• NEWS AND NOTES: Reba McEntire, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Taylor Swift, Sam Hunt

    Reba McEntire has joined the cast of ABC’s Big Sky as a series regular for Season 3. She’ll star as Sunny Brick, the matriarch of the Brick family, described as a “successful backcountry outfitter with a secret history of missing customers.”


    Little Big Town
    are among the artists joining Wynonna as she embarks on The Judds final tour solo this fall after the unexpected and tragic death of her mother Naomi. Martina McBride (originally on the bill), along with Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Ashley McBryde and Brandi Carlile will also hit the road with Wy.

    Luke Bryan  and Chris Stapleton honored the legendary Lionel Richie during the star-studded PBS special, Lionel Richie: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Luke, seated at a piano, performed “Lady,” which was written by Lionel for the late Kenny Rogers. Chris performed “Say You, Say Me.”

    Taylor Swift gave the commencement speech to the class of 2022 at New York University this week, and she was awarded a doctorate degree, as well.

    Sam Hunt will join acclaimed hit songwriter and founder of Big Loud Records and Big Loud Shirt, Craig Wiseman, for the 2022 Second Harvest benefit concert presented by American Airlines. Stars for Second Harvest will be held at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on Tuesday, June 7th at 7:30pm. Country singer-songwriters ERNEST and Ben Burgess will also perform.

  • MOTHER’S DAY AUDIO 2022

    Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 8th, and some of your favorite country artists are celebrating the mothers in their lives this weekend. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.

    Audio / Alan Jackson lost his sweet Mama several years ago, and he wrote a song for her funeral, “Where Her Heart Has Always Been,” which is now included on his album Where Have You Gone.

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    Alan Jackson (song for mother)…really, really sweet. :51
    “I think one song on there, especially I wrote my mama died three or four years ago, four years ago maybe.  I don’t remember now. But I wrote it for her funeral, that’s “Where Her Heart Has Always Been.”  And I really love that track.  It’s just really – I tried to write it in a way that I know she would appreciate it. And then after we had cut it and we were just about to finalize the record, my sister sent a recording of mama reading from the Bible for a Christmas story or something from a few years ago that I hadn’t heard, or I don’t remember if I had ever heard it.  And I thought that would be cool to put that on there.  So, we tried to pick a little piece of that that didn’t sound so Christmasy and put on there on the front end and that made it really, really sweet.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she doesn’t really have any Mother’s Day traditions.

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    Carrie Underwood (Mother’s Day traditions) OC: …even more so. :38
    “We don’t really have like any Mother’s Day traditions. I feel like I remember me and Dad making breakfast for Mom like once as a kid. I’m pretty sure we just made a giant mess in the kitchen and we never did that again, so. Being on the other side of things, I obviously don’t expect anything, but my husband’s really good at getting presents from quote unquote Isaiah. It’s really sweet, because he likes to bring me things. He’s such a sweet little guy, and anytime he’s outside, he’ll pick me flowers and things. So, I’m like, ‘You’re learning. You’ve already got me wrapped around your finger, and then you do stuff like that, and it’s even more so.’”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack describes the qualities she most admires in her mother.

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    Caylee Hammack (Mother’s Day) 1 OC: …love fully. :53
    “I love that my Mom is a no-nonsense woman. I love that she always speaks her mind and she’s super stubborn, because she handed it down to me and it’s come in handy, to be honest. She’s a great cook. I wish I was half the cook that she is. She’s obsessive about Tupperware and plates, which I used to hate, but now as an adult whenever I break a dish or something, I just call her, and I know that I have one on standby. I love that she loves random things so that I can squirrel them away and take them to Nashville sometimes. And I love that she loves big. She either gives all of her heart or nothing at all; she always gives all of her heart. She loves, you know, she has a bleeding heart, and I think that’s just one of the most beautiful traits in the world is to love fully.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker recalls one of his favorite memories of his mother.

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    Darius Rucker (favorite memory of his mother) OC: …my Mom’s song. :34
    “Oh goodness! A lot of great memories of her, but probably one of my favorite memories, I was a young kid, probably eight or nine, and she was in the kitchen cooking and listening to the gospel station and Shirley Caesar’s ‘No Charge’ came on and she was singing ‘No Charge.’ I just remember I ran into our living room which was adjoined to our kitchen and I just sat there and I just listened to her sing that song, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow! What an amazing voice.’ That’s just always a memory I’ve always had, and that song still to this day when I hear it just moves me because that was my mom’s song.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about the unwavering support he felt from his mother (who passed away several years ago).

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    Darius Rucker (Mother) OC: …in my corner. :44
    “My mom was just always great. She worked a lot. She was a nurse and she worked a lot. She took a lot of overtime and stuff to make sure we could live basically, but she always just so supportive, ever since I was a kid. I was always a music kid. Growing up in an African-American neighborhood, I was never that guy who was gonna be pigeonholed to let people say I could only listen to this and I could only do this, because I was African-American. She always supported whatever I wanted to do, whatever I wanted to listen to, wherever I wanted to go, she always had my back. Going to college and everything, she was my biggest supporter and never let my brothers and sisters knock me down or try to tell me I can’t do this or that. All of my success comes because my mother was always in my corner.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about Mother’s Day in regards to his wife, Cassidy.

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    Dierks (Mother’s Day) OC: …for sure. :20
    “When it’s your actual mom, you know, there’s some slack there, but when with your wife – any touring husband, anyone who tours who has kids and a wife back home, it’s tough man. It’s a lot of work. So, I definitely need to step up to think of something great to do this Sunday, for sure.”

    Audio / Eric Church says he’s learned quite a bit from his mom.

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    Eric Church (Mother’s Day) OC: …as a man. :57
    “My mom, even though my dad won’t like this, my mom is by far the toughest person that I’ve met. She’s tough. One of those people that’s been through a lot in her life, adversity wise and never complains, always really resilient with anything that’s happened to her. And it’s just that attitude, the positive attitude, regardless of what has happened that I think is the one thing that I got from her. With career, she’s always been a person that’s been really positive through times that I couldn’t find a positive streak, [laughs] and she was always really positive, and very much believes in tough it out, keep working hard, and that’s her motto with stuff like that. I’ve always been impressed with that stuff. Then musically, she’s where I get my talent from, musically. She sings great, always has, her mom sang great. I owe my musical chops to her. And she still sings some. So, career-wise, I owe her everything. And just in life-wise she’s given me a lot of the qualities that it has taken for me to get me where I am. Not only as a musician, but as a man.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi says his mother, Shelly, is an angel.

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    Jon Pardi (Mother’s Day) OC: …worrying about me. :29
    “My mom’s always been there for me. First of all, she’s a great mom. She’s an angel. She takes care of people that aren’t even in the family. She’s always been like that, and she’s a great mother. She’s always proud, and she’s always there supporting and being a great mom. She’s just a good human being. There’s not one mean bone in her body. And she cries about every time I talk to her. She always worries about me. I have to tell her, ‘Stop worrying about me.’”

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS SAYS HE’S A “MAMA’S BOY” AND HOPES HE HAS HER KINDNESS AND POSITIVE OUTLOOK.

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    Jordan Davis (Mother’s Day) OC: …Mother’s Day. :30 [laughs]
    “I’m a Mama’s Boy. I love my Mom, and it’s the way she finds the good in everything. With my Mom, as opposed to finding anything negative, she’s gonna find something positive first. That’s something I really hope I can be more like her on; one of the many things I wish I could be more like my mom on. My mom, she loves flowers, so we’ll get her flowers or take her to, we’re slowly getting her into sushi, so we love to take Mom out to sushi spots on Mother’s Day.” [laughs]

    Audio / Keith Urban explains why his wife Nicole Kidman is an extraordinary mother to their two children, Sunday and Faith.

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    Keith Urban (Nicole is extraordinary mother) OC: …to see. :45
    “She’s an extraordinary mum, she really, really is. Those girls are very, very lucky, and I feel very lucky that the children I should have in this world happen to be with Nic. I don’t know anything about raising kids and Nic does, and that comes in extremely, um, it’s really made for an experience I wouldn’t have had without that. Her patience, her recognizing them as people and not just little kids is really extraordinary. Her attention to honoring their feelings and listening to them right from day one – really being attentive to that is not how I was raised at all, so it’s really beautiful to see.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says she always dreamed of being a mother…and her dream came true nearly 15 years ago when she gave birth to daughter, Daisy (July 27, 2007). In 2017, she and her family welcomed daughter Dolly Grace.

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    LBT (Mother’s Day) OC: …for my mother. :34
    “Being a mother is a life-long dream for me. When I was a kid, that’s what I wanted to be is a mama. It took a long time. I wasn’t ever sure that I would be, but I am now, and it’s the greatest gift of my life. And as I’m a mother now, I see what my mother gave up and her sacrifices and her love and how she made us the most important thing in her life, and that’s what I strive to do for my little girl. It’s the most important job I have, and it’s the most responsibility that I have, and I try to live up to a great example that I had for my mother.”

    Audio / MADDIE & TAE’S TAE DYE SAID SHE PULLED OFF A GREAT MOTHER’S DAY SURPRISE A FEW YEARS AGO.

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    Maddie & Tae (Mother’s Day-Tae) OC: …was so fun. :25
    TAE: “To this day one of the best surprises I’ve ever pulled off was on Mother’s Day three years ago. ‘Cause my mom’s birthday always tends to fall on Mother’s Day Weekend – it’s coming up – and my mom and dad were coming into Nashville and I was like, ‘Okay-this has got to be a big weekend. It’s Mother’s Day, her birthday and the weather was going to be beautiful, so I planned this awesome surprise where we would drive first – she wouldn’t know where we were going, and then we ended up going canoeing down the Harpeth River [located south of Nashville], and it was so fun.”

    Audio / Maddie & Tae’s Maddie Marlow says her mother is great at balancing life and that a hug from her mother can fix almost anything.

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    Maddie & Tae (Mother’s Day-Maddie) OC: (Maddie) …everything’s okay. :51
    MADDIE: “She is so good at balancing is what I’m trying to say. My Mom is such a great balancer, but as I’m coming into our adulthood, and all that kind of stuff, she’s very conscious about when I’m trying to be perfect and have everything in order with everything. And she’s like, you can’t. You can’t do that. Life, you have to figure out how you’re going to deal with the curveballs that are thrown out you. Are you going to catch them and whine out about it or are you going to catch them and move on? Like you have to just go with what’s thrown at you. And my Dad’s been a really, really good supporter on just not letting life’s trials bring you down and letting them just be learning tools and all of that. But, most of the time, a Mama hug can really fix anything.” TAE: “Ahh…it’s the best.” MADDIE: “If my Mom hugs me while I’m crying, everything’s okay. There’s just something about it. I’m grown, but, my Mom, if she hugs me, everything’s okay.”

    Audio / Parker McCollum talks about his mother's great qualities.

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    Parker McCollum (Mother’s Day) OC: …those from her. :20
    “I mean, she’s just a fantastic woman who went above and beyond for us as kids to always make sure, probably even when we weren’t able to have things, she still made those happen. Everybody says I look like her. She’s just an incredibly caring and very, very sincere person, so I would hope I got those from her.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about his mother.

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    Sam Hunt (Mother’s Day) OC: … with my mom. 1:10
    “I knew I had a great mother, and I was blessed and lucky to be born into my family, but until I got out into the real world, I didn’t realize how unique and rare and how much I really hit the lottery with her. She’s raised in the South, and she is all the things that a lot of Southern women are, the good things, but selfless is the word that comes to mind right off the bat. Her life has been devoted to me, my brothers and our family for as long as I can remember her. So, her life revolved around us and that was something that the love that she showed us through those sacrifices has been, I know, a huge part of my ability to go out into the world and cope with all the things that come my way. I’m standing on firm ground, I know, because I grew up in a loving household and that started with my mom.”

    Audio / Shania Twain says it’s such a joy to be a parent.

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    Shania Twain (joy to be a parent) OC: …means everything. :14
    “It’s such a joy to be a parent. So, I relate to all the mums out there who are getting all their love and appreciation from their kids, and I hope, when you’re a kid, a child of somebody, show your mum you love her, because it means everything.”

    Audio / TRAVIS DENNING TALKS ABOUT WHAT HE AND HIS MOM HAVE IN COMMON.

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    Travis Denning (Mother’s Day) OC: …like crazy. :29
    “You know, my favorite thing about my mom, especially as I get older, is realizing how much me and her have in common. I just love that she’s passionate about music. She loves it. I mean, she’s turned me on to a lot of artists, but at the core like she’s still Mom. She reminds me to do things and does these things which that I couldn’t live without. I love that we get to be friends, we get to be best friends, but at the same time, she’s still Mom and she still loves me and my sister like crazy.”

     

     

    Video / Mickey Guyton talks to ABC's Good Morning America about being a mother to son Grayson.

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  • MOTHER’S DAY LINERS 2022

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s up guys! We’re Brothers Osborne, wishing all you mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey everyone. I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing all you mothers out there a very, very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Catie Offerman, wishing all of you mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack, sending this out to my mom and all the other mothers out there – I hope all of you have a wonderful Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hi! It’s Chrissy Metz, wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Darius (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all, what’s up? This is Darius Rucker, hoping you have a Happy Mother’s Day.

    Audio / LINER Dierks (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey, y’all! This is Dierks Bentley, wishing all you mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Mother’s Day) 1

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    “Hey everybody! This is Eric Church, wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Mother’s Day) 2

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    “Hey everybody! This is Eric Church, hoping you have a Happy Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Mother’s Day)

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    Hi, I’m Jon Langston, wishing all the mothers a very Happy Mother’s Day. Love ya, Mom.

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Jon Pardi. I want to wish all the mamas out there a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing all the mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day. Love ya, Mom.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Josh Turner, wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves. To all you mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day!”

     

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hi everyone, it’s Keith Urban. Hoping all the mothers out there have a very, very Happy Mother’s Day. Love ya, Mom!”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Mother’s Day)

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    Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing all of you mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Mother’s Day)

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    “(ALL) Hi! This is Little Big Town. (KIMBERLY) We want to wish all you mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day. I love ya, Mama!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, hoping all you mothers out there have a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody. I’m Maddie & I’m Tae and we’re Maddie & Tae, wishing all you mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day. I love ya, Mom.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey, this is Mickey Guyton, wishing all you mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody, I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey, it’s Priscilla Block wishing all you mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Shania Twain. Happy Mother’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Mother’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Travis Denning, wishing all the mothers a very Happy Mother’s Day. Love you, Mom.”

  • SAM HUNT SCORES A NO. 1 SONG WITH “23.”

    Sam Hunt hit the top of the country charts with his ninth No. 1 single, “23.” Written by Sam with Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Chris LaCorte, “23” is the first new track from Hunt since last year’s chart-topping album SOUTHSIDE featuring multiple back-to-back No. 1 hits with “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s,” “Kinfolks” and “Hard To Forget.”

    For audio of sam talking about “23,” click here and here.

    The Georgia native has a few days off before heading to West Palm Beach April 28th for the Sunfest Festival, which also features the Goo Goo Dolls, Colony House and Kidd G, among others.

  • SAM HUNT’S “23” CAME TO LIFE AT THE BEACH.

    Sam Hunt is set to take over the country charts with his latest single, “23.” Written by Sam with Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Chris LaCorte, “23” is the first new track from Hunt since last year’s chart-topping album SOUTHSIDE featuring multiple back-to-back No. 1 hits with “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s,” “Kinfolks” and “Hard To Forget.”

    Apparently, Sam had the idea for “23” for some time, but it wasn’t until he and some of his co-writers went down to the beach when the song finally came together.

    “That’s one that I’ve had and tried to work up for several years. A lot of times you’re just one word or one little change away from an idea turning into a song,” says Sam. “We were down at the beach, we happened to be at the beach; that may have had something to do with it. We were down there and it’s easier to tap into that nostalgia when you’re at the beach, thinking back to trips you know from your youth. But who knows? But I’m glad that it worked out that day because we wrote it in probably two hours, which is pretty rare for me.”

    The Georgia native has a few days off before heading to West Palm Beach April 28th for the Sunfest Festival, which also features the Goo Goo Dolls, Colony House and Kidd G, among others.

     

    Audio / Sam Hunt says his song “23” actually started to form into a song at the beach. NOTE: courtesy of CCUSA.

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    Sam Hunt (23 story) 2 OC: …rare for me. :33
    “That’s one that I’ve had and tried to work up for several years. A lot of times you’re just one word or one little change away from an idea turning into a song. We were down at the beach, we happened to be at the beach; that may have had something to do with it. We were down there and it’s easier to tap into that nostalgia when you’re at the beach, thinking back to trips you know from your youth. But who knows? But I’m glad that it worked out that day because we wrote it in probably two hours, which is pretty rare for me.”

    Video /

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Little Big Town, Vince Gill, Sam Hunt, Kassi Ashton

    Little Big Town will be featured in a new episode of CMT’s Campfire Sessions in which they’ll strip down their biggest hits, share new music and swap stories. The band’s episode will air April 12th beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT on CMT.

    Vince Gill has added more dates to his summer tour. Tickets go on sale April 1st at vincegill.com. It’s the first time Gill has toured with his band since 2019. Featured on the tour will be vocalist Wendy Moten, who has most recently become known for her breathtaking performances on NBC’s The Voice.

    Sam Hunt will help kick off the Delaware State Fair with a performance on opening night July 21st. Nelly, Trace Adkins, Hank Williams, Jr., Halestorm and ZZ Top will also perform.

    Kassi Ashton has been added to the lineup at Live In the Vineyard Goes Country, taking place in Napa Valley April 26th-28th. She joins other performers, including Lee Brice, Joe Nichols, Mitchell Tenpenny, Chase Rice, BRELAND and Charles Esten, among others.

     

  • SAM HUNT’S “23” IS INSPIRED BY THE PHRASE “YOU CAN’T MAKE NEW OLD FRIENDS.”

    Sam Hunt is poised to enter the top of the country charts with his latest single, “23.” Written by Sam with Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Chris LaCorte, “23” is the first new track from Hunt since last year’s chart-topping album SOUTHSIDE featuring multiple back-to-back No. 1 hits with “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s,” “Kinfolks” and “Hard To Forget.”

    Sam says the concept came from an old adage. “The general concept was sorta you can’t make new old friends, so you’re never gonna be exactly who you were at that point in your life, and you experience that version of the other person as well,” he says. “So, there are times in your life when you’re not gonna be able to experience that again with anybody else in the future, but you can appreciate that a little bit, once it comes and goes.”

    The Georgia native has a few days off before heading to West Palm Beach for the Sunfest Festival, which also features the Goo Goo Dolls, Colony House and Kidd G, among others.

     

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about the inspiration behind his song "23."

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    Sam Hunt (23 story) OC: …comes and goes. :21
    “The general concept was sorta you can’t make new old friends, so you’re never gonna be exactly who you were at that point in your life, and you experience that version of the other person as well. So, there are times in your life when you’re not gonna be able to experience that again with anybody else in the future, but you can appreciate that a little bit, once it comes and goes.”

    Video /

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt and more

    Luke Bryan and Chris Stapleton honor Lionel Richie in an upcoming PBS special concert celebrating the music icon’s Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The tribute concert, which was taped earlier this month and will air May 17th on PBS, featured Luke singing “Lady,” the hit Lionel wrote for Kenny Rogers, and Stapleton performing “Say You, Say Me.” Other performers include Gloria Estefan, Yolanda Adams, Boyz II Men, Andra Day and many more.

    Kacey Musgraves is the recipient of this year’s GLAAD Vanguard Award. The presentation will be made at the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton on April 2nd. Vanguard Awards are given to allies who have made a major contribution to the advancement of LGBTQ rights. GLAAD praised Musgraves’ efforts, including her use of her platform to collect cash for GLAAD’s annual anti-bullying Spirit Day campaign and to raise awareness of anti-LGBTQ. Previous recipients include Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez.

    Vince Gill and Amy Grant will return to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for their holiday residency, Christmas At The Ryman, in December. The pair will perform holiday classics for the shows spanning December 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20 & 21. Tickets are on sale now.

    Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt and Parker McCollumare among the artists performing at Cheyenne Frontier Days, taking place July 21st – 31st in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Check out the entire schedule here.

  • SUPER BOWL 2022 AUDIO

    This Sunday (February 13th), millions of people around the world will be tuning in to the Super Bowl (the Big Game), including some of your favorite country artists. Some will be rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals, while others will be pulling for the Los Angeles Rams.

    Mickey Guyton is set to perform the National Anthem prior to the Big Game, while the half-time performers include Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.

    Check out all the action at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, at 6:30pm ET on NBC.

    *More audio to be added.

    Audio / Billy Currington says he loves watching football.

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    Billy Currington (football fan) OC: …love football. :36
    “I’m a big football fan. I mean, when I was growing up, if you asked me who my favorite team is now, I couldn’t tell you. But when I was a kid, it was the Dallas Cowboys. And I don’t know if it was because my mom bought my brother a Pittsburgh Steelers pennant for some reason, and bought me a Dallas Cowboys pennant, and of course over the year I fell in love with the Cowboys, and then I wanted a jersey the next Christmas, and then the next one, I wanted [more Cowboys stuff]. So, I became a long-term fan with those guys. But I like it all now that I’m older. I’ll watch any game, it doesn’t matter who’s playing. But [I] love football.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker is a HUGE football fan, as everyone probably knows by now, and he explains why he loves football so much. SIDENOTE: He’s a huge Miami Dolphins fan, and word has it, just to be able to meet then Dolphins quarterback, Dan Marino, he asked him to be in a Hootie & the Blowfish video for “Only Wanna Be With You.”

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    Darius Rucker (football) OC: …football season. :20
    “Ever since I was five years old, I’ve loved football, and I love how physical it is. I love the chess match of the game. I love the speed of the game. I love college football, but for me watching pro football is better because the speed is so much more. For me, there’s two times a year, man — football season and waiting for football season.”

    Audio / Keith Urban says his wife, Nicole Kidman, got him interested in football.

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    Keith (Nicole and football) OC: …new to me. :04

    “She’s a big NFL fan, and she sort of turned me on to it.”

    Audio / LAUREN ALAINA LOVES WATCHING FOOTBALL.

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    Lauren Alaina (Super Bowl) OC: …I love it. :30
    “My dad raised me to love football, so I think it’s like kind of in my blood to be obsessed with it. I feel like the guys are so passionate and they try so hard. Those people love playing that game as much as I love singing. I just love the heart and the drive and the passion behind it. I feel like those boys are playing as hard as they can – in college football and pro football – because it’s what they love to do and it’s their passion, and I just, I don’t know. I love it.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s beautiful and talented Karen Fairchild was a badass growing up when she was playing quarterback for her powder puff football team.

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    LBT (football story) OC: …my lip. :40
    “I was the quarterback to my powder puff team. I was running the ball and I came around the corner – this was in high school – and a foreign exchange student, I think her name was Inga (KIMBERLY: “Inga.”), and I didn’t want to fumble ‘cause my brother and my dad were there, and I come from this very athletic family, so I held onto the ball. I knew I was going to go down, so I let my head hit first and I bit all the way through, but I didn’t fumble and I had a hole in my face, though. The sad thing is that it was just flag football, but I left my flags on and cleats and everything, ‘cause it looked cool, and I had blood running all down my jersey. I went to the emergency room like that, and they sewed up my lip.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about some of the food he likes to have while watching the Super Bowl.

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    Luke Bryan (Super Bowl food) OC: …over again. :22
    “Definitely Super Bowl is like the queso, the Frito Lay scoops with the Ro-tel situation. I guess it’s like, what’s the black-eyed pea stuff too? All of that, just stuff that you can sit there and have lots of sodium, and then just, it’s like Thanksgiving all over again.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block says Super Bowl Sunday is so much fun.

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    Priscilla Block (Football/Super Bowl food) OC: …what happens. :23
    “I mean, I feel like the Super Bowl is like just such a fun day. I’m really excited for the half-time show. I feel like that’s usually why I’m there, is to watch the anthem and the half-time show, but yes, excited to eat all the bad things. And I’m honestly, I don’t feel pulled any way this year. I wish the (Tennessee) Titans were in it, but we’ll see what happens.”

    Audio / SAM HUNT LOVES THAT THE SUPER BOWL MIXES HIS TWO LOVES – MUSIC AND FOOTBALL.

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    Sam Hunt (Super Bowl & music) OC: …combined there. :24
    “It’s become such a massive pop culture event, and I love that they’ve incorporated music and entertainment with the sport itself and the entertainment value that comes from that. It encompasses just a strong representation of American culture, and I’m a huge music fan, obviously, and I’m a huge sports fan, so those are two of my favorite worlds combined there.”

    Audio / Travis Denning is excited about this year's Big Game because former Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford, who plays for the St. Louis Rams, is in the Super Bowl for the first time.

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    Travis Denning (Super Bowl 2022) OC: …amazing game. :35
    “Hey y’all, Travis Denning here. I’m super fired up for this upcoming Super Bowl, mainly because Matt Stafford – a Georgia boy – is starting for the Rams. I’ve been a big fan of his since he played college at Georgia, obviously, and it’s amazing to see after 10-plus seasons, I think it’s like 13 seasons or something that he’s finally in the Super Bowl. So, I’m pulling for the Rams, but I’m a big Joe Burrow fan. I do like Joe Burrow. He’s fun, he’s hilarious, he’s an amazing football player, so I think it’s gonna be an amazing game.”

    Audio / Travis Denning reveals his go-to Super Bowl snack.

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    Travis Denning (go-to Super Bowl snack) OC: …other pick. :05
    “My go-to Super Bowl snack is buffalo chicken dip, obviously. There’s no other pick.”

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, Jon Langston

    Sam Hunt appeared on CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert with Ingrid Andress to perform their duet, “Wishful Drinking,” on Monday night (January 17th).

     

    Sam Hunt announced a handful of tour dates for this year with tickets going on sale Tuesday (January 18th) beginning at 10am local time. Check out tour dates and more at SamHunt.com. The trek kicks off February 10th in Scottsdale, Arizona, but you can hear himon the airwaves with his latest single, “23.”

    Little Big Town will perform the National Anthem before Saturday’s Divisional Round game as the Tennessee Titans play host to the Cincinnati Bengals. The game kicks off at 4:30pm ET/3:30pm CT on CBS and Paramount+. Jimmie Allen was just announced as the half-time performer.

     

    Jon Langston announced his own All Good Out Here Tour, which kicked off this past weekend.