• NEW YEAR’S 2016: Brothers Osborne, Canaan, Clare, Dierks, Eric, Jon, Kacey, Keith, Kip, Luke

    What are some of your favorite stars doing to welcome in the New Year? Some of them are working to help fans celebrate. Several artists have taken the time off around the holidays and will hit it hard when they return to the road in January. Some artists have resolutions and some are very helpful with their own hangover cures for those who imbibe too much on New Year’s Eve.

    Keith Urban is set to headline Music City on New Year’s Eve. He’ll perform at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park as part of the Jack Daniels Music City Midnight bash. Styx, A Thousand Horses, Charlie Worsham, Moon Taxi and the Fisk Jubliee Singers are also on the bill.

    Brothers Osborne will ring in the New Year by headlining the New Year’s Eve Bowl Bash in Jacksonville, Florida. The free concert and celebration will take place at the intersection of Forsyth and Ocean in Downtown Jacksonville.

    Luke Bryan will spend the night before New Year’s Eve, so New Year’s Eve Eve (December 30th), in Las Vegas performing a show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

    Audio / Brothers Osborne talk about how people spend the last moments of the year, and the first moments of the new year.

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    Brothers Osborne (New Year) OC: (TJ) …next month. :44
    JOHN: “I think it’s kind of funny how we spend literally the last moment and the very first moment of every year being extremely intoxicated, extremely, because you don’t want to wait until like 12:30 to get your buzz on. You’ve got to do it before midnight, and then once midnight happens, you’re like, ‘Omigod! Now it’s time to celebrate even more.’ Debauchery is the literally bookending your entire year.” TJ: “I love how everyone starts the year off with diets and then we end the year with like excessive amounts of food. And then you get to the end of the year, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m going to start a diet on the 1st, so I’m going to eat everything that’s in front of me.’ I love it.” JOHN: “And come February 1st, ‘what diet?’” [laughs] TJ: “What diet? I’ll start it next month.” [laughs]

    Audio / John Osborne of Brothers Osborne says a little hair of the dog is definitely the cure for a hangover.

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    Brothers Osborne (hangover cure) OC: …of the year. :07
    “Usually drinking more. I mean, a little hair of the dog never hurt anybody. Plus, it’s the first of the year.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith says there’s really no cure for a hangover.

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    Canaan Smith (no hangover cure) OC: …long, you know? :32
    “There is no hangover cure. The older I get I’m like, ‘Oh God! What am I thinking?’ It’s terrible. Hangovers are awful. Tequila’s the worst. I try to stay away from Tequila, because it hurts me bad. I used to be a whiskey guy. I still am every now and then, but of late, I’m domestic, American beer, just something light and tasty. Shots are my worst enemy. When I start working shots into the picture, that’s when I know I’m gonna hurt the next morning. I just try to keep it the same, whether it’s whiskey or beer or whatever, I just stick with that same drink the whole night long, you know?”

    Audio / Clare Dunn suggests a good hangover cure.

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    Clare Dunn (hangover cure) OC: …hangover cure. :10
    “Greasy food is always kind of a, you can let it go for one day before you start all your resolutions [laughs] after that. So, that’s probably my best hangover cure.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley says there’s not really a cure for a hangover.

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    Dierks (NYE) OC: …for that. :10
    “I think January first is universally accepted as a dog. So I mean, a little hair of the dog, I guess. But just…water and stay on the couch, I guess. There’s no real sure-fire cure for that.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley says he'll take this New Year's Eve in stride.

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    Dierks Bentley (New Year’s) OC: …in stride. 1:11
    “New Year’s is rough. New Year’s hurts no matter what’s going o n. I’ve played a lot of New Year’s shows, you know, but I’ve honestly found that it’s not my favorite night to throw down. Look, for a living, that’s what I do. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, I host a big party; not only on stage, but I’ve got friends backstage. It starts before the concert sometimes, [and] it goes long after the concert, so a lot of times on New Year’s, I’m looking for a really mellow hang – a good party, good friends, pretty chill. Some of my best New Year’s – it doesn’t make for great radio – but some of my best New Year’s have been just like actually hearing fireworks go off while I’m in bed, [laughs] and know I’m gonna wake up the next morning for the first day of the New Year feeling great, feeling recharged and I’m ready to go ad go into the New Year feeling good as opposed to going into it with a giant Jagerbomb hangover, which I’ve done many, many times. So, the goal this year is to go into it feeling pretty good and the kids help with that, because you really just don’t want to be hungover with children. It’s not a good feeling. You would probably admit to any crime to get them, just feel better, and get them leave you alone. So, [I’m] gonna try to hit New Year’s this year in stride.”

    Audio / Eric Church has a couple of hangover cures for those times (especially on New Year’s Eve) when you might imbibe a little too much.

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    Eric Church (hangover cure) OC: …every time. :17
    “The best hangover cure – I’ve got two. One is 5-hour Energy [bottles], because of all the B-vitamins that are in it. You can start pounding those, and it’s either gonna work, or it’s gonna keep you up and prolong your misery. But the other one I have is just take two Advil and a beer in the morning. Hair of the dog, man – that works every time.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi reveals his go-to cure for hangovers.

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    Jon Pardi (hangover cure) OC: …deal with it. :20
    “My hangover cure is Bloody Marys, but be careful – because once you have a couple, don’t go to beer, because if you go to beer, you’re gonna start drinking again and you’ll end up a morning drunk. OR if you want to go the non-alcoholic route, there’s nothing you can do for hangovers. [laughs] You just go deal with it.”

    Audio / Kacey Musgraves, who rings in the New Year performing at the Grand Ole Opry, has her own hangover cure.

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    Kacey Musgraves (hangover cure) OC: …water. Yup! :32
    “Coconut water is a major help with hangovers and also, a lot of times we go and eat Vietnamese fuh. It’s a soup, and it’s got this awesome broth. You can get different things in it or whatever, but for some reason, it’s just like…it’s almost like a chicken noodle soup kind of an idea, you know, but it’s good. That’s good for hangovers too. That, sleep, Tylenol, coconut water and just water, in general. And when you’re drinking, have your alcohol, drink a little bit of water, drink some more alcohol, drink some water. Yup!”

    Audio / Kacey Musgraves gives her favorite hangover cure, which is pretty simple.

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    Kacey Musgraves (favorite hangover cure) OC: …as bad. :11
    Oh actually, though, my favorite hangover cure is right before you go to bed, no matter how trashed you are, literally just chug an entire glass of water, and then when you wake up, it’s not as bad.”

    Audio / Kip Moore gives advice on how to avoid a hangover on New Year’s Eve.

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    Kip Moore (avoiding hangovers on NYE) OC: …yourself. :03
    “Pace yourself on New Year’s – that’s the remedy. Pace yourself.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan’s favorite New Year’s Eve has to be when he and his now wife Caroline reunited.

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    Luke Bryan (New Years-best) OC: …great night. :17
    “My best New Year’s Eve is definitely when my wife and I started back dating. We started back dating right before Christmas, and we went on a trip down to Florida and met some friends. And her birthday is New Year’s Eve. We celebrated it that night. It was just a great night.”

    Video / Keith Urban on Nashville's New Year's Eve gig

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  • NEW YEAR’S LINERS 2016

    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 Canaan Smith (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey, what’s up guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey! I’m Clare Dunn, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER David Nail (New Year)

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    “This is David Nail, wishing you a Happy New Year’s Day.”

     

    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 Easton Corbin (New Years)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Easton Corbin, wishing you a 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 Eric Paslay (Happy New Year)

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    “Hi! I’m Eric Paslay, wishing you 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 Pardi (New Year)

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

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (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 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 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 Mickey Guyton (New Year)

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    “Hey! This is Mickey Guyton, wishing you a 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 TBP (New Year)

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    “Hey everybody! We are The Band Perry wishing you a Happy New Year.”

  • CHRISTMAS 2016: Jon Pardi

    Jon Pardi has been on the road pretty much all year, and he is taking a few weeks off to relax, build stuff and hang with his dad at his place in Nashville before he goes back out on tour in January.

    “Well, this Christmas I was so worn-out from traveling that I wanted to stay home, and I haven’t spent a Christmas morning with my Dad in a while, so I brought it up and he got so excited,” says Jon. “But we’re gonna have Christmas dinner and a party. We’ve got a bunch of friends if they don’t have a place to go, they can come to my house and have dinner. Before Christmas, me and my dad, we’re gonna build a bunch of stuff, as usual. We’ve got some stuff to fix, and we’re gonna build a custom dog kennel.”

    When Jon and his dad aren’t “fixing stuff” or hitting the town, they might pop in a Christmas movie or two. “Bad Santa’s pretty good,” he says. “But I have to say if you’re gonna watch it with little cousins, I would have to say Elf is pretty much probably one of the funniest Christmas movies to ever be that new and beat out all of the old Christmas movies. It is definitely up there.”

    Jon will be back on the road with Dierks Bentley‘s What the Hell Tour January 19th in Dayton, Ohio.

    Audio / Jon Pardi says he’s staying home in Nashville this Christmas.

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    Jon Pardi (Christmas 2016) OC: …at night. [laughs] :58
    “Well, this Christmas I was so worn-out from traveling that I wanted to stay home, and I haven’t spent a Christmas morning with my Dad in a while, so I brought it up and he got so excited. I had to tell my Mom I’m not coming home. My Mom and Dad are separated. But we’re gonna have Christmas dinner and a party. We’ve got a bunch of friends if they don’t have a place to go, they can come to my house and have dinner. Before Christmas, me and my dad, we’re gonna build a bunch of stuff, as usual. We’ve got some stuff to fix, and we’re gonna build a custom dog kennel. This one’s gonna be pretty state-of-the-art. It’s gonna have concrete and heavy-duty fence, because they’ve been getting out, ‘’cause they’re so crazy, and we’re gonna build a dog house and get some heat pads and run power and water to it. So, it’ll be good. That’s usually what we do – come to the house and work on it. But it’s fun, and we always get to play a lot more. We work during the sunlight and then go hit the town at night.” [laughs]

    Audio / Jon Pardi says if you’re an adult, Bad Santa, is a great holiday movie, but if you’re kid, Elf is the one to beat.

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    Jon Pardi (favorite Christmas movie) OC: …up there. :15
    Bad Santa’s pretty good. But I have to say if you’re gonna watch it with little cousins, I would have to say Elf is pretty much probably one of the funniest Christmas movies to ever be that new and beat out all of the old Christmas movies. It is definitely up there.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Merry Christmas)

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  • JON PARDI GETS A LITTLE “DIRT ON HIS BOOTS.”

    Jon Pardi is sitting inside the Top 20 with his latest single, “Dirt On My Boots,” the follow-up to his No. 1 hit, “Head Over Boots.” The song takes him back to his younger self after working outdoors all day.

    “I saw my 22 year old self getting off a tractor and going to take a shower and putting his work boots back on and going and hanging out with a girl and having a good time dancing or something,” says Jon. “And I really connected to the lyrics of it. It’s very country lyrics. It has tractors. It has cutting a rug. My favorite [line] — ‘I can get cleaned up, but I can only get so fancy,’ and I loved it.”

    “Dirt on My Boots” is from his sophomore album, California Sunrise.

    Jon will head out on Dierks Bentley’s What the Hell Tour, which kicks off January 19th in Dayton, Ohio.

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about his latest single, “Dirt on My Boots.”

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    Jon Pardi (Dirt on My Boots) OC: …that track. :31
    “I saw my 22 year old self getting off a tractor and going to take a shower and putting his work boots back on and going and hanging out with a girl and having a good time dancing or something. And I really connected to the lyrics of it. It’s very country lyrics. It has tractors. It has cutting a rug. My favorite [line] — ‘I can get cleaned up, but I can only get so fancy,’ and I loved it. It was a great written country lyric, and I really think we made it more of a traditional feel with a modern flare to it, and I was really proud of that track.”


    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Dirt on My Boots)

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    Video / Dirt on My Boots lyric video

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  • CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY LINERS 2017: AJ, Billy, Brothers O, Canaan, Clare, Darius, David, Dierks, Easton, Church, Paslay, Gary, Strait, Pardi, Josh, Kacey, Keith, Kip, Lady A, Lauren, LBT Luke, Sam, Shania, TBP, Toby, etc.

    Holiday liners from UMG Nashville artists, including Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brothers Osborne, Canaan Smith, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, David Nail, Dierks Bentley, Easton Corbin, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Pardi, Josh Turner, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Lady Antebellum, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, The Band Perry, Toby Keith and many more!

     

    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 Canaan Smith (Christmas)

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    “Hey! What’s up guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Christmas)

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    “Hey! What’s up? This is Clare Dunn, hoping you have a Merry Christmas.”

    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 David Nail (Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is David Nail, wishing you a very 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 Easton Corbin (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey everybody! This is Easton Corbin, wishing you and your family a Happy Holidays.”

     

    Audio / LINER Easton Corbin (Merry Christmas)

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    “Hey everybody! This is Easton Corbin, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Christmas)

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    “Hi! I’m Eric Paslay. Hope you have a 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 Pardi (Merry Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is Jon Pardi, wishing you a 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-player- 21]]

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Happy Holidays)

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

    Audio / LINER Lady A (Christmas)

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    “Hey everybody! We’re Lady Antebellum, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Lady A (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey everybody! We are Lady Antebellum. Happy Holidays.”

    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 Mickey Guyton (Christmas)

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

    [[audio-player- 31]]

    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-player- 34]]

    Audio / LINER Toby Keith (politically correct holiday liner)

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    “Hey! It’s Toby Keith with the gift of politically correctness. Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah, or Bah Humbug. Whatever way you celebrate, I hope it’s a good one.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Easton, Church, Lady A, Jon, David, Canaan

    Don’t forget to tune in to see Easton Corbin as he appears in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as it makes its way down the streets of New York City on Thanksgiving Day (November 24th). He’ll be on the Colonel’s Roadtrip to NYC by Kentucky Fried Chicken float and will perform. He’ll then return to Carrie Underwood’s Storyteller Tour on Saturday (November 26th) in Las Vegas. Other country singers featured during the Macy’s parade include Brett Eldredge, Kelsea Ballerini and Maddie & Tae.

    Eric Church will play the half-time show as the Dallas Cowboys play host to the Washington Redskins game Thanksgiving Day on Fox, kicking off the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Campaign.

    The members of Lady Antebellum have been working hard in the studio getting ready for their next album.

    Jon Pardi and Chase Rice have kicked off their Thanksgiving week by hunting together in Montana.

    David Nail is back home in Missouri for the Thanksgiving holidays. When we say home, we really mean home. He and his wife are sleeping in his childhood room at his parents’ house.


    Canaan Smith has been touring with The Shires overseas for over a week, and he’s still at it. The trek has 14 more dates and is set to stop in Cardiff, Cambridge, Manchester, Glasgow, York and Liverpool before wrapping on December 11th in London.

  • JON PARDI TO RAISE MONEY FOR ACM LIFTING LIVES WITH NEW YEAR’S EVE SHOW.

     ACM Lifting Lives® announced today that Jon Pardi has been added to the string of nationwide ACM Lifting Lives Club Shows. Participating clubs have agreed to donate a portion of each ticket sold to ACM Lifting Lives, and the money raised will go to help fund organizations that are improving lives through the power of music. Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio will host Pardi for this club benefit show on December 31st, with guests Midland opening the show. Tickets are available at http://bit.ly/2eGSVor.

    Jon Pardi is one of country music’s fastest-rising newcomers. Pardi’s latest album, California Sunrise, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and has already landed on multiple “Best of the Year” lists including those from Rolling StoneMusic Aficionado, The Tennessean and NASH Country Daily. The album features Pardi’s Platinum-selling No. 1 hit “Head Over Boots” along with his current radio single, “Dirt On My Boots.” Pardi’s sound is undeniably country, and his laid back, fun-loving approach towards life comes through in his music and his raucous live show.

    Sold-out ACM Lifting Lives Club shows have already taken place this year at Bluebird in Bloomington, IN; Boondocks in Springfield, IL; CMAC Events in Canandaigua, NY; Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte, NC; Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown, OH; Joe’s Bar in Chicago, IL; Joe’s Live in Rosemont, IL; Midnight Rodeo in Springfield, MO and Stoney’s Rockin’ Country in Las Vegas, NV featuring, Frankie Ballard, The Cadillac Three, Russell Dickerson, Chris Young & Cassadee Pope, Eli Young Band, LOCASH, Montgomery Gentry, Old Dominion, Parmalee, The Swon Brothers and A Thousand Horses.

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

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Chris, Keith, Jon, Eric

    Chris Stapleton is among the latest list of performers set for Wednesday night’s (November 2nd) CMA Awards. Chris has five nominations, including Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Music Video (for “Fire Away”), Single (for “Nobody to Blame”) and Musical Event of the Year with wife Morgane Stapleton for “You Are My Sunshine.” The 50th Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 2nd at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Keith Urban will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday night (November 1st). The show airs at 11:35p ET on ABC.

    Keith Urban’s “The Fighter,” featuring Carrie Underrwood, is nominated for Song of the Year at this year’s ARIA Awards. The trophies will be handed out November 23rd in Sydney, Australia.

    Jon Pardi and his band and crew dressed up as the cast of characters from Toy Story. Guess who Jon dressed up as? Yup-Woody!

    Eric Paslay performed his song “Angels in This Town” on NBC’s Today show earlier this week.

     

    Video / Jon Pardi Halloween

    Video / Eric Paslay Angels in This Town on Today.

  • JON PARDI CELEBRATES HIS FIRST NO. 1 SINGLE, ‘HEAD OVER BOOTS.’

    Jon Pardi celebrated his long-awaited first No. 1 single, “Head Over Boots,” with a party at BMI in Nashville on Tuesday (October 25th). The California native co-wrote the tune with Luke Laird, who was celebrating his 22nd chart-topper.

    “We’ve been working at it for a while now, and it’s been a great path to here. It’s even more exciting and just awesome in general to come here with a second record, first No. 1, you got a fan base and finally you can say, ’Boom! We did it!’ Just kinda keep marching, but it’s definitely going to another level, which is good.”

    Jon’s co-writer, Luke Laird, said he sought Jon out to write with him. “I was such a huge fan of his first record, I actually seeked him out, tried to get my wife Beth, I’m like, ‘Can you find out a way I cann write with Jon Pardi?’ (JON: “Which is awesome.”) I was just a fan, but when Jon sits down with a guitar, just what he does naturally is already so unique. It’s like so country like you’ve heard it before, like you’ve never heard it before, and when I’m trying to work with artists, that’s what I look for,” says Luke. “I just loved that we could just write a straight-ahead country song and not worried about having to do all sorts of tricks and whatever. It was just completely authentic to who Jon is as an artist and it was just him being himself, and I was just fortunate enough to be along for the ride.”

    Jon is currently making his way up the country charts with the follow-up, “Dirt on My Boots.”

    Audio / Prior to his No. 1 party in Nashville, Jon Pardi talks about having his first chart-topper with “Head Over Boots.”

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    Jon Pardi (#1 party) OC: …changed there, you know? :32
    “We’ve been working at it for a while now, and it’s been a great path to here. It’s even more exciting and just awesome in general to come here with a second record, first No. 1, you got a fan base and finally you can say, ’Boom! We did it!’ Just kinda keep marching, but it’s definitely going to another level, which is good. My life is still writing songs and playing shows every weekend, so not much has changed there, you know?”

    Audio / Jon Pardi says it’s fun to have a hit song.

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    Jon Pardi (#1 party) 2 OC: …Over Boots. :22
    “It’s a good feeling to know as a songwriter that you kinda had that vision and it came true, and I think when you’re a songwriter, you really try to work at that and you can see it live. After everything is all said and done, it’s really fun. There’s a connection when people are dancing and laughing and singing, and that definitely happens with ‘Head Over Boots.’”

    Audio / Songwriter Luke Laird talks about writing “Head Over Boots” with Jon Pardi.

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    Luke Laird (Head Over Boots) OC: …for the ride. 1:07
    “Jon literally came in, sat down, started playing that shuffle groove, had the title, sang the first few lines, so I was like the lucky guy in the room that day. From the first time I heard Jon – I was such a huge fan of his first record, I actually seeked him out, tried to get my wife Beth, I’m like, ‘Can you find out a way I cann write with Jon Pardi?’ (JON: “Which is awesome.”) I was just a fan, but when Jon sits down with a guitar, just what he does naturally is already so unique. It’s like so country like you’ve heard it before, like you’ve never heard it before, and when I’m trying to work with artists, that’s what I look. But as far as this song, when we were writing, I honestly just dug back into me being a fan of 90s country music, and I just  loved that we could just write a straight-ahead country song and not worried about having to do all sorts of tricks and whatever. It was just completely authentic to who Jon is as an artist and it was just him being himself, and I was just fortunate enough to be along for the ride.

  • HALLOWEEN 2016

    Halloween is Monday, and the holiday has some of your favorite country stars getting into costumes and recalling memories of Halloweens past.

    Audio / Billy Currington reminisces about his childhood Halloween memories.

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    Billy Currington (Halloween) OC: …Halloween. :17
    “You know, when I was a kid, I loved the trick and the treat. I loved dressing up. I was always wanting to be Dracula. That was my favorite guy. But, of course, who doesn’t love going door-to-door and getting these buckets of candy? [laughs] So, love, love Halloween.”

    Audio / Brothers Osborne’s TJ and John Osborne talk about dressing up like zombies for Halloween.

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    Brothers Osborne (zombie costume) OC: (John) …was so fun! :29
    TJ: “Literally, you can dress up like a zombie and drag your foot behind you all day and make weird noises, and everyone finds that completely acceptable.” [laughs] JOHN: “One year I dressed up as a ‘90s redneck zombie with a mullet wig and an Alan Jackson denim coat. I never once broke character. That’s part of the thing — you can actually not break character and get away with it. And everywhere I went, even when I ordered a drink, I ordered it like a zombie that was falling apart. [laughs] It was so fun!”

    Audio / Brothers Osborne (Halloween candy) OC: (John) …go stale. [laughs] :34

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    TJ: “I would say, Snickers, Baby Ruth, Kit Kat and Reese’s too.” JOHN: “I always hated those houses that would give you bad candy, though. You’re like, ‘C’mon. Step it up.’ Spend the extra dollar on a bag, you know?” TJ: “A house when we were growing up used to give out whole candy bars. It was the best. You were like, ‘That house – that’s the honey hole of candy.’” JOHN: “I love it, and I love like at the end, like three or four days after Halloween you would see what candy was left, and it was always like those crappy cheap candies, and they would just go stale.” [laughs]

    Audio / Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne talks about carving pumpkins with their dad when they were growing up.

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    Brothers Osborne (carving pumpkins) OC: …or something. :25
    “With our dad every year, we would go looking for pumpkins, and we would all get our own pumpkin to carve, and he would buy the biggest pumpkin that they had. It was huge. I mean, it was way too big for any one person, but he would love carving. He’s kind of an artsy guy. He was a great drawer and stuff, and he would carve the most terrifying, vicious looking, scary pumpkin you’d ever seen in your life, and it would be massive. It would be like on a 50-pound pumpkin or something.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith says his Halloweens of today have changed dramatically since he was a child.

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    Canaan Smith (Halloween) OC: …cornfields. :37
    “I grew up in a Christian family. We went to a private Christian school for a while, so they didn’t allow us to celebrate Halloween like I do now. We did what was called a Hallelujah Party instead, and you still dress up and still get all the candy, but  you go to the high school gym. You play games, you just do, like cornhole and the dunking booth and all kinds of stuff and win prizes, but it was nothing ever scary. I think they had like rules about what outfits you could and couldn’t wear. But now I just love freaking myself out and going to, I love going to haunted houses and haunted cornfields.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker loves Halloween, especially because it’s his kids’ favorite holiday.

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    Darius (Halloween) OC: …I’m into. :06
    “Halloween’s big for me, because the kids love it. It’s my kids’ favorite holiday, so anything they’re into, I’m into.”

    Audio / David Nail talks about his favorite part of Halloween.

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    David Nail (favorite part of Halloween) OC: …it better. :14

    “My favorite thing about Halloween was just the excitement about picking out your costume and talking to your friends and fighting over if you’re going to be this or if they stole the idea from you and if you can do the idea better.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about the Halloweens of his childhood.

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    Dierks Bentley (Halloween) OC: … …around home. [laughs]  :23
    “Oh, when I was a kid, I was all into fireworks. Growing up in Arizona, we couldn’t get ’em, so we’d have ’em shipped in illegally. I still remember the name of the guy we’d call. His name was Joe, and he’d bring in, ship ’em in a package with no writing on ’em. We were all about M-80s in the mailboxes and bottle rocket wars. To me, as a kid, Halloween was fireworks, was blowing up stuff around home. [laughs]”

    Audio / Easton Corbin says one of his favorite costumes as a kid was made by his grandmother.

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    Easton Corbin (Halloween) OC: …pretty warm. :26

    “My grandma made a werewolf outfit for me, and I wore that one year. She got this fake hair and glued it to sweatpants and a sweatshirt. That was a hot outfit. I mean, it got pretty warm.”

    Audio / Eric Church recalls his favorite Halloween costume.

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    Eric Church (Halloween) OC: …Franklin Street. 1:18
    “My favorite Halloween costume really came, I remember when I got a little older my first year of college, there’s this thing they do every year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Halloween on Franklin Street. We drove down from Boone, North Carolina. I had a bunch of friends that went to University of North Carolina, and we didn’t have costumes and didn’t realize until we were on the way that we had to have costumes. So, we stopped at a costume place in Greensboro, North Carolina. It’s Halloween, so there’s a run on everything and couldn’t find anything. And we end up getting sent around, driving  around town. We end up finding this hole in the wall place, but they had the full costume, Sesame Street outfits. The real deal. The real ones [with] feathers and fur. We were Elmo, Cookie Monster and I was Big Bird, and the Big Bird was the actual Big Bird. It’s about 7-foot-4, and yiou looked out of the body and then you had these straps that went on since the head was a lot higher. There’s a lot of beer involved in Franklin Street, so we get down there and as the night went on, my straps broke, so the head would pivot. And so, I would be walking one way and the head would be facing the other, and it just became this funny…I didn’t know the head was on backwards. I had no idea. I see out of the body, so I’m just kinda walking around and people were talking to my ass-end. [laughs] The whole time peiople’d come up and start talking and go, ‘Hey, turn around.’ And I’d turn around, and they’d go, ‘No turn around.’ It was a mess. That year, there was no other Big Bird on Franklin Street.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about his favorite Halloween costumes as a child.

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    Jon Pardi (Halloween) 1 OC: …the Superman. :15
    “Man, I went through phases of costumes – the Superman costume, then it was a ninja, then I was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle one year. I remember rockin’ the Superman.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley reveals one costume he’s always wanted to wear on Halloween.

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    Lady A (Charles costume) OC: …an apple. :19
    CHARLES: “I want to be a banana. I think there’s something so funny and understated about a banana, especially when you’re 6’6” and like your little head’s popping through and you’re a banana.” DAVE: “Do they make ‘em your size?” CHARLES: “I’ve been known to sew a thing or two.” HILLARY: “That’s really random.” CHARLES: “I know. I’ve always wanted to dress up like something, just kind of funny like a banana or an apple.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood recalls one of his most embarrassing Halloween costumes.

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    Lady A (Dave Haywood costume memory) OC: …50 feet. :20
    “I was a die (1/2 of a pair of dice) for Halloween. I had a big cardboard box that I had painted white and had the polka dots and stuff. And I remember I was walking up this hill to go to this hill and literally fell back down the entire hill [laughter], rolling in this giant cardboard box that I couldn’t do anything about, because I rolled down about 50-feet.” 

    Audio / Luke Bryan says you can tell a lot about your neighbors from what kind of Halloween candy they hand out.

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    Luke Bryan (Halloween) OC: …your teeth. :21
    “You can find out a lot about your neighbors by what kind of candy they put out. So, well, like full bars of Snickers bars, that’s what, and Reese’s cups, [but] the old chocolate popcorn ball of stuff, that’s no good either, like Dots – you get Dots one time of year and they pull your teeth.”