Dierks Bentley is helping those affected by the devastating tornadoes that hit Middle Tennessee over the weekend. He posted a link o his socials to donate to The Community Foundation of Tennessee. Click here for more information.
A lot of our neighbors here in #Tennessee could use some extra support after the catastrophic #tornadoes that hit our area. If you are able, please join us in donating to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Every little bit helps. Donate here: https://t.co/SHQdSzoybGpic.twitter.com/4KIAIF5YGu
Keith Urban will perform his hit “Blue Ain’t Your Color” during The Voice finale December 19th. In addition, Season 22 winner Bryce Leatherwood will perform his major record label debut song “The Finger,” while the show’s coaches — Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, John Legend and Niall Horan — will perform the Christmas classic, “Let It Snow!” Jelly Roll and Dan+Shay will also perform during the finale of The Voice, which will air December 19th at 9pm ET/8pm CT on NBC.
Kylie Morgan is among the performers for a benefit show, “Unplugged For Tennessee: A Tornado Relief Benefit Concert,” at Nashville’s legendary Exit/In. Hardy, Nate Smith, Dylan Marlowe, Alanna Springsteen, Chayce Beckham, Abby Anderson and Kylie’s husband Jay Allen will also perform during the acoustic show on Sunday (December 17th). Doors open at 6:30pm CT; show starts at 7:30pm CT. For more information, click here.
Jon Langston will headine the first annual Nashville Dance Fest January 26th – January 28th.
Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain and others reveal the iconic song that forever changed their lives and career during CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown this weekend. You can find out more on Saturday (December 16th) and Sunday (December 17th) at 9am ET/8am CT on CMT.
Reba McEntire has graced us with a couple of Christmas collections, including 1995’s Merry Christmas to You and 2006’s Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection, as well as last year’s compilation, Ultimate Christmas Collection.
She recalls one of her favorite Christmas memories when she was a young girl in Oklahoma. “The funniest thing I can always remember about Christmastime is my older brother Pake, when we were kids at home, he’d always be the first one to jump out of bed and run down the hall, and he’d just run down the hall with his underwear on,” she says. “And he’d say, ‘If y’all don’t hurry up and get up and get in here, I’m opening all the presents by myself.’ But he knew it was a standing rule we all had to be in there before anybody could open up a present, but I can still see Pake running down the hall.”
When her son Shelby was just a little boy, she recalls one Christmas morning when he was so excited about what “Santy Claus” brought him. “I’ll never forget one (Christmas) morning I woke up and I was laying on my left side and I felt something, and I opened up my eyes, and Shelby was three inches away from my face. He said, ‘Mom, you’re not gonna beweive what Santy Claus weft for me.’ And so, he said you’ve got to come here. I got up out of bed and went in there and there was this little tractor trailer set that he had just fallen in love with at the store. He’s seen it, and he said, ‘I can’t beweive he bought this for me.’ He was so cute.”
Even though she grew up with a real tree, these days Reba prefers to put up an artificial tree. “I definitely have an artificial tree, because when we were growing up, we’d all go out on the ranch and cut down a Christmas tree, bring it in and then we had to water it every other day – make sure the coffee can was full of water – and the cedar needles got everywhere, so nowadays I just go with an artificial tree…and two, I can leave it with the lights on half the year.”
The Country Music superstar likes to leave her Christmas tree up long after the presents have been unwrapped and put away. “How long do I leave my Christmas tree and decorations up? Well, after Christmas I am so in tune with the sparkly lights, I leave the lights on and take the Christmas ornaments off. It keeps it really festive.”
In 2013, Kelly Clarkson asked her buddies Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood to join her on “Silent Night” during her NBC Christmas special. Reba said it was her favorite holiday song to sing. “I love ‘Silent Night.’ I love it, mainly because I got to sing it with my two buddies, Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood.”
Reba reveals her favorite holiday movie stars Chevy Chase. “It has to be Christmas Vacation. I absolutely love it. We always watched it on Christmas Eve, and the kids would just sit there and watch it over and over and over. Sometimes, we even watch it in July.”
Catch Reba as coach on NBC’s The Voice, which airs Mondays at 8pm ET/PT and Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT.
Audio / Reba McEntire grew up in Oklahoma along with her sister Susie and brother Pake. She recalls one of the family’s funniest Christmas memories.
Reba McEntire (Pake) OC: …down the hall. :22 “The funniest thing I can always remember about Christmastime is my older brother Pake, when we were kids at home, he’d always be the first one to jump out of bed and run down the hall, and he’d just run down the hall with his underwear on. And he’d say, ‘If y’all don’t hurry up and get up and get in here, I’m opening all the presents by myself.’ But he knew it was a standing rule we all had to be in there before anybody could open up a present, but I can still see Pake running down the hall.”
Audio / REBA MCENTIRE RECALLS A CUTE CHRISTMAS MEMORY OF HER SON SHELBY WHEN HE WAS JUST A CHILD.
Reba (Christmas memory of Shelby) OC: …he was so cute! :28 “I’ll never forget one (Christmas) morning I woke up and I was laying on my left side and I felt something, and I opened up my eyes, and Shelby was three inches away from my face. He said, ‘Mom, you’re not gonna beweive what Santy Claus weft for me.’ And so, he said you’ve got to come here. I got up out of bed and went in there and there was this little tractor trailer set that he had just fallen in love with at the store. He’s seen it, and he said, ‘I can’t beweive he bought this for me.’ He was so cute.”
Audio / Reba McEntire says these days she prefers an artificial Christmas tree.
Reba McEntire (artificial tree) OC: …half the year. :24 “I definitely have an artificial tree, because when we were growing up, we’d all go out on the ranch and cut down a Christmas tree, bring it in and then we had to water it every other day – make sure the coffee can was full of water – and the cedar needles got everywhere, so nowadays I just go with an artificial tree…and two, I can leave it with the lights on half the year.”
Audio / REBA MCENTIRE TALKS ABOUT LEAVING HER CHRISTMAS TREE UP AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.
Reba McEntire (leaving Christmas tree up) OC: …really festive. :13
“How long do I leave my Christmas tree and decorations up? Well, after Christmas I am so in tune with the sparkly lights, I leave the lights on and take the Christmas ornaments off. It keeps it really festive.”
Audio / Reba McEntire says the favorite Christmas song she's ever sang is "Silent Night," which she performed with pals Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood.
Reba McEntire (favorite Christmas song to sing) OC: …Yearwood. :08 “I love ‘Silent Night.’ I love it, mainly because I got to sing it with my two buddies, Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood.”
Audio / Reba McEntire talks about her favorite Christmas movie.
Reba McEntire (favorite Christmas movie) OC: …in July. :11 “It has to be Christmas Vacation. I absolutely love it. We always watched it on Christmas Eve, and the kids would just sit there and watch it over and over and over. Sometimes, we even watch it in July.”
Reba McEntire performed her new song, “Seven Minutes In Heaven,” on NBC’s The Voice on Tuesday night (December 5th).
Jon Pardi just released the official music video for his holiday tune, “Beer For Santa,” from his new Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi album. The clip features Santa, Jon and his beer-slugging faithful dog, Cowboy, in animated form.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – DECEMBER 05: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (Front Row) Ernest, Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter of The War And Treaty, Brenda Lee, Patty Loveless, Mickey Guyton, HARDY (Back Row) CEO of Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum, Kyle Young, Matthew Ramsey, Geoff Sprung, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi of Old Dominion, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Riley Green and Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum Board Chair, Mary Ann McCready attend All for the Hall, a concert benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at Bridgestone Arena on December 05, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
Keith Urban and Vince Gill returned as co-hosts and bandmembers for this year’s benefit show, All for the Hall, with all proceeds going to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The show raised over $900,000 for the Hall of Fame. The theme of the night was “The Song Remembers When,” and artists performed one of their own songs and a song that influenced them. Trisha Yearwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Brenda Lee, Brooks & Dunn, Mickey Guyton, The War And Treaty, Riley Green, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, HARDY and Ernest also performed.
Mickey Guyton‘s song “Heaven Down Here” inspired a Hallmark Christmas movie of the same name, which will premiere December 14th. The movie, which stars Phylicia Rashad, Tina Lifford and Richard Harmon, takes place in a diner in which four people are trapped inside on Christmas Eve.
Chris Stapleton has announced new dates for his All-American Roadshow Tour.
JUST ANNOUNCED: New All-American Road Show dates. Tickets for new shows on sale Friday, December 15th.
Priscilla Block covered Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” during CMT’s Campfire Sessions: Christmas Version earlier this week. Backing her up was Tenille Townes, Brittney Spencer and Caitlyn Smith.
George Strait and Jon Pardi will take part in a tribute show celebrating the late singer-songwriter-musician-producer Keith Gattis at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday (November 28th). Sheryl Crow, Wade Bowen, Randy Houser, Dean Dillon, Jack Ingram and Kendell Marvel, among others will also perform.
During a recent television taping, Jon Pardi‘s Aunt Shane got to meet her idol, Wynonna, and she couldn’t have been more excited.
Reba McEntire joined Willie Geist for his TODAY Show Sunday Sitdown on NBC on Sunday (November 26th) to share details on her emotional moment at Madison Square Garden concert and her first big break in music. She also talked about her new book “Not That Fancy,” which is chock-full of stories about family, friends and parties with Solo cups.
Sam Hunt and his wife Hannah Lee Fowler welcomed their second child earlier this month. Sam revealed Baby Hunt No. 2 had arrived with a social post, writing, “Thank you, Lord.”
The War And Treaty (Michael and Tanya Trotter) performed a stunning rendition of the National Anthem on Thanksgiving Day ahead of the Detroit Lions versus Green Bay Packers game.
Mickey Guyton is set to host the National Christmas Tree Lighting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (November 30th). This year’s special holiday event will feature performances by Darren Criss, Samara Joy, Ledisi, Reneé Rapp, St. Vincent, Joe Walsh and Dionne Warwick, as well as performances by the United States Coast Guard’s Guardians Big Band. CBS will broadcast the event on December 15th and you can stream it live on Paramount+.
“Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley. If I were to re-write the ’12 Days of Christmas,’ I would include things like chocolate, Bourbon, guitars and maybe not French Hens or Geese a’laying.”
Audio / LINER Brad Paisley (Penguin James Penguin)
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.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving has become known as “Drinksgiving.” Bars experience a huge boom the night before the holiday.
Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 23rd, 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, Carrie Underwood, Catie Offerman, Caylee Hammack, Dalton Dover, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Reba McEntire, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning, Tyler Hubbard and more. They share their thoughts of thanks this year, their lessons in gratitude, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.
Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.
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 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.
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’s grateful for her family.
Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving 2023) OC: …we all are. :30 “I am grateful for so many things this Thanksgiving. I think the thing I’m most grateful for, though, is family. I mean, that’s what it’s all about, and that’s what this life is all about. I’m blessed to have two incredible boys that I get to take care of and that love on me daily, and they’re just giant blessings in my life, and of course, my extended family, as well. That’s what this time of year’s all about – getting together and just realizing how blessed we all are.”
Audio / Carrie Underwood says she and her family don’t have too many Thanksgiving traditions.
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.”
Catie Offerman (Thanksgiving) OC: …what I do. :17 “I am so thankful for a lot of things. I think my family, the gift of being able to put music out this year has been huge for me. I think that’s something I’ve waited on for a really long time, and I’m so thankful for that. I’m thankful for my health and just being able to keep playing music and doing what I do.”
Audio / Caylee Hammack says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, because she gets to just spend time with her family.
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.
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 / Dalton Dover says this one dish HAS to be on the dinner table at Thanksgiving.
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 / Zealous football fan Darius Rucker says Thanksgiving is his favorite sporting day of the year.
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!
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 / Jon Langston talks about his Thanksgiving tradition.
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 / Jordan Davis talks about his childhood Thanksgiving traditions.
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 makes him happy all year round.
Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving side dish) 2 OC: …Cheese guy. :09 “My favorite Thanksgiving side dish – Macaroni and Cheese – anytime. Thanksgiving, a random Tuesday. I don’t care. I’m a Macaroni and Cheese guy.”
Audio / Jordan Davis says one of his new favorite Thanksgiving traditions is frying a turkey.
Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving turkey) OC: …most forward to. :11 “Favorite Thanksgiving tradition for me? I just recently got into frying the turkey, so I’m the turkey-frying guy, and I’m getting pretty good at it. So, I would have to say that’s my thing that I look most forward to.”
Audio / Jordan Davis talks about the Davis family Thanksgiving.
Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving memory) OC: …really special. :17 “A typical Thanksgiving in the Davis household growing up – we would always go to East Texas to my grandparents’ house. You know, during the day, me and my grandfather would always go fish. My grandma would always have a huge spread, and just get to spend time around a lot of family members I don’t get to see a lot of, so they were always really special.”
Audio / Josh Turner shares his favorite Thanksgiving side dish.
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.
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.
Keith (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 / The members of Little Big Town love Thanksgiving since they get time off to be with their families.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 explains what she's most thankful for this year.
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, 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.
Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …disappears. :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 talks about a typical Thanksgiving holiday growing up.
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.”
Audio / Travis Denning talks about his ideal Thanksgiving menu.
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 / Tyler Hubbard talks about his favorite Thanksgiving traditions.
Tyler Hubbard (Thanksgiving) OC: …I love it. :22 “Favorite Thanksgiving tradition for me is probably just getting together with family, having a big meal and watching a little football and taking a nice long nap. I mean, we didn’t reinvent the wheel with Thanksgiving by any means. But my Nanny (grandmother) does make a pretty mean sweet potato casserole, so that’s one of my favorites that I look forward to and I don’t know if that’s a tradition or not, but in my head it is. I love it.”
Reba McEntire celebrated a “Not That Fancy” weekend with back-to-back appearances at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium in celebration of her new book and album, both titled Not That Fancy.
Reba kicked things off Saturday night as she headlined the Grand Ole Opry, performing songs featured on her new album. Reba’s record label UMG Nashville honored her with a plaque for her hit “Fancy” being certified RIAA double platinum and surpassing 400 million streams.
Left image: Reba is honored with a plaque for “Fancy” being certified RIAA Double Platinum. (L-R: Reba’s manager Justin McIntosh, UMG Nashville CEO Cindy Mabe and Reba McEntire)
Sunday night, she took to the Ryman stage with her Reba co-star Melissa Peterman for “Not That Fancy: An Evening with Reba & Friends” to talk about her new book. Reba delighted fans with personal stories, laughs, and a special performance. The night even included a few surprise guests as her boyfriend Rex, son Shelby, friend Marci and siblings Alice and Pake joined her on stage. Reba was honored with a plaque for her book landing on the New York Times Bestseller list. The title also landed on bestseller lists with The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Publishers Weekly.
“An homage to her faith, family, and Oklahoma upbringing (Booklist), Not That Fancy is a “lifestyle guide that has a sense of humor” (Garden & Gun). Purchase the book HERE.
For the accompanying album Not That Fancy, Reba teamed up with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb to record stripped-down versions of some of her most iconic songs, “making room for McEntire’s voice to shine” (American Songwriter). The 14-track collection features a brand new single “Seven Minutes In Heaven,” an homage to Reba’s mother. Listen to the album now HERE.
Backstage at her Grand Ole Opry appearance, Reba McEntire was presented with a plaque for her song “Fancy.” It has been certified double-platinum and has more than 400 Million Streams.
Luke Bryan was hosts the new special, DOLLY PARTON – FROM RHINESTONES TO ROCK & ROLL, on Tuesday (November 7th) at 10:01pm ET/9:01pm CT. The one-hour special , which features an in-depth interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, features appearances by Sting,Pat Benatar and husband Neil Giraldo, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Jordan Davis, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Carly Pearce, Luke Combs and Cody Johnson, among others.
Luke Grimes is scheduled to perform on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live (check local listings) on Wednesday (November 8th).
Carrie Underwood is offering fans a special limited edition green vinyl of her Christmas album, My Gift. The new special edition version will include all 11 tracks from the 2020 version of the album, as well as three additional songs including “Favorite Time of Year,” “All Is Well” and “Let There Be Peace/Something In The Water” that she performed on her HBO MAX special, My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood. Click here for more information.
If you are looking to purchase a vinyl copy of Chris Stapleton‘s new album, Higher, you’ll be able to choose from SIX different color variants: translucent milky clear, cola bottle clear, opaque baby pink, opaque bone, opaque brown and standard black. Higher, featuring the superstar’s latest single “White Horse,” is available on Friday (November 10th).
Parker McCollum showed CMT his tour bus, complete with recliners, bunks, drinks, Halloween candy and a humidifier, which has been a game changer for him. Check it out below.
Reba McEntire‘s emotional and poignant video for her new song, “Seven Minutes In Heaven,” imagines what it would be like to be able to spend seven minutes in the afterlife with a special loved one, and for Reba, that would be her mother Jaqueline, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 93.
In the video, she sits in a booth with a woman who resembles her mother from the back, and it was a pretty emotional day for the superstar. “I picked out the lady to play mama, Eleanor. She did a great job. And she was a sweetheart to get to work with,” says Reba. “That is exactly what I thought it would look like if I went to heaven and it was, you know, with the smoke coming in and out, made it look really heavenly. And I thought it would be something familiar, something that you’d feel comfortable with. God thinks of everything. And so, to walk up to the booth, and the next time I walk up and mama’s there and I put my arms on her shoulders, Eleanor’s hands were very similar to mama’s when she was young. So that got me to, they kept saying, ‘Okay, let’s do it again. I said, ‘Okay, let’s take a little break here. Get in here to redo my makeup. Because I would, I just bawled. And Eleanor was sitting across from me at the booth, and she’d see me crying. She’d try to reach for a napkin out of the napkin dispenser on the table. And I’d say, ‘Eleanor, that’s okay. It’s part of the video.’ ‘You don’t want to wipe?’ I said, ‘I’m good. I’m good.’ But she was just like a mother, you know, and they’re trying to make sure everything was all right. It was healing. It was healing for me to do that video and kind of like get it out because it still hurts.”
“Seven Minutes in Heaven” comes off Reba’s Not That Fancy album, a companion to her book of the same title. The project also includes stripped down versions of “The Fear Of Being Alone,” “I’m A Survivor,” “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” “Fancy” and “Consider Me Gone,” among others.
In other news, you can get a chance to livestream her sold-out Not That Fancy: An Evening with Reba & Friends event live from Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on Sunday through Veeps.com. The special event will be hosted by her friend and Reba co-star Melissa Peterman and will feature personal stories from Reba from her new book, Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots. The Country Music Hall of Famer will also perform several songs, including “Seven Minutes in Heaven.”
We have an exciting announcement! ✨ Streaming straight from the historic @TheRyman, join me and some very special guests this Sunday, Nov. 5th on @Veeps for a celebration of my new book and album, #NotThatFancy.
Reba McEntire (music video for Seven Minutes In Heaven) OC: …it still hurts. 1:08 “I picked out the lady to play mama, Eleanor. She did a great job. And she was a sweetheart to get to work with. That is exactly what I thought it would look like if I went to heaven and it was, you know, with the smoke coming in and out, made it look really heavenly. And I thought it would be something familiar, something that you’d feel comfortable with. God thinks of everything. And so, to walk up to the booth, and the next time I walk up and mama’s there and I put my arms on her shoulders, Eleanor’s hands were very similar to mama’s when she was young. So that got me to, they kept saying, ‘Okay, let’s do it again. I said, ‘Okay, let’s take a little break here. Get in here to redo my makeup. Because I would, I just bawled. And Eleanor was sitting across from me at the booth, and she’d see me crying. She’d try to reach for a napkin out of the napkin dispenser on the table. And I’d say, ‘Eleanor, that’s okay. It’s part of the video.’ ‘You don’t want to wipe?’ I said, ‘I’m good. I’m good.’ But she was just like a mother, you know, and they’re trying to make sure everything was all right. It was healing. It was healing for me to do that video and kind of like get it out because it still hurts.”
