• NEWS AND NOTES: Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Mickey Guyton, Jon Pardi, Lauren Alaina, Maddie & Tae

    Watch Carrie Underwood on NBC’s Today Show on Friday (December 24th) for an all-new holiday performance.

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1474051545041932290

    Reba McEntire performed “I Needed Christmas” from her Lifetime holiday movie, Christmas In Tune, on ABC’s Good Morning America earlier this week.

    https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1473294281561493508

    Vince Gill and Mickey Guyton recorded the song “Love Changes Everything” for the soundtrack of the feature film, American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. The movie, based on Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner’s life story, stars Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin and Dennis Quaid and is set to open nationwide on Christmas Day. The soundtrack will be released on Christmas Eve (December 24th).

    Mickey Guyton is among the performers set for the 31st Annual MusiCares Person of the Year Concert honoring the legendary Joni Mitchell. Also performing are Graham Nash, James Taylor, Brandi Carlile, Pentatonix, Jon Batiste, Herbie Hancock and Leon Bridges, among others. The event will be held January 29th at the Los Angeles Convention Center, two nights before the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

    Reba McEntire, Jon Pardi, Lauren Alaina and Maddie & Tae are among the artists joining Musicians On Call for “Hope for the Holidays” virtual concert. The artists, which also includes Brett Eldredge, Caitlyn Smith and Cassadee Pope, perform holiday favorites and deliver messages to hospital patients and caregivers at over 5,000 hospitals nationwide.

    Eric Church performed “Joy To The World” during In Performance At The White House: Spirit of the Season on PBS earlier this week. The special, hosted by actress Jennifer Garner, also featured performances by the Jonas Brothers, Pentatonix, Norah Jones, Camilla Cabelo, Billy Porter and many others. If you missed it, you can stream it now — see below.

    Video /

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Mickey Guyton

    Sam Hunt and Jon Pardi are among the performers added to the lineup for NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE: NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH, a star-studded entertainment special, which will air LIVE from Music City, Friday, December 31st (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT, 11:30 PM-1:30 AM, ET/PT) on CBS , and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*.  Additional performers includeLady A, Ingrid Andress, BRELAND, King Calaway, Riley Green, Chris Janson, Carly Pearce and Lainey Wilson.  They join the previously announced stellar lineup that includes Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell and Zac Brown Band. The five-hour broadcast will feature a staggering hit parade of more than 50 back-to-back performances and cross multiple time zones, live from the destination home of country music. Nashville will count down with the East Coast at midnight and keep the party going through midnight Central Time with the city’s renowned Music Note Drop®.


     

    Mickey Guyton performed the holiday classic, “O Holy Night,” on the Tamron Hall Show. Check it out below.

    You can also catch Mickey with Pentatonix for the Cracker Barrel Sounds of the Season.

    This year’s Christmas program ‘Sounds of the Season: Together Again!’ Watch exclusive performances and fun holiday traditions by Mickey and Pentatonix on Cracker Barrel’s YouTube and Facebook pages all month long, and tune into the debut of the full special on December 15th!

  • CHRISTMAS 2021: Mickey Guyton

    Mickey Guyton is so excited for this Christmas since it’ll be the first she and husband Grant Savoy celebrate as parents. She cannot wait to make Christmas very special for son Grayson.

    “I am so excited about Christmas this year. As an adult when you don’t have children, the luster of Christmas had kind of gone away for me. But now that I have this baby boy, I just want to make sure that every holiday he celebrates is special, and especially Christmas. It’s gonna be amazing,” says Mickey. “Uhhhh, I can’t wait!”

    When she and her family go home for Texas for the holidays, the thing that has to be on the dinner table is her mom’s Italian Cream Cake, which is also a staple at Thanksgiving.

    “My mom makes this homemade, from scratch, Italian Cream Cake. It’s so freaking good, and every Christmas and every Thanksgiving, she makes this,” says Mickey. “Our families all come to my parents’ house, and we have a big dinner, and that’s the first thing that to go. That’s like the first thing that people eat the most.”

    One of her favorite childhood memories during Christmas was when her family performed a last-minute Christmas play moments before opening their presents. “One of my favorite Christmas memories is my family, [laughs] there’s a lot of us, and one day we did an impromptu play before we opened our Christmas presents. We just pretended like we were the Wise Men. We did the story of the birth of Jesus, and we filmed it. It was just a really cool memory for me.”

    The songstress released a gorgeous rendition of the classic “O Holy Night,” and a few years ago, she released “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” from the smash hit, Frozen. She says both are her favorite holiday songs.

    “My favorite Christmas song is ‘O Holy Night,’ but I really love ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman.’ So, both of those are like my all-time favorite.”

    Audio / Mickey Guyton cannot wait to celebrate Christmas this year.

    Download

    Mickey Guyton (Christmas 2021) OC: …I can’t wait! :28
    “I am so excited about Christmas this year. As an adult when you don’t have children, the luster of Christmas had kind of gone away for me. But now that I have this baby boy, I just want to make sure that every holiday he celebrates is special, and especially Christmas. It’s gonna be amazing. I can’t wait to decorate the tree and put little presents under there. Uhhhh, I can’t wait!”


    Audio / Mickey Guyton says her favorite Christmas dish is the Italian Cream Cake her mother makes every year.

    Download

    Mickey Guyton (Christmas dish) OC: …the most. :19
    “My mom makes this homemade, from scratch, Italian Cream Cake. It’s so freaking good, and every Christmas and every Thanksgiving, she makes this. Our families all come to my parents’ house, and we have a big dinner, and that’s the first thing that to go. That’s like the first thing that people eat the most.”


    Audio / Mickey Guyton recalls her favorite Christmas memory.

    Download

    Mickey Guyton (Christmas memory) OC: …for me. :21
    “One of my favorite Christmas memories is my family, [laughs] there’s a lot of us, and one day we did an impromptu play before we opened our Christmas presents. We just pretended like we were the Wise Men. We did the story of the birth of Jesus, and we filmed it. It was just a really cool memory for me.”

    Audio / Mickey Guyton talks about her favorite Christmas songs.

    Download

    Mickey Guyton (Christmas songs) OC: …favorite. :09
    “My favorite Christmas song is ‘O Holy Night,’ but I really love ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman.’ So, both of those are like my all-time favorite.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (O Holy Night)

    Download
  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke Bryan, Kacey Musgraves, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, Mickey Guyton, Boy Named Banjo

    Luke Bryan shared the news that American Idol‘s historic 20th season will premiere February 27th (2022) on ABC.

     

    Sam Hunt and Little Big Town were added to the list of performers at next year’s San Antonio Stock Show And Rodeo taking place February 10th – 26th. They join previously announced artists including Tim McGraw, Mickey Guyton, Brad Paisley, Ludacris, Jimmie Allen and Ryan Bingham, among others.

    Mickey Guyton shared some great Christmas ideas from black-owned small businesses on her socials. Check them out.

    Check out and get to know new band Boy Named Banjo. Find out how they met and started performing together.

    https://twitter.com/BoyNamedBanjo/status/1466074623460605955

     

  • CHRISTMAS 2021 LINERS

    Here are some holiday liners from UMG Nashville artists, including Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Caylee Hammack, Chrissy Metz,Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Hootie & The Blowfish, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kassi Ashton, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Kylie Morgan, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Reba McEntire, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, Terri Clark, Travis Denning and more!

     

     

    Audio / LINER AJ (Christmas)

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    “Hi! This is Alan Jackson, and I’m wishing y’all a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Happy Holiday Season)

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    “Hi! Billy Currington here, wishing you and your family a safe and Happy Holiday Season.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Merry Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is T.J., and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Christmas)

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    “Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Christmas) 2

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    “Hey, it’s Carrie Underwood. From our house to yours – Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Christmas) 1

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    “Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Happy Holidays)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack. Happy Holidays, everybody!”

    Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Chrissy Metz, wishing you Happy Holidays.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

     

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! It’s Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Happy Holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Merry Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! It’s Eric Church, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Gary Allan. Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! This is George Strait, wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Hootie & The Blowfish (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey Everybody, we’re Hootie & The Blowfish, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Christmas)

    Download

    Hey y’all this is Jon Langston, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey y’all, this is Jon Langston. Happy Holidays.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Merry Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Jon Pardi, wishing you a Merry Christmas!”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey! I’m Josh Turner, wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Christmas)

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    “Hey! This is Kacey Musgraves, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Christmas)

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    “Hi folks, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Holiday season)

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    “Hi everyone, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and all your family the very best this holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey guys, this is Kip Moore, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey y’all, it’s Kip Moore. Happy Holidays!”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan. Happy Holidays!”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey, I’m Parker McCollum, and I’m wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hi! This is Priscilla Block wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

     

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Christmas)

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    “Hey-Reba here-hoping you have a very Merry Christmas. Ho, Ho, Ho.”

     

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey, this is Reba, wishing you a Happy Holiday Season.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Happy Holidays)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hi! This is Shania Twain, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Taylor Swift (Happy Holiday Season)

    Download

    “Hey, this is Taylor Swift, wishing you a very Happy Holiday Season.”

    Audio / LINER Terri Clark (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Terri Clark, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey! I’m Travis Denning. Happy Holidays.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, Mickey Guyton, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker

    Kacey Musgraves will perform on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight (October 18th) at 11:35pm ET/10:35pm CT.

    Taylor Swift and Mickey Guyton will appear during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 36th annual Induction Ceremony. Angela Bassett, Christina Aguilera, H.E.R., Bryan Adams, Jennifer Hudson, Drew Barrymore, Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie are also among the A-listers taking part in the celebration. This year’s inductees include Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Gos, JAY-Z, LL Cool J, Foo Fighters and Todd Rundgren. The ceremony will take place October 30th in Cleveland, Ohio and will be available on HBO and HBO Max November 20th.

    Eric Church is set to release the music video for his latest song, “Heart On Fire,” on Wednesday

     

    Chris Stapleton performs with Kelly Clarkson on the song “Glow” from her new holiday project, When Christmas Comes Around, available now

     

    Darius Rucker joined Keb’Mo on “Good Strong Woman” from the Grammy-winning blues singer-songwriter’s upcoming album, Good To Be, which will be available early next year.

     

  • THANKSGIVING LINERS 2021

    Audio / LINER AJ (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hi! This is Alan Jackson. I hope y’all have a very happy Thanksgiving out there.”

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey Guys, I’m Billy Currington. Have a great Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Brandon Lay (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey y’all! This is Brandon Lay. Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! This is TJ, and this is John, and we’re wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    Hey y’all This is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey, This is Chrissy Metz, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Thanksgiving)

    Download

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

    Audio / LINER Deana Carter (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey everybody, it’s Deana Carter, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Dierks Bentley! Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey folks! It’s Eric Church, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey guys! Gary Allan here. I just want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving, and have a Happy Holidays and make sure you’re safe out there. Drive safe. Party your butts off, but do it safe.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hi! This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Hootie & the Blowfish (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey everybody, what’s up? We’re Hootie & the Blowfish, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    Hey y’all, I’m Jon Langston, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Jon Pardi, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey I’m Jordan Davis. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey y’all I’m Josh Turner, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Thanksgiving)

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    “Happy Thanksgiving everybody. It’s Keith Urban here. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all of you listening for your incredible love and support that I’ve received over the last year, and to wish you and all of your family all the very best for this holiday.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey what’s up guys, this is Kip Moore wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey, we’re Little Big Town. Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! I’m Maddie, and I’m Tae, and we’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Happy Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Mickey Guyton here, and I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey everybody. I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    Hi! This is Priscilla Block, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey everybody this is Reba McEntire, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Thanksgiving)

    Download

    “Hey y’all! It’s Travis Denning, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Carrie Underwood, Mickey Guyton, Chris Stapleton

    Carrie Underwood, who performed during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, will perform during this year’s CMA Country Christmas. Pistol Annies, Breland, Brett Eldredge, Jimmie Allen, Lady A and hosts Carly Pearce and Gabby Barrett, among others, will also perform. CMA Country Christmas will air Monday (November 29th) beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT.

    Carrie Underwood and Mickey Guyton will perform during this year’s Christmas in Rockefeller, which will kick off the annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Brad Paisley, Rob Thomas, Norah Jones and Alessia Cara will also perform. The two-hour special will air Wednesday (December 1st) at 8pm ET on NBC.

    Chris Stapleton‘s All-American Road Show will head to Canada beginning April 28th in London, Ontario with special guest Elle King. Tickets go on sale Friday. Visit http://chrisstapleton.com/tour for more information.

     

     

  • GRAMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Chris Stapleton, Brothers Osborne, Mickey Guyton, Kacey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood

    The nominees for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today (November 23rd).

    Chris Stapleton has three nods including Best Country Album (Starting Over), Best Country Solo Performance (“You Should Probably Leave”) and Best Country Song (“Cold”).

    Mickey Guyton is nominated in three categories, including Best Country Solo Performance (“Remember Her Name”), Best Country Song (“Remember Her Name”), Best Country Album (Remember Her Name)

    Carrie Underwood has a pair of nominations for Best Roots Gospel Album (My Savior), Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“If I Didn’t Love You”) with Jason Aldean.

    Brothers Osborne pick up nominations for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Younger Me”), Best Country Album (Skeletons).

    Kacey Musgraves has a pair of nods for Best Country Solo Performance (“camera roll”) and Best Country Song (“camera roll”).

    The Grammy Awards ceremony will take place January 31st at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It will recognize the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021.

    Best Country Solo Performance

    “Forever After All,” Luke Combs
    “Remember Her Name,” Mickey Guyton
    “All I Do Is Drive,” Jason Isbell
    “Camera Roll,” Kacey Musgraves
    “You Should Probably Leave,” Chris Stapleton

    Best Country Duo/Group Performance

    “If I Didn’t Love You,” Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood
    “Younger Me,” Brothers Osborne
    “Glad You Exist,” Dan + Shay
    “Chasing After You,” Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris
    “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” Elle King and Miranda Lambert

    Best Country Song

    “Better Than We Found It,” Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, songwriters (Maren Morris)
    “Camera Roll,” Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves and Daniel Tashian, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
    “Cold,” Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon and Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
    “Country Again,” Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley and Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
    “Fancy Like,” Cameron Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins and Shane Stevens, songwriters (Walker Hayes)
    “Remember Her Name,” Mickey Guyton, Blake Hubbard, Jarrod Ingram and Parker Welling, songwriters (Mickey Guyton)

    Best Country Album

    “Skeletons,” Brothers Osborne
    “Remember Her Name,” Mickey Guyton

    “The Marfa Tapes,” Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall and Jack Ingram
    “The Ballad of Dood & Juanita,” Sturgill Simpson
    “Starting Over,” Chris Stapleton

    Best Roots Gospel Album

    “Alone With My Faith,” Harry Connick, Jr.
    “That’s Gospel, Brother,” Gaither Vocal Band
    “Keeping On,” Ernie Haase and Signature Sound
    “Songs For the Times,” The Isaacs
    “My Savior,” Carrie Underwood

     

  • THANKSGIVING 2021 (Updated)

    Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 25th, and most people might be enjoying time with a group of their friends and families, including some of your favorite country stars, such as Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Caylee Hammack, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Reba McEntire, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning and more. They share their thoughts of thanks this year, their lessons in gratitude, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

    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.

    Some festive fun facts about Thanksgiving:

    • President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3rd, 1863.
    • Harry Truman is often credited with being the first president to pardon a turkey, but that’s not quite true. He was the first to receive a ceremonial turkey from the National Turkey Federation – and he had it for dinner. John F. Kennedy was the first to let a Thanksgiving turkey go, followed by Richard Nixon who sent his turkey to a petting zoo. George H.W. Bush is the president who formalized the turkey pardoning tradition in 1989.
    • The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500.
    • Butterball answers more than 100,000 turkey-cooking questions via their Butterball Turkey Hotline each November and December.
    • The tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1876 with a game between Yale and Princeton. The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920.

    Carrie Underwood and Mickey Guyton are among the artists performing during the 95th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, airing Thursday, November 25th at 9am ET/ 8am CT on NBC.

    To access Thanksgiving liners, click here.

     

     

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.

    Download

    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 says the whole family is going to be together this Thanksgiving.

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    Brothers Osborne (Thanksgiving 2021) OC: …I can’t wait.  :31
    “For this Thanksgiving it’s gonna be such a good time. I mean last year, we had a very scaled-back Thanksgiving. Everyone was worried about the pandemic, and rightfully so, but for this Thanksgiving, we’re coming back. We’re back with family. We’re all vaccinated. We’re gonna be hugging on each other, loving on each other and just celebrating the world coming back to somewhat normal. And our mom and dad, our mom’s been here for a while. Our dad and his girlfriend, Cindy, have officially moved down here, and we’re going to have the whole family together. It’s gonna be beautiful. I can’t wait.”

    Audio / Brothers Osborne talk about their favorite Thanksgiving tradition – a Misfits Thanksgiving -- that they started when they moved to Nashville because they couldn’t afford to go home for the holiday.

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    Brothers Osborne (Misfits Thanksgiving) OC: (TJ) …Happy holidays, y’all. 1:02
    “What’s up, y’all? It’s Brothers Osborne here. And a Thanksgiving tradition that we did for so many years. John and I would host what we would call a Misfits Thanksgiving, and we would have everyone, I mean we must’ve done this for 15 years or so and it really started because we didn’t have enough money to go back home to see our family, so we would hang out in Nashville. And so everyone that was kind of in our same shoes, we’d all end up at our house, and it really turned into really blossoming some of our most cherished relationships. We would be there with Kacey Musgraves. It was the first time I really got to hang out with Mickey Guyton (JOHN: “Maren Morris.”) Maren Morris. They would come over and we just became like family to each other because we couldn’t get home to see our own families. And that’s a Thanksgiving tradition that we still to this day try to keep, and it’s a revolving door of who’s there or who’s not there, but yeah, it’s a wonderful tradition. And let me tell you, spending it with our friends in Nashville, there’s a little less arguing than back home. (laughs)” JOHN: “We’re still arguing, but we get over it faster.” (laughs) TJ: “Anyways, Happy Holidays, y’all.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she and her family don’t have too many Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving) OC: …the other one. :34
    “We don’t have too many set-in-stone Thanksgiving traditions. I find myself a lot of times working on or around Thanksgiving or unable to get home or whatever. We try to be together, but sometimes that just doesn’t work out. But yeah, I mean, I think it’s just about we eat. I eat a lot every year on Thanksgiving. [laughs] I never skip THAT tradition. But yeah, that’s the gist of it, and I’m kind of lucky. I get two Thanksgivings, because I also get to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, so if I don’t hit one, I’ll definitely be able to get the other one.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, because she gets to just spend time with her family.

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    Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving) OC: …favorite holiday. :27
    “Thanksgiving is the one holiday where we stay at home. We stay at my family’s house, and it’s just me, my mom and dad, my brother and sister and their families. We all sit around and just eat all day. And I love Thanksgiving because you don’t have to worry about getting gifts for people; you don’t have to worry about wrapping them. You just show up and you eat all day with the people you love. So, I absolutely love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack talks about her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …cranberry jelly. :15
    “My favorite Thanksgiving meal (dish) is definitely cornbread dressing. My mom makes the best, er, some people call it stuffing, but I’ve always called it dressing for some reason. But I love that with canned cranberry jelly.”

    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 says Thanksgiving is his favorite sports day of the year because of all the football games that are taking place.

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    Darius Rucker (Thanksgiving Day favorite sporting day) OC: …big for me. :10
    “Thanksgiving Day is my favorite sports day of the year. It’s crazy how much football you get to watch (laughs) on Thanksgiving Day, so I really like that a lot. Thanksgiving is big for me.”

    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 / 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 / Jon Langston talks about his Thanksgiving tradition.

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    Jon Langston (Thanksgiving) OC: …pretty cool. :21
    “We always watch football on Thanksgiving. It was pretty cool in high school. It was a big deal in high school if you had practice on Thanksgiving Day because you made third round of the playoffs. So, in high school we always had practice on Thanksgiving, so I guess that was pretty cool. Everybody’s waking up on a cold Thanksgiving morning going to football practice, but yeah, pretty cool.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi lists all of the things he’s thankful for, including the fans, his wife and country radio.

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    Jon Pardi (Thanksgiving 2021) OC: …miss them. :31
    “I’m so thankful for all the fans that showed up at my concerts this year. There was a lot of concerts. There was a lot of fans. We always had a good time. I know the crowd did. It was a tough year, but we made it through it and that’s something to celebrate. And also my amazing wife Summer – thankful for her. And just being a part of country music. I’m thankful for that too, and country radio…and all the people at UMG that I don’t get to see a lot, but I still miss them.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis gives thanks for this year, but most importantly, for his healthy 3-month-old son, Locklan.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving 2021) OC: …thankful list. :16
    “This has been a great year both music-wise and personal, but I think the most thing I’m thankful for in 2021 is a healthy son, 3-month-old son Locklan. So, that’s definitely at the top of my thankful list.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about Thanksgiving traditions growing up.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving) OC: …lot of football. :12
    “When I was growing up at Thanksgiving, we just got all the family together. You know, did the traditional turkey, ham, all the sides, but it was always at either one of my grandparents’ house. Just a lot of family, a lot of food and a lot of football.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis says his favorite Thanksgiving side dish is green bean casserole.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving side dish) OC: …look forward to. :12
    “favorite side dish for Thanksgiving is green bean casserole, just the regular green beans from a can, nothing fancy, just do it the old-fashioned way. But that’s the thing I most look forward to.”

    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 / Josh Turner explains what he enjoys about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

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    Josh Turner (holidays) OC: …the peace and quiet. :38
    “I love being outside in nature and the outdoors, and the holidays is a great time for me to go and partake in that part of my life. A lot of times, Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a little cold to go fishing, but when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a great time to go hunting, especially in South Carolina, that’s when the temperatures are starting to drop and the conditions are getting right, and especially in November, kind of the tail end of the rut, as far as deer season. So, it’s a good time to get in the deer stand whether you kill anything or not, it’s just a great time to just get away from everything and get away from the noise and the lights and the diesel fumes [laughs] and just relax and just enjoy the peace and quiet.”

    Audio / Keith Urban gives thanks for many things, including his wife and two daughters.

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    Keith Urban (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 / Kip Moore says he usually goes home to Georgia for Thanksgiving.

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    Kip Moore (Thanksgiving) OC: …with them. :11
    “I [usually] go home for Thanksgiving. I love going home to see all them. I have five brothers and sisters and it’s a blast to go home and just catch up on their lives. I get so wrapped up in all this that I lose touch sometimes, and it’s cool to hear everything going on with them.”

    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 / Maddie & Tae talk about their Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Maddie & Tae (Thanksgiving) OC: (TAE) …I do. :41
    MADDIE: “I love Thanksgiving because I get to see my family, and it’s not as much pressure as Christmas I feel like because there are no gifts exchanged. It’s just all about quality time and I love quality time. My favorite dish is some broccoli-cheese casserole and Tae’s favorite dish, I know, is cranberry sauce, just plain. Just plain ole cranberry sauce, no turkey, just cranberry sauce.” TAE: “She knows.” MADDIE: “That’s it.” TAE: “I genuinely feel there’s something wrong with me. (MADDIE: “Out of the can.”) out of the can. My parents know just to have cranberry sauce for me, like no one else can touch it. There’s a home video where my brother Mason tries to eat it, and I’m like, ‘What are you doing? This is mine.’” MADDIE: “She eats it out of the can.” TAE: “I do.”

    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 / Parker McCollum talks about his family’s Thanksgiving tradition.

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    Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving tradition) OC: …go there. :27
    “I mean, my parents have been split up for a long time, but they’re all from the same town. My mom and dad went to high school together and all that stuff and all the family still lives back there on both sides. So, we kind of do a Thanksgiving with my dad’s side of the family, but all my life, we’ve always gone to my mom’s parents’ house on Thanksgiving, and they got a big ole house and a bunch of property and it’s really where I grew up is right there. That’s kind of home for me, so that’s kind of our thing. We always go there.”

    Audio / One of Parker McCollum’s favorite dishes at Thanksgiving is his Aunt’s creamed corn.

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    Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …creamed corn. Mmm hmmm. :04
    “My Aunt’s creamed corn is pretty bomb. I love creamed corn. Mmm hmmm.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block explains why she's super thankful this year.

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    Priscilla Block (Thanksgiving 2021) OC: …thankful this year. :18
    “With Thanksgiving coming up, I am so, so thankful for this past year. It has been unbelievable. I just feel like I am living my dream and everything that I have always dreamed of is finally happening, and I’m just super, super, super thankful this year.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block describes a typical Thanksgiving holiday with her family.

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    Priscilla Block (Thanksgiving) OC: …so much. :34
    “Thanksgiving has always been chaos, actually any holiday that my entire family is there is straight chaos. But for Thanksgiving, we all try so hard to be together and it’s such a fun holiday to, my family’s a little cheesy. Like, we actually still go around the table and being like, ‘What are you thankful for?’ ‘What are you thankful for?’ So, that means a lot where it’s not about presents, it’s not about anything else. It’s just about truly being thankful, and that’s why I love Thanksgiving so much.”

    Audio / Reba McEntire describes what makers her thankful this year at Thanksgiving.

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    Reba McEntire (Thankful) OC: …happy camper. :39
    “Omigosh I wake up in the morning grateful that I can, that I’m alive, I can breathe, I can move, I can get out of bed on my own. (I’m) very grateful for the lifestyle that I have and if anybody needs help, please Lord please, direct me in what you want me to do. Just grateful for getting Rex in my life and Riddler, my family being healthy and happy, my friends being healthy and happy. I’ve got a great job and people I love and get to work with, and I’ve got a huge faith. So, no matter what happens to me, I know where I’m going, so I’m a happy camper.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about his favorite Thanksgiving eats.

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    Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …glass of milk. :12
    “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.”

    Audio / Travis Denning explains what the perfect menu is for Thanksgiving.

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    Travis Denning (Thanksgiving menu) OC: …then beer. :17
    “The ideal Thanksgiving menu to me is a little bit of turkey, but definitely prioritizing ham. I’m a firm believer in ham at Thanksgiving. Squash casserole, broccoli casserole, stuffing and then beer.”

    Audio / Travis Denning talks about a typical Thanksgiving holiday growing up.

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    Travis Denning (typical Thanksgiving holiday) OC: …a lot of people. :22
    “A typical Thanksgiving growing up was essentially and the men of the family – Dad and Uncle Mike and my granddaddy — watching football, while grandmama and my mom pretty much yelled at each other in the kitchen the whole day. But they threw down and made the best food you could ever imagine, which you know is kind of how it is for a lot of people.”