(Photo Credit: Chris Kleinmeier)

Parker McCollum is one of Country music’s hottest new acts and ever since bursting onto the scene in 2020, has accomplished a laundry list of both professional and personal bucket-list experiences – including making his Grand Ole Opry debut, breaking records at the iconic Texas venue Whitewater Amphitheater where he sold out a three-night engagement, and performed for a sold-out crowd at his RODEOHOUSTON debut. On September 7^th, McCollum added another honor to his already impressive resume by making his debut at Austin City Limits, where he performed to a packed house, continuing to solidify himself as one of Country music’s next generation of superstars.

“I always wondered if we had what it took to be great – to make the big times,” says McCollum. “Constantly asking myself if all the miles traveled, empty bars played, late nights loading out would be worth it. Those questions were answered when we stepped on stage at Austin City Limits. We do have what it takes and It was absolutely worth it!”

Recently, Parker was announced as a nominee for the 2022 CMA Awards for “Best New Artist.” This recognition is yet another spotlight on McCollum following his first nominations at this year’s ACM Awards (“Best New Artist of the Year”) and CMT Award (“Breakthrough Video of the Year”).

Since exploding onto the Country music scene in 2020 with his critically acclaimed and top-selling debut Country EP of the year, Hollywood Gold EP, McCollum has achieved two #1 singles (the Double-Platinum selling, “Pretty Heart,” and its follow-up single, “To Be Loved By You”). His current single, “Handle on You,” is currently impacting Country radio.

The nominations for the 56th Annual CMA Awards have been announced. Lainey Wilson leads the list of nominees with six nods.

Chris Stapleton has five nominations including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Music Video of the Year (“I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”), Single and Song of the Year for “You Should Probably Leave.”

With this year’s five nods, Stapleton has amassed 39 career nominations. He is a six-time nominee for Entertainer of the Year and an eight-time nominee for Male Vocalist, a category he has won five times. “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” collects Stapleton his third nomination for Music Video, a category he won in 2016. The video is directed by Lively and is performed with 27-time nominee Taylor Swift. “You Should Probably Leave” marks Stapleton’s fifth nomination for Single of the Year and third nomination for Song. He is a two-time winner in both categories, claiming both trophies in 2018 and 2021. Stapleton co-produced the single with Dave Cobb and it was mixed by Vance Powell. He co-wrote the song with Chris DuBois and Ashley Gorley.

Carrie Underwood earned three nominations including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for “If I Didn’t Love You” with Jason Aldean.

With this year’s nominations, Underwood has garnered 40 career nods since 2006. This year marks her 16th nomination for Female Vocalist, a trophy she’s claimed five times. She is a four-time nominee for Musical Event, earning a nod this year for “If I Didn’t Love You,” a duet with Jason Aldean produced by Michael Knox. She collects her fifth nomination for the night’s most coveted trophy, Entertainer of the Year.

Jordan Davis picked up two CMA nominations for Single of the Year for the multi-week No. 1 single “Buy Dirt” featuring Luke Bryan (who is also nominated); and for Song of the Year for “Buy Dirt,” which he wrote with his brother Jacob Davis (who earned his first CMA nomination), along with Matt and Josh Jenkins.

Jon Pardi also picked up a pair of nominations for his collaboration with Midland on “Longneck Way To Go” for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year. The song also appears on Jon’s brand new album, Mr. Saturday Night.

2020’s Entertainer of the Year Eric Church earned a nod for Male Vocalist of the Year, while Little Big Town earned a nomination for Vocal Group of the Year, a category which they’ve won SIX times!

Reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne and Maddie & Tae pick up nods for Vocal Duo of the Year.

Dierks Bentley is nominated along with BRELAND and HARDY for Musical Event of the Year for the trio’s chart-topping tune, “Beers On Me.”

Parker McCollum earns his first CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year

The 56th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, will broadcast LIVE from Nashville November 9th at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Luke Combs
• Miranda Lambert
• Chris Stapleton
• Carrie Underwood
• Morgan Wallen

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

• “Buy Dirt” – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan
  Producer: Paul DiGiovanni
  Mix Engineer: Jim Cooley
• “half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (feat. Kenny Chesney)
  Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins
  Mix Engineer: Dan Grech-Marguerat
• “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
  Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
  Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
• “’Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson
  Producer: Trent Willmon
  Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke
• “You Should Probably Leave” – Chris Stapleton
  Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
  Mix Engineer: Vance Powell

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

• Growin’ Up – Luke Combs
  Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
  Mix Engineers: Jim Cooley, Chip Matthews
• Humble Quest – Maren Morris
  Producer: Greg Kurstin
  Mix Engineer: Serban Ghenea
• Palomino – Miranda Lambert
  Producers: Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, Mikey Reaves
  Mix Engineer: Jason Lehning
• Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ – Lainey Wilson
  Producer: Jay Joyce
  Mix Engineer: F. Reid Shippen
• Time, Tequila & Therapy – Old Dominion
  Producers: Shane McAnally, Old Dominion
  Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank

SONG OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Songwriter(s) 

• “Buy Dirt”
  Songwriters: Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins
• “Never Wanted To Be That Girl”
  Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce
• “Sand In My Boots”
  Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Josh Osborne
• “Things A Man Oughta Know”
  Songwriters: Jason Nix, Jonathan Singleton, Lainey Wilson
• “You Should Probably Leave”
  Songwriters: Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley, Chris Stapleton

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Miranda Lambert
• Ashley McBryde
• Carly Pearce
• Carrie Underwood
• Lainey Wilson

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Eric Church
• Luke Combs
• Cody Johnson
• Chris Stapleton
• Morgan Wallen

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
• LOCASH
• Maddie & Tae

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

• “Beers On Me” – Dierks Bentley with BRELAND & HARDY
  Producers: Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman
• “If I Didn’t Love You” – Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood
  Producer: Michael Knox
• “Longneck Way To Go” – Midland (featuring Jon Pardi)
  Producers: Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
• “Never Say Never” – Cole Swindell (with Lainey Wilson)
  Producer: Zach Crowell
• “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
  Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

• Jenee Fleenor, Fiddle
• Paul Franklin, Steel guitar
• Brent Mason, Guitar
• Ilya Toshinskiy, Banjo
• Derek Wells, Guitar

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

• “I Bet You Think About Me” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) – Taylor Swift (featuring Chris Stapleton)
  Director: Blake Lively
• “Longneck Way To Go” – Midland (featuring Jon Pardi)
  Director: Harper Smith
• “Never Say Never” – Cole Swindell (with Lainey Wilson)
  Director: Michael Monaco
• “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
  Director: Alexa Campbell
• “’Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson
  Director: Dustin Haney

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• HARDY
• Walker Hayes
• Cody Johnson
• Parker McCollum
• Lainey Wilson

https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1567550562119417856

https://twitter.com/JordanCWDavis/status/1567543539105468419

Such a great song @JordanCWDavis. I knew it was special. Be sure to tune into the #CMAawards on Nov 9. pic.twitter.com/0IXmQc80qx

— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) September 7, 2022

We love making music for you guys and are so honored to be nominated again for this year's #CMAawards. pic.twitter.com/0ZPJ0shYZ4

— Little Big Town (@littlebigtown) September 7, 2022

Honored to share this #CMAawards nomination with my friends and cowriters @HardyMusic and @breland #beersonme pic.twitter.com/LBBuGyN3Xt

— Dierks Bentley (@DierksBentley) September 7, 2022

beyond excited to be nominated! thank you @CountryMusic #CMAawards pic.twitter.com/doO6uxEBwx

— Brothers Osborne (@brothersosborne) September 7, 2022

https://twitter.com/MaddieandTae/status/1567515340321472513

One of Nashville’s brightest new stars, Parker McCollum, has released his latest single, “Handle On You,” available now. Written by Parker and Monty Criswell, the woeful track about reeling from a doomed relationship captures the all-too relatable emotions of grappling with trying to let go of someone you loved.

“‘Handle On You’ is a song I wrote with my buddy Monty Criswell before Hallie and I were back together, and I was really going through it and I was drinking quite a bit and staying up all night trying to write sad country songs,” says Parker. “I wasn’t really writing anything at the time and woke up real late one day and Monty came over and he had this title called ‘Handle On You,’ and I said, ‘Man, I’ve kind of been trying to get a handle on her,’ and I was really kind of living that at the time. It’s a super honest song, and it really means a lot to me when I listen to it and think back on that time on what I was going through. You know, I was drinking to try to get out of a bad spot which is never gonna work, but I don’t regret it at all because we wrote ‘Handle On You’ from literally living exactly what that song’s about.”

The song is the follow-up to his two chart-topping hits, “Pretty Heart” and “To Be Loved By You.”

Recently, McCollum made another childhood dream come true by opening for Country music legend, George Strait, at his show in Kansas City, MO on July 30th. Alongside Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town, McCollum fired up the crowd for one unforgettable show with “The King” of Country.

Since exploding onto the Country music scene in 2020 with his critically acclaimed and top-selling debut Country EP of the year, Hollywood Gold EP, McCollum has achieved two #1 singles (the Double-Platinum selling, “Pretty Heart,” and its follow-up single, “To Be Loved By You,”) made his Grand Ole Opry debut, broke records at the iconic Texas venue Whitewater Amphitheater – selling out a three-night engagement, performed for a sold-out crowd for his debut at RODEOHOUSTON and earned his first ACM Award for New Male Artist of the Year and his first CMT Award for “Breakthrough Video of the Year.”

This year’s CMA Fest, dubbed “The Music Event of the Summer,” returns for a three-hour ABC-TV special featuring once in a lifetime collaborations and performances this Wednesday (August 3^rd). Dierks Bentley and Elle King will host the show, which was filmed at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) during the 49^th CMA Fest this past June.

The performances include Dierks’ smash hit “Drunk On a Plane,” as well as a cool collaboration with the iconic Billy Ray Cyrus on his debut single and ’90s classic, “Achy Breaky Heart.”

Carrie Underwood performs both her latest single, “Ghost Story,” as well as her hit single “Good Girl,” while Brothers Osborne turn in a performance of their fan favorite, “Skeletons.”

Luke Bryan performs is No. 1 hit, “Kick The Dust Up,” while Darius Rucker turns in “Wagon Wheel,” as well as a collaboration with the Zac Brown Band on “Chicken Fried.”

Parker McCollum makes his dynamic debut performing “To Be Loved By You.”

Other performers include Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Cole Swindell, Carly Pearce, Wynonna, Dustin Lynch, Lady A and others.

Catch all the action on Wednesday (August 3rd) at 8pm ET on ABC.

One of Country music’s biggest newcomers, Parker McCollum, just wrapped up his weekend by bringing a childhood dream to life – opening for one of his personal idols and Country music legend, George Strait. Hitting the stage at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO on Saturday, July 30th, McCollum, alongside Country superstars Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town, fired up the crowd for one unforgettable show.

“Regardless of what anyone thinks of me or my music, I strive to do my absolute best on my terms – but honestly, I’ve always had this secret hope that ‘The King’ approves of what I’m doing. He is the standard and it’s an honor to share the stage with him,” says McCollum.

The show marks yet another impressive accomplishment in Parker’s young career. Since exploding onto the Country music scene in 2020 with his critically acclaimed and top-selling debut Country EP of the year, Hollywood Gold EP, McCollum has achieved two #1 singles, the Double-Platinum selling, “Pretty Heart,” and its follow-up single, “To Be Loved By You,” made is Grand Ole Opry debut, broke records at the iconic Texas venue Whitewater Amphitheater – selling out a three-night engagement, performed for a sold-out crowd for his debut at RODEOHOUSTON and earned his first ACM Award for New Male Artist of the Year and his first CMT Award for “Breakthrough Video of the Year.”

This Friday, August 5th, McCollum will be releasing his latest single, “Handle On You.” 

Pre-save “Handle On You” HERE. 

For a list of McCollum’s upcoming tour dates, visit HERE.

One of Country music’s biggest breakout stars of the past year, Parker McCollum, has partnered with the legendary Lucchese Bootmaker brand for an exciting multi-year deal that will spotlight the high-caliber artistry and 140+ year heritage of Lucchese as well as McCollum’s authentic resonance with his devoted fanbase. As a Texas native, McCollum has grown-up admiring Lucchese’s legacy in their detailed attention to the quality and integrity of their products and mirrors that same work-ethic in his own career, both on-stage and in the studio.

“Lucchese has always been the boots that I wanted when I was a kid,” says Parker. “I can remember several years ago saying to the band and kind of saying to myself quite a bit, how much I would love to sign a deal with Lucchese one day and be able to represent them with what I do, since I just love their product so much. It quite literally gives me chills to think about the fact that we’re actually signing a deal with Lucchese and it’s a big deal and means something. It’s going to give both of us a platform to collaborate on, which is literally one of my dreams that I had a couple of years ago. So to manifest that and speak it and actually come to fruition, is what dreams are all about, man. You can never shoot too high, and you can never dream too big. You just never know what you may end up actually getting in life. So the Lucchese deal is a prime example of that, and I’m just so excited to start this relationship and build on it and show the world what we can do.”

“We are truly excited to announce our long-term partnership with Parker McCollum. Here at Lucchese, we view the craftsmanship and intent that goes into handmaking our boots akin to that of the curation of a new song. The output of the artistry may be different, but its process and dedication to the craft remain the same. Throughout our relationship, it has become evident that Parker understands our world just as we do his- he is a true ambassador and steward of the Lucchese brand, and we can’t wait to share what we have in store for both of our fanbases.” – Doug Kindy, President – Lucchese.

For a list of McCollum’s upcoming tour dates, visit HERE.

For more information, visit ParkerMcCollum.com

Reba McEntire will star in the new Lifetime movie, “The Hammer,” along with boyfriend Rex Linn (CSI: Miami, Better Call Saul) and her Reba show co-star and close friend, Melissa Peterman. Reba also serves as executive producer on the film, which is inspired by the life of traveling circuit judge Kim Wanker. This is not the only place you’ll be able to catch the country superstar on the small screen. She’s also joining the of the ABC series, Big Sky, this coming season.

Parker McCollum sold out three nights in a row at the Whitewater Amphitheatre in New Braunsfels, Texas recently. He said it was “absolutely electric every night. My favorite venue in the world.”

What a weekend. First to ever sell out @WhitewaterRocks 3 nights in a row. Absolutely electric every night. My favorite venue in the world. God Bless The USA & God Bless Country Music! pic.twitter.com/Lpm5XDdIae

— Parker McCollum (@ParkerMcCollum) July 5, 2022

Travis Denning releases a new song, “Buy A Girl A Drink,” on Friday (July 8th). He says he “fell in love with this song the moment we wrote it. So much of me and (fiancee) Madison’s story is in it, and I know so many others are in it as well.”

I fell in love with this song the moment we wrote it. So much of me and Madison’s story is in it, and I know so many others are in it as well. #BuyAGirlADrink is out this Friday. pic.twitter.com/jnjNpTgj4s

— Travis Denning (@Travis_Denning) July 5, 2022

Kacey Musgraves recently performed the Elvis cover “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (from The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ELVIS) at Hampton Court Palace in England as part of her star-crossed tour.

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain and tyranny.

The Declaration of Independence, which is on public display in the Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., was primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, however, he worked with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to come up with the final document. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4^th, 1776, but the actual signing of the document took place August 2nd, 1776.

Now, the Fourth of July holiday is commonly associated with fireworks displays, parades, barbecues and concerts. Some of your favorite country stars take time to remember their Fourth of July traditions, memories and what the holiday really means to them.

Mickey Guyton will host and perform during A Capitol Fourth on the Fourth of July on PBS beginning at 8pm ET. Country star Jake Owen, Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Yolanda Adams, Tony Award winner and Broadway icon Chita Rivera, Grammy Award-winning musician and actor Gloria Gaynor, Blues musician Keb’ Mo’ and many others are also among the stars performing during the special.

To access Fourth of July liners, click here.