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  • LUKE BRYAN IS READY TO ‘KILL THE LIGHTS’ ON THE ROAD WITH LITTLE BIG TOWN AND DUSTIN LYNCH.

    Audio
    Little Big Town / Luke Bryan

    Luke Bryan kicks off his 2016 Kill The Lights Tour at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana on Thursday (February 18th), and he’s taking along some friends with Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch. They’ll perform nearly 70 concerts across the U.S. before wrapping this fall.  The tour also includes five stadiums shows- July 16th in Boston at Gillette Stadium, August 19th, in Minneapolis at U.S. Bank Stadium, August 27th in Chicago at Wrigley Field, October 22nd in Dallas at AT&T Stadium, and closing out the tour October 29th in Detroit at Ford Field.

    Luke couldn’t be happier that both acts will be on the road with him. ““When I found out we were able to get Little Big Town to tour with me, which is a huge honor for me. They’re headliners in themselves, and we started the talks, and I was like, ‘Oh my God. They’re interested. Let’s do this,’” says Luke. “We got together and worked it out, and now it’s my job to just get with them and create just a fun experience for the fans with them. And I was chomping at the bit to ask Dustin last year did he want to come out again. I just feel like the tour is a great package, and I think I’m just excited about the whole package. It’s gonna be an amazing year.”

    The members of Little Big Town are equally as thrilled to hit the road with their pal, Luke, and hope to be able to save some money in the long run. “Nobody throws a party bigger than Luke does, and if you don’t know this about us, we kinda like to have a good time too, so we’re not gonna have any fun,” laughs LBT’s Karen Fairchild. Her bandmate Kimberly Schlapman puts a little levity into the conversation with her tip for not spending a lot on stage clothes. “We’re gonna save some money on wardrobe because Luke, Karen and I can all wear the same jeans.”

    Over the weekend, the reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year learned his Kill The Lights album had been certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200, his third consecutive album to do so, and Top Country Albums charts. Kill The Lights contains Luke’s two-week No. 1 single “Home Alone Tonight” featuring Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town, which they’ll most certainly perform on the road together, and closed 2015 as the best-selling country album of the year and the 10th biggest selling album on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Year-End list. Luke also wrapped 2015 as the most streamed country artist with 660 Million streams.

    2016 Kill The Lights Tour:

    2-18                 Evansville, IN              Ford Center

    2-19                 Peoria, IL                     Peoria Civic Center Arena

    2-20                 Cedar Falls, IA             UNI Dome

    2-25                 Montreal, QC               Bell Centre

    2-26                 Uncasville, CT             Mohegan Sun Arena **

    2-27                 Uncasville, CT             Mohegan Sun Arena **

    3-8                   Las Cruces, NM           Pan American Center**

    3-11                 Little Rock, AR            Verizon Arena **

    3-12                 Bossier City, LA          CenturyLink Center **

    4-7                   Charleston, WV           Charleston Civic Center Coliseum

    4-8                   Baltimore, MD             Royal Farms Arena

    4-9                   Syracuse, NY               Carrier Dome

    4-14                 Toledo, OH                  The Huntington Center

    4-15                 State College, PA         Bryce Jordan Center

    4-16                 Charlottesville, VA      John Paul Jones Arena

    4-21                 Missoula, MT               Adams Center

    4-22                 Bozeman, MT              Brick Breeden Fieldhouse

    4-29                 Concord, CA               Concord Pavilion

    4-30                 Fresno, CA                  Save Mart Center

    5-1                   Indio, CA                     Stagecoach

    5-12                 Omaha, NE                  CenturyLink Center

    5-13                 Wichita, KS                 INTRUST Bank Arena

    5-14                 Oklahoma City, OK     Chesapeake Energy Arena

    5-20                 Atlanta, GA                 Lakewood Amphitheater

    5-21                 Atlanta, GA                 Lakewood Amphitheater

    5-27                 Baton Rouge, LA         Bayou Country Superfest*

    5-29                 Daytona Beach, FL      Florida Country Superfest*

    6-2                   Holmdel, NJ                P.N.C. Bank Arts Center

    6-3                   Atlantic City, NJ          Boardwalk Hall

    6-4                   Hershey, PA                Hershey Park Stadium

    6-9                   Virginia Beach, VA     Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach

    6-10                 Washington, DC          Jiffy Lube Live

    6-11                 Washington, DC          Jiffy Lube Live

    6-17                 Oshkosh, WI                Country USA*

    6-19                 Columbus, OH             Buckeye Country Superfest*

    6-24                 Toronto, ON                Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

    6-25                 Toronto, ON                Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

    7-7                   Milwaukee, WI            Summerfest*

    7-8                   Indianapolis, IN           Klipsch Music Center

    7-9                   Indianapolis, IN            Klipsch Music Center

    7-16                 Boston, MA                 Gillette Stadium

    7-17                 Bangor, ME                 Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion

    7-21                 Scranton, PA                The Pavilion at Montage Mountain

    7-22                 Pittsburgh, PA              First Niagara Pavilion

    7-23                 Pittsburgh, PA              First Niagara Pavilion

    7-29                 Philadelphia, PA          BB&T Pavilion

    7-30                 Philadelphia, PA          BB&T Pavilion

    7-31                 Saratoga Springs, NY   Saratoga Performing Arts Center

    8-11                 Cleveland, OH             Blossom Music Center

    8-12                 Cleveland, OH             Blossom Music Center

    8-13                 Cincinnati, OH             Riverbend Music Center

    8-14                 Cincinnati, OH             Riverbend Music Center

    8-19                 Minneapolis, MN        U.S. Bank Stadium

    8-21                 Calgary, AB                 Country Thunder Calgary*

    8-25                 Bonner Springs, KS     Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

    8-26                 St. Louis, MO              Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

    8-27                 Chicago, IL                 Wrigley Field

    9-1                   Raleigh, NC                 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

    9-2                   Charlotte, NC               PNC Music Pavilion

    9-9                   Denver, CO                 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

    9-10                 Denver, CO                 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

    9-15                 Sacramento, CA           Toyota Amphitheatre

    9-16                 Mountain View, CA     Shoreline Amphitheatre

    9-22                 Phoenix, AZ                Ak-Chin Pavilion

    9-30                 Salt Lake City, UT       USANA Amphitheatre

    10-1                 Salt Lake City, UT       USANA Amphitheatre

    10-22               Dallas, TX                   AT&T Stadium

    10-29               Detroit, MI                 Ford Field

    Dates and Cities subject to change

    *festival date

    **no Little Big Town

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about going on tour with Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch.

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    Luke Bryan (touring with LBT & Dustin) OC: …amazing year. :35
    “When I found out we were able to get Little Big Town to tour with me, which is a huge honor for me. They’re headliners in themselves, and we started the talks, and I was like, ‘Oh my God. They’re interested. Let’s do this.’ We got together and worked it out, and now it’s my job to just get with them and create just a fun experience for the fans with them. And I was chomping at the bit to ask Dustin last year did he want to come out again. I just feel like the tour is a great package, and I think I’m just excited about the whole package. It’s gonna be an amazing year.”

    Audio / Little Big Town talk about going on tour with Luke Bryan.

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    LBT (Luke tour) OC: (Kimberly) …need some lessons. :47
    KAREN: “We’ve been on such an incredible ride and he’s been on such an incredible ride, and it just felt like, ‘Gol, this would be incredible if we could just put it together.’ Being back out on the road with Dustin Lynch again is gonna be so much fun. Nobody throws a party bigger than Luke does, and if you don’t know this about us, we kinda like to have a good time too, so [laughs]…(PHILLIP: “We’re not gonna have any fun at all.”) …we’re not gonna have any fun. (JIMI: “It’s gonna be so boring.”) Yeah, we’re looking forward to it. The whole year will be with Luke.” KIMBERLY: “And we’re gonna save some money on wardrobe because Luke, Karen and I can all wear the same jeans.” [laughs] KAREN: “We’re gonna weigh in backstage.” JIMI: “I guess Phillip and I are gonna have to learn how to shake our hips or something to be on that stage.” KIMBERLY: “Yeah, y’all need some lessons.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet says the energy on the Kill the Lights Tour will be incredible with both Luke Bryan and Dustin Lynch.

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    LBT (Luke tour) OC: …come back. :31
    “I think the energy is gonna be off the charts. Just the crowds are gonna be amped up. We’re all out there ready to have fun, and Dustin is a really energetic and charismatic performer and can really get the crowd going. He’s a seasoned veteran on stage. So, it’s pretty cool to have that much talent to be surrounded by, [and] we’re in the middle! [laughs] So, we’re right there, and it’s gonna be an incredible time. Hopefully, people will come away feeling amazing and wanting to come back.”

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN SET TO ‘CRUSH’ THE GRAMMY AWARDS.

    Audio
    Little Big Town

    The members of Little Big Town have a handful of nominations going into Monday night’s (February 15th) GRAMMY Awards with their platinum song, “Girl Crush.” They’re nominated for Best Country Group/Duo Performance, Best Country Song, Song of the Year all for “Girl Crush,” plus their album, Pain Killer, is up for Country Album of the Year.

    The band’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman heard the song right after Liz Rose, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey wrote it, and asked for the song to be saved for them. “Kimberly and I are so lucky that we were writing with them, and they had just written that song. And…Liz said, ‘Can we play you guys something? She said, ‘You’ll never cut it, but I just want to play it for you. We said, ‘Yeah, yeah, play it.’ We had just set down, cups of coffee in the morning, we were hanging out, and they played ‘Girl Crush,’” says Karen. “We could not say, ‘Can we please have that’ quick enough. Like as soon as it was over, we were like, ‘We want that song! We want it right now!’ Why would we not cut that song?”

    You can also catch the group, who is currently making their way up the country charts with their latest single, “Pain Killer,” performing on this year’s GRAMMY Awards, which will air live from L.A. Monday night beginning at 8pm ET on CBS.

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild recalls the first moment they heard “Girl Crush.”

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    LBT (Girl Crush) 3 OC: …that song? :33
    KAREN: “Kimberly and I are so lucky that we were writing with them, and they had just written that song. And they said, (JIMI: “…like the day before.”) Liz said, ‘Can we play you guys something?” PHILLIP: “You’ll never cut it.” KAREN: “She said, ‘You’ll never cut it, but I just want to play it for you.” We said, ‘Yeah, yeah, play it.’ We had just set down, cups of coffee in the morning, we were hanging out, and they played ‘Girl Crush.’” KIMBERLY: “We were slayed.” KAREN: “We could not say, ‘Can we please have that’ quick enough. Like as soon as it was over, we were like, ‘We want that song! We want it right now!’ Why would we not cut that song?”

  • VALENTINE’S DAY AUDIO: AJ, Billy, Canaan, Darius, David, Dierks, Eric, Josh, LBT

    Audio
    Alan Jackson / Billy Currington / Canaan Smith / Darius Rucker / David Nail / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Josh Turner / Little Big Town

    Each year on February 14th, many people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special someone. The day of romance we call Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century, but has origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia.

    Over 150 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)

    2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually, which breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.

    Sunday is Valentine’s Day (February 14th), and we’ve got some thoughts and feelings more about love, romance and marriage from several of your favorite country artists. Some are new and some have become our favorites over the years. Which country stars are romantic? Which ones aren’t? Which ones have a good reason to celebrate the holiday that’s all about love?

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his love for wife, Denise, over the years.

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    AJ (Valentine’s Day) OC: …continue to. :24

    “We got a lot of history together now, and we’re happier than we’ve ever been. So, she’s still beautiful, and she’s always inspired songs. I mean, one of my early hits was a song called ‘I’d Love You All Over Again,’ I wrote for her for our 10th anniversary. I mean, there’s been a zillion songs that have pieces of our good days and bad days inspired, and they continue to.”

    Audio / Billy Currington recalls his first real Valentine’s Day.

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    Billy Currington (Valentine’s Day memory) OC: …took off running. :21
    “Yeah, I remember my first girlfriend. I was in first or second grade, but anyway, I remember it was Valentine’s Day and your mom going, ‘You’ve got to give your girlfriend something, and you’ve got to go give it to her.’ I’ll never forget — we got her a box of chocolates or whatever it was. I remember going down to her classroom and knocking on the door, getting her to come to the door. I remember handing it to her, and then I took off running.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith says he tries to show his wife how special she is every day.

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    Canaan Smith (Valentine’s Day) OC: …get lucky. :25
    “I bet I’m just like 99.9% of the rest of the men in the world who could really care less about that holiday. I want my wife to feel special, so I’m gonna take part in it. I’m gonna do my part to make her feel special and loved, but is it necessary? Shouldn’t we do that every day? I mean, it kinda is just another way to get a bunch of money out of us, but oh well. We’ll go see a movie or something. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker knew he would marry his wife, Beth, on their first date.

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    Darius Rucker (wife) OC: …her and country music saved my life. :43

    “I don’t know what it was about her. I mean, it was EVERYTHING about her. I knew, I told her I was going to marry her on our first date, [laughs] yeah. Beth’s a strong woman. It takes a strong woman to be married to a musician, especially a musician who was drinking and partying as hard as I was, and I think life for us is where we are now. It took a long time for us to get to where we are now, and we say to each other all the time, ‘I love us. I love our family. I love us.’ And I thank her every day for staying with me and being the strong woman she is, because with Hootie & the Blowfish, I could be gone for three months and then I’d come home for two days and then I’d be gone again for a month, and she put up with all that crap. You know, her and country music saved my life.”

    Audio / David Nail says his songwriting abilities sometimes work against him with his wife, Catherine, especially around Valentine’s Day.

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    David Nail (Valentine’s Day) OC: …line for me. :47
    “Very early on when we first started dating, the fact that I was a songwriter actually worked against me, because anytime I would say anything or write a letter, it was ‘Oh, you’re a songwriter. This just comes natural.’ So, I’ve always had to really watch what I say and how I say it and try to make it sound as genuine and regular Joe as possible. So, I definitely think as a creative person I have that romantic side that most creative people do. Sometimes I can get a little carried away and head into cheesy land a little too far, so I try to keep it as regular as possible. [Valentine’s Day] pretty traditional with us. She’s a big chocolate person, so you obviously can’t go wrong there, and a nice dinner. It’s pretty straight down the line for me.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about the love you have for your children.

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    Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day) 2 OC: …could before. :28

    “You get married and that’s a long-term, bigger image of what love can be. Then you have a child, and your heart gets spread so thin and it’s so vulnerable, like it’s a really tough, tough feeling, and it can kill you. It can really be painful at times, and at the same time, it’s so great. But it definitely stretches your heart…and it doesn’t change anything, it just makes your heart, I think it just makes it bigger. I think you just find that you can love more than you ever thought you could before.”

    Audio / Eric Church says his wife, Katherine, loves him in spite of everything.

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    Eric Church (Valentine’s) OC: …love song is. :48

    “True love to me is when you love a person in spite of all their fallibilities, and for me, I have a lot of ‘em. I’m definitely at times hard to love, and that’s what’s great about Katherine and the way she loves me. She loves me in spite of those things and really for those things.

    Audio / Josh Turner says his wife would call him a romantic, but now that they have four children, it takes a bit of work to make time for each other.

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    Josh Turner (Romantic) OC: …long time to come. :26
    “If you ask my wife Jennifer if I was a romantic, she would definitely say, ‘Yes,’ but she knows that sometimes my hectic schedule and our busy lifestyles can kind of interfere with the romantic side of things. But we do try to make efforts towards being together and having adult conversations and taking time away from the children and doing things that husbands and wives do, so we’ll definitely try to continue that for a long time to come.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says falling in love with her husband, Stephen Schlapman, came as a big surprise.

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    Little Big Town (Kimberly falling in love) OC: …healed me. 1:20

    Kimberly: “Well, I wasn’t planning on falling in love, at all. I didn’t want to…I wasn’t sure that I ever would.  So, my husband now and I were just really good friends, and after my late husband died all my friends were calling me, all the time. Just checking up on me. He was just an old friends. We had known each other for about six years and he started calling me just like everybody else did.  But, he started calling me more than everybody else did [laughs]. We had both been through similar losses, he hadn’t lost a mate but he had lost a close friend, so we kind of bonded over that. I grieved, kind of, at him a lot. He took my grief, I had a lot of grief left, and he just took it and listened and accepted it and was so understanding and let me talk about my late husband all the time. We still talk about him a lot, and he’s totally fine with it. He says that, that made me who he fell in love with and he never minds if I bring anything from the past up which is just really sweet. I was shocked, I remember when I first realized that I was having feelings. I just thought, OK, this is so weird.  What is this?  I haven’t felt this in a long, long, time. This is weird. But, eventually I allowed myself and it’s been the most beautiful gift of my life. It pulled me out of the deepest hole that I’ve ever been in and healed me.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet was ready for love when he met Rebecca, his wife since 2007.

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    Little Big Town (Phillip – reasons fell in love) OC: …real love. :17

    “I think everything that I had gone through before had prepared me to be ready to see that there was genuine love there for me, and my Rebecca.  So, it was just a great time, I wouldn’t have been ready before I met her…Now it’s just been a really great journey to heal through the past and to know real love.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook had a chemistry performing together, but it wasn’t until they each found themselves single…at the same time…that sparks flew romantically. The pair, who wed in 2006, have a son, Elijah.

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    Little Big Town (Jimi & Karen fell in love) OC: (Kimberly) …to be together. :48

    JIMI: “We were in the band a long time before there was ever anything which is interesting. I think there was always something underlying there that we were kind of trying to ignore. And then when the opportunity came, when all of us, ended up single kind of at the same time, a very strange turn of events for the band in a lot of different ways. And those feelings, you were able to come out with them finally. It was like, we’re single. Let’s get together. And, you know, she has a beautiful heart and she’s absolutely gorgeous and I just love her dearly.”

    PHILLIP: “Get a room!” [laughs]

    KIMBERLY: “They’re a perfect match. They really are. They were meant to be together.”


  • VALENTINE’S DAY: Billy, Brothers O, Canaan, Charles, Clare, Darius, David, Dierks, Church, Paslay, Gary, Strait, Jon, Josh, Kacey, Keith, Kelleigh, Kip, LBT, Luke, Sam, Shania

    Billy Currington / Brothers Osborne / Canaan Smith / Charles Kelley / Clare Dunn / Darius Rucker / David Nail / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Eric Paslay / Gary Allan / George Strait / Jon Pardi / Josh Turner / Kacey Musgraves / Keith Urban / Kelleigh Bannen / Kip Moore / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Sam Hunt / Shania Twain

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Billy Currington. Hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, this is T.J., and I’m John, and we’re Brothers Osborne. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, what’s up guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Charles Kelley (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Clare Dunn, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Valentine’s Day)

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    “What’s up y’all? This is Darius Rucker, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER David Nail (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, this is David Nail, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Church, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Eric Paslay, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, this is Gary Allan, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Valentine’s Day)

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    “This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi! It’s Jon Pardi, and I hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Josh Turner, and I want to wish you and your sweetheart a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi, this is Kacey Musgraves, and I hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. This is Keith Urban. Make the day special for your ‘Once in a Lifetime’ love.”

    Audio / LINER Kelleigh Bannen (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Kelleigh Bannen, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s happening, everybody? This is Kip Moore. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Valentine’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Luke Bryan. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Valentine’s Day) 2

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    “Hey y’all. It’s Luke Bryan. Happy Valentine’s Day. Make sweet love to your other.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi, this is Shania Twain. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  • SUPER BOWL 2016: Canaan, Darius, Easton, Lady A, LBT, Lady A

    Canaan Smith / Darius Rucker / Easton Corbin / Lady Antebellum / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan

    This Sunday (February 7th), millions of people around the world will be tuning in to the Super Bowl (the Big Game), including some of your favorite country artists. Some will be rooting for the Denver Broncos, while others will be pulling for the Carolina Panthers to win the Big Game. Canaan Smith, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Easton Corbin and Little Big Town are definitely fans of football.

    Sam Hunt will perform at the annual tailgate party preceding Sunday’s game, along with pop star Seal.

    Audio / Canaan Smith always has a good time watching the Super Bowl.

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    Canaan Smith (Super Bowl) OC: …It’s cool. :21
    “Super Bowl’s all about pizza and commercials. You gotta sit down, you gotta drink your beer, get a little buzz. It’s pepperoni and banana peppers for me and my family. We sit down, we have a a good time, we have friends over. We have a nice TV, plenty of space. We have a good time. Usually, when it’s all said and done, we have a little dance party afterwards too. It’s cool.”

     

    Audio / Darius Rucker is a HUGE football fan, as everyone probably knows by now. He even has a special man cave with probably six or seven (or more) televisions mounted on the wall to catch all of the games being played during the season. He explains why he loves football so much. SIDENOTE: He’s a huge Miami Dolphins fan, and word has it, just to be able to meet then Dolphins quarterback, Dan Marino, he asked him to be in a Hootie & the Blowfish video for “Only Wanna Be With You.”

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    Darius Rucker (football) OC: …football season. :20
    “Ever since I was five years old, I’ve loved football, and I love how physical it is. I love the chess match of the game. I love the speed of the game. I love college football, but for me watching pro football is better because the speed is so much more. For me, there’s two times a year, man — football season and waiting for football season.”

    Audio / Easton Corbin says you can’t go on the bus during football season without a game being on the television.

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    Easton Corbin (football) OC: …that’s on. :07
    “That’s all that’s on the bus on the weekends. That’s it, and we’ve got three TVs on the bus, so that’s all that’s on.”

    Audio / The members of Lady Antebellum reveal their favorite tailgate foods, just in time for the Big Game.

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    Lady A (tailgate food) OC: (Charles) …football watching. :21
    HILLARY: “Honestly, chips and salsa, salsa or cheese dip or something. That’s like what I always go for. I could eat that every meal. No joke.” DAVE: “Best tailgate food is a big ole burger soaked in Dale’s sauce. That’s all you need.” HILLARY: “Or bratwurst. I forgot that. Those are good.” CHARLES: “Cold beer! A couple of little finger foods, but without cold beer, it’s not football watching.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s beautiful and talented Karen Fairchild was a badass growing up when she was playing quarterback for her powder puff football team.

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    LBT (football story) OC: …my lip. :40
    “I was the quarterback to my powder puff team. I was running the ball and I came around the corner – this was in high school – and a foreign exchange student, I think her name was Inga (KIMBERLY: “Inga.”), and I didn’t want to fumble ‘cause my brother and my dad were there, and I come from this very athletic family, so I held onto the ball. I knew I was going to go down, so I let my head hit first and I bit all the way through, but I didn’t fumble and I had a hole in my face, though. The sad thing is that it was just flag football, but I left my flags on and cleats and everything, ‘cause it looked cool, and I had blood running all down my jersey. I went to the emergency room like that, and they sewed up my lip.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about some of the food he likes to have while watching the Super Bowl.

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    Luke Bryan (Super Bowl food) OC: …over again. :22
    “Definitely Super Bowl is like the queso, the Frito Lay scoops with the Ro-tel situation. I guess it’s like, what’s the black-eyed pea stuff too? All of that, just stuff that you can sit there and have lots of sodium, and then just, it’s like Thanksgiving all over again.”

  • NEWS & NOTES: LBT, Church, Dierks, Lady A, Darius, Sam, Chris

    Press
    Chris Stapleton / Darius Rucker / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Lady Antebellum / Little Big Town / Sam Hunt

    Little Big Town will perform the National Anthem and halftime show during Sunday’s NFC Championship game between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium. Little Big Town, who will hit the road with Luke Bryan on the Kill the Lights Tour, are making their way up the country charts with “Pain Killer,” the title cut of their latest album.

    Little Big Town will perform during this year’s Grammy Awards. The group is nominated for Best Country Album for Pain Killer, as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Girl Crush,” which is also up for Best Country Song and overall Song of the Year. The Grammys will air February 15th at 8pm ET on CBS.

    Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker are among the artists slated to perform at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena March 16th to honor Kris Kristofferson. The show will be filmed for a special, The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson, which will be distributed worldwide. Grammy-winning producer and musician Don Was will serve as music director for the event. Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood and many more will also perform. Tickets go on sale Saturday (January 23rd).

    Sam Hunt and Chris Stapleton will perform at Bonnaroo this year, along with Pearl Jam, Ellie Goulding, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Death Cab for Cuite, Jason Isbell and Grace Potter. The 15th anniversary of the event will take place June 9th – 12th with tickets going on sale Friday (January 22nd).

    Sam Hunt and Lady Antebellum are scheduled to perform during the second annual Windy City Lake Shake festival in Chicago, June 17th – 19th. Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn and Thomas Rhett are also set to perform.

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN’S KAREN FAIRCHILD COULDN’T SAY NO TO LUKE BRYAN.

    Audio
    Little Big Town / Luke Bryan

    Luke Bryan asked Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild to sing on his latest smash hit, “Home Alone Tonight,” and she immediately said yes to the offer.

    “Any chance to sing with Luke Bryan, I mean, who’s gonna say no to that,” Karen asks. “He’s so freaking adorable and fun. It’s such a great song, and I was just honored that he thought of me and I love the way our voices sound together. It’s kind of a sexy slow jam.”

    The two will most likely perform the duet when they hit the road on Luke’s Kill the Lights Tour, which will launch in Evansville, Indiana February 16th, and Karen is looking forward to the opportunity. “I can’t wait to sing it out in front of his crowd. That’s going to be amazing.” Dustin Lynch is also on the bill.

    “Home Alone Tonight,” which is currently sitting inside the Top 10 on the country charts, is from Luke’s latest album, Kill the Lights.

    Little Big Town is climbing the country charts with their latest single, “Pain Killer.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild talks about singing “Home Alone Tonight” with Luke Bryan.

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    LBT (Karen-Home Alone Tonight) OC: …amazing. :23
    “Any chance to sing with Luke Bryan, I mean, who’s gonna say no to that? He’s so freaking adorable and fun. It’s such a great song, and I was just honored that he thought of me and I love the way our voices sound together. It’s kind of a sexy slow jam, and I can’t wait to sing it out in front of his crowd. That’s going to be amazing.”

  • NEW YEAR’S LINERS 2015

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Canaan Smith / Clare Dunn / Darius Rucker / David Nail / Dierks Bentley / Easton Corbin / Eric Church / Eric Paslay / Gary Allan / Jon Pardi / Josh Turner / Kacey Musgraves / Keith Urban / Kelleigh Bannen / Kip Moore / Lauren Alaina / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Mickey Guyton / Sam Hunt / Shania Twain

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (New Year)

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

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey, what’s up guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey! I’m Clare Dunn, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Happy New Year)

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

    Audio / LINER David Nail (New Year)

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    “This is David Nail, wishing you a Happy New Year’s Day.”

     

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Easton Corbin (New Years)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Easton Corbin, wishing you a Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey! It’s Eric Church, hoping you have a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (10 COUNTDOWN)

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    “10-9-8-7—6-54321, Happy New Year, y’all. It’s Eric Church, and it’s time to put a drink in MY hand!”

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Happy New Year)

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    “Hi! I’m Eric Paslay, wishing you a Happy New Year!”


    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (New Year)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Gary Allan. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (New Year)

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    “Hi! I’m Jon Pardi, wishing you a Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (New Year)

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    “Hey! I’m Josh Turner. Happy New Year!”

     

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (New Year)

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    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, hoping you have a safe and Happy New Year!”

     

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (New Year)

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    “Hey everyone! This is Keith Urban. Have a safe and happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Kelleigh Bannen (New Year)

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    “Hey there! It’s Kelleigh Bannen, wishing you a very Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (New Year)

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    “It’s Kip Moore, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (New Year)

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    “This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (New Year)

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

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (New Year)

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    “Hey! This is Luke Bryan, hoping you have a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (New Year)

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    “Hey! This is Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Happy New Year)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Happy New Year)

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    “Hi! This is Shania Twain. Happy New Year!”

     

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN’S KIMBERLY SCHLAPMAN SURPRISES FANS AT DAYTON, OHIO CRACKER BARREL.

    Little Big Town

    Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman continued her Cracker Barrel appearances Saturday, December 12th in Dayton, Ohio, surprising fans and diners with some gifts to celebrate the holiday season.  Items from her 50-piece home goods and kitchenware collection, Oh Gussie!, were handed out and included the Emmy Dog, ceramic birds, Paw Paw Pottery coffee mugs, and The Daisy Doll. The visit was complete with an unexpected appearance from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.  Check out the video below.

    Video / LBT's Kimberly Schlapman visits Cracker Barrel in Dayton, Ohio.

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  • CHRISTMAS 2015: Little Big Town

    Audio
    Little Big Town

    The members of Little Big Town have several traditions at Christmas. One includes Christmas pajamas; others include potato candy, Charlie Brown and Elvis.

    “My favorite holiday tradition is, it’s happened very year that I can remember that I’ve been alive. We would go over to my grandmother’s house and have Christmas over there, and everybody would come home to Mama and Daddy’s house. We’d sit down and Mama hands out everybody a gift, and we act like we don’t what it is, but we do ’cause it’s always Christmas pajamas,” says Kimberly Schlapman. “So, everybody opens their Christmas pajamas and goes and puts ’em on, and we come back to the living room and we sit around Daddy and he reads The Christmas Story. And we tuck ourselves in until Santa comes.”

    “Christmases at our house usually included making candy with my mother and my grandmother,” says Karen Fairchild. “We did everything from potato candy to chocolate dipped peanut butter and fudge. My mom’s fudge recipe is amazing.”

    Little Big Town, who are heading up the country charts with “Pain Killer,” are up for four Grammy nominations, including all-genre Song of the Year for “Girl Crush,” as well as Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Country Duo or Group. The 2016 Grammy Awards air February 15th at 8pm ET on CBS.

    Audio / Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman have their annual Christmas tradition.

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    LBT (Christmas) OC: …Santa comes. :28
    “My favorite holiday tradition is, it’s happened very year that I can remember that I’ve been alive. We would go over to my grandmother’s house and have Christmas over there, and everybody would come home to Mama and Daddy’s house. We’d sit down and Mama hands out everybody a gift, and we act like we don’t what it is, but we do ’cause it’s always Christmas pajamas. So, everybody opens their Christmas pajamas and goes and puts ’em on, and we come back to the living room and we sit around Daddy and he reads The Christmas Story. And we tuck ourselves in until Santa comes.”

    Audio / The members of Little Big Town talk about some of their favorite Christmas movies and holiday specials.

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    LBT (Holiday movies) OC: (Phillip) …whatever I touch. [LAUGHS] :38
    KAREN: “One of our favorite Christmas traditions is gathering around the television to watch holiday movies. And I know [for] Kimberly, it starts with [KIMBERLY: “It’s a Wonderful Life.”] It’s a Wonderful Life. Ours is holiday movies and records, like certain records have to be played in order for Jimi.” JIMI: “You have to start out the season right with Elvis, a little Elvis Presley.” KAREN: “I like the Charlie Brown Christmas movie.” KIMBERLY: “It’s sweet.” KAREN: “Yeah, it is sweet.” JIMI: “I like all those classic ones like the Rudolph and what is the one with the Abominable Snowman?” KIMBERLY: “Frosty, the Snowman?” PHILLIP: [sings] “I’m Mister Heat Miser/whatever I touch…” [LAUGHS] (The song is from the Claymation special ‘A Year Without a Santa Claus.’)

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild talks about making candy at Christmas with her mother and grandmother.

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    LBT (Karen-candy making) OC: …peanut butter inside. :19
    “Christmases at our house usually included making candy with my mother and my grandmother. We did everything from potato candy to chocolate dipped peanut butter (JIMI: “That all sounds amazing.”) and fudge. My mom’s fudge recipe is amazing.” KIMBERLY: “What is potato candy?” KAREN: “It does use a potato, but it’s rolled and it has peanut butter inside.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet talks about having his own Christmas tradition with wife Rebecca and daughter Penelopi.

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    LBT (Phillip-tradition) OC: …to Christmas. :13
    “We do a little Christmas tradition in our house. We do, you know the little tree in the countdown to Christmas? We put little treats in each little doorway. [Penelopi] opens the countdown to Christmas. (KIMBERLY: “Cuuuute.”) She gets a new little treat every day leading up to Christmas.”