• LABOR DAY 2023 LINERS

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Labor Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Brad Paisley (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley, wishing you a Happy and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Labor Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Labor Day Weekend)

    Download

    Hey everyone! I’m Carrie Underwood, hoping you have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Labor Day Weekend)

    Download

    Hey everybody! This is Catie Offerman, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey y’all! This is Caylee Hammack. I’m wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Dalton Dover (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey y’all, this is Dalton Dover, hoping you have a work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Labor Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Labor Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey! I’m Jon Langston. Hope you have a Happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Labor Day weekend)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Labor Day weekend)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Labor Day weekend)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Labor Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey, it’s Kylie Morgan, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER LBT (Labor Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Labor Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey everybody! I’m Maddie, and I’m Tae, and we’re Maddie & Tae, hoping you have a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey everybody, I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey, it’s Priscilla Block, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey everybody, this is Reba McEntire, wishing you and your family and all your friends a Happy Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Labor Day)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER The War And Treaty (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey everybody, I’m Michael, and I’m Tanya, and we’re The War And Treaty, wishing you a Happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey y’all. It’s Travis Denning, hoping you have a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Tyler Hubbard (Labor Day)

    Download

    Hey y’all, it’s Tyler Hubbard, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith Urban, Tyler Hubbard, Jordan Davis, Carrie Underwood

    Keith Urban has been announced as one of the newest inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, along with Kix Brooks, Casey Beathard, David Lee Murphy and Rafe Van Hoy. Keith will enter the Hall of Fame as Contemporary Songwriter/Artist. All five newly-minted members will be formally inducted during the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Wednesday, October 11th, at the Music City Center.

    Tyler Hubbard is featured on CMT Hot 20 Countdown this weekend. You can watch it on both Saturday (August 5th) and Sunday (August 6th) at 9am ET/8am CT on CMT.

     

    Jordan Davis is featured on CMT Summer Sessions on Friday (August 4th). He performs several of his hits, including his recent multi-week No. 1 hit, “Next Thing You Know.” The show premieres Friday at 9pm ET/8pm CT on CMT.

     

    Carrie Underwood is featured on the cover of Gold Buckle magazine. Inside the magazine dedicated to the western lifestyle and professional rodeo, the superstar talks about faith, family and her residency in Las Vegas.

     

     

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith Urban, Jordan Davis, George Strait, Vince Gill

    Keith Urban gave a shout-out on his socials to his wife, actress-producer Nicole Kidman, who is starring in Taylor Sheridan’s new series, Special Ops: Lioness on Paramount+. The first two episodes dropped on Sunday (July 23rd), and it’s an intense thrill ride of a series. He wrote, “Loved seeing the first episodes finally air last night of Special Ops: Lioness! When Nic told me that Taylor Sheridan had a story he wanted to do w/ her, I knew it would be extraordinary – and sure enough – I love this series. Huge props to the whole cast – check it out now on @paramountplus  !!!!!!! Love you babygirl!”

    The series stars Nicole, Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame), Laysla De Oliveira (Locke & Key), Dave Annabelle (Yellowstone, Brothers & Sisters), LaMonica Garrett (1883), Michael Kelly (Jack Ryan, House of Cards), Morgan Freeman and others. Special Ops: Lioness, inspired by an actual U.S. Military program, follows the life of Joe (Zoe Saldaña) while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA’s spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman) and Byron Westfield (Michael Kelly), enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA’s efforts to thwart the next 9/11.

     

     

    Jordan Davis is featured in the third episode of Hulu’s new music series, The Playlist, from ABC News Live. The description of the show is “Music — it’s what unites us, what entertains us and for so many, what we find solace in during difficult times. But what is the inspiration behind our favorite song? How did our favorite artist find their way to music? ABC News Live sits down one-on-one with some of music’s most influential artists to hear the story behind the sound.”

     

    George Strait can make ANYTHING look great — a cowboy hat, Wrangler Jeans, a pair of well-worn cowboy boots and his own brand of Tequila, Codigo 1530, which he toasted to on National Tequila Day on Monday (July 24th).

    https://twitter.com/GeorgeStrait/status/1683560444311801857

     

    Vince Gill and Paul Franklin will chat about their upcoming album, Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on August 4th.

     

     

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Eric Church, Jordan Davis

    Darius Rucker and the Hootie & The Blowfish just celebrated the 29th anniversary of their 1994 debut album Cracked Rear View on July 5th.

     

    Following yesterday’s premiere of “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair” on Hulu, the Country Music Association revealed the documentary will make its broadcast debut  July 18th at 9pm ET/8pm CT on ABC. The 75-minute special, which features Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, Wynonna Judd, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and many others, explores the festival’s 1972 debut of Fan Fair.

    https://twitter.com/CountryMusic/status/1676969763548037123

    Keith Urban has been announced as one of the nominees for the 2023 class for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He’s nominated alongside Steven Curtis Chapman, Martie Maguire and Gillian Welch and David Welch (nominated as a team) in the Contemporary Songwriter/Artists category. The 53rd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala will take place October 11th at the Music City Center. The nominees for the Contemporary Songwriters category are Casey Beathard, Shawn Camp, Jim Collins, Don Henry, David Lee Murphy, Leslie Satcher, Darrell Scott and Victoria Shaw.

    Jordan Davis released his Apple Music Sessions live EP on Thursday (July 6th). You can watch him perform “Tucson Too Late,” “Church In A Chevy” and a cover of Foy Vance’s “Guiding Light” (which features special guest Sam Hunt).

     

    Eric Church has been announced as part of a new group of Nashville city leaders of a 16-person Music City Host Committee whose goal is to book high-profile events for the upcoming enclosed Tennessee Titans stadium in Nashville. The committee includes former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Tennessee State University head football coach Eddie George and many others, to look at a potential Super Bowl, the 2031 NCAA Men’s Final Four and a college football National Championship game reportedly on the list, according to the Nashville Business Journal.

     

    Bill Anderson will be celebrated by the Grand Ole Opry as the longest-serving Opry member in the show’s history on July 22nd. Vince GillJamey JohnsonJeannie SeelyRicky Skaggs are scheduled to perform.

     

  • FOURTH OF JULY 2023 AUDIO

    Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain and tyranny.

    The Declaration of Independence, which is on public display in the Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., was primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, however, he worked with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to come up with the final document. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4th, 1776, but the actual signing of the document took place August 2nd, 1776. Now, the Fourth of July holiday is commonly associated with fireworks displays, parades, barbecues and concerts.

    Some of your favorite country stars take time to remember their Fourth of July traditions, memories and what the holiday really means to them.

     

    Brad Paisley is set to headline “Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th” celebration. The downtown event in Nashville will present one of the country’s largest July 4th fireworks show, which will be synchronized to live music from the Nashville Symphony. Brad, who is headlining the show for the second time (his last appearance was in 2021), will be joined on the bill by The War And Treaty, Ben Rector, Tiera Kennedy and singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim. The event is partnering with The Store, a free referral-based grocery store founded by Brad and his wife, Kimberly Williams Paisley. One dollar from the sale of each event T-shirt will benefit The Store.

    https://twitter.com/warandtreaty/status/1673428354714808321

     

    Darius Rucker has been tapped to perform on CNN’s The Fourth In America on July 4th for the 247th anniversary of the United States’ independence. Other musical performances include Alanis MorrisetteThe All-American RejectsDemi LovatoDuran DuranFlo RidaLeon BridgesPost MaloneSheryl CrowSmash Mouth, Zac Brown BandThe Plain White T’s, and more. The special, which will feature performances and firework shows from around the country (including Nashville, New Orleans, Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York City and more), will air live from 7pm ET to 1am ET on CNN.

    Maddie & Tae will celebrate Independence Day by performing “This Land Is Your Land” as part of the PBS TV specialA Capitol Fourth. Boyz II Men, Belinda Carlisle, Chicago, Babyface, Renee Fleming, Charles Esten and the Broadway cast of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, among others, will also perform. The live broadcast will air beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT on Tuesday (July 4th) on PBS.

     

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

    Download

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

     

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

    Download

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

     

    Audio / Carrie Underwood recalls one of her favorite Fourth of July memories.

    Download

    Carrie Underwood (favorite Fourth of July memory) OC: …work out. :51
    “I think my favorite Fourth of July memory would be going to the fireworks stand and picking out which fireworks I wanted to do. I must’ve been like 7 or 8, and I came home and made a list of what order I wanted to do them in, because I wanted to put a show on for Mom and Dad, and of course I couldn’t wait until it was dark outside (laughs). So, I made my Mom and Dad get the lawn chairs and come out to the backyard and watch some not very dramatic fireworks at like six o’clock in the evening, but I was so proud of myself, and I was so proud of the show that I put on. So, I feel like that was a little training for what I do now – putting on shows, figuring out how it’s all going to work out.”

    Audio / Dalton Dover recalls memories of the Fourth of July when he was a young boy.

    Download

    Dalton Dover (Fourth of July) OC: …back then, you know? :17
    “We would go out on the lake. We’d fish all day. I just remember my mom and my uncles and my grandpa, they would all go get fireworks across the Alabama line and we would all just be in the yard shooting ‘em. We’d have sparklers and all kinds of stuff. Even the littlest, cheapest fireworks, we thought were huge back then, you know?”

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about what the Fourth of July means to him.

    Download

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

    Audio / Darius Rucker enjoys setting off fireworks.

    Download

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

    Audio / Dierks Bentley says the people of this country are what define America.

    Download

    Dierks Bentley (people are America) OC: …all about. :17
    “The definition of America to me, you know, getting a chance to travel across the country on a tour bus, stepping upon stages whether it be county fairs, state fairs, arenas, rock bars, the Opry stage, anywhere across the country and looking out at that crowd and seeing people. The people, to me, are what America’s all about.”

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

    Download

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

    Audio / Jon Langston says his plans for Fourth of July are always different.

    Download

    Jon Langston (Fourth of July) OC: …either way. :17
    “The Fourth of July is usually different every year. We’re usually playing shows, or we’re out on the lake or at the beach, or sometimes I’ve said, ‘I’m staying at home,’ shooting fireworks off the back porch or something. That’s probably not the safest thing, but we have a good time either way.”

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS TALKS ABOUT SOME OF HIS FAVORITE CHILDHOOD FOURTH OF JULY MEMORIES.

    Download

    Jordan Davis (Fourth of July) 2 OC: …really cool. :17
    “Probably baseball games, firework shows at baseball games. We’d go to Shreveport Captains games, so yeah, we’d do that or barbecues and fireworks. I can remember being on the lake for a couple of Fourth of Julys. We’d take the boat out and we’d watch the downtown fireworks show from the boat, which was really cool.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis has a few days off from the Gravel & Gold Tour, so he plans to cookout for family and friends for the Fourth of July holiday.

    Download

    Jordan Davis (Fourth of July cooking out) OC: …a bunch of food. :29
    “I love cooking for people. I love having people over to the house, grilling hot dogs, cooking/making brisket, just being around the people you want to be around with – drinking beer, watching baseball. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just getting old, but like my idea of having fun now is having people over to the house and just playing host, and so that’s exactly what we’re going to do this year; have some friends and family over and hang out with the kids, let ‘em run around the sprinklers and cook a bunch of food.”

    Audio / Josh Turner talks about the fireworks “wars” his family would have when he was growing up.

    Download

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

    Audio / Keith Urban recalls coming over to America for the first time.

    Download

    Keith Urban (coming to America 1st time) OC: …as I could. :39
    “1989 was the first year I came to the States, and it had always been my goal, but I had no plan on how to get here. It was just a case of keep playing, keep getting better at what you do, and then hopefully, somehow, some way I’ll end up over here. The guy who was managing me at the time, we just planned a trip over here – it was actually for the New Music Seminar in New York. And we came over for that, and then we did a trip down to Nashville, and I shopping my little demo around. I think I humored everybody more than anything else [laughs] with my tragic, ill-fitting demo for the time. So, I left there, but I was just so committed to coming back as quick as I could.”

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

    Download

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

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

    Download

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

    Audio / Luke Bryan says every year his plans for the Fourth of July include water and fireworks.

    Download

    Luke Bryan (Fourth of July plans) OC: …on the fourth. :15
    “My plans for the Fourth are always to be on the boat somewhere in the water, and buy a few fireworks, send ‘em up in the sky for the boys, but it’s always a boat and water, whether it’s in the Gulf of Mexico, whether it’s in Georgia…we don’t have a total plan yet, but we’ll be having a good time on the fourth.”

    Audio / MADDIE & TAE TALK ABOUT THEIR FOURTH OF JULY TRADITIONS.

    Download

    Maddie & Tae (Fourth of July) OC: …it’s perfect. :29
    TAE: “One of my favorite Fourth of July traditions – I’d say it’s a tradition ‘cause it happens every year, but I’m not always able to make it – is that we go to my grandparents in Oklahoma, and we all line up lawn chairs right in front of their garage and we just light fireworks. We always do it far away and then we light it, and we always run back and watch the fireworks, but that’s probably one of my favorite memories.” MADDIE: “My birthday is July 7th, so I always get built-in fireworks for my birthday, and sometimes we actually celebrate it on the 4th, because there’s fireworks everywhere, so it’s perfect.”

    Audio / PARKER MCCOLLUM TALKS ABOUT HIS FAVORITE FOURTH OF JULY MEMORIES. NOTE: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

    Download

    Parker McCollum (Fourth of July) OC: …days of my life. :23
    “My favorite Fourth of July memories growing up are actually kind of dangerous now that I think about it, but we used to have fireworks wars where we’d shoot like roman candles and bottle rockets. We’d always go to my grandma’s house, pop fireworks and we’d end up shooting ’em at each other and having wars; no eye protection, no nothing, just shooting bottle rockets at each other’s faces. But it was so fun; some of the best days of my life.”

    Audio / PRISCILLA BLOCK SAYS THE FOURTH OF JULY IS ONE OF HER FAVORITE HOLIDAYS.

    Download

    Priscilla Block (Fourth of July) OC: …we get crazy. :26
    “I love Fourth of July. I usually always have a Fourth of July party. It is known that there is a slip-n-slide at my house on Fourth of July. You know, it’s such a great holiday to just bring friends together and, I don’t know, we get wild on the Fourth. We get crazy.”

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

    Download

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

    Audio / TRAVIS DENNING TALKS ABOUT THE FOURTH OF JULY EVENTS HIS HOMETOWN OF WARNER ROBINS, GEORGIA WOULD THROW EVERY YEAR.

    Download

    Travis Denning (Fourth of July) OC: …will love. :51
    “Fourth of July in Warner Robins, Georgia is an event. It’s something else. In fact, forever they’ve thrown an Independence Day concert, and back in the day, it was huge. It was the biggest thing they did all year. They would actually have the concert in the MAC (McConnell-Talbert Stadium), which was the high school football stadium that Warner Robins and Northside and Houston County shared. I mean, one year they had Wynonna play and then they had Josh Turner one year, Darius Rucker. I mean it was like a big deal, and there’d be 15,000, 20,000 people there, and I think it’s so cool that there’s a little bit of a legacy of people coming together in that town and making something happen, you know? I’ll never forget going to those shows and thinking, I was more proud of what the city had done. I was like, ‘That’s just so cool that they could put together a show like this, an event that everybody will love.”

    Audio / TYLER HUBBARD TALKS ABOUT HIS FOURTH OF JULY PLANS WITH HIS FAMILY.

    Download

    Tyler Hubbard (Fourth of July) OC: …that freedom. :43
    “Yeah, I love the Fourth of July. A lot of great memories growing up, watching fireworks, being with family, hanging out. And even to this day we have a tradition where we try to go to Sun Valley where my wife is from and hang out in the mountains and take the kids and just spend a week out there just kind of enjoying life and taking it all in, and obviously, we still love to do the fireworks and hang out, but also just kind of reflect and be thankful for the country we live in, the sacrifices made so that we can live here and be free and it’s just a special, special holiday. We’re always so grateful and thankful for the people who served this country and the sacrifice that’s made with their families and everything else, and pay honor and tribute to those who fight so hard for that freedom.”

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood, Travis Denning

    Make sure to tune in to catch Dierks Bentley host  the 2023 NHL Awards on Monday (June 26th), the National Hockey League announced today. The celebration of the League’s best regular-season performances will broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on TNT, Sportsnet and TVA Sports in the U.S. and Canada, at 8pm ET. Fans can also follow the festivities across the NHL’s social media channels via the official hashtag #NHLAwards.

    Darius Rucker has been tapped to perform on CNN’s The Fourth In America on July 4th for the 247th anniversary of the United States’ independence. Other musical performances include Alanis MorrisetteThe All-American Rejects Demi LovatoDuran DuranFlo RidaLeon BridgesPost MaloneSheryl CrowSmash Mouth, Zac Brown BandThe Plain White T’s, and more. The special, which will feature performances and firework shows from around the country (including Nashville, New Orleans, Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York City and more), will air live from 7pm ET to 1am ET on CNN.

    Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire and many others are featured in the new television special, CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair, airing July 5th on Hulu.  The documentary film traces the story of the world’s largest and longest-running Country Music festival, CMA Fest.

     

    Travis Denning is set to release a new song “Things I’m Going Through” tomorrow (June 23rd).

     

     

  • CMA FEST 2023

    The 50th annual CMA Fest (formerly known as Fan Fair) kicked off on Thursday (June 8th), and the entertainment was everywhere in downtown Nashville.

    The official kick-off took place at the Riverfront Stage with Lainey Wilson and continued throughout the day, ending up with a party at Nissan Stadium with performances and/or appearances by Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Tyler Hubbard, Darius Rucker, Elle King, Luke Combs, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay and a surprise appearance by Vince Gill.

    More than 90,000 people are estimated to participate during CMA Fest, a 12% growth over 2022. The stadium alone saw a 10% increase in attendance year over year. Fans from all 50 states and a record-breaking 51 countries filled Music City in anticipation of seeing more than 300 acts taking part in CMA Fest.

    Dierks, who is co-hosting next month’s ABC-TV special CMA Fest with Elle King and Lainey Wilson and performed Sunday night (June 11th) at Nissan Stadium, says he’s not only a country artist, but a fan of the format as well. “This is a great weekend for me, ‘cause I get to go from the Station Inn to the Stadium. I mean, I get to run my whole life in that little, you know, I started off going to watch a band play at the Station Inn back in 1994 with dreams of one day trying to make it as a country artist and nothing says country artist like playing the Stadium here in Nashville. So, it’s kind of a look back at my life in a short six-day period,” says Dierks. “So it’s really, for me it’s a magical week of reflection and being a fan. I’m playing, but also just like total fan mode. I’ve always said I’m a fan of country music first and foremost, and this weekend is a great place to be a fan. It’s just the best of the best.”

     

    Vince was a special surprise guest during Luke Combs’ set, to which the newly-anointed country superstar called his “absolute hero.” The pair teamed up on Vince’s 1993 hit “One More Last Chance.” Vince says he’s grateful to be a part of CMA Fest. “This is a genre of music unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. It’s a grateful artist base. It’s grateful for the people that give us the opportunity to do what we do, you know, whether it’s at the Fairgrounds or whether it’s a bigger place. I don’t know if it ever really mattered,” says Vince. All those people out there that buy a ticket to come and do this whether they stand in line to get somebody’s autograph or go to a show or whatever. They’re just here because they like what we do, you know? And it feels good to let them know they’re appreciated and not be standoffish and not be that way. So, I’ve always enjoyed it.”

    Backstage prior to his first Nissan Stadium performance, Jordan Davis said he came to Nashville to be a songwriter and never dreamed he’d get to perform at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest. “Long story short, I moved to town to write songs. I had never played with a band; I’d never played a show,” says the Louisiana native. “I was trying to get a publishing deal and trying to get other artists to cut my songs. I truly started playing music and trying to go after being an artist, because I didn’t know if that was going to happen. So, I figured I was already this far down the road, so I might as well start trying to make some money gigging around and here we are. I kind of fell backwards into it, but I’m very grateful I did. I truly never, never dreamed that I would be playing on the stage that I’m getting to play on tonight.”

    Having performed his two No. 1 songs as a solo artist — “5 Foot 9” and “Dancin’ In The Country” — Tyler Hubbard is overwhelmed by the reaction the fans have had for his recent self-titled album. “It means a ton to me to have these songs connect the way they have, it’s been really special,” he says. “It’s inspired me, it’s motivated me, and it makes me want to keep doing it, and it’s given me a lot of life. These songs are special, and they mean a lot and to watch the fans sing ‘em back to me at the shows and to hear their stories and to see their videos that they’re making to my music, it’s fulfilling as a songwriter, as an artist. It’s just what I love, and like I said, it just motivates me to keep doing this thing. I just love the connection, and that’s what music does. It brings us together and so that’s why I’m honored to be a part of it.”

    Night two pulled in performances by Tanya Tucker, Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson. Reba McEntire surprised the crowd at Nissan Stadium during Cody Johnson’s set. The pair performed her hit “Whoever’s In New England,” before Cody presented her with a gold plaque for their hit duet “Dear Rodeo.” Also performing on Friday (June 9th) were Miranda Lambert, HARDY and Keith Urban (who had the crowd mesmerized).

    Additional performers at Nissan Stadium included Little Big Town, Jon Pardi, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Josh Turner, Tim McGraw, Jelly Roll, Old Dominion, Ashley McBryde, Tracy Lawrence, as well as hot newcomers on the Platform Stage including Dalton Dover, Ashley Cooke, Megan Moroney, Ian Munsic, Nate Smith, Alana Springsteen and Haley Whitters.

    More highlights and performances will be featured during the CMA Fest ABC-TV special, hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King and Lainey Wilson. Catch all the action at 8pm ET on July 19th.

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, who is co-hosting the ABC-TV CMA Fest, says he’s not only a performer, but also a fan during this special week.

    Download

    Dierks Bentley (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …best of the best. :48
    “This is a great weekend for me, ‘cause I get to go from the Station Inn to the Stadium. I mean, I get to run my whole life in that little, you know, I started off going to watch a band play at the Station Inn back in 1994 with dreams of one day trying to make it as a country artist and nothing says country artist like playing the Stadium here in Nashville. So, it’s kind of a look back at my life in a short six-day period, and even the Hot Country Knights is like that’s to me Lower Broadway at its best…or worst. But, so it’s really, for me it’s a magical week of reflection and being a fan. I’m playing, but also just like total fan mode. I’ve always said I’m a fan of country music first and foremost, and this weekend is a great place to be a fan. It’s just the best of the best.”

    Audio / Vince Gill talks about CMA Fest, formerly known as Fan Fair.

    Download

    Vince Gill (CMA Fest) OC: …grateful. 1:03
    “This is a genre of music unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. It’s a grat4eful artist base. It’s grateful for the people that give us the opportunity to do what we do, you know, whether it’s at the Fairgrounds or whether it’s a bigger place. I don’t know if it ever really mattered. All those people out there that buy a ticket to come and do this whether they stand in line to get somebody’s autograph or go to a show or whatever. They’re just here because they like what we do, you know? And it feels good to let them know they’re appreciated and not be standoffish and not be that way. So, I’ve always enjoyed it. This is about my 40th year of doing anything connected with whatever they call it. (laughs) I don’t even know anymore (laughs), but it’s still the same thing. It’s just a bunch of people that loves what everybody does and man, it’s great for everybody to hang and just sitting backstage running into so and so and running into so and so, you don’t get to see them very often. So, you know grateful.”

    Audio / Backstage prior to his performance at Nissan Stadium on Thursday night, Jordan Davis talked about how he became an artist.

    Download

    Jordan Davis (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …play on tonight. :34
    “Long story short, I moved to town to write songs. I had never played with a band; I’d never played a show. I was trying to get a publishing deal and trying to get other artists to cut my songs. I truly started playing music and trying to go after being an artist, because I didn’t know if that was going to happen. So, I figured I was already this far down the road, so I might as well start trying to make some money gigging around and here we are. I kind of fell backwards into it, but I’m very grateful I did. I truly never, never dreamed that I would be playing on the stage that I’m getting to play on tonight.”

    Audio / Tyler Hubbard says it means the world to him to see his songs connect with the fans.

    Download

    Tyler Hubbard (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …part of it. :36
    “It means a ton to me to have these songs connect the way they have, it’s been really special. It’s inspired me, it’s motivated me, and it makes me want to keep doing it, and it’s given me a lot of life. These songs are special, and they mean a lot and to watch the fans sing ‘em back to me at the shows and to hear their stories and to see their videos that they’re making to my music, it’s fulfilling as a songwriter, as an artist. It’s just what I love, and like I said, it just motivates me to keep doing this thing. I just love the connection, and that’s what music does. It brings us together and so that’s why I’m honored to be a part of it.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about the community spirit surrounding CMA Fest.

    Download

    Keith Urban (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …always need it, though. :29

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

    Audio / Josh Turner talks about his fan encounter with the late, great Vern Gosdin.

    Download
  • NEWS AND NOTES: Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Mickey Guyton

    Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are among the artists participating in the new documentary, “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair,” which tells the story of country music’s longest-running festival. Premiering June 5th on Hulu, the 75-minute special features exclusive one-on-one interviews, never-before-seen archival content and CMA Fest Performances from the last 50 years. “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair” will also feature Bill Anderson, Kelsea Ballerini, BRELAND, Brooks & Dunn, Shy Carter, Luke Combs, Wynonna Judd, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Mark Miller of Sawyer Brown, Craig Morgan, Lorrie Morgan, Dolly Parton, Carly Pearce, Jeannie Seely, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson, Trisha Yearwood and Chris Young, among others. CMA Fest will celebrate its milestone 50th anniversary June 8-11, 2023, in downtown Nashville, featuring hundreds of artists performing across multiple stages.

     

    Brad Paisley will perform at the second annual Beachlife Ranch festival, taking place in Redondo Beach, California, September 22nd – 24th. The Doobie Brothers, Jack Johnson, Wynonna Judd, Midland and Shooter Jennings will also perform.

     

    Mickey Guyton, Trisha Yearwood and CMT’s Leslie Fram will be honored by Save The Music and SongFarm.org for their contributions to the music industry and music education at Nashville’s 4th annual “Hometown to Hometown” event June 5th at City Winery. Caylee Hammack, Kelsea Ballerini, Brittney Spencer and more will perform. All proceeds will benefit music technology programs in Nashville, Georgia and Texas.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith Urban, Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Sam Hunt, Tyler Hubbard

    Keith Urban returned to ABC’s American Idol for Sunday night’s (May 21st) season finale. He mentored the Top 3 contestants, and he also performed his hit, “Wild Heart,” for all the dreamers on the show. Iam Tongi was crowned the winner of this season.

     

    Keith Urban will release Volume 2 of a special No. 1’s exclusive vinyl at Walmart on August 11th.  It includes 12 No. 1 Hits from his entire catalog of albums.  The vinyl will be on exclusive purple/grape vinyl and will include a limited-edition poster inside. The track list includes such chart-toppers as “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” “Break On Me,” “We Were Us” (with Miranda Lambert), “You Gonna Fly,” “Once in A Lifetime,” “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me” and “Making Memories of Us,” as well as many more. Volume 1 is also still available and features “Somebody Like You,” “The Fighter” (with Carrie Underwood), “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “Days Go By,” “You’ll Think of Me” and “Long Hot Summer,” among others.

     

    Eric Church is set to release the THIRD pressing of his 2015 album, Mr. Misunderstood, on blue vinyl on June 9th. The collection features the title track, “Chattanooga Lucy,” “’Round Here Buzz,” “Holdin’ My Own” and “Record Year,” among others.

     

     

    Alan Jackson was the subject of a recent episode of the game show Jeopardy with the answer being “What is ‘Chattahoochie?'”

    Sam Hunt posted a handful of photos of him with his daughter, Lucy, and wife Hannah, to his socials. Sam just released the song, “Women In My Life.”

    Tyler Hubbard surprised fans with a pop-up show at Nashville’s popular Broadway hotspot, The Stage, on Saturday night (May 20th) to celebrate the one-year release of his No. 1 debut solo single, “5 Foot 9.” He also celebrated his second No. 1 for “Dancin’ In The Country.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban

    Carrie Underwood celebrated her 15th Anniversary as a proud Grand Ole Opry member on Saturday (May 13th) with a two-show performance. The Opry presented her backstage with a special commemorative print and a specially-designed cake, by IveyCake, to commemorate the milestone. Carrie made her unforgettable Grand Ole Opry performance debut on June 10th, 2005, just two weeks after winning American Idol. Her love for the Opry started as a child as she grew up watching and listening to the show, dreaming of one day performing there and even becoming a member herself. The multi-GRAMMY® /CMA/ACM award winner was officially inducted into the Opry family on May 10th, 2008 by fellow Oklahoman and fellow Opry member Garth Brooks. Cute note: She also got to meet the iconic daytime star Susan Lucci backstage. Carrie will return to the Grand Ole Opry for a special two-show Tuesday night Opry on June 6 (7 pm and 9:30 pm), which “unofficially” kicks off the milestone 50th CMA Fest week.

     

    Don’t forget to tune in to CMT Crossroads on Tuesday (May 16th) to catch Darius Rucker and The Black Crowes swap vocals on each other’s songs.  “CMT Crossroads: The Black Crowes & Darius Rucker” premieres with a special one-hour presentation on Tuesday at 10p/9c, with an immediate encore at 11p/10c, and on Friday (May 19th) at 12a/11c. It will also go live on Wednesday (May 17th) on CMT.com, CMT VOD and the MTV app (CMT Crossroads), with subsequent premieres on CMT MUSIC and MTV LIVE.

     

    Luke Bryan will perform his new single, “But I Got A Beer In My Hand,” live on ABC’s American Idol finale on Sunday (May 21st). The three-hour finale episode is set to air live from coast to coast starting at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

    Keith Urban will return to the season finale of ABC’s American Idol on Sunday (May 21st) to mentor the Top 3 finalists. Keith, who was a judge on the talent show between seasons 12 and 15, will also take the stage to perform as well.

    https://twitter.com/AmericanIdol/status/1657053379703754753

    In a new promo for the Tennessee Titans 2023-2024 schedule release, Keith Urban appears at the very end on stage at Nashville’s famed Robert’s Western World.