The nominations for the 66th annual GRAMMY Awards were announced, and Chris Stapleton earned three nominations, including Best Country Song (“White Horse”), Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Duo/Group Performance as a featured performer on Carly Pearce’s “We Don’t Fight Anymore.”

Brothers Osborne nabbed a pair of noms, including Best Country Album for their self-titled fourth record and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their current single, “Nobody’s Nobody.”

Kacey Musgraves picked up two nominations for her featured performance on Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything” for Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

The War And Treaty are nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, including the overall Best New Artist and for Best American Roots Song for “Blank Page.”

Dierks Bentley is nominated in Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “High Note,” featuring Billy Strings. Dierks posted a heartfelt message of gratitude on his Instagram, writing, “Thank you Billy for lending your talents. Been fun to watch your career explode dude since we recorded this. It must have been the collab!! Haha. The song actually started off pretty grassy with Billy, @sambushband @bryansuttond28 @jerrydouglas on it (and my band). And then we went back in a year later and gave it a little more of a country vibe. Thanks to my friends @jimbeavers and my pal @charlieworsham for writing it and letting me make it my own. This song is why Charlie has been in our band the last two years. After he recorded the acoustic lick at the top, I remember asking him how in the hell are we gonna play this live on the road. @bhelson is on electric and there’s no way I can play it. He said, ‘Well I could come out and do it.’ And he did!! And he still is haha.”

Vince Gill and Paul Franklin are nominated in Best Country Duo/Group for “Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold).”

Congratulations to Vince Gill and Paul Franklin on their #GRAMMYs nomination for Best Country Duo / Group Performance for "Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold)" from their album, 'Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys'. pic.twitter.com/yg9mFDJpGE

— Vince Gill (@VGcom) November 10, 2023

The 2024 Grammy Awards will air live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 4th on CBS and streaming live on Paramount+.

Best Country Album
Kelsea Ballerini, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
Brothers Osborne, Brothers Osborne
Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan
Tyler Childers, Rustin’ In The Rain
Lainey Wilson, Bell Bottom Country

Best Country Song
Brandy Clark, “Buried” (Brandy Clark & Jessie Jo Dillon)
Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything” (Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves)
Tyler Childers, “In Your Love” (Tyler Childers & Geno Seale)
Morgan Wallen, “Last Night” (John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin & Ryan Vojtesak)
Chris Stapleton, “White Horse” (Chris Stapleton & Dan Wilson)

Best Country Solo Performance
Tyler Childers, “In Your Love”
Brandy Clark, “Buried”
Luke Combs, “Fast Car”
Dolly Parton, “The Last Thing On My Mind”
Chris Stapleton, “White Horse”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Dierks Bentley featuring Billy Strings, “High Note”
Brothers Osborne, “Nobody’s Nobody”
Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything”
Vince Gill & Paul Franklin, “Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold)”
Jelly Roll With Lainey Wilson, “Save Me”
Carly Pearce featuring Chris Stapleton, “We Don’t Fight Anymore”

Best New Artist
Gracie Abrams
Fred again..
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Coco Jones
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty

Best American Roots Song
“Blank Page” — Michael Trotter Jr. & Tanya Trotter, songwriters (The War And Treaty) 
“California Sober” – Aaron Allen, William Apostol & Jon Weisberger, songwriters (Billy Strings Featuring Willie Nelson)
“Cast Iron Skillet” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit)
“Dear Insecurity” – Brandy Clark & Michael Pollack, songwriters (Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile)
“The Returner” – Drew Lindsay, JT Nero & Allison Russell, songwriters (Allison Russell)

Best Immersive Audio Album
Blue Clear Sky — Chuck Ainlay, immersive mix engineer; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; Chuck Ainlay, immersive producer (George Strait)
Act 3 (Immersive Edition) – Ryan Ulyate, immersive mix engineer; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; Ryan Ulyate, immersive producer (Ryan Ulyate)
The Diary Of Alicia Keys – George Massenburg & Eric Schilling, immersive mix engineers; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; Alicia Keys & Ann Mincieli, immersive producers (Alicia Keys)
God Of War Ragnarök (Original Soundtrack) – Eric Schilling, immersive mix engineer; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; Kellogg Boynton, Peter Scaturro & Herbert Waltl, immersive producers (Bear McCreary)
Silence Between Songs – Aaron Short, immersive mastering engineer (Madison Beer)

Darius Rucker sat down with NBC’s Willie Geist for Sunday Today (October 8th), and the talked about  dedicating his new album, “Carolyn’s Boy,” to his mother, how an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” changed the trajectory of Hootie & the Blowfish and embarking on a solo country music career.

Loved this conversation with @WillieGeist! Thank you for helping to tell the story of ‘Carolyn’s Boy’ and so much more.

Watch the Sunday Sitdown on #SundayTODAY here: https://t.co/XZaVKancAG https://t.co/s4KNQ3wS7i

— Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) October 8, 2023

Reba McEntire premiered the music video for her new song, “Seven Minutes In Heaven,” on CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown over the weekend. The clip imagines what it would be like to be able to spend seven minutes in the afterlife with a special loved one, and for Reba, that would be her mother Jaqueline, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 93.

Dierks Bentley will issue a 10th anniversary edition of his 2010 album, Up on the Ridge, just in time for Record Store Day on November 24th. The collection, which will be pressed on orange vinyl, features special guests, including Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jamey Johnson, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss and Kris Kristofferson.

Mickey Guyton was announced as the featured performer at Helluva Block Party prior to Georgia Tech’s Family Weekend football game against Boston College on October 21st.

Priscilla Block will perform at Tracy Lawrence‘s 18th Annual Mission: Possible Turkey Fry and Benefit Concert at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon on November 21st. Lee Brice and Halfway to Hazard will also perform. The Turkey Fry is set to take place at the Nashville Fairgrounds that morning, followed by the concert that evening. Last year, Tracy’s event fried 1200 turkeys to benefit the Nashville Rescue Mission in helping to feed the homeless in Middle Tennessee.

Dalton Dover will perform the National Anthem prior to Monday’s (October 9th) game in Atlanta as the Braves play host to the Phillies in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

Tyler Hubbard will be one of the headliners at next year’s CMC Rocks QLD  at the Willowbank Raceway in Ispwich, Queensland March 15th – 17th. Lainey Wilson and Chris Young will also headline during the three-day festival. Priscilla Block, Chase Rice, Megan Moroney, Jackson Dean, Elvie Shane, Drake Milligan, Morgan Wade and Tyler Braden, among others, will also perform.

See y'all next year, Australia. CMC Rocks QLD 2024 tickets on sale now: https://t.co/PlJYtiCQXR pic.twitter.com/HZK7GHmdHY

— Tyler Hubbard (@tylerhubbard) October 8, 2023

Tyler Hubbard will appear on NBC’s TODAY Show on Tuesday (October 3rd) during the third hour of the show.

Tune in Tuesday y'all @TODAYshow pic.twitter.com/n6N2F9TAsG

— Tyler Hubbard (@tylerhubbard) September 27, 2023

Mickey Guyton performed at the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative launched by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday night (September 27th). According to the U.S. State Department website, the Initiative is “a worldwide effort to elevate music as a diplomatic tool to promote peace and democracy and support the United States’ broader foreign policy goals.  The Initiative aims to leverage public-private partnerships to create a music ecosystem that expands economic equity and the creative economy, ensures societal opportunity and inclusion and increases access to education.” Other performers included Dave Grohl, Herbie Hancock, Christopher Jackson, Aimee Mann & Paul Bryan, with a special video message from U-2‘s Bono. Quincy Jones was presented with the first-ever Peace through Music Award

https://twitter.com/MickeyGuyton/status/1707522660815553014

The War And Treaty have released their cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Cold,” which they performed at the recent ACM Honors in Nashville. It’s available to stream on your favorite platform.

https://twitter.com/warandtreaty/status/1707851922143666359

Dierks Bentley attended a recent fundraiser, “Gateway to the West,” the U.S. Ski Team puts on every year in St. Louis, Missouri. While performing, he brought up Mikaela Shiffrin, Olympic Gold Medalist (twice) skier who also holds the record in alpine skiing for most World Cup wins in the history of the sport, to join him on his song “I’ll Be The Moon.” The event raised over $1 Million to benefit all sports.

Pictured (L-R): Cindy Mabe/Chair & CEO, UMG Nashville, Luke Bryan, Kerri Edwards/KP Entertainment

Country music superstar and five-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan was honored today with a celebration for his career milestone of landing 30 #1 singles on country radio. Since his very first #1 single “Do I” landed atop of the charts in December 2009 to his thirtieth in December 2022 with “Country On” Luke has accumulated 56 total weeks at #1.

The evening kicked off with performances and anecdotes by some of Luke’s closest friends much to his surprise in multiple ‘this is your life’ moments. Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood from Lady A performed “Do I” followed by Dierks Bentley, who went on a hilarious riff comparing their #1 tallies, and sang “Play It Again.” Up next was Marty Raybon of Shenandoah, a long-time musical hero to Luke, who performed “Fast.” The final surprise performer was good friend Jason Aldean who sang Luke’s “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.”

After the guest performances Luke generously spent time to highlight many of the people who attended the party thanking them for their part in his career. He saw familiar faces in the crowd including dozens of songwriters who had written many of the 30 #1 hits, members of the industry including ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC representatives and more who all showed up to celebrate the success of one of country music’s most highly respected and likeable artists. Luke closed out the performances singing “Country On.” See photos here.

During his career, Luke has amassed a total of 21.7 Billion global streams, 11.5 Million global album sales and 52 Million track sales worldwide. He is the most digital single RIAA certified country artist of all time with 83 Million units and 15.5M album certified units for a total of 98.5M. He was recently presented with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award in recognition of his standing as one of the most streamed artists in SoundExchange’s 20-year history.

His headline concert tours have played sold-out shows for millions and millions of fans inclusive of nearly 40 stadium concerts, Farm Tours, Spring Break shows, and eight sold-out ‘Crash My Playa’ destination concert events. At Luke’s recent sold-out Bridgestone concert- his sixth consecutive- Billboard touted, the “key to his success as one of country music’s foremost ambassadors for more than a decade has been his long-perfected onstage blend of lovable goofball, sultry swagger and positive attitude.” This Thursday, Luke launches his 14^th Farm Tour and resumes the “Country On Tour” on September 28th.

Luke has won 50+ major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards—as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the Most Heard Artist of the Decade by Country Aircheck, and the Artist Humanitarian Recipient by the Country Radio Broadcasters.

On November 8th, Luke and NFL superstar Peyton Manning will return to host “The 57^th Annual CMA Awards” to be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena 8:00-11:00 PM/EST) on ABC. And in 2024, Luke, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will return as celebrity judges for their seventh season on ABC’s American Idol.

 30 career #1 singles:  

“Country On” – written by Mark Nesler, David Frasier, Mitch Oglesby, and Styles Haury 12-12-22

“Buy Dirt” Jordan Davis Feat. Luke Bryan 1-24-22

 “Waves”- written by Zach Crowell, Ryan Hurd and Chase McGill 8-30-21

“Down To One”- written by Dallas Davidson, Justin Ebach and Kyle Fishman 3-1-21

“One Margarita” – written by Michael Carter, Matt Dragstrem and Josh Thompson 7-6-21

“What She Wants Tonight”- written by Luke Bryan, Ross Copperman, Hillary Lindsey and Jon Nite 3-31-20

“Knockin’ Boots”- written by Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson and Jon Nite 9-9-19

“What Makes You Country”- written by Luke, Dallas Davidson and Ashley Gorley 2-27-19

“Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset”- written by Zach Crowell, Ryan Hurd and Chase McGill 9-10-18

“Most People Are Good”- written by David Frasier, Ed Hill and Josh Kear 3-26-18

“Light It Up”- written by Luke Bryan, Brad Tursi 12-11-17

“Fast”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird 4-3-17

“Move”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Michael Carter, Jay Clementi 11-7-16

“Huntin’, Fishin’, And Lovin’ Every Day”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip 6-20-16

“Home Alone Tonight”—Written by: Jody Stevens, Cole Taylor, Jaida Dreyer, Tommy Cecil 2-1-16

“Strip It Down—Written by: Luke Bryan, Jon Nite, Ross Copperman 10-19-15

“Kick The Dust Up”—Written by: Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley 8-3-15

“I See You”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Ashley Gorley, Luke Laird 2-2-15

“Roller Coaster”—Written by: Michael Carter, Cole Swindell 10-6-14

“Play It Again”—Written by: Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley 5-19-14

“Drink A Beer”—Written by: Jim Beavers, Chris Stapleton 2-3-14

“That’s My Kind of Night”—Written by: Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley 10-21-13

“Crash My Party”—Written by: Rodney Clawson, Ashley Gorley 7-1-13

“Only Way I Know” Jason Aldean, Feat Luke Bryan   2-4-13

“Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Jeff Stevens, Shane McAnally 11-5-12

“Drunk On You”—Written by: Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins, Josh Kear 6-4-12

“I Don’t Want This Night To End”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip 1-16-12

“Someone Else Calling You Baby”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Jeff Stevens 2-13-11

“Rain Is A Good Thing”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson 7-11-10

“Do I”—Written by: Luke Bryan, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley 12-13-09

Dierks Bentley continued to prove why he is a “Country music staple,” (Esquire) wrapping the Gravel & Gold Tour with two nights at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO. The tour follows his acclaimed tenth studio album of the same name, released in February, that Rolling Stone hailed for its “mix that spans contemporary country, classic sounds, bluegrass, and Southern rock.”

On night one of Red Rocks–Tuesday, September 5th–Bentley welcomed special guests Harper O’Neill, The Red Clay Strays, and Ashley McBryde. Bentley invited Red Clay Strays’ vocalists Brandon Coleman and Drew Nix back to the stage for a special cover of Waylon Jennings’ “Lonesome, On’ry and Mean.” McBryde also made a second appearance, performing their honky-tonk duet “Cowboy Boots.” Night two (Wednesday, Sept. 6) saw opening performances from Tanner Usrey, Kaitlin Butts, and Colorado mainstays The Infamous Stringdusters, who later joined Bentley for a rendition of bluegrass standard “Rovin’ Gambler.” During both nights, Bentley played a discography mix of old and new, including fan favorites from Gravel & Gold, “Gold,” “Something Real,” and the ever-fitting “Sun Sets in Colorado.”

“I’m always trying to create a rollercoaster that I get to ride on, not just the fans. The second I walk on stage, I don’t want to have to work anymore. I want to have fun. And that’s why I spend months rehearsing this show over and over and over and over and over and over,” Bentley recently told CMT. “I don’t have to rehearse anymore. I step on the escalator, and it’s going to take me exactly where I want to go–the fans. And this one, I think, does it better than ever.”

Since kicking off in June, the Gravel & Gold Tour has traveled to notable venues across the country and featured a multitude of special guests including Jordan Davis, Elle King, Tracy Lawrence, Tyler Braden, Caylee Hammack, Kameron Marlowe, Caitlyn Smith, Hailey Whitters, The Cadillac Three, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Shane Smith & The Saints and Bentley’s own Hot Country Knights.

Dierks is making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Something Real.”

Dierks Bentley‘s Whiskey Row will be the new home for Nashville’s musical discovery series, Whiskey Jam, which has hosted over 875 live events in its 13 years serving the artist and songwriting community. Starting September 18th, Whiskey Jam’s regular Monday and Thursday events will take place at the new location. “When we started construction on Whiskey Row seven years ago, my first call was to Ward because I knew he would be able to help us establish a music program that’s representative of the most authentic parts of Nashville, which was really important to me,” said Dierks. “This feels like a natural evolution in our relationship. I’m proud to know that my bar will be home base for artists and fans who want to hear original music of all kinds.”

Chris Stapleton has partnered with Alaska outfitters brand Filson. The new luggage set is titled the Travellers Collection, and it will include five bags and a custom T-shirt. The complete collection will be available October 5th, but you can purchase the T-shirt with all proceeds from the sale of the Tee going to Chris and Morgane Stapleton’s Outlaw State of Kind charity.

Sam Hunt appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday (September 1st). He performed several songs, including his latest single, “Outskirts,” as well as his multi-platinum, multi-week No. 1 “Body Like A Backroad,” “House Party” and “23.” He also talked about life on the road with his wife and daughter, expecting baby no. 2 and how he’s working on new music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FirA0GsvyQE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op2JhuRb9QI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYpnq3X_sKQ

Darius Rucker appeared on NBC’s TODAY Show on Friday (September 1st). Between performances on the Citi Concert stage, Darius talked about his upcoming album, “Carolyn’s Boy” — his first album in six years. He also opened up about being an empty nester now that his children are all out of the house with his youngest, son Jack, heading off to college. Darius performed his new song, “Have A Good Time,” “Fires Don’t Start Themselves,” his fan-favorite smash “Wagon Wheel” and his recent No. 1 “Beers And Sunshine.”

Dierks Bentley is gearing up for a two-night play at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater September 5th and 6th.  On September 5th, Bentley’s headlining set will be available to stream live to fans across the world on Veeps.com and the Veeps app on Roku, Apple TV, iOS, and Android starting at 10 pm CT.  Across the two nights, Bentley will welcome opening acts Ashley McBryde, The Red Clay Strays, Harper O’Neill, The Infamous Stringdusters, Tanner Usrey and Kaitlin Butts.

Over the past three months, the “country music staple” (Esquire) and his “Gravel & Gold” tour have welcomed a multitude of special guests, including Jordan Davis, Elle King, Ashley McBryde, Tracy Lawrence, Tyler Braden, Caylee Hammack, Kameron Marlowe, Caitlyn Smith, Hailey Whitters, The Cadillac Three, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, The Red Clay Strays, Shane Smith & The Saints.  As Rolling Stone notes, “Bentley excels at bringing people together and right when the genre needs it most.”

Dierks Bentley recently released his 10th studio album GRAVEL & GOLD, again “proving why he’s one of Country’s biggest stars” (TODAY) whose unique 21st-century career has had a rare consistency fueled by longevity. He landed his first publishing deal in 2001 and released his debut album in 2003, producing an instant number one single. In the two decades since, Bentley has achieved success with eight more albums that reached the top of the Country sales charts, resulting in 22 No. One songs, eight billion streams, three CMA Awards, 14 GRAMMY® nominations and membership into the Grand Ole Opry. Bentley is currently crisscrossing North America on his GRAVEL & GOLD TOUR through the summer. He has also created professional endeavors outside of the music with his Flag & Anthem lifestyle collection Desert Son, along with his “Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row” franchise hosting four locations. For more information and for a full list of tour dates, visit Dierks.com.

Dierks Bentley, Priscilla Block and Jordan Davis will be featured on CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown this weekend. Catch all the action this Saturday (July 29th) and Sunday (July 30th) beginning at 9am ET/8am CT.

It’s like a smorgasbord of country music! This weekend #cmtHot20 hits it out of the park with Priscilla Block, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, Dylan Scott and more! Plus, an all-new countdown with today’s hottest videos, Sat & Sun at 9a/8c on @CMT! pic.twitter.com/EdfxKO5fji

— CMT Hot 20 Countdown (@cmtHot20) July 26, 2023

Jordan Davis will be featured on CMT’s Summer Sessions performing some new songs as well as some of his biggest hits on August 4th.

Carrie Underwood supported husband and former NHL player, Mike Fisher, as he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame earlier this week.

Congratulations, babe! So proud of you!!! I can think of no one more deserving! Glad me and the boys could celebrate you and your accomplishments… #blessed https://t.co/5UbWk0VzJN

— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) July 27, 2023

Reba McEntire will livestream her recent show from Madison Square Garden with Veeps. If you purchase tickets for the event, you can also pre-order her book, “Not That Fancy” at a special price. For more information, go to veeps.com/reba.

Join me on August 13th for an electrifying livestream event on @Veeps, of my show from @TheGarden!

Plus, ticket purchasers can pre-order my new book, "Not That Fancy" at a special price, releasing on October 10! Get your ticket at https://t.co/uLKXPaSpKX! pic.twitter.com/JfJZLAvTGa

— Reba McEntire (@reba) July 25, 2023

Vince Gill and Paul Franklin will talk about their new project, Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys on TalkShop Live on Monday (July 31st) beginning at 7pm ET/6pm CT.

https://twitter.com/VGcom/status/1684215910804987906

Dierks Bentley, along with Elle King and Lainey Wilson, host this year’s CMA Fest primetime television special. The three-hour show, airing Wednesday (July 19th), features amazing performances by some of today’s biggest country stars, as well as extraordinary collaborations, including Dierks, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, Vince Gill, Tyler Hubbard, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Jon Pardi, Darius Rucker and Keith Urban. Additional performances include Elle, Lainey, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, HARDY, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Avril Lavigne, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce, Jason Aldean, Ashley McBryde, Leon Bridges and Tanya Tucker.

For Dierks, CMA Fest week was one of reflecting back over his career, but also a chance for him to be a fan. “For me, it’s a magical week of reflection and being a fan. I’m playing, but also just like total fan mode,” he says. “I’ve always said I’m a fan of country music first and foremost, and this weekend is a great place to be a fan. It’s just the best of the best.”

Of his two co-hosts, Dierks had the best time working alongside them. “I get to co-host this with two of the funniest people I know – Elle King and Lainey Wilson. I mean, yes, talented beyond all talent, both incredible stylists vocally that sound like nobody else, great songwriters. You can list all that stuff. Whatever. Who cares? They’re funny. They’re so fun to be around. They make you laugh the whole time, so it doesn’t even feel like work. It just feels like this is ridiculous that I get the chance to hang out with these girls.”

Check out CMA Fest, dubbed the Music Event of the Summer, on Wednesday (July 19th) at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC. The special will also be available the next day on Hulu.

Alabama — “Mountain Music”
Jason Aldean — “Try That In A Small Town”
Dierks Bentley — “Gold”
Luke Bryan — “But I Got A Beer In My Hand”
Eric Church — “Smoke a Little Smoke”/ "Bad Mother Trucker”
Luke Combs — “Love You Anyway”
Dan + Shay — “Speechless”
Jordan Davis — “Buy Dirt”
Vince Gill and Luke Combs — “One More Last Chance”
HARDY — “TRUCK BED”
HARDY featuring Lainey Wilson — “wait in the truck”
Tyler Hubbard — “Dancin’ In The Country”
Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”
Cody Johnson — “’Til You Can’t”
Cody Johnson and Reba McEntire — “Whoever’s In New England”
Elle King featuring Miranda Lambert — “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”
Miranda Lambert and Leon Bridges — “If You Were Mine”
Miranda Lambert and Avril Lavigne — “Kerosene/Sk8er Boi”
Little Big Town — “Wine, Beer, Whiskey”
Ashley McBryde — “Light On In The Kitchen”
Tim McGraw — “Standing Room Only”
Jo Dee Messina and Carly Pearce — “I’m Alright”
Old Dominion — “Memory Lane”
Jon Pardi — “Your Heart Or Mine”
Carly Pearce — “What He Didn’t Do”
Darius Rucker — “Fires Don’t Start Themselves”
Tanya Tucker with Elle King and Lainey Wilson — “Texas (When I Die)”
Keith Urban — “Wild Hearts”
Lainey Wilson — “Watermelon Moonshine” 


						

							
							

								
								
Audio / Darius Rucker talks about all of the amazing happenings at CMA Fest.
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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, who is co-hosting CMA Fest TV special, says not only is he a performer, but attending as a fan, as well.
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Dierks Bentley (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …best of the best. :48

“This is a great weekend for me, ‘cause I get to go from the Station Inn to the Stadium. I mean, I get to run my whole life in that little, you know, I started off going to watch a band play at the Station Inn back in 1994 with dreams of one day trying to make it as a country artist and nothing says country artist like playing the Stadium here in Nashville. So, it’s kind of a look back at my life in a short six-day period, and even the Hot Country Knights is like that’s to me Lower Broadway at its best…or worst. But, so it’s really, for me it’s a magical week of reflection and being a fan. I’m playing, but also just like total fan mode. I’ve always said I’m a fan of country music first and foremost, and this weekend is a great place to be a fan. It’s just the best of the best.”
								
							
							
													
						
					    

						

							
							

								
								
Audio /  DIERKS BENTLEY TALKS ABOUT HOSTING THIS YEAR'S CMA FEST WITH ELLE KING AND LAINEY WILSON.
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Dierks Bentley (hosting CMA Fest 2023) OC: …of all time. 1:01

“Hosting the CMA Fest is the ultimate gig. It’s so fun. I mean, I’ve hosted some big awards show as well and those are great too, but this is a four-day festival, so I get to be there for four days. And which if I was doing it by myself, it would be great because you get a chance to see all your artist buddies you don’t see very often, hear great music, see the all-stars of the country music fans, people that travel from all over the world to be here and they bring the most energy. It’s the greatest fans to play in front of, BUT I get to co-host this with two of the funniest people I know – Elle King and Lainey Wilson. I mean, yes, talented beyond all talent, both incredible stylists vocally that sound like nobody else, great songwriters. You can list all that stuff. Whatever. Who cares? They’re funny. They’re so fun to be around. They make you laugh the whole time, so it doesn’t even feel like work. It just feels like this is ridiculous that I get the chance to hang out with these girls. So, yeah, we’re hosting the CMA Fest. Last year it was Elle and I; this year we’re bringing on Lainey Wilson. It’s gonna be…it’s fun. It’s going to be so much fun. I cannot wait. It’s gonna be the greatest CMA Fest of all time.”
								
							
							
													
						
					   

						

							
							

								
								
Audio / Eric Church says CMA Fest is special and unique to country music.
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Eric Church (CMA Music Fest) OC: …barrage of  music. :32

“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 because country music is the one format 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.”
								
							
							
													
						
					   

						

							
							

								
								
Audio / KEITH URBAN TALKS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT SURROUNDING CMA FEST.
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Keith Urban (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …always need it, though. :29

“The good thing about CMA Fest is it’s historically always comes at a time when it feels like we need it the most. When we were here back in 2010 after the Nashville floods and doing a special performance, I think CMA Fest was really acknowledging what everybody had gone through and the floods, and so I think it’s such a community spirit out there, not just Nashville, but the country community coming together and celebrating life and the moment. We always need it, though.”
								
							
							
													
						
					   

						

							
							

								
								
Audio / Luke Bryan talks about playing CMA Fest.
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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.”
								
							
							
													
						
					    

						

							
							

								
								
Audio / VINCE GILL TALKS ABOUT CMA FEST, FORMERLY KNOWN AS FAN FAIR.
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Vince Gill (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …grateful. 1:03

“This is a genre of music unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. It’s a grateful artist base. It’s grateful for the people that give us the opportunity to do what we do, you know, whether it’s at the Fairgrounds or whether it’s a bigger place. I don’t know if it ever really mattered. All those people out there that buy a ticket to come and do this whether they stand in line to get somebody’s autograph or go to a show or whatever. They’re just here because they like what we do, you know? And it feels good to let them know they’re appreciated and not be standoffish and not be that way. So, I’ve always enjoyed it. This is about my 40th year of doing anything connected with whatever they call it. (laughs) I don’t even know anymore (laughs), but it’s still the same thing. It’s just a bunch of people that loves what everybody does and man, it’s great for everybody to hang and just sitting backstage running into so and so and running into so and so, you don’t get to see them very often. So, you know grateful.”