• NEWS AND NOTES: Lauren, Dierks, Darius

    Lauren Alaina debuts her current single, “Road Less Traveled,” on the Today show Thursday (September 8th) on NBC.

    Dierks Bentley performs “Freedom,” from his album, Black, Thursday night (September 8th) on the 2016 NFL Kickoff at 7:30pm ET on NBC.

    Darius Rucker recently narrated the NASCAR Production, Southern Speed: The Legend of Darlington for NBCSN. Current NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch were featured, along with racing legends Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty and Jeff Burton. They reflected on how the Southern 500 became a stock car racing edition.

    Video / Chris Tyrrell (Hillary Scott's husband) and daughter Eisele

  • LABOR DAY: AJ, BILLY, CANAAN, DARIUS, DAVID, DIERKS, ERIC CHURCH, ERIC PASLAY, JON, LADY A, LUKE

    For many decades, Labor Day was seen as a day for workers to voice their complaints and discuss better working conditions and pay.

    U.S. Congress declared Labor Day a national holiday in 1894, and on Monday, September 5th, we will once again celebrate the people in every occupation whose work and dedication 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 / 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 / Canaan Smith talks about the bad jobs he had before signing a publishing deal and later a record deal.

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    Canaan Smith (worst jobs) OC: …of that. [laughs] :54
    “I’ve had some terrible jobs. I was a janitor for a while, and I mopped floors, vacuums all kinds of, picking up dog poop, taking out trash, just basically somebody’s beyatch [laughs], that was my job. I did that for two-and-a-half years before I signed a publishing deal. Before that, actually my very first job, I got fired from. It was some sort of candy/chocolate store. My mom dropped me off one time, and I went to work and I was like I think I can do this, and then two shifts later I just didn’t show up because I didn’t understand the concept of having to look at a schedule to see when you come in. I just didn’t show. I just thought they’d call me, ‘Hey, we need you to come in.’ I didn’t know. I was 15 years old, and never worked and that kind of stuff. I always cut grass when I was a kid and cleaned golf clubs – whatever I could do to make some money. But, yeah, I got fired from my first job. I’m pretty proud of that.” [laughs]

    Audio / Clare Dunn discovered her love of music while working on her family’s farm in Southern Colorado.

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    Clare Dunn (discovered music) OC: …that way. :40
    “I did most of my music discovery as a young girl driving a tractor for most of the day – 10, 12 hours a day, you have nothing but the radio as your companion, basically, to keep you entertained. So, there was a local country radio station, and they, along with my parents’ love of music, I mean, that’s how I found Keith Urban and George Strait. My mom is a huge Waylon Jennings’ fan. And so music for me, I discovered it driving long hours on a tractor or hauling water to a cattle in a pickup by myself or through my parents’ love of music. And so, I was really fortunate that way.”

    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 / David Nail recalls his first job at Dairy Queen.

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    David Nail (Labor Day) OC: …Dilly Bar. :32
    “The first job that I ever had was working at Dairy Queen. One of my very best friends in the world’s mother purchased a franchise, so it was kinda a cool place to work. You put me in an ice cream place, it’s a recipe for disaster. So, Kathy Jeffers, her mother tends to tell people it was a ‘mutual separation,’ but I can vividly remember her saying that they were going to lose money if they continued to let me work, because I was eating more food than I was selling. But, it was a great two days that I spent there, and I had many a Dilly Bar.”

    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 jobs.

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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 / Eric Paslay talks about his first job…printing logos on fanny packs.

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    Eric Paslay (Labor Day) OC: …could print. :34
    “My first official job was working at a screen printing place in Texas during the summer in a metal building that had no AC. We printed on fanny packs – really cool — and these other little bags. And it was eye doctors that, some company if you bought supplies through them, they’d put your logo on fanny packs for your customers to put in a drawer somewhere. Fanny packs are cool, if you like ‘em. You know, we’d like time ourselves to see how many fanny packs you could print.”

    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 / 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 / Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum tells us what he used to do to make a buck before finding success as a musician.

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    Lady A (Labor Day) OC: …I had a lot of crummy jobs. :31
    CK “I used to…” HS: “… knock out asbestos walls.” CK: “I did that for a long time. But even before that, I used to do lawn care every summer. Oh, man, I do not miss that. Just glad those days are over. I get out here and play music for a living. It’s a lot more fun. But yeah, I used to do that, and I used to work as a bag boy at a golf course once. I did that for a couple of summers. I had a lot of crummy jobs.”

    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…”

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

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Labor Day)

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

     

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER David Nail (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Labor Day weekend)

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



    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Labor Day weekend)

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

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Labor Day weekend)

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



    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER LBT (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Labor Day)

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

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Labor Day)

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



    Audio / LINER TBP (Labor Day Weekend)

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

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

    Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain. The holiday is commonly associated with fireworks displays, parades, barbecues and concerts. Some of your favorite country stars take time to remember their Fourth of July traditions, memories and what the holiday really means to them.

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

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

     

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

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

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

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


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

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

    Audio / Darius Rucker enjoys setting off fireworks.

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

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

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

    Audio / Dierks Bentley explains why he is so patriotic.

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

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

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

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

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

    Audio / Josh Turner, who will perform during the Independence Day Celebration in Shreveport, Louisiana, Turner talks about the fireworks “wars” his family would have when he was growing up.

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

    Audio / Keith Urban defines patriotism.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Audio / Luke Bryan explains his definition of what it means to be an American.

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

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

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

     

  • FOURTH OF JULY 2016: LINERS

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

    Audio / LINER AJ (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Bros Osborne (Fourth of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Fourth of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Fourth of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Darius (Happy Birthday, America)

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    “Happy Birthday, America!”

    Audio / LINER David Nail (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Easton Corbin (4th of July)

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    “Hey! This is Easton Corbin. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (4th of July)

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    “Hey! This is Gary Allan. Happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (summer)

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

    Audio / LINER Lady A (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (4th of July)

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    “Hey! It’s Lauren Alaina. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (4th of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Fourth of July)

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

    Audio / LINER Toby Keith (Fourth of July)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

  • DARIUS RUCKER RELEASES HIS LATEST SINGLE, ‘IF I TOLD YOU.’

    Darius Rucker knows that in order to move people, there has to be vulnerability and authenticity in the message. Rucker first demonstrated his ability to expose that underlying raw emotion with the first of his seven No. 1’s, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” from his Platinum Learn To Live and most recently in “So I Sang” from Southern Style. With our first taste of new music in “If I Told You,” Rucker unveils a heartfelt new track worldwide Tuesday (June 28th) on iHeart Radio. Expected to be the first cut from his fifth major label country album for Capitol Records Nashville, the song is also available today on streaming and digital retail services.

    “I always tell people, the first time I heard [the Black Crowes’] ‘She Talks To Angels,’ those lyrics did something to me. I probably requested that song eight times at different bars in Columbia, S.C. before going home, putting on Bonnie Raitt’s Home Plate, and trying to write ‘She Talks To Angels’ for Bonnie Raitt. ‘Let Her Cry’ just poured out,” shares Rucker. “For me, ‘If I Told You,’ inspired me like ‘Angels’ as it’s not a song I wrote, but as a songwriter I would not change a line as it moves me to want to not only sing along but also as a songwriter it inspires a new perspective.”

    In his inaugural project with producer Ross Copperman, “If I Told You” also marks the first time Rucker has worked with Copperman’s co-writers on the single, Jon Nite and Shane McAnally.

    “What I love about each album is the opportunity to expand on what we’ve done in the past—to push myself and the band creatively, vocally and lyrically,” adds Rucker. “At the end of the day, I’m a fan of great stories and great songs. With ‘Wagon Wheel’ I loved the visual it painted and it’s a song I can truly say I look forward to performing every night. With ‘If I Told You,’ I can’t wait to share in that vulnerability with the fans from the stage night-after-night.”

    Rucker is currently on his U.S. Good For A Good Time Tour; upcoming dates are as follows:

    Thursday, July 7 | Englewood, Colo. | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
    Friday, July 8 | Albuquerque, N.M. | Isleta Amphitheatre
    Saturday, July 9 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Ak-Chin Pavilion
    Friday, July 15 | Mountain View, Calif. | Shoreline Amphitheatre
    Saturday, July 16 | Irvine, Calif. | Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
    Friday, July 22 | Holmdel, N.J. | PNC Bank Arts Center
    Saturday, July 23 | Hartford, Conn. | XFINITY Theatre
    Sunday, July 24 | Wantaugh, N.Y. | Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
    Friday, July 29 | Bangor, Maine | Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
    Saturday, July 30 | Mansfield, Mass. | Xfinity Center
    Sunday, July 31 | Darien Center, N.Y. | Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
    Friday, Aug. 12 | Bristow, Va. | Jiffy Lube Live
    Saturday, Aug. 13 | Camden, N.J. | BB&T Pavilion
    Sunday, Aug. 14 | Bethel Woods, N.Y. | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
    Thursday, Aug. 18 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverbend Music Center
    Friday, Aug. 19 | Mt. Pleasant, Mich. | Soaring Eagle
    Saturday, Aug. 20 | Chicago, Ill. | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
    Thursday, Aug. 25 | Detroit, Mich. | DTE Energy Music Theatre
    Friday, Aug. 26 | Cleveland, Ohio | Blossom Music Center
    Saturday, Aug. 27 | Charlotte, N.C. | PNC Music Pavilion
    Saturday, Sept. 3 | Gilford, N.H. | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
    Sunday, Sept. 4 | Gilford, N.H. | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
    Friday, Sept. 9 | Virginia Beach, Va. | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre at Virginia Beach
    Saturday, Sept. 10 | Raleigh, N.C. | Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
    Sunday, Sept. 11 | Alpharetta, Ga. | Verizon Wireless

    For more information about Rucker and to buy tickets, visit www.DariusRucker.com and follow @DariusRucker on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

    About Darius Rucker  
    Capitol Records Nashville recording artist Darius Rucker released his fourth No. 1 country album Southern Style on March 31, 2015, the same week lead single “Homegrown Honey” became his seventh No. 1 hit. Rucker’s first three albums – Learn To LiveCharleston, SC 1966 and True Believers – produced six No. 1 singles, including “Wagon Wheel,” “Come Back Song,” “This,” “Alright,” “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” and “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.” His 2013 No. 1 “Wagon Wheel” won Rucker his third GRAMMY Award, stayed atop the charts for two weeks and was nominated for Song of the Year at the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards. In 2009, Rucker was named New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards. He achieved a childhood dream when he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 16, 2012.

  • DARIUS RUCKER RELEASES HIS NEW SINGLE, ‘IF I TOLD YOU,’ TO COUNTRY RADIO.

    Darius Rucker just released his new single, “If I Told You,” this morning (June 28th). The tune was written by Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally and Jon Nite, and the Charleston native said it sounds like he could’ve written the song.

    “When I first heard it, I just thought, ‘Man, it sounds like I wrote this song. It’s so my life. It’s so who I am,’” says Darius. “I mean, when we cut it, I was blown away by it. Ross Copperman produced it and just did a great job. I love it! I hope people love it.”

    “If I Told You” is the first release from Darius’ upcoming album, and he says it’s the perfect lead-off for what’s to come.

    “I think ‘If I Told You’ is a huge representation of the new record. I mean, it’s something like I’ve never done before,” says Darius. “The song is, with the melody and the feel and everything, is what we’re trying to do – it came out like a cool little song that I’m so proud of and I’m glad it’s the first single, and I think it’s gonna set up the album awesome.”

    If you’re at the 2016 Freedom Over Texas concert in Houston of July 4th or catching his Good for a Good Time Tour on the road this summer, you’ll definitely hear the new single, “If I Told You.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says “If I Told You,” his new single, is the perfect first song from his upcoming record.

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    Darius Rucker (If I Told You) 1 OC: …awesome. :20
    “I think ‘If I Told You’ is a huge representation of the new record. I mean, it’s something like I’ve never done before. The song is, with the melody and the feel and everything, is what we’re trying to do – it came out like a cool little song that I’m so proud of and I’m glad it’s the first single, and I think it’s gonna set up the album awesome.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says he was blown away by his new single, “If I Told You,” when he first heard it.

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    Darius Rucker (If I Told You) 2 OC: …love it. :16
    “The new song was written by Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally and Jon Nite, and when I first heard it, I just thought, ‘Man, it sounds like I wrote this song. It’s so my life. It’s so who I am.’ I mean, when we cut it, I was blown away by it. Ross Copperman produced it and just did a great job. I love it! I hope people love it.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (If I Told You)

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  • FATHER’S DAY 2016, PART 1: AJ, Canaan, Darius, Dierks, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Keith, Kip, Lady A, Luke, Sam

    Father’s Day is Sunday (June 19th), and we have thoughts, memories and more with many of your favorite country stars! Check them out and download below.

    Audio / Alan Jackson allows his three daughters to live and learn.

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    AJ (parenting style) OC: …what they did.  :19
    “We try to be just not pushy hands-on parents. We let them live and be their own way. I’m not stern with them. You know, I’m funny and light, and try to give them guidance and let them live and learn their own ways. And that’s something, I think, my parents did. It was accidental, but that’s what they did.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith says his father is a big inspiration.

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    Canaan Smith (Father’s Day) OC: …I love him. :35
    “My dad, I think is just the greatest man. He’s always provided for us. He was always there. He was always a great dad. He worked his butt off, you know, and showed me what it was like to work hard and provide for a family, and I just hope I can do that one day too. We’ve always had a special bond. He’s been a songwriter and a singer too for a long, long time, and so I got to grow up listening to him do his thing, sitting in the other room while they do band rehearsal. I’d be sitting on the couch in the other room just taking it all in, dreaming one day to be behind that microphone, so he’s definitely been an inspiration. I love him.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith (Father’s Day) 2 OC: …learned that too. :45

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    “I learned that music scores chicks. [laughs] My dad had a rehearsal one time at his piano player’s house, and I was sitting on the couch in the living room, and the piano player had two daughters that were around my same age, and they were sitting on either side of me on the couch. I thought I was king of the world, you know, watching this rock and roll band and a girl around each arm, and I was like six-years-old, eight-years-old something like that, old enough to know that was pretty awesome! My dad, he taught me hard work too. It took rehearsals. It took dedication. You can’t just get up on a stage and fly by the seat of your pants. You have to be prepared, and so I learned that too.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says his kids would say he was a fun dad, unless they did something wrong.

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    Darius Rucker (Father’s Day) OC: …loving dad. :41
    “I think if you asked my kids what kind of Dad I was they would probably say…Danny would say that I was a fun Dad. My little daughter would say that I was a fun dad; she thinks I’m a lot of fun. I think if you caught them at the right moment they would say I was mean [laughs] because when I’m home I’m not afraid to discipline them. I’m all fun until it’s not fun anymore and then daddy’s not the fun guy. I think that they’d say that I was a fun Dad, I’m a loving Dad and I think they would say that. I’m gone so much that when I’m home, I just shower love upon my kids. I say ‘I love you’ probably fifty times a day. We hug, we kiss all the time. I’m always wanting them to know how much I love them. So I’d hope they’d say that I was a loving dad.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says his mother made him a good father to his three children.

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    Darius Rucker (mother’s qualities makes him a great father) OC: …my mom. :45
    “She had a lot great qualities, but she was always, family was first for her. She was always a rock and making sure she took care of us and making sure we had things we needed to have to survive – food and clothes and a home – and seeing that and seeing how hard she worked and all the things she did just really made me the father that I am today. I mean, I’m so crazy and hands-on with my kids. I think it all comes from watching my mom have to struggle so much to support us. And so now, I don’t want me or my wife to ever have to struggle, and I don’t want my kids to ever want or wonder where I am or where there mom is. I want them to always know where we are and always be taken care of, and that all comes from my mom.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, the father of three, is very grateful to his own dad for turning him on to country music as a kid.

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    Dierks (Father’s Day) OC: …that’s for sure. :10
    “My dad was my biggest influence in country music because my dad loved country radio. So, we always drove around listening to country radio and George Strait, Hank Williams and Randy Travis and all these guys, so. Without him, I wouldn’t be doing this, that’s for sure.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley explains how being a father (to three children) has changed him.

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    Dierks Bentley (how fatherhood has changed him) OC: …different. :07
    “There’s a whole kind of different universe that has opened up that I never knew existed, and I’m not the center of it, which is really cool. It just makes you look at things totally different.”

    Audio / Eric Church describes his father and the qualities he admires in him.

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    Eric Church (Father’s Day) OC: …always admired. :29
    “My dad is a, I’m trying to find the right words to describe him. My dad is a great guy, honest guy, very call it like he sees it, which is where I get a lot of that. No BS. I’m gonna tell you how I feel whether you like it or not. I’m that guy, I’m me…My dad’s that way, so I get a lot of that from him. There’s also an honesty and an integrity that my dad carries himself with that I’ve always admired. I think the both of them combined, and they’ve been married for I think 40 years, to be together that long in this day and time is a feat in itself.”

    Audio / Eric Paslay says his father taught him how to work hard and to do a lot of things himself, such as electrical work and other handyman tasks.

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    Eric Paslay (Father’s Day) OC: …ceiling fan. :23
    “He just taught me that working hard and sticking it out, even when you know things aren’t right, that if you stick it out, it’s worth it in the end. And he just taught me to work hard, and there’s a lot of things that you don’t have to pay someone else to do, and it feels more rewarding when you’re able to put in new light fixtures or paint your own walls or put in a new ceiling fan.”

    Audio / Keith Urban – father to daughters Sunday and Faith -- says there are a number of things that are at the top of the list of being a dad.

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    Keith Urban (Father’s Day) OC: …experience that. :36
    “The first thing is probably just having someone call you dad. I’m like, ‘Omigosh! I’m her dad! That’s amazing.’ That’s probably the first thing to me. I don’t know, I mean, the different personalities that our two daughters have, that’s amazing. It’s such a long list I think. I always say…I think for the people that haven’t had kids – which I hadn’t for a long, long time. I didn’t have kids ‘til later on, and being around it is not the same as having them, you know? I realize that it’s not something that can be explained until you actually sort of have it, so I’m glad I got to experience that.”

    Audio / Kip Moore talks about his father’s influence on his music career, and how he’d play classics on their fishing trips.

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    Kip Moore (Father’s Day-dad’s influence) OC: …of us singin’ ‘em. :29
    “He would just play all those classic records – Little River Band, Jackson Brown, Springsteen, Seeger, Willie Nelson, the Red-Headed Stranger, Kristofferson, Sam Cook – like classic music. He’d be singing the songs and telling us why it was such good music. And I looked up to him so much, that’s the music I gravitated towards and that’s what I continue to listen to. Whenever I think about those old fishing trips, that’s what I think about is on the way down there, him singing those songs and all of us singin’ ‘em.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood says his father was a big influence both personally and musically, and he wants to pass along those qualities to his own children.

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    Lady A (Father’s Day-Dave) OC: …like that. :39
    “My dad was a really hard worker growing up and was always great, however hard he worked, he’d always make important time for family, important time to be home for dinner and be there for a lot of special moments for us growing up. For all the money he would make, he would always give a portion of it back to charity or to the church, and so that was always important for me to watch. We had a great relationship growing up. My dad plays guitar; he’s very musical. I learned how to play acoustic guitar with him playing ‘Day Tripper’ by the Beatles and all these old songs we’d play together when he’d show me how to play these James Taylor songs and things like that. So, definitely want to pass along music, of course, to my children, as well, like that.”

     

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott says her father is a great communicator.

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    Lady A (Father’s Day-Hillary) OC: …my children. :33
    “I definitely got my Type-A personality from my dad. He’s the same way, but one thing I’m so appreciative of – especially from a father-daughter relationship – my dad always, always talked to me, even when I didn’t want to talk to him. He would force me to communicate and talk through things, and not always the easy stuff, which is such a rare quality in a man, truthfully. And so, I am very, very thankful for that. I think it helped me find the right husband for me, and I also know that it will help me be that much of a better communicator to my children.”

    Audio / While Luke Bryan has a show in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday (Father’s Day), he says all he wants or needs on this special day is to be with his family.

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    Luke Bryan (Father’s Day 2016) OC: …I’m happy. :39
    “Well, I’m doing a show but the boys will be there. As long as we’re together as a family, and my wife is so great about wanting to, like, if it were up to her every moment like that would be fireworks and balloons filled, cakes and all that. They’re gonna come up to our show, and then we’ve got a couple days together. Just as long as I get to be with my family on important days, whether it’s birthdays or anniversaries or stuff like that or certainly Father’s Day or Mother’s Day, that’s all I need. Just let them make me a cup of coffee in the morning and I’m happy.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt says his father taught him a lot about being a man and knowing the right thing.

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    Sam Hunt (Father’s Day) OC: …he’s great. :27
    “I’m obviously biased about my parents, but I’ve been around a lot of great men of integrity, but he is by far the best man that I know. He’s just taught me so much about being a man, doing the right thing, knowing the difference between right and wrong. And even though I don’t always follow his lead, I definitely know better because of him, and that means a whole lot to me. I was just really fortunate to have him as a dad, and he’s great.”

  • COUNTRY STARS REACT TO THE TRAGIC SHOOTINGS IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

    The tragic massacre in Orlando, Florida has stunned the entire world, including the country music community. Many country artists took to social media to share their shock, sadness and healing thoughts and prayers. Backstage at the CMA Music Festival this past weekend, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Little Big Town shared their thoughts with members of the media. Little Big Town performed “Miracle” with Pharrell during their set for Orlando.

    During Luke’s set and most specifically his song “Drink a Beer,” he asked the 70,000+ crowd to take a moment of silence for the victims and their families affected by the shootings in Orlando.“Something has been real heavy on my heart tonight,” he said. “I want us to take a brief moment of silence and think about all those families that have been affected in Orlando, Florida in our great nation last night. Let’s take a moment of silence and pray for all the families there.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about a couple of tragic events over the weekend – the killing of The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie and the mass shooting in Orlando.

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    Luke Bryan (tragic events) OC: …an American. :21
    “It’s amazingly tragic on all levels and its… Well if you think like a true American does and I’m sure we all do in this room and other places but when you hear these two instances this week (signs) I think it’s important for the American spirit to keep trying to live that type of life as an American.”

    Audio / Backstage at this weekend’s CMA Music Festival, Keith Urban talked about the tragic shootings in Orlando.

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    Keith Urban (Orlando shootings) OC: …today. :10

    “Everybody’s in the same boat we’re all trying to live our life, you know live our life as well so we’re as vigilant as we can be but my heart goes out to all the families down in Orlando today.”

    Audio / Little Big Town performed "Miracle" with Pharrell from their Wanderlust album at this weekend’s CMA Music Fest last night to honor those lost in the Orlando, Florida shootings. Backstage before they performed, LBT’s Karen Fairchild said they would perform in life, love and harmony.

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    LBT (Orlando shootings) OC: …tonight. :26
    (Karen) “Music is the ultimate hear and we will not let the haters destroy what we love and enjoy and we will not live in fear of this and tonight is gonna be a celebration of life and love and harmony. And we’re going to remember those lives that were lost and we’re gonna celebrate them tonight.”

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