Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will return to host this year’s ACM Awards. The news was announced during a commercial break during the Grammys. The two will co-host the show for the second time.
The 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.
Don’t forget – Lady Antebellum will announce the nominees for the ACMs on Thursday (February 16th) on CBS This Morning.
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.
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.
Tuesday 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?
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.”
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.”
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.”
Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day realities) OC: …that’s awesome. :53
“I’m gonna be the voice of truth and honesty for Valentine’s Day for a lot of the guys out there listening and for some of the girls listening, as well too. You may like this; you may not, but Valentine’s Day is a really difficult day for guys. When you’re single, it’s stressful for like a month leading up to it, and inevitably, you do something wrong. You don’t get the wrong thing or you say too much, and she’s wanting to get engaged faster than you want to get engaged. I don’t know. It’s just a very stressful holiday. I’m at a time in my life where I got a five-year-old, a three-year-old and a zero-year-old, and we’re just really trying to survive on a day-to-day basis. I mean, we get about four hours of sleep, and we’re literally in survival mode. So, I think there should be a hall pass for guys in that phase of their life. It doesn’t take much at this stage for us to get excited. A dinner alone is heaven. I mean, if we can just have a dinner and a glass of wine, that’s awesome.”
Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s peak) OC: …48-hour party, you know? [chuckles]
“I kind of peaked when I dropped the engagement ring on her and surprised her with that and took her to Mexico and eloped. I spiked early. I peaked early. Now we’re in our eighth year. I need to find something special to do, but we keep having kids. It’s like, we can’t be away from them. We’re gonna find a week when they’re all in school and everything is set and we’ve got somebody. We have no family in town. We just have some folks that we really count on. When we get everyone locked in place, we’re gonna go somewhere for like two days and get away and have like a two-day, 48-hour party, you know?” [chuckles]
Eric Church (Valentine’s) OC: …love song is. :18 “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.”
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.”
Lauren Alaina (Valentine’s Day) OC: …pretty embarrassing. 1:51
“I think my first Valentine’s Day with Alex, I was trying to be super cute and cook him a Valentine’s Day dinner. I was 18 at the time, and I’d just moved into this brand new apartment in Chattanooga. I was trying to get used to not living with my parents before I moved to Nashville, so I did like six months in Chattanooga in an apartment. And [giggles] my mom makes these really great mashed potatoes, which I’ve modified the recipe, but they’re delicious and I wanted to make him these potatoes, because I knew I could make these potatoes. Well, I did not grow up with a very updated kitchen, so I didn’t have a [garbage] disposal, it was very new to me. So, I peeled the bag of potatoes and put the potato peels in to the sink and tried to use the disposal and it broke it before he got there. Annnd, I turned the water on, and I was baking chicken and I was cooking broccoli and mashed potatoes, and just turned the water on and then I forgot I had the water on, so I overflowed the kitchen sink with the potato peels, and it looked like something died in my sink and my sink was like spitting it up. It was horrible. I was panicking and trying to get it all cleaned up before he got there, and he knocked in the middle of it, like knocked on the door. He was early, of course. He’s always early, and he freaking knocked. I had like potato peels flying through the air, my potatoes were boiling over. I was still boiling the potatoes. I was running behind and he was running early, so it was just crazy. But, we’ve had some great Valentine’s. Last Valentine’s, he cooked for me and everything was smooth, so maybe he should be the cook. Uh, I’m a great cook, I just was trying to use a disposal for the first time, and that was pretty embarrassing.”
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.”
Luke Bryan (Valentine’s Day) OC: …full day. :11
“Well, I mean Valentine’s Day is, it’s kinda me and Caroline’s day just to go and just being with one another for a full day.”
“Hey! This is Billy Currington. Hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey, this is T.J., and I’m John, and we’re Brothers Osborne. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey, what’s up guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey everybody! I’m Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey! This is Clare Dunn, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“What’s up y’all? This is Darius Rucker, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey! This is Eric Church, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi! This is Eric Paslay, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey, this is Gary Allan, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi! It’s Jon Pardi, and I hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey! This is Josh Turner, and I want to wish you and your sweetheart a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi, this is Kacey Musgraves, and I hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. This is Keith Urban. Make the day special for your ‘Once in a Lifetime’ love.”
“Hey! What’s happening, everybody? This is Kip Moore. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey everybody! We are Lady Antebellum, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day, you love birds.”
“Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Valentine’s Day!”
“Hey y’all, it’s Luke Bryan. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi, this is Shania Twain. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Luke Bryan took to the stage to perform the National Anthem prior to Super Bowl 51, pitting the Atlanta Falcons against the New England Patriots. The Georgia native performed an a capella version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” hitting every note flawlessly, earning loud cheers from the crowd and numerous congrats from artists on social media.
Among friends who were there to witness it in person, were Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker with his son Jack and his father.
Luke, whose single “Fast” is currently climbing the country charts, will kick off the final leg of his Kill the Lights Tour February 16th in Huntington, West Virginia.
Kept it classy, Luke. Props 👊🏼@LukeBryanOnline
— Brothers Osborne (@brothersosborne) February 5, 2017
Awesome job @LukeBryanOnline pic.twitter.com/VqoWmbZUYQ
— Karen Fairchild (@KarenFairchild) February 5, 2017
Grateful to be here with everyone. #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/GSUSOiLaXo
— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) February 5, 2017
So proud, @LukeBryanOnline you killed it! #SuperBowl
— Little Big Town (@littlebigtown) February 5, 2017
Getting some tips from the pros. @joannagaines @chippergaines #superbowl pic.twitter.com/sJERonhKk7
— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) February 6, 2017
Luke Bryan has been in Houston for a couple of days prepping to perform the National Anthem prior to this year’s Super Bowl (Big Game). The two-time ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year, will take to the stage on Sunday (February 5th) to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in front of millions of people watching.
The Georgia native will “read” the room when he walks out onto the field at NRG Stadium in Houston, but says this is something he’s dreamed of doing. “The opportunity to perform the National Anthem at the Super Bowl is something that I can honestly say I’ve probably dreamed of ever since I was a kid. To wake up and things that you’ve dreamed of are right in front of you, it’s pretty powerful,” says Luke. “I’m just excited about the opportunity to go out there and honor America, honor our country, honor our troops, and I will certainly be excited to hit the last note and not be so nervous anymore and go enjoy a football game.”
Super Bowl 51 will be broadcast live at 6:30pm ET/5:30pm CT on FOX.
Luke Bryan (perf National Anthem at Super Bowl) OC: …football game. :30
“The opportunity to perform the National Anthem at the Super Bowl is something that I can honestly say I’ve probably dreamed of ever since I was a kid. To wake up and things that you’ve dreamed of are right in front of you, it’s pretty powerful. I’m just excited about the opportunity to go out there and honor America, honor our country, honor our troops, and I will certainly be excited to hit the last note and not be so nervous anymore and go enjoy a football game.”
Luke Bryan (National Anthem at SB 51) OC: …a little bit. :30
“I’m just gonna go out there and sing it. It’s not like I’ve got a band or an orchestra that’s on time and they play it the same way and I’m following them. I’m kinda gonna walk out there and follow my heart and follow the vibe of the room, and so there’s no telling how long it’ll go. I may get out there and go, ‘I’m about to pass out. I need to get this over quick.’ Or I may get out there and really, really feel good in the moment and try to milk it a little bit.”
Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Kenny Chesney will headline the fifth annual Tortuga Music Festival. The three-day event will take place April 7th – 9th in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and will also feature performances by Alan Jackson, Darius Rucker, Brett Eldredge, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Old Dominion and Nelly, among others.
Chris Stapleton appeared on NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday (January 24th) for the show’s “Behind the Lyrics” segment. He “explains” the story behind the title track of his hit album, Traveller. Check it out here.
Luke Bryan will be joined by Cole Swindell, Phillip Phillips and songwriter Dallas Davidson to perform a benefit concert to help victims affected by the storms that recently devastated South Georgia. A date for the benefit will be announced soon.
Little Big Town, Brothers Osborne, Lauren Alaina and Gary Allan are among the artists performing at Chicago’s Country LakeShake this summer. The three-day event, which also features Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts and many others, will take place June 23rd – 25th at the Huntington Bank Pavilion. Tickets go on sale February 3rd at 10am.
Luke Bryan announced he’ll kick-off a brand new Huntin’, Fishin’ And Lovin’ Every Day Tour this May, launching with a show in Music City at Bridgestone Arena on Friday, May 5th. Special guest is Brett Eldredge on all shows, along with Lauren Alaina, Craig Campbell, Adam Craig, Seth Ennis and Granger Smith sharing the opening spot on various dates.
Next month, Luke will sing the National Anthem as part of the Super Bowl LI (51) pregame festivities at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, February 5th live on the NFL and FOX prior to kickoff. The following week, Luke will begin the last leg of his Kill The Lights Tour on March 17th.
“Huntin’, Fishin’, And Lovin’ Every Day Tour”
5-5 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
5-12 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
5-13 Hartford, CT Xfinity Theatre
5-18 Moline, IL iWireless Center
6-1 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
6-2 Cullman, AL Rock the South*
6-3 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
6-9 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
6-10 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
6-16 Atlanta, GA Verizon Amphitheatre
6-17 Atlanta, GA Verizon Amphitheatre
6-23 Hershey, PA Hershey Park
6-24 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
6-25 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
7-1 Dauphin, MB Dauphin’s Countryfest*
7-13 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
7-15 Cleveland, OH Progressive Field
7-16 Holmdel, NJ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
7-21 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
7-22 Eau Claire, WI Country Jam USA*
7-26 Cheyenne, WY Cheyenne Frontier Days*
7-28 Central Point, OR Country Crossings Music Festival*
7-29 Mountain Home, ID Mountain Home Country Music Festival*
8-5 Detroit Lakes, MN WE Fest*
8-12 Syracuse, NY Lakeview Amphitheater
8-13 Oro-Medonte ON Boots and Hearts Music Festival*
8-17 Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amp.
at Virginia Beach
8-18 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
8-19 Raleigh, NC Coastal Credit Union Music Park
at Walnut Creek
8-25 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
8-26 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
8-27 Jones Beach, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
9-1 Lexington, KY Red, White & Boom*
9-6 Scranton, PA The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
9-8 Philadelphia, PA Citizens Bank Park
9-9 Pittsburgh, PA KeyBank Pavilion
9-15 Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center
9-16 Chicago, IL Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
9-21 Austin, TX Austin360 Amphitheater
9-22 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
presented by Huntsman
9-23 Dallas, TX Starplex Pavilion
10-12 Concord, CA Concord Pavilion
10-13 Wheatland, CA Toyota Amphitheatre
10-14 Mtn. View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
10-19 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
10-21 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
10-26 Phoenix, AZ AK-Chin Pavilion
10-27 San Diego, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
10-28 San Bernardino. CA Glen Helen Amphitheater
*Festival dates, not “Huntin’, Fishin’, And Lovin’ Every Day Tour”
ABOUT LUKE BRYAN
Country music superstar Luke Bryan is a two-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year. He has hosted the ACM Awards for four consecutive years. Since the debut of his first album in 2007 he has placed 17 singles at No.1 and sold nearly eight million albums. His fifth studio album, Kill The Lights, is certified Platinum and has sold 3.5 million tracks with over 400 million streams. The album debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 (his third to do so) and Top Country Albums charts, and contains five consecutive No 1 hits- so far.
Luke’s concert tours have consistently sold out shows across North America including many NFL Stadiums like the Patriot’s Gillette Stadium where Luke played back-to back sold out concerts last summer. Luke has also sold out Chicago’s Soldier Field, Cleveland’s First Energy Stadium, the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Denver’s Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Ford Field in Detroit, home of the Vikings at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field, and Levi Stadium in San Francisco. His 2015 tour played for 1.5 million fans and in 2016 he entertained 1.6 million fans on his “Kill The Lights Tour.”
For a one-stop shop for everything Luke Bryan, his community of fans have unparalleled access to his life through Luke Bryan’s official App. Launched in June 2015 in partnership with Disciple Media, the app offers everything from exclusive live streams to updates from the road, competitions to video premieres, exclusive merchandise and more. The App is available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Visit www.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter @LukeBryanOnline, Instagram and Facebook
Luke Bryan will join NBC’s The Voice as Blake Shelton’s team mentor, helping guide the contestants through the battle rounds. Luke taped his episodes in L.A. last week, according to The Tennessean. “I enjoy being in the moment with those artists and in my gut feeling, tell them the best thing I can tell them and really lift them up,” he said. “I think I get lost in the shuffle in the media of the guy who dances on stage. I think people don’t realize that I moved to town, wrote songs and got a record deal. Early in my career, I was so nervous about big moments, I didn’t even enjoy them. I just want to help these people settle into who they are and enjoy the moment.”
The two have been friends for a long time, and the pair co-hosted the ACM Awards for a few years. Luke admires the fact that Blake always seems to be in a good mood. “We’re comfortable in who we are and Blake even more than I am,” says Luke. “Blake is not scared to do anything. He’s a hilarious guy, and he’s that way every day. You’re never around Blake and see him in a bad mood, and rarely am I in a bad mood.”
Season 12 of The Voice will premiere February 27th on NBC.
Luke, who’s climbing the country charts with his latest single “Fast,” will perform the National Anthem at this year’s Super Bowl February 5th.
Luke Bryan (Blake) OC: …bad mood. :22
“Me and Blake, we’re just, we’re comfortable in who we are and Blake even more than I am. Blake is not scared to do anything. He’s a hilarious guy, and he’s that way every day. You’re never around Blake and see him in a bad mood, and rarely am I in a bad mood.”
Luke Bryan will sing the National Anthem as part of Super Bowl LI (51) pregame festivities at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, February 5th, the NFL and FOX announced today. The performance will be televised live on FOX prior to kickoff.
The Super Bowl is annually the most-watched television program. Bryan’s performance of the National Anthem in Houston will be his first time appearing at the Big Game.
He joins the ranks of many great performers who have sang the Super Bowl National Anthem including: Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Lady Gaga, Idina Menzel, Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick Jr., Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Cher, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and many more.
Luke is a two-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year and has hosted the ACM Awards for four consecutive years. Since the debut of his first album in 2007, he has placed 17 singles at No.1 and sold nearly eight million albums. His fifth studio album, Kill The Lights, is certified Platinum and has sold 3.5 million tracks with over 400 million streams.
In addition, on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), actor KRISTON LEE PUMPHREY will perform in American Sign Language both the National Anthem and “America The Beautiful.”
The NFL previously announced LADY GAGA, who performed the National Anthem prior to Super Bowl 50, will headline the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show.
In an article on Peoplecountry.com, Luke says he’d be pulling for his Atlanta Falcons. The singer admits he is playing favorites among the final four teams vying for the Super Bowl spots. “I’ve to lean toward my Georgia roots,” the Leesburg native says. “I’m a huge Atlanta Falcons fan and it would be amazing if my Falcons make it.” But either way, “I’ll be focused on the anthem. And once I walk off that field and shake off that pressure, I’ll be ready to enjoy some football.”