• GRAMMY AWARDS NOMINATIONS 2015: Chris Stapleton, LBT, Sam, Charles, Keith, Kacey and more.

    The nominations for the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced Monday morning (December 7th) and country music is well-represented.

    Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town and Sam Hunt led the list of country nominees, with Chris and LBT each picking up four, while Sam earned two.

    Little Big Town are nominated for overall Song of the Year for “Girl Crush,” as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Best Country Album for Pain Killer and Best Country Song. The group tweeted, “WOW! 4 nominations? We are thrilled to be representing country music w/ @TheGRAMMYs, esp. ‘Song Of The Year.’”

    Chris, who picked up three CMA Awards last month, is nominated in four categories at the Grammy Awards, including overall/all-genre Album of the Year. He says that he hopes fans enjoy his album, Traveller, as a whole. “Music to me is meant to be enjoyed in that way and you’re really supposed to dive into it. And I hope some folks can find it in their hearts to do that with this record, because I think it’s how it was meant to be used. And somewhere in there if they’re compelled to come and watch me live, that’d be great.” Chris is also nominated for Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song.

    Sam Hunt has a pair of nods, including the overall Best New Artist, as well as Best Country Album for his debut album, Montevallo, which has spawned three No. 1 hits, and another song making its way up the country charts. “I am beyond humbled with these nominations,” says Sam. “I am so grateful to the fans, the Nashville music community and the Recording Academy for their appreciation and recognition. This has been just the most amazing year.”

    John and TJ Osborne, aka Brothers Osborne, are excited to earn their very first Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their Top 10 single, “Stay a Little Longer.” The two were asleep when news of their nomination was announced. ““My wife woke me up, just like screaming, ‘Wake up! Wake up!’ I woke up in a panic. I thought the damn house was on fire,” laughs John. “But, yeah, we hear most big news while we’re asleep.”

    Charles Kelley earned his first-ever GRAMMY nomination as a solo artist in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category for his “soaring new single” (Entertainment Weekly) “The Driver” featuring Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay. This year’s recognition serves as Kelley’s 12th career nomination from The Recording Academy. “I’m still in shock from waking up this morning to a GRAMMY nomination for ‘The Driver,” says Charles. “I feel like I’m just getting started on this journey, so to get honored in this way and share it with Dierks and Eric is incredible. I’m so thankful to my producer Paul Worley who encouraged me to chase this record down.”

    Keith Urban has a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for his recent chart-topping hit, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” while Kacey Musgraves picks up a nod for Best Country Album for Pageant Material.

    The 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be handed out February 15th.

    ALBUM OF THE YEAR

    Sound & Color – Alabama Shakes

    To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar

    Traveller – Chris Stapleton

    1989 – Taylor Swift

    Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd

     

    SONG OF THE YEAR

    “Alright” – Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears, Pharrell Williams (Kendrick Lamar)

    “Blank Space” – Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift)

    “Girl Crush” – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose (Little Big Town)

    “See You Again” – Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth, Cameron Thomaz (Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth)

     

    BEST NEW ARTIST

    Courtney Barnett

    James Bay

    Sam Hunt

    Tori Kelly

    Meghan Trainor

     

    BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE

    “Burning House” – Cam

    “Traveller” – Chris Stapleton

    “Little Toy Guns” – Carrie Underwood

    “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” – Keith Urban

    “Chances Are” – Lee Ann Womack

     

    BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

    “Stay A Little Longer” – Brothers Osborne

    “If I Needed You” – Joey+Rory

    “The Driver” – Charles Kelley, Dierks Bentley, Eric Paslay

    “Girl Crush” – Little Big Town

    “Lonely Tonight” – Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe

     

    BEST COUNTRY SONG

    “Chances Are” – Hayes Carll (Lee Ann Womack)

    “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” – Barry Dean, Luke Laird, Jonathan Singleton (Tim McGraw)

    “Girl Crush” – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose (Little Big Town)

    “Hold My Hand” – Brandy Clark, Mark Stephen Jones (Brandy Clark)

    “Traveller” – Chris Stapleton (Chris Stapleton)

     

    BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

    Montevallo – Sam Hunt

    Pain Killer – Little Big Town

    The Blade – Ashley Monroe

    Pageant Material – Kacey Musgraves

    Traveller – Chris Stapleton

    Audio / Chris Stapleton talks about what he hopes for folks and fans to go away with when they listen to his album.

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    Chris Stapleton (album) OC: …that’d be great. :47
    “I grew up on records as a piece of work. I didn’t grow up in an age where we necessarily bought singles or just one piece of an album. I grew up on things that were albums. I hope that people go ahead and get the whole album and listen to it, take the time to listen it, and not as a passive thing, as like I’m watching television or Youtube, all these things that we have as distractions. Music to me is meant to be enjoyed in that way and you’re really supposed to dive into it. And I hope some folks can find it in their hearts to do that with this record, because I think it’s how it was meant to be used. And somewhere in there if they’re compelled to come and watch me live, that’d be great.”

    Audio / John & TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne reveal how they found out they were nominated for a Grammy.

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    Brothers Osborne (Grammys) OC: (John) …we’re asleep. [laughs] :28
    TJ: “We found out that we were nominated almost the same exact way we found out we were nominated for an ACM. I woke up to like 60 text messages, and I was like, ‘Who the hell is texting me at this time of the day.’ And I looked at the phone, and everyone’s like, ‘Wake up! You were nominated for the Grammys.’” JOHN: “My wife woke me up, just like screaming, ‘Wake up! Wake up!’ I woke up in a panic. I thought the damn house was on fire. But, yeah, we hear most big news while we’re asleep.” [laughs]

    Audio / Brothers Osborne talk about their Grammy nomination.

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    Brothers Osborne (Grammys) 2 OC: (John) …by our peers. :39
    TJ: “I mean, it’s crazy to be nominated for a Grammy, For the rest of our lives, we’ll always be Grammy nominated artists, you know. And hopefully, we win the category, but just simply being nominated, it’s something that a lot of musicians and songwriters and entertainers never, ever get to achieve, and so it’s, to say it’s an honor is an understatement.” JOHN: “Yeah, we’ve always taken kind of a different approach when it comes to music. And our music is not necessarily 100% conventional all the time, so the mountain for us has been a bit steeper, and this is an amazing achievement because we’re nominated and we’re being acknowledged by our peers.”

    Audio / Keith Urban explains that while he and producer Dann Huff changed up the song’s production from the demo, it didn’t detract from “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.”

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    Keith Urban (J3 #1 party) OC: …does everything. :30
    “For me, it was just a great song. It kinda didn’t matter how it was done, it was a great song. It was solid, great melody. Even from a singer’s standpoint, there’s certain things about rhythmic qualities of consonants and vowels and where they fall in a melody and where they fall in the rhythm that matter to me; maybe not even just matter, but they resonate with me that way. So, you can have a song that’s really well-written lyrically, but it’s not great to sing. It doesn’t sing well. It reads well, but it doesn’t sing well, and this is one of those songs that does everything.”

    Audio / Charles Kelley talks about his Grammy nomination for “The Driver.”

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    Charles Kelley (Grammys) OC: …this record. :57
    “I actually found out about the nominations this morning. My wife woke me up. I had a whole bunch of text messages from friends and family congratulating me. I, of course, like most musicians, don’t wake up before nine o’clock. But just honestly, I have not been able to get this smile off my face today. I’m so fired up. I’m so ready for fans to hear this project. ‘The Driver’ is a song, it’s probably one of the most honest songs I’ve written in a long time, and to be able to share this moment with my buddies Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay, means the world to me. Every time I go on social media and see the reaction and fans specifically talking about this song and how it’s speaking to them, that reminds me of why I wanted to pursue this project. I don’t know. It just means the world to me, and it means the world to me that Hillary and Dave are so supportive. They were one of my first texts this morning congratulating me. And I cannot wait for everybody to hear the rest of this record.”

    Audio / Kacey Musgraves talks about her Grammy nominated album, Pageant Material.

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    Kacey Musgraves (Pageant Material) OC: …for the record. :55
    “For this record, Pageant Material, it’s funny how that was one of the later songs we wrote, and I don’t go into a record, or I haven’t yet, with a theme in mind. I just like let the songs come, and somewhere along the way, they take shape on their own. That’s kind of what happened here. We gotten ‘Pageant Material,’ and at that point, I think that was the last one we wrote, that one or ‘Dime Store [Cowgirl].’ So, we had most of the songs in the batch, and I hadn’t really, I was kind of feeling a little weird ‘cause I was like I didn’t really know what it was going to be called. Same thing happened with Same Trailer…, it just kind of popped out of nowhere and late in the game. So, I was just messing around with the titles, and I just thought, ‘Pageant Material – that would be an awesome statement for the record, I think.’ It’s just kind of saying, ‘I’m not pageant material. I’m not a robot. I kind of am what I am.’ And it also has a humorous touch to it too, which I really like. And of course, I love big hair and retro styles, so I thought it was a good fit for the record.”

  • LUKE BRYAN, LITTLE BIG TOWN, SAM HUNT AND CHRIS STAPLETON ARE CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR.

    Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and Sam Hunt are among the CMT Artists of the Year special, airing Wednesday night (December 2nd). The 90-minute special pays tribute to the top country artists of the year with once-in-a-lifetime performances, unexpected tributes and unforgettable toasts from the biggest stars of music, film and television. Chris Stapleton will receive the 2015 CMT Artists of the Year Breakout award and perform live during the sixth annual CMT Artists of the Year special.

    Pop stars Adam Lambert and Leona Lewis will honor Little Big Town by performing “Girl Crush, while Darius Rucker, Cassadee Pope and Raelynn are set to perform Blake Shelton’s “Neon Light.” The event will also feature appearances by Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, Dolly Parton, Trace Adkins, Kellie Pickler and more. Florida Georgia Line will be among the honorees.

    The show will premiere live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center Wednesday at 8pm ET/PT.

    Video / Sam Hunt Year in Review 2015--CMT

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    Video / LBT Year in Review 2015-CMT

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    Video / Luke Bryan Year in Review-CMT

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Sam, Jon, Mickey and More

    Sam Hunt is scheduled to perform during the 2015 NASCAR Spring Cup Series Awards next month. The show, hosted by actor and comedian Drew Carey, will air live from the Wynn in Las Vegas Friday, December 4th on NBCSN beginning at 9pm ET. Sam is currently sitting inside the Top 20 with his latest single, “Break Up in a Small Town.”

    Jon Pardi took his young puppy, Gus, on his first bus trip over the weekend. Check out the cutest little face below. Jon is sitting around Top 30 with his latest single, “Head Over Boots.”

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    G
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    Mickey Guyton was named one of the 13 Country Artists to Watch in a recent issue of Billboard. “Few singers in or out of country can keep pace with Guyton vocally,” they were quoted as saying in the feature. Brothers Osborne, Clare Dunn and Cam were among the artists listed as ones to watch!

    Chris Stapleton has been added to the all-star lineup of artists already confirmed for a SKYVILLE LIVE homage to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Gregg Allman. The new installment of the  online music series will deliver live performances and collaborations by Allman with Stapleton, CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town and  Taj Mahal, streaming live December 11, 2015 on SkyvilleLive.com at 8pET/7pCT.

  • THANKSGIVING 2015: AJ, Bros. O, Clare, Darius, David, Dierks, Easton, Eric, Josh, Kip, Lady A, LBT, Mickey, Sam, Scotty (UPDATED)

    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.

    Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26th, and most people will be enjoying time with their friends and families, including some of your favorite country stars, such as Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Canaan Smith, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, David Nail, Dierks Bentley, Easton Corbin, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Josh Turner, Kip Moore, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Scotty McCreery and more. They share their thoughts, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    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 talks about their annual Misfits Thanksgiving dinner.

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    Brothers Osborne (misfits Thanksgiving) OC: …going home. :45
    “What we’ve done the past several years is because it’s so hard to go home, we would have what we call the Misfit Thanksgiving dinner, and all the people in Nashville who aren’t able to go home to their families, we would just invite them over to our house and have a big potluck style Thanksgiving dinner. We’ll take like a couple of tables and throw them together and throw some sheets on it just to make it look nice. It’s a very redneck display of like tableware, because all the plates don’t match and the forks and knives don’t match, but we don’t care. People will bring wine, and at the end of the day, we’ll probably have 12-15 people all sitting at dinner together that weren’t able to go home with their families, and just enjoy it with friends. It’s been really fun. Definitely a lot less stress than going home.”

    Audio / Clare Dunn reveals her favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

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    Clare Dunn (Thanksgiving dish) OC: …like hers. :21
    “I think my favorite Thanksgiving dish [is] my mom makes the best mashed potatoes in the world. I mean, they’re crazy. They’re like garlic and butter and all the good stuff, so that’s probably my favorite Thanksgiving dish. Oh, and she makes great stuffing too, and I’m not a stuffing person, but I like hers.”

    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 / 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 / Easton Corbin explains what he’s thankful for this year.

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    Easton Corbin (Thankful) OC: …what I do. :08
    “Well, this year I think, as I think every year, I’m so thankful for my family and friends out there and being able to make a living at what I do.”

    Audio / Eric Church says he’s thankful for his family as well as for his fans.

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    Eric Church (Thanksgiving) a 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 / Eric Paslay loves him some turkey for Thanksgiving.

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    Eric Paslay (Turkey) OC: …really does. :09
    “My favorite Thanksgiving food, I think, is the tryptophan turkey, ‘cause it really puts me to sleep. No [yawn], it really does.”

    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 / Kip Moore talks about his annual Thanksgiving plans to go home to visit with his family.

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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 / Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley talks about the annual eating contest he and his two brothers – Josh and John -- have over the Thanksgiving holiday.

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    Lady A (Charles-Thanksgiving eating contest) OC: …five pounds! :25
    “One of my most memorable Thanksgiving memories was probably the first year that me and my two brothers decided to start our annual eating contest where we ate throughout the whole day. We started that morning and weighed ourselves and at the very end of the night, we weighed ourselves out and all three of us equally gained five pounds. I wish we had a more accurate scale to decide the winner, but we all tied. Five pounds!”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott describes her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    Lady A (Hillary-Thanksgiving food) OC: …ever tasted. :12
    “So, my favorite Thanksgiving food would have to be my grandmother’s sweet potato casserole. There’s just something she puts in it — probably all the love – that makes it better than anything I’ve ever tasted.”

    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 / 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 / Sam Hunt talks about his favorite Thanksgiving meal.

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    Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …glass of milk. :34
    “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. Those are the really the three things. It’s strange, but since I was very young, I’ve always loved drinking milk, my brothers too, we drank lots of milk. My cousins, who grew up down the road, they always looked at us funny when we wanted to drink milk with our Thanksgiving meal. They would have coke or whatever else. So, I still get turkey, dressing, a piece of pecan pie and a big ole glass of milk.”

    Audio / Scotty McCreery talks about what he’s most thankful for this year.

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    Scotty McCreery (most thankful) OC: …thankful for her. :28
    “[I’m] most thankful for, I’d probably say my girl back home could be. I don’t talk about her too much, because she strives to stay out of the limelight, but with a guy like me who travels as much as I do and I’m away from home, she puts up with a lot. She’s stuck by me and has been my rock, so she’s something to be thankful for every day and Thanksgiving’s just a reminder of that. Somebody like that really keeps me going in life when things get rough and tough and I get tired on the road, she just keeps me going. I’m really thankful for her.”

    Audio / David Nail says he's most thankful this year for the impending birth of twins.

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    David Nail (Thanksgiving 2015) OC: …without a doubt. :19
    “Without a doubt, the thing I’m most thankful for is the fact that we’re on the verge of, my wife and I, having not only our first child, but our first two children. We are expecting twins; should be here any minute now. So, that is definitely thing that I’m most thankful for, without a doubt.”

    Audio / David Nail usually goes back home to Missouri for Thanksgiving, but this year, since his wife Catherine is due to give birth to twins any day now, they’ll stay home in Tennessee.

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    David Nail (Thanksgiving 2015) 2 OC: …next year. :25
    “Due to the fact that we’re expecting twins, we will not be able to go back home to Missouri and visit and have Thanksgiving with my grandfather. Last Thanksgiving was the first without my grandmother, and so it was a very emotional time. But I know he understands the situation, and we will definitely be there with bells on next year.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith says his favorite Thanksgiving dish is pumpkin pie.

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    Canaan Smith (pumpkin pie) OC: …Thanksgiving. :14
    “Pumpkin pie is where it’s at. My mom makes the best. She got it from her mom, my Nanny. It’s so good. It’s made from scratch. Everything about it, it’s just mouthwatering. I love it. I can’t get enough. If I could get fat, it’d be from pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.”

  • THANKSGIVING LINERS: AJ, Billy, Bros. O, Canaan, Clare, Darius, David, Dierks, Easton, Church, Paslay, Gary, George, Jon, Kacey, Keith, Kelleigh, Kip, Lady A, Lauren, LBT, Luke, Mickey, Sam, Scotty (UPDATED)

    Audio / LINER AJ (Thanksgiving)

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    “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 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 Canaan Smith (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! What’s up, guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!”

    [audio-player-5]]
    “Hey! This is Clare Dunn, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Easton Corbin (Thanksgiving)

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    “It’s Easton Corbin here, and I want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Paslay, wishing you a very 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)

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

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Thanksgiving)

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    “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 Kelleigh Bannen (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! It’s Kelleigh Bannen, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Lady Antebellum (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey everybody! We are Lady Antebellum, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER LBT (Happy Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving)

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

    Audio / LINER Scotty McCreery (Thanksgiving)

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    “Hey! This is Scotty McCreery. Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Audio / LINER David Nail (Thanksgiving)

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    Hey! This is David Nail, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Brothers Osborne, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, Hillary Scott, Darius Rucker

    Eric Church and Chris Stapleton are among the artists paying tribute to the late John Lennon in a new AMC all-star special, Imagine: John Lennon 75th Birthday Concert, December 19th. The special, being recorded December 5th in New York City, will also include performances by Kris Kristofferson, Peter Frampton, Steven Tyler, Sheryl Crow, Train’s Pat Monahan and Aloe Blacc.

    Tim McGraw performed the song “Here Tonight” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week. TJ and John of Brothers Osborne wrote the song.

    Sam Hunt has been chosen as a curator for the fourth annual Grammy Amplifier program – an online music initiative that gives a platform to aspiring artists. Big Sean and Lzzy Hale have also been named curators for the program, which invites hopeful singers to upload their songs for consideration at www.grammyamplifier.com. Hunt, Big Sean and Hale will select three winners from the top 25 most popular submissions to win one-of-a-kind experiences that include an in-studio recording session with a Grammy Award-winning producer, an opening spot for a popular artist and/or a series of festival shows, and a music video with a notable director. “I’m honored to be part of a program where I can help elevate new and emerging talent,” Sam said in a prepared statement. “It wasn’t long ago I was an unknown artist, and I couldn’t be more grateful to the people who helped me with the tools I needed to start my career. I look forward to shining a light on these aspiring musicians.” The Grammy Amplifier program is open to submissions through December.

    Little Big Town will honor rock icon Gregg Allman during the second season premiere of Nashville-based performance webcast series Skyville Live on December 11th at 8pm ET.

    On Monday (November 16th), Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott will host Leadership Music’s Dale Franklin Awards honoring three music industry leaders in Nashville, including Reba.

    Darius Rucker recently presented a $1 million grant from the CMA Foundation to Metro Nashville Public Schools to provide instruments and music education for more than 85,000 local students. “A defining moment in my life was when my mother gave me my first guitar – I can honestly say it completely changed my life,” says Darius. “So to know that we, as artists with CMA, are helping kids get the option for that kind of discovery is really incredible.”

  • SAM HUNT IS PREPPING FOR THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS.

    Sam Hunt is up for three American Music Awards later this month including Favorite Country Male Artist, Favorite Country Album for Montevallo and overall New Artist of the Year. Sam is honored to be nominated and honored and humbled to represent Nashville and the Country Music format at the show.

    “When you put it in the big picture like that, I sort feel like in some of those categories, I’m not just representing myself as an artist, but I’m representing country music in Nashville and the genre and all these other people who I feel like would be much worthier than me to represent the genre,” says the Georgia native. “It’s an honor…I was flattered to be recognized not just myself as an artist, but as someone who’s a part of this awards show as a representative of country music. So, that’s bigger than me and it’s something that I feel and appreciate.”

    The 2015 American Music Awards will broadcast live on Sunday, November 22 at 8:00pm ET on ABC.

    Sam is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Break Up in a Small Town.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt is honored to be nominated for three American Music Awards.

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    Sam Hunt (AMAs) OC: …appreciate. :42
    “When you put it into context, when you put it in the big picture like that, I sort feel like in some of those categories, I’m not just representing myself as an artist, but I’m representing country music in Nashville and the genre and all these other people who I feel like would be much worthier than me to represent the genre. But, it’s an honor, I don’t know, I was flattered to be recognized not just myself as an artist, but as someone who’s a part of this awards show as a representative of country music. So, that’s bigger than me and it’s something that I feel and appreciate.”

    Video / Sam Hunt Break Up in a Small Town video

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke, Karen, Sam

    Luke Bryan and Little Big Town‘s Karen Fairchild will perform the world premiere of Luke’s new single “Home Alone Tonight” at the 2015 American Music Awards. Luke and Karen join previously announced performers Carrie Underwood, 5 Seconds of Summer, Selena Gomez and Jennifer Lopez. Luke is nominated for the all-genre Artist of the Year and the Favorite Male Country Artist, while LBT is up for Favorite Country Duo or Group . The 2015 American Music Awards will be broadcast live on November 22nd at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Sam Hunt picked up a pair of awards at Monday night’s ASCAP Awards. He was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year, and also nabbed Song of the Year for his No. 1 debut hit “Leave the Night On.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke, Lady A, Darius, Dierks, Sam, Keith, Kacey, Church

    Watch the ABC News special, Countdown to the CMA Awards: Country’s Greatest Crossover Hits with Robin Roberts on Monday (November 2nd) at 10pm ET on ABC. The special will feature performances and interviews with such artists as Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Keith Urban and many more.

    Kacey Musgraves attended the opening soiree for actress Reese Witherspoon’s new store, Draper James, in Nashville last week. Faith Hill and Sheryl Crow were also in attendance.

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    Luke Bryan and Eric Church both nabbed nominations for this year’s Billboard Touring Awards. Luke’s Kick the Dust Up trek, featuring Florida Georgia Line, Randy Houser, Dustin Lynch and Thomas Rhett, is in the running for Top Package. Church was named as Breakthrough Artist, and is in the lineup as part of Kenny Chesney’s Big Revival Tour for Top Package. The 2015 Billboard Touring Awards will take place November 19th at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.

  • CMA AWARDS 2015: Sam Hunt

    Sam Hunt has had a meteoric rise since first releasing his debut album, Montevallo, a year ago. He’s scored a No. 1 album, three platinum-selling No. 1 songs, headlined his own tour and earned several more accolades in just 52 weeks. Now, the “Break Up in a Small Town” singer is nominated for three CMA Awards, including New Artist, Single and Song of the Year for “Take Your Time.” Sam knows what’s been happening to him is pretty special.

    “This is sort of top of the format, these awards shows, and being a part of the business and being acknowledged by these gatekeepers in terms of the awards, that’s sort of the ultimate invitation into the family, and that means a whole lot to me,” says the Georgia native. “It’s special to be up there in the categories with a lot of those people who I’ve grown up listening to or been inspired by over the last several years.”

    Sam is also set to perform live on the 49th Annual CMA Awards, which will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 4th at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about being nominated for three CMA Awards this year.

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    Sam Hunt (CMA 2015) OC: …it’s special. :27
    “This is sort of top of the format, these awards shows, and being a part of the business and being acknowledged by these gatekeepers in terms of the awards, that’s sort of the ultimate invitation into the family, and that means a whole lot to me. It’s special to be up there in the categories with a lot of those people who I’ve grown up listening to or been inspired by over the last several years, so it’s special.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt says he was most antsy about releasing “Take Your Time” as a single since it was one of the first songs he had written for his own album. “Take Your Time” is nominated for Single and Song of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards.

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    Sam Hunt (Take Your Time) OC: …my own project. :33
    “‘Take Your Time’ is a song I wrote two or three years ago, and it was sort of my first experience using a unique cadence in the verses and flowing from that spoken thing into a melody and then back again. It probably represents a lot of the R&B influence that a lot of my music has, and I’ve always been really attracted to that rhythmic style of music. It’s a song that I’ve had for a while and been most antsy about putting out, because it is one of the first songs I wrote when I started working on my own project.”

    Video / Sam Hunt Breakup in a Small Town

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