• FATHER’S DAY LINERS 2016

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

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

     

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

     

    Audio / LINER Easton Corbin (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

     

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

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

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Lady A (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER LBT (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Vince Gill (Father’s Day)

    Download

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

  • CMA MUSIC FEST 2016: AJ, Darius, Dierks, Easton, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Jon, Josh, Keith, Lady A, Lauren, Luke and more

    It’s that time of the year again! The 2016 CMA Music Festival begins this week in Nashville, and the stars are coming out to perform and check in with their fans!

    Audio / Backstage at last year’s CMA Music Festival, Alan Jackson talked about CMA Music Fest and how it’s become a family affair. Alan is set to perform at ACME in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, as well as at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday.

    Download

    Alan Jackson (CMA Music Fest) OC: …all about. :28 [NOTE: There’s a slight buzz underneath audio.]
    “My daughter – three daughters – and about 10 friends every year, we have to pack into vans and get ‘em out here. They come every night. They come every night, not to see me, they come see everybody else. So, it has become more of a local event, and of course it evolved tremendously since I first started when it was Fan Fair at the old fairgrounds and signing autographs in a hot buildings. But the fans are the same, and that’s what it’s all about.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker will host his 7th annual Darius and Friends concert at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon Monday (June 6th) during this year’s CMA Music Festival. Proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Darius is nominated for a CMT Music Award – CMT Performance of the Year – for “Alright” from the show, Instant Jam.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (CMA Music Fest) OC: …awesome. :48
    “Music Fest is like nothing else. I say all the time that country music is the only genre that could have something like that. It’s truly amazing, when I come that weekend, people are everywhere and they want to be your best friend. It’s always cool and I love coming here. The thing that always gets me is the show. The fact that you can get that many superstars at one show all playing for free, for the same goal, to entertain those people that are in that stadium that come here for the whole week from all over the world. They come here for one week to see country music, and it’s amazing that those artists say on Friday and Saturday night, this is country music come on out. That’s awesome.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley is making a few appearances during CMA Music Festival week, including performing his latest single, “Different for Girls,” on this year’s CMT Music Awards with Elle King. He’ll also perform during the nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) on Thursday (June 9th). Dierks Bentley talks about the lengths that fans will go to show their appreciation.

    Download

    Dierks (fans) OC: …commitment. [laughs] :22
    “I know a lot of the early fans by name, because we played a lot of shows at a lot of small venues where we’d be around a lot after the shows. I’m not gonna say her name ‘cause I don’t know if she’d want me to or not, but she has like a dog print of Jake, my dog’s Jake, but she has this dog print on her shoulder with my name in the middle of the tattoo. So, tattoos are always, that’s a big deal when somebody gets your name tattooed on part of their body or something. It’s kind of a scary thing, because it’s kind of a lifelong commitment. [laughs]”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley recalls the weirdest thing he has signed.

    Download

    Dierks Bentley (signing a baby’s head) OC: …child’s brain. :13
    “A baby’s head with a sharpie. Yeah, like a two-week old baby. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to do it. The woman was like, ‘Please.’ I was like, ‘Alright.’ The head at that point is so vulnerable, transparent, so I’m just hoping they didn’t get any ink in the child’s brain.”

    Audio / Easton Corbin, who has hit the airwaves with his latest single “Are You With Me,” talks about CMA Music Festival.

    Download

    Easton Corbin (CMA Music Fest) OC: …wouldn’t work. :25
    “CMA Music Fest, it’s a great opportunity to hang out with your fans and stuff. The great thing about the country genre is it’s one of the only genres that really has a festival dedicated to their fans, and I think that’s great because without the fans we wouldn’t be here. They’re the ones that make it work. Without the fans to buy records and listen to the radio and come to the shows, it just wouldn’t work.”

    Audio / Easton Corbin talks about his fans.

    Download

    Easton Corbin (fans) OC: …being here. :24
    “My fans mean a great deal to me, especially the fans that come out to the shows and the ones that make it to every show around their home or in that vicinity. I even have people come here every time, in these meet-and-greet lines or maybe at the fence over there by the when you’re getting off the red carpet, I try to always make it a point to recognize those fans and just let them know how much that I care and how much I appreciate them being here.”

    Audio / Eric Church, who’s making his way up the country charts with his latest single “Record Year,” says CMA Music Festival is special and unique to country music. Eric is set to perform at Nissan Stadium on Friday (June 10th).

    Download

    Eric Church (CMA Music Fest) OC: …to see.
    “Well, I think it’s what makes country music unique. Find me another format that happens in, it’s just not something that happens. I think it’s about what we were talking about earlier; country music is the one for mat where the fans…the music is really about them. And we’re them; we’re not different than them. We’re not a lot of the rock stars and a lot of the other guys where they’re their own person, they’re their own agenda…they’re not like the people that are listening to them. It’s different in country, we are. We come from there, we are that. I think it’s just a great thing for them to be able to come to our town and to get just this barrage of music. We’ve always tried to do it a little different when we’ll have different events, a couple years ago we made the fans find us…they had to find clues around town of where we were playing and then when they found out they could post it and tell people and then that night we had a full show. We started that day with no people, we didn’t advertise, we said, ‘We’re playing, find us.’ We called it ‘Midnight Church.’ So at midnight we played the Rutledge. They found us, and they were out the door, and they found us there. It was really cool to have some fun in our town and just do stuff like that every year. I’ve done, last year I did a show where I did 3 nights in a row at a place. The first night was me and my band, the second night was an acoustic show, and the last night was me and the songwriters that helped me write this record all sitting up there playing songs and telling stories. It was three different takes on basically the same songs. Just unique. It’s my favorite thing about doing it, is when people come to town, we able to do some shows that we’re not able to do throughout the year because we’re touring a certain way. This is a chance for us to have a little more freedom, creatively, and give the fans something maybe they don’t get to see.”

    Audio / Eric Paslay will be all over the place during CMA Music Fest. On Tuesday morning (June 7th), he’ll take part in the Tug McGraw Sporting Clay Event at the Nashville Gun Club. He’s also set to perform at Riverfront Stage Friday (June 10th), followed by booth signings and Behind the Music Listening Event at the Music City Center, as well as a performance at the HGTV Lodge. Here he talks about getting his first autograph.

    Download

    Eric Paslay (1st autograph) OC: …first autograph. :42
    “The first autograph that I ever got was in Branson, Missouri, and it was Shoji Tabuchi, and he’s a great fiddle player, and I always remember that, you know if you go to Branson, you know who he is. But I was a 9, 10 year old kid, and I always remember that. Every time I meet a kid, I don’t know if it’s their first concert. It could be their 100-thousandth, but whenever I sign an autograph for a kid, I really make sure it’s special and memorable, and with anybody, but especially with kids. I still have that Shoji Tabuchi autograph, you know? Because it meant that much. I didn’t know he was until we saw him, but he tore the place down playing the “Orange Blossom Special.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi, whose new album California Sunrise comes out June 17th, will be all over town during CMA Music Fest. On Tuesday (June 7th), he’ll be at 5th and Demonbreun at Noon with Wrangler signing and chatting with fans, then later that night, he’ll be at the Cannery Ballroom performing during the Musicians On Call event. On Thursday (June 9th), he’ll be in the UMG booth at the Music City Center signing from 3p – 4p, followed by a performance at the Riverfront Stage beginning at 12:15p.

    Download

    Jon Pardi (performing live) OC: …really loud. :19
    “To get up on stage, it feels like home. It’s like, ‘Yeah, this is where I want to be.’ I’d rather be there than a lot of places. I love just getting up on stage not matter where it is. It’s fun to get up and entertain people and have a good time, make everybody feel a part of the show and get up there and play my guitar really loud.”

    Audio / Josh Turner, who just released his new single “Hometown Girl,” recalls the weirdest item he’s ever been asked to sign.

    Download

    Josh Turner (weirdest things he’s signed) OC: …Sharpie, though. :10
    “A toothpick; an unused toothpick, let me throw that out there, an unused toothpick. It was quite challenging, actually, and it didn’t look anything like my autograph. It took a really small Sharpie, though.”

    Audio / Keith Urban, who’s sitting inside the Top 10 with his current single “Wasted Time,” will be making a couple of appearances at this year’s CMA Music Fest. First, he’ll play the HGTV Lodge Thursday (June 9th) and at Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) on Sunday (June 12th). Keith will also perform during the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday (June 8th), where he’s up for Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.”

    Download

    Keith Urban(CMA Music Fest) OC: …love it. :25
    “I love it! It’s like summer camp. I mean, it is! It’s a chance to obviously see a lot of people I don’t normally see. I don’t know. It’s just palpable. Since Fan Fair, it’s just been that sort of week-plus of energy; the town just explodes, and what it is we love about this genre and the community aspect of it. I always love it.”

    Audio / Kip Moore fans will get a chance to see him a couple of times this week. He’ll perform during the Pandora Country Music event at Marathon Music Works Tuesday evening, and then you can catch him at the HGTV Lodge downtown on Thursday afternoon. He tells us about his favorite thing about performing live. You’ll definitely get to hear him play his latest hit single, “Running for You,” which is from his Wild Ones album.

    Download

    Kip Moore (favorite thing about performing live) OC: …it gets. :17
    “I’d say that my favorite thing about being on the road is the fact that I get to play music each and every night with my best friends. There’s nothing better than that than playing with your best buddies and seeing the joy that you bring to other people’s faces playing the music that you love to play. I mean that’s the best it gets.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley will participate in Fan Fair X, part of the CMA Music Festival bringing fans and artists together. Hillary, along with her family, will be the artist of the day on Thursday (June 9th) showcasing their upcoming faith-based album with performances and a Q&A, while Charles will give fans an up close and personal look into his solo album, The Driver, on Sunday (June 12th).

    Download

    Lady Antebellum (Music Fest) 3 OC: …really cool. :25

    “When you see the same fans, these die-hard fans that camp out outside the radio remotes and the hotels, and all of these places, and you start recognizing them, I think that’s when you start going ‘Wow, this is a special and unique industry.’ You talk to them by name and give them a hug. I can’t think of any other genre that has that kind of connection. The people that come back the same time every year, you know where they are going to be. It’s really kind of a fun thing. It’s really cool.”

    Audio / Lauren Alaina says she owes it all to her fans, and she starts this year’s CMA Music Festival on Tuesday with the City of Hope Softball Game. On Wednesday evening, she’s set to perform a late-night set downtown in HonkyTonk Alley, and on Thursday morning, Lauren will perform an acoustic set on the Disney Stage at the Music City Center, followed by a signing at the UMG booth. On Friday, she’ll perform in the park at the city’s Walk of Fame, and on Sunday, she’ll perform at the Music City Center.

    Download

    Lauren Alaina (fans) OC: …me wrong. :30
    “My fans helped me grow as a person in lots of different ways. I grew up in front of them. I was 15 on American Idol, so they watched me grow up and kind of helped me mold into who I am, because I worked at CiCi’s Pizza, and now I’m traveling all over the place. It’s like I learned responsibility through all of it. I learned who I am as a person, ‘cause my fans have made me stronger, they’ve made me more responsible, they made me believe in myself 10 times more, because I thought I was going home every week on American Idol, and they proved me wrong.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan, who is set to perform at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (June 12th), enjoys CMA Music Fest Week. Luke is nominated for a pair of CMT Music Awards, including Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for “Strip It Down.”

    Download

    Luke Bryan (CMA Music Fest) OC: …for this week. :33
    “It’s a great week. I truly love this week for hundreds of reasons. I always remember my first ones and starting out and doing River Stages and always dreaming of coming over here and performing at LP Field (now Nissan Stadium) and all of the stuff building the fan base early in the week. It’s an amazing week for Nashville, and it’s a great week for me. And then I get to be home and do all this stuff. It’s always been a fun week for me. A lot of my family always comes in for this week.”

  • MOTHER’S DAY 2016: Charles, Clare, Darius, Dierks, Church, Paslay, Jon, Kacey, Lauren, LBT

    Audio / Clare Dunn talks about the support and undying devotion her mom has for her and her sister.

    Download

    Clare Dunn (Mother’s Day) OC: …in the world. :41
    “She is unrelenting in her love and her support, and even when we’re crazy kids and we screw up, it doesn’t matter. Her love knows no bounds. And her undying devotion to her kids – to my sister and I – always believing in us a million percent, always backing us up a million percent and helping us navigate life and navigate our dreams and helping us go towards that goal – those are some of the qualities that I hope to have some day as a mother, you know? And I’m so grateful I have THE best mom in the WORLD!”

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about not disappointing his beloved mother, who passed away a few years ago.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (Mother’s Day) OC: …killed me. :17

    “I think that’s the main reason I am how I am…an innate fear of disappointing my mom.  My mom’s not even alive, and I have a fear of her looking down from heaven and going, ‘Man I’m just disappointed in my son.’ She could have said anything in the world to me, but if she would have said, ‘Son, you just disappointed me,’ That would have killed me. It would have killed me.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker recalls one of his favorite memories of his mother.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (favorite memory of his mother) OC: …my Mom’s song. :34
    “Oh goodness! A lot of great memories of her, but probably one of my favorite memories, I was a young kid, probably eight or nine, and she was in the kitchen cooking and listening to the gospel station and Shirley Caesar’s ‘No Charge’ came on and she was singing ‘No Charge.’ I just remember I ran into our living room which was adjoined to our kitchen and I just sat there and I just listened to her sing that song, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow! What an amazing voice.’ That’s just always a memory I’ve always had, and that song still to this day when I hear it just moves me because that was my mom’s song.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about Mother’s Day in regards to his wife, Cassidy.

    Download

    Dierks (Mother’s Day) OC: …for sure. :20
    “When it’s your actual mom, you know, there’s some slack there, but when with your wife – any touring husband, anyone who tours who has kids and a wife back home, it’s tough man. It’s a lot of work. So, I definitely need to step up to think of something great to do this Sunday, for sure.”

    Audio / Eric Church says he’s learned quite a bit from his mom.

    Download

    Eric Church (Mother’s Day) OC: …as a man. :57
    “My mom, even though my dad won’t like this, my mom is by far the toughest person that I’ve met. She’s tough. One of those people that’s been through a lot in her life, adversity wise and never complains, always really resilient with anything that’s happened to her. And it’s just that attitude, the positive attitude, regardless of what has happened that I think is the one thing that I got from her. With career, she’s always been a person that’s been really positive through times that I couldn’t find a positive streak, [laughs] and she was always really positive, and very much believes in tough it out, keep working hard, and that’s her motto with stuff like that. I’ve always been impressed with that stuff. Then musically, she’s where I get my talent from, musically. She sings great, always has, her mom sang great. I owe my musical chops to her. And she still sings some. So, career-wise, I owe her everything. And just in life-wise she’s given me a lot of the qualities that it has taken for me to get me where I am. Not only as a musician, but as a man.”

    Audio / Eric Paslay talks about his mother, Donna.

    Download

    Eric Paslay (Mother’s Day) OC: …it’s good. :21
    “I wanna thank my mom for giving me faith, laughter and pride in the family I came from. She’d be the fun Mom, just goofing off in the sprinklers outside or we’d go out and play in the rain and all that stuff growing up. She’s always good to be around; always happy, and it’s good.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi says his mother, Shelly, is an angel.

    Download

    Jon Pardi (Mother’s Day 2015) OC: …worrying about me. :29
    “My mom’s always been there for me. First of all, she’s a great mom. She’s an angel. She takes care of people that aren’t even in the family. She’s always been like that, and she’s a great mother. She’s always proud, and she’s always there supporting and being a great mom. She’s just a good human being. There’s not one mean bone in her body. And she cries about every time I talk to her. She always worries about me. I have to tell her, ‘Stop worrying about me.’”

    Audio / Kacey Musgraves comes from a very creative family, and here she talks about the women in her immediate family and their talents.

    Download

    Kacey Musgraves (creative women) OC: …taking pictures. :16
    “My mom’s an artist – all different kinds of mediums, paint, but she’s always working on something different. My Meemaw, she’s a soap maker. She makes soap and they’re beautiful and they smell really good and they’re all natural. My sister has an etsy store, and she’s constantly creating something, sewing pillows and taking pictures.”

    Audio / With Mother’s Day on Sunday, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley explains he and his brothers – Josh and John -- owe their mother a lot for all of their childhood antics.

    Download

    Charles Kelley (Mother) OC: …playing music. :23
    “We were honestly, at times, pretty hard to handle, both of us. We used to play our music loud up above on the second floor [of the house], bang on the drums and the guitar. And my mom’s just one of those people, she’ll do anything for her family and she sacrificed a lot for us boys. Anytime we needed something, she made it happen. And so, we owe her a lot. She’s definitely the reason we’re playing music.”

    Audio / Lauren Alaina says she can count on her mom for just about everything.

    Download

    Lauren Alaina (Mom) OC: …same for her. :19
    “I honestly would not be able to do it without my mom. I get overwhelmed sometimes, and if she wasn’t there to comfort me or tell me, ‘Look just realize what you’ve got going for you,’ I’d be up the creek [without a paddle]. She’s got my back. My mom would walk through a fire pit for me, and I’d do the same for her.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says she always dreamed of being a mother…and her dream came true nearly nine years ago when she gave birth to daughter, Daisy (July 27, 2007).

    Download

    LBT (Mother’s Day) OC: …for my mother. :34
    “Being a mother is a life-long dream for me. When I was a kid, that’s what I wanted to be is a mama. It took a long time. I wasn’t ever sure that I would be, but I am now, and it’s the greatest gift of my life. And as I’m a mother now, I see what my mother gave up and her sacrifices and her love and how she made us the most important thing in her life, and that’s what I strive to do for my little girl. It’s the most important job I have, and it’s the most responsibility that I have, and I try to live up to a great example that I had for my mother.”

     

  • MOTHER’S DAY LINERS 2016

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey! What’s up guys! We’re Brothers Osborne, wishing all you mothers out there a very, very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Mother’s Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey! What’s up? This is Clare Dunn, hoping you have a Happy Mother’s Day.”

     

    Audio / LINER Darius (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey y’all, what’s up? This is Darius Rucker, hoping you have a Happy Mother’s Day.

    Audio / LINER Dierks (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey, y’all! This is Dierks Bentley, wishing all you mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Mother’s Day) 1

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Eric Paslay. Happy Mother’s Day to all you awesome Mom’s out there.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hi! This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey y’all, it’s Jon Pardi. I want to wish all the mamas out there a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hi! This is Josh Turner, wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves. To all you mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day!”

     

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hi everyone, it’s Keith Urban. Hoping all the mothers out there have a very, very Happy Mother’s Day. Love ya, Mom!”

    Audio / LINER Kelleigh Bannen (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hi! I’m Kelleigh Bannen, hoping you have a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “(ALL) Hi! This is Little Big Town. (KIMBERLY) We want to wish all you mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day. I love ya, Mama!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, hoping all you mothers out there have a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Mother’s Day)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day.

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Mother’s Day)

    Download

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

  • DARIUS RUCKER ‘SANG’ BECAUSE OF HIS MOTHER’S LOVE.

    Darius Rucker lost his sweet and hardworking mother when he was barely out of college and before he experienced huge success with his band, Hootie & the Blowfish, in the ‘90s. However, he carries with him her qualities, her memories and even immortalized her in the emotional and true-to-life song, “So I Sang,” from his Southern Style album.

    Many times following his performance of the song on stage, he is very emotional and needs to take a moment to collect himself. “It’s probably the most honest song I’ve ever been a part of writing. For me, it’s just so real. Everything, every song that’s mentioned in there is a song that affected my life in some way and every moment we talk about is something that really happened to me in my life,” says Darius. “When you get to the last verse and singing about my mom and what she meant to me and that, it’s such an emotional song for me, because it’s so real.”

    His mother was a single mom and most days worked overtime to help support her children, which  and Darius attributes all of his success to her. “She worked a lot. She was a nurse, and she worked a lot. She took a lot of overtime and a lot of stuff to make sure we could live, basically,” he says. “She always supported whatever I wanted to do, whatever I wanted to listen to, wherever I wanted to go, she always had my back. Going to college and everything, she was just my biggest supporter and never let my brothers and sisters knock me down or try to tell me I can’t do this or do that. All my success comes because my mother was always in my corner.”

    The Charleston, South Carolina native even gives his mom the credit for his role as a father, who puts his family first and is present every step of the way. “She was always a rock and making sure that she took care of us and that we had things we needed to survive – food and clothes and a home. Seeing that and seeing how hard she worked and all the things she did really made me the father that I am today,” he adds. “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. So now, I don’t want me or my wife ever have to struggle and I don’t want my kids to ever want or to wonder where I am or where their mother is. I want them to always know where we are and always be taken care of, and that all comes from my mom.”

    You can catch Darius performing “So I Sang” on his Good for a Good Time Tour, which kicks off June 3rd in Tampa, Florida.

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about the emotional “So I Sang,” a song he co-wrote for his Southern Style album.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (So I Sang) OC: …so real. :23
    “‘So I Sang,’ when we play it live, I say it’s probably the most honest song I’ve ever been a part of writing. For me, it’s just so real. Everything, every song that’s mentioned in there is a song that affected my life in some way and every moment we talk about is something that really happened to me in my life. When you get to the last verse and singing about my mom and what she meant to me and that, it’s such an emotional song for me, because it’s so real.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says his late mother was always his biggest supporter and the reason for his success.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (Mother) OC: …my corner. :46
    “My mom was just always great. She worked a lot. She was a nurse, and she worked a lot. She took a lot of overtime and a lot of stuff to make sure we could live, basically. She was just always so supportive, ever since I was a kid. I was always a music kid, and I was never that guy. Growing up in an African American neighborhood, I was never that guy who was gonna be pigeonholed and let people say I could only listen to this or only do this because I was African American. But she always supported whatever I wanted to do, whatever I wanted to listen to, wherever I wanted to go, she always had my back. Going to college and everything, she was just my biggest supporter and never let my brothers and sisters knock me down or try to tell me I can’t do this or do that. All my success comes because my mother was always in my corner.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says his mother’s struggle to support her six children and the fact that family came first for her, have made him the father he is today.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (Mother’s qualities make him a great father) OC: …my mom. :47
    “She had a lot of great qualities, but she was always, family was first for her. She was always a rock and making sure that she took care of us and that we had things we needed to survive – food and clothes and a home. Seeing that and seeing how hard she worked and all the things she did 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. So now, I don’t want me or my wife ever have to struggle and I don’t want my kids to ever want or to wonder where I am or where their mother is. I want them to always know where we are and always be taken care of, and that all comes from my mom.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (So I Sang intro) 1

    Download

    “’So I Sang’ from my album, Southern Style, is a special song for me. It’s special because it’s pretty much my story. Here it is…”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (So I Sang intro) 2

    Download

    “Just in time for Mother’s Day, here’s a song from my Southern Style album called ‘So I Sang,’ which I dedicate to every single mom out there.”

     

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Mother's Day)

    Download
  • DARIUS RUCKER IS UP FOR A ‘GOOD TIME.’

    Darius Rucker is looking for a “good time”…on tour, that is. His Good for a Good Time Tour kicks off June 3rd in Tampa, Florida. The trek, which features opening acts Dan + Shay (who recently celebrated their first No. 1 single, “Nothin’ Like You,” and Michael Ray (who also had his own No. 1 single last year with “Kiss You in the Morning,” will run through September 11th.

    “When you do tours, the opening acts are so important ‘cause you want to put guys in the seats, but you also want to entertain your fans, you know the people who are there to see you,” says Darius. “And for me also, one of the prerequisites is I gotta have guys that I can hang out with and go sit down and have dinner with and maybe play a round of golf with or drink a beer with after the show and before the show. So, those guys fit all that perfectly.”

    As he did with his Southern Style Tour, Darius will present homes to deserving veterans and their families, along with Project Rebuild. The South Carolina native helped give away 14 homes last year.

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about his opening acts for his upcoming Good for a Good Time Tour.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (Good for a Good Time Tour) OC: …and big. :33
    “When you do tours, the opening acts are so important ‘cause you want to put guys in the seats, but you also want to entertain your fans, you know the people who are there to see you. And for me also, one of the prerequisites is I gotta have guys that I can hang out with and go sit down and have dinner with and maybe play a round of golf with or drink a beer with after the show and before the show. So, those guys fit all that perfectly. They’re all doing so well. Dan + Shay just had a No. 1 and Michael Ray’s just doing so well. You know, I love having them help me, but I also love helping them just get on that stage and do something different and big.”

  • DARIUS RUCKER ONCE AGAIN HOSTS THE ACM LIFTING LIVES GOLF CLASSIC.

    "LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 02:  ACM board member Darin Murphy (L) and musician Darius Rucker attend the 2016 ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and Cocoa Crate at the TPC Summerlin on April 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp)"

    “LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 02: ACM board member Darin Murphy (L) and musician Darius Rucker attend the 2016 ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and Cocoa Crate at the TPC Summerlin on April 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp)”

    "LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 02:  Musician Darius Rucker attends the 2016 ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and Cocoa Crate at the TPC Summerlin on April 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp)"

    “LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 02: Musician Darius Rucker attends the 2016 ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and Cocoa Crate at the TPC Summerlin on April 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp)”

    Darius Rucker hosted the ACM Lifting Lives® Golf Classic at TPC Las Vegas for the fifth consecutive year on Saturday (April 2nd). The ACM Lifting Lives® Golf Classic—the tenth held since 2004—brought together country music artistsHudson Moore and Drake White as well as other members of the music community in a scramble tournament to raise funds and awareness for ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which provides immediate relief to those in need in the music industry.

    The ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic took place in conjunction with “The Week Vegas Goes Country®,” leading up to the 51ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS­, , co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, that will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

    Below please find links to download photos from the event, and the link to the ACM EPK. If you have any questions, or would like additional information/photos, please don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you in advance for considering coverage of this event!

    ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Through partnerships with artists and strong ties in the music industry, ACM Lifting Lives develops and funds music-related therapy and education programs, and serves members of the community who face unexpected hardships through its Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. Through generous donations and the support of artists and fans, ACM Lifting Lives is able to fund everything from disaster relief and helping communities in need, to music education in schools and music camps for those with disabilities and supporting programs that use music therapy as a means to help our veterans and wounded warriors ease back into life.  For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith, Lady A, Darius, Sam, Kacey, Mickey, Canaan, Lauren, David, LBT

    Keith Urban performed at a private 40th birthday celebration in L.A. on Saturday (March 19th) for Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon. He teamed up with Taylor Swift on her hit “Shake It Off,” and later accompanied Reese and the rest of the party-goers on a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” the same title as her 2002 film. Other guests included Jennifer Aniston and her husband, actor Justin Theroux, Matthew McConaughey, Katie Hudson, Courtney Cox, Robert Downey, Jr. and Keith’s wife, Nicole Kidman.

    Lady Antebellum, Sam Hunt and Kacey Musgraves will perform during the Windy City LakeShake festival June 17th – 19th in Chicago. Joining them will be Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett and Martina McBride, among others.

    Mickey Guyton, Canaan Smith and Lauren Alaina are featured in the new issue of NASH Country Weekly magazine in their Spring Fashion article. They, along with Granger Smith, modeled different looks for spring and talked about their style on and off-stage.

    Darius Rucker will host his seventh annual Darius and Friends benefit concert at the Wildhorse Saloon June 6th (as the unofficial start to the CMA Music Festival). Tickets for the show, with proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, go on sale Thursday (March 24th).

    David Nail was in South Carolina over the weekend for the NeedtoBreathe Golf Classic. NeedtoBreathe is a Christian Rock band, who’ve won numerous Gospel Music Awards and topped the Christian charts.

    The members of Little Big Town were apparently hanging out with superstar Justin Timberlake, writing songs . He shared a photo on his socials of him with LBT’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman and wrote, “NBD… Just writing with @littlebigtown This band is the truth!! So good!!!!”

    917517_1693430260935025_675912756_n

  • KEVIN SPACEY AND KRIS KRISTOFFERSON TURN COUNTRY STARS INTO SUPER FANS.

    Many country stars were starstruck backstage at the Kris Kristofferson tribute show in Nashville on Wednesday night (March 16th). Actor Kevin Spacey (House of Cards, The Usual Suspects, etc.) was in attendance. Check out some of the photos below.

    1918869_10153508074817799_3599717902160076834_nCdx07QjUUAA2_UNa

    Life+Songs+Kris+Kristofferson+Show+4RaWbYaVo69l

    (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Essential Broadcast Media)

  • DARIUS RUCKER RETURNS TO HOST ACM LIFTING LIVES GOLF CLASSIC.

    Darius Rucker will return to host the ACM Lifting Lives® Golf Classic for the fifth consecutive year at TPC Las Vegas on Saturday, April 2nd. Presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and Cocoa Crate, the “scramble” style golf tournament was created out of the need for a charitable event to connect fans, sponsors and donors with industry insiders and artists. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which provides immediate relief to those in need within the music industry.

    Established by former Academy of Country Music and ACM Lifting Lives Board Chair Gayle Holcomb, in honor of her mother, the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund responds quickly to unforeseen, immediate financial needs of music related organizations and individuals. Since its inception in 2007, the Fund has distributed more than $400,000 and supported 60+ cases covering a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality.

    The ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic and the 4th Annual ACM Party for a Cause® Festival are just two events benefitting the charities during the highly-anticipated “The Week Vegas Goes Country®,” leading up to “Country Music’s Party of the Year®.” The 51st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

    About ACM Lifting Lives®

    ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Through partnerships with artists and strong ties in the music industry, ACM Lifting Lives develops and funds music-related therapy and education programs, and serves members of the community who face unexpected hardships through its Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. Through generous donations and the support of artists and fans, ACM Lifting Lives is able to fund everything from disaster relief and helping communities in need, to music education in schools and music camps for those with disabilities and supporting programs that use music therapy as a means to help our veterans and wounded warriors ease back into life.  For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.

    Audio / Darius Rucker explains a couple of reasons why he loves to play golf.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (Golf) OC: …love that. :09
    “First of all, I love being outside. I get outside so little, you know, really when you look at the whole thing. I just love me against the course. I love that.”