• NEWS AND NOTES: Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Vince Gill, Little Big Town

    Carrie Underwood‘s “Hate My Heart” video has been chosen as one of the final Video of the Year nominees at this year’s CMT Music Awards. Blake Shelton’s “No Body,” Cody Johnson’s “Human,” HARDY and Lainey Wilson’s “Wait in the Truck,” Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God” and Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” are also in the running. The 2023 CMT Music Awards will air live from Austin, Texas on Sunday (April 2nd) at 8pm ET. You can also livestream the awards and catch it on demand on Paramount+.

    Luke Bryan appears on ABC’s Live With Kelly and Ryan on Tuesday (March 28th).

    Vince Gill and his wife Amy Grant return to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in December for their annual “Christmas at the Ryman” residency. The dates are December 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22 and 23. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10am CT. For more information, go to https://www.ryman.com/events/detail/amy-grant-vince-gill-christmas.

    https://twitter.com/theryman/status/1640368080411938819

    Little Big Town helped Ronnie Milsap celebrate his 80th birthday with a special show, Ronnie Milsap & Friends, at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night (March 25th). Trace Adkins, Mark Wills, Don Schlitz, Jeannie Seely and Mandy Barnett also performed. Portions of te show will air as a Saturday night Opry Live later this year on the Circle Network.

     

     

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD ACHIEVED A LOT OF CAREER AND PERSONAL GOALS IN 2022.

    Carrie Underwood accomplished so much in 2022, as well as continuing her run into 2023. She tells us she “checked” a lot of boxes, both professionally and personally, in 2022 and continues to take steps to continue accomplishing more goals she’s set for herself.

    “I mean, there were a lot of big, big moments and events and things that happened in 2022. We were kind of all over the place in the best way,” says Carrie. “We had our Vegas Reflection residency runs. We kicked off The Denim & Rhinestones Tour. I had some really cool moments with Guns ’N Roses or Axl Rose. I got to check a lot of career boxes last year as well as just some personal dreams that I just really wanted to, wanted the chance to get to do, but never thought I’d get to do…It definitely makes me look forward to 2023 and everything that it has to hold. I’m always looking for opportunities and ways to make whatever I’m doing currently be better than the thing that I just did. I feel like that’s going to be a task this year, because last year was so amazing, but I’m up for it. I’m up to try, for sure.” (laughs)

    Carrie resumes her ongoing REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, returning to the Resorts World Theatre in June.  The first artist to grace the stage of the new 5,000-seat, world-class theatre, she debuted her residency with a sold-out run in December 2021 and went on to perform additional sold-out runs through Spring 2022.

    The Oklahoma native is making her way up the country charts with her latest single, “Hate My Heart.”

     

    Audio / Carrie Underwood said she accomplished quite a few goals -- both professionally and personally -- last year.

    Download

    Carrie Underwood (checked boxes in 2022) OC: …for sure. (laughs) :54
    “I mean, there were a lot of big, big moments and events and things that happened in 2022. We were kind of all over the place in the best way. We had our Vegas Reflection residency runs. We kicked off The Denim & Rhinestones Tour. I had some really cool moments with Guns ’N Roses or Axl Rose. I got to check a lot of career boxes last year as well as just some personal dreams that I just really wanted to, wanted the chance to get to do, but never thought I’d get to do…It definitely makes me look forward to 2023 and everything that it has to hold. I’m always looking for opportunities and ways to make whatever I’m doing currently be better than the thing that I just did. I feel like that’s going to be a task this year, because last year was so amazing, but I’m up for it. I’m up to try, for sure.” (laughs)

    Video /

    View
  • NEWS AND NOTES: Mickey Guyton, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood

    Mickey Guyton will appear on CBS Mornings and The Tamron Hall Show on Thursday (March 23rd) to talk about her new show, “My Kinda Country,” which is set to premiere Friday (March 24th) on Apple+. The show was co-created by Kacey Musgraves and Reese Witherspoon and also features Mickey, Jimmie Allen and Orville Peck. “My Kind of Country” is a new singing competition series, which provides an opportunity to showcase diverse artists from around the world.

     

    Keith Urban, Little Big Town and Mickey Guyton, as well as Tim McGraw, are set to perform at the Capitol One Jam Fest in Houston April 2nd. The March Madness Music Festival is part of the festivities surrounding the NCAA® Men’s Final Four® Weekend.

    Keith Urban takes over CMT Hot 20 Countdown this weekend. Tune in Saturday (March 25th) and Sunday (March 26th) beginning at 9am ET/8am CT.

    https://twitter.com/cmtHot20/status/1638677005247074304

    Luke Bryan, as well as his fellow American Idol judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, will appear on ABC’s Live With Kelly and Ryan on March 28th.

    Reba McEntire is scheduled to appear on The Jennifer Hudson Show March 29th.

    Carrie Underwood‘s fans are really “hating” their hearts…before wrapping the tour last week, Carrie’s fans in numerous cities sang along to her latest hit, “Hate My Heart,” and cameras caught all the action.

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1638992767060955138?s=46&t=uIo-zKfKtZ4P7eX-4uM8nQ

     

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S “THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR” COMES TO A TRIUMPHANT CLOSE WITH SOLD-OUT SHOW IN SEATTLE.

    Carrie Underwood, wrapped her 43-city arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, on Friday night with a sold-out show at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1637621351199416324

     

    “The Oklahoma singer prowled across the diamond-shaped stage like an apex predator, soared high over the crowd twice and even bashed a ferocious drum solo.  Throughout it all, she treated the raucous mix of young and older fans on hand to 24 of her biggest hits and brought her ‘Denim & Rhinestones” tour to a triumphant close.  The entire show was a frenetic rush of spectacle designed to keep people’s attention in the TikTok era of overstimulation, and it was executed at the highest level.”  – The Seattle Times

    “The most compelling portion of the concert – the heart of the show beyond even the songs, high-octane voice, special guests and sizzling production – was simply Underwood herself. The singer-songwriter radiated a pure joy and a full-throttle, energetic passion – hallmarks of an entertainer in full command of her artistry.” – Billboard

    “Underwood has been headlining arenas since 2007, with the show demonstrating why.  There’s a reason Underwood has drawn countless fans to country music and expanded the genre like the greats that came before her.  Onstage is where you feel her heart the most – and it all started with her voice.”  – American Songwriter

    “Underwood succeeded at making a solid case that she’s the highest-suited and most valued card in the metaphorical deck that is country music.” – The Tennessean
    The tour began with a sold-out performance in Greenville, SC on October 15th, 2022.  The first leg continued through November and resumed in Miami in February 2023 with stops at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena before concluding in Seattle, WA on Friday (March 17th). Carrie was joined on THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR by special guest Jimmie Allen on all dates.
    $1 from each ticket sold for THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR was contributed to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org), which has been helping America’s heroes since 9/11 by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.

    Additional highlights of the tour included:

    • At the top of her highly-anticipated sold-out “hometown” show in Nashville, Underwood thrilled the SRO crowd when country superstar Jason Aldean joined Carrie onstage to perform their multi-week #1 hit single, “If I Didn’t Love You,” usually performed by a virtual version of her duet partner in the tour’s set list.
    • Later in the Bridgestone show, the audience went wild when Carrie’s longtime friend and 11-time CMA Awards co-host Brad Paisley appeared next to her onstage.  The crowd roared as the beloved twosome performed a comedic parody number celebrating the unexpected reunion of “Paisleywood.”  Brad and Carrie kept the audience on their feet with their hit duet, “Remind Me.”
    • One of the nightly highlights of Carrie’s nearly two-hour set was when Jimmie Allen returned to the stage each night to join her for a rousing, crowd-pleasing rendition of the title track from her Denim & Rhinestones album, complete with a high-energy dance break.
    • During her L.A. show at Crypto.com Arena, Carrie brought the full house down with a surprise appearance by Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, who joined her for an electric performance of the band’s iconic “Welcome to the Jungle,” which she usually performs on her own as her first encore.  The pair first caused a frenzy last year with a surprise appearance during Underwood’s headlining Stagecoach set and she would later join the band for two 2022 performances at UK’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

    Other highlights of the show showcased Underwood’s renowned vocal range, creativity, dazzling wardrobe, and pure showmanship, as she seamlessly transitioned between cinematic storytelling, resolutely faithful performances, and high-powered rockstar delivery she is known for. Underwood was, quite literally, brought to new heights with impressive lifts and aerial stunts throughout the night, in addition to pyrotechnics that punctuated songs with flare and new live spins on her classic hits.  Underwood was joined onstage by her 8-piece band. THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR is directed by Barry Lather and Nick Whitehouse/Fireplay is the Production Designer.

    Following the conclusion of THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, Underwood resumes her ongoing REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, returning to the Resorts World Theatre in June.  The first artist to grace the stage of the new 5,000-seat, world-class theatre, she debuted her residency with a sold-out run in December 2021 and went on to perform additional sold-out runs through Spring 2022.  Tickets for 18 new 2023 show dates for REFLECTION, produced by Concerts West/ AEG Presents, are on sale now at AXS.com.

  • CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2023: Keith, Carrie, Kylie and more

    More performers have been announced for this year’s CMT Music Awards. Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson and Carly Pearce will all hit the stage, in addition to previously announced performers Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson and the hosts of the show, Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown.

    Carrie, a fan favorite and the winningest artist in CMT Music Awards history, is nominated for Video of the Year (“Hate My Heart”) and Female Video of the Year (“Ghost Story”).

    Keith Urban is the second most-nominated artist in the history of the CMT Music Awards. He is nominated for Video of the Year (“Wild Hearts”) and CMT Performance Video of the Year (“Wild Hearts” at last year’s CMT Music Awards).

    Kylie Morgan received her first awards nomination for CMT’s Female Breakthrough Video of the Year for “If He Wanted To He Would.” She couldn’t be more thrilled! “I got nominated for my first-ever CMT Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year for ‘If He Wanted To He Would,’” says Kylie. “I’ve only cried like 17 times. I’m still shaking about it. Thank you guys so much, and I’m so freaking excited.”

    The 2023 CMT Music Awards will air live from Moody Center in Austin, Texas beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT April 2nd on CBS. The three-hour special will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

    Voting for the 2023 CMT Music Awards is now open at vote.cmt.com.

    2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS Nominations:

    VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Top six nominees, from the first round of voting, will be announced on March 27. The final three nominees, from the second round of voting, will be announced on show day, April 2. Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.

    Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark & Pillbox Patti – “Bonfire at Tina’s”

    Blake Shelton – “No Body”

    Carrie Underwood – “Hate My Heart”

    Cody Johnson – “Human”

    Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley – “Worth a Shot”

    Gabby Barrett – “Pick Me Up”

    HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson – “wait in the truck”

    Jimmie Allen – “Down Home”

    Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – “Thank God”

    Keith Urban – “Wild Hearts”

    Kelsea Ballerini – “HEARTFIRST”

    Little Big Town – “Rich Man”

    Luke Bryan – “Country On”

    Luke Combs – “The Kind of Love We Make”

    Morgan Wallen – “You Proof”

    Walker Hayes – “AA”

    FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist.

    Carly Pearce – “What He Didn’t Do”

    Carrie Underwood – “Ghost Story”

    Gabby Barrett – “Pick Me Up”

    Kelsea Ballerini – “HEARTFIRST”

    Lainey Wilson – “Heart Like a Truck”

    Maren Morris – “Humble Quest”

    Miranda Lambert – “Actin’ Up”

    MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist.

    Bailey Zimmerman – “Rock and a Hard Place”

    Cody Johnson – “Human”

    Cole Swindell – “She Had Me at Heads Carolina”

    Jelly Roll – “Son of a Sinner”

    Kane Brown – “Like I Love Country Music”

    Luke Combs – “The Kind of Love We Make”

    Morgan Wallen – “Wasted on You”

    GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR;

    Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists.

    Dan + Shay – “You (Performance Video)”

    Lady A – “Summer State of Mind”

    Little Big Town – “Hell Yeah”

    Parmalee – “Take My Name”

    The War and Treaty – “That’s How Love Is Made”

    Zac Brown Band – “Out in the Middle”

    FEMALE BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video from a female artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.

    Avery Anna – “Narcissist”

    Kylie Morgan – “If He Wanted to He Would”

    MacKenzie Porter – “Pickup”

    Megan Moroney – “Tennessee Orange”

    Morgan Wade – “Wilder Days”

    Tiera Kennedy – “Found It in You”

    MALE BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

    Best video from a male artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.

    Bailey Zimmerman – “Fall in Love”

    Corey Kent – “Wild as Her”

    Drake Milligan – “Sounds Like Something I’d Do”

    Jackson Dean – “Don’t Come Lookin’”

    Jelly Roll – “Son of a Sinner”

    Nate Smith – “Whiskey on You”

    COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists.

    Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley – “Worth a Shot”

    HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson – “wait in the truck”

    Ingrid Andress with Sam Hunt – “Wishful Drinking”

    Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – “Thank God”

    Midland feat. Jon Pardi – “Longneck Way to Go”

    Russell Dickerson feat. Jake Scott – “She Likes It”

    Thomas Rhett & Katy Perry – “Where We Started”

    CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR:

    Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

    Black Pumas & Mickey Guyton – “Colors” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    Chris Stapleton – “Whenever You Come Around” (from “CMT Giants: Vince Gill”)

    Cody Johnson – “‘Til You Can’t” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson – “Never Say Never” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    Darius Rucker – “Let Her Cry” (from “CMT Storytellers”)

    Emmy Russell & Lukas Nelson – “Lay Me Down” (from “Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Loretta Lynn”)

    LeAnn Rimes with Ashley McBryde & Carly Pearce – “One Way Ticket” (from “CMT Crossroads: LeAnn Rimes & Friends”)

    Keith Urban – “Wild Hearts” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    The Judds – “Love Can Build a Bridge” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    Wynonna Judd & Brandi Carlile – “The Rose” (from “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration”)

    CMT DIGITAL-FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR:

    Musical performance from a production, series or livestream created for CMT digital / social channels; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).

    Charley Crockett – “Time of the Cottonwood Trees” (from “CMT Campfire Sessions”)

    Chris Young – “Gettin’ You Home” (from “CMT Stages”)

    Ingrid Andress – “Wishful Drinking” (from “CMT Studio Sessions”)

    Jelly Roll – “Son of a Sinner” (from “CMT All Access”)

    Megan Moroney – “Tennessee Orange” (from “CMT Viral to Verified”)

    Scotty McCreery – “Damn Strait” (from “CMT Campfire Sessions”)

    Audio / Kylie Morgan talks about her CMT Award nomination.

    Download

    Kylie Morgan (CMT nomination) OC: …freaking excited. :16
    “Hey y’all, it’s Kylie Morgan. I got nominated for my first-ever CMT Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year for ‘If He Wanted To He Would.’ I’ve only cried like 17 times. I’m still shaking about it. Thank you guys so much, and I’m so freaking excited.”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD WELCOMES GUNS N’ ROSES FRONTMAN AXL ROSE FOR SURPRISE PERFORMANCE OF “WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE” AT L.A.’s CRYPTO.COM ARENA STOP ON “THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR.”

    Carrie Underwood continued to rock the U.S. with a stellar show at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles last night, part of her 43-city arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR.

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1635704149361737728

    Near the end of her nearly 2-hour set, Underwood proceeded to bring the full house down with a surprise appearance by Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, who joined her for an electric performance of the band’s iconic “Welcome to the Jungle,” which Underwood usually performs on her own as her first encore.  The pair first caused a frenzy last year with a surprise appearance during Underwood’s headlining Stagecoach set and she would later join the band for two 2022 performances at UK’s Tottenham Hotspur Arena.

    A critical and commercial smash, the tour will play Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center and Portland’s MODA Center before wrapping this Friday, March 17 at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.  Underwood is joined on THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR by special guest Jimmie Allen on all dates. The tour is promoted by AEG Presents.

    For upcoming dates and more information, go to http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/tour/.

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD BRINGS HER SPECTACULAR “DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR” HOME TO SOLD-OUT BRIDGESTONE ARENA IN NASHVILLE.

    Carrie Underwood continues to rock the U.S., with a sold-out show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville last night, where she was joined onstage by surprise guests, country superstars Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley, in addition to special guest support Jimmie Allen, who joins Underwood on all dates of the tour.

    At the top of her highly-anticipated “hometown” show, Underwood greeted the SRO crowd, promising to blow the roof off the legendary venue, and was as good as her word throughout her entire two-hour set.

    Approximately 30 minutes into the two-hour plus show, the audience, already buzzing with electric energy, exploded when country superstar Jason Aldean joined Carrie onstage to perform their multi-week #1 hit single, “If I Didn’t Love You,” usually performed by a virtual version of her duet partner in the tour’s set list.

    The audience was surprised again later in the show, when Underwood’s longtime friend and 11-time CMA Awards co-host Brad Paisley appeared next to her onstage.  The crowd went wild as the pair performed a comedic parody number celebrating the unexpected reunion of “Paisleywood.”  Brad and Carrie went on to thrill the crowd with their hit duet, “Remind Me,” a beloved fan favorite.

    Another highlight of the evening was when Allen returned to the stage to join Underwood with a crowd-pleasing rendition of the title track from her Denim & Rhinestones album, complete with a high-energy dance break.

    Underwood’s 43-city arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, continues through March 17th, with upcoming stops including Ohio, Texas, Arizona, the Pacific Northwest, and L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena.  THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR is promoted by AEG Presents.

    Carrie is making her way up the country charts with “Hate My Heart.”

    For upcoming dates and more information, go to http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/tour/.

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she's having so much fun on her Denim & Rhinestones Tour.

    Download

    Carrie Underwood (Denim and Rhinestones Tour 2023) OC: …what we do. :27
    “We just have so much fun. I love this show so much. I feel like it’s definitely bigger and brighter and better than any tour we’ve ever done; a lot of elements in it. You know, I really just wanted to push myself and try new things and try to figure out different ways to entertain in different things I could do. This show is so much fun. The crowds have been so much fun. The band is so much fun, like there’s such a great energy whenever we get to be on stage.”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S “THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR” ROCKS MADISON SQUARE GARDEN.

    Carrie Underwood continues to rock the U.S. packing New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden last night, part of her 43-city arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR.  A critical and commercial smash, the tour continues through March 17, with upcoming shows including Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena.  Underwood is joined on THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR by special guest Jimmie Allen on all dates. The tour is promoted by AEG Presents.

    For upcoming dates and more information, go to http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/tour/.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Jordan Davis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood

    Jordan Davis will perform on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday (February 15th) beginning at 11:35pm ET. Jordan’s new album, Bluebird Days, will be available on Friday (February 17th). Actor Orlando Bloom will also appear on the show to talk about his new show, Carnival Row.  (FUN NOTE: Maybe the two can talk about their friendship with Luke Bryan. Jordan recorded the two-week No. 1, multi-platinum, CMA Song of the Year with pal Luke, while Orlando and Luke have a blossoming friendship due to Orlando’s fiance Katy Perry — Luke and Katy are fellow judges on American Idol.)

    Speaking of Luke Bryan, he will be at the judges’ table for the sixth time when American Idol returns this Sunday (February 19th), alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Check out this year’s premiere episode on Sunday beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC.

    https://twitter.com/AmericanIdol/status/1625228126736510976

     

    Carrie Underwood has a new family member. She shared photos of her new furbaby “Charlie” on her socials over the weekend. She met the fluffy puppy in Charlotte when the Pawsitive Impact North Carolina Dog Rescue brought some puppies to the venue prior to Carrie’s show on her Denim & Rhinestones Tour stop. She says that she and her family, including husband Mike Fisher and their two boys Isaiah and Jacob, had been searching for just the right puppy…and they obviously found her.

     

    Chrissy Metz appeared on NBC’s Today Show on Monday (February 13th) with her boyfriend Bradley Collins. The pair were on the show to wrote a new children’s book titled “When I Talk to God, I Talk About You.”

     

     

  • VALENTINE’S DAY AUDIO 2022

    Each year on February 14th, many people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special someone. The day of romance we call Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century.

    Over 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion.

    We’ve got some thoughts and feelings and more about love, romance and marriage from several of your favorite country artists. A few are new and some have become our favorites over the years. Which country stars are romantic? Which ones have a good reason to celebrate the holiday that’s all about love?

     

     

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his love for wife, Denise, over the years.

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    AJ (Valentine’s Day) OC: …continue to. :24

    “We got a lot of history together now, and we’re happier than we’ve ever been. So, she’s still beautiful, and she’s always inspired songs. I mean, one of my early hits was a song called ‘I’d Love You All Over Again,’ I wrote for her for our 10th anniversary. I mean, there’s been a zillion songs that have pieces of our good days and bad days inspired, and they continue to.”

    Audio / Billy Currington recalls his first real Valentine’s Day.

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    Billy Currington (Valentine’s Day memory) OC: …took off running. :21
    “Yeah, I remember my first girlfriend. I was in first or second grade, but anyway, I remember it was Valentine’s Day and your mom going, ‘You’ve got to give your girlfriend something, and you’ve got to go give it to her.’ I’ll never forget — we got her a box of chocolates or whatever it was. I remember going down to her classroom and knocking on the door, getting her to come to the door. I remember handing it to her, and then I took off running.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood is all about the chocolate most couples give each other on Valentine’s Day.

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    Carrie Underwood (Valentine’s Day-chocolate) OC: …white chocolate. :14
    “Chocolate’s every woman’s friend – in their time of need or in their time of happiness or in their time of sadness or madness, chocolate is my friend. Anything with caramel in it, ooooooooh. White chocolate’s good too. You can’t beat some good white chocolate.”

    Audio / DIERKS BENTLEY SAYS THE MOST INTERESTING GIFT HE AND HIS WIFE CASSIDY HAVE GIVEN EACH OTHER WERE MIXTAPES OF SONGS.

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    Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day-most interesting gift he’s given his wife) OC: …formulate yourself. 1:19
    “When ‘What Was I Thinkin’’ was released in 2003, I didn’t know what my life would look like, and all of a sudden, I found myself out on the road full-time, just gone. So, the place where I was staying, I had some friends pack it up and move it into a storage facility…and in there I found some letters that she and I had written back and forth when we were dating. I was working at The Nashville Network and she was working out in San Francisco and found some letters I had written her and I’d gotten back and some stuff she’d sent me, including a CD of songs she’d been listening to, back when you made CD mixes and there’s like these three hearts on that CD. I just found that it was so meaningful for me those gifts you give each other before any money, before anything else was going on, just music, giving of mixtapes was so cool. She reminded me of a mixtape that I had sent her. I’d sent it to her via FedEx, because it was so important she get this as quickly as possible. This was sadly before, I guess we had internet back then, but you really couldn’t send songs over the internet. I think the most interesting thing I’ve given her and she’s given me was just mixtapes, because there’s nothing like music to put into words and the thoughts you have in your head that you can’t formulate yourself.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi says he has learned a lot about love and about Valentine’s Day from his wife, Summer.

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    Jon Pardi (Valentine’s Day – Summer) OC: …for you. (laughs) :35
    “One thing Summer has taught me is that gifts are cool, diamonds, blah, blah, blah, but to take your time and clear your mind and write something about what she means to you on a card is probably the most least expensive and the biggest price you can give her is just to write and tell her how much you love her on a little card. That’s what she taught me for Valentine’s Day, so I just do that. It’s way cheaper. (laughs) And of course, I always say to her, ‘Babe, every day is Valentine’s Day for you.’” (laughs)

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about meeting his wife in New Orleans. They were both there attending separate weddings.

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    Jordan Davis (meeting wife) OC: …here we are. :47
    “My college roommate was getting married in New Orleans. My wife was in New Orleans for a totally separate wedding. Both wedding parties were staying at the same hotel, so we met, the first time, in the lobby of the hotel. I’m actually wearing a necklace that has the coordinates to that hotel. Then the next day, me and my brother walk into a bar in New Orleans, and her and her friends were sitting in the corner, and I was like, ‘Hey-that’s the girl from the lobby.’ She was actually dating somebody at the time. But we kind of exchanged numbers and stayed in contact, and about two months later, a month later, she came into town for CMA Music Fest and told me that she no longer had a boyfriend, and here we are.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about the Valentine's Day tradition he and his wife Kristen enjoy to this day.

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    Jordan Davis (Valentine’s Day tradition) OC: …happy Valentine’s. (laughs) 1:04
    “When it comes to Valentines, Kristen is way more romantic than I am. I’m not a very romantic guy. I have worked on it.  I’ve tried to get a little bit better over the years. Kristen loves chocolate so she’s good for a big chocolate box, but here’s our thing about Valentine’s Day, and this is the God’s honest truth. We’ve been going to Olive Garden on Valentine’s Day since we met. We’ve continued that tradition. I think it started with her and a friend, they used to always go to Olive Garden on Valentine’s Day before they started dating, or before they got in a relationship. So, we have carried that out, so this year will be our, I believe our eighth Valentines in a row where we go in for endless salad and bread sticks. So, if its Valentine’s Day, and you’re at an Olive Garden, we could be next to each other. So, yeah, hope to see somebody out there at the table next to us just hammering on some breadsticks. So, happy Valentine’s.” (laughs)

    Audio / Josh Turner says his wife would call him a romantic, but now that they have four children, it takes a bit of work to make time for each other.

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    Josh Turner (Romantic) OC: …long time to come. :26
    “If you ask my wife Jennifer if I was a romantic, she would definitely say, ‘Yes,’ but she knows that sometimes my hectic schedule and our busy lifestyles can kind of interfere with the romantic side of things. But we do try to make efforts towards being together and having adult conversations and taking time away from the children and doing things that husbands and wives do, so we’ll definitely try to continue that for a long time to come.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about the support he and his wife, Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, give each other, which is especially important when two creative artists are married to each other.

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    Keith Urban (Nicole support) OC: …very important. :17
    “I feel very blessed that I have the support of my family like I do. It’s a beautiful thing having two artists because we understand the passion and the responsibility of what we get to do. It’s very important.”

    Audio / Kylie Morgan says her husband Jay Allen is the most romantic person she's ever met.

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    Kylie Morgan (Valentine’s Day) OC: …I’ve ever had. :33
    “Man, I will say my husband Jay Allen, who is also a country music artist if you guys haven’t heard of him, he is the most romantic person I’ve ever met in my entire life, truly. For Valentine’s Day, gosh, two years ago, I came home to the entire house being lit with tiny candles, a whole dinner made with my favorite bottle of wine, and this was even before he proposed. So, a lot of people thought that he was gonna pop the question that night, but he saved that for a later time. But it was the most magical Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says falling in love with her husband, Stephen Schlapman, came as a big surprise.

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    Little Big Town (Kimberly falling in love) OC: …healed me. 1:20
    Kimberly: “Well, I wasn’t planning on falling in love, at all. I didn’t want to…I wasn’t sure that I ever would.  So, my husband now and I were just really good friends, and after my late husband died all my friends were calling me, all the time. Just checking up on me. He was just an old friends. We had known each other for about six years and he started calling me just like everybody else did.  But, he started calling me more than everybody else did [laughs]. We had both been through similar losses, he hadn’t lost a mate but he had lost a close friend, so we kind of bonded over that. I grieved, kind of, at him a lot. He took my grief, I had a lot of grief left, and he just took it and listened and accepted it and was so understanding and let me talk about my late husband all the time. We still talk about him a lot, and he’s totally fine with it. He says that, that made me who he fell in love with and he never minds if I bring anything from the past up which is just really sweet. I was shocked, I remember when I first realized that I was having feelings. I just thought, OK, this is so weird.  What is this?  I haven’t felt this in a long, long, time. This is weird. But, eventually I allowed myself and it’s been the most beautiful gift of my life. It pulled me out of the deepest hole that I’ve ever been in and healed me.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook had a chemistry performing together, but it wasn’t until they each found themselves single…at the same time…that sparks flew romantically. The pair, who wed in 2006, have a son, Elijah.

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    Little Big Town (Jimi & Karen fell in love) OC: (Kimberly) …to be together. :48

    JIMI: “We were in the band a long time before there was ever anything which is interesting. I think there was always something underlying there that we were kind of trying to ignore. And then when the opportunity came, when all of us, ended up single kind of at the same time, a very strange turn of events for the band in a lot of different ways. And those feelings, you were able to come out with them finally. It was like, we’re single. Let’s get together. And, you know, she has a beautiful heart and she’s absolutely gorgeous and I just love her dearly.”

    PHILLIP: “Get a room!” [laughs]

    KIMBERLY: “They’re a perfect match. They really are. They were meant to be together.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet was ready for love when he met Rebecca, his wife since 2007.

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    Little Big Town (Phillip – reasons fell in love) OC: …real love. :17
    “I think everything that I had gone through before had prepared me to be ready to see that there was genuine love there for me, and my Rebecca.  So, it was just a great time, I wouldn’t have been ready before I met her…Now it’s just been a really great journey to heal through the past and to know real love.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about marrying Caroline, his college sweetheart.

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    Luke Bryan (married college sweetheart) OC: …married. :27
    ”I married my college sweetheart. We dated back in college and broke up for nearly six years, and while I was off doing my Nashville stuff and touring and writing songs, she was finishing getting her career kind of going. Man, we just kinda bumped into each other one night, and it was like bam, here we are married.”

    Audio / Maddie & Tae’s Taylor Kerr talks about her husband, songwriter Josh Kerr. The pair are just about to celebrate their third anniversary as a married couple (they got married February 21st, 2020).

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    Maddie & Tae (Tae talking about husband Josh) OC: …that way, you know? :45
    “From the moment I met Josh, he never shied away from sharing what’s on his heart. For me, sharing what’s on my heart is sometimes hard, but he always created the environment and dynamic of it’s totally normal to open up and let people to see that side of you. And so, the more we spent time together, the more I kind of adopted that mindset of like, ‘Okay, I can be vulnerable. I can take risks. I can put myself out there and maybe get rejected, but maybe it could be awesome.’ Our relationship is that to a T. I was skeptical at first and I was scared, and he was scared. And we both just, we went all in, and I felt so safe to go there with him and he’s always made me feel that way, you know?”