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  • GRAMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Chris Stapleton, Brothers Osborne, Mickey Guyton, Kacey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood

    Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Chris Stapleton / Kacey Musgraves / Mickey Guyton

    The nominees for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today (November 23rd).

    Chris Stapleton has three nods including Best Country Album (Starting Over), Best Country Solo Performance (“You Should Probably Leave”) and Best Country Song (“Cold”).

    Mickey Guyton is nominated in three categories, including Best Country Solo Performance (“Remember Her Name”), Best Country Song (“Remember Her Name”), Best Country Album (Remember Her Name)

    Carrie Underwood has a pair of nominations for Best Roots Gospel Album (My Savior), Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“If I Didn’t Love You”) with Jason Aldean.

    Brothers Osborne pick up nominations for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Younger Me”), Best Country Album (Skeletons).

    Kacey Musgraves has a pair of nods for Best Country Solo Performance (“camera roll”) and Best Country Song (“camera roll”).

    The Grammy Awards ceremony will take place January 31st at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It will recognize the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021.

    Best Country Solo Performance

    “Forever After All,” Luke Combs
    “Remember Her Name,” Mickey Guyton
    “All I Do Is Drive,” Jason Isbell
    “Camera Roll,” Kacey Musgraves
    “You Should Probably Leave,” Chris Stapleton

    Best Country Duo/Group Performance

    “If I Didn’t Love You,” Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood
    “Younger Me,” Brothers Osborne
    “Glad You Exist,” Dan + Shay
    “Chasing After You,” Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris
    “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” Elle King and Miranda Lambert

    Best Country Song

    “Better Than We Found It,” Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, songwriters (Maren Morris)
    “Camera Roll,” Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves and Daniel Tashian, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
    “Cold,” Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon and Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
    “Country Again,” Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley and Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
    “Fancy Like,” Cameron Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins and Shane Stevens, songwriters (Walker Hayes)
    “Remember Her Name,” Mickey Guyton, Blake Hubbard, Jarrod Ingram and Parker Welling, songwriters (Mickey Guyton)

    Best Country Album

    “Skeletons,” Brothers Osborne
    “Remember Her Name,” Mickey Guyton
    “The Marfa Tapes,” Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall and Jack Ingram
    “The Ballad of Dood & Juanita,” Sturgill Simpson
    “Starting Over,” Chris Stapleton

    Best Roots Gospel Album

    “Alone With My Faith,” Harry Connick, Jr.
    “That’s Gospel, Brother,” Gaither Vocal Band
    “Keeping On,” Ernie Haase and Signature Sound
    “Songs For the Times,” The Isaacs
    “My Savior,” Carrie Underwood

     

  • JASON ALDEAN AND CARRIE UNDERWOOD TAKE “IF I DIDN’T LOVE YOU” TO THE TOP OF THE COUNTRY CHARTS.

    Audio
    Carrie Underwood

    “If I Didn’t Love You,” a duet between Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood, has tops the country charts this week. The song, written by Jason’s bandmates Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy, along with John Morgan and Lydia Vaughan, was the first time the pair of superstars recorded a duet together. Carrie is really thrilled for the writers of the smash hit.

    “The song was written by Kurt and Tully from Jason’s band and then John Morgan, who is like an artist/songwriter who Jason works with and then a new young songwriter, who’s very talented, named Lydia Vaughan. I’ve actually written with her kind of separately for other stuff and she’s super cool,” says Carrie. “So, they wrote this song and kind of what I love about the writers of the song is that two of them are in Jason’s band. They’ve known him for a long a time. They know his style, and then you have these two other artists and songwriters that that’s like they’re newer and this is kind of their first major write for them which is supercool that the song is doing so well for these young, these young’uns, to slide in there and have a really successful song right off the bat. So, I’m really excited for all of them.”

    The duet is available now and can be found on Jason’s upcoming album, Macon, which will be available November 12th.

    Carrie, who just released a special edition of her first Christmas album My Gift, is getting ready for her Las Vegas residency, Reflection, which begins December 1st at the Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas.

    Audio / Carrie Underwood is super excited for the writers of "If I Didn't Love You."

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    Carrie Underwood (songwriters on IIDLY) OC: …all of them. :53
    “The song was written by Kurt and Tully from Jason’s band and then John Morgan, who is like an artist/songwriter who Jason works with and then a new young songwriter, who’s very talented, named Lydia Vaughan. I’ve actually written with her kind of separately for other stuff and she’s super cool. So, they wrote this song and kind of what I love about the writers of the song is that two of them are in Jason’s band. They’ve known him for a long a time. They know his style, and then you have these two other artists and songwriters that that’s like they’re newer and this is kind of their first major write for them which is supercool that the song is doing so well for these young, these young’uns, to slide in there and have a really successful song right off the bat. So, I’m really excited for all of them.”

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  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD WINS 16TH AND 17TH AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS.

    Press
    Carrie Underwood

    Carrie Underwood has won her 16th and 17th American Music Awards, which were announced during a special TikTok livestream ahead of Sunday night’s “2021 American Music Awards” (AMAs), the world’s largest fan-voted awards show.  Additionally, Underwood and fellow nominee Jason Aldean performed their No. 1 smash hit duet “If I Didn’t Love You,” while showcasing their hometown influences and Southern roots, as part of ABC’s live telecast from L.A.’s Microsoft Theater on November 21st.

    2021 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS – The AMAs will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on ABC. (ABC)
    CARRIE UNDERWOOD

    Underwood’s 8th win for Favorite Female Country Artist and her first for Favorite Inspirational Artist elevate Underwood to tie Garth Brooks and Justin Bieber as the sixth top AMA winners of all time.  With 15 prior wins, including seven for Favorite Female Country Artist (2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Underwood was previously tied with Reba McEntire and Lionel Richie as the seventh highest all-time winners.

  • THANKSGIVING 2021 (Updated)

    Audio
    Alan Jackson / Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Caylee Hammack / Darius Rucker / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Jon Langston / Jon Pardi / Jordan Davis / Josh Turner / Keith Urban / Kip Moore / Maddie & Tae / Mickey Guyton / Parker McCollum / Priscilla Block / Reba McEntire / Sam Hunt / Travis Denning

    Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 25th, and most people might be enjoying time with a group of their friends and families, including some of your favorite country stars, such as Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Caylee Hammack, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Reba McEntire, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning and more. They share their thoughts of thanks this year, their lessons in gratitude, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

    The Thanksgiving holiday tradition traces its origins to a 1621 celebration at Plymouth, in the state that’s now known as Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. While initially, the Plymouth colony did not have enough food to feed half of the 102 colonists, the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by providing seeds and teaching them to fish. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival like this did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s. People now celebrate the holiday by giving thanks for their blessings over the past year, as well as feasting on turkey and other festive goodies.

    Some festive fun facts about Thanksgiving:

    • President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3rd, 1863.
    • Harry Truman is often credited with being the first president to pardon a turkey, but that’s not quite true. He was the first to receive a ceremonial turkey from the National Turkey Federation – and he had it for dinner. John F. Kennedy was the first to let a Thanksgiving turkey go, followed by Richard Nixon who sent his turkey to a petting zoo. George H.W. Bush is the president who formalized the turkey pardoning tradition in 1989.
    • The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500.
    • Butterball answers more than 100,000 turkey-cooking questions via their Butterball Turkey Hotline each November and December.
    • The tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1876 with a game between Yale and Princeton. The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920.

    Carrie Underwood and Mickey Guyton are among the artists performing during the 95th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, airing Thursday, November 25th at 9am ET/ 8am CT on NBC.

    To access Thanksgiving liners, click here.

     

     

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    AJ (Thanksgiving) OC: …enjoy it. :19
    “My favorite Thanksgiving dish would be the homemade dressin’ that we, cornbread-based kind of dressin’ that we always have with turkey. That recipe is a kind of a combination of my mama, and Denise has taken it and perfected it over the years, so that me and my children really enjoy it.”

    Audio / Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne says the whole family is going to be together this Thanksgiving.

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    Brothers Osborne (Thanksgiving 2021) OC: …I can’t wait.  :31
    “For this Thanksgiving it’s gonna be such a good time. I mean last year, we had a very scaled-back Thanksgiving. Everyone was worried about the pandemic, and rightfully so, but for this Thanksgiving, we’re coming back. We’re back with family. We’re all vaccinated. We’re gonna be hugging on each other, loving on each other and just celebrating the world coming back to somewhat normal. And our mom and dad, our mom’s been here for a while. Our dad and his girlfriend, Cindy, have officially moved down here, and we’re going to have the whole family together. It’s gonna be beautiful. I can’t wait.”

    Audio / Brothers Osborne talk about their favorite Thanksgiving tradition – a Misfits Thanksgiving -- that they started when they moved to Nashville because they couldn’t afford to go home for the holiday.

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    Brothers Osborne (Misfits Thanksgiving) OC: (TJ) …Happy holidays, y’all. 1:02
    “What’s up, y’all? It’s Brothers Osborne here. And a Thanksgiving tradition that we did for so many years. John and I would host what we would call a Misfits Thanksgiving, and we would have everyone, I mean we must’ve done this for 15 years or so and it really started because we didn’t have enough money to go back home to see our family, so we would hang out in Nashville. And so everyone that was kind of in our same shoes, we’d all end up at our house, and it really turned into really blossoming some of our most cherished relationships. We would be there with Kacey Musgraves. It was the first time I really got to hang out with Mickey Guyton (JOHN: “Maren Morris.”) Maren Morris. They would come over and we just became like family to each other because we couldn’t get home to see our own families. And that’s a Thanksgiving tradition that we still to this day try to keep, and it’s a revolving door of who’s there or who’s not there, but yeah, it’s a wonderful tradition. And let me tell you, spending it with our friends in Nashville, there’s a little less arguing than back home. (laughs)” JOHN: “We’re still arguing, but we get over it faster.” (laughs) TJ: “Anyways, Happy Holidays, y’all.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she and her family don’t have too many Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving) OC: …the other one. :34
    “We don’t have too many set-in-stone Thanksgiving traditions. I find myself a lot of times working on or around Thanksgiving or unable to get home or whatever. We try to be together, but sometimes that just doesn’t work out. But yeah, I mean, I think it’s just about we eat. I eat a lot every year on Thanksgiving. [laughs] I never skip THAT tradition. But yeah, that’s the gist of it, and I’m kind of lucky. I get two Thanksgivings, because I also get to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, so if I don’t hit one, I’ll definitely be able to get the other one.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, because she gets to just spend time with her family.

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    Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving) OC: …favorite holiday. :27
    “Thanksgiving is the one holiday where we stay at home. We stay at my family’s house, and it’s just me, my mom and dad, my brother and sister and their families. We all sit around and just eat all day. And I love Thanksgiving because you don’t have to worry about getting gifts for people; you don’t have to worry about wrapping them. You just show up and you eat all day with the people you love. So, I absolutely love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack talks about her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …cranberry jelly. :15
    “My favorite Thanksgiving meal (dish) is definitely cornbread dressing. My mom makes the best, er, some people call it stuffing, but I’ve always called it dressing for some reason. But I love that with canned cranberry jelly.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about his favorite part of Thanksgiving.

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    Darius Rucker (favorite part of Thanksgiving) OC: …my family. :17
    “My favorite part of Thanksgiving is easy – it’s food. It’s eating. It’s hanging out with family and getting some great food, ‘cause that’s really what Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for all of the great things you’ve got, and I always give thanks for the greatest thing I’ve got and that’s my family.”

     

    Audio / Darius Rucker says Thanksgiving is his favorite sports day of the year because of all the football games that are taking place.

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    Darius Rucker (Thanksgiving Day favorite sporting day) OC: …big for me. :10
    “Thanksgiving Day is my favorite sports day of the year. It’s crazy how much football you get to watch (laughs) on Thanksgiving Day, so I really like that a lot. Thanksgiving is big for me.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, who is thankful for his wife, two daughters and son, talks about his Thanksgiving must-have! It’s an oldie, but a goodie!

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    Dierks Bentley (Thanksgiving must-have) OC: …for Thanksgiving. :34
    “You gotta have a big turkey. Thanksgiving is not possible without a turkey. We cook it traditionally, but when we’re in, a couple of Thanksgivings ago, we were here in Nashville, we did the whole fry the turkey up, and it was great. It just tasted so good; all those juices get locked in there, and I love that too. You really can’t, to me, cook a turkey wrong. I’m gonna eat it any way, and I have over the years. Trust me, I’ve played a lot of county and state fairs, where I’ve seen gigantic turkey legs, you know, I’ve had the flat meat. I’ve done turkey every way you could do it. I’m pretty good any way you want to cook it up, but you’ve got to have a turkey for Thanksgiving.”

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

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    Eric Church (Thanksgiving) OC: …want to do it. :23
    “A couple of things. I’m thankful for my family and great health. And I’m thankful for from a career standpoint, I’m very thankful for the success we’ve had lately. I’m thankful for what the fans have done. I mean there’s a lot of stuff to be thankful for in that regard. And I’m thankful that I was given the opportunity to do it my own way. I’m thankful that I’m going to get to keep doing this and do it the way that I want to do it.”

    Audio / Jon Langston talks about his Thanksgiving tradition.

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    Jon Langston (Thanksgiving) OC: …pretty cool. :21
    “We always watch football on Thanksgiving. It was pretty cool in high school. It was a big deal in high school if you had practice on Thanksgiving Day because you made third round of the playoffs. So, in high school we always had practice on Thanksgiving, so I guess that was pretty cool. Everybody’s waking up on a cold Thanksgiving morning going to football practice, but yeah, pretty cool.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi lists all of the things he’s thankful for, including the fans, his wife and country radio.

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    Jon Pardi (Thanksgiving 2021) OC: …miss them. :31
    “I’m so thankful for all the fans that showed up at my concerts this year. There was a lot of concerts. There was a lot of fans. We always had a good time. I know the crowd did. It was a tough year, but we made it through it and that’s something to celebrate. And also my amazing wife Summer – thankful for her. And just being a part of country music. I’m thankful for that too, and country radio…and all the people at UMG that I don’t get to see a lot, but I still miss them.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis gives thanks for this year, but most importantly, for his healthy 3-month-old son, Locklan.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving 2021) OC: …thankful list. :16
    “This has been a great year both music-wise and personal, but I think the most thing I’m thankful for in 2021 is a healthy son, 3-month-old son Locklan. So, that’s definitely at the top of my thankful list.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about Thanksgiving traditions growing up.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving) OC: …lot of football. :12
    “When I was growing up at Thanksgiving, we just got all the family together. You know, did the traditional turkey, ham, all the sides, but it was always at either one of my grandparents’ house. Just a lot of family, a lot of food and a lot of football.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis says his favorite Thanksgiving side dish is green bean casserole.

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    Jordan Davis (Thanksgiving side dish) OC: …look forward to. :12
    “favorite side dish for Thanksgiving is green bean casserole, just the regular green beans from a can, nothing fancy, just do it the old-fashioned way. But that’s the thing I most look forward to.”

    Audio / Josh Turner shares his favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

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    Josh Turner (fave side dish) OC: …’em myself. [laughs] :24
    “Uh, deviled eggs! [laughs] Where I’m from in South Carolina, I don’t think I’ve tasted a bad deviled egg. It’s like everybody has their own twist on it, but they’re all good, but I always loved it when my mama made ‘em. I’m learning as I get older, making deviled eggs is no easy task. It’s more complicated than it looks, and so that’s probably why I never made ‘em myself.” [laughs]

    Audio / Josh Turner explains what he enjoys about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

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    Josh Turner (holidays) OC: …the peace and quiet. :38
    “I love being outside in nature and the outdoors, and the holidays is a great time for me to go and partake in that part of my life. A lot of times, Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a little cold to go fishing, but when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a great time to go hunting, especially in South Carolina, that’s when the temperatures are starting to drop and the conditions are getting right, and especially in November, kind of the tail end of the rut, as far as deer season. So, it’s a good time to get in the deer stand whether you kill anything or not, it’s just a great time to just get away from everything and get away from the noise and the lights and the diesel fumes [laughs] and just relax and just enjoy the peace and quiet.”

    Audio / Keith Urban gives thanks for many things, including his wife and two daughters.

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    Keith Urban (Thanksgiving) OC: …for me. :21
    “Thankful that, well, my marriage is just, it’s life-giving, not just life-changing, it’s been life-giving for me. And from there, we created life, and that’s just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And the effect that all of that has had in my work, has given life to it too, given it a sense of purpose and really deepened the experience for me.”

    Audio / Kip Moore says he usually goes home to Georgia for Thanksgiving.

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    Kip Moore (Thanksgiving) OC: …with them. :11
    “I [usually] go home for Thanksgiving. I love going home to see all them. I have five brothers and sisters and it’s a blast to go home and just catch up on their lives. I get so wrapped up in all this that I lose touch sometimes, and it’s cool to hear everything going on with them.”

    Audio / The members of Little Big Town love Thanksgiving since they get time off to be with their families.

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    LBT (Thanksgiving) 2 OC: (Kimberly) …and eat. :31
    KIMBERLY: “Thanksgiving—we love Thanksgiving, ‘cause we get to be with our families and we don’t often get to spend time with our families, our extended families, until the holidays. I love being around the table with my family and talking and laughing and cooking and eating…” JIMI: “And eating and eating and eating and eating…” PHILLIP: “The laughter around the eating, the good cheer, the celebration, the music…” JIMI: “The eating, going taking a nap, then coming back and eating.” KIMBERLY: “Go to bed with a full belly, take a nap, and then get up and eat.”

    Audio / Maddie & Tae talk about their Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Maddie & Tae (Thanksgiving) OC: (TAE) …I do. :41
    MADDIE: “I love Thanksgiving because I get to see my family, and it’s not as much pressure as Christmas I feel like because there are no gifts exchanged. It’s just all about quality time and I love quality time. My favorite dish is some broccoli-cheese casserole and Tae’s favorite dish, I know, is cranberry sauce, just plain. Just plain ole cranberry sauce, no turkey, just cranberry sauce.” TAE: “She knows.” MADDIE: “That’s it.” TAE: “I genuinely feel there’s something wrong with me. (MADDIE: “Out of the can.”) out of the can. My parents know just to have cranberry sauce for me, like no one else can touch it. There’s a home video where my brother Mason tries to eat it, and I’m like, ‘What are you doing? This is mine.’” MADDIE: “She eats it out of the can.” TAE: “I do.”

    Audio / Mickey Guyton talks about one of her favorite Thanksgiving traditions.

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    Mickey Guyton (Thanksgiving traditions) OC: …Thanksgiving traditions. :17
    “One of my Thanksgiving traditions is playing charades after Thanksgiving dinner. I’m not the most competitive person in the world, but as soon as you put some Charades in the picture, I am crazy, and you will definitely want to be on my team if we’re playing Charades. I’m just saying. So, that’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions.”

    Audio / Mickey Guyton reveals her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

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    Mickey Guyton (favorite Thanksgiving dish) OC: …both so much! :39
    “My favorite Thanksgiving dish that has to, has to, has to be at Thanksgiving dinner is dessert. Dessert is my favorite Thanksgiving dish. I mean, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s sweet. My mom actually makes an Italian cream cake that’s absolutely awesome. It’s homemade, and the entire family, that’s the first thing to go at Thanksgiving dinner. And my Grandma D, she makes a pecan pie that is awesome. She taught me how to make them when I was little, and I just love them, and that’s the other thing that I look forward to at Thanksgiving dinner, and I love them both so much!”

    Audio / Parker McCollum talks about his family’s Thanksgiving tradition.

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    Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving tradition) OC: …go there. :27
    “I mean, my parents have been split up for a long time, but they’re all from the same town. My mom and dad went to high school together and all that stuff and all the family still lives back there on both sides. So, we kind of do a Thanksgiving with my dad’s side of the family, but all my life, we’ve always gone to my mom’s parents’ house on Thanksgiving, and they got a big ole house and a bunch of property and it’s really where I grew up is right there. That’s kind of home for me, so that’s kind of our thing. We always go there.”

    Audio / One of Parker McCollum’s favorite dishes at Thanksgiving is his Aunt’s creamed corn.

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    Parker McCollum (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …creamed corn. Mmm hmmm. :04
    “My Aunt’s creamed corn is pretty bomb. I love creamed corn. Mmm hmmm.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block explains why she's super thankful this year.

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    Priscilla Block (Thanksgiving 2021) OC: …thankful this year. :18
    “With Thanksgiving coming up, I am so, so thankful for this past year. It has been unbelievable. I just feel like I am living my dream and everything that I have always dreamed of is finally happening, and I’m just super, super, super thankful this year.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block describes a typical Thanksgiving holiday with her family.

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    Priscilla Block (Thanksgiving) OC: …so much. :34
    “Thanksgiving has always been chaos, actually any holiday that my entire family is there is straight chaos. But for Thanksgiving, we all try so hard to be together and it’s such a fun holiday to, my family’s a little cheesy. Like, we actually still go around the table and being like, ‘What are you thankful for?’ ‘What are you thankful for?’ So, that means a lot where it’s not about presents, it’s not about anything else. It’s just about truly being thankful, and that’s why I love Thanksgiving so much.”

    Audio / Reba McEntire describes what makers her thankful this year at Thanksgiving.

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    Reba McEntire (Thankful) OC: …happy camper. :39
    “Omigosh I wake up in the morning grateful that I can, that I’m alive, I can breathe, I can move, I can get out of bed on my own. (I’m) very grateful for the lifestyle that I have and if anybody needs help, please Lord please, direct me in what you want me to do. Just grateful for getting Rex in my life and Riddler, my family being healthy and happy, my friends being healthy and happy. I’ve got a great job and people I love and get to work with, and I’ve got a huge faith. So, no matter what happens to me, I know where I’m going, so I’m a happy camper.”

    Audio / Sam Hunt talks about his favorite Thanksgiving eats.

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    Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …glass of milk. :12
    “When I pile my plate up, it’s mostly turkey and then I’ll put a little dressing on the side, and I’ll usually go ahead and grab my dessert on the first run [laughs] and have it ready before it all disappears.”

    Audio / Travis Denning explains what the perfect menu is for Thanksgiving.

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    Travis Denning (Thanksgiving menu) OC: …then beer. :17
    “The ideal Thanksgiving menu to me is a little bit of turkey, but definitely prioritizing ham. I’m a firm believer in ham at Thanksgiving. Squash casserole, broccoli casserole, stuffing and then beer.”

    Audio / Travis Denning talks about a typical Thanksgiving holiday growing up.

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    Travis Denning (typical Thanksgiving holiday) OC: …a lot of people. :22
    “A typical Thanksgiving growing up was essentially and the men of the family – Dad and Uncle Mike and my granddaddy — watching football, while grandmama and my mom pretty much yelled at each other in the kitchen the whole day. But they threw down and made the best food you could ever imagine, which you know is kind of how it is for a lot of people.”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD RELEASES DIGITAL-ONLY HOLIDAY TRACK, “STRETCHY PANTS.”

    Press
    Carrie Underwood

    Carrie Underwood delighted fans with a “Christmas Bonus” – a comedic digital-only holiday track, “Stretchy Pants,” released globally today.  The track is available here and is accompanied by a fun-filled animated video at stretchypantssong.com, created especially for the song.

    According to Underwood, the song was inspired by the joys of holiday treats and feasts.  “People know that I am a champion for a healthy lifestyle, but a big part of that is balance. There are times to be disciplined, and then there are times when we need to eat and drink and be merry and enjoy ourselves with family and friends,” says Underwood.  “When Hillary, Chris, and I were writing some more serious Christmas songs, one day we took a fun detour and just had the best time writing this song.  We knew it would bring a lot of fun and joy to people, but I also wanted to do something good with it that would help people. I immediately thought about Brad and Kim’s charity, The Store, and how we could use this song to help them and their mission to bring joy to folks that need it, especially during the holiday season. Everybody should be able to afford feasts for the holidays, and everybody should have the opportunity to break out those stretchy pants!”

    “Stretchy Pants” was written by Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Chris DeStefano, the songwriting combo who have written such hits as Underwood’s “Little Toy Guns” and “Smoke Break.”  Their most recent collaboration, “Favorite Time Of Year,” appears on Underwood’s My Gift (Special Edition), which was released September 24 and debuted #1 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums Chart.  “Stretchy Pants” was produced by DeStefano.

    The animated video for “Stretchy Pants” is directed and produced by Andrew Seth Cohen and Ryan Kieffer of Confidential Creative.

    A portion of the proceeds from streaming and downloads of “Stretchy Pants” will be donated to The Store, the Nashville-based organization which was co-founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley and empowers those seeking self-sufficiency in a manner that fosters hope. The Store provides a free shopping experience for qualified families and individuals, based on the belief that choice is a key element in protecting the dignity of others.

    Limited edition holiday “Stretchy Pants” are available at the Official Carrie Underwood Online Store.

    About Carrie Underwood
    Carrie Underwood is a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, film, and as a New York Times bestselling author and successful entrepreneur.  She has sold more than 66 million records worldwide, recorded 28 #1 singles (14 of which she co-wrote), and has seven albums that are certified Platinum or Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, all while continuing to sell out arena tours across North America and the UK.  All nine of her consecutive album releases (two of which she co-produced) from the beginning of her career debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Chart, making her the only artist to accomplish that feat.  She has won over 100 major awards including 7 GRAMMY® Awards, 15 ACM Awards including three for Entertainer of the Year (the first female in history to win twice and the only female ever to win three times), 23 CMT Music Awards (holding the record for the most award wins ever for the show), 7 CMA Awards, and 15 American Music Awards. She has also built a successful business portfolio inspired by her passion for health and wellness, including her fitness and lifestyle brand, CALIA by Carrie Underwood, bestselling book, FIND YOUR PATH, her fit52 app, and a partnership with BODYARMOR Sports Drink.  She recently announced her first-ever residency, REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, at The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas, which will begin December 1.

    About The Store
    The Store, co-founded by the Paisleys, is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit retail store that opened for in-store customers on March 12, 2020, following the March 3 tornado that devastated parts of Nashville. The Store was open for only four days when the COVID-19 pandemic became widespread, and it was obvious in-store shopping was not going to be feasible. A new plan was needed, and staff, partners and volunteers all worked diligently to reach people in need as they were sheltered at home. A home delivery system for the elderly was immediately put in place and curbside pick-up was implemented. By the time the COVID relief model had concluded, The Store had served over 1.5 million meals. This July, The Store reopened to in-store shopping and are now serving 350 families a month. For more information on The Store go to www.thestore.org.

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  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD, JASON ALDEAN, KANE BROWN, NEW EDITION AND NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK SET TO PERFORM ON THE “2021 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS”

    Press
    Carrie Underwood

    Performers for this year’s new AMAs featured segments, “My Hometown,” were announced. They will join the star-studded lineup for the “2021 American Music Awards,” the world’s largest fan-voted awards show. With Cardi B in her hosting debut, the AMAs will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 21st, at 8pm EST/PST on ABC and streaming next day on Hulu.

    • This year’s new “My Hometown” segments will feature the towns, humble beginnings, influential individuals and mentors that helped shape today’s superstars, and will take fans for a walk down memory lane.
    • Country superstar and 15-time AMA winner Carrie Underwood will join fellow 2021 nominee Jason Aldean for a special performance of their smash hit duet “If I Didn’t Love You,” while showcasing their hometown influence and Southern roots.
    • Five-time AMA winner Kane Brown will perform at Tennessee State University (TSU), a notable HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Brown will give fans a look into his Tennessee and Georgia roots and personal musical journey as an artist, culminating in a performance of his hit “One Mississippi” at TSU.
    • The AMAs will be grounds for an epic “Battle of Boston” that will see the two iconic boy bands from Beantown, New Edition and New Kids on the Block sharing the stage for the very first time for a can’t-miss performance. Two-time AMA winners New Edition will make a much-anticipated return having last performed at the AMAs in 1997, while this will mark the return of two-time AMA winners New Kids on the Block, who last performed on the show in 2010.
    • Underwood, Aldean, Brown, New Edition and New Kids on the Block join previously announced performers Bad Bunny, with the world premiere performance of “Lo Siento BB:/,” BTS with Megan Thee Stallion for the world television premiere performance of “Butter,” and Olivia Rodrigo for her AMAs performance debut.

    About the “2021 American Music Awards”:

    • As it approaches its semicentennial anniversary next year, the AMAs represents the top achievements in music, as determined by the fans. A vibrant night of nonstop music, the AMAs features a powerful lineup featuring first-time collaborations and exclusive world premiere performances from music’s biggest names – from Pop to Rap to R&B to Country to Latin to K-Pop – and more, as well as memorable moments that live on in pop culture.
    • As the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, the AMAs will air globally across a footprint of linear and digital platforms in over 120 countries and territories.
    • Voting for all awards is now open globally via TikTok. Fans can vote once per category per day by searching “AMAs” on TikTok. You can also access the voting hub by clicking here.
    • Nominees are based on key fan interactions – as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album sales, song sales and radio airplay. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partner MRC Data, and cover the time period Sept. 25, 2020, through Sept. 23, 2021. The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans.
    • The “2021 American Music Awards” is produced by MRC Live & Alternative and Jesse Collins Entertainment. For the latest American Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube), online at theamas.com and ABC.com, and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.
    • The “2021 American Music Awards” is sponsored by Xfinity.
    • Tickets are now on sale at www.axs.com

  • OUTSTANDING CMA PERFORMANCES FROM ERIC CHURCH, CHRIS STAPLETON, KEITH URBAN, LUKE BRYAN, CARRIE UNDERWOOD, BROTHERS OSBORNE, MICKEY GUYTON AND MORE.

    Carrie Underwood / Eric Church / Luke Bryan / Mickey Guyton

    The 55th Annual CMA Awards were not only about giving out trophies, but it was about the music and several artists put their best foot forward showcasing just what makes their songs connect with fans worldwide.

    Eric Church blew the doors off of the Bridgestone Arena with his flaming performance of his latest single, “Heart On Fire.”

    Chris Stapleton turned in a soulful and off-the-charts performance with his song, “Cold,” from his CMA Award-winning Album of the Year, Starting Over.

    Chris also hit the stage with the fabulous Oscar-winning actress and singer, Jennifer Hudson, that just about brought the house down with a medley of “Night Life” and “You Are My Sunshine.” “Night Life” was written by Willie Nelson and recorded by numerous artists such as Ray Price, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who JHud plays in the feature film, RESPECT, released nationwide this past August.

    Mickey Guyton joined forces with Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards to perform “Love My Hair” from her Remember Her Name album. The song was introduced by young Faith Fennidy, who was sent home from school three years ago when she was told her braids were distracting and who inspired the song.

    Keith Urban performed his latest single, “Wild Hearts,” which he co-wrote with Brad Tursi of Old Dominion, Eric Paslay and Jennifer Wayne and dedicated to all of the “born-to-be rock stars” and all of the dreamers.

    Brothers Osborne performed “Younger Me,” which was inspired by their younger selves. The song’s video was nominated for CMA Video of the Year.

     

    CMA Awards show host Luke Bryan performed his latest, “Up,” and ended the show with his No. 1 “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” with several folks dancing with the same sentiment.

     

    Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean took to the stage to perform their recent two-week chart-topper, “If I Didn’t Love You.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • CMA AWARDS SET THE STAGE FOR THE 55TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS TOMORROW NIGHT!

    Audio
    Alan Jackson / Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Chris Stapleton / Darius Rucker / Deana Carter / Eric Church / Jordan Davis / Keith Urban / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Maddie & Tae / Mickey Guyton

    The 55th Annual CMA Awards take place on Wednesday (November 10th), and UMG Nashville will be represented in many of the night’s categories, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist, Album, Group, Duo, Single, Song, Musical Event and New Artist.

    With 30 CMA Awards nominations already under his belt, reigning Entertainer of the Year Eric Church scores five additional nominations this year, bringing his total to 35 nominations and four previous wins. In addition to a nod in the Entertainer of the Year category again this year, he claims his eighth nomination in the Male Vocalist of the Year category and fifth nomination in the Album (Heart), Single (“Hell Of A View”) and Song of the Year (“Hell Of A View”) categories. Heart was produced by Joyce and mixed by Hall and Joyce. “Hell Of A View” was written by Casey Beathard, Church and Monty Criswell, and was also produced by Joyce and mixed by Hall and Joyce.

    Bringing his total nominations to 26, Chris Stapleton adds five CMA Awards nominations to his previous 21 in five categories – Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year(Starting Over), Single of the Year (“Starting Over”) and Song of the Year (“Starting Over”), including producer credits in both the Album and Single categories. This brings his total nominations in the Entertainer category to five and tallies his seventh nomination in the Male Vocalist category, which he’s won four times. Starting Over was produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton and mixed by Vance Powell. “Starting Over” was written by Mike Henderson and Stapleton, produced by Cobb and Stapleton and mixed by Powell. Stapleton is a 10-time CMA Awards winner.

    Brothers Osborne scores three CMA nominations. The pair return to this year’s ballot in the Vocal Duo of the Year category for the seventh consecutive year – a trophy they’ve claimed three times. This marks the brothers’ first nomination in the Album of the Year category, a nod they receive for Skeletons, while they collect their third nomination in the Music Video of the Year category for “Younger Me.” The “Younger Me” video was directed by Reid Long. Skeletons was produced by Joyce and mixed by Hall and Joyce.

    Dierks Bentley has a pair of nods as Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Gone.”

    Carrie Underwood returns to the Entertainer of the Year category, while Little Big Town is nominated for Group of the Year. Maddie and Tae are nominated in the Duo of the Year category.

    Jordan Davis scores his very first CMA nomination in the Musical Event category for “Buy Dirt” featuring Luke Bryan.

    Mickey Guyton also scores her first CMA nod in the New Artist of the Year category.

    CMA PERFORMERS INCLUDE: The night will see show host Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley feat. BRELAND and HARDY, as well as Keith Urban, Gabby Barrett, Thomas Rhett, Zac Brown Band and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson perform on the CMA stage as well as Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood, Jimmie Allen, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Mickey Guyton feat. Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, and Chris Young and Kane Brown for this year’s show.

    Luke Bryan – “Up”
    Dierks Bentley – “Beers On Me”
    Keith Urban – “Wild Hearts”
    Carrie Underwood with Jason Aldean – “If I Didn’t Love You”
    Mickey Guyton, feat. Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards – “Love My Hair”
    Eric Church – “Heart On Fire”
    Brothers Osborne – “Younger Me”
    Chris Stapleton — “Cold”

    CMA PRESENTERS INCLUDE Alan Jackson, Darius Rucker, Deana Carter, Trace Adkins, Ingrid Andress, Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Daigle, Russell Dickerson, Faith Fennidy, Florida Georgia Line, Freddie Freeman, Amy Grant, Dulé Hill,  Elle King, Lady A, Zachary Levi, Scotty McCreery, Hayley Orrantia, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie,  Susan Sarandon, Saycon Sengbloh, Kurt Warner, Lainey Wilson, and Trisha Yearwood.

    The 55th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan, will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 10th at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC.

    CMA AWARDS NOMINATIONS:

    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

    • Eric Church  
    • Luke Combs
    • Miranda Lambert
    • Chris Stapleton  
    • Carrie Underwood

    ALBUM OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist and Producer(s) 

    • 29 – Carly Pearce
      Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Jimmy Robbins
      Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
    • Dangerous: The Double Album – Morgan Wallen
      Producers: Dave Cohen, Matt Dragstrem, Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome and Joey Moi
      Mix Engineer: Joey Moi
    • Heart – Eric Church
      Producer: Jay Joyce
      Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce 
    • Skeletons – Brothers Osborne
      Producer: Jay Joyce
      Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce 
    • Starting Over – Chris Stapleton
      Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
      Mix Engineer: Vance Powell 

     

    FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

    • Gabby Barrett
    • Miranda Lambert
    • Ashley McBryde
    • Maren Morris
    • Carly Pearce

     

    MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR  

    • Dierks Bentley 
    • Eric Church    
    • Luke Combs
    • Thomas Rhett
    • Chris Stapleton

    VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

    • Lady A
    • Little Big Town
    • Midland
    • Old Dominion
    • Zac Brown Band

    VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

    • Brooks & Dunn
    • Brothers Osborne  
    • Dan + Shay
    • Florida Georgia Line
    • Maddie & Tae

    SINGLE OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer

    • “Famous Friends” – Chris Young with Kane Brown
      Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young
      Mix Engineer: Sean Moffitt
    • “The Good Ones” – Gabby Barrett
      Producers: Ross Copperman, Zach Kale
      Mix Engineers: Chris Galland, Manny Marroquin
    • “Hell Of A View” – Eric Church
      Producer: Jay Joyce 
      Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
    • “One Night Standards” – Ashley McBryde
      Producer: Jay Joyce
      Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
    • “Starting Over” – Chris Stapleton
      Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
      Mix Engineer: Vance Powell 

     

    SONG OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Songwriters 

    • “Forever After All”
      Songwriters: Luke Combs, Drew Parker, Robert Williford
    • “The Good Ones”
      Songwriters: Gabby Barrett, Zach Kale, Emily Landis, Jim McCormick
    • “Hell Of A View”
      Songwriters: Casey Beathard, Eric Church, Monty Criswell  
    • “One Night Standards”
      Songwriters: Nicolette Hayford, Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde
    • “Starting Over”
      Songwriters: Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton  

     

    MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artists and Producer(s) 

    • “Buy Dirt” – Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan
      Producer: Paul DiGiovanni  
    • “Chasing After You” – Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
      Producers: Aaron Eshuis, Teddy Reimer
    • “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” – Elle King & Miranda Lambert
      Producer: Martin Johnson
    • “Famous Friends” – Chris Young with Kane Brown
      Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young
    • “half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney)
      Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins

    MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Award goes to Artist(s) and Director 

    • “Chasing After You” – Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
      Director: TK McKamy
    • “Famous Friends” – Chris Young with Kane Brown
      Director: Peter Zavadil
    • “Gone” – Dierks Bentley
      Directors: Wes Edwards, Travis Nicholson, Ed Pryor, Running Bear, Sam Siske
    • “half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney)
      Director: Patrick Tracy
    • “Younger Me” – Brothers Osborne
      Director: Reid Long  


    NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

    • Jimmie Allen
    • Ingrid Andress
    • Gabby Barrett
    • Mickey Guyton 
    • HARDY

    MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

    • Jenee Fleenor, Fiddle
    • Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar
    • Aaron Sterling, Drums
    • Ilya Toshinskiy, Banjo
    • Derek Wells, Guitar

     

     

    Audio / Luke Bryan, who is nominated for Musical Event of the Year for “Buy Dirt” with Jordan Davis, talks about hosting this year’s CMA Awards.

    Download

    Luke Bryan (hosting the CMA Awards) OC: …chance to do. :31
    “To be a representative of the music that I love, to be someone to carry on a tradition and to be the host and conduct this show with elegance, class, humor, reverence, to really make the show an example of country music and to represent the show to the best of my ability to the people watching at home is a big task and it’s something I’m so honored to have the chance to do.”

    Audio / Host Luke Bryan talks about what to expect from this year’s CMA Awards.

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    Luke Bryan (what to expect at CMA Awards) OC: …through their music. :26
    “If you’ve never seen the CMA Awards, first of all, pray for the guy hosting and sit back and enjoy an example and microcosm of many, many flavors of music, the realness and relatability and the stories of the songs that you’re hearing and the uniqueness of the artists and how the artists gives you where they’re from, who they are through their music.”

    Audio / Chris Stapleton, who is up for five at Wednesday night’s CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist, Album, Single and Song of the Year, says he’s always grateful for the moment of recognition.

    Download

    Chris Stapleton (grateful for awards) OC: …grateful for the moment. :30
    “Well I’ll take ’em home with me I guess once they send ’em Yeah I guess you have to at some point, but it still is a very… I’m thankful for it and it’s very nice and there’s a lot of great people doing a lot of great things making a lot of great music and working really hard and so when you get this kind of a thing going, I don’t think anybody deserves it. It’s a lot of luck and a lot of stars lining up so, I’m grateful for the moment.”

    Audio / CHRIS STAPLETON RESPONDS TO A QUESTION ABOUT A THEME IN HIS NEW ALBUM, STARTING OVER."

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    Chris Stapleton (theme of Starting Over album) OC: …as humans. :54
    “I’ve never really looked at records necessarily as having a theme.  I’ve never made a record in that kind of a constraint necessarily. And there are a lot of great records that have this theme and this overlying thread that kind of runs through them.  Maybe the thread for me is just I’m singing. I wrote a bulk of the songs. It’s the same guys playing all the songs. If there’s a theme – if there’s a theme it’s hopefully there’s a theme of truth somewhere in it. And what I mean by that is hopefully we’re conveying in the songs some experiences that feel real and hopefully people can find themselves in those songs and in the album. And for me if I’m looking for a theme it’s that kind of, I don’t know, that thing that binds us all together as humans.”

    Audio / Following his CMA win for Entertainer of the Year last year, Eric Church says he didn’t know just how much that award would mean to him and how subsequent Entertainer nods would mean more now.

    Download

    Eric Church (Entertainer of the Year) OC: …live up to. :51
    “Coming off the CMA Entertainer of the Year – I’ve said this in interviews and I really believe this – I did not know what that award would mean to me because we’d never won that award (laughs) and never thought we would, and I felt a responsibility. I know what that award means to the format; I know what that means historically, and I tried to live up to that. I think with the vaccinations, I think with the touring, I think with the things we’ve tried to do during this, I’ve done more in that regard than I ever would’ve, because I understand the people that came before me, and I understand the people that will come after me. So, that nomination means more to me now than it probably ever has, because we’ve won. I think representing the format that I adore is something that I’m trying to live up to.”

    Audio / ERIC CHURCH TALKS ABOUT WRITING HIS CMA-NOMINATED HELL OF A VIEW.

    Download

    Eric Church (writing HOAV) OC: …biggest ones. 1:11
    “Writing ‘Hell of a View,’ we were in North Carolina. We were in the mountains, and actually that song, I’d went out for a jog one day. We had a pretty good weather day and Casey Beatherd, one of the writers on the song, had been with Monty Criswell earlier. They had kind of worked on some of the song and hadn’t played it for me yet. I went out to jog and I came back in, and Casey was kind of standing up looking out the window and I can tell he’s playing. And when I opened the door, he looked up at me and he said, ‘Don’t say anything. You’ve got to hear this. This is really good.’ He immediately started playing the first part of the song. [One] verse or so, I was hooked. I was in. I loved the way he had the line, ‘caught your wings on fire/when I smoked my Bronco tires out of town,’ and I just thought that was such a great line, and I was smitten with it at that point of time. So, we finished it that night, later that day/night and then recorded it, and it came out great. I knew it was pretty special when it went down. It was always a song that I knew was a big hit, but at the same time it has that timeless quality to it and it’s gonna be one of our biggest ones.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about Entertainer of the Year nomination.

    Download

    Carrie Underwood (Entertainer) OC: …fantastic company. :18
    “I personally feel like entertainer. It’s everything, right? So, I feel like people kind of narrow it down to tours, but I feel like there’s so many more components to it. And, you know, I’m blessed and lucky to be nominated, obviously, and fantastic company.”

    Audio / BROTHERS OSBORNE’S JOHN OSBORNE EXPLAINS WHY THE DUO MADE THE ALBUM, SKELETONS.

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    Brothers Osborne (how Skeletons was made) OC: …came about. 1:02
    “Skeletons is a record that was essentially brought on because we wanted to play more new songs live. So going into this record T.J. and I decided let’s make a record that no matter what song we just cherry pick out of the record we can do it during our show. And that is how we decided the songs that we ended up on the record. And we started with just like every other artist, 30, 40 plus songs. We started whittling them down, ‘well we might be able to play that. I don’t know if we would be able to play that.’ And that’s how we ended up with Skeletons. And it was really birthed from just playing live shows. One of the cool things about this record is that this is the first record where our entire band is playing on it. Previous records our drummer Adam and our bass player Pete they were playing, but this one has our other guitar player Jason and our keys player Billy Justin now. And it made a huge difference because for the first time we all got in the studio after playing hundreds of shows together, we put the headphones on and started playing and it was like oh it’s just the guys. We’re jamming with the dudes. And that’s how the record came about.”

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS EXPLAINS HOW LUKE BRYAN ENDED UP ON HIS SONG, “BUY DIRT.”

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    Jordan Davis (Luke Bryan on Buy Dirt) OC: …my songs now. 1:13
    “I met Luke three or four years ago at an awards show after party, and got to hang with him, but I really kind of got to sit and talk with him after a round of golf one day, and we just really talked about everything under the sun aside from music. Luke kind of embodies what that song is. You know a lot of people get to see Luke on American Idol or on stage, but Luke Bryan really is a great guy. I sent him a message one day, a text message actually attached with the song, and I was like, ‘Hey Luke, I wrote this. It means a lot to me. You came to mind whenever I was thinking about it, through the writing process, and this song just kind of says what you’re about, and if you want to sing on it, great, no pressure. Don’t even feel the need to text me back or whatever. Just listen to it and let me know.’ And he got right back with me. He’s like, ‘Man I love the song. Let me live with it for a couple of days.’ And he called me back four or five days later and was like, ‘When do you want me singing on this thing?’ That was a pretty cool moment. I’m such a big fan of Luke, and he’s been a huge influence on me since I moved to Nashville, and pretty cool to have him on one of my songs now.”

    Audio / Mickey Guyton is still in shock over her CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year.

    Download

    Mickey Guyton (CMA nomination) OC: …appreciate it. :33
    “I didn’t even really pay attention to the CMA nominations, ‘cause I was like there’s no way that they would ever nominate me for anything, and I’m getting all these phone calls like, ‘Congratulations on your CMA nomination.’ I think my manager sent me an email or sent me text, and I’m just like, ‘WHAT?!’ Like this is crazy ‘cause I’m not new at all. I’m actually quite ancient in this industry. It’s still quite shocking, but I am very grateful and I’m grateful that they gave me this opportunity and wanted to give me flowers. I take that, and I appreciate it.” Mickey Guyton (CMA nomination) OC: …appreciate it. :33
    “I didn’t even really pay attention to the CMA nominations, ‘cause I was like there’s no way that they would ever nominate me for anything, and I’m getting all these phone calls like, ‘Congratulations on your CMA nomination.’ I think my manager sent me an email or sent me text, and I’m just like, ‘WHAT?!’ Like this is crazy ‘cause I’m not new at all. I’m actually quite ancient in this industry. It’s still quite shocking, but I am very grateful and I’m grateful that they gave me this opportunity and wanted to give me flowers. I take that, and I appreciate it.”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S MY GIFT (SPECIAL EDITION) AVAILABLE ON VINYL TODAY.

    Press
    Carrie Underwood

    Seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner and 2021 CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee Carrie Underwood’s My Gift (Special Edition) is available on vinyl today.  The album, featuring three new tracks, was released digitally and on CD September 24, debuting #1 on Billboard’s Holiday Albums chart.

    Additionally, My Gift has just been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA).  Initially released September 25, 2020, Underwood’s first-ever Christmas album, also debuted #1 across multiple global charts, including Billboard’s Country, Christian and Holiday Album charts and has remained on the seasonal albums chart all 57 weeks since its release.  To date, there have been over 225 million global streams for My Gift and My Gift (Special Edition) combined.

    Produced and arranged by Greg Wells, My Gift is a combination of beloved traditional songs celebrating the spiritual nature of Christmas and several originals, including her collaboration with John Legend, “Hallelujah.”  My Gift (Special Edition) features three additional tracks: “Favorite Time Of Year” and “All Is Well,” both produced by Greg Wells, and “Let There Be Peace/Something In The Water (LIVE From HBO Max’s MY GIFT: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood).”

    My Gift (Special Edition) is now available on Crystal Clear Double Vinyl here.  A limited-edition White Vinyl version of the album will be sold at Walmart stores and Walmart.com and an exclusive limited-edition Green Vinyl edition with a collectible poster is available at Target stores and at Target.com. HBO Max is currently streaming “My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood,” which premiered in December 2020, becoming an instant holiday classic.

    On November 10th, Underwood and Jason Aldean will perform their multi-week #1 smash hit duet, “If I Didn’t Love You” on ABC’s 55th CMA Awards, where she is nominated for 2021 Entertainer of the Year.  Underwood will also appear on the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with a performance from her Christmas album, airing November 25 on NBC.

    Underwood has just been nominated for Country Artist of the Year for the 2021 People’s Choice Awards and recently won the 2021 Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for her collaboration with gospel superstar CeCe Winans, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” from Underwood’s critically acclaimed album of gospel hymns, My Savior, co-produced by David Garcia and Underwood.  She recently added two new career milestones with the RIAA’s 9x Platinum certification of her 2005 debut album, Some Hearts, and the 7x Platinum certification of her global smash hit single from that album, “Before He Cheats,” continuing her reign as the number one certified Country female artist in music history for digital singles.

    About Carrie Underwood:
    Carrie Underwood is a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, film, and as a New York Times bestselling author and successful entrepreneur.  She has sold more than 66 million records worldwide, recorded 28 #1 singles (14 of which she co-wrote), and has seven albums that are certified Platinum or Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, all while continuing to sell out arena tours across North America and the UK.  All nine of her consecutive album releases (two of which she co-produced) from the beginning of her career debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Chart, making her the only artist to accomplish that feat.  She has won over 100 major awards including 7 GRAMMY® Awards, 15 ACM Awards including three for Entertainer of the Year (the first female in history to win twice and the only female ever to win three times), 23 CMT Music Awards (holding the record for the most award wins ever for the show), 7 CMA Awards, and 15 American Music Awards. She has also built a successful business portfolio inspired by her passion for health and wellness, including her fitness and lifestyle brand, CALIA by Carrie Underwood, bestselling book, FIND YOUR PATH, her fit52 app, and a partnership with BODYARMOR Sports Drink.  She recently announced her first-ever residency, REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, at The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas, which will begin December 1.

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood

    Press
    Carrie Underwood / Chris Stapleton / Reba McEntire

    Reba McEntire teams up with her Reba co-star and friend, Melissa Peterman, on Tuesday (October 5th) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic show on Facebook Live at 6pm ET/5pm CT.

     

    Chris Stapleton is set to perform his latest song, “You Should Probably Leave,” on NBC’s Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday (October 5th). Check local listings for time.

     

    Carrie Underwood will return to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry on October 23rd.