Keith Urban’s Ripcord took home the Top Selling Album of the Year trophy at this year’s Canadian Country Music Awards, which were held in Saskatoon, SK on Sunday night (September 10th). The award goes to the highest-selling non-Canadian album. Eric Paslay presented Single of the Year on the televised show.

Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban are among this year’s CMT Artists of the Year. What’s special about the CMT Artists of the Year is that the honorees are recognized by their fellow peers through speeches and never-before-seen footage played throughout the evening. One-night only performances also fill the Schermerhorn Symphony Center halls as duets and collaborations take over the stage. Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line will also be honored. The 2017 CMT Artists of the Year special will air live from Nashville October 18th at 8pm ET on CMT.

Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt played an acoustic show for a small group of people at Fontanel, located North of Nashville, according to CMT.com. The two superstars performed as part of the Songs on a Mission fundraising dinner for Mission Lazarus, an organization that assists people around the world. The event raised more than $630,000 for the group’s Honduran orphanage.

Chris Stapleton is scheduled to perform at the all-star A Concert for Charlottesville later this month. Dave Matthews Band will headline the show at UVA Scott Stadium, while Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, Cage the Elephant, The Roots and Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes will also perform. Free tickets will initially go to the residents of Charlottesville, Virginia (the location in which violent white nationalist rallies took place last month) for the show taking place September 24th.

Kacey Musgraves and Mickey Guyton give their thoughts on the legendary Patsy Cline in a new DVD celebrating her remarkable life and music. When Patsy Cline Was…Crazy will be available October 6th. Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Bill Anderson, Callie Khouri and many more will also be featured.

Lauren Alaina, Brothers Osborne and Dustin Lynch announced the final nominees for “The 51st Annual CMA Awards” Monday morning live from ABC’s “Good Morning America” studio in New York’s Times Square.

Alaina emerged as a first-time nominee, making her debut in the New Artist of the Year category. Brothers Osborne will once again vie for Vocal Duo of the Year and also received a first-time nomination for Music Video with their anthemic “It Ain’t My Fault.”

The artists revealed six categories live on-air, then announced the remaining six categories, along with finalists for the CMA Broadcast Awards, on GoodMorningAmerica.com as well as via “Good Morning America’s” Facebook page through Facebook Live and simulcast on “Good Morning America’s” YouTube channel.

Little Big Town and Keith Urban each garner four nominations, tying for the second most nominations this year.

Little Big Town’s nominations include Single, produced by Jay Joyce and mix engineered by Jason Hall and Joyce; Music Video of the Year directed by Becky Fluke and Reid Long for “Better Man”; Album of the Year for The Breaker, also produced by Joyce; and Vocal Group of the Year. This is Little Big Town’s fourth nomination for Music Video. They have been nominated in past years for “Pontoon” (2012), “Tornado” (2013), and “Girl Crush” (2015). They are seven-time CMA Awards winners and this year’s nods bring their career total to 26 nominations. Taylor Swift received her 23^rd nomination for writing “Better Man,” marking her second nomination for Song of the Year and first CMA Awards nod since 2014.

Urban tallied up nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Single and Music Video of the Year for “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and Male Vocalist. This is his thirteenth nomination for Male Vocalist and he is a three-time consecutive winner in this category (2004-2006). Urban is a 10-time CMA Awards winner. Songwriters for “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, and Steven Lee Olsen earned a nod for Song of the Year. “Blue Ain’t Your Color” Music Video Director Carter Smith is a first-time nominee. “Blue Ain’t Your Color” producer Dann Huff and mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge also earned nods. Urban received one nomination for Single of the Year, but can receive an additional trophy as producer.

Eric Church and Chris Stapleton each earned three nominations.

Church scored recognition in the Entertainer of the Year category, as well as Male Vocalist, his sixth consecutive nomination, and Musical Event of the Year for “Kill A Word” featuring first-time nominee Rhiannon Giddens. He is a three-time CMA Award winner with 25 total career nominations.

Five-time CMA Awards winner Stapleton is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist and Album for From A Room: Volume 1, which was produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton. He receives one nomination for album, but can receive an additional trophy as producer. This is Stapleton’s third consecutive nomination for Male, which he’s won the past two years. He was also nominated for Entertainer last year and won Album for Traveller in 2015. He is an 11-time CMA Awards nominee.

Brothers Osborne, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum and Jon Pardi garnered two nominations.

Reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne earns their third nomination in this category. They also received their first Music Video nod for “It Ain’t My Fault,” directed by Wes Edwards and Ryan Silver. They’ve earned five career nominations.

Hunt was recognized in the Single and Song categories for the record-setting “Body Like A Back Road,” produced and mix engineered by Zach Crowell, and written by Crowell, Hunt, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne. In 2015, Hunt received the same nods for “Take Your Time.” He is a five-time CMA Awards nominee.

Lady Antebellum is nominated for Vocal Group of the Year and Album for their latest effort Heart Break, produced by busbee. Their previous records Need You Now (2010) and Own The Night (2012) both received Album nods. They are a 10-time consecutive (2008-2017) Vocal Group nominee and have won the category three years back to back (2009-2011).

Newcomer Pardi burst onto the Awards scene with his first two CMA nominations this year. “Dirt On My Boots,” which he co-produced with Bart Butler, earned him a nod in the Single of the Year category. He receives one nomination as the artist, but can receive an additional trophy as producer. The song was mix engineered by Ryan Gore. “Dirt On My Boots” songwriters Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, and Ashley Gorley are also nominees. Additionally, Pardi received a New Artist of the Year nomination.

Other first time CMA Awards nominees include Alaina, Combs, and Young in the New Artist of the Year category, and LOCASH in Duo. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit debuted in Album of the Year with The Nashville Sound, produced by Cobb.

The 51st Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will be broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, November 8th at 8pm ET on ABC.

For more information and a full list of nominees, visit CMAawards.com.

 
The Final Nominees for “The 51st Annual CMA Awards” (by ballot category order):

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Garth Brooks

Luke Bryan

Eric Church

Chris Stapleton

Keith Urban

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

(Award goes to Artist, Producer(s), and Mix Engineer(s))

“Better Man” – Little Big Town

Producer: Jay Joyce

Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce

“Blue Ain’t Your Color” – Keith Urban

Producers: Dann Huff, Keith Urban

Mix Engineer: Chris Lord-Alge

“Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt

Producer: Zach Crowell

Mix Engineer: Zach Crowell

“Dirt On My Boots” – Jon Pardi

Producers: Bart Butler, Jon Pardi

Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore

“Tin Man” – Miranda Lambert

Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse, Glenn Worf

Mix Engineer: Eric Masse

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))

The Breaker – Little Big Town

Producer: Jay Joyce

From A Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton

Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton

Heart Break – Lady Antebellum

Producer: busbee

The Nashville Sound – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Producer: Dave Cobb

The Weight of These Wings – Miranda Lambert

Producers: Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf, Eric Masse

SONG OF THE YEAR

(Award goes to Songwriter(s))

“Better Man”

Songwriter: Taylor Swift

“Blue Ain’t Your Color”

Songwriters: Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, Steven Lee Olsen

“Body Like A Back Road”

Songwriters: Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

“Dirt On My Boots”

Songwriters: Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley

“Tin Man”

Songwriters: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Kelsea Ballerini

Miranda Lambert

Reba McEntire

Maren Morris

Carrie Underwood

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Dierks Bentley

Eric Church

Thomas Rhett

Chris Stapleton

Keith Urban

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Lady Antebellum

Little Big Town

Old Dominion

Rascal Flatts

Zac Brown Band

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

Brothers Osborne

Dan + Shay

Florida Georgia Line

LOCASH

Maddie & Tae

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

(Award goes to each Artist)

“Craving You” – Thomas Rhett featuring Maren Morris

“Funny How Time Slips Away” – Glen Campbell with Willie Nelson

“Kill A Word” – Eric Church featuring Rhiannon Giddens

“Setting the World on Fire” – Kenny Chesney with P!nk

“Speak to a Girl” – Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

(Award goes to Artist and Director(s))

“Better Man” – Little Big Town

Directors: Becky Fluke and Reid Long

“Blue Ain’t Your Color” – Keith Urban

Director: Carter Smith

“Craving You” – Thomas Rhett featuring Maren Morris

Director: TK McKamy

“It Ain’t My Fault” – Brothers Osborne

Directors: Wes Edwards and Ryan Silver

“Vice” – Miranda Lambert

Director: Trey Fanjoy

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Lauren Alaina

Luke Combs

Old Dominion

Jon Pardi

Brett Young

Carrie Underwood and several NFL stars go behind-the-scenes of the new Sunday Night Football theme.

Go behind the scenes of the #SNF open with @carrieunderwood! pic.twitter.com/OPBJFhtnn2

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) August 28, 2017

The new season begins September 10th on NBC with a match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

Shania Twain will perform on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Shania Twain on Wednesday night (August 16th).

Shania Twain joins the cast of John Travolta’s racing movie, Trading Paint, which is currently in production, according to Variety. The film, also featuring Michael Madsen (The Hateful Eight, Kill Bill, Donnie Brasco), Kevin Dunn (True Detective, Veep) and Toby Sebastian (Game of Thrones), is about a veteran race car driver and his son, a fellow driver, who overcome family and professional conflicts, balancing competition, ego, resentment and a racing nemesis to come out stronger on the other side.

Sam Hunt and Carrie Underwood picked up trophies at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards over the weekend. Carrie took home the Choice Country Artist trophy, while Sam’s “Body Like a Back Road” was named the Choice Country Song.

Little Big Town will perform on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday night (August 17th).

Josh Turner’s ”Hometown Girl” has been certified gold by the RIAA for more than 500,000 digital downloads.

Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” has been certified double platinum (for two million copies sold), while “The Fighter,” featuring Carrie Underwood, has gone gold.

Keith Urban thanks fans, country radio, Carrie Underwood and many more for their support of his most recent No. 1 song, “The Fighter,” and for the overall appreciation for his album, Ripcord. See the video below.

THANK YOU!!! #RIPCORD pic.twitter.com/LvBNDPXevY

— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) August 15, 2017

Seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum superstar artist Carrie Underwood is celebrating two Number 1 announcements today as she returns for a fifth season to perform the opening theme for prime time television’s Number 1 program, NBC’s Sunday Night Football, and her vocal collaboration with Keith Urban on “The Fighter” lands at Number 1 on the Mediabase country airplay chart.

A sneak preview of Carrie’s new show open for “Oh, Sunday Night” – which debuts Sept. 10 as the New York Giants visit the Dallas Cowboys in the season-opening SNF game – will air during the 49ers-Vikings NFL preseason game Sunday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

10 NFL players, who have accounted for 30 Pro Bowl selections, four Super Bowl rings, and six first-round draft picks, participated in the open shoot at Universal Studios Hollywood in June.

• Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown
• Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr
• New England Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower
• Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce
• Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones
• Oakland Raiders LB Khalil Mack
• Denver Broncos LB Von Miller
• Arizona Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson
• New York Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul
• Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

*Flex Week

** Thanksgiving Night Game

About Carrie Underwood:

Carrie Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, and film. A seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner, she has amassed over 100 major honors, sold 64 million records worldwide, and recorded 26 #1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote, with a catalog of songs that have been streamed more than 2.6 billion times worldwide. The first female artist to be twice named the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year, Underwood was recognized by Pollstar as the top female country touring artist for each of her headlining tours in 2008, 2010, 2012, and for 2016’s “The Storyteller Tour – Stories in the Round.” Carrie also topped Billboard’s Top 25 Tours of 2016 as the leading female country artist and was the leading female artist on Country Aircheck’s top country radio performers list for her success in both 2015 and 2016. All five studio albums, Some Hearts, Carnival Ride, Play On, Blown Away, and Storyteller – are certified Platinum or multi-Platinum, and each an American Music Awards winner as Favorite Country Album – and tallied an incredible 40 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.  The RIAA’s highest certified country album artist to debut this century, Underwood also holds the distinction of the highest album certification of any country artist to emerge since 2000 with the 8x Multi-Platinum success of her 2005 debut, Some Hearts.  She is the all-time Top Country Artist (male or female) on RIAA’s Digital Single Ranking, also placing her among the Top 5 females in the history of RIAA’s Digital Single Program across all genres.  In December of 2014, she released her Platinum-certified Greatest Hits: Decade #1, which produced two new #1 hits co-written by Underwood, including the RIAA-Platinum, GRAMMY-winning “Something in the Water.”  The Grand Ole Opry member demonstrated her creative diversity in 2013 starring as Maria von Trapp in NBC’s three-hour holiday blockbuster, the Emmy®-winning The Sound of Music Live!, whose airings attracted 44 million viewers. The reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Underwood claimed her fourth win in the category amid the ongoing success of her chart-topping platinum fifth studio album, Storyteller, which produced four #1 hits. This November, Underwood will co-host the CMA Awards for a tenth consecutive year.

Keith Urban wrote “The Fighter,” his fifth single from his Ripcord album with busbee. The song was inspired by his early relationship with his wife Nicole Kidman, and it was apparently written very quickly, especially given the inspiration behind it.

“The idea came very, very quickly. I was working with busbee that day. We were in London, and I was actually driving to the studio to work on this other song that we’d started, and I had most of the chorus in my head and felt like I had most of the song in my head; just had to flesh out the gist of the verses and everything. I walked into the studio and played him the chord progression, and he built this track really quickly, and then I could sing over the top of it,” says Keith. “It was just a very, very quick song to write, because I literally just thought about Nic and I and our relationship at the beginning and some of the things that we’d said and they all went into that song.”

Keith takes “The Fighter,” plus several more of his hits to Paso Robles on Wednesday (July 26th).

“The 51st Annual CMA Awards” logo

Superstars Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley announced they will be returning for the 10th time to host Country Music’s Biggest Night™ in 2017. The 51st Annual CMA Awards airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Wednesday, November 8^th at 8pm ET on ABC.

The return of the beloved CMA Awards hosts was announced at the Artist of the Day panel during this year’s CMA Music Festival.

Brad and Carrie’s 10-year run as hosts is second only to Vince Gill’s 12-year run. To view Brad and Carrie’s greatest hosting moments, see below.

Ticket information for the CMA Awards will be announced later with information available at CMAawards.com. Follow the conversation on Twitter at #CMAawards.

Luke Bryan is set to co-host NBC’s Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda Wednesday morning (June 7th) during the 10am hour.

Shania Twain will perform during this year’s BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park taking place September 10th. Tickets go on sale Wednesday morning (June 7th). Blondie, James Blunt, Rick Astley and Take That will also perform.

Little Big Town’s “Happy People” is included in Entertainment Weekly’s “Best Songs of the Year (So Far)” feature and is No. 2 on the all-genre list. Calvin Harris, feat. Frank Ocean and Migos on “Slide” is No. 1, while Lorde’s “Green Light,” Lana Del Ray’s “Love” and Drake’s “Passionfruit” are also on the list.

Brothers Osborne performed during the Nashville Predators’ Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Carrie Underwood will return to NBC’s Sunday Night Football for her fifth season of singing the theme song for the weekly NFL broadcast. The new season kicks off September 10^th as the New York Giants take on the Dallas Cowboys. Check out last season’s opening, a reworking of her hit “Something Bad,” here.

During this week’s rehearsals for Wednesday night’s (June 7th) CMT Music Awards, Luke Bryan and Jason Derulo will perform Luke’s No. 1 hit, “Strip It Down.” Catch the two of them below talking about the R&B singer’s excitement at being in Nashville and on the CMT Awards.