Kip Moore and his brothers would go on fishing trips with their dad around Christmas before the elder Moore passed away a couple of years ago, and it was always one of his favorite traditions. Another one of his favorite traditions was watching movies with his family on Christmas Eve.

“The night before Christmas, we would rent a bunch of movies,” says Kip. “My dad would take us to the store, the video store and we would rent a bunch of movies and we’d watch them all through the night. That was always a thing that we’d look forward to was all hanging out together and laugh until 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning, then waking up two hours later for the presents.”

The Georgia native is extending his WILD ONES TOUR into 2016 adding stops across the U.S. as well as Canada.  The second leg of the tour will kick off in Milwaukee, WI on 1/28, with special guests The Cadillac Three and Chase Bryant joining on select dates.

Mickey Guyton goes home to Texas for Christmas every year, and 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.”

The songstress recently released her version of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” from the smash hit, Frozen. She says it, along with a classic, 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.”

he Academy of Country Music is announcing the 4^th ACM Party For A Cause® Festival in 2016 being headlined—with full set performances!—by superstars Carrie Underwood on Friday, April 1, Dierks Bentley on Saturday, April 2 and Kenny Chesney on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, in the heart of the famous Las Vegas Strip.  These ACM Award-winning artists will be joined on the Main Stage by some of the biggest and best names in country including Frankie Ballard, Kelsea Ballerini, Lee Brice, Cam, Sam Hunt, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Kip Moore, Kellie Pickler, Chris Stapleton, Chris Young, Maddie & Tae, Old Dominion and more to be announced. The Party Stage will feature more hit makers and rising stars including Lauren Alaina, Kelleigh Bannen, Chase Bryant, Lindsay Ell, Jana Kramer, Chris Lane, Jackson Michelson, Granger Smith, Brothers Osborne and more to be announced.  Full daily schedule to be announced closer to the festival including details on a special “ACM Women of Country Night” hosted by Friday’s headliner Carrie Underwood.

Fans can purchase three-day passes at www.ticketmaster.com.

Ticket proceeds from the ACM Party For A Cause Festival benefit the Academy’s charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives.  Generous giving from fans, and partnerships with artists, has allowed ACM Lifting Lives to support military programs that use music therapy to aid our veterans and wounded warriors, while providing funding to help them ease back into civilian life.  Over $400,000 has been donated to various military organizations in just three years.  For more information, visit www.ACMpartyforacause.com.

The festival will include multiple stages for ongoing LIVE country music performances, interactive games, a country marketplace, and more to be announced.

Luke Bryan was desperately searching the honky tonks on Lower Broad in downtown Nashville for a new co-host for the ACM Awards next April…and he found one in pal Dierks Bentley.

Before Dierks gets there, Luke encounters his “Drunk on a Plane” alter ego, Holden Mike Johnson, as well as his Hot Country Knights persona, Douglas “Big Rhythm Doug” Douglason.

“When we found ourselves searching for a new co-host I didn’t have to look much further than my own circle of friends so DIERKS was a natural choice,” says Luke. “We have a lot of fun together and I know the fans will be in for something special.”

“I think everyone knows Luke is the guy you call when you want to have a good time,” adds Dierks. “If we have half as much fun hosting together as we do backstage, it’s going to be a great night.”

The 51st Annual ACM Awards return to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 3rd at 8pm ET on CBS.

Luke Bryan made an appearance on the Dude Perfect youtube series, and the episode premiered this week! Check it out below.

Luke is also expected to make an appearance on the new Dude Perfect series on CMT next year.

The CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year is zipping up the country charts with his latest single, “Home Alone Tonight,” featuring Little Big Town‘s Karen Fairchild.

Chris Stapleton’s Traveller climbs back to the top of the country album chart this week. He sold another 44,000 copies to land at No. 1 on the country album chart and at No. 9 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

Chris is set to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America Tuesday (December 15th), and NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday (December 17th).

The Kentucky native is making his way up the country charts with “Nobody to Blame.”

After having to miss the BMI Country Music Awards in November due to a prior commitment performing at the CMA Marketing Summit, Scotty McCreery accepted his first BMI Award in person last Friday afternoon (December 11th), for writing one of BMI’s Top 50 Country Songs of 2015: his Platinum-selling Top Ten hit “See You Tonight.” BMI announced its list of Top 50 songs in November at its annual event, but with McCreery unavailable, he didn’t want to just “mail it in.” McCreery wrote the song with Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell, and it served as the title cut of his second studio album and earned him a Top 10 hit on both Billboard and MediaBase. The multi-Platinum-selling singer/songwriter received his award in person in Nashville from Jody Williams, BMI Vice President, Writer and Publisher Relations and Bradley Collins, BMI Executive Director, Writer-Relations.

“This is my first-ever award for songwriting, and to be acknowledged for that is a huge honor for me,” said an excited McCreery. “I was so disappointed that I couldn’t be there to accept it in person during the BMI Awards in November. BMI graciously offered to send the award to my home, but it was important to me that I come back to Nashville as soon as I had a break in my tour schedule and thank Jody and Bradley in person for their continued support and encouragement of me and my songwriting. I’ve been writing songs since I was a boy playing my guitar in my bedroom. I enjoy the entire process and have spent a lot of time in Nashville over the last few years honing my craft and learning from some amazing talents. Receiving this recognition is a wonderful way to end my year.”

NASH Country Weekly Magazine’s “Country Music’s Sexiest Man 2015” has been busy throughout this year touring during the summer and fall as the special guest on the Rascal Flatts RIOT 2015 Tour as well as performing at theaters on his own. In-between concerts he has been writing songs and recording his next album, which is expected to be in stores in 2016 with “Southern Belle” serving as the first single from the forthcoming release.  The ACM and CMT Award winner has also been busy writing his first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream, which will be in-stores on May 3, 2016 and is available now for pre-sale orders at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold.

For tour schedules and more information, visit www.ScottyMcCreery.com. Follow McCreery on social media at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Country Radio Broadcasters have announced Keith Urban as the recipient of the 2016 CRS Artist Humanitarian Award, to be presented during the opening ceremonies of Country Radio Seminar on Feb. 8, 2016. Last year’s Artist Humanitarian Award recipient, Lady Antebellum, will be on hand to present Urban with this year’s award.

The CRB Artist Humanitarian Award was created in 1990 by the organization’s board to honor Country music artists who have exhibited exceptional humanitarian efforts during their career.

CRS Executive Director, Bill Mayne comments, “Keith Urban is a true humanitarian who gives out of love, passion, spirit, and generosity. It’s been an honor to witness quietly from the sidelines, the amount of time, talent, and passion that Keith has selflessly given over his life and career. The impact and reach of his generosity has effected so many and is so broad in scope and depth – his is a bar of humanitarian effort, that we all can be inspired by!”

Over the years, Urban has been a strong supporter of numerous benefit concerts, including the annual “All For The Hall” Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum benefit concerts, which has raised nearly $3 million in proceeds.  In addition, he’s been and remains a supporter of The Grammy in the Schools program, Mr. Holland’s Opus Fund and was recently named the first Ambassador of the CMA Foundation.

He is a continued supporter of the “Make A Wish” Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. As an advisory board member at St. Jude, Urban has visited the hospital and produces a calendar each year with all net proceeds going to St. Jude. Since their inception in 2003, these calendars have raised more than $850,000 for the life-saving mission of the hospital.

Following the 2010 Nashville flood, he was very active in the relief efforts and participated in the re-opening of the Grand Ole Opry House, Marty Stuart’s “Late Night Jam,” GAC and Vince Gill telethons; all to raise funds for flood relief.

Additionally, he has supported our nation’s troops and the Navy SEALS Foundation. Urban donated to the foundation his share of artist and publishing royalties from his song “For You,” which reached a total of $300,000.

He was also the first Ambassador for the CMA Foundation’s Education Program and has donated from his line, URBAN guitars, to five Music Education Matters partner programs across the country, including programs in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City and San Francisco. He’s also donated URBAN guitars to the Grammy Foundation and its MusiCares program, as well as donating proceeds from the guitars to Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to keep musical instruments in schools.

Past recipients of the Artist Humanitarian Award have included Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, Randy Owen, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, Reba, Vince Gill, Garth Brooks and Charlie Daniels, among others.

For more information on Keith Urban, visit www.keithurban.net. For more information on Country Radio Seminar, visit www.CountryRadioSeminar.com.

About Country Radio Seminar: Country Radio Seminar is an annual convention designed to educate and promote the exchange of ideas and business practices in the Country music industry, with specific emphasis on issues relevant to Country radio. Country Radio Seminar 2016 is set for Feb. 8-10, 2016 at the Omni Hotel.  Visit www.CountryRadioSeminar.com for more information. Like CRS on Facebook and follow CRS on Twitter (Hashtag #CRS2016).

The lyric video for Luke Bryan‘s latest smash, “Home Alone Tonight,” with Little Big Town‘s Karen Fairchild has been released. It’s the first 360 video in country music.

Sam Hunt has been on a roll with barely a day off, but that’s okay by him. With three No. 1 singles, gold and platinum plaques, awards, being named one of CMT’s Artists of the Year and Grammy nominations, he’s been on cloud nine for the past year. But with a little time off to head home to Georgia for the Christmas holidays, he’s ready to take a moment and just hang out with family.

“We get together with my Dad’s side of the family, and then for dinner, we get together with my Mom’s side and exchange gifts,” says Sam. “Of course, myself and my brothers are well-past Santa Claus age, but Santa Claus still comes [laughs] at our house when we wake up in the morning, so that’s cool. But it’s turned into more of a, and I really appreciate the time with my family, it turns into more of a social thing now and less about the gifts and the food and all that sorta stuff.”

One of his favorite gifts as a child was a horse he received one Christmas. “I remember being really excited when, I got into riding horses, and one Christmas I got a Mustang that I named Comanche – a horse – and that was a really exciting time. I rode all the time after that. Before, I had some friends, a babysitter whose kids had horses, so I’d be able to ride occasionally, but now I was able to ride whenever I wanted to.”

Sam is crashing the country charts with his latest single, “Break Up in a Small Town.”