• CMA AWARDS NOMINATIONS REVEALED.

    Lauren Alaina, Brothers Osborne and Dustin Lynch announced the final nominees for “The 51st Annual CMA Awards” Monday morning live from ABC’s “Good Morning America” studio in New York’s Times Square.

    Alaina emerged as a first-time nominee, making her debut in the New Artist of the Year category. Brothers Osborne will once again vie for Vocal Duo of the Year and also received a first-time nomination for Music Video with their anthemic “It Ain’t My Fault.”

    The artists revealed six categories live on-air, then announced the remaining six categories, along with finalists for the CMA Broadcast Awards, on GoodMorningAmerica.com as well as via “Good Morning America’s” Facebook page through Facebook Live and simulcast on “Good Morning America’s” YouTube channel.

    Little Big Town and Keith Urban each garner four nominations, tying for the second most nominations this year.

    Little Big Town’s nominations include Single, produced by Jay Joyce and mix engineered by Jason Hall and Joyce; Music Video of the Year directed by Becky Fluke and Reid Long for “Better Man”; Album of the Year for The Breaker, also produced by Joyce; and Vocal Group of the Year. This is Little Big Town’s fourth nomination for Music Video. They have been nominated in past years for “Pontoon” (2012), “Tornado” (2013), and “Girl Crush” (2015). They are seven-time CMA Awards winners and this year’s nods bring their career total to 26 nominations. Taylor Swift received her 23rd nomination for writing “Better Man,” marking her second nomination for Song of the Year and first CMA Awards nod since 2014.

    Urban tallied up nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Single and Music Video of the Year for “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and Male Vocalist. This is his thirteenth nomination for Male Vocalist and he is a three-time consecutive winner in this category (2004-2006). Urban is a 10-time CMA Awards winner. Songwriters for “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, and Steven Lee Olsen earned a nod for Song of the Year. “Blue Ain’t Your Color” Music Video Director Carter Smith is a first-time nominee. “Blue Ain’t Your Color” producer Dann Huff and mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge also earned nods. Urban received one nomination for Single of the Year, but can receive an additional trophy as producer.

    Eric Church
    and Chris Stapleton each earned three nominations.

    Church scored recognition in the Entertainer of the Year category, as well as Male Vocalist, his sixth consecutive nomination, and Musical Event of the Year for “Kill A Word” featuring first-time nominee Rhiannon Giddens. He is a three-time CMA Award winner with 25 total career nominations.

    Five-time CMA Awards winner Stapleton is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist and Album for From A Room: Volume 1, which was produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton. He receives one nomination for album, but can receive an additional trophy as producer. This is Stapleton’s third consecutive nomination for Male, which he’s won the past two years. He was also nominated for Entertainer last year and won Album for Traveller in 2015. He is an 11-time CMA Awards nominee.

    Brothers Osborne, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum and Jon Pardi garnered two nominations.

    Reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne earns their third nomination in this category. They also received their first Music Video nod for “It Ain’t My Fault,” directed by Wes Edwards and Ryan Silver. They’ve earned five career nominations.

    Hunt was recognized in the Single and Song categories for the record-setting “Body Like A Back Road,” produced and mix engineered by Zach Crowell, and written by Crowell, Hunt, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne. In 2015, Hunt received the same nods for “Take Your Time.” He is a five-time CMA Awards nominee.

    Lady Antebellum is nominated for Vocal Group of the Year and Album for their latest effort Heart Break, produced by busbee. Their previous records Need You Now (2010) and Own The Night (2012) both received Album nods. They are a 10-time consecutive (2008-2017) Vocal Group nominee and have won the category three years back to back (2009-2011).

    Newcomer Pardi burst onto the Awards scene with his first two CMA nominations this year. “Dirt On My Boots,” which he co-produced with Bart Butler, earned him a nod in the Single of the Year category. He receives one nomination as the artist, but can receive an additional trophy as producer. The song was mix engineered by Ryan Gore. “Dirt On My Boots” songwriters Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, and Ashley Gorley are also nominees. Additionally, Pardi received a New Artist of the Year nomination.

    Other first time CMA Awards nominees include Alaina, Combs, and Young in the New Artist of the Year category, and LOCASH in Duo. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit debuted in Album of the Year with The Nashville Sound, produced by Cobb.

    The 51st Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will be broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, November 8th at 8pm ET on ABC.

    For more information and a full list of nominees, visit CMAawards.com.

     

     
    The Final Nominees for “The 51st Annual CMA Awards” (by ballot category order):

     

    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

    Garth Brooks

    Luke Bryan

    Eric Church

    Chris Stapleton

    Keith Urban

     

    SINGLE OF THE YEAR

    (Award goes to Artist, Producer(s), and Mix Engineer(s))

    “Better Man” – Little Big Town

    Producer: Jay Joyce

    Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce

                                                                     

    “Blue Ain’t Your Color” – Keith Urban

    Producers: Dann Huff, Keith Urban

    Mix Engineer: Chris Lord-Alge

     

    “Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt

    Producer: Zach Crowell

    Mix Engineer: Zach Crowell

     

    “Dirt On My Boots” – Jon Pardi

    Producers: Bart Butler, Jon Pardi

    Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore

     

    “Tin Man” – Miranda Lambert

    Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse, Glenn Worf

    Mix Engineer: Eric Masse

     

    ALBUM OF THE YEAR

    (Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))

    The Breaker – Little Big Town

    Producer: Jay Joyce

     

    From A Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton

    Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton

     

    Heart Break – Lady Antebellum

    Producer: busbee

     

    The Nashville Sound – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

    Producer: Dave Cobb

     

    The Weight of These Wings – Miranda Lambert

    Producers: Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf, Eric Masse

    SONG OF THE YEAR

    (Award goes to Songwriter(s))

    “Better Man”

    Songwriter: Taylor Swift

     

    “Blue Ain’t Your Color”

    Songwriters: Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, Steven Lee Olsen

     

    “Body Like A Back Road”

    Songwriters: Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

     

    “Dirt On My Boots”

    Songwriters: Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley

     

    “Tin Man”

    Songwriters: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall

     

    FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

    Kelsea Ballerini

    Miranda Lambert

    Reba McEntire

    Maren Morris

    Carrie Underwood

     

    MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

    Dierks Bentley

    Eric Church

    Thomas Rhett

    Chris Stapleton

    Keith Urban

     

    VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

    Lady Antebellum

    Little Big Town

    Old Dominion

    Rascal Flatts

    Zac Brown Band

     

    VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

    Brothers Osborne

    Dan + Shay

    Florida Georgia Line

    LOCASH

    Maddie & Tae

     

    MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

    (Award goes to each Artist)

    “Craving You” – Thomas Rhett featuring Maren Morris

    “Funny How Time Slips Away” – Glen Campbell with Willie Nelson

    “Kill A Word” – Eric Church featuring Rhiannon Giddens

    “Setting the World on Fire” – Kenny Chesney with P!nk

    “Speak to a Girl” – Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

     

    MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

    (Award goes to Artist and Director(s))

    “Better Man” – Little Big Town

    Directors: Becky Fluke and Reid Long

     

    “Blue Ain’t Your Color” – Keith Urban

    Director: Carter Smith

     

    “Craving You” – Thomas Rhett featuring Maren Morris

    Director: TK McKamy

     

    “It Ain’t My Fault” – Brothers Osborne

    Directors: Wes Edwards and Ryan Silver

     

    “Vice” – Miranda Lambert

    Director: Trey Fanjoy

     

    NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

    Lauren Alaina

    Luke Combs

    Old Dominion

    Jon Pardi

    Brett Young

     

     

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD TAKES FANS BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF THE NEW SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL OPENING THEME.

    Carrie Underwood and several NFL stars go behind-the-scenes of the new Sunday Night Football theme.

     

    The new season begins September 10th on NBC with a match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Shania, Sam, Carrie, LBT, Josh, Keith

    Shania Twain will perform on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Shania Twain on Wednesday night (August 16th).

    Shania Twain joins the cast of John Travolta’s racing movie, Trading Paint, which is currently in production, according to Variety. The film, also featuring Michael Madsen (The Hateful Eight, Kill Bill, Donnie Brasco), Kevin Dunn (True Detective, Veep) and Toby Sebastian (Game of Thrones), is about a veteran race car driver and his son, a fellow driver, who overcome family and professional conflicts, balancing competition, ego, resentment and a racing nemesis to come out stronger on the other side.

    Sam Hunt and Carrie Underwood picked up trophies at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards over the weekend. Carrie took home the Choice Country Artist trophy, while Sam’s “Body Like a Back Road” was named the Choice Country Song.

    Little Big Town will perform on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday night (August 17th).

    Josh Turner’s ”Hometown Girl” has been certified gold by the RIAA for more than 500,000 digital downloads.

    Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” has been certified double platinum (for two million copies sold), while “The Fighter,” featuring Carrie Underwood, has gone gold.

  • KEITH URBAN GIVES THANKS FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT OF HIS ‘RIPCORD’ ALBUM.

    Keith Urban thanks fans, country radio, Carrie Underwood and many more for their support of his most recent No. 1 song, “The Fighter,” and for the overall appreciation for his album, Ripcord. See the video below.

     

     

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD CELEBRATES TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS TODAY: SHE RETURNS FOR A FIFTH SEASON PERFORMING THE THEME SONG FOR SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL…AND CELEBRATES A NO. 1 WITH KEITH URBAN ON ‘THE FIGHTER.’

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    Seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum superstar artist Carrie Underwood is celebrating two Number 1 announcements today as she returns for a fifth season to perform the opening theme for prime time television’s Number 1 program, NBC’s Sunday Night Football, and her vocal collaboration with Keith Urban on “The Fighter” lands at Number 1 on the Mediabase country airplay chart.

    A sneak preview of Carrie’s new show open for “Oh, Sunday Night” – which debuts Sept. 10 as the New York Giants visit the Dallas Cowboys in the season-opening SNF game – will air during the 49ers-Vikings NFL preseason game Sunday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

    10 NFL players, who have accounted for 30 Pro Bowl selections, four Super Bowl rings, and six first-round draft picks, participated in the open shoot at Universal Studios Hollywood in June.

    • Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown
    • Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr
    • New England Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower
    • Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce
    • Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones
    • Oakland Raiders LB Khalil Mack
    • Denver Broncos LB Von Miller
    • Arizona Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson
    • New York Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul
    • Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
    2017 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
    Thurs. Sept. 7 NFL Kickoff Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots
    Sun. Sept. 10 Week 1 New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
    Sun. Sept. 17 Week 2 Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
    Sun. Sept. 24 Week 3 Oakland Raiders at Washington Redskins
    Sun. Oct. 1 Week 4 Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks
    *Sun. Oct. 8 Week 5 Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans
    *Sun. Oct. 15 Week 6 New York Giants at Denver Broncos
    *Sun. Oct. 22 Week 7 Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots
    *Sun. Oct. 29 Week 8 Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
    *Sun. Nov. 5 Week 9 Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins
    *Sun. Nov. 12 Week 10 New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
    *Sun. Nov. 19 Week 11 Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
    **Thurs. Nov. 23 Week 12 New York Giants at Washington Redskins
    *Sun. Nov. 26 Week 12 Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
    *Sun. Dec. 3 Week 13 Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks
    *Sun. Dec. 10 Week 14 Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
    *Sun. Dec. 17 Week 15 Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders
    Sat. Dec. 23 Week 16 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
    *Sun. Dec. 31 Week 17 TBD

     

    *Flex Week

    ** Thanksgiving Night Game

    About Carrie Underwood:

    Carrie Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, and film. A seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner, she has amassed over 100 major honors, sold 64 million records worldwide, and recorded 26 #1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote, with a catalog of songs that have been streamed more than 2.6 billion times worldwide. The first female artist to be twice named the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year, Underwood was recognized by Pollstar as the top female country touring artist for each of her headlining tours in 2008, 2010, 2012, and for 2016’s “The Storyteller Tour – Stories in the Round.” Carrie also topped Billboard’s Top 25 Tours of 2016 as the leading female country artist and was the leading female artist on Country Aircheck’s top country radio performers list for her success in both 2015 and 2016. All five studio albums, Some Hearts, Carnival Ride, Play On, Blown Away, and Storyteller – are certified Platinum or multi-Platinum, and each an American Music Awards winner as Favorite Country Album – and tallied an incredible 40 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.  The RIAA’s highest certified country album artist to debut this century, Underwood also holds the distinction of the highest album certification of any country artist to emerge since 2000 with the 8x Multi-Platinum success of her 2005 debut, Some Hearts.  She is the all-time Top Country Artist (male or female) on RIAA’s Digital Single Ranking, also placing her among the Top 5 females in the history of RIAA’s Digital Single Program across all genres.  In December of 2014, she released her Platinum-certified Greatest Hits: Decade #1, which produced two new #1 hits co-written by Underwood, including the RIAA-Platinum, GRAMMY-winning “Something in the Water.”  The Grand Ole Opry member demonstrated her creative diversity in 2013 starring as Maria von Trapp in NBC’s three-hour holiday blockbuster, the Emmy®-winning The Sound of Music Live!, whose airings attracted 44 million viewers. The reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Underwood claimed her fourth win in the category amid the ongoing success of her chart-topping platinum fifth studio album, Storyteller, which produced four #1 hits. This November, Underwood will co-host the CMA Awards for a tenth consecutive year.

  • KEITH URBAN WASTED NO TIME IN WRITING “THE FIGHTER.”

    Keith Urban wrote “The Fighter,” his fifth single from his Ripcord album with busbee. The song was inspired by his early relationship with his wife Nicole Kidman, and it was apparently written very quickly, especially given the inspiration behind it.

    “The idea came very, very quickly. I was working with busbee that day. We were in London, and I was actually driving to the studio to work on this other song that we’d started, and I had most of the chorus in my head and felt like I had most of the song in my head; just had to flesh out the gist of the verses and everything. I walked into the studio and played him the chord progression, and he built this track really quickly, and then I could sing over the top of it,” says Keith. “It was just a very, very quick song to write, because I literally just thought about Nic and I and our relationship at the beginning and some of the things that we’d said and they all went into that song.”

    Keith takes “The Fighter,” plus several more of his hits to Paso Robles on Wednesday (July 26th).

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about writing his hit smash, “The Fighter,” which features Carrie Underwood.

    Download

    Keith Urban (writing The Fighter) OC: …that song. :56
    “The idea came very, very quickly. I was working with busbee that day. We were in London, and I was actually driving to the studio to work on this other song that we’d started, and I had most of the chorus in my head and felt like I had most of the song in my head; just had to flesh out the gist of the verses and everything. I walked into the studio and played him the chord progression, and he built this track really quickly, and then I could sing over the top of it. I think we put down the chorus pretty much straight away with busbee filling in where the girl would sing. I still have the copy of him singing, ‘What if I Fall,’ it’s so fantastic. And so, that’s what I had as a place holder for a long, long time until I beautifully heard Carrie’s voice on it finally one day. And it was just a very, very quick song to write, because I literally just thought about Nic and I and our relationship at the beginning and some of the things that we’d said and they all went into that song.”

    Video / Keith Urban The Fighter video

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  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD AND BRAD PAISLEY RETURN AS HOSTS OF THE CMA AWARDS FOR THE 10TH YEAR.

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    "The 51st Annual CMA Awards" logo

    “The 51st Annual CMA Awards” logo

    Superstars Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley announced they will be returning for the 10th time to host Country Music’s Biggest Night™ in 2017. The 51st Annual CMA Awards airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Wednesday, November 8th at 8pm ET on ABC.

    The return of the beloved CMA Awards hosts was announced at the Artist of the Day panel during this year’s CMA Music Festival.

    Brad and Carrie’s 10-year run as hosts is second only to Vince Gill’s 12-year run. To view Brad and Carrie’s greatest hosting moments, see below.

    Ticket information for the CMA Awards will be announced later with information available at CMAawards.com. Follow the conversation on Twitter at #CMAawards.

     

    Video / Brad & Carrie CMA Moments

    View
  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD HONORS FAN CLUB WITH PRIVATE PERFORMANCE AND NASHVILLE PREDS GEAR.

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    Grand Ole Opry member and seven-time GRAMMY®-winning superstar Carrie Underwood hosted a party for her official fan club at the Grand Ole Opry House today. The exclusive event for fan club members included a private performance, a raffle for prizes, and a photo with Carrie inside the Opry’s famed circle of wood. Fans were given Nashville Predators’ rally towels and celebrated last night’s win in a group photo with Carrie. Tonight Carrie will perform during two Grand Ole Opry shows.  

    Tomorrow Carrie will perform “The Fighter” with Keith Urban on the “2017 CMT Music Awards,” broadcasting LIVE from Music City Center in Nashville. Carrie holds the record for the most wins in the show’s history at 15, and is nominated again for 3 awards.

    On Saturday, Carrie will join Brad Paisley at Fan Fair X to reflect on the 50th Anniversary of the CMA Awards and their nine year run as hosts with executive producer Robert Deaton.

    To visit Carrie’s official fan club site, go to www.carrieunderwood.fm.
  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke, Shania, Little Big Town, Brothers Osborne, Carrie

    Luke Bryan is set to co-host NBC’s Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda Wednesday morning (June 7th) during the 10am hour.

    Shania Twain will perform during this year’s BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park taking place September 10th. Tickets go on sale Wednesday morning (June 7th). Blondie, James Blunt, Rick Astley and Take That will also perform.

    Little Big Town’s “Happy People” is included in Entertainment Weekly’s “Best Songs of the Year (So Far)” feature and is No. 2 on the all-genre list. Calvin Harris, feat. Frank Ocean and Migos on “Slide” is No. 1, while Lorde’s “Green Light,” Lana Del Ray’s “Love” and Drake’s “Passionfruit” are also on the list.

    Brothers Osborne performed during the Nashville Predators’ Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    Carrie Underwood will return to NBC’s Sunday Night Football for her fifth season of singing the theme song for the weekly NFL broadcast. The new season kicks off September 10th as the New York Giants take on the Dallas Cowboys. Check out last season’s opening, a reworking of her hit “Something Bad,” here.

    During this week’s rehearsals for Wednesday night’s (June 7th) CMT Music Awards, Luke Bryan and Jason Derulo will perform Luke’s No. 1 hit, “Strip It Down.” Catch the two of them below talking about the R&B singer’s excitement at being in Nashville and on the CMT Awards.

    Video / Luke Bryan and Jason Derulo

  • DIERKS BENTLEY PERFORMS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM DURING THE STANLEY CUP FINALS GAME 4.

    Wearing a Kevin Fiala jersey, Dierks Bentley performed the National Anthem before the Nashville Predators took on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final on Monday night (June 5th).

    Dierks, longtime Predators season ticket holder and all-around hockey fan, follows Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Vince Gill along with daughters Jenny and Corrina, Lady Antebellum, Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride in singing the Anthem during the Preds Stanley Cup playoff run.

    Carrie chatted with the NBC NHL analysts during the first intermission, while basketball legend Charles Barkley talked about the excitement of the Preds fans at Bridgestone Arena during the second. Kip Moore performed during Music City Gives Back, the pre-game concert, located on Broad and Fifth Avenue.

    Video / Dierks Bentley performing National Anthem during the Stanley Cup