• NEWS AND NOTES: Sam, Carrie, Vince, Maddie & Tae, Luke, Jon, Billy, Gary, Eric, Brothers Osborne, Kylie

    Several artists have been added to this year’s CMT Artists of the Year show, including performances by Sam Hunt, Carrie Underwood (live-streamed from her Cry Pretty Tour 360 show in Cleveland, Ohio), Dan + Shay, Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown, Ashley McBryde and more. Presenters include Vince Gill and Maddie & Tae. This year’s special celebrates the network’s five Artists of the Year – Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Kane Brown – in addition to Reba McEntire (Artist of a Lifetime) and Ashley McBryde (Breakout Artist of the Year). The 90-minute show will air Wednesday (October 16th) at 8pm ET.

    Luke Bryan’s hit “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” was just certified double platinum by the R.I.A.A., while his “Someone Else Calling You Baby” was just declared platinum. Jon Pardi’s “Up All Night” and Billy Currington’s “Don’t It” were also certified platinum, while Gary Allan’s “It Ain’t the Whiskey,” Eric Church’s “Some of It,” Luke’s “Drinkin’ Beer & Wasting Bullet” and Sam Hunt’s “Downtown’s Dead” were all certified gold.

    Jon Pardi will perform on ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday (October 18th).

    Brothers Osborne will perform at the Troy Gentry Foundation’s C’Ya on the Flip Side II February 5th at the Grand Ole Opry House, along with Trace Adkins, Rhett Akins, Tracy Lawrence, Justin Moore, Mark Wills and Eddie Montgomery. The benefit will raise funds for the Foundation, the Opry Trust Fund, T.J. Martell Foundation, Make-A-Wish, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and many others.

    New EMI Nashville Recording Artist Kylie Morgan is one of three recipients of the second annual CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship. Over the next year, the CMA will provide support, connections with top industry professionals, participation in CMA-related events and a stipend to assist with their developing careers. She is currently opening several shows for Kip Moore and released a song “Boys Girl” to all digital partners.

  • BILLY CURRINGTON TO HOLD A BENEFIT FOR THE BAHAMAS.

    Billy Currington just announced a benefit concert for The Bahamas taking place this Saturday (September 14th) in Key West. Posting the information on his socials, the Billy Currington & Co will play a free concert (with donations and proceeds to go to Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas) on Sunset Pier beginning at 6pm.

    The surfing enthusiast wrote, “Headed south as south gets to Key West Florida.  After seeing the impact Hurricane Dorian had on the Bahamas ,  I feel I gotta do something.  So I looked online for organizations already in motion, helping out the island of Green Turtle Cay, which I came to know when we shot the video for the song People Are Crazy.  I saw that my friend Paul Menta is heading up fundraising efforts with Key West Cares and putting on a show at the Key West Theatre. I want to be a part of what they’re  doing so headed down to play a few songs at the theater this Saturday night Sept 14, 7 pm.  If you wanna come down and check out the show or be a part in some way,  look up Key West Cares online for more info.  Also I feel like we can raise even more money at the full band after party at the Sunset Pier starting round sunset on. If you have something to auction, hit up Paul Menta at Key West Cares.  Paul runs Key West Legal Rum distillery and has just put in the first super sweet auction item.  Most of all, can’t wait to hang and see people gather up for the love of the Bahamas.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2RbWrWH2IR/

    Billy is currently making his way up the country charts with “Details.”

  • LABOR DAY 2019 AUDIO

    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 2nd, we will once again celebrate the people in every occupation whose work and dedication make this nation great. Labor Day in the United States is a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It is a celebration of the American labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers.

    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 / Adam Hambrick talks about one of his summer jobs when he was growing up in Arkansas.

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    Adam Hambrick (Labor Day-jobs) OC: …that summer. :41
    “I don’t know if I’ve ever had a bad job. I don’t think I had a bad job, ‘cause I actually enjoyed this job ‘cause I was actually sitting in the air conditioning all day over the summer in Arkansas. It was very monotonous, because I was spending every summer day repairing old fallen-apart medical charts in a heart clinic in Little Rock. I would take all these photos of all these records and re-sort them page-by-page and put ‘em back in the manila folder and re-alphabetize ‘em. But I did bring my computer and watch movies while I did it, so I drank a lot of soda and watched a lot of movies that summer.”

    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 / BRANDON LAY SAYS HE’S ALWAYS ENJOYED THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND.

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    Brandon Lay (Labor Day) OC: …a good one. :13
    “You know, I can’t complain too much about Labor Day, ‘cause usually doing landscaping and it had slowed down a little, but the water’s still warm enough to hit the river. I’ve gotten to spend some time out on the lake for Labor Day, so Labor Day’s a good one.”

    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 wen 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 / CLARE DUNN GETS EMOTIONAL WHEN TALKING ABOUT DRIVING A SILAGE TRUCK IN TEXAS TO MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO MOVE TO TENNESSEE TO FOLLOW HER DREAM.

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    Clare Dunn (Labor Day) OC: …had to do. 1:05
    “I was coming for school. I remember I was two weeks late for school [at Belmont], because I had stayed in Texas longer to drive a silage truck for harvest. Harvest was still going on and I needed the money, so I stayed down there. I called all my professors. I explained what I was doing. I said, ‘I’m not going to be there for the first two weeks.’ They all were very, I told them why, and they were all very accepting of that. So, I got home. I was worn out from driving this truck in Texas, and I remember getting home in like the morning or the night before and I left the next day. I literally just chucked as much stuff in a U-haul as I could, and my family was helping me get it all ready while I was on the truck. I remember, everybody cried. I’m probably gonna cry just talking about it, because it was so many unknowns, and I just drove myself out to Tennessee. It was very emotional for me, obviously, just seeing that Tennessee state line sign and being scared to death, but knowing that’s what I had to do.”

    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 / Jon Langston talks about working

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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 m 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, WHOSE DEBUT SINGLE IS MAKING ITS WAY UP THE COUNTRY CHARTS, TALKS ABOUT HIS WORST JOB.

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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 PERFORMING FOR FANS.

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    Keith Urban (Labor Day) OC: …amazing. :22
    “Seeing people connect to the music is absolutely, hands-down the biggest reward for me, especially when you go to a place you’ve never been to before and it’s all these people, I mean lots of people out there. You’ve never met a single one of ‘em and they’re singing every word, and you realize that it’s not just a pretty melody and everything, but they get the songs. It’s amazing.”

    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 / 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 / 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.”

  • BILLY CURRINGTON SAYS IT’S ALL IN THE “DETAILS.”

    Billy Currington released his new single “Details” today. Written by Nicolle Galyon, Mark Trussell, and Stephen Lee Olsen, the lyrics paint a vivid picture about a man who is so enamored by his girlfriend, that everything else in his life seems to fade into the background when she is around. The laidback new song will hit country radio on August 5th. Billy is currently on the road for his headlining Stay Up ‘Til The Sun Tour which runs through the Fall.

    The talented Georgia native has spent more than a decade in the spotlight proving he’s truly a man for all seasons. Currington has earned 12 No.1 singles to his name, including the double-platinum hits “People Are Crazy,” “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” and most recent multi-week No. 1 hits, “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To” and “Do I Make You Wanna.” Possessing one of the smoothest and most distinct voices in any genre of music, Currington is equally skilled at delivering upbeat summertime anthems as well as exploring the complexities of life and love with a poignant ballad. His latest album Summer Forever debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

    Audio / Billy Currington says he loves everything about his new single, "Details."

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    Billy Currington (Details) OC: …on the radio. :34
    “I think ‘Details’ is the perfect first song off this new collection of songs that we’ve put out on the radio and wherever you’re going to put it, because of the fact we really match. I love to sing this song. I loved recording it. I loved the feel of the song when I first heard it, and I love the feel of it when I play it live now. It’s just a great song to be a part of, and like most of all, like I said, the feel, it’s got that swagger, that laid-backness that I connect with. So, I just cannot wait to hear ‘Details’ on the radio.”

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Details) 1

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    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Details) 2

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    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Details) 3

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    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Details) 4

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  • FOURTH OF JULY AUDIO 2019: Adam, AJ, Billy, Brandon, Carrie, Clare Darius, Dierks, Eric, Jon, Jordan, Josh, Keith, Kip, Little Big Town, Luke, Maddie & Tae, Sam, Travis

    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 (see below).

    Some artists will celebrate with friends and family, while others will celebrate the holiday by doing what they do best — performing for fans.

    Luke Bryan has been tapped to perform during NBC’s annual Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks, live from New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge. The coverage will air live at 8pm – 10pm ET on NBC. Maren Morris and Brad Paisley will also perform.

    Keith Urban will celebrate Independence Day by performing at Provo, Utah’s America’s Freedom Festival.

    Jordan Davis will be playing the 4th of July Spectacular, a free show for service men and women, at the Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii.

    Kip Moore will be performing at the Greeley Independence Stampede in Greeley, Colorado.

    Travis Denning is set to play the Party in the Park 4th of July Celebration in Frederick, Maryland.

    Clare Dunn will perform during the Our Country 4th of July Spectacular in Norco, California.

    Jon Langstonis scheduled to perform at the Red, White and Country concert in Columbus, Ohio.

    Jon Pardi will perform during Fort Gordon’s Independence Celebration in Fort Gordon, Georgia on July 3rd.

    Brandon Lay is set to play the Heinz Field 4th of July Celebration in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

    Click here for liners.

     

    Audio / Adam Hambrick has two things that make the Fourth of July spectacular.

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    Adam Hambrick (Fourth of July) OC: …July. :11
    “Fire up the grill and blow something up. Two things that are important for a good time on the Fourth of July – one (is) fire and meat. Those two things make a Happy Fourth of July.”

    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 / Brandon Lay recalls his favorite Fourth of July memories when he was a child.]-

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    Brandon Lay (Fourth of July) OC: …good times. :47
    “I remember everybody hanging out at my grandmother’s and we would drive down the road to a fireworks stand off the side of Highway 45 out there in Jackson [Tennessee]. Just getting the bottle rockets and Black Cats and bringing ‘em back to the house, it felt like it was an eternity before it got dark. We just kept wanting to light ‘em and our parents would tell us it ain’t time, but just how exhilarating it was to see ‘em shoot up. We’re not talking big time fireworks here, but you would’ve thought that it was. It’s funny just how you remember things, but I just remember a screen door at my grandmother’s, running in and out, in and out, in and out and four wild little cousins running around. It was good times.”

    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 / CLARE DUNN AND HER FAMILY ARE USUALLY IN THE MIDST OF HARVESTING THEIR CROPS DURING THE FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY, BUT SHE SAYS IT'S ONE OF HER FAVORITE MEMORIES GROWING UP SINCE THAT WAS WHEN THEY WERE ALL TOGETHER AS A FAMILY.

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    Clare Dunn (Fourth of July) OC: …with your family. 1:12
    “Fourth of July is probably one of the biggest memories for me, because it’s always during harvest time. And harvest time, being a farmer, is your most important time of the year. It’s always nine-o. It’s always busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, but we always go into town, depending on what field we’re at. A lot of my memories are South Grenada, Colorado, we farm just south of that town, and we go into town and get Mexican food, a great Mexican food place called Shorty’s, and we get tostados and enchiladas and we take them back out to the field. And everybody stops for a second and we eat on the hoods or the tailgates of pickups, and we’re just all out there in the field taking a brief moment to eat dinner and then get back to cutting. And if you’re lucky you’ll see some fireworks from town. Those are some of my favorite memories growing up because you’re all out there working. You’re together, and it’s just the moment of pride, of getting the harvest in and getting to be with your family.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker 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 / Dierks Bentley says the people of this country are what define America.

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    Dierks (people are America) OC: …all about. :17
    “The definition of America to me, you know, getting a chance to travel across the country on a tour bus, stepping upon stages whether it be county fairs, state fairs, arenas, rock bars, the Opry stage, anywhere across the country and looking out at that crowd and seeing people. The people, to me, are what America’s all about.”

    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 doesn't have any traditions for the Fourth of July, since it's ever-changing. This year, he'll be performing in Columbus, Ohio.

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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 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 / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild talks about the big sacrifices the military AND their families make to keep this country free.

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

    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 / 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 / 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.”

  • FOURTH OF JULY 2019 LINERS

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Fourth of July)

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

    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 Brandon Lay (Fourth of July)

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    “What’s up, everybody? This is Brandon Lay, 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 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 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 (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 Gary Allan (4th of July)

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    “Hey! This is Gary Allan. 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 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 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 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 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.”

  • FATHER’S DAY LINERS 2019

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey Everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick, wishing you a very Happy Father’s Day.”

     

    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 Brandon Lay (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Brandon Lay, wishing all you Fathers out there 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 Caylee Hammack (Father's Day)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Caylee Hammack. For all you Dads out there, Happy Father’s Day.”

    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 Eric Church (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Church, wishing you a 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 Langston (Father's Day)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Jon Langston, wishing you a very Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Father’s Day)

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

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Father's Day) beer

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    “Hey! It’s Jon Pardi, wishing all the fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day. Here’s to you,  Senior.  Insert beer can opening sample (sound effect). (laughs)

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you all a Happy Father’s Day.”

    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 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 Luke Bryan (Father's Day)

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    “Hey! This is Luke Bryan, wishing all the Fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day. Here’s to you, Dad.”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Maddie and I’m Tae, wishing all you fathers out there 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.”

  • MEMORIAL DAY LINERS 2019

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Memorial Day)

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    “Hi! I’m Adam Hambrick. Take time to remember our fallen heroes this Memorial Day Weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Memorial Day)

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    “Hey guys, I’m Billy Currington. I just wanted to say thank you to all our servicemen and women and their daily service to our country.”

    Audio / LINER Brandon Lay (Memorial Day)

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    “Hey everybody! This is Brandon Lay taking time to remember all of our fallen heroes on this Memorial Day weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Memorial Day) 2

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    “Hey! What’s up guys? We’re Brothers Osborne. We just wanted to send our thanks to all you service men and women and the ones who’ve gone before you for sacrificing time with your families, sacrificing your own needs and even sacrificing your lives so we can be free to do what we want to do. It means more than you’ll ever know.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Memorial Day)

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    “Hi Everyone! This is Carrie Underwood, please take time to remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice during this Memorial Day Weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Memorial Day)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Dierks Bentley. I just want to say thank you to the men and women in uniform on this day and every day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Memorial Day)

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    “Hi! I’m Jon Langston. Take time to remember our fallen heroes during this Memorial Day weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Memorial Day Weekend)

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    “Hey! It’s Jon Pardi. Please take the time to remember our fallen heroes this Memorial Day Weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Memorial Day)

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    “Hey-I’m Jordan Davis, taking time to remember all of our fallen heroes on this Memorial Day weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (thanks to military)

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    “Hey! This is Josh Turner. I just wanted to say thank you to all of our servicemen and women for what you do around the world.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Memorial Day)

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    “Hi everyone, this is Keith Urban. Now please take time to remember all those who sacrificed their lives during this Memorial Day Weekend.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Memorial Day)

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    “Hi! This is Little Big Town, take time to remember our fallen heroes during this Memorial Day Weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Memorial Day-fallen heroes)

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    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan. Please take time to remember our fallen heroes this Memorial Day.”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Memorial Day)

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    “Hey everybody—I’m Maddie, and I’m Tae, and we’re Maddie and Tae. Take time to remember our fallen heroes during this Memorial Day weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Memorial Day)

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    “Hey y’all—it’s Travis Denning. Take time to remember our fallen heroes during this Memorial Day weekend.”

  • CMA FEST REVEALS LINEUP FOR ADDITIONAL FREE DAYTIME STAGES JUNE 6 – 9.

    Adam Hambrick, Billy Currington, Clare Dunn, Kassi Ashton and Travis Denning have been added to the list of performers at this year’s CMA Fest, running June 6th – 9th in downtown Nashville. Check out when and where you can find these free performances, plus many others below.

    Chevy Breakout Stage at Walk of Fame Park, Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza and Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage will feature over 110 performances Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9, highlighting fan favorites and rising Country stars daily.

    Located at Walk of Fame Park, the lineup at the Chevy Breakout Stage will highlight rising artists from 11:10 AM – 4:55 PM on Thursday, and 10:30 AM – 4:55 PM Friday through Sunday including Carlton Anderson, Tenille Arts, Kassi Ashton, Drew Baldridge, Chris Bandi, Kelleigh Bannen, Bailey Bryan, Austin Burke, Dillon Carmichael, Adam Craig, Travis Denning, Cale Dodds, Adam Doleac, Clare Dunn, Brooke Eden, Filmore, HARDY, Jillian Jacqueline, James Barker Band, Austin Jenckes, Brett Kissel, Love and Theft, Tegan Marie, Steve Moakler, Muscadine Bloodline, Brandon Ratcliff, Brandon Ray, Teddy Robb, Noah Schnacky, Dylan Schneider, Seaforth, Smithfield, Matt Stell, Sweet Tea Trio, Tenille Townes, Rachel Wammack, Waterloo Revival, The Wild Feathers and Carter Winter. Gates for the Chevy Breakout Stage will open to the public at 10:40 AM Thursday, June 6 and 9:30 AM Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9. In addition, Miranda Lambert will lead MuttNation’s Mutt March on Thursday, June 6 from 8:30 to 10:30 AM.  Starting at Nissan Stadium, the parade of pups will wind its way across the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and into Walk of Fame Park, where Storme Warren will interview Lambert in a live broadcast from the Chevy Breakout Stage on SiriusXM’s The Highway. Register for the MuttMarch here: https://www.MuttNationFoundation.com.

    The Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza entertains fans from 10:45 AM – 4:30 PM daily, with the “BMI Tailgate” performances Thursday, June 6 from 2:45 PM – 5:10 PM, which includes Colin Elmore, House Whiskey, Josh Phillips and Dan Smalley. Additional acts taking the stage include The Adelaides, Jay Allen, Roan Ash, Gabby Barrett, Stephen Carey, Troy Cartwright, Crowder, Kyle Daniel, Jaida Dreyer, Ross Ellis, Everette, Fairground Saints, Ray Fulcher, Noah Guthrie, Adam Hambrick, Levi Hummon, Hunter Brothers, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Lauren Jenkins, Willie Jones, King Calaway, The Last Bandoleros, Leaving Austin, Baylee Littrell, Hayley Orrantia, Drew Parker, Stephanie Quayle, Faren Rachels, Elvie Shane, Kalie Shorr, The Sisterhood Band, The Swon Brothers and Lainey Wilson. Gates for the Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza will open to the public at 9:45 AM each day, Thursday through Sunday.

    The Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage, located inside the NCVC Visitor Center at Bridgestone Arena, will take place daily from 11:00 AM – 4:40 PM. Thursday’s performances are presented by ASCAP and feature Haley Mae Campbell, Seth Cook, Cross Atlantic, Jobe Fortner, Makayla Lynn, Jill Martin, David Ray, Maggie Renfroe, Joe Robinson and Anna Rose. Friday’s performances are presented by SESAC and feature Blanco Brown, Nora Collins, Spencer Crandall, Erin Enderlin, Aaron Goodvin, Kelly McGrath, Tom O’Connor, Jake Rose, Scott Stevens and Jenny Tolman. Saturday and Sunday’s lineups includes Beoga, Jordan Brooker, Brown & Gray, Shy Carter, Robert Counts, Crawford & Power, Hannah Dasher, Larry Fleet, Kylie Frey, Tony Jackson, Angie Keilhauer, Cory Marks, Jaden Michaels, Emily Ann Roberts, Shane Runion, SixForty1, Tiera, Tyler Reese Tritt, Anna Vaus and The Wandering Hearts.

    Additional performers at CMA Fest include Billy Currington at the Chevy Riverfront Stage on Thursday, Randy Houser at Firestone Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater Presented by BBR Music Group on Thursday and Pam Tillis on the Budweiser Forever Country Stage on Sunday.

    All outdoor daytime stages including the Budweiser Forever Country Stage, Chevy Breakout Stage at Walk of Fame Park, Chevy Riverfront Stage, Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza and Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage are free and open to the public. All stage lineups are available in the Official CMA Fest App. Additional stage lineups, Xfinity Fan Fair X activities and more will be announced in the coming weeks. All artist lineups are subject to change.

    Artists performing at CMA Fest donate their time so a portion of ticket proceeds can directly benefit high-quality music education initiatives across the United States through the CMA Foundation.

    Don’t miss a beat by staying connected with CMA on CMAfest.com, the Official CMA Fest App, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and sign up for CMA Country Connection emails to receive the latest news as soon as it’s announced.

  • VALENTINE’S DAY: AJ, Billy, Carrie, Dierks, Eric, Jordan, Josh, Keith, Little Big Town, Luke

    Each year on February 14th, many people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special someone. The day of romance we call Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century.

    Over 150 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion; 2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually, which breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.

    Thursday is Valentine’s Day (February 14th), and we’ve got some thoughts and feelings and more about love, romance and marriage from several of your favorite country artists. A few are new and some have become our favorites over the years. Which country stars are romantic? Which ones aren’t? Which ones have a good reason to celebrate the holiday that’s all about love?

     

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his love for wife, Denise, over the years.

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    AJ (Valentine’s Day) OC: …continue to. :24

    “We got a lot of history together now, and we’re happier than we’ve ever been. So, she’s still beautiful, and she’s always inspired songs. I mean, one of my early hits was a song called ‘I’d Love You All Over Again,’ I wrote for her for our 10th anniversary. I mean, there’s been a zillion songs that have pieces of our good days and bad days inspired, and they continue to.”

    Audio / Billy Currington recalls his first real Valentine’s Day.

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    Billy Currington (Valentine’s Day memory) OC: …took off running. :21
    “Yeah, I remember my first girlfriend. I was in first or second grade, but anyway, I remember it was Valentine’s Day and your mom going, ‘You’ve got to give your girlfriend something, and you’ve got to go give it to her.’ I’ll never forget — we got her a box of chocolates or whatever it was. I remember going down to her classroom and knocking on the door, getting her to come to the door. I remember handing it to her, and then I took off running.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood is all about the chocolate most couples give each other on Valentine’s Day.

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    Carrie Underwood (Valentine’s Day-chocolate) OC: …white chocolate. :14
    “Chocolate’s every woman’s friend – in their time of need or in their time of happiness or in their time of sadness or madness, chocolate is my friend. Anything with caramel in it, ooooooooh. White chocolate’s good too. You can’t beat some good white chocolate.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley explains the realities of Valentine’s Day.

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    Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day realities) OC: …that’s awesome. :53
    “I’m gonna be the voice of truth and honesty for Valentine’s Day for a lot of the guys out there listening and for some of the girls listening, as well too. You may like this; you may not, but Valentine’s Day is a really difficult day for guys. When you’re single, it’s stressful for like a month leading up to it, and inevitably, you do something wrong. You don’t get the wrong thing or you say too much, and she’s wanting to get engaged faster than you want to get engaged. I don’t know. It’s just a very stressful holiday. I’m at a time in my life where I got a five-year-old, a three-year-old and a zero-year-old, and we’re just really trying to survive on a day-to-day basis. I mean, we get about four hours of sleep, and we’re literally in survival mode. So, I think there should be a hall pass for guys in that phase of their life. It doesn’t take much at this stage for us to get excited. A dinner alone is heaven. I mean, if we can just have a dinner and a glass of wine, that’s awesome.”

    Audio / DIERKS BENTLEY SAYS THE MOST INTERESTING GIFT HE AND HIS WIFE CASSIDY HAVE GIVEN EACH OTHER WERE MIXTAPES OF SONGS.

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    Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day-most interesting gift he’s given his wife) OC: …formulate yourself. 1:19
    “When ‘What Was I Thinkin’’ was released in 2003, I didn’t know what my life would look like, and all of a sudden, I found myself out on the road full-time, just gone. So, the place where I was staying, I had some friends pack it up and move it into a storage facility. This year, I got that whole thing dumped back out into my house. I’m going through just years of old stuff, and in there I found some letters that she and I had written back and forth when we were dating. I was working at The Nashville Network and she was working out in San Francisco and found some letters I had written her and I’d gotten back and some stuff she’d sent me, including a CD of songs she’d been listening to, back when you made CD mixes and there’s like these three hearts on that CD. I just found that it was so meaningful for me those gifts you give each other before any money, before anything else was going on, just music, giving of mixtapes was so cool. She reminded me of a mixtape I sent her. I’d sent it to her via FedEx, because it was so important she get this as quickly as possible. This was sadly before, I guess we had internet back then, but you really couldn’t send songs over the internet. I think the most interesting thing I’ve given her and she’s given me was just mixtapes, because there’s nothing like music to put into words and the thoughts you have in your head that you can’t formulate yourself.”

    Audio / Eric Church says his wife, Katherine, loves him in spite of everything. “Like Jesus Does.”

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    Eric Church (Valentine’s) OC: …love song is. :18

    “True love to me is when you love a person in spite of all their fallibilities, and for me, I have a lot of ‘em. I’m definitely at times hard to love, and that’s what’s great about Katherine and the way she loves me. She loves me in spite of those things and really for those things.

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about a couple of his favorite love songs.

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    Jordan Davis (love song) OC: …well done! :25
    “I guess Valentine’s Day gets you to thinking about love songs. You know, me and my wife’s first dance was ‘I’m Gonna Lose You’ [by] John Legend and Meghan Trainor. I think that’s just an amazing love song. I think also a love song that I heard the other day? ‘Strawberry Wine’ from Deana Carter? Great love song. I listened to that a lot. Ooooh Deana Carter. Well done.”

    Audio / Josh Turner says his wife would call him a romantic, but now that they have four children, it takes a bit of work to make time for each other.

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    Josh Turner (Romantic) OC: …long time to come. :26
    “If you ask my wife Jennifer if I was a romantic, she would definitely say, ‘Yes,’ but she knows that sometimes my hectic schedule and our busy lifestyles can kind of interfere with the romantic side of things. But we do try to make efforts towards being together and having adult conversations and taking time away from the children and doing things that husbands and wives do, so we’ll definitely try to continue that for a long time to come.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about the support he and his wife, Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, give each other, which is especially important when two creative artists are married to each other.

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    Keith Urban (Nicole support) OC: …very important. :17
    “I feel very blessed that I have the support of my family like I do. It’s a beautiful thing having two artists because we understand the passion and the responsibility of what we get to do. It’s very important.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says falling in love with her husband, Stephen Schlapman, came as a big surprise.

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    Little Big Town (Kimberly falling in love) OC: …healed me. 1:20
    Kimberly: “Well, I wasn’t planning on falling in love, at all. I didn’t want to…I wasn’t sure that I ever would.  So, my husband now and I were just really good friends, and after my late husband died all my friends were calling me, all the time. Just checking up on me. He was just an old friends. We had known each other for about six years and he started calling me just like everybody else did.  But, he started calling me more than everybody else did [laughs]. We had both been through similar losses, he hadn’t lost a mate but he had lost a close friend, so we kind of bonded over that. I grieved, kind of, at him a lot. He took my grief, I had a lot of grief left, and he just took it and listened and accepted it and was so understanding and let me talk about my late husband all the time. We still talk about him a lot, and he’s totally fine with it. He says that, that made me who he fell in love with and he never minds if I bring anything from the past up which is just really sweet. I was shocked, I remember when I first realized that I was having feelings. I just thought, OK, this is so weird.  What is this?  I haven’t felt this in a long, long, time. This is weird. But, eventually I allowed myself and it’s been the most beautiful gift of my life. It pulled me out of the deepest hole that I’ve ever been in and healed me.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook had a chemistry performing together, but it wasn’t until they each found themselves single…at the same time…that sparks flew romantically. The pair, who wed in 2006, have a son, Elijah.

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    Little Big Town (Jimi & Karen fell in love) OC: (Kimberly) …to be together. :48

    JIMI: “We were in the band a long time before there was ever anything which is interesting. I think there was always something underlying there that we were kind of trying to ignore. And then when the opportunity came, when all of us, ended up single kind of at the same time, a very strange turn of events for the band in a lot of different ways. And those feelings, you were able to come out with them finally. It was like, we’re single. Let’s get together. And, you know, she has a beautiful heart and she’s absolutely gorgeous and I just love her dearly.”

    PHILLIP: “Get a room!” [laughs]

    KIMBERLY: “They’re a perfect match. They really are. They were meant to be together.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet was ready for love when he met Rebecca, his wife since 2007.

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    Little Big Town (Phillip – reasons fell in love) OC: …real love. :17

    “I think everything that I had gone through before had prepared me to be ready to see that there was genuine love there for me, and my Rebecca.  So, it was just a great time, I wouldn’t have been ready before I met her…Now it’s just been a really great journey to heal through the past and to know real love.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about his favorite love song.

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    Luke Bryan (love song with Caroline) OC: …That’s it! :11
    “Caroline and I, we had a love song in college. It was Lenny Kravitz’ [starts singing] ‘I just can’t get you off of my mind.’ That’s it!”

    Audio / Luke Bryan reveals what he’s doing on Valentine’s Day this year.

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    Luke Bryan (Valentine’s Day 2019) OC: …somewhat romantic. :33
    “For Valentine’s Day this year, I’m working every day around Valentine’s. I’m doing Idol. Actually, Idol is filming on Valentine’s Day, and so I have approached Caroline about maybe flying out to L.A. I think we’re gonna have a short taping day at Idol, so maybe we can have a Valentine’s dinner at one of her favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. I’ll try to make it somewhat romantic.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about marrying Caroline, his college sweetheart.

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    Luke Bryan (married college sweetheart) OC: …married. :27
    ”I married my college sweetheart. We dated back in college and broke up for nearly six years, and while I was off doing my Nashville stuff and touring and writing songs, she was finishing getting her career kind of going. Man, we just kinda bumped into each other one night, and it was like bam, here we are married.”