• KEITH URBAN PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE VICTIMS OF THE ORLANDO SHOOTINGS ON HIS RIPCORD WORLD TOUR.

    Keith Urban returned to the road, and his ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016 this weekend, with a capacity crowd at Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre – a performance that the  Tampa Bay Times called “dazzling.”  In fact, the paper went as far as to say, “you can thank the almighty for the mighty set Keith Urban laid down in Tampa last night.”
    But towards the end of his two-hour plus performance Urban stopped to pay tribute to the victims of last weekend’s shooting in Orlando, by performing U2’s “One.”
    “Although I didn’t know anybody in that horrific incident, I did, because they’re just guys and girls, brothers and sisters,” he said.  “They had dreams, hopes, plans, just like every one of us.”

     

    Video / Keith's tribute to Orlando victims

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  • FATHER’S DAY 2016, PART 1: AJ, Canaan, Darius, Dierks, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Keith, Kip, Lady A, Luke, Sam

    Father’s Day is Sunday (June 19th), and we have thoughts, memories and more with many of your favorite country stars! Check them out and download below.

    Audio / Alan Jackson allows his three daughters to live and learn.

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    AJ (parenting style) OC: …what they did.  :19
    “We try to be just not pushy hands-on parents. We let them live and be their own way. I’m not stern with them. You know, I’m funny and light, and try to give them guidance and let them live and learn their own ways. And that’s something, I think, my parents did. It was accidental, but that’s what they did.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith says his father is a big inspiration.

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    Canaan Smith (Father’s Day) OC: …I love him. :35
    “My dad, I think is just the greatest man. He’s always provided for us. He was always there. He was always a great dad. He worked his butt off, you know, and showed me what it was like to work hard and provide for a family, and I just hope I can do that one day too. We’ve always had a special bond. He’s been a songwriter and a singer too for a long, long time, and so I got to grow up listening to him do his thing, sitting in the other room while they do band rehearsal. I’d be sitting on the couch in the other room just taking it all in, dreaming one day to be behind that microphone, so he’s definitely been an inspiration. I love him.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith (Father’s Day) 2 OC: …learned that too. :45

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    “I learned that music scores chicks. [laughs] My dad had a rehearsal one time at his piano player’s house, and I was sitting on the couch in the living room, and the piano player had two daughters that were around my same age, and they were sitting on either side of me on the couch. I thought I was king of the world, you know, watching this rock and roll band and a girl around each arm, and I was like six-years-old, eight-years-old something like that, old enough to know that was pretty awesome! My dad, he taught me hard work too. It took rehearsals. It took dedication. You can’t just get up on a stage and fly by the seat of your pants. You have to be prepared, and so I learned that too.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says his kids would say he was a fun dad, unless they did something wrong.

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    Darius Rucker (Father’s Day) OC: …loving dad. :41
    “I think if you asked my kids what kind of Dad I was they would probably say…Danny would say that I was a fun Dad. My little daughter would say that I was a fun dad; she thinks I’m a lot of fun. I think if you caught them at the right moment they would say I was mean [laughs] because when I’m home I’m not afraid to discipline them. I’m all fun until it’s not fun anymore and then daddy’s not the fun guy. I think that they’d say that I was a fun Dad, I’m a loving Dad and I think they would say that. I’m gone so much that when I’m home, I just shower love upon my kids. I say ‘I love you’ probably fifty times a day. We hug, we kiss all the time. I’m always wanting them to know how much I love them. So I’d hope they’d say that I was a loving dad.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker says his mother made him a good father to his three children.

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    Darius Rucker (mother’s qualities makes him a great father) OC: …my mom. :45
    “She had a lot great qualities, but she was always, family was first for her. She was always a rock and making sure she took care of us and making sure we had things we needed to have to survive – food and clothes and a home – and seeing that and seeing how hard she worked and all the things she did just really made me the father that I am today. I mean, I’m so crazy and hands-on with my kids. I think it all comes from watching my mom have to struggle so much to support us. And so now, I don’t want me or my wife to ever have to struggle, and I don’t want my kids to ever want or wonder where I am or where there mom is. I want them to always know where we are and always be taken care of, and that all comes from my mom.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, the father of three, is very grateful to his own dad for turning him on to country music as a kid.

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    Dierks (Father’s Day) OC: …that’s for sure. :10
    “My dad was my biggest influence in country music because my dad loved country radio. So, we always drove around listening to country radio and George Strait, Hank Williams and Randy Travis and all these guys, so. Without him, I wouldn’t be doing this, that’s for sure.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley explains how being a father (to three children) has changed him.

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    Dierks Bentley (how fatherhood has changed him) OC: …different. :07
    “There’s a whole kind of different universe that has opened up that I never knew existed, and I’m not the center of it, which is really cool. It just makes you look at things totally different.”

    Audio / Eric Church describes his father and the qualities he admires in him.

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    Eric Church (Father’s Day) OC: …always admired. :29
    “My dad is a, I’m trying to find the right words to describe him. My dad is a great guy, honest guy, very call it like he sees it, which is where I get a lot of that. No BS. I’m gonna tell you how I feel whether you like it or not. I’m that guy, I’m me…My dad’s that way, so I get a lot of that from him. There’s also an honesty and an integrity that my dad carries himself with that I’ve always admired. I think the both of them combined, and they’ve been married for I think 40 years, to be together that long in this day and time is a feat in itself.”

    Audio / Eric Paslay says his father taught him how to work hard and to do a lot of things himself, such as electrical work and other handyman tasks.

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    Eric Paslay (Father’s Day) OC: …ceiling fan. :23
    “He just taught me that working hard and sticking it out, even when you know things aren’t right, that if you stick it out, it’s worth it in the end. And he just taught me to work hard, and there’s a lot of things that you don’t have to pay someone else to do, and it feels more rewarding when you’re able to put in new light fixtures or paint your own walls or put in a new ceiling fan.”

    Audio / Keith Urban – father to daughters Sunday and Faith -- says there are a number of things that are at the top of the list of being a dad.

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    Keith Urban (Father’s Day) OC: …experience that. :36
    “The first thing is probably just having someone call you dad. I’m like, ‘Omigosh! I’m her dad! That’s amazing.’ That’s probably the first thing to me. I don’t know, I mean, the different personalities that our two daughters have, that’s amazing. It’s such a long list I think. I always say…I think for the people that haven’t had kids – which I hadn’t for a long, long time. I didn’t have kids ‘til later on, and being around it is not the same as having them, you know? I realize that it’s not something that can be explained until you actually sort of have it, so I’m glad I got to experience that.”

    Audio / Kip Moore talks about his father’s influence on his music career, and how he’d play classics on their fishing trips.

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    Kip Moore (Father’s Day-dad’s influence) OC: …of us singin’ ‘em. :29
    “He would just play all those classic records – Little River Band, Jackson Brown, Springsteen, Seeger, Willie Nelson, the Red-Headed Stranger, Kristofferson, Sam Cook – like classic music. He’d be singing the songs and telling us why it was such good music. And I looked up to him so much, that’s the music I gravitated towards and that’s what I continue to listen to. Whenever I think about those old fishing trips, that’s what I think about is on the way down there, him singing those songs and all of us singin’ ‘em.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood says his father was a big influence both personally and musically, and he wants to pass along those qualities to his own children.

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    Lady A (Father’s Day-Dave) OC: …like that. :39
    “My dad was a really hard worker growing up and was always great, however hard he worked, he’d always make important time for family, important time to be home for dinner and be there for a lot of special moments for us growing up. For all the money he would make, he would always give a portion of it back to charity or to the church, and so that was always important for me to watch. We had a great relationship growing up. My dad plays guitar; he’s very musical. I learned how to play acoustic guitar with him playing ‘Day Tripper’ by the Beatles and all these old songs we’d play together when he’d show me how to play these James Taylor songs and things like that. So, definitely want to pass along music, of course, to my children, as well, like that.”

     

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott says her father is a great communicator.

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    Lady A (Father’s Day-Hillary) OC: …my children. :33
    “I definitely got my Type-A personality from my dad. He’s the same way, but one thing I’m so appreciative of – especially from a father-daughter relationship – my dad always, always talked to me, even when I didn’t want to talk to him. He would force me to communicate and talk through things, and not always the easy stuff, which is such a rare quality in a man, truthfully. And so, I am very, very thankful for that. I think it helped me find the right husband for me, and I also know that it will help me be that much of a better communicator to my children.”

    Audio / While Luke Bryan has a show in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday (Father’s Day), he says all he wants or needs on this special day is to be with his family.

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    Luke Bryan (Father’s Day 2016) OC: …I’m happy. :39
    “Well, I’m doing a show but the boys will be there. As long as we’re together as a family, and my wife is so great about wanting to, like, if it were up to her every moment like that would be fireworks and balloons filled, cakes and all that. They’re gonna come up to our show, and then we’ve got a couple days together. Just as long as I get to be with my family on important days, whether it’s birthdays or anniversaries or stuff like that or certainly Father’s Day or Mother’s Day, that’s all I need. Just let them make me a cup of coffee in the morning and I’m happy.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt says his father taught him a lot about being a man and knowing the right thing.

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    Sam Hunt (Father’s Day) OC: …he’s great. :27
    “I’m obviously biased about my parents, but I’ve been around a lot of great men of integrity, but he is by far the best man that I know. He’s just taught me so much about being a man, doing the right thing, knowing the difference between right and wrong. And even though I don’t always follow his lead, I definitely know better because of him, and that means a whole lot to me. I was just really fortunate to have him as a dad, and he’s great.”

  • KEITH URBAN WILL PLAY NEW ZEALAND FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN HE TAKES HIS RIPCORD TOUR WITH CARRIE UNDERWOOD TO WESTPAC STADIUM.

    Multiple Grammy and ARIA Award winner Keith Urban, whose eighth studio album RIPCORD debuted at #1 in three countries upon its release on May 6th, will play in New Zealand for the first time ever on December 3rd when he brings his “ripCORD WORLD TOUR NEW ZEALAND” with 7-time Grammy Award winning, multi-platinum superstar Carrie Underwood to Westpac Stadium, Wellington.

    “I’m so psyched about finally getting to play a real show in the country of my birth,” says Keith. “The last time I played music there, I was in a duo playing every weekend at a pub called the DB Onerahi in Whangarei… and I was 17. This is gonna be an amazing feeling!!!!!”

    The “ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016,” which will now visit four countries, kicked off on June 2nd to rave reviews. It sees Urban showcasing songs from RIPCORD, including his #1s “Break On Me,” “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”, and his latest Top 5 “Wasted Time”, as well as nearly a dozen #1s including “Long Hot Summer,” “Somebody Like You” and “You Gonna Fly.”  The show features an all-new, state-of-the-art stage production and a secondary stage that all add to the party-like atmosphere synonymous with the unpredictable two-plus hour Keith Urban concerts.

    RIPCORD was #1 in Australia on the ARIA Album chart, #1 in the United States and in Canada for two weeks on release. It’s the second consecutive time that Urban has had a #1 album debut in multiple countries, having achieved the same historic milestone with FUSE.

    Joining Keith on the New Zealand leg of his “ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016” will be Pollstar’s three-time top female country touring artist, Carrie Underwood. She just wrapped the spring leg of the biggest tour of her career, The Storyteller Tour – Stories in the Round. The arena tour rolled in to 47 cities and seven different countries, playing to nearly 600,000 people since the tour launched in January.  This tour date will be Carrie’s first concert in New Zealand.

  • COUNTRY STARS REACT TO THE TRAGIC SHOOTINGS IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

    The tragic massacre in Orlando, Florida has stunned the entire world, including the country music community. Many country artists took to social media to share their shock, sadness and healing thoughts and prayers. Backstage at the CMA Music Festival this past weekend, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Little Big Town shared their thoughts with members of the media. Little Big Town performed “Miracle” with Pharrell during their set for Orlando.

    During Luke’s set and most specifically his song “Drink a Beer,” he asked the 70,000+ crowd to take a moment of silence for the victims and their families affected by the shootings in Orlando.“Something has been real heavy on my heart tonight,” he said. “I want us to take a brief moment of silence and think about all those families that have been affected in Orlando, Florida in our great nation last night. Let’s take a moment of silence and pray for all the families there.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about a couple of tragic events over the weekend – the killing of The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie and the mass shooting in Orlando.

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    Luke Bryan (tragic events) OC: …an American. :21
    “It’s amazingly tragic on all levels and its… Well if you think like a true American does and I’m sure we all do in this room and other places but when you hear these two instances this week (signs) I think it’s important for the American spirit to keep trying to live that type of life as an American.”

    Audio / Backstage at this weekend’s CMA Music Festival, Keith Urban talked about the tragic shootings in Orlando.

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    Keith Urban (Orlando shootings) OC: …today. :10

    “Everybody’s in the same boat we’re all trying to live our life, you know live our life as well so we’re as vigilant as we can be but my heart goes out to all the families down in Orlando today.”

    Audio / Little Big Town performed "Miracle" with Pharrell from their Wanderlust album at this weekend’s CMA Music Fest last night to honor those lost in the Orlando, Florida shootings. Backstage before they performed, LBT’s Karen Fairchild said they would perform in life, love and harmony.

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    LBT (Orlando shootings) OC: …tonight. :26
    (Karen) “Music is the ultimate hear and we will not let the haters destroy what we love and enjoy and we will not live in fear of this and tonight is gonna be a celebration of life and love and harmony. And we’re going to remember those lives that were lost and we’re gonna celebrate them tonight.”

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  • FATHER’S DAY LINERS 2016

    Father’s Day is Sunday (June 19th), and we have liners with many of your favorite country stars! See and download below.

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Billy Currington, wishing you a very Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is TJ, and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing all you fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day.”

     

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up, guys? I’m Canaan Smith. Happy Father’s Day, Pops!”

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up? This is Clare Dunn, wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

     

    Audio / LINER Easton Corbin (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Easton Corbin. Happy Father’s Day!”

     

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Church, wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Paslay. To all you father’s out there, Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Gary Allan, and I want to wish all the dads out there a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Happy Father’s Day)

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    “Jon Pardi here. Happy Father’s Day to all you father’s out there.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Josh Turner, and I just want to wish all you father’s out there a Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves. Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everyone! It’s Keith Urban, wishing all you Dads out there a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Lady A (Father’s Day)

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    “What’s up all you Dads out there? It’s Lady Antebellum, and we just wanted to wish you all a good, Happy Father’s Day. Thanks for being great dads. Hope you get pampered and you don’t have to barbecue. And we hope you get some good ties this year.” [Hillary laughs]

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! It’s Lauren Alaina. Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Father’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Little Big Town, wishing all you father’s a Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Sam Hunt. To all you fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Father’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Shania Twain. Happy Father’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Vince Gill (Father’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! It’s Vince, and I just wanted to wish you a Happy Father’s Day. Wish mine was still around.”

  • KEITH URBAN KICKS OFF HIS RIPCORD WORLD TOUR.

    Seven tour buses, carrying 96 crewmembers, nine semis housing, amongst other things, an 8’ by 66’ high definition video screen, enough wiring to crisscross the United States (twice) and more than two dozen guitars, rolled into Kansas City, St. Louis and Indianapolis this past weekend for the debut of Keith Urban’s “ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016.”  If the weekend’s performances, all of which received rave reviews, are any indication, “ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016” will be one of the hottest concert tours of the year.

    Keith’s two-hour plus set featured live performance premieres of new songs, collaborations with both Brett Eldredge (“Somebody Like You”) and Maren Morris (“We Were Us”), an all-new, state-of-the-art stage production, stinging guitar solos and “in-audience performances” which only added to the party-like atmosphere that is synonymous with all Keith Urban concerts.

    Keith rocked through a set that featured 16 Top 5 songs, including nearly a dozen #1s, as well as brand new songs from his recently released #1 album RIPCORD.  The album, Urban’s fifth #1, debuted simultaneously in the top spot on the U.S., Canada and Australia album charts, the second consecutive time that the four-time Grammy Award winner has achieved the historic milestone – something that no other male Country artist has done (even once).

    For more official keith urban news and information go to www.keithurban.net or follow him on www.facebook.com/keithurban or @keithurban

  • CMA MUSIC FEST 2016: AJ, Darius, Dierks, Easton, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Jon, Josh, Keith, Lady A, Lauren, Luke and more

    It’s that time of the year again! The 2016 CMA Music Festival begins this week in Nashville, and the stars are coming out to perform and check in with their fans!

    Audio / Backstage at last year’s CMA Music Festival, Alan Jackson talked about CMA Music Fest and how it’s become a family affair. Alan is set to perform at ACME in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, as well as at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday.

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    Alan Jackson (CMA Music Fest) OC: …all about. :28 [NOTE: There’s a slight buzz underneath audio.]
    “My daughter – three daughters – and about 10 friends every year, we have to pack into vans and get ‘em out here. They come every night. They come every night, not to see me, they come see everybody else. So, it has become more of a local event, and of course it evolved tremendously since I first started when it was Fan Fair at the old fairgrounds and signing autographs in a hot buildings. But the fans are the same, and that’s what it’s all about.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker will host his 7th annual Darius and Friends concert at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon Monday (June 6th) during this year’s CMA Music Festival. Proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Darius is nominated for a CMT Music Award – CMT Performance of the Year – for “Alright” from the show, Instant Jam.

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    Darius Rucker (CMA Music Fest) OC: …awesome. :48
    “Music Fest is like nothing else. I say all the time that country music is the only genre that could have something like that. It’s truly amazing, when I come that weekend, people are everywhere and they want to be your best friend. It’s always cool and I love coming here. The thing that always gets me is the show. The fact that you can get that many superstars at one show all playing for free, for the same goal, to entertain those people that are in that stadium that come here for the whole week from all over the world. They come here for one week to see country music, and it’s amazing that those artists say on Friday and Saturday night, this is country music come on out. That’s awesome.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley is making a few appearances during CMA Music Festival week, including performing his latest single, “Different for Girls,” on this year’s CMT Music Awards with Elle King. He’ll also perform during the nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) on Thursday (June 9th). Dierks Bentley talks about the lengths that fans will go to show their appreciation.

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    Dierks (fans) OC: …commitment. [laughs] :22
    “I know a lot of the early fans by name, because we played a lot of shows at a lot of small venues where we’d be around a lot after the shows. I’m not gonna say her name ‘cause I don’t know if she’d want me to or not, but she has like a dog print of Jake, my dog’s Jake, but she has this dog print on her shoulder with my name in the middle of the tattoo. So, tattoos are always, that’s a big deal when somebody gets your name tattooed on part of their body or something. It’s kind of a scary thing, because it’s kind of a lifelong commitment. [laughs]”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley recalls the weirdest thing he has signed.

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    Dierks Bentley (signing a baby’s head) OC: …child’s brain. :13
    “A baby’s head with a sharpie. Yeah, like a two-week old baby. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to do it. The woman was like, ‘Please.’ I was like, ‘Alright.’ The head at that point is so vulnerable, transparent, so I’m just hoping they didn’t get any ink in the child’s brain.”

    Audio / Easton Corbin, who has hit the airwaves with his latest single “Are You With Me,” talks about CMA Music Festival.

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    Easton Corbin (CMA Music Fest) OC: …wouldn’t work. :25
    “CMA Music Fest, it’s a great opportunity to hang out with your fans and stuff. The great thing about the country genre is it’s one of the only genres that really has a festival dedicated to their fans, and I think that’s great because without the fans we wouldn’t be here. They’re the ones that make it work. Without the fans to buy records and listen to the radio and come to the shows, it just wouldn’t work.”

    Audio / Easton Corbin talks about his fans.

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    Easton Corbin (fans) OC: …being here. :24
    “My fans mean a great deal to me, especially the fans that come out to the shows and the ones that make it to every show around their home or in that vicinity. I even have people come here every time, in these meet-and-greet lines or maybe at the fence over there by the when you’re getting off the red carpet, I try to always make it a point to recognize those fans and just let them know how much that I care and how much I appreciate them being here.”

    Audio / Eric Church, who’s making his way up the country charts with his latest single “Record Year,” says CMA Music Festival is special and unique to country music. Eric is set to perform at Nissan Stadium on Friday (June 10th).

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    Eric Church (CMA Music Fest) OC: …to see.
    “Well, I think it’s what makes country music unique. Find me another format that happens in, it’s just not something that happens. I think it’s about what we were talking about earlier; country music is the one for mat where the fans…the music is really about them. And we’re them; we’re not different than them. We’re not a lot of the rock stars and a lot of the other guys where they’re their own person, they’re their own agenda…they’re not like the people that are listening to them. It’s different in country, we are. We come from there, we are that. I think it’s just a great thing for them to be able to come to our town and to get just this barrage of music. We’ve always tried to do it a little different when we’ll have different events, a couple years ago we made the fans find us…they had to find clues around town of where we were playing and then when they found out they could post it and tell people and then that night we had a full show. We started that day with no people, we didn’t advertise, we said, ‘We’re playing, find us.’ We called it ‘Midnight Church.’ So at midnight we played the Rutledge. They found us, and they were out the door, and they found us there. It was really cool to have some fun in our town and just do stuff like that every year. I’ve done, last year I did a show where I did 3 nights in a row at a place. The first night was me and my band, the second night was an acoustic show, and the last night was me and the songwriters that helped me write this record all sitting up there playing songs and telling stories. It was three different takes on basically the same songs. Just unique. It’s my favorite thing about doing it, is when people come to town, we able to do some shows that we’re not able to do throughout the year because we’re touring a certain way. This is a chance for us to have a little more freedom, creatively, and give the fans something maybe they don’t get to see.”

    Audio / Eric Paslay will be all over the place during CMA Music Fest. On Tuesday morning (June 7th), he’ll take part in the Tug McGraw Sporting Clay Event at the Nashville Gun Club. He’s also set to perform at Riverfront Stage Friday (June 10th), followed by booth signings and Behind the Music Listening Event at the Music City Center, as well as a performance at the HGTV Lodge. Here he talks about getting his first autograph.

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    Eric Paslay (1st autograph) OC: …first autograph. :42
    “The first autograph that I ever got was in Branson, Missouri, and it was Shoji Tabuchi, and he’s a great fiddle player, and I always remember that, you know if you go to Branson, you know who he is. But I was a 9, 10 year old kid, and I always remember that. Every time I meet a kid, I don’t know if it’s their first concert. It could be their 100-thousandth, but whenever I sign an autograph for a kid, I really make sure it’s special and memorable, and with anybody, but especially with kids. I still have that Shoji Tabuchi autograph, you know? Because it meant that much. I didn’t know he was until we saw him, but he tore the place down playing the “Orange Blossom Special.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi, whose new album California Sunrise comes out June 17th, will be all over town during CMA Music Fest. On Tuesday (June 7th), he’ll be at 5th and Demonbreun at Noon with Wrangler signing and chatting with fans, then later that night, he’ll be at the Cannery Ballroom performing during the Musicians On Call event. On Thursday (June 9th), he’ll be in the UMG booth at the Music City Center signing from 3p – 4p, followed by a performance at the Riverfront Stage beginning at 12:15p.

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    Jon Pardi (performing live) OC: …really loud. :19
    “To get up on stage, it feels like home. It’s like, ‘Yeah, this is where I want to be.’ I’d rather be there than a lot of places. I love just getting up on stage not matter where it is. It’s fun to get up and entertain people and have a good time, make everybody feel a part of the show and get up there and play my guitar really loud.”

    Audio / Josh Turner, who just released his new single “Hometown Girl,” recalls the weirdest item he’s ever been asked to sign.

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    Josh Turner (weirdest things he’s signed) OC: …Sharpie, though. :10
    “A toothpick; an unused toothpick, let me throw that out there, an unused toothpick. It was quite challenging, actually, and it didn’t look anything like my autograph. It took a really small Sharpie, though.”

    Audio / Keith Urban, who’s sitting inside the Top 10 with his current single “Wasted Time,” will be making a couple of appearances at this year’s CMA Music Fest. First, he’ll play the HGTV Lodge Thursday (June 9th) and at Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) on Sunday (June 12th). Keith will also perform during the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday (June 8th), where he’s up for Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.”

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    Keith Urban(CMA Music Fest) OC: …love it. :25
    “I love it! It’s like summer camp. I mean, it is! It’s a chance to obviously see a lot of people I don’t normally see. I don’t know. It’s just palpable. Since Fan Fair, it’s just been that sort of week-plus of energy; the town just explodes, and what it is we love about this genre and the community aspect of it. I always love it.”

    Audio / Kip Moore fans will get a chance to see him a couple of times this week. He’ll perform during the Pandora Country Music event at Marathon Music Works Tuesday evening, and then you can catch him at the HGTV Lodge downtown on Thursday afternoon. He tells us about his favorite thing about performing live. You’ll definitely get to hear him play his latest hit single, “Running for You,” which is from his Wild Ones album.

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    Kip Moore (favorite thing about performing live) OC: …it gets. :17
    “I’d say that my favorite thing about being on the road is the fact that I get to play music each and every night with my best friends. There’s nothing better than that than playing with your best buddies and seeing the joy that you bring to other people’s faces playing the music that you love to play. I mean that’s the best it gets.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley will participate in Fan Fair X, part of the CMA Music Festival bringing fans and artists together. Hillary, along with her family, will be the artist of the day on Thursday (June 9th) showcasing their upcoming faith-based album with performances and a Q&A, while Charles will give fans an up close and personal look into his solo album, The Driver, on Sunday (June 12th).

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    Lady Antebellum (Music Fest) 3 OC: …really cool. :25

    “When you see the same fans, these die-hard fans that camp out outside the radio remotes and the hotels, and all of these places, and you start recognizing them, I think that’s when you start going ‘Wow, this is a special and unique industry.’ You talk to them by name and give them a hug. I can’t think of any other genre that has that kind of connection. The people that come back the same time every year, you know where they are going to be. It’s really kind of a fun thing. It’s really cool.”

    Audio / Lauren Alaina says she owes it all to her fans, and she starts this year’s CMA Music Festival on Tuesday with the City of Hope Softball Game. On Wednesday evening, she’s set to perform a late-night set downtown in HonkyTonk Alley, and on Thursday morning, Lauren will perform an acoustic set on the Disney Stage at the Music City Center, followed by a signing at the UMG booth. On Friday, she’ll perform in the park at the city’s Walk of Fame, and on Sunday, she’ll perform at the Music City Center.

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    Lauren Alaina (fans) OC: …me wrong. :30
    “My fans helped me grow as a person in lots of different ways. I grew up in front of them. I was 15 on American Idol, so they watched me grow up and kind of helped me mold into who I am, because I worked at CiCi’s Pizza, and now I’m traveling all over the place. It’s like I learned responsibility through all of it. I learned who I am as a person, ‘cause my fans have made me stronger, they’ve made me more responsible, they made me believe in myself 10 times more, because I thought I was going home every week on American Idol, and they proved me wrong.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan, who is set to perform at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (June 12th), enjoys CMA Music Fest Week. Luke is nominated for a pair of CMT Music Awards, including Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for “Strip It Down.”

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    Luke Bryan (CMA Music Fest) OC: …for this week. :33
    “It’s a great week. I truly love this week for hundreds of reasons. I always remember my first ones and starting out and doing River Stages and always dreaming of coming over here and performing at LP Field (now Nissan Stadium) and all of the stuff building the fan base early in the week. It’s an amazing week for Nashville, and it’s a great week for me. And then I get to be home and do all this stuff. It’s always been a fun week for me. A lot of my family always comes in for this week.”

  • KEITH URBAN WILL GIVE SOME OF HIS OLDER SONGS A FRESH COAT OF PAINT ON HIS UPCOMING RIPCORD WORLD TOUR.

    Keith Urban is preparing to launch his upcoming ripCord World Tour Thursday (June 2nd) in Kansas City, Missouri, and he’s planning on a heavy dose of hits and new songs from his latest album, Ripcord.

    “I wanted to obviously bring in some of the older songs that we haven’t done in a while, because we retire a lot of songs from certain tours, but I’m always aware that X-amount of people want to hear some of those songs. So, I wanted to sort of see if there was a way we could give them a fresh coat of paint without changing them so much, because I’m also respectful of people wanting to be able to sing along,” says Keith. “Sometimes [when] I go see artists play and when they do some of their older hits, they sing them in a way in which it seems like they’re obligated to do and they don’t want to do it and that sort of thing, and then they start changing the melody and no one can sing along. So, I’ve never been a fan of that, but also recognize that for us we’ve done the song a million times, so how can we change it so it’s fresh and new for us, but not too different for everybody out front? Hopefully, we’ve done that with things like ‘[Where the] Blacktop [Ends]’ by bringing in the Ralph Stanley sample and a few things like that.”

    Keith’s ripCord World Tour, which also features Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris, launches Thursday (June 2nd) in Kansas City, Missouri.

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about adding in some of his older songs into his set.

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    Keith Urban (bringing new and old songs together for the tour) OC: …things like that. :51
    “I wanted to obviously bring in some of the older songs that we haven’t done in a while, because we retire a lot of songs from certain tours, but I’m always aware that X-amount of people want to hear some of those songs. So, I wanted to sort of see if there was a way we could give them a fresh coat of paint without changing them so much, because I’m also respectful of people wanting to be able to sing along and not have them, I find sometimes [when] I go see artists play and when they do some of their older hits, they sing them in a way in which it seems like they’re obligated to do and they don’t want to do it and that sort of thing, and then they start changing the melody and no one can sing along. So, I’ve never been a fan of that, but also recognize that for us we’ve done the song a million times, so how can we change it so it’s fresh and new for us, but not too different for everybody out front? Hopefully, we’ve done that with things like ‘[Where the] Blacktop [Ends]’ by bringing in the Ralph Stanley sample and a few things like that.”

  • MEMORIAL DAY 2016

    Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. However, by the turn of the 20th century, Memorial Day celebrated Americans who have sacrificed their lives in all wars. The holiday also typically marks the start of the summer vacation season.

    Some of your favorite country artists talk about what it means to be free because of the brave men and women willing to fight and sacrifice for our freedom.

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, whose own father was a World War II veteran, talks about the sacrifices made by U.S. servicemen and women.

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    Dierks (Memorial Day) OC: …upon them. :37
    “On the most basic level, I think, for me on the road, I just think about being gone two, three days at a time, maybe a couple of weeks at a time, you know. That seems like a long time when you have kids and family, but these soldiers, they’re gone for months and years at a time – they’re doing 12 to 15 to 18 months — and they have family back home. That, in itself, is such a huge sacrifice, and that’s just the beginning of it. That’s just scratching the surface of what these guys [and gals] are doing every day – preparing for battle, actually being in battle, being wounded in battle, sometimes dying in battle. So, this country obviously, we would not exist without those courageous men and women, and our future depends upon them.”

    Audio / Eric Church, whose grandfathers served in World War II, says the sacrifices the men and women in the military make are really touching.

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    Eric Church (grandfathers in WW2) OC: …touching to me. :21
    “Both of my grandfathers were World War II veterans. I mean, that’s something that’s very rare. I’m not unique, you know. There’s a lot of people out there like that that their grandfathers served. The way that I was raised was very much red, white and blue and very patriotic, and I think that it’s the fact that what they give up is the real thing that’s very touching to me.”

    Audio / Keith Urban wrote and recorded “For You” a few years ago for the film, Act of Valor, which was inspired by real life events and stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs. After hanging out with the SEALS, he was very impressed with their commitment of service.

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    Keith Urban (SEALS mantra) OC: …conviction. :30
    “They have a mantra, and they say ‘the only easy day was yesterday’ and they had this spirit of brotherhood and that’s a particular thing that’s the way in which, I think, it exists is very specific to the Seals. I mean, military in general have this very strong brotherhood code; it’s a particular kind of thing in the Seals. As was the testament, to Lt. Roark who is the lead guy in the film; when he was interviewed talked about funerals he had been to, and he says ‘there isn’t really any one of us who isn’t just a little bit jealous of the guy who’s died,’ and ok, I heard that, that’s a particular way of being that I cannot relate to. That is an unbelievable depth of commitment and conviction.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about his grandfather who served during World War II.

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    Sam Hunt (Memorial Day) OC: …those freedoms. :40
    “My granddad was in World World II. He was on the USS Texas battleship, and he was over at Normandy and over near Japan and he spent a lot of time right in the thick of World War II. He really took pride in what that meant, and it was something I got to see it first hand, as somebody who got to experience that; somebody who had that galvanized American trait. It’s hard to describe it. It was just somebody who’s been through that, seen that and really appreciates what that means. I try to channel that into my life, because I haven’t fought in any war, but I have a ton of respect for folks who have, folks who’ve sacrificed, families who’ve lost lives and just sacrificed years of their own lives and time and effort to maintain those freedoms.”

    For liners, go to https://pressroom.umgnashville.com/news/memorial-day-liners-billy-brothers-darius-easton-church-paslay-jon-josh-keith-lauren-lbt-luke-sam/

    For other soundbites go to https://pressroom.umgnashville.com/news/memorial-day-audio-dierks-church-keith-kelleigh-lbt-luke-sam/

     

  • KEITH URBAN KICKS OFF NEW ALBUM AND NEW TOUR WITH ‘GONE TOMORROW HERE TODAY.’

    Keith Urban has been in rehearsals in Nashville this week for his upcoming ripCord World Tour, kicking off next week. He’ll include several songs from his new album, Ripcord, which is spending a second week at the top of the Billboard country album chart. He said during a private rehearsal event on Wednesday that he’s still trying to figure out how to include about nine of the songs from the new record into the set.

    He’ll start his shows with “Gone Tomorrow Here Today,” which is also the first song from his new album, Ripcord. “When we wrote ‘Gone Tomorrow Here Today,’ I not only felt like that was the perfect song to start a record, I felt like it was the perfect song to start a tour, as well,” says Keith. “It’s just my own personal love for the things that I like about it, which is the fusion of the ganjo – which is such a crucial part of my sound, but it’s presented in a way that I have not done before. The melodic structure of that riff is not like anything in any of my other songs, but the sound is very familiar. I like that sense of having something that is very familiar to everybody, but then do a twist on it…It hopefully has enough familiarity to pull you along, yeah, to pull you along for the journey as well. So, it seemed again like a good opening track for the show.”

    Keith’s ripCord World Tour, which also features Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris, launches June 2nd in Kansas City, Missouri. He’ll play a bunch of amphitheaters and will include a second satellite stage located on the lawn.

    Audio / Keith Urban says there's a good reason he chose "Gone Tomorrow Here Today" as the first song on his new record Ripcord, as well as the first song to start his shows

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    Keith Urban (first song on record and in show) OC: …live, right? [laughs] :5
    “For me, when we wrote ‘Gone Tomorrow Here Today,’ I not only felt like that was the perfect song to start a record, I felt like it was the perfect song to start a tour, as well. It’s just my own personal love for the things that I like about it, which is the fusion of the ganjo – which is such a crucial part of my sound, but it’s presented in a way that I have not done before. The melodic structure of that riff is not like anything in any of my other songs, but the sound is very familiar. I like that sense of having something that is very familiar to everybody, but then do a twist on it. So, for me when the rhythm kicks in, it’s a whole different thing, but it’s got a trance kind of energy to it. The reason that I wanted it at the beginning of the record is because I felt like it was planting a flag. It hopefully has enough familiarity to pull you along, yeah, to pull you along for the journey as well. So, it seemed again like a good opening track for the show. We’ll see what happens live, right? [laughs]