.  Old Dominion                         Break Up With Him

    18.  Rascal Flatts                            I Like The Sound Of That

     

    NOW presents What’s Next

    19.  Clare Dunn                              Tuxedo

    The project is a joint venture from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. This release is part of the multi-platinum NOW That’s What I Call Music! compilation series, the world’s best-selling multi-artist albums with sales topping 98 million in the U.S.  Last year, NOW That’s What I Call Country Vol 8 debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country albums chart.  Now That’s What I Call Country Vol. 9 is distributed by Universal Music Group.NOW and NOW That’s What I Call Music! are registered trademarks of Universal Music Group and its affiliates.

  • BILLY CURRINGTON’S FAVORITE SURF BOARD IS A PADDLE BOARD.

    As everyone knows, Billy Currington is a big surfer. However, he doesn’t use the traditional kind of surf board. Instead, he prefers to use a paddle board for his favorite hobby.

    “I’m a big fan of paddle boarding. It’s basically the only way I surf now. I used to lay down surf, and I still will now and then, but it’s just not as fun to me as paddle boarding,” he says. “A lot of people will take stand up paddle boards and they’ll basically cruise lakes. They’ll take a paddle and just cruise lakes all day and get great exercise, even in the ocean. But for me, I’ll use it to surf. I’ll paddle out to the waves and catch waves with it. It’s my favorite way to surf.”

    Billy is climbing the country charts with his latest single, “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To,” from his Summer Forever album.

    Audio / Billy Currington says he’s a big fan of paddle board surfing.

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     Billy Currington (paddle boarding) OC: …paddle boarding. :14
    “I’m a big fan of paddle boarding. It’s basically the only way I surf now. I used to lay down surf, and I still will now and then, but it’s just not as fun to me as paddle boarding.”

    Audio / Billy Currington says he uses a paddle board to surf.

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    Billy Currington (surf board) OC: …to surf. :17
    “You know, a lot of people will take stand up paddle boards and they’ll basically cruise lakes. They’ll take a paddle and just cruise lakes all day and get great exercise, even in the ocean. But for me, I’ll use it to surf. I’ll paddle out to the waves and catch waves with it. It’s my favorite way to surf.”

  • BILLY CURRINGTON WISHES IT COULD BE SUMMER FOREVER.

    The title of Billy Currington’s latest album, Summer Forever, reflects his thoughts about the warmer months – he really wishes it could be summer year-round.

    “The thing I like most about summer is being warm. I mean, I’m a big fan of not being cold,” he laughs. “I grew up in the warmth. I grew up in the sunshine most of the year. We probably had one month of some cool weather down in South Georgia. So, every time summer comes, I think beach. I think lakes, whatever; just being outside.”

    Billy’s latest single is “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To,” which is making its way up the country charts.

    Audio / Billy Currington talks about his favorite things about the summer.

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    Billy Currington (favorite thing about summer) OC: …being outside. :24
    “The thing I like most about summer is being warm. [laughs] I mean, I’m a big fan of not being cold. I grew up in the warmth. I grew up in the sunshine most of the year. We probably had one month of some cool weather down in South Georgia. So, every time summer comes, I think beach. I think lakes, whatever; just being outside.”

     

    Video / It Don't Hurt Like It Used To from the studio

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  • UMG NASHVILLE ARTISTS REACT TO THE PASSING OF THE LEGENDARY MERLE HAGGARD

    Country Music has lost a legend. Merle Haggard, who turned 79 today, died Wednesday (April 6th) in California, surrounded by friends and family. The Country Music Hall of Famer had been in failing health for quite some time, diagnosed with double pneumonia in December, which led to the cancellation of several dates, including a two-night stand at the Ryman Auditorium.

    Haggard had 40 No. 1 songs, including “Mama Tried,” “Workin’ Man Blues,” “Okie From Muskogee” and “The Fightin’ Side of Me” and wrote many classics, some of which had been recorded by folks such as Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill, who is a lifelong fan of the iconic entertainer.

    “I‘ve been a [Merle] Haggard nut my whole life,” says Vince Gill, who along with his pal Paul Franklin released Bakersfield album in 2013 (a collaborative tribute of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens songs). “And I’ve played country music, recorded country music my whole life, and I’ve tried to emulate what I loved about Merle Haggard on a lot of occasions.”

    Many of country music’s brightest stars took to Twitter to offer their thoughts:

    For Eric Church, he wrote and recorded “Pledge Allegiance to the Hag” for his Sinners Like Me album. The song also featured the subject of the song, Mr. Merle Haggard.

    Eric Church ‏@ericchurch 
    Rest in peace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00IEK9KdWgE …

    Alan Jackson ‏@OfficialJackson 
    “We lost one of the greatest singer/songwriters since Hank Williams. Inspiration to millions, great American, thank you Merle. I’ll miss you.”

    Luke Bryan ‏@LukeBryanOnline 
    “A true hero was lost today. Thank you for your contribution to not only country music but all music. @merlehaggard

    Keith Urban ‏@KeithUrban 
    “One of the gr8 concert memories I have is seeing Merle and the Strangers at the Ryman in Nashville. We had a ‘live’ album of his when I was growing up and I felt like I’d fallin’ inside my Dad’s stereo speakers. One of my all time favorite voices – and a master songwriter. Blessings to your soulful spirit Merle & all of you family & loved ones.” – KU

    Hillary Scott ‏@HillaryScottLA
    “You are a cornerstone of country music @merlehaggard…u will be missed greatly. Praying for the Haggard family.”

    KACEY MUSGRAVES ‏@KaceyMusgraves 
    “I think I’ll just stay here and drink.”

    Billy Currington ‏@billycurrington 
    “rip @merlehaggard thank you for all the great music u blessed us with. we will play it forever.”

    Dierks Bentley ‏@DierksBentley 
    “Literally just fell to the floor. can’t believe we lost the hag. rip merle haggard.”

    CfYkrqMUMAE6MX-
    Toby Keith ‏@TobyKeithMusic 
    “The greatest singer songwriter of my lifetime is gone. Thanks for the music and friendship. R.I.P. Hag. – T”

    GaryAllan ‏@GaryAllan 
    “Merle was my all-time hero. Today we lost one of the greatest songwriters of country music and I will always regret not recording with him. He was a legend and I was honored whenever we got the chance to share a stage with him. Thank you for the inspiration, the advice and for always being you. I, as well as the entire music community, will miss you Merle.”

    Darius Rucker ‏@dariusrucker
    “Heaven’s band just got better! RIP to the LEGENDARY @merlehaggard. Your music will never die!”

    Jon Pardi ‏@JonPardi 
    “Sad day today @merlehaggard has passed. RIP to a true songwriter, a pioneer of California Country, and country music.”

    Kip Moore ‏@KipMooreMusic 
    “RIP Merle…you paved the way for so many. You had what we all hope for…a voice that matters and survives the ever changing trends.”

    Josh Turner ‏@joshturnermusic  5m5 minutes ago
    “Pains me to say that country music icon @merlehaggard has passed away. So honored to have known him and shared the stage with him. Thanks Merle for all you’ve done for us!”

    Mickey Guyton ‏@MickeyGuyton 
    “RIP Merle Haggard. Heaven’s choir just got a heck of a lot better.”

    For David Nail, seeing Merle in concert was a life-changing experience. “The night I saw Merle At the Golden Nugget, it was the single greatest combination of seeing an artist/venue/city together, that I’ve ever witnessed.  It was a spiritual experience.  I looked at my buddy multiple times in disbelief that we were actually there.  I teared up on a few songs.  I knew the greatness I was seeing/hearing.”

    George Strait was a huge fan of Merle Haggard’s. He says, “When I was in the Army and stationed at Schofield barracks in Hawaii, you know Merle came there, and he played Conroy Bowl.  And I remember I was playing an NCO club that night, and before my little gig, I got to run over there and I kinda snuck in and saw Merle and it just blew me away. That’s what I wanted to be like, you know, I wanted to be like the Hag. And so, I can’t tell you how big of an influence he was on me, just huge.”

    Strait also posted a reaction on his socials: “It’s a very sad day for all of us Hag fans. He was a true icon of the music world and it’s hard to believe we won’t be able to see him anymore. I honestly think that had it not been for him, I would not have chosen the path that I chose.” – G

    Audio / During a recent interview for his new album, Down to My Last Bad Habit, Vince Gill says he’s always been a huge fan of Merle Haggard.

    Download

    Vince Gill (Haggard nut) OC: …occasions. :12
    “I‘ve been a  Haggard Nut my whole life. And I’ve played country music, recorded country music my whole life, and I’ve tried to emulate what I loved about Merle Haggard on a lot of occasions.”

    Audio / George Strait talks about the huge influence Merle Haggard had on him and is career.

    Download

    George Strait (Merle Haggard) OC: …it’s just huge. :41
    “You know, Merle was huge in my career. When he did ‘Okie from Muskogee’ back in the 70’s, I think it was, you know I kinda got hooked then on Merle and country music.  When I was in the Army and stationed at Schofield barracks in Hawaii, you know Merle came there, and he played Conroy Bowl.  And I remember I was playing an NCO club that night, and before my little gig, I got to run over there and I kinda snuck in and saw Merle and it just blew me away. That’s what I wanted to be like, you know, I wanted to be like the Hag. And so, I can’t tell you how big of an influence he was on me, just huge.”

     

     

    Video / Vince Gill -- with Paul Franklin -- on Merle Haggard

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    Video / Brothers Osborne "Natural High"

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