• NEW YEAR’S LINERS 2020

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (New Year) 1

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    “Hey Everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (New Year) 2

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    “Hey Everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick. Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Brandon Lay (New Year)

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    “What’s up everybody? This is Brandon Lay, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (New Year)

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    “Hey! This is TJ, and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne. Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER CARRIE UNDERWOOD (NEW YEAR)

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    “Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER CAYLEE HAMMACK (NEW YEAR)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (New Year)

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    “Hey! This is Chrissy Metz, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Happy New Year!

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey! It’s Eric Church, hoping you have a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (New Year)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Gary Allan. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (New Year) 1

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    “Hey y’all! I’m Jon Langston, wishing you a very Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (New Year)

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    “Hi! I’m Jon Pardi, wishing you a Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (New Year)

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    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey! I’m Josh Turner. Happy New Year!”

     

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (New Year)

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    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, hoping you have a safe and Happy New Year!”

     

    Audio / LINER Kassi Ashton (New Year)

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    “Hey! It’s Kassi Ashton. I’d love to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (New Year)

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    “Hey everyone! This is Keith Urban. Have a safe and happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (New Year)

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    “It’s Kip Moore, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (New Year)

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    “Hey! It’s Kylie Morgan, wishing you a very Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (New Year)

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    “This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (New Year)

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    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (New Year)

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    “Hey! This is Luke Bryan, hoping you have a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (New Year)

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    “Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (New Year)

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    “Hey! This is Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (New Year)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (New Year)

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    “Hey, it’s Priscilla Block, wishing you a very Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Happy New Year)

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    “Hi! This is Shania Twain. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (New Year)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Travis Denning, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

  • CHRISTMAS 2020: Eric Church

    Eric Church had certain family Christmas traditions, ones he wants to carry over into his immediate family, which includes his wife, Katherine, and two sons, Boone and  Hawk. One tradition, though, is very significant and puts everything into perspective for him and the rest of his family. “My grandmother, when she was alive, would always come over, and every year she would bring this Christmas story, and some of them were gut-wrenching. I’m not going to lie to you,” says Eric. “They were just heart-tugging stories…about a Christmas miracle…and she would always look all year long and find this story, and then we would have breakfast and she would read it, and it was just our family and we’ve carried that [tradition] on. My mom does that now and she’s kind of taken it and she finds the story, and that’s something I’m going to do with my family.”

    The North Carolina native is making his way up the country charts with “Hell of a View.”

    Audio / ERIC CHURCH AND HIS FAMILY HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS, BUT ONE OF HIS FAVORITES WAS THEIR CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST.

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    Eric Church (Christmas tradition) OC: …as fortunate. :58
    “My grandmother, when she was alive, would always come over, and every year she would bring this Christmas story, and some of them were gut-wrenching. I’m not going to lie to you. They were just heart tugging stories about people who had had…about a Christmas miracle, who had something happen to them; something magical for Christmas that had turned life around…whether it was a homeless person, or just anything,” says Eric. “She would always look all year long and find this story, and then we would have breakfast and she would read it, and it was just our family and we’ve carried that on. My mom does that now and she’s kind of taken it and she finds the story, and that’s something I’m going to do with my family. And Katherine and I have talked about it. It’ll be her turn to find that, and we have a big Christmas breakfast and we sit around and we share that. It’s just a neat thing, family-wise, to have that and to always wonder what that story is going to be and what it’s going to be about, and sometimes they’re brutal. I mean it can be hard, you know. You get up on Christmas morning and you’re in a good mood and they’re just gut-wrenching, you know, but it’s fun to put things in perspective, and it makes you think about people that aren’t as fortunate.”

  • ERIC CHURCH THANKS FAMILY, ROAD CREW & CHURCH CHOIR FOR “DOING LIFE WITH ME” IN NEW SONG, OUT NOW.

    Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and current GRAMMY nominee Eric Church continues his ongoing string of new song releases as the year comes to a close, unveiling another glimpse at the breadth of music to come via “Doing Life With Me,” available now.

    Written by Church together with Casey Beathard (“Mr. Misunderstood,” “Hell Of A View”) and Jeffrey Steele (“Stick That In Your Country Song”), the reflective song sees Church expressing gratitude for those by his side through the journey of a musical career:

    “I don’t pray much anymore / for this old troubadour’s / happiness, wishes, wants and needs / end of my ropes, hopes and dreams / Spend my livin’ giving thanks / for the ships I never sank / every big, every little in the everyday things / the notes and the words and the songs I sing / to the ones doing life with me”

     

     

    Like the releases before it, “Doing Life With Me” is the result of a marathon writing session Church spent sequestered in a rural North Carolina cabin where the man celebrated by American Songwriter for “his prolific and passionate fervor for musical creation” wrote and recorded a song from start to finish each day for nearly a month.

    Additional releases include current singleHell Of A View” and current GRAMMY-nominee “Stick That In Your Country Song,” as well as “Bad Mother Trucker,” “Crazyland” and “Through My Ray-Bans.” In addition to the official releases, Church has also shared previews of unreleased music with performances on ACM Presents: Our Country (“Never Break Heart”) and Stagecouch (“Jenny”) as fans eagerly await news of a forthcoming project.

    The new music follows Church’s most recent critically acclaimed album, 2018’s Desperate Man, which was named one of the year’s best by BillboardEntertainment WeeklyEsquireLos Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling StoneVariety and Vulture, also earning a GRAMMY nod for Best Country Album (his third nomination in the category).

    For more information, visit www.ericchurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic.

    “Doing Life With Me” Lyrics: linked HERE

    “Doing Life With Me” Credits:
    Songwriters: Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Jeffrey Steele
    Vocals: Eric Church, Joanna Cotten
    Instrumentation:
    Billy Justineau – Piano, Synthesizer
    Charlie Worsham – Electric Guitar, Mandolin
    Craig Wright – Drums
    Jay Joyce – Electric Guitar, Keyboards
    Jeff Hyde – Acoustic Guitar
    Jeffrey Steele – Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocals
    Lee Hendricks – Bass

    About Eric Church
    The four-time Country Music Association and seven-time Academy of Country Music Award winner released his most recent critically acclaimed and GRAMMY nominated album, Desperate Man, atop the Billboard Country Albums chart in late 2018. The album, featuring his latest No. 1 hit “Some Of It,” also debuted at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Church returned to the road in 2019 for his chart-topping Double Down Tour, with back-to-back nights of two unique shows sans-opening act giving fans 6+ hours of his iconic music in each city. The tour also featured a massive stop at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, where Church broke the venue’s concert attendance record with 56,521 fans just two weeks before awing the same stadium’s audience with a 30-minute, solo acoustic CMA Fest set featuring a medley of 17 hits. “Stick That In Your Country Song,” released on June 25, is the lead single off a forthcoming project born from a sequestered session in rural North Carolina where he wrote and recorded a song per day for nearly a month.

  • CHRISTMAS LINERS 2020

    Here are some holiday liners from UMG Nashville artists, including Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Caylee Hammack, Chrissy Metz, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kacey Musgraves, Kassi Ashton, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Kylie Morgan, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Travis Denning and more!

     

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Christmas)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

     

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick. Happy Holidays.”

     

    Audio / LINER AJ (Christmas)

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    “Hi! This is Alan Jackson, and I’m wishing y’all a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Happy Holiday Season)

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    “Hi! Billy Currington here, wishing you and your family a safe and Happy Holiday Season.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is T.J., and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Christmas)

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    “Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Christmas) 2

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    “Hey, it’s Carrie Underwood. From our house to yours – Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Christmas) 1

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    “Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Christmas) 2

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    “Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack. Merry Christmas!”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack. Happy Holidays, everybody!”

    Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey! This is Chrissy Metz, wishing you Happy Holidays.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Christmas)

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    “Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

     

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey everybody! It’s Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Happy Holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Christmas)

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    “Hey everybody! It’s Eric Church, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is Gary Allan. Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey everybody! This is George Strait, wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Christmas)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Jon Langston, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Jon Langston. Happy Holidays!”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Merry Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is Jon Pardi, wishing you a Merry Christmas!”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Christmas)

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    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey! I’m Josh Turner, wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is Kacey Musgraves, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Christmas)

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    “Hi folks, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Holiday season)

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    “Hi everyone, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and all your family the very best this holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Christmas)

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    “Hey guys, this is Kip Moore, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Kip Moore. Happy Holidays!”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Christmas)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Christmas)

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    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Holidays!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Christmas)

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    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan. Happy Holidays!”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Christmas)

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    “Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae. Happy Holidays.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Christmas)

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    “Hey! It’s Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey, I’m Parker McCollum, and I’m wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Christmas)

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    “Hey-Reba here-hoping you have a very Merry Christmas. Ho, Ho, Ho.”

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey, this is Reba, wishing you a Happy Holiday Season.”

     

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Christmas)

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    “Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Happy Holidays!”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Christmas)

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    “Hi! This is Shania Twain, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Taylor Swift (Happy Holiday Season)

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    “Hey, this is Taylor Swift, wishing you a very Happy Holiday Season.”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey! I’m Travis Denning. Happy Holidays.”

     

     

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN, ERIC CHURCH, VINCE GILL, BROTHERS OSBORNE AND MICKEY GUYTON EARN GRAMMY NODS.

    The nominees for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards were announced this week, and several UMG Nashville artists are in the running. Little Big Town picked up two nods for Best Country Album for Nightfall, as well as one for Best Country Duo/Group for “Sugar Coat,” along with Brothers Osborne for “All Night.”

    John and TJ Osborne earn their six Grammy nod and they say they’re still surprised.

    Eric Church’s “Stick That in Your Country Song,” Vince Gill’s “When My Amy Prays” and Mickey Guyton’s “Black Like Me” are nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.

     

    Of significant note, Taylor Swift earned six nominations. Folklore, a follow-up to her Lover album, was nominated for best pop vocal album. The album’s lead pop single, “Cardigan,” was also recognized in the overall Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance categories. Her collaboration with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, “Exile,” received a nod in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. If that wasn’t all, the “betty” artist earned a nomination for best song written for visual media for her collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber on Cats’ “Beautiful Ghosts.”

    The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards will air live January 31st beginning at 8pm ET. The pre-telecast ceremony will take place earlier in the day via streaming starting at 3pm ET.

    Best Country Album

    Lady Like, Ingrid Andress
    Your Life Is a Record, Brandy Clark
    Wildcard, Miranda Lambert
    Nightfall, Little Big Town
    Never Will, Ashley McBryde

    Best Country Solo Performance

    “Stick That in Your Country Song,” Eric Church
    “Who You Thought I Was,” Brandy Clark
    “When My Amy Prays,” Vince Gill
    “Black Like Me,” Mickey Guyton

    “Bluebird,” Miranda Lambert

    Best Country Duo / Group Performance

    “All Night,” Brothers Osborne
    “10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber
    “Ocean,” Lady A
    “Sugar Coat,” Little Big Town
    “Some People Do,” Old Dominion

  • THANKSGIVING 2020

    The Thanksgiving holiday tradition traces its origins to a 1621 celebration at Plymouth, in the state that’s now known as Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. While initially, the Plymouth colony did not have enough food to feed half of the 102 colonists, the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by providing seeds and teaching them to fish. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival like this did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s. People now celebrate the holiday by giving thanks for their blessings over the past year, as well as feasting on turkey and other festive goodies.

    Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26th, and this year will most likely be a little different from previous years due to the global pandemic. Most people might be enjoying time with a small group of their friends and families, including some of your favorite country stars, such as Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Caylee Hammack, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning and more. They share their thoughts of thanks this year, their lessons in gratitude, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes. (More audio will be added.)

    Click here for liners.

     

    Audio / Adam Hambrick says he’s very thankful to his family.

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    Adam Hambrick (Thanksgiving) OC: …I was raised. :32
    “I know this sounds very cheesy, but I am very thankful for my family. A lot of the good things that have happened in my life are just a result of being raised in a family with two parents that love each other, with sisters that I love and being raised in a community of people, even outside of my family, that’s just a lot of love and a lot of care. Those are the things that raise a person up to be successful, and I am a success because of the way I was raised.”

     

    Audio / Adam Hambrick says his Grandfather’s turkey and dressing and a special side dish signals Thanksgiving.

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    Adam Hambrick (Thanksgiving food) OC: …Thanksgiving. :21
    “Oh man. Give me Granddaddy’s turkey and dressing and just the friggin’ canned cranberry sauce, [laughs] like I’ll suck it down like a champ. There’s just something about the canned cranberry sauce with my Granddaddy’s turkey and dressing that will always taste like Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    AJ (Thanksgiving) OC: …enjoy it. :19
    “My favorite Thanksgiving dish would be the homemade dressin’ that we, cornbread-based kind of dressin’ that we always have with turkey. That recipe is a kind of a combination of my mama, and Denise has taken it and perfected it over the years, so that me and my children really enjoy it.”

    Audio / Brandon Lay says 2020 has been a heck of a year, but the bright spot was the birth of his daughter, Lara June, earlier this year.

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    Brandon Lay (Thanksgiving) OC: …thankful for. :22
    “I tell you what, this year has been a crazy year. I mean 2020 will have an asterisk beside it for the rest of history, no doubt. My bright spot was my little girl being born in June right in the middle of all of this craziness. When I look around at all of the bad things that have happened, I look at her and realize how much I’ve got to be thankful for.”

    Audio / Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne talks about their annual Misfits Thanksgiving dinner.

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    Brothers Osborne (misfits Thanksgiving) OC: …going home. :45
    “What we’ve done the past several years is because it’s so hard to go home, we would have what we call the Misfit Thanksgiving dinner, and all the people in Nashville who aren’t able to go home to their families, we would just invite them over to our house and have a big potluck style Thanksgiving dinner. We’ll take like a couple of tables and throw them together and throw some sheets on it just to make it look nice. It’s a very redneck display of like tableware, because all the plates don’t match an d the forks and knives don’t match, but we don’t care. People will bring wine, and at the end of the day, we’ll probably have 12-15 people all sitting at dinner together that weren’t able to go home with their families, and just enjoy it with friends. It’s been really fun. Definitely a lot less stress than going home.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she and her family don’t have too many Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving) OC: …the other one. :34
    “We don’t have too many set-in-stone Thanksgiving traditions. I find myself a lot of times working on or around Thanksgiving or unable to get home or whatever. We try to be together, but sometimes that just doesn’t work out. But yeah, I mean, I think it’s just about we eat. I eat a lot every year on Thanksgiving. [laughs] I never skip THAT tradition. But yeah, that’s the gist of it, and I’m kind of lucky. I get two Thanksgivings, because I also get to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, so if I don’t hit one, I’ll definitely be able to get the other one.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, because she gets to just spend time with her family.

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    Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving) OC: …favorite holiday. :27
    “Thanksgiving is the one holiday where we stay at home. We stay at my family’s house, and it’s just me, my mom and dad, my brother and sister and their families. We all sit around and just eat all day. And I love Thanksgiving because you don’t have to worry about getting gifts for people; you don’t have to worry about wrapping them. You just show up and you eat all day with the people you love. So, I absolutely love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack talks about her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …cranberry jelly. :15
    “My favorite Thanksgiving meal (dish) is definitely cornbread dressing. My mom makes the best, er, some people call it stuffing, but I’ve always called it dressing for some reason. But I love that with canned cranberry jelly.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about his favorite part of Thanksgiving.

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    Darius Rucker (favorite part of Thanksgiving) OC: …my family. :17
    “My favorite part of Thanksgiving is easy – it’s food. It’s eating. It’s hanging out with family and getting some great food, ‘cause that’s really what Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for all of the great things you’ve got, and I always give thanks for the greatest thing I’ve got and that’s my family.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says Thanksgiving Day is a big sporting day for him.

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    Darius Rucker (Thanksgiving Day favorite sporting day) OC: …big for me. :10
    “Thanksgiving Day is my favorite sports day of the year. It’s crazy how much football you get to watch (laughs) on Thanksgiving Day, so I really like that a lot. Thanksgiving is big for me.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, who is thankful for his wife, two daughters and son, talks about his Thanksgiving must-have! It’s an oldie, but a goodie!

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    Dierks Bentley (Thanksgiving must-have) OC: …for Thanksgiving. :34
    “You gotta have a big turkey. Thanksgiving is not possible without a turkey. We cook it traditionally, but when we’re in, a couple of Thanksgivings ago, we were here in Nashville, we did the whole fry the turkey up, and it was great. It just tasted so good; all those juices get locked in there, and I love that too. You really can’t, to me, cook a turkey wrong. I’m gonna eat it any way, and I have over the years. Trust me, I’ve played a lot of county and state fairs, where I’ve seen gigantic turkey legs, you know, I’ve had the flat meat. I’ve done turkey every way you could do it. I’m pretty good any way you want to cook it up, but you’ve got to have a turkey for Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / Eric Church talks about what he's thankful for during the crazy year that's been 2020.

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    Eric Church (Thanksgiving 2020) OC: …out with them. :38
    You know, this has been a helluva year, and one thing I’m most thankful for is my family, their health, you know, we’ve all, I think, grown closer during this. I’m looking forward to a more normal 2021. I don’t know if it’ll be normal, but it will be more normal and getting closer to that and then an absolutely normal 2022 is how I see the next two years. For me, I’m just thankful that I’ve been with my family and we’ve all stayed healthy and I’ve gotten to hang out with them.”

    Audio / Jon Langston talks about his Thanksgiving tradition.

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    Jon Langston (Thanksgiving) OC: …pretty cool. :21
    “We always watch football on Thanksgiving. It was pretty cool in high school. It was a big deal in high school if you had practice on Thanksgiving Day because you made third round of the playoffs. So, in high school we always had practice on Thanksgiving, so I guess that was pretty cool. Everybody’s waking up on a cold Thanksgiving morning going to football practice, but yeah, pretty cool.”

     

    Audio / Josh Turner shares his favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

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    Josh Turner (fave side dish) OC: …’em myself. [laughs] :24
    “Uh, deviled eggs! [laughs] Where I’m from in South Carolina, I don’t think I’ve tasted a bad deviled egg. It’s like everybody has their own twist on it, but they’re all good, but I always loved it when my mama made ‘em. I’m learning as I get older, making deviled eggs is no easy task. It’s more complicated than it looks, and so that’s probably why I never made ‘em myself.” [laughs]

    Audio / Josh Turner explains what he enjoys about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

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    Josh Turner (holidays) OC: …the peace and quiet. :38
    “I love being outside in nature and the outdoors, and the holidays is a great time for me to go and partake in that part of my life. A lot of times, Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a little cold to go fishing, but when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a great time to go hunting, especially in South Carolina, that’s when the temperatures are starting to drop and the conditions are getting right, and especially in November, kind of the tail end of the rut, as far as deer season. So, it’s a good time to get in the deer stand whether you kill anything or not, it’s just a great time to just get away from everything and get away from the noise and the lights and the diesel fumes [laughs] and just relax and just enjoy the peace and quiet.”

    Audio / Kassi Ashton talks about what she's most thankful for this year.

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    Kassi Ashton (Thanksgiving 2020) OC: …the new year. :32
    “Even though this year has basically put the music industry on pause and has been difficult for all of us, I think the thing I’m most thankful for is one, the people around me that I love so much; the relationships that keep me sane and I do the same for them in return. And a step back being able to refill my creative tank, focusing in on what I want to say, what I want to put out in the world and finding a way to take all that and move forward into the new year.”

    Audio / Keith Urban gives thanks for many things, including his wife and two daughters.

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    Keith (Thanksgiving) OC: …for me. :21
    “Thankful that, well, my marriage is just, it’s life-giving, not just life-changing, it’s been life-giving for me. And from there, we created life, and that’s just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And the effect that all of that has had in my work, has given life to it too, given it a sense of purpose and really deepened the experience for me.”

    Audio / The members of Little Big Town love Thanksgiving since they get time off to be with their families.

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    LBT (Thanksgiving) 2 OC: (Kimberly) …and eat. :31

    KIMBERLY: “Thanksgiving—we love Thanksgiving, ‘cause we get to be with our families and we don’t often get to spend time with our families, our extended families, until the holidays. I love being around the table with my family and talking and laughing and cooking and eating…” JIMI: “And eating and eating and eating and eating…” PHILLIP: “The laughter around the eating, the good cheer, the celebration, the music…” JIMI: “The eating, going taking a nap, then coming back and eating.” KIMBERLY: “Go to bed with a full belly, take a nap, and then get up and eat.”

    [[audio-player-19]

    Audio / Mickey Guyton reveals her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    Mickey Guyton (favorite Thanksgiving dish) OC: …both so much! :39
    “My favorite Thanksgiving dish that has to, has to, has to be at Thanksgiving dinner is dessert. Dessert is my favorite Thanksgiving dish. I mean, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s sweet. My mom actually makes an Italian cream cake that’s absolutely awesome. It’s homemade, and the entire family, that’s the first thing to go at Thanksgiving dinner. And my Grandma D, she makes a pecan pie that is awesome. She taught me how to make them when I was little, and I just love them, and that’s the other thing that I look forward to at Thanksgiving dinner, and I love them both so much!”

    Audio / Parker McCollum is very thankful for his family’s health this year with a global pandemic still raging.

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    Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving 2020) OC: …granted in 2020. :15
    “I would just say probably my family being healthy and alive more so, I know it’s kind of a cliché thing to say, but I think this year it kind of holds a little more weight, just with everything going on. To be alive and breathing is, don’t want to take that for granted in 2020.”

    Audio / One of Parker McCollum’s favorite dishes at Thanksgiving is his Aunt’s creamed corn.

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    Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …creamed corn. Mmm hmmm. “04
    “My Aunt’s creamed corn is pretty bomb. I love creamed corn. Mmm hmmm.”

     

    Audio / Priscilla Block, who began 2020 as a struggling singer-songwriter trying to make ends meet and getting kicked out of her apartment to signing a record deal and having a bonafide hit on country radio, talks about how very thankful she is this year.

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    Priscilla Block (Thanksgiving 2020) OC: …grateful for that. :22
    “It is so crazy to even put what I’m thankful for into one thing, or the greatest thing, because this has been the best year of my life, the best and the worst year of my life. And I’m so thankful that the worst year of my life flipped upside down and it has been the best year, and I am forever grateful for that.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block describes a typical Thanksgiving holiday with her family.

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    Priscilla Block (Thanksgiving) OC: …so much. :34
    “Thanksgiving has always been chaos, actually any holiday that my entire family is there is straight chaos. But for Thanksgiving, we all try so hard to be together and it’s such a fun holiday to, my family’s a little cheesy. Like, we actually still go around the table and being like, ‘What are you thankful for?’ ‘What are you thankful for?’ So, that means a lot where it’s not about presents, it’s not about anything else. It’s just about truly being thankful, and that’s why I love Thanksgiving so much.”

     

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about his favorite Thanksgiving eats.

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    Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …all disappears. :12
    “When I pile my plate up, it’s mostly turkey and then I’ll put a little dressing on the side, and I’ll usually go ahead and grab my dessert on the first run [laughs] and have it ready before it all disappears.”

    Audio / Travis Denning talks about what he’s thankful for this year.

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    Travis Denning (2020) OC: …for a living. :34
    “For Thanksgiving this year, I’m just most thankful that I’ve been able to have a career doing what I love. I mean this crazy time has totally put into perspective how fortunate I am to go play concerts, you know, go perform for people. I mean, it’s just such a crazy dream that sometimes it’s easy to get sucked into and not really stop and smell the roses, but God, now not being able to be on the road has really shown me how thankful I am that people come out to concerts and that’s what I do for a living.”

    Audio / Travis Denning talks about a typical Thanksgiving holiday growing up.

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    Travis Denning (typical Thanksgiving holiday) OC: …a lot of people. :22
    “A typical Thanksgiving growing up was essentially and the men of the family – Dad and Uncle Mike and my granddaddy — watching football, while grandmama and my mom pretty much yelled at each other in the kitchen the whole day. But they threw down and made the best food you could ever imagine, which you know is kind of how it is for a lot of people.”

     

     

  • ERIC CHURCH WINS ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AT THIS YEAR’S CMA AWARDS.

    In a year unlike any other, it’s fitting that the 54th annual CMA Awards culminated with the genre’s dark horse Eric Church earning the title of Entertainer of the Year.

    “If there was ever a year not to win…” Church laughed as he took the stage to accept the night’s ultimate trophy. “This year, at least for me, has been about loss – loss of life, loss of playing shows, loss of freedom, loss of kids being in school… And you know what the win is? The win is we all were here tonight, together as Country music – in person, live and I believe this, I really believe this: It’s gonna be music that brings us out of this. That is the one thing that’s gonna save the world. Politicians are about division; music is about unity.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Qx_V0i8Dc&feature=emb_logo

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0fgPDZewAg

     

    Before leaving the stage, the stunned entertainer added as a rallying call, “And I promise you, it’s gonna take everyone in this room to unite.”

     

    Now six studio albums into his career, the North Carolinian always approaches things differently. Whether playing back-to-back nights in nearly 30 cities on his 2019 Double Down Tour or pushing himself to new creative limits with his recording process, Church has steadily amassed a faithful congregation – the Church Choir – since 2006’s release of “How ‘Bout You.” Many of those fans took to social media to congratulate the star, with an outpouring of comments proclaiming, “Congratulations Chief!” And it was those fans he was speaking to in the press conference following the awards show.

    “When you go to a concert and your favorite artist plays your favorite song, and you throw your arm around the person next to you, you don’t worry about whether he’s a Republican or a Democrat, whether he’s pro-life or pro-choice. You’re in that moment and you’re pulling on the rope the same way. I think what we’re missing right now in America is more of the stuff that unites us versus what divides us,” Church shared. “I swear — it’s going to be music that saves us… It’s going to be about how we do it, and how we do it responsibly, and how we show that this is how we’re gonna leave COVID in the dust.”

    Eric performed his latest single, “Hell of a View,” on the CMA Awards show (see link to lyrics below).

    Eric Church performs “Hell of a View” during rehearsals for “The 54th Annual CMA Awards,” airing live on ABC Wednesday, November 11, 2020 from Music City Center in Downtown Nashville.

    Church’s foresight with his new music, while written pre-pandemic, still addresses the underlying sense of division that was already palpable in our nation. Whether threw his spoken word piece entitled “Who Will Answer The Call?”, released earlier this year, where he shared a message of resolve, or by offering hope in “Through My Ray-Bans,” Church’s music has already served as a unifier .

    “There’s a point in the show where I walk out in the crowd and I put my arms around them, we get pictures and it’s what life’s about. It’s that moment… What ‘Through My Ray-Bans’ is about is that I wish we could freeze that and I wish that was how life was — right there, just how I saw you.”

    Previous CMA Award Wins: 
    Album of the Year (Chief)
    Musical Event of the Year (“Raise ’Em Up” with Keith Urban)
    Album of the Year (Mr. Misunderstood)

    “Hell Of A View” Lyrics HERE

    Audio / Backstage during the CMA Awards virtual pressroom, Eric Church says this year has been more about loss, but he is very hopeful that we will get back to normal soon.

    Download

    Eric Church (CMA 2020) 1 OC: …next year or two. :31
    “There’s not really been winners this year. I mean, nobody’s played. Nobody’s done the things we normally do. It’s been a year, to me, about losses. It’s about loss of life. It’s about loss of education for your kids. It’s about loss of time playing. It’s been a year of managing those losses. But I really meant what I said (during my acceptance speech) that we were in a room together as country music, and that’s not happened this year. So, I think that that was a win for country music, and I think it was a win for where we’re gonna go in the next year or two.”

    Audio / Backstage at this year's CMA Awards, Eric Church says music will unite us.

    Download

    Eric Church (CMA 2020) 2 OC: …what this is. :56
    “Everything we see in daily life is about division. It’s about where you line up. Music has nothing to do with division. Music is about unity. It’s about uniting, and I truly believe in my heart that music will bring us out of all the sxxx we’re in right now. So, for me, it’s all about music. It’s about putting your arm around the guy next to you. It’s about having that moment that you can share, regardless about what your politics are, regardless of what your favorite freaking football team is, I think that that unity that makes us American. It’s the most patriotic thing in the world. It has nothing to do with anything other than the love of music. That was what I tried to convey even though I was pretty shocked on stage tonight, but that’s what this is.

     

  • THANKSGIVING LINERS 2020

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey I’m Adam Hambrick, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

     

    Audio / LINER AJ (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hi! This is Alan Jackson. I hope y’all have a very happy Thanksgiving out there.”

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey Guys, I’m Billy Currington. Have a great Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Brandon Lay (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Brandon Lay. Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! This is TJ, and this is John, and we’re wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving)

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    Hey y’all This is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey–this is Chrissy Metz, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! It’s Dierks Bentley! Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey folks! It’s Eric Church, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey guys! Gary Allan here. I just want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving, and have a Happy Holidays and make sure you’re safe out there. Drive safe. Party your butts off, but do it safe.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hi! This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Hootie & the Blowfish (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey everybody, what’s up? We’re Hootie & the Blowfish, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Thanksgiving)

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    Hey y’all, I’m Jon Langston, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! It’s Jon Pardi, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey I’m Jordan Davis. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey y’all I’m Josh Turner, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    [[audio-player-19]

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Thanksgiving)

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    “Happy Thanksgiving everybody. It’s Keith Urban here. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all of you listening for your incredible love and support that I’ve received over the last year, and to wish you and all of your family all the very best for this holiday.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey what’s up guys, this is Kip Moore wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey, we’re Little Big Town. Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Maddie, and I’m Tae, and we’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Happy Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! It’s Mickey Guyton here, and I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey everybody. I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hi! This is Priscilla Block, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey y’all! It’s Travis Denning, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

     

     

  • THE 54TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS ARE SETTING THE STAGE FOR THIS WEDNESDAY.

    “The 54th Annual CMA Awards” take place on Wednesday (November 11th), and UMG Nashville will be represented in many of the night’s categories, including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist, Male Vocalist, Album, Group, Duo, Music Video and more.

    Eric Church, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are vying for Entertainer of the Year, alongside Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert.

    Keith earned three nods this year, including Entertainer, Male Vocalist and Musical Event of the Year for Thomas Rhett’s “Be A Light,” which features Keith, Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin.

    Eric Church and Carrie Underwood each earned two nods apiece – both have an Entertainer of the Year nomination, as well as Male Vocalist and Female Vocalist, respectively. Chris Stapleton is up against Church for Male Vocalist, but also has a Music Video nomination for his LEGO-themed “Second One to Know.”

    Jon Pardi is nominated in the Album of the Year category for the acclaimed Heartache Medication collection.

    Little Big Town is nominated for Vocal Group of the Year; Brothers Osborne and Maddie & Tae are up for Duo of the Year, while Kacey Musgraves is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year.

    Reba McEntire  is nominated alongside Keith Urban for Musical Event of the Year for Thomas Rhett’s “Be A Light,” which also features Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin.

    Caylee Hammack is also nominated in the Musical Event of the Year category for “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” with Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Elle King, Ashley McBryde and Tenille Townes.

    “The 54th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker, will be broadcast live from Nashville on Wednesday (November 11th) at 8pm ET on ABC.

     

    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

    • Eric Church
    • Luke Combs
    • Miranda Lambert
    • Carrie Underwood  
    • Keith Urban   

     

    ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist and Producer(s) 

    • Heartache Medication – Jon Pardi
      Producers: Bart Butler, Ryan Gore, Jon Pardi 
    • Never Will – Ashley McBryde
      Producers: Jay Joyce, John Peets
    • Old Dominion – Old Dominion
      Producers: Shane McAnally, Old Dominion
    • What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs
      Producer: Scott Moffatt
    • Wildcard – Miranda Lambert
      Producer: Jay Joyce

    FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

    • Miranda Lambert
    • Ashley McBryde
    • Maren Morris
    • Kacey Musgraves  
    • Carrie Underwood   

     

    MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR  

    • Eric Church   
    • Luke Combs
    • Thomas Rhett
    • Chris Stapleton  
    • Keith Urban    

    VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

    • Lady A
    • Little Big Town  
    • Midland
    • Old Dominion
    • Rascal Flatts

    VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

    • Brooks & Dunn
    • Brothers Osborne  
    • Dan + Shay
    • Florida Georgia Line
    • Maddie & Tae

    SINGLE OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer

    • “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay (with Justin Bieber)
      Producer: Dan Smyers
      Mix Engineer: Jeff Juliano
    • “Beer Never Broke My Heart” – Luke Combs
      Producer: Scott Moffatt
      Mix Engineer: Jim Cooley
    • “Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert
      Producer: Jay Joyce
      Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
    • “The Bones” – Maren Morris
      Producer: Greg Kurstin
      Mix Engineer: Greg Kurstin
    • “I Hope” – Gabby Barrett
      Producers: Ross Copperman, Zach Kale
      Mix Engineer: Buckley Miller

     

    SONG OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Songwriters 

    • “Bluebird”
      Songwriters: Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert
    • “The Bones”
      Songwriters: Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz
    • “Even Though I’m Leaving”
      Songwriters: Luke Combs, Wyatt B. Durrette III, Ray Fulcher
    • “I Hope You’re Happy Now”
      Songwriters: Luke Combs, Randy Montana, Carly Pearce, Jonathan Singleton
    • “More Hearts Than Mine”
      Songwriters: Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland

     

    MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artists and Producer(s) 

    • “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay (with Justin Bieber)
      Producer: Dan Smyers
    • “Be A Light” – Thomas Rhett featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, Keith Urban
      Producer: Dann Huff
    • “The Bones” – Maren Morris with Hozier
      Producer: Greg Kurstin
    • “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” – Miranda Lambert (feat. Maren Morris, Elle King, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes & Caylee Hammack)
      Producer: Jay Joyce
    • “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
      Producer: busbee

    MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist(s) and Director 

    • “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay (with Justin Bieber)
      Director: Patrick Tracy
    • “Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert
      Director: Trey Fanjoy
    • “Homemade” – Jake Owen
      Director: Justin Clough
    • “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
      Director: Sam Siske
    • “Second One To Know” – Chris Stapleton
      Director: David Coleman 


    NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

    • Jimmie Allen
    • Ingrid Andress
    • Gabby Barrett
    • Carly Pearce
    • Morgan Wallen

    MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

    • Jenee Fleenor, Fiddle
    • Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar
    • Rob McNelley, Guitar
    • Ilya Toshinskiy, Guitar
    • Derek Wells, Guitar

     

    Audio / In 2019, Eric Church put on his amazing Double Down Tour in which he played 3 1/2 to 4 hours a night. He says loves performing live for his fans.

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    Eric Church (performing energy) OC: …type of crowd. :40
    “Well, I think for me every night I try to empty the tank. There’s always that energy floating around. It’s a palpable thing, and it’s up to me to start that exchange and get the crowd to give it back to me and then watch it build on itself and just to have that experience. We have one night here in whatever city we’re in, you know, we’ve got this night. I’m not gonna see you for a while you’re not gonna see me for a while, you know? And I love being able to capitalize on that moment and trying to live in that moment and get as much energy exchange between myself and the crowd as we can. I love that. That’s my favorite part of what we do. I love being around people, I’m very passionate about my music, and I love people who are passionate about the music too and I love playing a show for that type of crowd.”

    Audio / In 2019, Carrie Underwood headlined the Cry Pretty Tour 360 with sold-out shows across the country. This year, she's put out a book, created a fitness app and released her first Christmas album. She says she loves performing live for fans.

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    Carrie Underwood (performing live on stage) OC: …a lot of fun. :35
    “I think my favorite thing about performing live is just getting kind of lost in the music and the show. I have as much fun as hopefully everybody sitting out in the audience is having. I get to connect with the fans. I get to see people. The people that are streaming music and downloading music and buying albums, they’re finally in front of me. To get to have that moment with them is so much fun. The lights and the costumes and getting to have moments with my band members on stage, I mean it’s all a lot of fun.”

    Audio / Keith Urban recalls winning his first CMA Entertainer of the Year Award in 2005.

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    Keith Urban (winning EOY in 2005) OC: …magical night. :43
    “What I remember about the Entertainer of the Year category in 2005 was that first feeling when people say it’s just an honor to be nominated, and I thought, ‘I know what that means! I know what that feels like,’ because for me it was a huge honor to be nominated so soon into my recording career. To be in that category, it just felt unbelievably quick for me. And then when they read my name out as the winner, I think I actually said, ‘I thought I was just rounding out the category,’ because [laughs] I thought you’ve got to have four or five people in the category. I truly did not expect that to happen. It was just such a magical night.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about his nomination for CMA Album of the Year for his acclaimed Heartache Medication.

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    Jon Pardi (CMA Album of the Year nod) OC: …I can, again. :28
    “Having a CMA Album of the Year nomination is amazing. Just being acknowledged by my peers and all of the people in the industry is so awesome, and we worked so hard on this record and we’re still working hard on all our albums, and it’s just awesome. And so, as I get ready to make the fourth record, this is just telling me to stay on track. So, thank you for everybody for getting me this nomination, and it’s pretty awesome. And I will try to do the best fourth record I can, again.”

    Audio / BACKSTAGE AT THE CMA AWARDS, CHRIS STAPLETON SAID AWARDS MAKE HIS DREAM OF MAKING MUSIC AN EVEN BIGGER DREAM.

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    Chris Stapleton (realizing dream) OC: …larger dream. :15
    “It’s an unimaginable, fairy-tale of a thing really, and we’re so proud just to get to just make music and go out and play it for people and make records and that’s the dream. Then when you have all of these other things that people are nice enough to give you, that makes the dream an even larger dream.”

    Audio / Chris Stapleton, who is up for two awards at Wednesday night’s CMA Awards, including Male Vocalist and Music Video of the Year, says he’s always grateful for the moment of recognition.

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    Chris Stapleton (grateful for awards) OC: …grateful for the moment. :30
    “Well I’ll take ’em home with me I guess once they send ’em Yeah I guess you have to at some point, but it still is a very… I’m thankful for it and it’s very nice and there’s a lot of great people doing a lot of great things making a lot of great music and working really hard and so when you get this kind of a thing going, I don’t think anybody deserves it. It’s a lot of luck and a lot of stars lining up so, I’m grateful for the moment.”

    Audio / Backstage at last year's CMA Awards, Kacey Musgraves, who won the award for Female Vocalist, talked about celebrating women in country music.

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    Kacey Musgraves (CMA Female win) OC: …the beginning. :21
    “I think it does mean something a little bit extra special considering there are so many women in here that paved the way for me to be able to speak my mind and do the things that I do. That being said I think that every year in country music females should be equally as celebrated, because I think the female narrative is really important and it’s been the backbone of country music since the beginning.”
  • ERIC CHURCH’S LATEST SINGLE, “HELL OF A VIEW,” IS TIMELESS AND EVERLASTING.

    Eric Church has a new song, “Hell of a View,” that’s hit the airwaves. Written by Eric, together with Casey Beathard (“The Outsiders,” “Mr. Misunderstood”) and Monty Criswell (“Like Jesus Does”), the romantic mid-tempo track depicts a life devoted to chasing dreams over dollars alongside the ones we love. Joined by powerhouse and longtime backing vocalist Joanna Cotten, Church sings about the payoff of such a life in the song’s chorus:

    “This ain’t for everybody / Toes hanging off the ledge / Like we got nothin’ to lose / Ain’t always heaven, baby / This livin’ on the edge / You holdin’ me holdin’ you / It’s a hell of a view”

    This latest song was born from a sequestered session in rural North Carolina where the current CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year nominee wrote and recorded a song per day for nearly a month.

    “We had a pretty good weather day and Casey Beatherd, one of the writers on the song, had been with Monty Criswell earlier. They had kind of worked on some of the song and hadn’t played it for me yet,” recalls Eric. “I went out to jog and I came back in, and Casey was kind of standing up looking out the window and I can tell he’s playing. And when I opened the door, he looked up at me and he said, ‘Don’t say anything. You’ve got to hear this. This is really good.’ He immediately started playing the first part of the song. [One] verse or so, I was hooked. I was in. I loved the way he had the line, ‘caught your wings on fire/when I smoked my Bronco tires out of town,’ and I just thought that was such a great line, and I was smitten with it at that point of time. So, we finished it that night, later that day/night and then recorded it, and it came out great. I knew it was pretty special when it went down. It was always a song that I knew was a big hit, but at the same time it has that timeless quality to it and it’s gonna be one of our biggest ones.”

    The new music follows Church’s most recent critically acclaimed project, 2018’s Desperate Man, his sixth studio album which was named one of the year’s best by BillboardEntertainment WeeklyEsquireLos Angeles TimesNPRRolling StoneVariety and Vulture, also earning a Grammy nod for Best Country Album (his third nomination in the category).

    You can catch Eric Church performing on next week’s CMA Awards, which will broadcast live from Nashville’s Music City Center Wednesday, November 11th at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Audio / Eric Church talks about writing his latest single, “Hell of a View.”

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    Eric Church (writing HOAV) OC: …biggest ones. 1:11
    “Writing ‘Hell of a View,’ we were in North Carolina. We were in the mountains, and actually that song, I’d went out for a jog one day. We had a pretty good weather day and Casey Beatherd, one of the writers on the song, had been with Monty Criswell earlier. They had kind of worked on some of the song and hadn’t played it for me yet. I went out to jog and I came back in, and Casey was kind of standing up looking out the window and I can tell he’s playing. And when I opened the door, he looked up at me and he said, ‘Don’t say anything. You’ve got to hear this. This is really good.’ He immediately started playing the first part of the song. [One] verse or so, I was hooked. I was in. I loved the way he had the line, ‘caught your wings on fire/when I smoked my Bronco tires out of town,’ and I just thought that was such a great line, and I was smitten with it at that point of time. So, we finished it that night, later that day/night and then recorded it, and it came out great. I knew it was pretty special when it went down. It was always a song that I knew was a big hit, but at the same time it has that timeless quality to it and it’s gonna be one of our biggest ones.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Hell of a View) 1

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    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Hell of a View) 2

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    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Hell of a View) 3

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    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Hell of a View) 4

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    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Hell of a View) 5

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