The video for “Talladega” — the fourth single from Eric Church‘s Grammy-nominated album, The Outsiders — premiered on VEVO on Friday (December 5th). Check it out below.

Kip Moore and Scotty McCreery are among the artists announced as presenters for the American Country Countdown Awards. They’re joined by Kix Brooks, Sara Evans, Hunter Hayes, Chris Young, Thomas Rhett, Chase Rice, Cole Swindell and Maddie & Tae, along with Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Terry Crews, The Walking Dead’s Emily Kinney, NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev. The show will air live from Nashville’s Music City Center December 15th at 8pm ET on FOX.

Darius Rucker will perform during this year’s Christmas in Washington special, airing December 19th at 8pm ET on TNT. Hunter Hayes, Rita Ora, Christina Perri and Aloe Blacc also are set to perform. Dwayne “The Rock“ Johnson will host the show.

Sam Hunt is headed to the Super Bowl to perform during the DIRECTV Super Fan Festival. The three-day event will take place in Phoenix, Arizona and also include performances by Zac Brown Band, Thomas Rhett, The Cadillac Three, Imagine Dragons, Snoop Dogg and more.

This year’s CMA Country Christmas, featuring performances by Little Big Town, Brett Eldredge, Hunter Hayes, Carrie Underwood, Michael W. Smith, Brad Paisley with Stephen Tyler, Dan + Shay, as well as the show’s host Jennifer Nettles and Idina Menzel, will re-air Saturday, December 20th at 9pm ET on ABC.

Kelleigh Bannen‘s video for “Smoke When I Drink” premiered Friday (December 5th) on VEVO.

The four members of Little Big Town, who have recorded a couple of Christmas tunes including “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” each have their own traditions, some carried over from childhood and some started when they had their own families. The entire band loves the holiday, and are featured once again on the ABC special CMA Country Christmas, which will re-air Saturday, December 20th at 9pm ET on ABC. Check out their stories below.

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

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

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

LBT (Kimberly & Karen – favorite childhood gift) OC: (KAREN) …Andy Gibb. [laughs] :46
KIMBERLY: “I remember when I was a kid, I really badly wanted a record player, and I got one of those little box record players and it was blue and white plaid. And then I got Andy Gibbs’ 45 to go on it, and I was in love with Andy Gibb.” KAREN: “You mean Britney Spears?” KIMBERLY: “Yes, Britney Spears.” JIMI: “Justin Bieber.” KIMBERLY: [LAUGHS] Justin Bieber. I loved my little record player. I wish I still had it. It was blue and white checked.” KAREN: “Checked. Checked means plaid, people. Checked. [Jimi laughs] I got a bicycle for Christmas, and I remember it was like a yellow three-speed. [KIMBERLY: “Whoa! Sounds fancy.”] Remember those? Speaking of Andy Gibb. [EVERYONE LAUGHS]

Nashville, Tenn. – (Dec. 4, 2014) – This week, Eric Church debuts the music video for his latest hit single, “Talladega.”

Church Choir members will get an exclusive first look at the video today (Thursday, Dec. 4) at EricChurch.com. “Talladega” will then premiere Friday (Dec. 5) on Vevo.com and Saturday (Dec. 6 at 11 AM/ET) on “CMT Hot 20 Countdown,” before being released to all video outlets on Monday (Dec.8).

“Talladega” is the fourth single from Church’s critically acclaimed 2014 album The Outsiders, a CMA Album of the Year Award nominee. The poignant song looks at memory through the lens of a youthful trip taken to the iconic Alabama racetrack. Like an earlier single from The Outsiders, the chart-topping “Give Me Back My Hometown,” “Talladega” showcases Church’s softer side and his ability to filter shared universal experiences through deeply personal points of view.

The video, directed by Peter Zavadil from a concept by Church’s longtime manager John Peets, arrives as the song is set to break into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. “Talladega” is the North Carolina native’s 14th Top 20 entry on that chart.

“Talladega” weaves performances filmed at Nashville Speedway with a narrative about the passing of time that’s augmented with archival Super 8mm footage of family, celebration and, of course, racetrack scenes. The video’s release caps a stellar year for Church. The Outsiders enjoyed one of 2014’s best debuts regardless of genre and will likely appear on several year-end best-of lists. He was a top nominee at the CMA Awards as he continued to push country music in new directions, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone’s first country issue, and played to his largest crowds yet.

Church is on the road with his “The Outsiders World Tour” mates Dwight Yoakam and Halestorm through Dec. 13 before kicking off the 2015 leg of the tour in January. For tickets or to learn more about Eric Church, visit www.ericchurch.com and www.facebook.com/ericchurch, or follow @EricChurch on Twitter.

Darius Rucker picked up the Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance for his No. 1 hit, “Wagon Wheel.” The song is from his latest album, True Believers.

Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” has been called “the hit of the summer,” and may be linked to the spike in sales of pontoon boats. The response from the Top 5 song – written by Natalie Hemby, Luke Laird and Barry Dean – has been overwhelming for the band as they’ve made their way across the country as part of Rascal Flatts’ Changed tour. “Now, for the first time we don’t have to say a word,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet. “We just have to start the song and the crowd immediately knows what it is – that’s started happening, so it’s been so fun to see that.” Bandmate Kimberly Schlapman agrees, especially after the opening notes of the song. “They go crazy! It’s so fun.”

“Pontoon” is the first single from the band’s forthcoming album, Tornado, available September 11th.

 Capitol Records Nashville’s Darius Rucker has been shooting his latest music video for his new single “Wagon Wheel” in Nashville, TN this week.  The video directed by Jim Wright features several guest appearances including Jase, Korie, Sadie, Si and Willie Robertson from A&E’s Duck Dynasty and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum who along with Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott sing background vocals on the single.

“My wife came up with the idea to have the Duck Dynasty (DD) guys in the “Wagon Wheel” music video, and I thought we had no chance because they’re so busy so I never even said it out loud,” explains Rucker. “Thank God she called my manager because the DD folks took this video to a whole new level! Big thanks to them and Charles… It was a good time for sure, and I can’t wait to see how the video turns out!”

“Wagon Wheel” was written by Ketch Secur of Old Crow Medicine Show and is based on a sketch by Bob Dylan.  The hit single is from Rucker’s upcoming third solo country album, True Believers, which will be released this Spring.

Rucker recently had a childhood dream come true when he was inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.  His first two country albums, Learn To Live and Charleston, SC 1966 both topped the Billboard Country album chart and produced five No. 1 singles including “Come Back Song,” “This,” “Alright,” “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” and “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.”  In 2009 Rucker was named New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards. 

For more information, please visit www.dariusrucker.com.

Darius Rucker has just released his new single, “Wagon Wheel,” and it was because of his daughter’s high school talent show that he came up with the idea to record the Old Crow Medicine Show popular sing-along tune. “We were watching my daughter, and the faculty band gets up. It’s just the faculty from her school, and they play ‘Wagon Wheel.’ And I’m sitting in the audience, and they get to the middle of the chorus, and I turned to my wife, and I go, ‘I’ve got to cut this song,’” recalls Darius. “I’m serious. This all happened in three-and-a-half minutes, four minutes, while they’re playing the song. And so I’m texting [producer] Frank Rogers, ‘Do you know this ‘Wagon Wheel’ song?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah. It’s by Old Crow Medicine Show.’ He said, ‘A lot of people have cut it.’ I said, ‘I don’t care! [laughs] I’m cutting it!’”

The song, which is based on a portion of the song “Rock Me Mama” written by Bob Dylan and later finished by Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, has been recorded by numerous artists including Little Feat, Jeremy McComb and Mumford & Sons…and can be heard in just about every club in America.

You may recall Darius made a surprise appearance with Old Crow Medicine Show at the Grand Ole Opry last July for a special rendition of the song.