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  • GRAMMY AWARDS 2017: Keith, Dierks, Hillary

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Dierks Bentley / Hillary Scott & The Scott Family / Keith Urban / Little Big Town / Vince Gill

    The GRAMMY Awards will be handed out on Sunday (February 12th), and several of your favorite country artists may be walking away with a trophy.

    Keith Urban has nominations in three categories, including Best Country Solo Performance for his recent multi-week No. 1 song, “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” which is also up for Best Country Song. His record, Ripcord, competes for Best Country Album.

    Dierks Bentley with Elle King are nnominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Different for Girls,” while Brothers Osborne are also up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “21 Summer.”

    Vince Gill scored a couple of nominations, including Best Americana Roots Song for penning “Kid Sister,” which is also the title of his Best Americana Album with his band The Time Jumpers.

    Hillary Scott & the Scott Family are nominated for Contemporary Christian Song for “Thy Will” and Best Contemporary Christian Album for Love Remains.

    Keith Urban will perform his latest single, “The Fighter,” with Carrie Underwood. Little Big Town will also perform on the show, in addition to previously announced performers Maren Morris, Adele, The Weeknd, Alicia Keys, as well as Sturgill Simpson, Gary Clark, Jr. and Chance The Rapper.

    The 50th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by James Corden, will air live from the Staples Center in L.A., February 12th at 8pm ET on CBS.

    Best Country Solo Performance:
    “Love Can Go To Hell” — Brandy Clark
    “Vice” — Miranda Lambert
    “My Church” — Maren Morris
    “Church Bells” — Carrie Underwood
    “Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Keith Urban

    Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
    “Different For Girls” — Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King
    “21 Summer” — Brothers Osborne
    “Setting The World On Fire” — Kenny Chesney & P!nk
    “Jolene” — Pentatonix Featuring Dolly Parton
    “Think Of You” — Chris Young With Cassadee Pope

    Best Country Song:
    “Blue Ain’t Your Color” —  Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban)
    “Die A Happy Man” — Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
    “Humble And Kind” — Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw)
    “My Church” — busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris)
    “Vice” — Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

    Best Country Album:
    Big Day In A Small Town — Brandy Clark
    Full Circle — Loretta Lynn
    Hero — Maren Morris
    A Sailor’s Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson
    Ripcord — Keith Urban

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about recording the song, “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” from his album Ripcord.

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    Keith Urban (Blue Ain’t Your Color) OC: …of space. :50
    “With this record, I think I was also trying to find songs and write songs to what I had done in the past, just that felt different for me. This song called ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color’ came along, and again, it was just one of those that I loved immediately. I loved the lyric. I loved the melody, the feel, and it’s basically a waltz, you know, like a one, two, three, two, two, three, a one, two, three, two, two, three. But I didn’t want it to feel like a waltz, you know? So, when we recorded the song at Starstruck Studios here in Nashville, we kept it a little more robotic sounding, so it wasn’t a straight band. It was a little more machinery, rhythmically, and I think it kept, hopefully for me at least, it kept it in a unique place to allow the story to have a lot of space.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about the correlation between the adrenaline rush of pulling a ripcord from a parachute and the hope that those feelings are captured in the diversity of the songs on his new album, Ripcord.

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    Keith Urban (Ripcord album) OC: …this record. :37
    “There’s songs on the record that probably feel, having not skydived myself, but my wife has done it many, many, many times. There’s definitely songs that sound like that free falling at an incredibly rapid speed. The adrenaline rush of that. The pulling of the cord and suddenly just sort of cruising and coasting and floating and the combination of all those speeds, energies, exhilarations, euphoria, the view, how that changes, all of it, I think, hopefully will be captured in the diversity of songs on this record.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about having Elle King sing on the song, “Different For Girls” on his new album, Black.

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    Dierks Bentley (Elle King) OC: …new place. :36
    “Well, I love Elle King’s voice. I mean she has such a unique voice, and you never know if her voice is going to blend with your voice. I didn’t found out until I went down to the studio in Austin, and right away it was just a really natural sounding blend. Her voice just lifted up this song. The lyrics of this song are pretty strong and her voice on this particular song really takes the song to a whole other level. I really wanted to find a way for her not to just be background vocals. I wanted to find a way to really get her included in the song, so I gave her the second verse and made the song more of a conversation as opposed to just background vocals. And it really, it just took the song to a whole new place.”

    Audio / Hillary Scott is so excited to be nominated for two Grammys for her faith-based song "Thy Will" and the album she made with her family, Love Remains.

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    Hillary Scott (Grammys 2017) OC: …incredible year. 52
    HILLARY: “Over the moon excited, and never expected it, because honestly when we set out to make the record we weren’t sure how many people would get to hear it. To be able to share this with my family is, it makes me cry. So, it’s gonna be a really special day. The whole experience has been amazing.” CHARLES: “I expected it. The first time I heard ‘Thy Will,’ it blew my mind. I asked her if she could hold it for Lady Antebellum’s record. I knew it was special. I told her after I heard it, ‘This is gonna to blow up. It’s gonna be huge.’” HILLARY: “And just to see, that song in particular coming from such a difficult thing, I think we all hope that the things that we go through in our life, at some point being able to look back and say, ‘Okay. Alright. I still would never want to go through it again, but I see why, a piece of why even.’ So, this is just, it’s just been an incredible year.”

  • GRAMMY NOMINATIONS 2016: Keith, Dierks, Brothers O, Hillary

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Dierks Bentley / Hillary Scott & The Scott Family / Keith Urban / Vince Gill

    The nominations for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards were announced, and Keith Urban picked up three nods, including Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for his current smash, “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” while his album, RipCord competes for Best Country Album.

    Keith received the news while he’s been overseas touring in Australia. “It’s 2am, and I’m just coming down from a crazy great show overseas,” he said in a statement. “I’m totally blown away with these nominations. Making RipCord was really a collaborative labor of love both for the music and all the people that helped me bring my vision to life. I’ll stay up anytime to hear news like this…just not sure of how to get to sleep now!!”

     

    Brothers Osborne earned a Grammy nom for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their recent single, “21 Summer,” competing with Dierks Bentley and Elle King for “Different for Girls.”

    The Brothers, who just won their first CMA Award for Duo of the Year, tweeted out their reaction, saying “We’ll never take these moments for granted. Ever. Thank you @RecordingAcad.”

    https://twitter.com/brothersosborne/status/806264574592753664

     

    Vince Gill scored a couple of nominations, including Best Americana Roots Song for penning “Kid Sister,” which is also the title of his Best Americana Album with his band The Time Jumpers.

    Hillary Scott & the Scott Family are nominated for Contemporary Christian Song for “Thy Will” and their album, Love Remains.

    The 50th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by James Corden, will air live from the Staples Center in L.A. February 12th at 8pm ET on CBS.

    Best Country Solo Performance:
    “Love Can Go To Hell” — Brandy Clark
    “Vice” — Miranda Lambert
    “My Church” — Maren Morris
    “Church Bells” — Carrie Underwood
    “Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Keith Urban

    Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
    “Different For Girls” — Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King
    “21 Summer” — Brothers Osborne
    “Setting The World On Fire” — Kenny Chesney & P!nk
    “Jolene” — Pentatonix Featuring Dolly Parton
    “Think Of You” — Chris Young With Cassadee Pope

    Best Country Song:
    “Blue Ain’t Your Color” —  Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban)
    “Die A Happy Man” — Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
    “Humble And Kind” — Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw)
    “My Church” — busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris)
    “Vice” — Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

    Best Country Album:
    Big Day In A Small Town — Brandy Clark
    Full Circle — Loretta Lynn
    Hero — Maren Morris
    A Sailor’s Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson
    Ripcord — Keith Urban

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about recording the song, “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” from his new album Ripcord.

    Download

    Keith Urban (Blue Ain’t Your Color) OC: …of space. :50
    “With this record, I think I was also trying to find songs and write songs to what I had done in the past, just that felt different for me. This song called ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color’ came along, and again, it was just one of those that I loved immediately. I loved the lyric. I loved the melody, the feel, and it’s basically a waltz, you know, like a one, two, three, two, two, three, a one, two, three, two, two, three. But I didn’t want it to feel like a waltz, you know? So, when we recorded the song at Starstruck Studios here in Nashville, we kept it a little more robotic sounding, so it wasn’t a straight band. It was a little more machinery, rhythmically, and I think it kept, hopefully for me at least, it kept it in a unique place to allow the story to have a lot of space.”

    Audio / John and TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne explain how they work together as a duo.

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    Brothers Osborne (duo) OC: …in country music. :56
    TJ: “[For] most duos it’s built on singing. I mean, John’s an incredible guitar player and to not try to follow in anyone’s footsteps and just kind of do it our own way, it’s really built off of me singing and John playing the guitar. So, I think it is unique and fun and cool, and it kind of gives two kind of parallels that I think work really nicely together. It’s really fun in a live setting too.” JOHN: “It’s kind of an old-school rock approach, you know. In country music, you have two singers that sing a lot of harmonies and stuff together, and we do that as brothers – sing a lot together – but his voice in the band is his voice and my voice is guitar. We look back at a lot of old rock bands like Aerosmith to The Allman Brothers and guys like that, where it’s like a lead singer and the sideman guitar player. That’s the approach that we’re going for, and it seems to be really working for us. It’s kind of carving our path in country music.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about having Elle King sing on the song, “Different For Girls” on his new album, Black.

    Download

    Dierks Bentley (Elle King) OC: …new place. :36
    “Well, I love Elle King’s voice. I mean she has such a unique voice, and you never know if her voice is going to blend with your voice. I didn’t found out until I went down to the studio in Austin, and right away it was just a really natural sounding blend. Her voice just lifted up this song. The lyrics of this song are pretty strong and her voice on this particular song really takes the song to a whole other level. I really wanted to find a way for her not to just be background vocals. I wanted to find a way to really get her included in the song, so I gave her the second verse and made the song more of a conversation as opposed to just background vocals. And it really, it just took the song to a whole new place.”

    Audio / Hillary Scott says the new album, Love Remains, is about leaving a mark and the person she wants to be.

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    Hillary Scott (leaving a mark) OC: …leaving a mark. 1:20
    “I have always really tried to be an open book, you know? And I think everybody can see that. Over the years of being in the public eye, and if you’re a friend in my personal life, ya know outside of work. I think for me, a lot of this record is just about wanting to say something that is real, and authentic and wanting, I feel like I’ve always tried to be truly who I am to people. It doesn’t get more ‘me’ than these songs…and a lot of it is the me I’m trying to be. It’s not the me that I necessarily am right now. It’s the me that I hope to continue to grow into and, I think now as a mother to a beautiful little girl, you think a lot about what you’re gonna leave behind. Even though, I just had a birthday, and I’m not that old [LAUGHS]…but it’s just, like what you want to teach your children, what you want them to teach their friends, and their children, and with my family on it, I think that is an even more a part of the heart of this project. I mean, this isn’t just me leaving a legacy, this is my parents leaving a legacy. And in honor of the life that they’ve lived, and the loss that they’ve had, and the dreams that they’ve had come true, all of it. It’s about leaving a mark.”

  • VINCE GILL AND LYLE LOVETT TEAM UP AGAIN FOR A NINE-CITY TOUR.

    Press
    Vince Gill

    The always witty Vince Gill and the reliably wry Lyle Lovett are reuniting for a nine-city tour that will take place  March 2017.  After teaming up for a series of concerts in 2015 and 2016, Gill and Lovett saw that the shows were so successful that they decided to extend the tour.

    A reviewer for Elmore Magazine raved, “The evening reminded me of the Rat Pack, with pals Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra doing comedy and music and having a great time. . . . This was not the show I had looked forward to—it was much better.”

    Each show will be a series of  intimate solo and duo performances, during which the artists will serve as their own accompanists.

    “For a night like this, there is no plan,” Gill said. “I know Lyle won’t have a plan, and I won’t either. What he plays will inspire me, and probably vice-versa. It’ll be like playing ping-pong. Whatever song he chooses to sing will inspire the next song that comes out of me.”

    “I enjoy shows that are not planned out,” Lovett observes. “This will be two songwriters in the round. It’s informal, so there will be lots of ad-libbing. It will be like little snapshots of our experiences.”

    Both performers have reaped armfuls of Grammys and kindred laurels for their musical versatility and memory-engraving songwriting.

    “Just two guys sitting on stools, telling stories and singing songs,” Gill says. “No big bands.  I saw James Taylor once with just him and his guitar, and after that show I felt like I knew him a whole lot better than I ever did before. That’s what’ll happen between Lyle and me, too, and I’m looking forward to it.”

     

    HERE ARE THE DATES AND LOCATIONS:

    March 22 — Thousand Oaks, CA —  Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza 

    March 23 — Mesa, AZ — Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theatre

    March 24 — Las Vegas, NV —  The Smith Center for the Performing Arts – Reynolds Hall

    March 25 — Reno, NV —  Reno Ballroom

    March 26 — San Francisco, CA —  Nourse Theatre

    March 27 — San Rafael, CA —  Marin Center

    March 28 — San Jose, CA —  City National Civic

    March 29 — Visalia, CA —  Visalia Fox Theatre

    March 30 — Santa Ynez, CA —  Chumash Casino 

     

     

    Get Connected with Lyle Lovett:

    Website:  www.lylelovett.com

    Facebook:  www.facebook.com/LyleLovett

    Twitter:  www.twitter.com/LyleLovett

    Instagram:  www.instagram.com/lyle_lovett/

     

    Get Connected with Vince Gill: 
    Website:   www.vincegill.com
    Facebook:  www.facebook.com/vincegill
    Twitter:  www.twitter.com/vgcom

    Instagram:  www.instagram.com/vincegillofficial/

  • GEORGE STRAIT, ALAN JACKSON AND VINCE GILL ARE AMONG THE PERFORMERS ADDED TO THIS YEAR’S CMA AWARDS.

    Press
    Alan Jackson / George Strait / Vince Gill

    George Strait, Alan Jackson and Vince Gill are among the former CMA Entertainer of the Year winners set to perform on next week’s CMA Awards. Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, Charley Pride and Reba will also perform during the show.

    This illustrious group of performers is among the most lauded artists in CMA Awards history with a combined 375 nominations and 94 wins, including 14 for the CMA Awards’ top honor: Entertainer of the Year. As if that weren’t enough, Brooks & Dunn, Gill, Pride and Reba have all hosted Country Music’s Biggest Night™.

    “These superstars have been an important part of our legacy and have contributed so much to our current success,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We are delighted they are going to be part of this important milestone anniversary.”

    Each of the artists also participated in “Forever Country,” a tribute to the CMA Awards which featured 30 CMA Award winning acts appearing in a medley of Country classics including John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again,” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” The song and music video have been toppings sales and airplay charts around the globe.

    Another Hall of Fame member, Vince holds the record for hosting the CMA Awards with 12 turns at the podium (1992-2003). He has 53 CMA Awards nominations and 18 wins including five consecutive trophies for Male Vocalist (1991-1995) and two wins for Entertainer of the Year (1993, 1994).

    Alan has 81 CMA Awards nominations and 16 wins including two for Male Vocalist (2002, 2003) and three for Entertainer of the Year (1995, 2002, 2003).

    George Strait is also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and is the most awarded artist in CMA Awards history with 83 nominations and 23 wins including five for Male Vocalist (1985,1986, 1996-1998) and three for Entertainer of the Year (1989, 1990, 2013).

    Previously announced performers include Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Eric Church, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Garth Brooks with Trisha Yearwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

    The 50th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 2nd (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on ABC.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Vince, Kip, David, Clare, Keith, Eric, Easton

    Press
    Clare Dunn / David Nail / Easton Corbin / Eric Paslay / Keith Urban / Kip Moore / Vince Gill

    Vince Gill performed “Go Rest High on That Mountain” during a memorial service for golfer Arnold Palmer in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on Tuesday (October 4th). He called him his “favorite person he’d ever met.”

    Kip Moore and his bass player and bandmember Manny Medina co-wrote the song, “Drive,” that appears on popular British duo The Shires’ album, The Universe, which was released last week. The foursome wrote the song at last year’s C2C Festival.

    The inaugural Beach Town Music Festival in Vero Beach, Florida has been postponed due to Hurricane Matthew. The festival, which was scheduled for Friday (October 7th) and Saturday (October 8th), featured performances by David Nail, Clare Dunn and headliner Jake Owen.

    Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Eric Paslay and Easton Corbin are scheduled to play Country 500 festival at Dayton International Speedway over Memorial Day Weekend (May 26th – 28th, 2017).

    Video /

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Vince, Kacey, Chris, Darius, Lady A, Brothers O

    Brothers Osborne / Chris Stapleton / Darius Rucker / Kacey Musgraves / Lady Antebellum / Vince Gill

    Vince Gill, Kacey Musgraves and Chris Stapleton shared the same stage in a songwriters’ round with James Taylor and Joe Walsh Tuesday night (September 27th) for the Country Music Hall of Fame’s All For the Hall Los Angeles benefit.

    https://twitter.com/KaceyMusgraves/status/781075897705111553

    Since Darius Rucker performs a lot of shows, he doesn’t get to see a lot during his downtime. However, he made an exception the other night to catch the Violent Femmes.

    The  members of Lady Antebellum are currently in Los Angeles, staying in the same house and writing songs for their upcoming project.

     

    Brothers Osborne‘s “Stay a Little Longer” helped The Voice contestant Josh Gallagher get picked by Blake Shelton.

    https://twitter.com/RachiePix5/status/780932161461489665

    Speaking of TJ and John Osborne, the two have recorded a video urging folks to register to vote. Check it out below.

    Video / Brothers Osborne urge people to vote by holding their breath.

    View

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Vince, Brothers O, Kacey Musgraves

    Press
    Kacey Musgraves / Vince Gill

    Vince Gill appears on wife Amy Grant’s new holiday album, Tennessee Christmas. The two pair up for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” The new collection will be available October 21st.

    Brothers Osborne and Kacey Musgraves are set to perform at the annual Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tennessee September 25th. Hall & Oates, Beck, Grace Potter, Lori McKenna, Margo Price and Anderson East, among others, will also perform during the two-day festival.

    Kacey Musgraves and Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon have become friends over the past couple of years. Last year, Kacey (along with Reba and several other folks) attended the opening of Reese’s Draper James store in Nashville, then while on a photo shoot for her fall line on Nashville’s Broadway, Reese popped in her favorite boot store and picked up a pair of Kacey’s Lucchese “Golden Arrow” boots. Just this week, Reese missed Kacey’s performance at The Greek Theatre in L.A., but sent along a note and a bottle of pink champagne.

    https://twitter.com/RWitherspoon/status/756898844420415490

     

    https://twitter.com/KaceyMusgraves/status/776390652200230913

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith, Dierks, Vince, Luke, Chris, Lauren

    Press
    Chris Stapleton / Dierks Bentley / Keith Urban / Lauren Alaina / Luke Bryan / Vince Gill

    Don’t forget to tune into ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday (August 31st) to watch Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley and Cam announce some of the nominees for this year’s CMA Awards.

    Luke Bryan and Zac Brown Band have been announced as headliners for next year’s We Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The three-day event, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2017, will take place August 3rd – 5th.

    Vince Gill, along with Patty Loveless, Charlie Worsham and The Time Jumpers are set to perform a free show at Nashville’s Walk of Fame Park September 25th, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the CMA Awards.

    Luke Bryan was just added to the list of artists performing at Charlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam. The event, to celebrate Charlie’s 80th birthday, will feature additional performances by Chris Stapleton, Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and Larry the Cable Guy and will take place November 30th at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

    Lauren Alaina will perform her hit single, “Road Less Traveled,” on NBC’s Today Show September 8th.

  • VINCE GILL CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY AS A MEMBER OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY.

    Press
    Vince Gill
    23ef735730314f26f4021d4e_214x322 6ca02e92277d25f135ba31df_600x400 cee00aa546aa9c492933d5cb_482x322 (1)
    Multi-Grammy award winner and MCA Records Nashville recording artist Vince Gill celebrated his milestone 25thAnniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry® with two memorable shows ‪Saturday night, claiming “This is a pretty sweet night.” Gill, one of the Opry’s most beloved and frequent players, was inducted as an Opry member on August 10, 1991.

    Gill celebrated the special night he claimed was “the best night ever” doing what he loves most- performing, collaborating and sharing the stage with family and close friends including Amy Grant, Rodney Crowell, Patty Loveless, The Time Jumpers, Ashley Monroe, Andrea Zonn, Bill Anderson, Jenny Gill, Paul Franklin, and Charlie Worsham. After opening the night with his classic hit “One More Last Chance,” an emotional Gill welcomed everyone saying, “This evening is filled with people I hold more than dear. They have made my entire life.” 

Gill and friends had so much fun reminiscing and playing music that the first show ran almost an hour over its two-hour schedule, treating the audience to almost three hours of music. “Sorry we made you late,” Gill said to a packed audience at the top of the night’s second show. “We were having a blast in here.” The fun included both Amy Grant and Rodney Crowell joining in the ‪Saturday night tradition of dancing with the Opry Square Dancers.

    Throughout the night, Gill’s friends and family told stories and reminisced. Daughter Jenny Gill told the audience of the time when she was in first grade and her dad finally got the call he had been waiting for– the Grand Ole Opry calling to invite him to make his Opry debut. However, he had to decline the long-awaited opportunity, saying he was already booked. He had promised Jenny he would accompany her on guitar on “You Are My Sunshine” for her school’s talent show. She remarked, “It’s a great thing they called him back, don’t you think?”

    Longtime friend Patty Loveless said before the two performed Gill’s iconic classics “When I Call Your Name,” and “Go Rest High On That Mountain,” “It’s always been an honor to sing with Vince Gill.”

    “Vince has truly become family to all of us at the Opry,” said Pete Fisher, Vice President and General Manager, Opry. “Like Mr. Acuff before him, his dressing room door is always open, and he’s often ready to pick one backstage and catch up with friends in the wings as well as to collaborate with them musically on the Opry stage.”

    “It is obvious in watching clips from Vince’s Opry induction 25 years ago that Opry patriarch Roy Acuff was a big Vince Gill fan and that he was hoping Vince would help carry on the magic of the Opry for future generations,” added Fisher. “Though Roy died the next year, there is no doubt he would be proud tonight of all that Vince has accomplished and everything he has meant to Mr. Roy’s beloved show.”

    About Vince Gill:
    Combining unequaled musicianship and creativity with a strong sense of tradition — and a personality that has won him a reputation as one of the nicest people in country music — Vince Gill is one of the most honored artists in the music’s history, and one of the youngest to earn membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

    A talented guitar picker by the time he was in his teens, Vince began his career playing with bluegrass bands — first in his native Oklahoma, then in Kentucky with the Bluegrass Alliance and, briefly, Ricky Skaggs’ Boone Creek. Moving to Los Angeles, he signed on with fiddler Byron Berline’s Sundance before joining the pop-country-rock Pure Prairie League. He followed that with a stint in the Cherry Bombs with Rodney Crowell and work backing Rosanne Cash. In 1984, he moved to Nashville and signed his first recording contract as a solo artist, occupying himself with work as a sideman in studios and onstage.

    Though several of his songs flirted with Top 10 status, Vince’s real breakthrough came in 1990 when “When I Call Your Name” reached No. 2. For the next decade, he was a steady presence in the Top 10, racking up several dozen hits that ranged from soulful country ballads (“I Still Believe in You,” “Tryin’ to Get Over You”) to feel-good country rockers (“Liza Jane” and “What the Cowgirls Do”).

    Rewarded by his peers with a long list of Country Music Association awards and Grammy trophies (the most for a male country artist), he’s sold more than 26 million albums while being hailed as a soulful singer, innovative instrumentalist, and creative force who showed a strong grasp of country traditions from bluegrass to honky tonk.
    In more recent years, Vince has settled into a unique role as one of country music’s youngest “elder statesmen.” An eloquent spokesman for the Grand Ole Opry and for the Country Music Foundation, he has headed all-star casts at prestigious venues around the country, hosted the CMA Awards for multiple years, made guest appearances onstage and on recordings with artists ranging from the world-famous to the obscure, and toured extensively.
 Vince is also a member of the 4-time Grammy-nominated band, The Time Jumpers.

    Vince’s current album on MCA Records is Down To My Last Habit and on September 9, The Time Jumpers will release their third album, Kid Sister.

    About the Grand Ole Opry    : The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®.  Opry performances are held every Friday and Saturday of the year, with ‪Tuesday Night Opry shows ‪through December 13 and Wednesday shows through August 10.  To plan an Opry visit, call ‪(800) SEE-OPRY or visit opry.com. The Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn.  Celebrating nine decades of entertainment, the Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP).  For more information, visit opry.com.

    PHOTO CREDIT:

    ©2016 Grand Ole Opry
    Photo By: Chris Hollo

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Billy, Easton, Canaan, Vince, Darius

    Press
    Billy Currington / Canaan Smith / Darius Rucker / Easton Corbin / Vince Gill

    Billy Currington, Easton Corbin and Canaan Smith, along with Cole Swindell, Michael Ray and Maddie & Tae helped raise more than $250,000 during a concert last week for the One Orlando Fund to help victims and their families of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.

    Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless performed “Go Rest High on That Mountain” during Ralph Stanley’s funeral in McClure, Virginia on Tuesday (June 28th).

    Darius Rucker has earned himself another accolade – he’s getting his own Madame Tussaud wax figure. He tweeted a photo on Wednesday as he was “getting fitted.” Can’t wait to see the final product!

    Easton Corbin is featured in a new initiative with Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts, giving access to mash-ups by NE-YO, DNCE and Keke Palmer, inspired by Pop-Tarts’ new mash-ups with soda flavors – Frosted Crush Orange and Frosted A&W Root Beer. Fans can download the Smule app and record their own mash-ups (or “duets”) with the four artists. Easton and Keke did a version of the country singer’s hit “Baby, Be My Love Song,” as well as Keke’s “Enemiez.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk-5sLWcNe4

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZfjt8hp0XM