• CHRIS STAPLETON AND WIFE MORGANE JOIN JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE ON STAGE AT THIS YEAR’S PILGRIMAGE FESTIVAL.

    Justin Timberlake headlined the Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin, Tennessee over the weekend, performing many of his hits. The Tennessee native also brought out a couple of special guests — Chris and Morgane Stapleton to perform. The trio sang “Tennessee Whiskey,” which they recreated from the first time they performed the song at the CMA Music Awards a couple of years ago. They also performed “Fire Away” and “Sometimes I Cry,” both of which will assault your senses in the utmost beautiful way.

    https://twitter.com/jtimberlake/status/911784602771116033

    https://twitter.com/ChrisStapleton/status/911794600557400064

     

    Chris is currently making his way up the charts with “Broken Halos” from his album, From A Room: Volume 1.

    Video / Chris and Morgane Stapleton perform "Tennessee Whiskey" with Justin Timberlake at the Pilgrimage Festival

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    Video / "Fire Away"

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    Video / "Sometimes I Cry"

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  • GEORGE STRAIT, CHRIS STAPLETON, DARIUS RUCKER, LUKE BRYAN AND KIP MOORE JOIN TOGETHER TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR HURRICANE RELIEF.

    Tuesday Night’s Hand in Hand telethon for Hurricane Relief was a star-studded affair with broadcasts from four cities, including San Antonio, New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. The hour-long special was closed out with a performance by Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait, along with Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett, Miranda Lambert and Robert Earl Keen. Strait went on to perform with appearances by his special guests for an additional two hours after the live telecast ended.

    SAN ANTONIO, TX - SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) In this handout photo provided by Hand in Hand, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Lyle Lovett and Robert Early Keen perform onstage during George Strait's Hand in Hand Texas benefit concert at the Majestic Theatre on September 12, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Hand in Hand/Getty Images)

    SAN ANTONIO, TX – SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) In this handout photo provided by Hand in Hand, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Lyle Lovett and Robert Early Keen perform onstage during George Strait’s Hand in Hand Texas benefit concert at the Majestic Theatre on September 12, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Hand in Hand/Getty Images)

    SAN ANTONIO, TX - SEPTEMBER 12: In this handout photo provided by Hand in Hand, George Strait performs onstage during George Strait's Hand in Hand Texas benefit concert; Strait and special guests Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett and Robert Early Keen perform in concert at the Majestic Theatre on September 12, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Hand in Hand/Getty Images)

    SAN ANTONIO, TX – SEPTEMBER 12: In this handout photo provided by Hand in Hand, George Strait performs onstage during George Strait’s Hand in Hand Texas benefit concert; Strait and special guests Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett and Robert Early Keen perform in concert at the Majestic Theatre on September 12, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Hand in Hand/Getty Images)

    George Strait also revealed they’re selling a special T-shirt with proceeds going to help Hurricane victims. He’s working with the Rebuild Texas Fund, created by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the OneStar Foundation, to rebuild Texas after Hurricane Harvey. All donations will be matched by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation up to $10 million.

     

    Additional performers at the Grand Ole Opry House included Darius Rucker with Demi Lovato, Brad Paisley and CeCe Winans, as well as Blake Shelton with Usher.

     

    Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore and other country stars showed their support by answering phones and taking donations (Luke and Dierks were in Nashville, along with Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Angie Harmon, Nashville Predators PK Subban, while Kip was in the Big Apple, answering phones near the likes of Julia Roberts, George Clooney and many others.

     

    Luke appeared with Amy Grant to ask folks to donate whatever they could. “In too many places for too many people, it’s going to take years for the effects of these storms to pass. So, let’s help these folks,” he said.

    https://twitter.com/PKSubban1/status/907798673509281793

     

    At the end of the telecast, more than $14 million had been raised in the course of the one-hour show.

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith, Luke, Chris, Carrie, Sam, Kacey, Mickey

    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.

  • GEORGE STRAIT’S HURRICANE HARVEY RELIEF BENEFIT SET FOR SEPTEMBER 12TH.

    Announced Tuesday on Good Morning America, telethon Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief has been set to aid those affected by Hurricane Harvey on Tuesday, Sept. 12th. The one-hour special will feature celebrity participants and performances including songs from Country Music icon and Texas native George Strait, live from his benefit concert at San Antonio’s Majestic Theatre. Joining him includes 6-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert, reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Stapleton, 4x GRAMMY Award winner Lyle Lovett and Texas Heritage Songwriter Hall of Fame member Robert Earl Keen. Select performances from Majestic Theatre will air on ABC, CBS, CMT, Fox and NBC on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. EST on the East Coast and replay on the West Coast at 8 p.m. PST. The telethon broadcast as well as Strait’s Hand in Hand Texas show will also be available internationally via live stream on Facebook.

    Strait, a Country Music Hall of Fame member, pledged to lead the country music world with this concert serving as the start of his ongoing relief efforts, with all proceeds from the show benefiting Rebuild Texas Fund thanks to event sponsor Cavender Auto Family and with assistance from the Majestic Theatre, Ticketmaster, VER, Bill Young Productions and the City of San Antonio.

    Tickets to Strait’s Hand in Hand Texas show at Majestic Theatre will go on sale Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017 at 10 a.m. CST at Ticketmaster.com.

    Proceeds from the one-hour telethon will benefit United Way of Greater Houston, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Direct Relief, Feeding Texas, The Mayor’s Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief (administered by the Greater Houston Community Fund) and RebuildTx.org through the Hand in Hand Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund managed by Comic Relief Inc.

    Phone lines, text messaging, and digital donations will be open at the beginning of the show and will conclude one-hour after the show ends. For more information, updates and a link to donate, please visit handinhand2017.com.

    Den of Thieves will produce the multi-location telethon.

    About Rebuild Texas Fund
    The Rebuild Texas Fund is built to help the many families and communities across Texas that have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Michael and Susan Dell launched the fund with their foundation – the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation – to support the long-term recovery and rebuilding of these communities. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation will support community partners in four initial focus areas – health and housing; schools and child care; workforce and transportation; and capital for rebuilding small businesses. An unprecedented natural disaster in the state of Texas requires an unprecedented effort in recovery. Together with partners, individuals and businesses, Michael and Susan Dell aim to coordinate $100 million towards relief and rebuilding for years to come. More information about the Rebuild Texas Fund is available at www.RebuildTX.org.

    About Cavender Auto Family
    James “Big Jim” Cavender opened his first automobile dealership in 1939 in San Antonio, Texas. More than 75 years later, the award-winning Cavender Auto Family has grown to include Cavender Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Land Rover and Toyota dealerships and service centers across South and Central Texas. The franchise, today proudly owned and operated by third and fouth generation Cavenders, employs more than 800 automotive professionals, and stands firmly on Jim Cavender’s time-tested philosophy of putting people first. That’s why generations of South Texans have come to know that “Confidence is Cavender.”

  • CMA AWARDS NOMINATIONS REVEALED.

    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 23rd 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

     

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Chris, AJ, LBT, Strait, Lady A, Vince, Eric, Darius, Clare

    Chris Stapleton and Alan Jackson have been added to the list of performers at this year’s ACM Honors. They join previously announced performers Little Big Town, George Strait, Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, Vince Gill, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris and others. Eric Church, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson are among the honorees, in addition to Strait and Kelsea Ballerini. The show, which tapes next week at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, will air September 15th on CBS.

    Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet took time out to catch the Tennessee Titans practice on Thursday (August 17th).

    https://twitter.com/Titans/status/898261817213898752

     

    Darius Rucker is set to perform in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina for the first time in four years October 22nd. He will take the stage at Volvo Car Stadium on Daniel Island just two days after the release of his fifth studio album, When Was the Last Time. Tickets go on sale Friday (August 18th) at 10am at Ticketmaster.

    Clare Dunn returned home to Colorado last week to headline the Sand and Sage Round-Up Kick-Off concert, drawing one of the largest crowds in event history. Prior to her performance, Clare hosted a VIP charity party including a silent auction, autographed memorabilia, an acoustic performance and more, which raised over $25,000 for the Colorado FFA Foundation and Children’s Hospital Colorado.

     

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Shania, Kacey, Chris, Lady A, LBT, Luke, Kip, George, Vince and more

    Shania Twain is scheduled to perform on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon August 16th. Her new album, NOW, will be released September 29th.

    Kacey Musgraves will appear on the season finale of CMT’s Nashville, which airs Thursday (August 10th) at 9pm ET.

    https://twitter.com/KaceyMusgraves/status/894975691694915584

     

    Hillary Scott has been nominated for Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year for “Thy Will” for this year’s Dove Awards. Hillary and her family, the Scott Family, recorded and released “Thy Will” from their Love Remains album. The 48th Annual GMA Dove Awards will take place at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena in Nashville October 17th at 7:30pm ET. The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) will exclusively air the awards show on Sunday, October 22nd.

    https://twitter.com/HillaryScottLA/status/895378170425298944

     

    Chris Stapleton and Lady Antebellum have been added to the lineup for the all-star concert, All in For the Gambler: Kenny Rogers’ Farewell Concert Celebration. The event, which will be taped at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena October 25th, will also feature guest appearances by Little Big Town, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Jamey Johnson and Elle King, among others.

    Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and Kip Moore are among the artists performing at the Gulf Coast Jam in Panama City, Florida September 1st – 3rd. Jason Aldean, Brett Eldredge, Dan + Shay and Granger Smith will also perform.

    George Strait, Little Big Town, Vince Gill, Hillary Scott and Toby Keith are among the first-round performers at this year’s ACM Honors, taking place at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium August 23rd. The concert event, which will also feature performances by Brad Paisley, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris, will air September 15th at 9pm ET/PT on CBS.

    As previously announced, Special Award recipients celebrated at the 11th Annual ACM Honors will include Kelsea Ballerini (Gene Weed Milestone Award), Toby Keith (Poet’s Award), Bob Kingsley (Mae Boren Axton Service Award), Reba McEntire (Mae Boren Axton Service Award), “Nashville” (Tex Ritter Film Award), Dolly Parton (Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award), Shel Silverstein (Poet’s Award, awarded posthumously), and George Strait (Cliffie Stone Icon Award)The evening will also honor winners of the Industry and Studio Recording Awards, along with Songwriter of the Year Award winner, Lori McKenna. The Academy of Country Music will present trophies to previously announced Special Award recipients Eric Church (Merle Haggard Spirit Award) and Willie Nelson (Poet’s Award) at a later date.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Dierks, Jon, Chris, Lauren, Easton

    Dierks Bentley and Jon Pardi will appear on CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown this weekend. The cameras caught up with the tourmates backstage at the recent Faster Horses Festival. Check out what the two had to say on Saturday (July 29th) at 9am ET.

     

    Chris Stapleton is set to perform during the annual iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which runs September 22nd and 23rd. The two-day event will also feature performances by Pink, Thomas Rhett, Miley Cyrus, Kings of Leon, Harry Styles, Coldplay, Niall Horan, The Weeknd and Thirty Seconds to Mars, among others.

    Chris Stapleton, along with Lee Ann Womack, will perform in honor of the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis on August 24th for a taping for the online series Skyville Live in Nashville. The show will premiere sometime in the coming months.

    Lauren Alaina has released the lyric video for her current single, “Doin’ Fine,” the autobiographical song she wrote with busbee and Emily Shackleton. Check it out here.

    Easton Corbin, who’s making his way up the country charts with “A Girl Like You,” recently took in a New York Yankees baseball game at Yankees Stadium.

     

  • CHRIS STAPLETON HAS TWO OF THE BEST-SELLING COUNTRY ALBUMS OF 2017.

    Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 1 is holding the top spot as the best-selling country album of 2017 so far. The collection has sold around 500,000 copies, while his 2015 debut album Traveller, which was recently certified double-platinum for selling more than 2 million copies, is the second-best selling album of the year.

    Chris says he really enjoys all of the songs on the album, most of which he wrote over 10 years ago. “I like all of those songs, and a lot of the songs that I feel like are better songs of mine have never been cut and have never been recorded and things that I like. I heard Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top, I read an interview with him one time where he said he always tried to make music that he would want to listen to, and I think that is the best kind of litmus test for what you want to record or make,” says Chris. “If you write a song and you still like it 10 years after the day you wrote it, it’s real easy to like a song the day you wrote it. Everybody can think they’re a genius on the day they write a song. If you can write a song and then listen to it 10 years away from writing it and go, ‘You know, that’s a pretty good song. I like that song,’ then that’s a pretty good indication that it’s probably okay.”

    Chris will take his tour on the road this weekend when he makes a stop in George, Washington at the Watershed Festival on Friday (July 28th) and in Central Point, Oregon for the Country Crossings Music Festival on Saturday (July 29th), as well as Mountain Home, Idaho for the Mountain Home Country Music Festival on Sunday (July 30th).

    The Kentucky native is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Broken Halos.”

    Audio / Most, if not all, the songs on Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 1, were written 10 years before he put out the album, and he says he really likes all of the songs on the album, even a decade after writing them.

    Download

    Chris Stapleton (From A Room-songs) OC: …probably okay. :50
    “I like all of those songs, and a lot of the songs that I feel like are better songs of mine have never been cut and have never been recorded and things that I like. I heard Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top, I read an interview with him one time where he said he always tried to make music that he would want to listen to, and I think that is the best kind of litmus test for what you want to record or make, and I’m a fan of albums too, so I always like things that work together in a pod. If you write a song and you still like it 10 years after the day you wrote it, it’s real easy to like a song the day you wrote it. Everybody can think they’re a genius on the day they write a song. If you can write a song and then listen to it 10 years away from writing it and go, ‘You know, that’s a pretty good song. I like that song,’ then that’s a pretty good indication that it’s probably okay.”

    Video / Chris Stapleton's performance of Broken Halos on Today Show

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith, Luke, Eric, Sam, Lady A, Dierks, Darius, LBT, Chris, Kacey

    Catch several of this year’s hottest performances from CMA Music Festival during ABC’s CMA Fest television special. Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sam Hunt and Lady Antebellum will take the stage, along with collaborations between Dierks Bentley and Cole Swindell and Darius Rucker with Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, among others. The music event will air August 16th at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 1 is the No. 1 country album in the nation this week. His Traveller album lands at No. 2, followed by Keith Urban’s Ripcord at No. 3.

    Chris Stapleton‘s From a Room: Volume 1 has been certified gold by the R.I.A.A for more than 500,000 copies sold.

    Kacey Musgraves (along with her fiancé Ruston Kelly) are among the singer-songwriters who are adding their vocals and music to poems Johnny Cash had written throughout the years that are being turned into a tribute album to the Man in Black. The collection, which will be called Johnny Cash Forever Words: The Music, will also feature contributions from Brad Paisley, Jewel, Jamey Johnson, T-Bone Burnett and the late Chris Cornell. Kacey and Ruston recently debuted their duet, “To June, This Morning,” at Blackberry Farm in East Tennessee. Johnny wrote the poem for his wife, June Carter Cash, more than 45 years ago.

    Sam Hunt garners more nominations at this year’s Teen Choice Awards, which just announced its second wave of nominees. He grabbed two more nods, including Choice Country Song for “Body Like a Back Road,” as well as Choice Summer Tour for his 15 in a 30 Tour. Sam was previously nominated for Choice Country Artist and the all-genre Choice Song for his huge smash hit, “Body Like a Back Road.” Voting is now open at TeenChoice.com or fans can tweet the category hashtag with the nominee’s name through July 19th. The Teen Choice Awards will air live August 13th at 8pm ET on FOX.

    Keith Urban’s lovely wife, Nicole Kidman, has earned an Emmy nomination for her role as “Celeste Wright“ in HBO’s Big Little Lies, alongside her friend Reese Witherspoon. The show was also nominated in the Outstanding Limited Series category and ended up with 16 nominations. The Emmys will air live September 17th at 8pm ET on CBS.