The nominations for the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced Monday morning (December 7th) and country music is well-represented.

Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town and Sam Hunt led the list of country nominees, with Chris and LBT each picking up four, while Sam earned two.

Little Big Town are nominated for overall Song of the Year for “Girl Crush,” as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Best Country Album for Pain Killer and Best Country Song. The group tweeted, “WOW! 4 nominations? We are thrilled to be representing country music w/ @TheGRAMMYs, esp. ‘Song Of The Year.’”

Chris, who picked up three CMA Awards last month, is nominated in four categories at the Grammy Awards, including overall/all-genre Album of the Year. He says that he hopes fans enjoy his album, Traveller, as a whole. “Music to me is meant to be enjoyed in that way and you’re really supposed to dive into it. And I hope some folks can find it in their hearts to do that with this record, because I think it’s how it was meant to be used. And somewhere in there if they’re compelled to come and watch me live, that’d be great.” Chris is also nominated for Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song.

Sam Hunt has a pair of nods, including the overall Best New Artist, as well as Best Country Album for his debut album, Montevallo, which has spawned three No. 1 hits, and another song making its way up the country charts. “I am beyond humbled with these nominations,” says Sam. “I am so grateful to the fans, the Nashville music community and the Recording Academy for their appreciation and recognition. This has been just the most amazing year.”

John and TJ Osborne, aka Brothers Osborne, are excited to earn their very first Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their Top 10 single, “Stay a Little Longer.” The two were asleep when news of their nomination was announced. ““My wife woke me up, just like screaming, ‘Wake up! Wake up!’ I woke up in a panic. I thought the damn house was on fire,” laughs John. “But, yeah, we hear most big news while we’re asleep.”

Charles Kelley earned his first-ever GRAMMY nomination as a solo artist in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category for his “soaring new single” (Entertainment Weekly) “The Driver” featuring Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay. This year’s recognition serves as Kelley’s 12th career nomination from The Recording Academy. “I’m still in shock from waking up this morning to a GRAMMY nomination for ‘The Driver,” says Charles. “I feel like I’m just getting started on this journey, so to get honored in this way and share it with Dierks and Eric is incredible. I’m so thankful to my producer Paul Worley who encouraged me to chase this record down.”

Keith Urban has a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for his recent chart-topping hit, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” while Kacey Musgraves picks up a nod for Best Country Album for Pageant Material.

The 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be handed out February 15th.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Sound & Color – Alabama Shakes

To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar

Traveller – Chris Stapleton

1989 – Taylor Swift

Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd

SONG OF THE YEAR

“Alright” – Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears, Pharrell Williams (Kendrick Lamar)

“Blank Space” – Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift)

“Girl Crush” – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose (Little Big Town)

“See You Again” – Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth, Cameron Thomaz (Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth)

BEST NEW ARTIST

Courtney Barnett

James Bay

Sam Hunt

Tori Kelly

Meghan Trainor

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE

“Burning House” – Cam

“Traveller” – Chris Stapleton

“Little Toy Guns” – Carrie Underwood

“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” – Keith Urban

“Chances Are” – Lee Ann Womack

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

“Stay A Little Longer” – Brothers Osborne

“If I Needed You” – Joey+Rory

“The Driver” – Charles Kelley, Dierks Bentley, Eric Paslay

“Girl Crush” – Little Big Town

“Lonely Tonight” – Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe

BEST COUNTRY SONG

“Chances Are” – Hayes Carll (Lee Ann Womack)

“Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” – Barry Dean, Luke Laird, Jonathan Singleton (Tim McGraw)

“Girl Crush” – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose (Little Big Town)

“Hold My Hand” – Brandy Clark, Mark Stephen Jones (Brandy Clark)

“Traveller” – Chris Stapleton (Chris Stapleton)

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

Montevallo – Sam Hunt

Pain Killer – Little Big Town

The Blade – Ashley Monroe

Pageant Material – Kacey Musgraves

Traveller – Chris Stapleton

Condolences go out to Keith Urban whose father, Robert Urban, passed away Saturday night (December 5th), after a lengthy battle with cancer. Keith has been overwhelmed with people reaching out to him and offering him comfort during this difficult time.

“I’ve been deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support that Nic and I, and our family, have received since my Dad’s passing on Saturday night,” he writes. “His long battle with cancer is now over and he is finally at peace. My Dad’s love of country music and America set me on my life’s journey, and shaped so much of who I am today. Thank you to everyone who has kept us all in your thoughts and prayers.”

The news of his death comes just a few days after he helped unveil his exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, where he acknowledged his father and credited him in The Tennessean for being the catalyst for his love of country music and move to Nashville.

“You know, Dad really, he’s the reason that I’m here today. His record collection was what got me pointed toward Nashville. He drove me to the music store to buy my first guitar,” says Keith. “You know, he was always extremely supportive of my music, and I have a lot to be grateful to him for.”

In 2002, he released the album Golden Road, which featured a song he wrote and recorded for his father, aptly titled “Song for Dad,” which he said was his way of saying thank you to him. “My love for American country music, American cars, American culture, all of that stuff was inherited from my dad,” says Keith. “I loved the fact that I did, because it sent me on my path, and it was where I was supposed to be. So, this song was my way of saying thanks to him.”

Keith Urban attended the grand opening of his new Keith Urban So Far… exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame Tuesday night (December 1st). The display featured CMA, ACM, CMT and Grammy Awards, alongside several guitars, including a handful of instruments that were damaged in the 2010 Nashville flood, as well as some costumes from his very, very early years.

“My dad particularly always thought it was important that I dress like a performer, and so a lot of those outfits way down on the end were actually made by him. With the help of my mom a little bit, but particularly my dad,” says Keith. “A lot of these talent quests I went on, these country music talent quests…they often had categories – best dressed male, best dressed female. And I often won best dressed male. [laughs] Sometimes it was the only thing I won.”

Many industry folks, as well as Keith’s friends and family, including his wife Nicole Kidman, as well as Steven Tyler and Jaren Johnston (Cadillac Three) were in attendance. The exhibit is scheduled to run through May 2016.

Keith has been in the studio working on his new album, which includes his current single, “Break On Me.”

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

Keith Urban is offering a preview of his new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville in the video below. The collection, Keith Urban So Far…, will include items such as guitars, stage costumes, records from his personal collection and more from even before he moved to the States.

“It’s really capturing a lot of the parts of my journey all the way up to coming to America and being here,” says Keith. “I’ve now been here for 23 years in Nashville. But the exhibit’s gonna have things like a lot of the records I listened to growing up, Don Williams records, Dolly Parton records, Johnny Cash. You’ll see on the back of those records ‘Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee,’ so when I was a kid growing up in Australia, I thought that’s where you go to make records. So I always wanted to live in Nashville.”

• Keith, who is in the studio working on his next album, is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Break On Me.”
• Keith picked up the CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year for “Raise ‘Em Up” with his pal, Eric Church.

Chris Stapleton was the big winner during Wednesday night’s CMA Awards, as he swept all three awards in which he was nominated. He was named Male Vocalist and New Artist of the Year, while his album, Traveller, was named Album of the Year. Chris also received a second trophy as a producer for the project, which he co-produced with Dave Cobb. This marks the first time a New Artist winner also won for Album of the Year and are his first CMA Awards. Chris also had THE performance of the evening with his collaboration with pop superstar Justin Timberlake on the mashup of “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away.”

Of the wins, Chris said, “It’s surreal. Very unbelievable. I don’t have enough kind of adjectives to get there, but it’s a wonderful feeling. It’s a lot of love. I feel a lot of love. I feel very loved. It’s a short answer, but it’s a real one.”

Luke Bryan, who performed his recent two-week No. 1 hit “Strip It Down,” picked up his second consecutive award for Entertainer of the Year. “I don’t think I’ve ever sang or performed better on the road than this year,” said Luke. “I’ve really enjoyed every night, and for this to happen tonight is such a blessing.”

Keith Urban and Eric Church picked up the award for Musical Event of the Year for “Raise ‘Em Up.” The win marks Keith’s fourth trophy in the category, tying him with Vince Gill, Tim McGraw and Brad Paisley as top winners. He’s also the only artist to win three years in a row.

Little Big Town picked up a couple of awards including their fourth consecutive Vocal Group of the Year for the fourth consecutive time. Their smash hit, “Girl Crush,” was named Single and Song of the Year. Songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose are first-time winners for penning the song. “We knew when we heard this song that it was incredibly special. It literally took my breath. I gasped when I realized what the song was actually about,” said LBT’s Kimberly Schlapman. “These three women poured their heart and soul into an incredibly special, once-in-a-lifetime song, and the fact that we were able to cut it is an incredible special. We’ll always be thankful to them for letting us do it.”

Keith Urban and Eric Church picked up an early CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year for “Raise ‘Em Up.” This is Keith’s fourth win in the category. Previous wins include “Start A Band” with Brad Paisley (2009); “Highway Don’t Care” with Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift (2013); and We Were Us” with Miranda Lambert (2014). This win ties him with Vince Gill, McGraw, and Paisley for the most wins in the category. Urban is the only artist to win three years in a row.

“I’ve been real fortunate to get to collaborate with some great artists, but doing this song with Eric was truly magical,” said Urban. “It’s an incredible piece of songwriting, and we’re both so grateful it’s resonated the way it has! Big shout out to our fans and to Country radio and TV for all the support we’ve had along the way!”

One of the top nominees in 2015, this is Church’s second CMA Award – his first was for Album of the Year for Chief in 2012. His nominations include Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single of the Year for “Talladega,” and Song of the Year for “Like A Wrecking Ball,” which he co-wrote with Casey Beathard.

Keith Urban is up for Vocal Event of the Year for his collaboration on “Raise ‘Em Up” with Eric Church.

Keith says the song didn’t start out as a duet. “The lyric is just absolutely extraordinary, and all the things ‘Raise Em-Up’ can apply to,” he says. “I felt this song was such a journey and a deeply American aspect to this song too, particularly in the second verse. And what ‘Raise Em-Up’ can mean, all the various things that that phrase can mean; it’s such a cinematic song, and I’ve always considered Eric as a cinematic artist, and I sent him the song and he was in the studio immediately. I am so glad he wanted to be a part of it because it took the song to a new place.”

Keith is set to duet with John Mellencamp on Wednesday night’s CMA Awards, which will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday (November 4th) at 8pm ET on ABC.

Keith Urban will be the subject of a career-spanning exhibition, which opens November 20th at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Keith Urban So Far… will run through May 2016 and will follow the multiple Grammy, CMA and ACM Award winner’s path to Nashville, where he’s become not only one of country music’s best-loved ambassadors, but one of the world’s most-respected musicians.

The exhibition will represent this journey with a wide array of historic and priceless memorabilia from Urban’s collection, including his 1989 Fender Custom Shop 40^th Anniversary Telecaster “Clarence” and Levinson Blade electric guitar played by Urban on his first #1 song, “But for the Grace of God.” The shirt worn on the cover of his self-titled 1999 debut album will sit alongside handwritten song manuscripts, awards, and other documents from Urban’s scrapbooks of his childhood and teens.

Urban’s road to success has been paved with 19 #1 songs across multiple country music charts, including his most recent “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”; more than 20 million albums sold; Grammy, CMA and ACM award wins; a reputation as one of the best live performers in any musical genre; and membership in the Grand Ole Opry. He possesses an historic streak of 34 Top Ten songs and is the only male country artist to debut simultaneously atop the all-genre album charts in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“This exhibit allows the museum to highlight the career of one of country music’s top entertainers today,” said Carolyn Tate, Senior Vice President of Museum Services. “Keith Urban is a tremendously talented artist, and we’re thrilled to share the story of his hard-earned success with our visitors.”

The exhibit will examine the four-time Grammy winner’s extraordinary drive and exceptional talents as an entertainer, musician, and songwriter, attributes that have sustained him for almost his entire life. In addition, the exhibit will emphasize his passionate commitment to music education and the arts.

To learn more about Keith Urban, visit www.keithurban.net, and visit www.countrymusichalloffame.org for more details about the exhibit.

Suggested Tweet: Country music superstar @KeithUrban to be featured in exhibit at @CountryMusicHOF in November. http://bit.ly/1ZDOjxO

Keith Urban announced today that his eighth studio album will be called Ripcord.  Speculation surrounding the details of the release began back in June when Urban put out “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” billed as the first song from the forthcoming album – which became his 19^th No. 1.  It not only set an historic country radio mark for the highest one-week spin count and point total on Country Aircheck/Mediabase, it extended Urban’s lead as the artist with the most consecutive top 10 songs on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart, a streak that started in August of 2000.

Just this past week Urban released the melodic, mid-tempo ballad “Break On Me,” the second single from Ripcord.  The song debuted as the #1 most added single at country radio.

You can catch Keith perform on The 49th Annual CMA Awards with John Mellencamp live on November 4th at 8pm ET on ABC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. There’s no word on what song the two will perform together, but Mellencamp’s moniker, John Cougar, is actually referenced in Urban’s latest chart-topper, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.”