• NEWS AND NOTES: Reba McEntire, Jon Pardi, Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Mickey Guyton, Chris Stapleton, Priscilla Block

    Reba McEntire performed her new song, “Seven Minutes In Heaven,” on NBC’s The Voice on Tuesday night (December 5th).

    Jon Pardi just released the official music video for his holiday tune, “Beer For Santa,” from his new Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi album. The clip features Santa, Jon and his beer-slugging faithful dog, Cowboy, in animated form.

     

     

    NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – DECEMBER 05: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (Front Row) Ernest, Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter of The War And Treaty, Brenda Lee, Patty Loveless, Mickey Guyton, HARDY (Back Row) CEO of Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum, Kyle Young, Matthew Ramsey, Geoff Sprung, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi of Old Dominion, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Riley Green and Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum Board Chair, Mary Ann McCready attend All for the Hall, a concert benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at Bridgestone Arena on December 05, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

    Keith Urban and Vince Gill returned as co-hosts and bandmembers for this year’s benefit show, All for the Hall, with all proceeds going to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The show raised over $900,000 for the Hall of Fame.  The theme of the night was “The Song Remembers When,” and artists performed one of their own songs and a song that influenced them. Trisha Yearwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Brenda Lee, Brooks & Dunn, Mickey Guyton, The War And Treaty, Riley Green, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, HARDY and Ernest also performed.

    Mickey Guyton‘s song “Heaven Down Here” inspired a Hallmark Christmas movie of the same name, which will premiere December 14th. The movie, which stars Phylicia Rashad, Tina Lifford and Richard Harmon, takes place in a diner in which four people are trapped inside on Christmas Eve.

     

    Chris Stapleton has announced new dates for his All-American Roadshow Tour.

    Priscilla Block covered Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” during CMT’s Campfire Sessions: Christmas Version earlier this week. Backing her up was Tenille Townes, Brittney Spencer and Caitlyn Smith.

     

     

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Carrie, Jon, Mickey

    A handful of country artists will be in Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) next month, including Carrie Underwood who will continue her Reflection residency at Resorts World. The NFR returns to the Thomas & Mack enter December 7th – 16th for its 65th anniversary. Garth Brooks will perform seven shows at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace beginning November 29th. Also performing in Vegas will be Jon Pardi (December 9th), Toby Keith (December 10th and 11th), Miranda Lambert, Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Ryan Bingham and more.

    Mickey Guyton has been added to the list of performers at this year’s All For The Hall benefit show next week. Hosts Keith Urban and Vince Gill will perform, as well as Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, The War And Treaty, Kelsea Ballerini, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green and Hardy, among others. The theme for the show is “The Song Remembers When,” and each artist is expected to perform a song that is personal to them, as well as one of their own. The event takes place Tuesday (December 5th) at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

     

  • CHRISTMAS LINERS 2023

     

    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 Brad Paisley (Seasons Greetings)

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    “Season’s Greetings, folks, it’s Brad Paisley, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Brad Paisley (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley. Happy Holidays.”

    Audio / LINER Brad Paisley (Happy Holidays) 2

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    “Brad Paisley here. Happy Holidays!”

    Audio / LINER Brad Paisley (12 Days of Christmas would include)

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    “Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley. If I were to re-write the ’12 Days of Christmas,’ I would include things like chocolate, Bourbon, guitars and maybe not French Hens or Geese a’laying.”

    Audio / LINER Brad Paisley (Penguin James Penguin)

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    “Hi, this is Brad Paisley. Make sure you’re good this Christmas, ‘cause Santa’s got a secret agent bird. Penguin James Penguin is watching.”

    Audio / LINER Brenda Lee (Seasons Greetings)

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    “Season’s Greetings. This is Brenda Lee, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Brenda Lee (Merry Christmas)

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    “Hi, I’m Brenda Lee with wishes for a very Merry Christmas.”

     

    Audio / LINER Brenda Lee (Here's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree)

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    “Hi, this is Brenda Lee, and here’s my favorite holiday song, ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

    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 Carrie Underwood (Seasons Greetings)

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    “Season’s Greetings! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

     

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Christmas)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman, wishing you a very Merry Christmas, y’all.”

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Christmas) 2

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    “Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman. Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman. Happy Holidays.”

    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 Dalton Dover (Christmas)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Dalton Dover. Merry Christmas.”

     

    Audio / LINER Dalton Dover (Christmas) 2

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    Hey y’all, this is Dalton Dover, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

    Audio / LINER Dalton Dover (Season's Greetings)

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    “Season’s Greetings. I’m Dalton Dover.”

    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 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 Hootie & The Blowfish (Christmas)

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    “Hey Everybody, we’re Hootie & The Blowfish, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    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 Jon Pardi (Season’s Greetings)

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    “Season’s Greetings, everybody! I’m Jon Pardi, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Merry Christmas) 2

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    “Hey! This is Jon Pardi. Merry Christmas!”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Happy Holidays)

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    “Happy, Happy, Happy Holidays, everybody. I’m Jordan Davis.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Ross (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Josh Ross (Season’s Greetings)

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    “Season’s Greetings, I’m Josh Ross.”

    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 Josh Turner (Seasons Greetings)

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    “Season’s Greetings—I’m Josh Turner, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Merry Christmas)

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    “Hi, I’m Josh Turner with wishes for a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Happy Holidays) 2

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    “Hey everybody, this is Josh Turner. May your days be merry and bright. Happy holidays from my family to yours!”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Holidays)

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    “Hey y’all, I’m Josh Turner. Wishing you peace, love and joy this holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Christmas sweater)

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    “Hey y’all, I’m Josh Turner. May all your sweaters be ugly and bright!”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Kassi Ashton (Christmas)

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    “Hey, it’s Kassi Ashton. I’d love to wish everyone listening 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 LBT (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER LBT (Very Merry Christmas)

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    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town, and we just want to say Have Yourself 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 Luke Bryan (Season's Greetings)

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    “Seasons Greetings, I’m Luke Bryan. Hope your holidays are filled with joy and happiness.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (eggnog)

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    “It’s Luke Bryan, and may your eggnog be spiked with plenty of rum to get you through this holiday season!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (gifts of the season)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Luke Bryan, wishing you the gifts of the season — Peace, Joy, and a case of beer.”

    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 Priscilla Block (Christmas)

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    “Hi! This is Priscilla Block wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

     

    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.”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Seasons Greetings)

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    “Season’s Greetings. This is Travis Denning, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Tyler Hubbard (Christmas) 1

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Tyler Hubbard. Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Tyler Hubbard (Christmas) 2

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Tyler Hubbard, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Tyler Hubbard (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Tyler Hubbard. Happy Holidays.”

     

     

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Mickey Guyton, Chrissy Metz

    ABC’s American Idol Season 7 (Season 22 in total) will premiere February 18th with Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie as judges and Ryan Seacrest as host. They have bee doing auditions for the past few months including some in Nashville last week.

    Luke Bryan performed a benefit show at Jupiter Pointe Club and Marina in Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday (November 18th) to raise money for local music students pursuing a career in the arts and giving some of those students the opportunity to open for him. Proceeds went to the Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

    Foy Vance’s “Guiding Light (Anniversary Edition)” featuring Keith Urban, Elton John and Ed Sheeran, is out now.  Keith took to socials to perform a snippet of “Guiding Light,” and wrote, “When @foyvance  called and asked if I wanted to be a part of the ten-year anniversary version of ‘Guiding Light’ alongside @eltonofficial  and Ed Sheeran, I was IN!! It’s such an extraordinary song – almost more of a hymn. It so beautifully captures the struggle, pain, grace and beauty of being human – and knowing you can’t do it alone. The first time I heard ‘Guiding Light’ I was riding around on a bike in London and it literally stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t listen to anything after it…I just quietly rode home. I’m honored to be your mate Foy and to be with you, Elton, and Ed on this gorgeous track. “

     

    Mickey Guyton and Chrissy Metz will perform during ABC’s “The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” on Sunday (November 26th) beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT. Mickey will not only perform “Jingle Bell Rock,” but also her duet with Michael Bolton “Christmas Isn’t Christmas” from his new holiday album. Chrissy is set to perform “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” for the two-hour special. Chris Janson, Robin Thicke, Tori Kelly and many more will also perform.  But wait, that’s not all–Chrissy will also perform “Silver Bells” during the “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” on ABC on Christmas Day, December 25th, from 10am-Noon ET/9am-11am CT.  Mickey will co-host alongside Derek and Julianne Hough and Jesse Palmer.

  • THANKSGIVING 2023 SOUNDBITES

    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.

    Some festive fun facts about Thanksgiving:

    • President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3rd, 1863.
    • Harry Truman is often credited with being the first president to pardon a turkey, but that’s not quite true. He was the first to receive a ceremonial turkey from the National Turkey Federation – and he had it for dinner. John F. Kennedy was the first to let a Thanksgiving turkey go, followed by Richard Nixon who sent his turkey to a petting zoo. George H.W. Bush is the president who formalized the turkey pardoning tradition in 1989.
    • The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500.
    • Butterball answers more than 100,000 turkey-cooking questions via their Butterball Turkey Hotline each November and December.
    • The tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1876 with a game between Yale and Princeton. The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920.
    • The Wednesday before Thanksgiving has become known as “Drinksgiving.” Bars experience a huge boom the night before the holiday.

    Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 23rd, and most people might be enjoying time with a group of their friends and families, including some of your favorite country stars, such as Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Catie Offerman, Caylee Hammack, Dalton Dover, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley,  Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Reba McEntire, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning, Tyler Hubbard and more. They share their thoughts of thanks this year, their lessons in gratitude, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

    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 / Brothers Osborne talk about their favorite Thanksgiving tradition – a Misfits Thanksgiving -- that they started when they moved to Nashville because they couldn’t afford to go home for the holiday.

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    Brothers Osborne (Misfits Thanksgiving) OC: (TJ) …Happy holidays, y’all. 1:02
    “What’s up, y’all? It’s Brothers Osborne here. And a Thanksgiving tradition that we did for so many years. John and I would host what we would call a Misfits Thanksgiving, and we would have everyone, I mean we must’ve done this for 15 years or so and it really started because we didn’t have enough money to go back home to see our family, so we would hang out in Nashville. And so everyone that was kind of in our same shoes, we’d all end up at our house, and it really turned into really blossoming some of our most cherished relationships. We would be there with Kacey Musgraves. It was the first time I really got to hang out with Mickey Guyton (JOHN: “Maren Morris.”) Maren Morris. They would come over and we just became like family to each other because we couldn’t get home to see our own families. And that’s a Thanksgiving tradition that we still to this day try to keep, and it’s a revolving door of who’s there or who’s not there, but yeah, it’s a wonderful tradition. And let me tell you, spending it with our friends in Nashville, there’s a little less arguing than back home. (laughs)” JOHN: “We’re still arguing, but we get over it faster.” (laughs) TJ: “Anyways, Happy Holidays, y’all.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she’s grateful for her family.

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    Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving 2023) OC: …we all are. :30
    “I am grateful for so many things this Thanksgiving. I think the thing I’m most grateful for, though, is family. I mean, that’s what it’s all about, and that’s what this life is all about. I’m blessed to have two incredible boys that I get to take care of and that love on me daily, and they’re just giant blessings in my life, and of course, my extended family, as well. That’s what this time of year’s all about – getting together and just realizing how blessed we all are.”

    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 / Catie Offerman

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    Catie Offerman (Thanksgiving) OC: …what I do. :17
    “I am so thankful for a lot of things. I think my family, the gift of being able to put music out this year has been huge for me. I think that’s something I’ve waited on for a really long time, and I’m so thankful for that. I’m thankful for my health and just being able to keep playing music and doing what I do.”

    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 / Dalton Dover says this one dish HAS to be on the dinner table at Thanksgiving.

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    Dalton Dover (Thanksgiving eats) 1 OC: …at Thanksgiving. :04
    “Like I’m a big deviled eggs guy, so they got to be on the dinner table at Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / We asked Dalton Dover who makes the deviled eggs at Thanksgiving.

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    Dalton Dover (Thanksgiving eats) 2 OC: …best. :02
    “My grandma, and she makes the absolute best (deviled eggs).”

    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 / Zealous football fan Darius Rucker says Thanksgiving is his favorite sporting day of the year.

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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 / 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 / Jordan Davis talks about his childhood Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving) OC: …lot of football. :12
    “When I was growing up at Thanksgiving, we just got all the family together. You know, did the traditional turkey, ham, all the sides, but it was always at either one of my grandparents’ house. Just a lot of family, a lot of food and a lot of football.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis says his favorite Thanksgiving side dish makes him happy all year round.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving side dish) 2 OC: …Cheese guy. :09
    “My favorite Thanksgiving side dish – Macaroni and Cheese – anytime. Thanksgiving, a random Tuesday. I don’t care. I’m a Macaroni and Cheese guy.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis says one of his new favorite Thanksgiving traditions is frying a turkey.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving turkey) OC: …most forward to. :11
    “Favorite Thanksgiving tradition for me? I just recently got into frying the turkey, so I’m the turkey-frying guy, and I’m getting pretty good at it. So, I would have to say that’s my thing that I look most forward to.”

     

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about the Davis family Thanksgiving.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving memory) OC: …really special. :17
    “A typical Thanksgiving in the Davis household growing up – we would always go to East Texas to my grandparents’ house. You know, during the day, me and my grandfather would always go fish. My grandma would always have a huge spread, and just get to spend time around a lot of family members I don’t get to see a lot of, so they were always really special.”

    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 / 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 / Maddie & Tae talk about their Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Maddie & Tae (Thanksgiving) OC: (TAE) …I do. :41
    MADDIE: “I love Thanksgiving because I get to see my family, and it’s not as much pressure as Christmas I feel like because there are no gifts exchanged. It’s just all about quality time and I love quality time. My favorite dish is some broccoli-cheese casserole and Tae’s favorite dish, I know, is cranberry sauce, just plain. Just plain ole cranberry sauce, no turkey, just cranberry sauce.” TAE: “She knows.” MADDIE: “That’s it.” TAE: “I genuinely feel there’s something wrong with me. (MADDIE: “Out of the can.”) out of the can. My parents know just to have cranberry sauce for me, like no one else can touch it. There’s a home video where my brother Mason tries to eat it, and I’m like, ‘What are you doing? This is mine.’” MADDIE: “She eats it out of the can.” TAE: “I do.”

    Audio / Mickey Guyton talks about one of her favorite Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Mickey Guyton (Thanksgiving traditions) OC: …Thanksgiving traditions. :17
    “One of my Thanksgiving traditions is playing charades after Thanksgiving dinner. I’m not the most competitive person in the world, but as soon as you put some Charades in the picture, I am crazy, and you will definitely want to be on my team if we’re playing Charades. I’m just saying. So, that’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions.”

     

    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 talks about his family’s Thanksgiving tradition.

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    Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving tradition) OC: …go there. :27
    “I mean, my parents have been split up for a long time, but they’re all from the same town. My mom and dad went to high school together and all that stuff and all the family still lives back there on both sides. So, we kind of do a Thanksgiving with my dad’s side of the family, but all my life, we’ve always gone to my mom’s parents’ house on Thanksgiving, and they got a big ole house and a bunch of property and it’s really where I grew up is right there. That’s kind of home for me, so that’s kind of our thing. We always go there.”

    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 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 / Reba McEntire explains what she's most thankful for this year.

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    Reba McEntire (Thankful) OC: …happy camper. :39
    “Omigosh I wake up in the morning grateful that I can, that I’m alive, I can breathe, I can move, I can get out of bed on my own. (I’m) very grateful for the lifestyle that I have and if anybody needs help, please Lord please, direct me in what you want me to do. Just grateful for getting Rex in my life, my family being healthy and happy, my friends being healthy and happy. I’ve got a great job and people I love and get to work with, and I’ve got a huge faith. So, no matter what happens to me, I know where I’m going, so I’m a happy camper.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about his favorite Thanksgiving eats.

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    Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …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 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.”

    Audio / Travis Denning talks about his ideal Thanksgiving menu.

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    Travis Denning (Thanksgiving menu) OC: …then beer. :17
    “The ideal Thanksgiving menu to me is a little bit of turkey, but definitely prioritizing ham. I’m a firm believer in ham at Thanksgiving. Squash casserole, broccoli casserole, stuffing and then beer.”

    Audio / Tyler Hubbard talks about his favorite Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Tyler Hubbard (Thanksgiving) OC: …I love it. :22
    “Favorite Thanksgiving tradition for me is probably just getting together with family, having a big meal and watching a little football and taking a nice long nap. I mean, we didn’t reinvent the wheel with Thanksgiving by any means. But my Nanny (grandmother) does make a pretty mean sweet potato casserole, so that’s one of my favorites that I look forward to and I don’t know if that’s a tradition or not, but in my head it is. I love it.”

     

     

     

  • KEITH URBAN JOINS FOY VANCE, ED SHEERAN AND ELTON JOHN ON A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF FOY’S “GUIDING LIGHT.”

    Keith Urban is joining Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance on a new single, “Guiding Light (Anniversary Edition).” The tune, which was originally recorded for Vance’s 2013 Joy of Nothing album.

    Vance is revisiting the song with Keith, Ed Sheeran and the iconic Elton John–three musicians who have been part of his career journey and who continue to inspire him.

    Keith and Foy have been teasing the song with funny posts on social media platforms.

     

     

     

     

    Produced by Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, the new Anniversary Edition of the song features new vocals from Sheeran together with Elton John, who has long-championed Vance, and country superstar Keith Urban, who has written with Vance and covered his 2016 song “Burden.” The backing choir on the new version consists of Anderson East, Patrick Droney, Devin Dawson, Bonnie Bishop, Lisa Gray, Etta Britt, Bob Britt, and NEEDTOBREATHES’s Bear Rinehart, Josh Lovelace, Seth Bolt, Tyler Burkum, and Randall Harris, and was recorded at Anderson East’s studio in Nashville.

    “When I wrote Guiding Light I was feeling lost in my life due to a loss of family, friendships and reason,” says Vance of the track. “The music lit up the darkness. Melody reminded me to keep going no matter how long the road or how pointless it seemed. Guiding Light is the person or the thing that brings you back to a safe space, somewhere to lick your wounds and convalesce. To see the message resonate with so many people over the years has truly been a beautiful thing.”

    “Guiding Light” (Anniversary Edition)” will be released November 16th.

    Foy has also worked with Alicia Keys, Rag N Bone Man, Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Plan B and Rudimental among many others.

  • HALLOWEEN LINERS 2023

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Halloween)

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    “Trick or Treat, baby.”

    Audio / LINER Brad Paisley (Halloween)

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    “Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley. Happy Halloween!”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Halloween)

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

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Halloween)

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

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Halloween)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman, wishing you a very Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Halloween) 1

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    “Hey y’all, I’m Caylee Hammack, wishing all of y’all a Happy Halloween. Boo!”

     

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Halloween) 2

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    “Hey y’all! I’m Caylee Hammack, wishing all you goblins and gremlins out there a Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Dalton Dover (Halloween)

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    Hey, y’all, this is Dalton Dover. Happy Halloween!

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Halloween)

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

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Halloween)

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    “Hey! It’s Dierks Bentley, wishing you a Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Halloween)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Church, wishing you a very Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER JON LANGSTON (HALLOWEEN)

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    “Hey y’all! I’m Jon Langston. Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Halloween)

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    “Hey it’s Jon Pardi. Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Halloween)

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    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a Happy Halloween.”

     

     

    Audio / LINER Josh Ross (Halloween)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Josh Ross. Happy Halloween!”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Halloween)

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    “Hey Y’all, I’m Josh Turner, wishing you a Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Halloween)

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    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, and I hope you have a Happy Halloween.”

     

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Halloween)

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    “Hey everyone, this is Keith Urban, wishing you a very spooky, happy Halloween. Boo!”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Halloween)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a Happy Halloween. BOO!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Halloween

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    “Hey! What’s up, y’all? I’m Luke Bryan, wishing you a very Happy Halloween. Boo!”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Halloween)

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

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Halloween)

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    “Hey everybody, I’m Parker McCollum. Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Halloween)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Priscilla Block, wishing you a Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Halloween)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Reba McEntire. Happy Halloween. Ooooooh”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Halloween)

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    “Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt. Happy Halloween!”

    Audio / LINER The War And Treaty (Halloween)

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    Hey everybody. The War And Treaty here. Happy Halloween!

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Halloween)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Travis Denning. Happy Halloween.”

    Audio / LINER Tyler Hubbard (Halloween)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Tyler Hubbard, wishing you a Happy Halloween.”

  • KEITH URBAN IS INDUCTED INTO THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME.

    Keith Urban was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Wednesday (October 11th), along with Kix BrooksDavid Lee Murphy, Casey Beathard and Rafe Van Hoy. The iconic Dolly Parton officially inducted him, while his “brother from another planet,” Eric Church performed Keith’s hit, “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me,” with his own twist to the song.

     

    Keith very nearly missed the call inviting him to become a member of the Hall of Fame. ““Mark from the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame called me. I was in the studio,” he recalls.”I didn’t recognize the number, so I ignored it. He called again, and I think I ignored it a second time. (laughs) And then my manager called me and said, ‘Somebody’s trying to get a hold of you. Can you just answer that number? Answer it a third time?’ And he told me that I’d been invited to join the family, as it were.”

    During the aforementioned call, Keith had a surreal moment of reflection of when he first came to Nashville to pursue his dreams. “I love that – A – I was in the studio making music, writing, creating,” he says. “It’s the perfect place to be to get that kind of call, but also I was at Backstage Studios and I was at the back door of it which overlooks, from that back door, you can just see the edges of what used to be Shoney’s on Demonbreun, and that’s where I stayed on my very, very first trip here to Nashville was in a tiny little room downstairs on the outside of it. And I was looking over it thinking how long it had been from there to standing in this stop getting this call, and yet also the proximity was sort of metaphorically not that far either, like time has just evaporated. It was no time at all, so it was quite surreal.”

    Keith’s Las Vegas residency returns to the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on November 1st and runs through November 18th.

     

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about getting the call from the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame to invite him to be inducted into the famed institution.

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    Keith Urban (Songwriters Hall of Fame call) OC: …quite surreal. 1:07
    “Mark from the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame called me. I was in the studio. I didn’t recognize the number, so I ignored it. He called again, and I think I ignored it a second time. (laughs) And then my manager called me and said, ‘Somebody’s trying to get a hold of you. Can you just answer that number? Answer it a third time?’ And he told me that I’d been invited to join the family, as it were. I love that – A – I was in the studio making music, writing, creating. It’s the perfect place to be to get that kind of call, but also I was at Backstage Studios and I was at the back door of it which overlooks, from that back door, you can just see the edges of what used to be Shoney’s on Demonbreun, and that’s where I stayed on my very, very first trip here to Nashville was in a tiny little room downstairs on the outside of it. And I was looking over it thinking how long it had been from there to standing in this stop getting this call, and yet also the proximity was sort of metaphorically not that far either, like time has just evaporated. It was no time at all, so it was quite surreal.”

     

     

     

  • KEITH URBAN, KIX BROOKS, DAVID LEE MURPHY, CASEY BEATHARD AND RAFE VAN HOY ARE INDUCTED INTO THE NASHVILLE SONGWRTIERS HALL OF FAME.

    The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF) welcomed six new members into its ranks last night as the Class of 2023 was officially honored at the organization’s 53rd Anniversary Gala.  The musical contributions of the newest inductees were celebrated through star-studded performances of some of their biggest songs for the capacity crowd at Nashville’s Music City Center.

    The Class of 2023:  Casey Beathard and David Lee Murphy in the contemporary songwriter category; Rafe Van Hoy in the veteran songwriter category, Keith Urban in the contemporary songwriter/artist category and Kix Brooks in the veteran songwriter/artist category.

    The event traditionally features some of music’s most talented artists performing songs from the inductees’ impressive catalogs, and this year’s line-up was no exception.

    Inductee Casey Beathard was presented to the audience by Hall of Fame member Buddy Cannon, and superstar Eric Church, along with Joanna Cotten, performed “Like Jesus Does,” a platinum-selling song for the artist.

    John Conlee then took the stage to honor inductee Rafe Van Hoy.  Conlee performed his classic “Lady Lay Down,” one of several chart toppers penned for him by Van Hoy, who was presented by Hall of Fame member Bobby Braddock.

    Hall of Fame member Bob DiPiero presented inductee Kix Brooks, and award-winning recording artist Cody Johnson performed the Brooks & Dunn smash, “Only In America,” written by Brooks.

    Superstar Kenny Chesney performed “Living In Fast Forward,” one of several No. 1 hits written for him by inductee David Lee Murphy, who was presented by Hall of Fame member Craig Wiseman.

    Closing the evening’s festivities, Eric Church took the stage once more, this time to salute inductee Keith Urban, with Urban’s self-written #1 “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me.”  Music icon Dolly Parton, herself a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, presented Urban.

  • KEITH URBAN WILL BE INDUCTED INTO THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME THIS WEEK, AND HE’S SHINING A LIGHT ON SOME OF THE SONGS HE’S WRITTEN.

    Keith Urban is set to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday (October 11th), along with Kix Brooks, David Lee Murphy, Casey Beathard and Rafe Van Hoy, and he couldn’t be more honored to be included in the Class of 2023.

    The three-time Entertainer of the Year says it’s impossible to pick a favorite song he’s written, since he’s written thousands of songs, but he can point to specific songs that have changed the course of his career, including his six-week No. 1 song (his second chart-topper), 2002’s “Somebody Like You.”

    “It’s impossible for me to sort of pick a favorite song that I’ve written or anything that I’m more grateful than any others, because they all capture a different part of my life and tell a different part of my story,” says Keith. “But certainly, songs that can send a career into a whole other gear, I mean, I would have to look at something like ‘Somebody Like You’ as one of the most important songs for me that happened and just changed this sort of, to a large degree, just sent my career into a whole different speed in a really wonderful way. Of course, you know, there’s hundreds of songs I’ve written that led up to that one getting written, and it’s just magic. It’s magical how that song got written. I wrote it with a guy called John Shanks, who I’d never met and I was nervous showing up that morning to write that song, and he had a little drum loop happening and I happened to bring my six-string banjo and I pulled it out of the case and the first thing that I played was that opening riff of the song and I started singing a melody, and the words started coming fairly quickly, and it was one those pretty easy to write songs, and I think it’s just where I was in my life at the time too. It really captured probably more of the person I wished I could be. I wasn’t that person in the song, but I wanted to be, and I felt I was getting close to being that person. So, it’s a truthful song. It came from a truthful place, and I’m still incredibly grateful for it. I can’t imagine doing a show and not doing that song, and I feel really grateful that I love it. I love it as much today as the day I wrote it.”

    On his socials, he’s shining a light on some of the songs he’s written. He writes, “A recurring theme I write about often is being present and in the moment. For whatever reason, I’ve usually found uptempo music brings this out in me the most. Songs like “Days Go By” and “Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)” started with the music first, and for me, the music was already telling the story. Seize the day and LIVE !!!!” You can find these songs on a “SHINE” playlist he made on all digital and streaming platforms.

    All five members will be formally inducted during the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Wednesday, October 11th, at the Music City Center.

    Keith’s Las Vegas residency returns to the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on November 1st and runs through November 18th.

     

    Audio / Keith Urban says it's hard for him to pick a favorite song he wrote, but he says he does realize which songs have changed his life and career, including his No. 1 "Somebody Like You" from his Golden Road album.

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    Keith Urban (Somebody Like You changed his life) OC: …I wrote it. 1:47
    “It’s impossible for me to sort of pick a favorite song that I’ve written or anything that I’m more grateful than any others, because they all capture a different part of my life and tell a different part of my story. But certainly, songs that can send a career into a whole other gear, I mean, I would have to look at something like ‘Somebody Like You’ as one of the most important songs for me that happened and just changed this sort of, to a large degree, just sent my career into a whole different speed in a really wonderful way. Of course, you know, there’s hundreds of songs I’ve written that led up to that one getting written, and it’s just magic. It’s magical how that song got written. I wrote it with a guy called John Shanks, who I’d never met and I was nervous showing up that morning to write that song, and he had a little drum loop happening and I happened to bring my six-string banjo and I pulled it out of the case and the first thing that I played was that opening riff of the song and I started singing a melody, and the words started coming fairly quickly, and it was one those pretty easy to write songs, and I think it’s just where I was in my life at the time too. It really captured probably more of the person I wished I could be. I wasn’t that person in the song, but I wanted to be, and I felt I was getting close to being that person. So, it’s a truthful song. It came from a truthful place, and I’m still incredibly grateful for it. I can’t imagine doing a show and not doing that song, and I feel really grateful that I love it. I love it as much today as the day I wrote it.”

    Audio / KEITH URBAN EXPLAINS HOW HIS SONG “COMING HOME” ALL STARTED WITH MERLE HAGGARD’S GUITAR LICK FROM “MAMA TRIED.”

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    Keith Urban (Merle Haggard guitar riff) OC: …of the song. :38
    “I wanted to write something from that famous guitar lick in that song, and we took it from Haggard’s record, sort of manipulated it a little bit and put some new chords around it and wrote this music track. And then that what became the chorus was almost stream of conscious when I was listening to the track. I just wrote ‘There’s a place that I know where they all know me/I gotta get back now to the ones who love me/wrap myself around you/never let you go/there’s nothing in the world that feels like Coming Home.’ And it all just came out, and that’s what Merle’s guitar lick made me feel, so it was a very important part of the song.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about his 2004 four-week No. 1 smash, "Days Go By."

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    Keith Urban (Days Go By) OC: …real familiarity. :25
    “I thought it was a really, really catchy riff, and I thought the melody was really catchy. I was worried that the lyric was a little, just cliché and sort of I’ve heard all of this before, but I guess you can overshoot the runway so many times in writing lyrics and realize that there’s a reason why clichés are what they are is because they resonate with truth and universality and real familiarity.”

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