• SAM HUNT IS ADDED TO THE LIST OF PERFORMERS AT THIS YEAR’S GRAMMY AWARDS.

    Sam Hunt has been added to the list of performers at this year’s Grammy Awards. In his Grammy debut, he’ll be included in a never-before-seen moment, in a duet with Carrie Underwood. Other pairings include James Bay and Tori Kelly, as well as nominees Andra Day and Ellie Goulding and a special tribute to 2016 MusicCares Person of the Year, Lionel Richie. Previously announced performers include Little Big Town, Adele, Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd.

    “The prestige of being involved with the Grammys, like those, the people who make those decisions, they know music, and their choices for who they involve in the Grammys have reflected their appreciation for and integrity in music, and I think that’s what makes them The Grammys. That sort of puts them at the top of the pack for awards shows, especially in terms of integrity and the way they’ve maintained that class they represent in what they do.”

    Sam is up for two awards — Best New Artist and Best Country Album for Montevallo. You can catch all of the nominees and performances when the 58th Annual Grammy Awards airs live February 15th at 8pm ET/5pm PT on CBS.

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about this year's Grammy Awards.

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  • THE ROLLOUT CONTINUES FOR VINCE GILL’S ‘DOWN TO MY LAST BAD HABIT.’

    On the eve of the February 12th release of his new album, Down To My Last Bad Habit, Vince Gill journeyed to Los Angeles to be inducted into the Guitar Center’s historic RockWalk by one of his guitar gods, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh.

    Vince Joe Walsh

    Guitar Center’s RockWalk is dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution of music. As the newest RockWalk inductee, Gill’s handprints will reside on Hollywood Boulevard alongside equally accomplished musicians and innovators such as Eric Clapton, George Martin, Jimmy Page, Iron Maiden, Carlos Santana, Johnny Cash, Van Halen, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Korn, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Run-D.M.C., Queen, Linkin Park and many others.

    “It’s a pretty impressive little piece of real estate out front,” said Walsh, eyeing the star-studded pavement.  “And today’s going to take it up a notch.”  Vince acknowledged Walsh among his many musical exemplars and mused on their importance to him.  “I felt like the point of any of it was to have an open mind,” he said, “and be willing to learn something from anybody.”

    After leaving his handprints for other pickers to try on for size, it was back to Nashville to perform at Country Radio Seminar and follow it with a day-of-release show at the fabled Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Lower Broadway.  The show will stream live at 7pm ET on Gill’s Facebook page.

    Reviews of Down To My Last Bad Habit have been rapturous.  Rolling Stone extolled the album’s “exquisite guitar work and soulful vulnerability.”  USA Today agreed, calling it “soulful yet sophisticated, emotionally raw yet gleaming with studio polish.”  The Boot ventured even farther, declaring that the album is “quite possibly his most perfect project—from a vocal and instrumental perspective—that he has recorded in his career.”  Forbes, Nash Country Weekly, The Boston Globe, Tulsa World and Nashville Scene all added their voices to the hallelujah chorus.

    Vince has also teamed with the Guitar Center chain of instrument and gear stores to conduct a nationwide search for previously undiscovered guitarists of merit.  It’s called Guitar Center OnStage With Vince Gill.  Details can be accessed at https://youtu.be/ro74jiAQ82s.

    Once the entries are in, Vince will pick five finalists who will then compete in Los Angeles for the grand prize.   That prize includes the opening slot on one of Vince’s U. S. shows during his upcoming tour, $10,000 in cash, a single produced by Justin Niebank (who’s also produced Vince, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift and Sheryl Crow), a meeting with Universal Music Group talent scouts and assorted other musical goodies.

    Beginning February 17th, Vince will reunite with Lyle Lovett for a 13-city tour of acoustic shows. For a full list of tour dates, news, images and more, visit www.VinceGill.com

     

    www.VinceGill.com| facebook.com/VinceGill| twitter.com/vgcom| instagram.com/vincegillmusic

  • KIP MOORE RELEASES THE VIDEO FOR HIS LATEST SINGLE, ‘RUNNING FOR YOU.’

    Kip Moore premiered the emotion-driven music video for “Running For You” on VEVO Friday (February 12th).  Moore is cast as the male lead in the passionate and fiery video that follows him and his leading lady as they face the individual challenges of their respective career paths, culminating in a dramatic Hollywood-style ending.  Moore tapped his longtime friend PJ Brown to direct the video, though he had never been in the director’s chair before.
    “I’ve been friends with PJ for years, he was the main one pushing me to chase my passion and move to Nashville,” said Moore. “He’s been able to document some of my concerts here and there, but we haven’t worked together on this level before.  This song is unlike other songs I’ve released before and so I wanted the video to be really different from any of my other videos.  PJ was able to bring our vision to life and I’m glad that the label let me take a chance on him.””Running for You” is from Kip’s latest album, Wild Ones.
    Moore continues to make an impression overseas as demand in Europe has led to bigger venues being scheduled in Birmingham, UK and Dublin, IE following venue capacity increases in Manchester, UK and Glasgow, UK almost immediately following on-sales, ahead of his stint in April. This fervent fan-following was established during Moore’s first visit across the pond last year when he “led the 20,000-capacity through a singalong” (Rolling Stone) at the O2 Arena in London. Moore continues his headlining WILD ONES TOUR this weekend with stops in Denver, CO (2/12) and Salt Lake City, UT (2/13) followed by a string of dates in Canada.  For a full list of dates and more information visit www.kipmoore.net.

    Video / Kip Moore Running for You video

  • VINCE GILL IS READY TO RELEASE HIS NEW ALBUM, DOWN TO MY LAST BAD HABIT.

    Vince Gill releases his new album, Down to My Last Bad Habit, Friday (February 12th). The 12-song record was written/co-written and co-produced by Vince and Justin Niebank. The collection features special guests such as Little Big Town on the Oklahoma native’s new single, “Take Me Down,” as well as newcomer Cam, trumpeter Chris Botti, Charlie Worsham, Ashley Monroe and his two daughters Jenny and Corrina.

    “I think that with every record, you’re at the mercy of the songs you’ve shown up with,” says Vince. “I don’t think there’s a conscious effort on my part to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to really rock this record out really hard.’ Do I point all the songs that I’m writing that way maybe? I’ve had songs come to me as it comes to me. Then honestly, pick the best songs. That’s another thing you learn as time goes on. Let’s just go with the best songs.”

    Vince will hit the road with his pal, Lyle Lovett, on their Songs and Stories Tour next week.

    Down to My Last Bad Habit Track Listing:

    1. “Reasons for the Tears I Cry” (Vince Gill)
      2. “Down to My Last Bad Habit” (Vince Gill, Al Anderson)
      3. “Me and My Girl” (Vince Gill)
      4. “Like My Daddy Did” (Vince Gill)
      5. “Make You Feel Real Good” (Vince Gill)
      6. “I Can’t Do This” (Vince Gill, Catt Gravitt, Brennen Hunt)
      7. “My Favorite Movie” (Vince Gill and Ashley Monroe)
      8. “One More Mistake I Made” (Vince Gill, Adrianne Duarte)
      9. “Take Me Down” (Vince Gill, Richard Marx, Jillian Jacqueline)
      10. “I’ll Be Waiting for You” (Vince Gill, Leslie Satcher)
      11. “When It’s Love” (Vince Gill, Richard Marx)
      12. “Sad One Comin’ On (A Song for George Jones)” (Vince Gill)

    Audio / Vince Gill talks about the songs on his album, Down to My Last Bad Habit.

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    Vince Gill (songs on new album) OC: …years on ‘em. :38
    “I think that with every record, you’re at the mercy of the songs you’ve shown up with. I don’t think there’s a conscious effort on my part to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to really rock this record out really hard.’ Do I point all the songs that I’m writing that way maybe? I’ve had songs come to me as it comes to me. Then honestly, pick the best songs. That’s another thing you learn as time goes on. Let’s just go with the best songs. I love the diversity of these songs that are on here. Some of them are brand new, some of them have a lot of years on ‘em.”

  • SAM HUNT SURPRISED WITH DOUBLE PLATINUM ALBUM DURING CRS.

    At Tuesday night’s (February 9th) late night CRS show at Ryman Auditorium, MCA Nashville’s Sam Hunt was presented with a plaque commemorating his RIAA Double Platinum album MONTEVALLO. The ACM and GRAMMY-nominated MONTEVALLO is the fastest country debut album to reach the impressive milestone since Taylor Swift’s 2006 debut. Tracks from Hunt’s album have sold more than 6 million individual downloads and accumulated nearly 600 million streams leading MONTEVALLO to the No. 1 most-streamed country album of 2015.

    MONTEVALLO topped the Billboard Country Albums chart in its debut week and continues to be the best-selling debut album for a country artist since 2011. The album spent nine weeks as the No. 1 country album and remained Top 10 for 58 consecutive weeks. It has so far produced three consecutive No. 1 Platinum-selling singles with “Leave the Night On,” “House Party” and the double Platinum “Take Your Time,” plus the Platinum-selling “Break Up In A Small Town.”

    A fifth single, “Make You Miss Me,” is shipping to country radio later this month.

    Hunt earned his first ever GRAMMY nominations with nods in the all-genre Best New Artist category and in Best Country Album for MONTEVALLO. He performs on the live broadcast with seven-time GRAMMY winner and fellow nominee Carrie Underwood. Tune in this Monday, Feb. 15th at 8/7 CT on CBS.

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    www.SamHunt.com | facebook.com/SamHuntMusic | twitter.com/SamHuntMusic |instagram.com/SamHuntMusic

    sam double plat

    Photo Credit: Joseph Llanes

    Photo ID (L-R): UMGN Sr. VP A&R Brian Wright, UMG’s Mike Harris, UMGN Chairman & CEO Mike Dungan, Sam Hunt, Homestead/Red Light Management’s Brad Belanger, UMGN President Cindy Mabe, UMGN VP A&R Stephanie Wright

  • GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF KIP MOORE’S NEW VIDEO.

    Kip Moore is getting ready to release the video for his latest single, “Running For You,” and it’ll be a little different view of him. You can check it out for yourself in the behind-the-scenes look below.

    Video / Kip Moore behind-the-scenes of Running For You video

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

    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

    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.”

  • CHARLES KELLEY IS A FATHER!

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    Charles Kelley and his wife Cassie welcomed their first child – Ward Charles Kelley – Thursday morning (February 11th) at 9:20a. The bouncing baby boy weighed in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 20 inches long. They announced through her women’s lifestyle website, Womanista.

    “We can’t stop staring at him and he hasn’t stopped chitchatting with us since he arrived,” Cassie tells Womanista. “He’s got momma’s nose and daddy’s eyes and vocal chords and a head full of blond hair.”

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    Cassie was honest on her blog that they had a difficult time conceiving and had been trying for years after their June 2009 wedding. “Many months went by with negative pregnancy tests and a lot of shared frustration…we went through several years of trying before finally seeing our fertility doctor.” Once they made a plan, she woke up one morning and discovered she was pregnant.

    Charles released his debut solo album, The Driver, last Friday (February 5th).

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    “can’t stop staring at this little nugget. he has @cassiemkelley nose, yay! and he’s so calm unlike his father. glad I didn’t head up to the @thegrammys events this week or I would’ve missed the coolest day of my life ha!”

    For more audio on Charles becoming a father, click here.

  • VINCE GILL WILL PERFORM A FREE SHOW IN NASHVILLE.

    If you want to see Vince Gill and are in downtown Nashville on Friday (February 12th), you can see him for FREE at the special Vince Gill pop up store, housed inside the legendary Ernest Tubb Record Shop. He’ll perform several tracks from his new album, Down to My Last Bad Habit, available on Friday.

    WHEN
    Friday, Feb. 12 – 6.00pm

    WHERE
    Ernest Tubb Record Shop, 417 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

    Vince has released his new single, “Take Me Down,” from his new album, Down to My Last Bad Habit.