• “A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS” RADIO SPECIAL, HOSTED BY LAUREN ALAINA.

    UMG Nashville is pleased to bring you a unique holiday special to help you program your stations. The three-hour program is spot-free (includes 10-14 minutes of local avails per hour; non-exclusive).

    Click here to download the special.

    A Country Christmas is a three-hour, multi-artist special hosted by Lauren Alaina, and features classic holiday tunes, as well as Christmas thoughts, memories and more from many of your favorite country artists, including Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Alan Jackson and George Strait, among many others. We’ll also give you some bonus content and liners, as well.

    CLEARANCE WINDOW:

    Friday, December 14th – Sunday, December 25th

  • KACEY, CHRIS, KEITH, LBT, VINCE AND RESTORATION ARE NOMINATED FOR GRAMMYS.

    The nominations for 2019’s GRAMMY Awards have been announced, and Kacey Musgraves leads the list of UMG Nashville’s artists with four, including overall Album of the Year for Golden Hour, as well as Best Country Album. Her song “Butterflies” picks up a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance, while “Space Cowboy” earns a nod for Best Country Song.

    Chris Stapleton is nominated for three awards, including Best Country Solo Performance (“Millionaire”); Best Country Album (From A Room: Volume 2) and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Justin Timberlake for “Say Something.”

    Brothers Osborne has a pair of noms for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Shoot Me Straight”) and Best Country Album (Port St. Joe).

    Little Big Town competes for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their song “When Someone Stops Loving You” – the song is also nominated for Best Country Song (award goes to the songwriters).

    Keith Urban grabs a nod for Best Country Solo Performance for “Parallel Line,” which is from his latest album, Graffiti U.

    Vince Gill gains a Grammy nomination in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category for the duet “Dear Hate” with Maren Morris.

    And Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin captures a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for Maren Morris’ version of “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.”

    The 2019 Grammys will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles February 10th on CBS.

    Album of the Year
    Invasion of Privacy — Cardi B
    By the Way I Forgive You — Brandi Carlile
    Scorpion — Drake
    beerbongs & bentleys — Post Malone
    H.E.R. — H.E.R.
    Dirty Computer — Janelle Monae
    Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves
    Black Panther: The Album — Kendrick Lamar

    Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
    “Fall In Line” — Christina Aguilera Featuring Demi Lovato
    “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” — Backstreet Boys
    “‘S Wonderful” — Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
    “Shallow” — Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
    “Girls I Like You” — Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
    “Say Something” — Justin Timberlake Featuring Chris Stapleton
    “The Middle” — Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

    Best Country Solo Performance
    “Wouldn’t It Be Great?” — Loretta Lynn
    “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” — Maren Morris
    “Butterflies” — Kacey Musgraves
    “Millionaire” — Chris Stapleton
    “Parallel Line” — Keith Urban

    Best Country Duo/Group Performance
    “Shoot Me Straight” — Brothers Osborne
    “Tequila” — Dan + Shay
    ”When Someone Stops Loving You” — Little Big Town
    “Dear Hate” — Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill
    “Meant to Be” — Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line

    Best Country Song
    “Break Up in the End” — Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill & Jon Nite, songwriters (Cole Swindell)
    “Dear Hate” — Tom Douglas, David Hodges & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill)
    “Space Cowboy” — Luke Laird, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
    “Tequila” — Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds & Dan Smyers, songwriters (Dan + Shay)
    “When Someone Stops Loving You” — Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Little Big Town)

    Best Country Album
    Unapologetically — Kelsea Ballerini
    Port Saint Joe — Brothers Osborne
    Girl Going Nowhere — Ashley McBryde
    Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves
    From A Room: Volume 2 — Chris Stapleton

  • KEITH URBAN WILL RING IN THE NEW YEAR FROM NASHVILLE ON NBC’S NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH HOSTS CARSON DALY AND CHRISSY TEIGEN.

    NBC has it all on New Year’s Eve as Carson Daly and Chrissy Teigen host “NBC’s New Year’s Eve” live from Times Square in New York with Leslie Jones. The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban will perform live from Nashville and host the Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve from Nashville’s Bicentennial State Park. This incredible line up of talent will introduce the biggest musical acts of the year (to be announced) and join the crowd in saying goodbye to 2018.

     

    The special will air Monday, Dec. 31 from 10-11 p.m. ET/PT, will break for local news and return for the final countdown from 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

    CARSON DALY 

    Carson Daly serves as host and producer for the 15th season of the hit NBC series “The Voice.” The series has received seven consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program and won in 2013, 2015-17. Additionally, “The Voice” received a Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television for the sixth year in a row. Daly joined NBC’s morning show “Today” in 2013 and is host of the Orange Room, its digital studio. Daly’s long-running late night NBC series, “Last Call with Carson Daly,” is currently entering its 18th season. “Last Call” has garnered acclaim for its documentary style, emphasis on exceptional storytelling and status as late-night TV’s unofficial music tastemaker. After getting his start in radio  as the host at the top-rated morning-drive radio program on 97.1 AMP-FM Los Angeles, Daly quickly landed one of the most coveted positions in the business — the early evening voice of L.A.’s influential and highly rated alternative rock station KROQ-FM. MTV soon recognized his talent and brought him to New York. As host and executive producer of MTV’s “Total Request Live (TRL),” Daly transformed an afternoon music video program into a must-stop on the publicity circuit for musicians, movie stars and entertainers. It was Daly’s guy-next-door charm that made him appealing as he entered living rooms daily to offer exactly what the audience desired.

    CHRISSY TEIGEN

    Chrissy Teigen is a bestselling cookbook author, model and television host. In 2016, she released her #1 New York Times best-selling cookbook, “Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat.” Earlier this year she followed that publication up with her highly anticipated second cookbook, “Cravings: Hungry for More,” in addition to launching her kitchen and tabletop collection, “Cravings by Chrissy Teigen,” which is available exclusively at Target. Teigen can also be seen on Paramount Network’s smash hit competition show, “Lip Sync Battle.”

    LESLIE JONES 

    Leslie Jones is currently starring in her fifth season of “Saturday Night Live.” Her work on the longstanding sketch show has garnered her two Emmy Award nominations and inclusion on the Time 100 list. Jones covered the most recent Summer and Winter Olympics for NBC and was the host of the 2017 BET Awards. She is currently recording one of the lead roles in “Angry Birds 2” for Sony Pictures. Jones also starred in Paul Feig’s reboot of “Ghostbusters,” alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon. Her other film credits include Chris Rock’s “Top Five,” Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” and the animated film “Sing.” Jones is from Memphis, Tenn.

    KEITH URBAN

    Keith Urban, 2018 CMA Entertainer of the Year and Grammy Award winner, recently released his new album, “Graffiti U,” in conjunction with his “Graffiti U World Tour 2018.” The album, which upon its debut on April 27, hit #1 on charts in the United States, Canada and Australia, is Urban’s ninth. He’s had an album atop the all-genre charts in the U.S., Canada and Australia twice and is the only male country artist to have achieved the mark even once. He now stands at #8 on Billboard’s All-Time Country Airplay Chart as the artist with the most consecutive top 10 songs on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart (38) – a streak that started in 2000. Besides four Grammys, Urban has won 12 Country Music Association Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music Awards, four People’s Choice Awards and four American Music Awards. He is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He’s long supported numerous charities, including the CMA Foundation, for which he is the first Ambassador, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum©, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, for which he is an advisory board member, the Mr. Holland’s Opus Fund and the Grammy Foundation.

    The 10th annual Nashville New Year’s Eve event will take place near the Tennessee State Capitol at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. The music-filled evening caps off with a Music Note Drop and fireworks to ring in the New Year.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Little Big Town, Shania, Keith, Luke, Chris, Kacey, Vince, Dierks, Jon

    Little Big Town paid tribute to the legendary Cher at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night (December 2nd). This year’s honorees include Reba McEntire, Cher, composer and pianist Philip Glass, jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter and Lin-Manuel Miranda and the creators of Hamilton. The Kennedy Center honors will air December 26th at 8pm ET on CBS.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq6SHTkB5o3/

     

    Shania Twain is scheduled to appear on Live With Kelly & Ryan on Friday (December 7th).

    Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, Shania Twain and Vince Gill are among the artists vying for tour awards at the Pollstar Awards, which will be handed out February 13th in Los Angeles. Keith, Luke, Chris and Shania are up for Best Country Tour, alongside Kenny  Chesney and Thomas Rhett. Kacey is nominated in the all-genre Best Support/Special Guest category for opening Harry Styles’ tour, while Vince up for Best Touring Musician for his stint with the Eagles.

    Dierks Bentley and Jon Pardi are among the artists who will pay tribute to the late Troy Gentry (Montgomery Gentry)at a benefit concert, C-Ya on the Flip Side. Lee Brice, Tracy Lawrence, Justin Moore, Rascal Flatts and Dustin Lynch, among others will also perform at the event taking place January 9th at the Grand Ole Opry. Proceeds will go to a handful of organizations including the Troy Gentry Foundation, the Opry Trust, T.J. Martell Foundation, Make-A-Wish and many others.

  • CHRISTMAS LINERS 2018

    Here are some holiday liners from UMG Nashville artists, including Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning and more!

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Christmas)

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

     

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Happy Holidays)

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

     

    Audio / LINER AJ (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Happy Holiday Season)

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

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Christmas)

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

     

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Happy Holidays)

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Happy Holidays)

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



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    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Merry Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Happy Holidays)

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

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Holiday season)

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

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Happy Holidays)

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

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER LBT (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER LBT (Happy Holidays)

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

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Happy Holidays)

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

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Happy Holidays)

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

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Christmas)

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

    Audio / LINER 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 Travis Denning (Happy Holidays)

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

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith, Brothers O, Chris

    Keith Urban will host a Twitter Q&A Tuesday (Monday in the U.S.) to discuss his hosting duties at this year’s ARIA Awards (Australia’s equivalent of the GRAMMYS).

    Brothers Osborne have added a THIRD show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on February 13th due to overwhelming demand and two sold-out shows on February 15th and 16th.  Tickets go on sale this Friday.

    The lineup for the 2018 Country Thunder Wisconsin has been announced with Chris Stapleton serving as one of the headliners for the four-day festival, taking place July 18th-21st. Tim McGraw and Jake Owen will also headline.

  • THANKSGIVING 2018:

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

    Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 22nd, and most people will be enjoying time with their friends and families, including some of your favorite country stars, such as Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning and more. They share their thoughts, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

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

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

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

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

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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

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

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

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she’s thankful for her family this year, including her second child on the way.

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    Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving 2018) OC: …with them. :15
    “I am thankful for definitely my family. I just have the best kid in the world [and] another on the way, and I’m excited that my busy season is about to slow down and I’m going to really get to spend some time with them.”

    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 / Clare Dunn talks about her favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

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    Clare Dunn (Thanksgiving dish) OC: …like hers. :21
    “I think my favorite Thanksgiving dish [is] my mom makes the best mashed potatoes in the world. I mean, they’re crazy. They’re like garlic and butter and all the good stuff, so that’s probably my favorite Thanksgiving dish. Oh, and she makes great stuffing too, and I’m not a stuffing person, but I like hers.”

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

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

     

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about what he's thankful for at Thanksgiving.

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    Darius Rucker (Thanksgiving) OC: …alive. :17
    “The main thing I’m thankful for is my family, no doubt about that. Thanksgiving is about family first, you know either getting together going to New Jersey and getting together with family or in Charleston and getting together with my family and just cooking and eating and sitting around talking and remembering and being thankful for where we are and that we’re all still alive.”

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

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

    Audio / Eric Church says he’s thankful for his family as well as for his fans.

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    Eric Church (Thanksgiving) OC: …want to do it. :23
    “A couple of things. I’m thankful for my family and great health. And I’m thankful for from a career standpoint, I’m very thankful for the success we’ve had lately. I’m thankful for what the fans have done. I mean there’s a lot of stuff to be thankful for in that regard. And I’m thankful that I was given the opportunity to do it my own way. I’m thankful that I’m going to get to keep doing this and do it the way that I want to do it.”

    Audio / Jon Langston talks about his Thanksgiving tradition.

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

     

    Audio / Josh Turner shares his favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

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

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

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

    Audio / 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 / Kip Moore talks about his annual Thanksgiving plans to go home to visit with his family.

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    Kip Moore (Thanksgiving) OC: …with them. :11
    “I [usually] go home for Thanksgiving. I love going home to see all them. I have five brothers and sisters and it’s a blast to go home and just catch up on their lives. I get so wrapped up in all this that I lose touch sometimes, and it’s cool to hear everything going on with them.

    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 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 / Travis Denning says Thanksgiving is one of his favorite times of the year.

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    Travis Denning (Thanksgiving) OC: …love Thanksgiving. :43
    “Thanksgiving actually is probably one of my favorite moments of the year, and the reason is actually because just about every Friday after Thanksgiving, I would play a small acoustic show at this bar in my hometown and it’s always so much fun. So many of my old friends come and it’s packed and it’s super loose and super fun and everybody’s just enjoying it. I might play three of my songs, and then I just try to figure out how many old country songs I can sing. That’s so fun, because you’re coming off spending so much time with your family and then you get this little time to go spend with your friends. I think it’s just great because you get to knock out so much like reconnecting and fellowship. I love Thanksgiving.”

     

     

  • THANKSGIVING 2018: LINERS

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Thanksgiving)

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

     

    Audio / LINER AJ (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Brandon Lay (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! This is Clare Dunn, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER LBT (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Happy Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Thanksgiving)

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

  • KEITH URBAN WINS THE CMA ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR.

    Keith Urban picked up the night’s top honor for CMA Entertainer of the Year, an award he’s only won one other time – in 2005 when the show left Nashville for the bright lights of New York City. Keith gave an emotional speech, in which he thanked his family, fans, country radio and team, as well as his late father who passed away a few years ago. “I wish my dad was alive to see this because I think he’s watching over me tonight.”

    Backstage, Keith, who was surprised he won, told the press being an entertainer is pretty extraordinary. “It’s an indescribable feeling to get that tonight, because I love playing, I love entertaining, I love putting on shows. I started playing guitar when I was six, so playing, and I came up playing in the clubs – four hours a night, five hours a night, five nights a week. I wasn’t writing songs. I was just schlepping my gear and playing cover tunes and learning my craft. To get to play three or four hours a night of original material is the most extraordinary feeling.”

    Keith performed his latest song, “Never Coming Down,” on the show last night, is off the road for the rest of the year, but you can catch him (if you’re Down Under) hosting the ARIA Awards (Australia’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards) November 28th before he returns home to headline Music City’s New Year’s Eve show on December 31st.

    Audio / Keith Urban said he wished his father could’ve seen him win Entertainer of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards.

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    Keith Urban (father’s influence) OC: …for that. :21
    “I mentioned my father and because he’s such a huge influence in my life – my mom and dad both are. I wish he could’ve seen this tonight, you know, he set me on the path that I’m on, but I feel his presence, so I’m very, very grateful for that.”

    Audio / Backstage at this year’s CMA Awards, Keith Urban was overwhelmed with his win for Entertainer of the Year, an award he’s been nominated for numerous times, but hasn’t won since 2005.

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    Keith Urban (Entertainer win 2018) OC: …feeling. :28
    “It’s an indescribable feeling to get that tonight, because I love playing, I love entertaining, I love putting on shows. I started playing guitar when I was six, so playing, and I came up playing in the clubs – four hours a night, five hours a night, five nights a week. I wasn’t writing songs. I was just schlepping my gear and playing cover tunes and learning my craft. To get to play three or four hours a night of original material is the most extraordinary feeling.”

    Video /

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  • CMA AWARDS 2018: Male Vocalist of the Year

    Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley and Keith Urban are all vying for Male Vocalist of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards.

    Chris receives his fourth consecutive nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year, a category he remains undefeated in, having won the past three years. Chris is also nominated for Entertainer, Album, Single and Song of the Year (“Broken Halos”).

    Dierks marked his fifth consecutive nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year. He also lands a nod for Album of the Year for The Mountain, as well as Musical Event of the Year alongside Brothers Osborne for their collaboration “Burning Man.” With this year’s nominations, Bentley collects 24 total career nominations.

    Keith has the chance to take home several awards going into next week’s CMA Awards, including Male Vocalist, Entertainer and Album of the Year for Graffiti U. This year marks his 14th nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year.

    The 52nd Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 14th at 8pm ET on ABC.

    MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
    Dierks Bentley
    Luke Combs
    Thomas Rhett
    Chris Stapleton
    Keith Urban

    Audio / DIERKS BENTLEY SAID HE WOULD LOVE TO WIN AN AWARD AT WEDNESDAY’S CMA AWARDS, BUT HE SAYS HE ALSO GETS RECOGNIZED EVERY NIGHT BY HIS FANS.

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    Dierks Bentley (CMA nomination) OC: …as it is. :38
    “People always say it’s good to be nominated, but you think about how crowded the country music field is, how many people are trying to get in and no one’s really trying to get out. I mean, just packing more singers into one format, so to be one of the five performers to be nominated, it is pretty cool. Yeah, I’d obviously like to win one.  I got one in the previous decade, it’d be fun to get one in the teens, but yeah, either way, it’s not where, you know … the reward really lies in getting the chance to tour and get up in front of your audience every night. A trophy would be awesome, to get recognized by your peers and all that, but I get to go out there and be recognized every night by the fans that cheer for us and sing for us, so my cup is pretty overflowing as it is.”

    Audio / DIERKS BENTLEY LOOKS BACK AT HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH FOR THE CMA HORIZON AWARD IN 2005 (the Horizon Award was renamed as New Artist of the Year).

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    Dierks Bentley (CMA Horizon memory) OC: …down the road. :43
    “There’s a lot of Jager bombs between then and now and three kids. Looking at that is like looking at a totally different person. My wife was there. It was helpful to see her. It kinda gave me a frame of reference where I was in my life. I think we had just gotten married that year, but gosh, that is a long, long time ago. I’d like to win one again sometime. Have more fresh memories. I’m sure it felt great. Winning a CMA must, is, obviously I’ve won one, it’s a great feeling. I’ve been nominated a bunch. I know what that feels like. Nominations are probably, that roller coaster ride is something I’m more familiar with than actually winning. But it’s cool and hopefully happens again down the road.”

    Audio / CHRIS STAPLETON SAYS HE’S VERY GRATEFUL FOR HIS AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS, AS WELL AS ALL OF HIS SUCCESS IN RECENT YEARS.

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

    Audio / KEITH URBAN PICKED UP HIS FIRST CMA MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 2004, AND HE SAYS IT WAS A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE FOR HIM. HE WENT ON TO WIN THAT AWARD AGAIN IN 2005 AND 2006.

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    Keith Urban (winning 1st Male Vocalist award) OC: …my life. :27
    “In 2004, I won Male Vocalist of the Year, and again it was that same feeling I had when I’d won the Horizon Award, but it was like the next level.  It just felt so humbling really. Really to be in that category and then to win was again just one of those sort of moments that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”