• THANKSGIVING 2016

    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 24th, and most people will be enjoying time with their friends and families, including some of your favorite country stars, such as Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Canaan Smith, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, David Nail, Dierks Bentley, Easton Corbin, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt and more. They share their thoughts, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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

    Audio / Brothers Osborne’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 and 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 / Canaan Smith says his favorite Thanksgiving dish is pumpkin pie.

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    Canaan Smith (pumpkin pie) OC: …Thanksgiving. :14
    “Pumpkin pie is where it’s at. My mom makes the best. She got it from her mom, my Nanny. It’s so good. It’s made from scratch. Everything about it, it’s just mouthwatering. I love it. I can’t get enough. If I could get fat, it’d be from pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.”

    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 most thankful for.

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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 / David Nail talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    David Nail (Thanksgiving dish) OC: …spoonful. :33
    “My favorite Thanksgiving dish was my grandmother’s macaroni and cheese. There probably wasn’t anything elaborate about it. It was probably the cheapest macaroni and cheese that money can buy, but for some reason it was always extra special, and she would also add extra cheese to it for me. My cousin Matt and I would have many, many fights about who would get the last spoonful.”

    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 / Easton Corbin talks about spending Thanksgiving with family.

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    Easton (Thanksgiving) OC: …my grandma’s. :33
    “Having family and being able to spend that quality time with them and obviously, the opportunity to do what I do. But absolutely during that time, being able to spend that time with family and your loved ones. We used to always go to my grandma’s, that’s Christmas and Thanksgiving. We’d go there for the big meal. I don’t get to go back much. A lot of times I’ll stay up [in Nashville] for Thanksgiving, and then go down during Christmas, but we’d always go to my grandma’s.”

    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 / Eric Paslay talks about his favorite Thanksgiving memories.

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    Eric Paslay (Thanksgiving) OC: …too much. :05
    “My best Thanksgiving memory, I think, is just hanging out with family, watching football and eating too much!”

    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 / 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 / Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley talks about the annual eating contest he and his two brothers – Josh and John -- have over the Thanksgiving holiday.

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    Lady A (Charles-Thanksgiving eating contest) OC: …five pounds! :25
    “One of my most memorable Thanksgiving memories was probably the first year that me and my two brothers decided to start our annual eating contest where we ate throughout the whole day. We started that morning and weighed ourselves and at the very end of the night, we weighed ourselves out and all three of us equally gained five pounds. I wish we had a more accurate scale to decide the winner, but we all tied. Five pounds!”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott describes her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    Lady A (Hillary-Thanksgiving food) OC: …ever tasted. :12
    “So, my favorite Thanksgiving food would have to be my grandmother’s sweet potato casserole. There’s just something she puts in it — probably all the love – that makes it better than anything I’ve ever tasted.”

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

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

    Audio / Mickey Guyton reveals her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    Mickey Guyton (favorite Thanksgiving dish) OC: …both so much! :39
    “My favorite Thanksgiving dish that has to, has to, has to be at Thanksgiving dinner is dessert. Dessert is my favorite Thanksgiving dish. I mean, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s sweet. My mom actually makes an Italian cream cake that’s absolutely awesome. It’s homemade, and the entire family, that’s the first thing to go at Thanksgiving dinner. And my Grandma D, she makes a pecan pie that is awesome. She taught me how to make them when I was little, and I just love them, and that’s the other thing that I look forward to at Thanksgiving dinner, and I love them both so much!”

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about his favorite Thanksgiving meal.

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    Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …glass of milk. :34
    “When I pile my plate up, it’s mostly turkey and then I’ll put a little dressing on the side, and I’ll usually go ahead and grab my dessert on the first run [laughs] and have it ready before it all disappears. Those are the really the three things. It’s strange, but since I was very young, I’ve always loved drinking milk, my brothers too, we drank lots of milk. My cousins, who grew up down the road, they always looked at us funny when we wanted to drink milk with our Thanksgiving meal. They would have coke or whatever else. So, I still get turkey, dressing, a piece of pecan pie and a big ole glass of milk.”

     

     

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN PUT THE SONG FIRST BEFORE REVEALING WHO WROTE “BETTER MAN.”

    The members of Little Big Town are getting such a huge reaction from everyone about their new single, “Better Man,” which has been the most added song at country radio for three weeks in a row. When they released the song, they didn’t immediately reveal who wrote it, until last week when they announced “Better Man” was written by none other than Taylor Swift. They wanted people to hear the song first, before anything else was attached to it.

    “We just played it for her after we finished it, and she was really, really excited,” says LBT’s Karen Fairchild. “We said, ‘Hey, you know we’re not just gonna blab this that you wrote this immediately.’ She said, ‘You know what? That’s the greatest honor as a songwriter you could ever give me is that you don’t want anybody to know that I wrote this.’ We knew we would tell eventually, but and it was a hard question to dodge for a while. The only reason why we didn’t say is because we wanted you to hear the song for what it’s worth, and it’s a beautiful song. And at her heart, she is the biggest pop star in the world, but she’s a songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee, and she likes to tell a story, and we didn’t want you to have any subtext there, other than to hear this song.”

    “Better Man” is the first single from the band’s upcoming album, The Breaker, which will be released February 24th. Little Big Town, who just picked up the award for Vocal Group of the Year at last week’s CMA Awards, will also begin their residency at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium the same day.

    Audio / Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild talks about their "secret" surrounding their latest single, "Better Man."

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    Little Big Town (Better Man-Taylor) OC: …wrote it. [laughs] 1:05
    “We just played it for her after we finished it, and she was really, really excited. We said, ‘Hey, you know we’re not just gonna blab this that you wrote this immediately.’ She said, ‘You know what? That’s the greatest honor as a songwriter you could ever give me is that you don’t want anybody to know that I wrote this.’ We knew we would tell eventually, but and it was a hard question to dodge for a while. The only reason why we didn’t say is because we wanted you to hear the song for what it’s worth, and it’s a beautiful song. And at her heart, she is the biggest pop star in the world, but she’s a songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee, and she likes to tell a story, and we didn’t want you to have any subtext there, other than to hear this song. And we did that, and it had like the biggest add day in our history with the guys at Universal that we ever had, and so we were like, ‘Damn, we were right! This is a good song! You know? Nobody even knows!’ So, for all the people that we told little white lies to, we didn’t really lie. We said a young girl from Nashville, Tennessee wrote it.”

    Video / LBT Better Man

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  • LITTLE BIG TOWN AND CHRIS STAPLETON ARE AMONG THE COUNTRY ARTISTS FEATURED IN THE LATEST COUNTRY EDITION OF MEAN TWEETS.

    If you haven’t seen the latest country edition of Jimmy Kimmel’s Mean Tweets, then we’ve got a treat (or tweet) for you. Check out Little Big Town and Chris Stapleton tweets, as well as Miranda Lambert, Trace Adkins, Florida Georgia Line, Randy Houser and Cole Swindell, among others.

    Video / Mean Tweets, Country Edition 2

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  • THE STAGE IS SET FOR THE 50TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS.

    Eric Church and Chris Stapleton, along with Maren Morris, top the list of final nominees for this year’s CMA Awards with five nominations each.

    Chris is technically nominated for six awards, which includes single and he could win as both artist and producer. Keith Urban technically is up for five as both artist and producer of his album, Ripcord. Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood received four nominations, while Luke Bryan and Brothers Osborne each picked up two nominations.

    Eric Church picked up five nominations for this year’s CMA Awards. The nods include Male Vocalist and Album of the Year for Mr. Misunderstood (produced by Jay Joyce and Arturo Buenahora, Jr., as well as Single of the Year for his recent No. 1 hit “Record Year,” Song of the Year for “Record Year,” which was written by Eric and Jeff Hyde and Music Video of the Year for “Record Year,” which was directed by Reid Long and John Peets. He now has a total of 22 career nominations since his first in 2011 for New Artist of the Year.

    After Chris’ breakout year in 2015 when he had three nominations and went home with four trophies for Album (including producer), Male Vocalist, and New Artist of the Year, he is back in 2016 with five nominations, including his first for Entertainer of the Year. His list of nods this year also includes Male Vocalist; Single of the Year for “Nobody To Blame,” which was produced by Stapleton and Dave Cobb and mix engineered by Vance Powell; Music Video of the Year for “Fire Away,” which was directed by Tim Mattia; and Musical Event of the Year with life and stage partner Morgane Stapleton (her first nomination) for “You Are My Sunshine.” Stapleton only receives one nomination for Single of the Year, but can receive an additional trophy as producer.
    Dierks, a 20-time nominee and two-time winner including the Horizon Award in 2005 (now New Artist of the Year) and Music Video of the Year in 2014 for “Drunk On A Plane,” will vie for Male Vocalist; Album for Black, which was produced by Ross Copperman and Buenahora; Music Video for “Somewhere On A Beach,” which was directed by Wes Edwards; and Musical Event of the Year for “Different for Girls” with Elle King (her first CMA Awards nomination).

    Keith, who has been a nominee every year since 2004, received four CMA Awards nominations in 2016 including Entertainer of the Year, which he won in 2005 when the show went to New York City. Urban’s other nominations include Male Vocalist; Album of the Year for Ripcord, which was produced by Urban, Dann HuffJeff BhaskerTyler Johnson, Greg WillsNile Rodgers, busbee, K-KovNathan Chapman, and Jonny Price; and Musical Event of the Year for “The Fighter,” featuring Underwood. Keith only receives one nomination for Album of the Year, but can receive an additional trophy as producer. Keith has won the Musical Event category four times including “Start A Band” with Paisley (2009); “Highway Don’t Care” with McGraw and Taylor Swift (2013); “We Were Us” with Miranda Lambert (2014); and “Raise ‘Em Up,” featuring Church (2015).

    Luke, who is the reigning Entertainer of the Year, is nominated again in 2016 (he received his first nomination in the category in 2013). He is also nominated for Musical Event of the Year for “Home Alone Tonight,” featuring Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town.

    Brothers Osborne are nominated for Vocal Duo and New Artist of the Year.

    Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum vie for Vocal Group of the Year.

    Kacey Musgraves, who won New Artist of the Year in 2013 and Song of the Year in 2014, is also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year.

    Several of your favorite country artists – then, now and forever country – will take to the stage to perform at Wednesday night’s CMA Awards. Universal Music Group is representing with performances by George Strait, Alan Jackson, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Kacey Musgraves and Vince Gill.

    The 50th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday (November 2nd) at 8pm ET on ABC.

    The Final Nominees for “The 50th Annual CMA Awards” (by ballot category order):

    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
    Garth Brooks
    Luke Bryan
    Chris Stapleton
    Carrie Underwood
    Keith Urban 

    SINGLE OF THE YEAR
    (Award goes to Artist, Producer(s), and Mix Engineer(s))
    “Die a Happy Man”
    Thomas Rhett
    Produced by Dann Huff and Jesse Frasure
    Mix Engineered by Justin Niebank
    The Valory Music Co. 

    “Humble and Kind”
    Tim McGraw
    Produced by Byron Gallimore and Tim McGraw
    Mix Engineered by Byron Gallimore
    Big Machine Records 

    “My Church”
    Maren Morris
    Produced by busbee and Maren Morris
    Mix Engineered by Dave Clauss and busbee
    Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville 

    “Nobody To Blame”
    Chris Stapleton
    Produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton
    Mix Engineered by Vance Powell
    Mercury Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville 

    “Record Year”
    Eric Church
    Produced by Jay Joyce
    Mix Engineered by Jay Joyce and Jason Hall
    EMI Records Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville 

    ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    (Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
    Black
    Dierks Bentley
    Produced by Ross Copperman and Arturo Buenahora, Jr.
    Capitol Records Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville

    Hero
    Maren Morris
    Produced by busbee, Maren Morris, and Brad Hill
    Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville 

    Mr. Misunderstood
    Eric Church
    Produced by Jay Joyce and Arturo Buenahora, Jr.
    EMI Records Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville 

    Ripcord
    Keith Urban
    Produced by Jeff Bhasker, Tyler Johnson, Dann Huff, Greg Wells, Nile Rodgers, busbee, K-Kov, Nathan Chapman, Jonny Price, and Keith Urban
    Hit Red Records/Capitol Records Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville 

    Storyteller
    Carrie Underwood
    Produced by Jay Joyce, Mark Bright, and Zach Crowell
    19 Recordings/Arista Nashville/Sony Music Nashville 

    SONG OF THE YEAR
    (Award goes to Songwriter(s))
    “Burning House”
    Camaron “Cam” Ochs, Tyler Johnson, Jeff Bhasker

    “Die a Happy Man”
    Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett, and Joe Spargur 

    “Humble and Kind”
    Lori McKenna 

    “My Church”
    busbee and Maren Morris

    “Record Year”
    Eric Church and Jeff Hyde 

    FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
    Kelsea Ballerini
    Miranda Lambert
    Maren Morris
    Kacey Musgraves
    Carrie Underwood 

    MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
    Dierks Bentley
    Eric Church
    Tim McGraw
    Chris Stapleton
    Keith Urban 

    VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
    Lady Antebellum
    Little Big Town
    Old Dominion
    Rascal Flatts
    Zac Brown Band 

    VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
    Brothers Osborne
    Dan + Shay
    Florida Georgia Line
    Joey + Rory
    Maddie & Tae 

    MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
    (Award goes to each Artist)
    “Different For Girls”
    Dierks Bentley feat. Elle King
    Capitol Records Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville 

    “Home Alone Tonight”
    Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild
    Capitol Records Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville 

    “The Fighter”
    Keith Urban (featuring Carrie Underwood)
    Hit Red Records/Capitol Records Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville 

    “Think of You”
    Chris Young (duet with Cassadee Pope)
    RCA Nashville/Sony Music Nashville 

    “You Are My Sunshine”
    Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton
    Low Country Sound/Elektra Records 

    MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
    Jerry Douglas (Dobro/Lap Steel Guitar)
    Paul Franklin (Steel Guitar)
    Dann Huff (Guitar)
    Brent Mason (Guitar)
    Derek Wells (Guitar) 

    MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    (Award goes to Artist and Director(s))
    “Burning House”
    Cam
    Directed by Trey Fanjoy 

    “Fire Away”
    Chris Stapleton
    Directed by Tim Mattia 

    “Humble and Kind”
    Tim McGraw
    Directed by Wes Edwards 

    “Record Year”
    Eric Church
    Directed by John Peets and Reid Long 

    “Somewhere On A Beach”
    Dierks Bentley
    Directed by Wes Edwards 

    NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
    Kelsea Ballerini
    Brothers Osborne
    Maren Morris
    Old Dominion
    Cole Swindell 

    Video /

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  • LITTLE BIG TOWN ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM, NEW RYMAN RESIDENCY, RELEASES ‘BETTER MAN’ MUSIC VIDEO AND SO MUCH MORE!

    From the stage of Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium, Little Big Town, along with Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and Ryman Auditorium General Manager Sally Williams, announced this morning their upcoming Little Big Town at the Mother Church residency.  The first ever Ryman residency, slated for six nights in 2017, will kick-off on February 24 during Country Radio Seminar week.  The date will coincide with the release of the Grammy-winning band’s seventh studio album entitled, The Breaker.  Additional dates scheduled for the residency are February 25, May 19 & 20 and September 15 & 16.  Tickets and special two-day packages for all shows will go on sale Friday, November 4 at 10:00 a.m. via ticketmaster.com and ryman.com and will be available online only. Tickets for the concerts will be $90.50, $60.50 and $50.50. Each ticket purchased to see Little Big Town at the Ryman includes one (1) physical album of Little Big Town’s new album, The Breaker, scheduled to be released on February 24, 2017. Also on Friday, CID Entertainment will offer additional VIP experiences. For full details, visit bit.ly/2e5PIws.

    Little Big Town at the Mother Church will see the Grand Ole Opry members return to the historic Ryman, where they first graced the storied stage in 2005.  Each of the six shows will feature different support acts and surprise special guests.  Known for their progressive partnerships, expect the unexpected from these upcoming shows. With no other headlining tour currently scheduled, Little Big Town at the Mother Church will account for a large portion of the foursomes touring plans in North America in 2017. These limited live dates are not to be missed.

    “As musicians, there is no better feeling in the world than playing on the stage at the Ryman,” said Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook.  “To be given the opportunity to headline their first residency means so much to us as a band and we promise to make each night as memorable for the fans as possible.”

    In addition to the residency, Little Big Town announced the release of their seventh studio album, The Breaker, available in stores February 24.  The album, produced by Jay Joyce, features lead single, “Better Man” which is currently climbing the charts at country radio. The video for “Better Man,” directed by Reid Long and Becky Fluke, premieres worldwide today.  To view video click here: http://vevo.ly/2JlWhh.

    The Breaker is about letting go of things that break you, it’s about the new ground you try and break as a human being and as a musician.  Sometimes you’re the one that’s broken and sometimes you’re the breaker,” said Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild. “It’s a sentimental record because we’re feeling super grateful for our friends and family and the chance to share the next chapter.”

    Audio / Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild talks about their Ryman residency.

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    LBT (Ryman residency) 1 OC: …our career. :45
    “We’ve been planning this for probably a year I guess with Sally and with our management team, all dreams of what these nights could be, reminiscing about our first play here in 2005 and what it felt like standing on the stage. And moving ahead and wanted to share some of that inspiration with the world knowing that we get to focus and be home and really reflect on the great songs that have been sung on this stage, paying homage to that, asking our friends to collaborate with us, there will be lots of special guests, lots of from all genres collaborations because we’ve been really blessed to do that throughout the years in our career.”

    Audio / Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild and Phillip Sweet reveal Taylor Swift wrote their new single, "Better Man."

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    LBT (Better Man-Taylor) OC: …of  ours. :45
    (Karen) “We’ve been telling you guys that there was a young girl in Nashville who wrote it by herself and its Taylor Swift. And she sent us this song and it was one that was really special to her and she thought of us because of the harmonies and she’d never pitched a song to anyone before and the moment that we heard it we were like, ‘Man, that is a song that we are going to cut and so, yeah.'” (Phillip) “Immediately we were all like had the same reaction. Through our whole career, anytime we’ve had that reaction to a song we knew it felt right. So this one just felt special and we’ve known Taylor since she was in high school, so she’s a dear friend of ours.”

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN’S KAREN FAIRCHILD LAUNCHES CLOTHING LINE AT MACY’S.

    eb68fa9f714a61fc3ed1828f_1040x694
    This month, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild launched her new clothing line Fair Child in select Macy’s stores across the country and on macys.com (mcys.co/2dqwjp0).
    Fair Child follows the same masterful mix of glamorous and effortless design that Karen lives by on and off of the stage. From a luxe overcoat, vest, and biker jacket, to the essential basics of a great t-shirt, vegan faux-leather skinnies, and feminine blouses, Fair Child is everything that is easy to wear, but full of personality. For Karen, fashion is the most fun when it has an element of surprise, and Fair Childreinvents and adapts that “of the moment” style of dressing.
    “The real reason I’m making clothes is because I like clothes…I love clothes,” said Fairchild. “Outside of writing songs and performing, it’s definitely my passion. I view it a lot like telling a story in a song. I think an outfit tells a story, and I think when there’s something interesting or surprising or a little twist, that’s what makes a great song and it’s the same thing that makes a great outfit. I’m so grateful to Macy’s for giving me this opportunity.”
    Fair Child, with pieces priced from $39 to $149, is currently available on macys.com, and at select Macy’s stores in Atlanta (Town Center at Cobb), Austin (The Domain), Chicago (Water Tower Place), Columbus (Tuttle Crossing), Dallas (Northpark Center), Denver (Park Meadows), Detroit (Somerset Collection), Kansas City (Town Center Plaza), Memphis (Wolfchase Galleria) and Nashville (Green Hills).
    Click the below link for exclusive footage featuring the launch of Fair Child: https://youtu.be/V2tLLYc_tL8.

    Video / Fair Child

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  • LUKE BRYAN, CHRIS STAPLETON AND SHANIA TWAIN WILL BE HONORED AT THE CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR SPECIAL THURSDAY.

    The CMT Artists of the Year special airs Thursday (October 20th), and will include performances by Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, Kelsea Ballerini, Meghan Trainor, jill Scott and Zara Larsson. They’ll pay tribute to honorees Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood. Karen is expected to sing with Luke, while Kelsea, Meghan and Jill will honor Shania Twain, who will receive the Artist of a Lifetime Award.

    Taped live at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the CMT Artists of the Year special will air Thursday (October 20th) at 9pm ET/PT on CMT.

     

    Video / CMT Artists of the Year promo

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  • CMA AWARDS 2016: Little Big Town (CMA 50th)

    The members of Little Big Town are once again nominated for Vocal Group of the Year. LBT’s Karen Fairchild also has a nomination in Musical Event of the Year with Luke Bryan for “Home Alone Tonight.”

    The band took home their first CMA Award in 2012 for Vocal Group of the Year, and member Kimberly Schlapman says she vividly remembers that night.

    “I remember almost everything about winning our first CMA Award. I remember being on the stage, our name is called, we’d been waiting a long, long time for that one. I think we made fools of ourselves pretty much because we were so crazy excited,” says Kimberly. “I remember most vividly as we were standing up there, all of our friends in Nashville standing up on the floor giving us a round of applause, and I think that’s one of the most humble moments we’ve had in the band, ‘cause so many people have cheered us on for so many years and it was like, the whole town of Nashville was part of that award, not just us, but we shared that with every single person there.”

    They’re also featured prominently in the CMA Awards 50th Anniversary “Forever Country,” and couldn’t be prouder to take part. “We’re so honored that they asked us to be a part of ‘Forever Country,” says Karen. “Shane McAnally and the CMA Board really just put together this beautiful piece of work and Joseph Kahn is the video director, and we can’t say enough good things about the opportunity and really just the honor that it is to be even a tiny little piece of this really beautiful piece of history in country music.”

    For more information on the band, go to littlebigtown.com.

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says she vividly remembers winning their first CMA Award in 2012.

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    LBT (1st CMA Award) OC: …person there. :42
    “I remember almost everything about winning our first CMA Award. I remember being on the stage, our name is called, we’d been waiting a long, long time for that one. I think we made fools of ourselves pretty much because we were so crazy excited. I remember most vividly as we were standing up there, all of our friends in Nashville standing up on the floor giving us a round of applause, and I think that’s one of the most humble moments we’ve had in the band, ‘cause so many people have cheered us on for so many years and it was like, the whole town of Nashville was part of that award, not just us, but we shared that with every single person there.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild talks about taking part in “Forever Country.”

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    LBT (Forever Country) OC: …country music. :24
    “We’re so honored that they asked us to be a part of ‘Forever Country.’ Shane McAnally and the CMA Board really just put together this beautiful piece of work and Joseph Kahn is the video director, and we can’t say enough good things about the opportunity and really just the honor that it is to be even a tiny little piece of this really beautiful piece of history I n country music.”

    Video / Forever Country

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    Video / Little Big Town's CMA Awards 2012

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: LBT’s Karen Fairchild, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and Kacey Musgraves

    Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild is unveiling her fall line at evine.com today (September 20th) at 5pm and 6pm ET and tomorrow (September 21st) at 10am ET.

    Mickey Guyton will perform her single, “Heartbreak Song” on NBC’s Today show on Wednesday (September 21st).

    Sam Hunt earned a bunch of heavy metal by the R.I.A.A. (Recording Industry Association of America), including multi-platinum certifications for “House Party,” “Take Your Time,” “Leave the Night On” and “Break Up in a Small Town,” as well as platinum certification for “Make You Miss Me” and gold for “Ex To See.” Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” was certified triple-platinum, while Dierks Bentley’s “Somewhere on a Beach was certified platinum. Eric Church grabbed a gold single award for “Record Year,” while his album Chief was certified multi-platinum, Carolina went platinum and Mr. Misunderstood went gold.

    Tune in to CMT on Thursday to catch Kacey Musgraves give her opinions to the new crop of ladies at training camp for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Check it out at 9pm ET/8pm CT on CMT.

    Video / Kacey Musgraves DCC: Making the Team

  • KEITH URBAN STANDS UP TO CANCER.

    Keith Urban, Little Big Town and Dierks Bentley joined up to perform David Bowie’s “Heroes” for the Stand Up to Cancer event, which will air Friday night (September 9th) at 8pm ET. The three acts taped their performance at last week’s ACM Honors to honor Bowie, who died in January, following a battle with cancer.

    Keith, whose father Robert passed away from cancer last December, said he wanted to sign on because “It hit really close to home with the passing of my father with cancer, as well. [I’m] really honored to be a part of it.”

    Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook also lost someone close to him because of cancer when his sister died last year, as well.

    The all-star show will also feature Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Emma Stone, Celeine Dion, Anna Kendrick, Eric Stonestreet, Alison Sweeney and co-founder Katie Couric and producer Bradley Cooper.

    Audio / Keith Urban says he is honored to take part in the Stand Up to Cancer event.

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    Keith Urban (Stand Up to Cancer) OC: …forward to it. :10
    “It hit really close to home with the passing of my father with cancer, as well. [I’m] really  honored to be a part of it, and the fact that I get to play with Little Big Town, that’s always a blast. I’m really looking forward to it.”