Maddie & Tae released their holiday EP, We Need Christmas, this past fall. They performed “Merry Married Christmas” on CBS’ “The Talk” this week. Check out their performance below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lbdi1tw-zo&ab_channel=TheTalk
Maddie & Tae released their holiday EP, We Need Christmas, this past fall. They performed “Merry Married Christmas” on CBS’ “The Talk” this week. Check out their performance below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lbdi1tw-zo&ab_channel=TheTalk
Platinum-selling duo Maddie & Tae released their first ever holiday EP, We Need Christmas, this year. The six-track project features two originals, “Merry Married Christmas” and the title track “We Need Christmas,” plus beloved holiday favorites including “This Christmas,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
“I think more than ever, as we say in We Need Christmas, we really need all the joy and hope and love that the holiday season brings,” says Maddie Font. “There’s just something about Christmas that kind of silences all the chaos for a couple of days where you just get to quiet down with your loved ones. We’re so excited to celebrate Christmas this year and really cherish that quality time that we didn’t get as much of this year with quarantining and everything. And,” she adds, “we get to blast our own Christmas songs for our families!”
THIS year may look a little different for the duo because of the global pandemic. Maddie Font says “Plans for Christmas in quarantine this year for us, we’re gonna safely go down to Texas and probably stay for a little while and we are just gonna try to make it as normal as possible. Maybe we don’t get to see everyone, but whoever we get to see I’ll be so excited. We’re already talking about for our grandmas of doing a little drive-by, something fun where we can like throw out presents. They can’t be fragile ‘cause that’ll be bad. (laughs) Like a real Santa Claus thing.”
Taylor Kerr (Dye) says one of her favorite and most personal Christmas memories was in 2017, and it involves a new family member making her appearance right before the holiday.
“This is gonna be a personal one for me. Christmas 2017 was right around the time my niece was born,” says Tae. “She was born on December 11th, so right before Christmas, she was like the best Christmas gift ever, so basically I got to spend the whole month of December with her and my sister-in-law and brother, just holding that baby. So, that’s probably going to be one of my favorite Christmas memories ever.”
Find more audio with this platinum-selling duo about their favorite childhood Christmas gifts, favorite Christmas movies, favorite Christmas food and much, much more.
Maddie & Tae (Christmas 2020) OC: …Santa Claus thing. :40
MADDIE: “Plans for Christmas in quarantine this year for us, we’re gonna safely go down to Texas and probably stay for a little while and we are just gonna try to make it as normal as possible.” TAE: “We’re gonna do the same – safely go to Oklahoma and be with our families safely.” MADDIE: “Maybe we don’t get to see everyone, but whoever we get to see I’ll be so excited. We’re already talking about for our grandmas of doing a little drive-by, something fun where we can like throw out presents. They can’t be fragile ‘cause that’ll be bad. (laughs)” TAE: “No fra-gee-lee presents.” MADDIE: “(laughs) Like a real Santa Claus thing.”
Maddie & Tae (Christmas music) OC: …so happy. :19
“What makes Christmas music so enjoyable and so fun to listen to is just how classic it is. There’s songs that you grew up listening to that some of your favorite artists end up singing or there’s a song that reminds you of a memory. It’s just very nostalgic and just the instrumentation is just so happy.”
Maddie & Tae (Christmas) OC: (Tae) …memories ever. :23
“This is gonna be a personal one for me. Christmas 2017 was right around the time my niece was born. She was born on December 11th, so right before Christmas, she was like the best Christmas gift ever, so basically I got to spend the whole month of December with her and my sister-in-law and brother, just holding that baby. So, that’s probably going to be one of my favorite Christmas memories ever.”
Maddie & Tae (Christmas food) OC: …breakfast casserole. :33
“One Christmas food we can’t live without…” TAE: “Mine’s cranberry sauce. Mmmmm. Straight out of the can.” MADDIE: “I think mine is mashed potatoes. I love mashed potatoes. I also I make this thing called corn pudding, where it’s like cornbread casserole. Oh, it’s so good. It’s like one of the staples.” TAE: “Oh, I just thought of my family tradition. It’s breakfast casserole. Every (Christmas) morning, we open our gifts and eat breakfast casserole. That’s been ever since I was a kid.” MADDIE: “Can you share that recipe because I need to make it?” TAE: “It’s so good.” MADDIE: “I love breakfast casserole.”
Maddie & Tae (favorite Christmas movies) OC: …YES! :24
MADDIE: “Favorite Christmas movie? I know Tae’s.” TAE: “What?” MADDIE: “Polar Express!” TAE: “I do love me some Polar Express. Every time the kids do the duet, my heart breaks.” MADDIE: “I would say my favorite Christmas movie – I love Polar Express. I love Arthur Christmas.” TAE: “Arthur Christmas is great. People sleep on that one.” MADDIE: “And The Holiday! Ahhhhhh.” TAE: “I’ve never seen that one.” MADDIE: “Jude Law-It’s a rom-com, but it’s so heartwarming.” TAE: “Christmas movie night.” MADDIE: “YES!”
Maddie & Tae (Maddie’s Christmas traditions) OC: …White Elephant. :31
“We always get a real tree every year, because Jonah’s a stickler for a real tree thing. We always shave off a little part of the bottom of the tree and make an ornament out of the little thing, so we’ll put the year on all of them and collect them. We’ve actually just started collecting nutcrackers, which is super weird, but we name them all. Oh, and White Elephant. We play White Elephant on the Font side of things, and I always end up with the best gift somehow, because Jonah and I tag team White Elephant.”
Maddie & Tae (favorite Christmas gifts) OC: …favorite Christmas. :40
MADDIE: “My favorite Christmas gift as a child was definitely my karaoke machine. My sister and I, we have so many videos of us just, I mean I can’t even believe it’s even lasted. That karaoke machine, I mean, it was hanging in there for like 10 years. Like, it was holding on for dear life, because I was using it every single day.” (laughs) TAE: “My favorite Christmas gift as a child – most people probably don’t really know this about me, but I actually collect snow globes, and as a child I started out collecting dolphin snow globes. It’s very weird, and then it evolved to angels and now it’s a Christmas tradition that every year for Christmas, I get another snow globe. So, it started out as a child, so it’s my favorite gift.”
Multi-Platinum-selling country duo Maddie & Tae are rounding out 2020 with performances coming up on The Talk (Dec. 15), GMA 3 (Dec. 18) and Disney Park’s Magical Christmas Celebration on ABC Christmas morning (Dec. 25). Plus, they are hosting CMT Hot 20’s Christmas Countdown episode premiering this weekend. Maddie & Tae also recently shared their talents with the nonprofit Musicians On Call, performing for its “I’m On Call for Tennessee” holiday concert available now for patients, families and staff at healthcare facilities across the state.
With a loaded tour schedule abruptly cut short, Maddie & Tae still managed to fill their year with music, releasing the critically acclaimed album The Way It Feels in April. The award-winning pair received widespread praise from Billboard, Esquire, NPR, People, Rolling Stone, The Tennessean, The Washington Post and more on the album Associated Press says is “filled with glorious songwriting and harmonies.” The Way It Feels includes Maddie & Tae’s most recent Platinum-selling No. 1 hit and one of Billboard’s Top 10 Country Songs of 2020, “Die From A Broken Heart.” Culminating with “Die From A Broken Heart” topping the country airplay charts, the best friends share their successes, failures and everything in between- catch up on Maddie & Tae’s Reframed documentary series HERE.
Rolling Stone recognizes the duo as “some of the tightest harmonies on Music Row,” which they display in full on their first ever holiday project, We Need Christmas, a six-song collection of originals and beloved holiday classics. In addition to providing your Christmas soundtrack, Maddie & Tae help you spice up the festivities offering a “how-to guide” for boozy gingerbread cocktails and cookies- watch HERE.
For more information, visit MaddieandTae.com.
Multi-platinum selling, award-winning duo Maddie & Tae release the official video for “We Need Christmas” today. Written by Maddie & Tae along with AJ Pruis and Matthew West, “We Need Christmas” offers a hopeful plea for peace and healing this holiday season.
This world could use a little healing
Our hearts could surely use something to believe in
We need Christmas now more than ever
Bring us together
We need Christmas come on December
Help us remember
The joy, the peace and the hope that love can bring
And the bells hear ’em ring
Let all the angels sing
Oh we need Christmas
“We Need Christmas” is the title track to the duo’s first ever holiday album out now on Mercury Nashville. The six-track project produced by Jimmy Robbins and Derek Wells features two originals including “We Need Christmas” and “Merry Married Christmas,” plus beloved holiday favorites including “This Christmas,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Listen to We Need Christmas HERE
For more information, visit MaddieandTae.com.
Here are some holiday liners from UMG Nashville artists, including Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Caylee Hammack, Chrissy Metz, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kacey Musgraves, Kassi Ashton, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Kylie Morgan, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Travis Denning and more!
“Hey everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick. Happy Holidays.”
“Hi! This is Alan Jackson, and I’m wishing y’all a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hi! Billy Currington here, wishing you and your family a safe and Happy Holiday Season.”
“Hey! This is T.J., and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”
“Hey, it’s Carrie Underwood. From our house to yours – Merry Christmas.”
“Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack. Merry Christmas!”
“Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack. Happy Holidays, everybody!”
“Hey! This is Chrissy Metz, wishing you Happy Holidays.”
“Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”
“Hey! This is Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey everybody! It’s Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Happy Holiday season.”
“Hey everybody! It’s Eric Church, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey! This is Gary Allan. Merry Christmas.”
“Hey everybody! This is George Strait, wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season.”
“Hey y’all, this is Jon Langston, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey y’all, this is Jon Langston. Happy Holidays!”
“Hey! This is Jon Pardi, wishing you a Merry Christmas!”
“Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey! I’m Josh Turner, wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season.”
“Hey! This is Kacey Musgraves, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hi folks, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hi everyone, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and all your family the very best this holiday season.”
“Hey guys, this is Kip Moore, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”
“Hey y’all, it’s Kip Moore. Happy Holidays!”
“Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey! This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”
“Hey! We’re Little Big Town, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Holidays!”
“Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”
“Hey! It’s Luke Bryan. Happy Holidays!”
“Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”
“Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae. Happy Holidays.”
“Hey! It’s Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”
“Hey, I’m Parker McCollum, and I’m wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.”
“Hey-Reba here-hoping you have a very Merry Christmas. Ho, Ho, Ho.”
“Hey, this is Reba, wishing you a Happy Holiday Season.”
“Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Happy Holidays!”
“Hi! This is Shania Twain, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
“Hey, this is Taylor Swift, wishing you a very Happy Holiday Season.”
“Hey! I’m Travis Denning. Happy Holidays.”
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® announced today it will present “Cracker Barrel Sounds of the Season,” a musical, family-friendly holiday feature with performances by superstar Carrie Underwood, with Maddie & Tae and Runaway June. The special holiday feature will debut on Cracker Barrel’s YouTube and Facebook pages on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and then will continue to be available throughout the holiday season. For a sneak peek, click here.
In the holiday feature, Cracker Barrel brings legendary and rising female country music artists together through lively conversations, holiday games and special musical performances to showcase how they are continuing their favorite traditions with their loved ones this year – at a time when many people are reimagining seasonal celebrations. The “Cracker Barrel Sounds of the Season” feature reunites Underwood with the all-female tour mates she brought onto her “Cry Pretty Tour 360” last year.
“Being a part of this special collaboration with Cracker Barrel and my friends, Maddie & Tae and Runaway June, is a fun way to celebrate the holiday season,” said Carrie Underwood. “Music lifts spirits and is a big part of our holiday traditions, which are as important as ever this year.”
During the holiday event, fans will be treated to a special performance from Underwood’s first-ever Christmas album “My Gift” – available at Cracker Barrel stores and online, along with special collaborations with Maddie & Tae and Runaway June. For those wanting to embrace the classic comfort of holiday music all season long, artist performances will be available across Cracker Barrel’s social media channels throughout December and all three artists’ new Christmas music will be played in Cracker Barrel stores nationwide.
“We are excited to be teaming up with Cracker Barrel and our friends to share how we are continuing our favorite traditions with loved ones this year and to share special performances with our fans and Cracker Barrel lovers,” said Maddie & Tae. “All three of us have released our first Christmas album/EP and original Christmas songs this year, and it’s incredibly special to have Cracker Barrel bring us all together to celebrate musical holiday traditions and to be able to make them our own in this way.”
“Holidays are a time to disconnect and bond with families, friends and loved ones, and our hope is that ‘Cracker Barrel Sounds of the Season’ provides the opportunity to do so,” said Runaway June. “We are so appreciative of Cracker Barrel, whose commitment to supporting women in country music continues with this campaign, for letting us be a part of bringing the joyful sounds of the holidays to homes nationwide.”
“As this year comes to a close, we want to do something extra special for those craving the comforts of familiar holiday traditions,” Cracker Barrel Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Tate said. “Our hope is that ‘Cracker Barrel Sounds of the Season’ will bring joy to families amid these uncertain times and provide a way for loved ones to connect this holiday season – whether celebrating near or far.”
More details on how to celebrate the holidays with Cracker Barrel can be found at www.crackerbarrel.com.
“Hey I’m Adam Hambrick, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hi! This is Alan Jackson. I hope y’all have a very happy Thanksgiving out there.”
“Hey Guys, I’m Billy Currington. Have a great Thanksgiving.”
“Hey y’all! This is Brandon Lay. Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey! This is TJ, and this is John, and we’re wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
Hey y’all This is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey–this is Chrissy Metz, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Hey! It’s Dierks Bentley! Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Hey folks! It’s Eric Church, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey guys! Gary Allan here. I just want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving, and have a Happy Holidays and make sure you’re safe out there. Drive safe. Party your butts off, but do it safe.”
“Hi! This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey everybody, what’s up? We’re Hootie & the Blowfish, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
Hey y’all, I’m Jon Langston, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.
“Hey! It’s Jon Pardi, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey I’m Jordan Davis. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.”
“Hey y’all I’m Josh Turner, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
[[audio-player-19]
“Happy Thanksgiving everybody. It’s Keith Urban here. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all of you listening for your incredible love and support that I’ve received over the last year, and to wish you and all of your family all the very best for this holiday.”
“Hey what’s up guys, this is Kip Moore wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey! This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Hey, we’re Little Big Town. Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Hey everybody! I’m Maddie, and I’m Tae, and we’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey! It’s Mickey Guyton here, and I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey everybody. I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hi! This is Priscilla Block, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hey y’all! It’s Travis Denning, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“The 54th Annual CMA Awards” take place on Wednesday (November 11th), and UMG Nashville will be represented in many of the night’s categories, including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist, Male Vocalist, Album, Group, Duo, Music Video and more.
Eric Church, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are vying for Entertainer of the Year, alongside Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert.
Keith earned three nods this year, including Entertainer, Male Vocalist and Musical Event of the Year for Thomas Rhett’s “Be A Light,” which features Keith, Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin.
Eric Church and Carrie Underwood each earned two nods apiece – both have an Entertainer of the Year nomination, as well as Male Vocalist and Female Vocalist, respectively. Chris Stapleton is up against Church for Male Vocalist, but also has a Music Video nomination for his LEGO-themed “Second One to Know.”
Jon Pardi is nominated in the Album of the Year category for the acclaimed Heartache Medication collection.
Little Big Town is nominated for Vocal Group of the Year; Brothers Osborne and Maddie & Tae are up for Duo of the Year, while Kacey Musgraves is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year.
Reba McEntire is nominated alongside Keith Urban for Musical Event of the Year for Thomas Rhett’s “Be A Light,” which also features Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin.
Caylee Hammack is also nominated in the Musical Event of the Year category for “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” with Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Elle King, Ashley McBryde and Tenille Townes.
“The 54th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker, will be broadcast live from Nashville on Wednesday (November 11th) at 8pm ET on ABC.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist and Producer(s)
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer
SONG OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Songwriters
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artists and Producer(s)
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s) and Director
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Eric Church (performing energy) OC: …type of crowd. :40
“Well, I think for me every night I try to empty the tank. There’s always that energy floating around. It’s a palpable thing, and it’s up to me to start that exchange and get the crowd to give it back to me and then watch it build on itself and just to have that experience. We have one night here in whatever city we’re in, you know, we’ve got this night. I’m not gonna see you for a while you’re not gonna see me for a while, you know? And I love being able to capitalize on that moment and trying to live in that moment and get as much energy exchange between myself and the crowd as we can. I love that. That’s my favorite part of what we do. I love being around people, I’m very passionate about my music, and I love people who are passionate about the music too and I love playing a show for that type of crowd.”
Carrie Underwood (performing live on stage) OC: …a lot of fun. :35
“I think my favorite thing about performing live is just getting kind of lost in the music and the show. I have as much fun as hopefully everybody sitting out in the audience is having. I get to connect with the fans. I get to see people. The people that are streaming music and downloading music and buying albums, they’re finally in front of me. To get to have that moment with them is so much fun. The lights and the costumes and getting to have moments with my band members on stage, I mean it’s all a lot of fun.”
Keith Urban (winning EOY in 2005) OC: …magical night. :43
“What I remember about the Entertainer of the Year category in 2005 was that first feeling when people say it’s just an honor to be nominated, and I thought, ‘I know what that means! I know what that feels like,’ because for me it was a huge honor to be nominated so soon into my recording career. To be in that category, it just felt unbelievably quick for me. And then when they read my name out as the winner, I think I actually said, ‘I thought I was just rounding out the category,’ because [laughs] I thought you’ve got to have four or five people in the category. I truly did not expect that to happen. It was just such a magical night.”
Jon Pardi (CMA Album of the Year nod) OC: …I can, again. :28
“Having a CMA Album of the Year nomination is amazing. Just being acknowledged by my peers and all of the people in the industry is so awesome, and we worked so hard on this record and we’re still working hard on all our albums, and it’s just awesome. And so, as I get ready to make the fourth record, this is just telling me to stay on track. So, thank you for everybody for getting me this nomination, and it’s pretty awesome. And I will try to do the best fourth record I can, again.”
Chris Stapleton (realizing dream) OC: …larger dream. :15
“It’s an unimaginable, fairy-tale of a thing really, and we’re so proud just to get to just make music and go out and play it for people and make records and that’s the dream. Then when you have all of these other things that people are nice enough to give you, that makes the dream an even larger dream.”
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.”
Halloween is Saturday, October 31st, and the holiday, which may be a little different this year with a global pandemic, has some of your favorite country stars getting into costumes, while others are recalling memories of Halloweens past.
Adam Hambrick (Halloween) OC: …five-years-old. :10
“My grandmother made me a Ghostbusters jumpsuit, and I had the proton backpack and I went as Peter Venkman, the Ghostbuster, when I was five-years-old.”
AJ (Halloween) OC: …cute, but…[laughs] :17
“Aww, I remember some, when they were infants, they had like these little, they looked like a little pea pod, you know, or something. It’s like a little green pea or something. And I thought man, that’s awful. But Denise liked it, and I guess it was cute, but…(laughs).”
Billy Currington (Halloween) OC: …Halloween. :17
“You know, when I was a kid, I loved the trick and the treat. I loved dressing up. I was always wanting to be Dracula. That was my favorite guy. But, of course, who doesn’t love going door-to-door and getting these buckets of candy? [laughs] So, love, love Halloween.”
Brandon Lay (Halloween) OC: …let Ryder do. :26
“You know, my dad was a preacher, so Halloween for me (ha) was a little different than most kids. We always had something going on at church, so I think I was usually a character from the Bible and walk around the gym and just try to get as much candy as I can. It sounds a little weird, but I kinda was robbed of the trick-or-treating experience – thanks a lot Mom and Dad – but I’m not bitter about it or anything. We’ll see what we let Ryder do.”
Brothers Osborne (zombie costume) OC: (John) …was so fun! :29
TJ: “Literally, you can dress up like a zombie and drag your foot behind you all day and make weird noises, and everyone finds that completely acceptable.” [laughs] JOHN: “One year I dressed up as a ‘90s redneck zombie with a mullet wig and an Alan Jackson denim coat. I never once broke character. That’s part of the thing — you can actually not break character and get away with it. And everywhere I went, even when I ordered a drink, I ordered it like a zombie that was falling apart. [laughs] It was so fun!”
Brothers Osborne (carving pumpkins) OC: …or something. :25
“With our dad every year, we would go looking for pumpkins, and we would all get our own pumpkin to carve, and he would buy the biggest pumpkin that they had. It was huge. I mean, it was way too big for any one person, but he would love carving. He’s kind of an artsy guy. He was a great drawer and stuff, and he would carve the most terrifying, vicious looking, scary pumpkin you’d ever seen in your life, and it would be massive. It would be like on a 50-pound pumpkin or something.”
Brothers Osborne (Halloween candy) OC: (John) …go stale. [laughs] :34
TJ: “I would say, Snickers, Baby Ruth, Kit Kat and Reese’s too.” JOHN: “I always hated those houses that would give you bad candy, though. You’re like, ‘C’mon. Step it up.’ Spend the extra dollar on a bag, you know?” TJ: “A house when we were growing up used to give out whole candy bars. It was the best. You were like, ‘That house – that’s the honey hole of candy.’” JOHN: “I love it, and I love like at the end, like three or four days after Halloween you would see what candy was left, and it was always like those crappy cheap candies, and they would just go stale.” [laughs]
Brothers Osborne (Halloween costume) OC: (TJ) …I love it. :37
TJ: “There was a costume I had when I was a kid that my dad made. I was a caterpillar, no, you were a caterpillar and I was a spider. And so I don’t know if you’re familiar with pipe insulation? It’s like these black tubes, and so I had these little black pipe insulators as my legs.” JOHN: “There were strings attached to him that would hold some of the black pipe insulators under his hands, and he’d put working gloves on the end of them and so when he’d raise his arms, all of the little spider legs would raise up with it. [laughs] I’m telling you, our parents were total hippies. They were just…” TJ: “Artsy-fartsy hippies. I love it.”
Darius (Halloween) OC: …I’m into. :06
“Halloween’s big for me, because the kids love it. It’s my kids’ favorite holiday, so anything they’re into, I’m into.”
Dierks Bentley (Halloween) OC: … …around home. [laughs] :23
“Oh, when I was a kid, I was all into fireworks. Growing up in Arizona, we couldn’t get ’em, so we’d have ’em shipped in illegally. I still remember the name of the guy we’d call. His name was Joe, and he’d bring in, ship ’em in a package with no writing on ’em. We were all about M-80s in the mailboxes and bottle rocket wars. To me, as a kid, Halloween was fireworks, was blowing up stuff around home. [laughs]”
Eric Church (Halloween) OC: …Franklin Street. 1:18
“My favorite Halloween costume really came, I remember when I got a little older my first year of college, there’s this thing they do every year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Halloween on Franklin Street. We drove down from Boone, North Carolina. I had a bunch of friends that went to University of North Carolina, and we didn’t have costumes and didn’t realize until we were on the way that we had to have costumes. So, we stopped at a costume place in Greensboro, North Carolina. It’s Halloween, so there’s a run on everything and couldn’t find anything. And we end up getting sent around, driving around town. We end up finding this hole in the wall place, but they had the full costume, Sesame Street outfits. The real deal. The real ones [with] feathers and fur. We were Elmo, Cookie Monster and I was Big Bird, and the Big Bird was the actual Big Bird. It’s about 7-foot-4, and yiou looked out of the body and then you had these straps that went on since the head was a lot higher. There’s a lot of beer involved in Franklin Street, so we get down there and as the night went on, my straps broke, so the head would pivot. And so, I would be walking one way and the head would be facing the other, and it just became this funny…I didn’t know the head was on backwards. I had no idea. I see out of the body, so I’m just kinda walking around and people were talking to my ass-end. [laughs] The whole time peiople’d come up and start talking and go, ‘Hey, turn around.’ And I’d turn around, and they’d go, ‘No turn around.’ It was a mess. That year, there was no other Big Bird on Franklin Street.”
Jon Langston (Halloween show) OC: …memorable Halloween. :59
“So we played a show a few years ago in Baton Rouge and I go off stage and I come back on stage for the encore. I don’t know this until midway through the song, I’m just into the crowd, like I’m engaged. I’m in the zone, and I just see everyone, like everybody else behind me but me and I’m like what’s going on. I turn around and each of them has a different huge mask on, like one of those stuffed animal masks, like my drummer has a dinosaur head on. My guitar players, one of ‘em has monkey head on, the other has a unicorn head on. And my bass player has like a, I think a dog or cat head or something like that. I couldn’t finish the song I was laughing so hard just seeing them playing with these like oversized huge mask heads on Halloween night. That was funny. It was a good prank, so that was probably the most memorable Halloween.”
Jon Pardi (Halloween) 1 OC: …the Superman. :15
“Man, I went through phases of costumes – the Superman costume, then it was a ninja, then I was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle one year. I remember rockin’ the Superman.”
Jon Pardi (Halloween candy) OC: …during Halloween. :06
“Man! The candy corn is pretty good, and that’s seasonal, so it only kinda pops out during Halloween.”
Jordan Davis (Halloween) OC: …jet black. :49
“I can remember being really big into Power Rangers. I always liked the Red Ranger. I remember being Red Ranger one Halloween. I remember me and my br4other being big into the Ninja Turtles. I was Donatello one year, which I think was the purple turtle. I think, though, my favorite Halloween was I was in college and I went as Luigi from Mario and Luigi, and I actually grew a legit mustache and dyed it jet black and ran into an ex-girlfriend at the costume shop and completely forgot I had the mustache on. So, when Is saw her, she was like, ‘So, you’re going with a mustache nowadays, huh?’ [laughs] I remember being like, ‘I swear this is part of my Halloween costume.’ [laughs] When I dyed my mustache, my top lip was black for a week. Like I really did dye it jet black.”
Jordan Davis (Halloween candy) OC: …some Starbursts. :21
“My favorite Halloween candy [is] probably Reese’s or M&M’s, although I love the variety of Starburst. It’s one that I feel like I only eat at Halloween, because I feel like at Halloween one of the popular ones is the two-piece Starburst things. So, probably Reese’s, M&Ms and throw in some Starbursts.”
Jordan Davis (no candy corn) OC: …they’re awful. :05
“You know what I never got? The candy corns. I’ve never been a candy corn guy. I think they’re awful.”
Josh Turner (Halloween costumes) OC: …pretty classic. :27
“My favorite family costume was from a couple of years ago when I had my six-and-a-half-month-old beard going, and me and the whole family dressed up as Star Wars characters. So, I was a young Obi Wan Kenobi, Jennifer was Princess Leia, Colby and Marion were Storm Troopers, Hampton was Darth Vadar and Hawk was, I guess, pretty much still a baby, and he dressed up as Yoda. It was pretty classic.”
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Lauren Alaina (Halloween-brother) OC: …mad about that! :19
“I always would dress my brother up too, and I’d say not my best costume, but his best costume when I put makeup all over him and made him, he looked JUST LIKE ME, but I put extensions in his hair and a little hat on his head and I put makeup on him and my cheerleading outfit. It fit him. I was so mad about that!”
Luke Bryan (Halloween) OC: …your teeth. :21
“You can find out a lot about your neighbors by what kind of candy they put out. So, well, like full bars of Snickers bars, that’s what, and Reese’s cups, [but] the old chocolate popcorn ball of stuff, that’s no good either, like Dots – you get Dots one time of year and they pull your teeth.”
Luke Bryan (Halloween) 2 OC: …with all that. :33
“My tradition for Halloween is Caroline picks the outfit. I never know what I’m wearing. So that day, I’ll talk to the neighbors ‘cause I have a tractor back there and I’ll go get my tractor and get a big long trailer, and then I’ll run down to…a couple miles from the farm, we’ve got a big hay farmer that keeps hay and you run in there and pay him for his hay bales. And I’ll load the hay up and get the hayride ready and we’ll take all the kids behind the tractor and have a fun Halloween with all that.”
Luke Bryan (Halloween costumes) OC: …always has. :20
“Me and Caroline did one year where I dressed up as the old lady, and she dressed up as, she called herself a dirty old man. So, she went around acting like an old man saying snide comments to everybody. That was a fun one. The main thing is Caroline is big, she loves Halloween and always has.”
Maddie & Tae (Halloween) OC: …princesses. :24
TAE: “Oooooh, Halloween [is] my favorite holiday. Anyone who knows me knows I love all things scary and gory, so especially on Halloween all the scary movies that come out in theaters, I am there every single time.” MADDIE: “And I never go with her because I hate scary things.” TAE: “You know what’s funny? As little girls, everyone wants to dress up as princesses, and I think I was a witch like six years in a row. I just wanted to be scary.” MADDIE: “Girl, I was like Jasmine and you know [other] princesses.”
Mickey Guyton (Halloween) OC: …the costumes. :50
“Growing up, my parents were very, very conservative Christian, and so they viewed Halloween as a pagan holiday. BUT, I got to go trick-or-treating once in my life, and I dressed as a clown because my mom made me this clown suit and that was the best. We were in Moody, Texas. It was all three of my siblings and myself and we had so much candy that it lasted for months and months. My parents eventually had to throw it away because we had so much candy. And it was one of the most amazing, magical experiences I’ve ever had, because I never got to celebrate freaking Halloween. I tell you what, this son of mine is gonna definitely going to be celebrating trick-or-treating. Like I can’t wait to dress him up in all of the costumes.”
Parker McCollum (favorite Halloween candy) OC: …
“What I can eat like 6,000 of are Tootsie Rolls. If I eat one Tootsie Roll, I’m gonna eat 30. Man, they’re so good.”
Travis Denning (Halloween costume) OC: …Busch Light. :21
“Honestly, I think one of my most proud and embarrassed Halloween costumes is I went as Terry from Reno 9-1-1. I had the roller skates, the short-shorts, the tied-up shirt. Looking back, it wasn’t the manliest thing I ever did, but it got a lot of laughs. And I think that year my favorite candy I ever had was Busch Light.”
Platinum-selling duo Maddie & Tae’s first ever holiday release, We Need Christmas, is out today. The six-track project features two originals, “Merry Married Christmas” and title track “We Need Christmas,” plus beloved holiday favorites including “This Christmas,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
“I think more than ever, as we say in We Need Christmas, we really need all the joy and hope and love that the holiday season brings,” says Maddie Font. “There’s just something about Christmas that kind of silences all the chaos for a couple of days where you just get to quiet down with your loved ones. We’re so excited to celebrate Christmas this year and really cherish that quality time that we didn’t get as much of this year with quarantining and everything. And,” she adds, “we get to blast our own Christmas songs for our families!”
Listen to We Need Christmas HERE
Fans can also purchase limited edition We Need Christmas merchandise including ornaments, pajamas, candles and more, plus Maddie & Tae signed memorabilia at WeNeedChristmas.MaddieandTae.com.
We Need Christmas Track List:
Produced by Jimmy Robbins and Derek Wells
Maddie & Tae (Christmas music) OC: …so happy. :19
“What makes Christmas music so enjoyable and so fun to listen to is just how classic it is. There’s songs that you grew up listening to that some of your favorite artists end up singing or there’s a song that reminds you of a memory. It’s just very nostalgic and just the instrumentation is just so happy.”