Luke Bryan returned to his Las Vegas residency at Resorts World Theatre this week, where he’s set for several more shows through December 10th. The five-time Entertainer of the Year says he loves every single aspect of performing for fans during his Las Vegas residency.
“Well, Vegas is just fun. I mean, everybody that’s in Vegas, they’re there to have a good time,” he says. “They’re there to make the most of their good time. When I’m out on stage, you can see people partying and you can see people just out there enjoying Vegas. And with me, that room is a little more intimate and I can sit at the piano and really connect with the fans and make the show, it can be big at times, and it can be really intimate and very like, almost like you’re in my living room. I mean, I love every aspect of playing for the fans in Vegas.”
After his four-day Crash My Playa festival in January (January 19th – 22nd), he’ll return to his residency beginning February 1st. Click here to find more tour information.
Luke is closing in on the top of the country charts with his latest hit, “Country On.”
Audio / Luke Bryan says he enjoys every aspect of performing for the fans during his Las Vegas residency.
Luke Bryan (Vegas return) OC: …fans in Vegas. :31 “Well, Vegas is just fun. I mean, everybody that’s in Vegas, they’re there to have a good time. They’re there to make the most of their good time. When I’m out on stage, you can see people partying and you can see people just out there enjoying Vegas. And with me, that room is a little more intimate and I can sit at the piano and really connect with the fans and make the show, it can be big at times, and it can be really intimate and very like, almost like you’re in my living room. I mean, I love every aspect of playing for the fans in Vegas.”
Sam Hunt drops new song “Start Nowhere” today. Hunt and co-writers Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne lean into the comfort and ease of a life before distractions.
“When you grow up in a small town, you love where you’re from, you are where you’re from, and you answer the call of adventure when you turn 18 and take off out into the big wide world,” shares Hunt on his socials. “If you stay gone too long without coming home, you can get a little disconnected. Sometimes the only way to get your feet back on the ground is to go back home where you grew up.”
American Songwriter recently spoke with Hunt and notes, “Hunt says his ‘true north’ isn’t just going home, but choosing home and the ‘values that home represents to me over worldly ambitions.’” Read the full article HERE
The accompanying music video for “Start Nowhere,” also out today, is a compilation of Hunt’s family home movies showing Hunt roughhousing with his brothers and time spent with his parents, family, and friends in his hometown of Cedartown, Ga. The video hits a full heartfelt note as we go into a holiday focused on giving thanks and appreciation for our blessings.
“I connect with that video so much,” Hunt shares exclusively with PEOPLE. “How much of this is me just connecting to my family and how much of it is just stepping outside myself and just appreciating the nostalgia of that era — just the love in mom’s eyes and all the things that show up there that are just real and authentic?” Read the full article HERE.
“Start Nowhere” Lyrics – written by Sam Hunt, Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
I’m packin’ it up, movin’ along
Headed for dirt the stars fell on
Heavenly pines, holier ground
You probably ain’t ever heard of the town
Life caught up the way that it does
Don’t even know who I was
Before my world got so unsteady
Man, I’m ready to feel alright
Well, I don’t know but I’ve been told
Moss don’t grow on a rolling stone
Me, I wanna go where the river rolls
And breathe in that old down home
Feelin’ again ’cause lately I’ve been
Spinnin’ my wheels out gone with the wind
When I need to get back to who I am
There ain’t but just one road there
Sometimes you gotta start nowhere
I’m cleanin’ the slate, startin’ from scratch
Walkin’ around retracin’ my tracks
Where I used to get lost back in the day
Where everything is an hour away
Except for a girl that I used to know
She lived with her mama down Calico Road
She was gonna leave, did she ever go
Well, I don’t know but I’ve been told
Moss don’t grow on a rolling stone
Me, I wanna go where the river rolls
And breathe in that old down home
Feelin’ again ’cause lately I’ve been
Spinnin’ my wheels out gone with the wind
When I need to get back to who I am
There ain’t but just one road there
Sometimes you gotta start nowhere
Yeah, I’ve been leaned back
Takin’ it easy
Yeah, I’ll be offthe grid if anybody needs me
Breathin’ some life back in my lungs
Just like when I was young
And everything was breezy
Well, I don’t know but I’ve been told
Moss don’t grow on a rolling stone
Me, I wanna go where the river rolls
And breathe in that old down home
Feelin’ again ’cause lately I’ve been
Spinnin’ my wheels out gone with the wind
When I need to get back to who I am
There ain’t but just one road there
Sometimes you gotta start nowhere
Sometimes you gotta start nowhere
About Sam Hunt: Multi-Platinum-selling, award-winning hitmaker Sam Hunt’s sophomore album SOUTHSIDE debuted to critical acclaim and was one of the top country albums of 2020 landing at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Named one of the Best Albums of the Year by The New York Times and US Weekly, the Platinum-selling project features 12 songs all written by Hunt including his No. 1 hits “Kinfolks,” “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s,” one of NPR’s Best Songs of 2020 “Hard To Forget,” and his three-week No. 1, 8x Platinum-selling, GRAMMY-nominated smash, “Body Like A Back Road.” Hunt also wrote his recent eighth chart-topping hit, “23,” his latest radio staple “Water Under the Bridge,” and his brand-new track, “Start Nowhere.”
SOUTHSIDE follows Hunt’s GRAMMY-nominated, Triple-Platinum-selling debut album, MONTEVALLO, which also topped the Billboard Country Albums chart and produced four No. 1 singles. All ten tracks on MONTEVALLO are RIAA certified with six achieving Platinum or Multi-Platinum status including “Leave the Night On,” “House Party,” “Take Your Time,” “Break Up In A Small Town” and “Make You Miss Me.”
Called “stylistically provocative” by The New York Times and “deceptively phenomenal” by The Washington Post, Hunt has received accolades from Associated Press, Billboard, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, SPIN Magazine, Village Voice, The New York Times,The Washington Post and more. Since MONTEVALLO’s 2014 release, Hunt has accumulated over 12.5 billion global streams and has earned 39 million RIAA certified units.
Travis Denning grew up in Warner Robins, Georgia with his parents and sister. One of the family’s Christmas traditions was to open presents on Christmas Eve, which actually gives them more time to spend together.
“My favorite Christmas tradition is we always open presents the night before and used to, I always thought it was ‘cause me and my sister ragged on my parents until they let us. But now the older I get, and to me it really does make a difference. I wake up on Christmas Day and think about what it really means instead,” says Travis. “My parents always do a big breakfast; mimosas on Christmas morning. It’s just such a great family affair, and I just think ultimately in opening presents on Christmas Eve versus Christmas Day, we get to spend time reflecting on what it really means.”
What Christmas means to Travis goes beyond exchanging gifts. “The older I got, as cliché as it sounds, I mean it really isn’t about the gifts. It’s more about drinking some whiskey with dad while the little nephew or whatever open presents or my little cousins,” he says. “It turns into sentimental things and what matters. For me one year, that was a shotgun and then it was a, just a Stranger Things coffee mug that my mom got me, which I drink [out of] every morning. Those things that are just more like, ‘Hey-I thought about you and I put a lot of you in this gift,’ you know, and that’s what I love about it.”
The Georgia native says his favorite Christmas memory and favorite Christmas gift were both musical. “My favorite holiday memory as a child was when I got my first guitar for a million obvious reasons, but I felt like I finally got something I was really passionate about and dove head-first into it.”
“I think the best gift I’ve ever received during the holidays to this day is still probably the mandolin my dad got me when I was 19 years old,” he says. “It was just super awesome, and I’d been wanting one for a while, and it was a really touching and special gift.”
When Travis is celebrating the holidays, he is dancing around to “Jingle Bell Rock” or Kacey Musgraves‘ A Very Kacey Christmas album.
Audio / TRAVIS DENNING EXPLAINS WHAT HE LOVES ABOUT CHRISTMAS.
Travis Denning (Christmas) OC: …love about it. :47 “You know, my parents, they took it very seriously. I mean, we had four Christmas trees up in the house all over the place. The older I got, as cliché as it sounds, I mean it really isn’t about the gifts. It’s more about drinking some whiskey with dad while the little nephew or whatever open presents or my little cousins. It turns into sentimental things and what matters. For me one year, that was a shotgun and then it was a, just a Stranger Things coffee mug that my mom got me, which I drink [out of] every morning. Those things that are just more like, ‘Hey-I thought about you and I put a lot of you in this gift,’ you know, and that’s what I love about it.”
Audio / TRAVIS DENNING TALKS ABOUT HIS CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS.
Travis Denning (Christmas tradition) OC: …it really means. :41 “My favorite Christmas tradition is we always open presents the night before and used to, I always thought it was ‘cause me and my sister ragged on my parents until they let us. But now the older I get, and to me it really does make a difference. I wake up on Christmas Day and think about what it really means instead. Now I think about it all the times anyways. I think about the birth of my Savior, and it’s like it just makes Christmas morning awesome. My parents always do a big breakfast – mimosas on Christmas morning. It’s just such a great family affair, and I just think ultimately in opening presents on Christmas Eve versus Christmas Day, we get to spend time reflecting on what it really means.”
Audio / TRAVIS DENNING RECALLS HIS FAVORITE CHRISTMAS GIFT.
Travis Denning (favorite Christmas gift) OC: …special gift. :14 “I think the best gift I’ve ever received during the holidays to this day i s still probably the mandolin my dad got me when I was 19 years old. It was just super awesome, and I’d been wanting one for a while, and it was a really touching and special gift.”
Audio / TRAVIS DENNING SAYS HE LOVES “JINGLE BELL ROCK” AND “ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE,” AS WELL AS KACEY MUSGRAVES’ A VERY KACEY CHRISTMAS.
Travis Denning (Christmas songs) OC: …Christmas music. :21 “I love hearing singers that I love sing Christmas music. That’s what makes it for me. I mean, I’ll sing ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ on karaoke in the middle of August. I love that song that much, and ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree?’ I love it. I’ve listened to Kacey Musgraves’ Christmas record a thousand times. It’s so good. So, yeah, I’m very pro-Christmas music.”
Multi-Platinum MCA Nashville hitmaker Jordan Davis today announced his highly anticipated new full-length album, Bluebird Days. The album, available everywhere February 17, will include Davis’ multi-week, 2x Platinum No. 1 single, “Buy Dirt,” which earned Davis his first Song of the Year win last week at the 2022 CMA Awards. One of the most-streamed songs of the year in 2021 and 2022, “Buy Dirt” was co-written by Davis and his brother Jacob, along with Matt Jenkins and Josh Jenkins, and is currently also nominated for Favorite Country Song at the 2022 American Music Awards, airing November 20 on ABC. Davis shared the album cover and title with American Songwriter before joining Bobby Bones this morning to share the news of his upcoming album. Starting today, exclusive Bluebird Days packages are available for Davis’ fan club, The Parish, available HERE. General pre-order opens tomorrow via JordanDavisOfficial.com along with upgrade packages and autographed memorabilia.
“It’s been an evolution, and not just from a songwriting standpoint,” Davis shared with American Songwriter about the process of creating Bluebird Days with Producer Paul DiGiovanni, who also produced his debut album, Home State. Adding, ““Everything matches the song…letting the song be a song and letting the lyrics lead it. Nothing feels forced. To me, it’s an album expressing exactly where I’m at right now.”
“Buy Dirt” (feat. Luke Bryan) about “faith, family, and friends” continues to resonate with fans on a global scale, topping the Country radio airplay charts for two weeks, amassing more than 735 Million global streams to date, and earning NSAI Song of the Year (2022). In addition to its 2022 CMA Song of the Year win, “Buy Dirt” has tallied multiple awards nominations including Top Country Song at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, Musical Event of the Year at the 55th CMA Awards, and for Music Event, Single, and Song of the Year at the 57th ACM Awards. Read the story behind the making of “Buy Dirt” here.
In addition to “Buy Dirt,” Bluebird Days will feature several recently released tracks including fan-favorites, “Next Thing You Know,” “Midnight Crisis” featuring Danielle Bradbery, “Part of It,” and his current hit single, “What My World Spins Around,” which has amassed more than 145 Million streams since its release this Summer. Written by Davis, Matt Dragstrem and Ryan Hurd and produced by Paul DiGiovanni, Davis first debuted the hit on NBC’s TODAY and will perform the song at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC (11/24) and during his headlining performance at Canada’s upcoming CFL Grey Cup Halftime Show (11/20).
In addition to his current direct support slot on tour with Luke Combs through December, Davis has headlined sold-out venues coast to coast and played back-to-back sold out nights at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium this year, with Music Row noting, “Davis…rises to stardom, shines on Ryman Stage.” He will next join Thomas Rhett early next year for the international leg of his Bring the Bar To You Tour. For more information on upcoming tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit jordandavisofficial.com/tour.
Today, on the one-year anniversary of the debut of Carrie Underwood’s hit production, REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency at Resorts World Theatre, the 8-time GRAMMY® Award winning superstar has announced that her much-anticipated return will commence on June 21, 2023. Tickets for 18 new show dates for the exclusive Las Vegas production, produced by Concerts West/ AEG Presents, will go on sale to the public beginning Friday, December 9th, at 10 a.m. PT.
The first artist to grace the Resorts World Theatre stage, Underwood opened the doors of the 5,000-capacity, world-class theatre with a sold-out premiere on Dec. 1, 2021. Exclusively designed for the state-of-the-art venue, REFLECTION quickly became a must-see show in Las Vegas garnering rave reviews by critics and fans alike and selling out all runs in 2022 – a total of 18 shows.
In May 2022, Underwood announced a brief hiatus from Las Vegas while she went on her DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, promoted by AEG Presents, across 43 U.S. cities. Underwood kicked off her arena tour in October, which will continue through March 2023.
“I’m thrilled to be returning to Resorts World Las Vegas next summer,” says Underwood. “REFLECTION is a show I’m so proud of and have so much fun performing. I love being out on the road with THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR and look forward to returning to Vegas once that wraps, as it has become our home away from home where we get to play to audiences from all over the world.”
The REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency show dates going on sale Friday, Dec 9 at 10 a.m. PT are:
June 2023: 21, 23, 24, 28, 30
July 2023: 1
Sept. 2023: 20, 22, 23, 27, 29, 30
Nov.2023: 29
Dec.2023: 1, 2, 6, 8, 9
American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets to the new shows before the general public beginning Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. PT through Thursday, Dec. 8 at 10 p.m. PT.
REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency was conceived by Underwood to celebrate many of the highlights of her stellar recording and touring career and greatest hits from over 15 years as an award-winning international superstar. The production brings beloved fan favorites to life in a whole new way, utilizing spectacular special effects, pyrotechnics and state-of-the-art visual and audio technology, with Underwood joined onstage by her band, dancers, aerialists and a special virtual orchestra. The show is directed by Barry Lather, with Creative Production & Show design by Nick Whitehouse & Fireplay, and Costume Design/Wardrobe Styling by Emma Trask. “Carrie Underwood is larger than country in Las Vegas: The country superstar wasted no time in establishing her new show, REFLECTION, as one of the coolest productions in town, with all the elements you might expect in a Vegas show.”(Las Vegas Magazine)
“There is a time to stay dry, and a time to get wet. Carrie Underwood performed a cannonball at the Theatre at Resorts World on Wednesday night. She threw open the 5,000 capacity theatre with a leap into the deep end.”(Las Vegas Review-Journal)
“Throughout the evening, Underwood sparkled – her wardrobe, from head to foot, and her powerful and stunning voice. She literally shook the house when ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’ morphed into ‘How Great Thou Art.’” (Las Vegas Sun)
As part of her ongoing partnership, $1 from each ticket sold for REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency is donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation of America (https://wish.org), which grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Carrie has been involved with the organization for more than 15 years, granting wishes since the beginning of her recording career.
The 5,000-capacity theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas, exclusively programmed and operated by Concerts West / AEG Presents, is a state-of-the-art, multi-level venue designed by the award-winning international design firm, Scéno Plus. The intimate venue, with the furthest seat only 150 feet from the stage, features unparalleled comfort, unobstructed sightlines and an unmatched spatial audio experience through more than 200 L-Acoustics speakers powered by L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology.
Carrie recently released her new single, “Hate My Heart,” from her Denim & Rhinestones album.
Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOOD EXPLAINS WHAT "REFLECTION," THE TITLE OF HER LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY, IS ALL ABOUT.
Carrie Underwood (Reflection) OC: …super fun. :48 “Reflection is just kind of all about, you know obviously we want to get there. We want to do our hits. We want to reflect upon all the things that we’ve been so blessed to be able to have accomplished over the past few years and that I’ve been lucky enough to do this, and then obviously when you think about a staging standpoint, Reflection is, you can do a lot with that visually. So, it just seemed like a great concept as far as what we could do with it on stage and also having that kind of personal reflection being able to look back on all of the things that we’ve been able to do. We’re just looking forward to playing, getting to be there. We’re looking forward to the crowds. We love to be on stage, so I think that’s what we always look forward to most whenever we are ever getting to play. It’s gonna be super fun.”
– The Thanksgiving holiday is synonymous with football, and this year, EMI Records Nashville recording artist Tyler Hubbard will be spending his Thanksgiving performing the live halftime show at the Patriots vs. Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The game will air live on Thursday, November 24 at 7:20 p.m. on NBC.
“I can’t wait to be on the field entertaining the crowd on Thanksgiving Day,” said Hubbard. “What a special opportunity, and I appreciate the Vikings and NFL for inviting me to be part of this Thanksgiving tradition. I have so much to be thankful for this year, and this performance is a great way to celebrate.”
Now with 20 No. 1 singles on country radio, countless awards, and sold-out tours, Tyler Hubbard has already had a remarkable career as a songwriter and as one half of multi-platinum duo Florida Georgia Line. Now Hubbard is embarking on a solo career with his debut solo album Tyler Hubbard, releasing January 27, 2023. Hubbard’s debut solo single, “5 Foot 9,” reached No. 1 at country radio and it has already been certified Gold by the RIAA. The song quickly moved inside the Top 50 on the streaming chart in its first four week, currently sits inside the Top 20 on the Country Streaming Chart, and has nearly 230M global streams. In anticipation of his debut solo album, this summer Hubbard released a six-song project, Dancin’ In The Country, which debuted with over 10,000 SPS units (sales plus streaming) making it the second best-selling country EP debut of the year. It also debuted at No. 1 on the Heatseekers Albums chart, No. 6 on the Current Country Albums sales chart, and No. 107 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Since releasing his debut single, Hubbard has released eight unofficial music videos. Watch all of Hubbard’s videos HERE.
American Idol returns February 19th, and Luke Bryan, along with Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, return to the judges panel for the sixth time. Luke says one of the best parts of Idol is helping people realize their dreams.
“Facilitating the American dream of people that are chasing their dreams and chasing the stars, that’s the neatest thing about American Idol,” says Luke. “When a kid walks through the door, you never know if they’re gonna change our lives, change their lives and change some people watching at home, change their lives too. That’s the special part about American Idol, a kid can walk in and for the rest of their life, they can go follow their dreams and do what they love – sing music.”
The new season of American Idol returns to ABC on February 19th.
Luke is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Country On.”
Audio / Luke Bryan talks about the best part of American Idol.
Luke Bryan (American Idol dream) OC: …sing music. :28 “Facilitating the American dream of people that are chasing their dreams and chasing the stars, that’s the neatest thing about American Idol. When a kid walks through the door, you never know if they’re gonna change our lives, change their lives and change some people watching at home, change their lives too. That’s the special part about American Idol, a kid can walk in and for the rest of their life, they can go follow their dreams and do what they love – sing music.”
Brothers Osborne have just a couple more dates on the books, capping off an incredible 2022 for the guys, who recently won their fifth CMA Vocal Duo of the Year award and during their acceptance speech, John Osborne announced he and his wife Lucie Silvas are growing the Osborne family by two — they are expecting twins. Future Christmases will be even bigger in the Osborne household.
The pair have told us they love the sights and sounds of Christmas.
“I love the overall feel and look at that time of year, because it’s starting to get really cold then and everything’s coming to a halt. It stays dark, so you have a lot of Christmas lights. I just love Christmas lights – they put you in such an amazing mood,” says John. “Just the sounds, like all the Christmas music and even shopping, which is quite possibly one of the most hectic things to do during the holidays. Even if we have all our shopping done, we’ll still go to the mall just because it’s so alive and vibrant and the colors and the music and the lights. I just love it. It’s a bit sensory overload, but I kinda dig that.”
Spending time with their family has become very important to the duo, especially with how busy their lives have become over the past several years. “Particularly as of late with John and I traveling a lot we don’t get a lot of family time at all. And so, as time goes on, I really value that more and more,” says TJ.
He adds, “A Christmas tradition to us is just simply being able to stop and hit pause and hang out with the family. I mean, we get to miss so many things. We have wonderful careers, but we miss birthdays, and we miss so many crazy fun parties and just the small things. So, I feel Christmas is that moment where we can just stop, hang out, get back to our roots, get home with the family and eat those homecooked meals and just laugh. And of course, you always have got to have your arguing, your Christmas arguing. (laughs) But that’s become like a tradition every year. We always, no matter what’s going on, we make time to get the family together for one time a year.”
Audio / John Osborne of Brothers Osborne says he loves the feel, sights and sounds of Christmas.
Brothers Osborne (feel of Christmas) OC: …dig that. :36 “I love the overall feel and look at that time of year, because it’s starting to get really cold then and everything’s coming to a halt. It stays dark so you have a lot of Christmas lights. I just love Christmas lights – they put you in such an amazing mood. Just the sounds, like all the Christmas music and even shopping, which is quite possibly one of the most hectic things to do during the holidays. Even if we have all our shopping done, we’ll still go to the mall just because it’s so alive and vibrant and the colors and the music and the lights. I just love it. It’s a bit sensory overload, but I kinda dig that.”
Audio / TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne says he values family time more and more during the holidays.
Brothers Osborne (Christmas) OC: …more and more. :21 “I think part of just holidays in general when mostly there’s nowhere to go, everything is shut down so you’re like forced to finally like (JOHN: “Relax.”) you have to be a family and hang in this house. Particularly as of late with John and I traveling a lot we don’t get a lot of family time at all. And so, as time goes on, I really value that more and more.”
Audio / TJ OSBORNE OF BROTHERS OSBORNE TALKS ABOUT THEIR CHRISTMAS TRADITION OF JUST BEING TOGETHER WITH FAMILY AT CHRISTMAS.
Brothers Osborne (Christmas tradition) OC: …one time a year. :44
“What’s up, y’all, Brothers Osborne here. And you know with our crazy lives, and this sounds like obvious, but a Christmas tradition to us is just simply being able to stop and hit pause and hang out with the family. I mean, we get to miss so many things. We have wonderful careers, but we miss birthdays, and we miss so many crazy fun parties and just the small things. So, I feel Christmas is that moment where we can just stop, hang out, get back to our roots, get home with the family and eat those homecooked meals and just laugh. And of course, you always have got to have your arguing, your Christmas arguing. (laughs) But that’s become like a tradition every year. We always, no matter what’s going on, we make time to get the family together for one time a year.”
Mickey Guyton will perform during NBC’s annual Christmas In Rockefeller Center on Wednesday (November 30th) at 8pm ET/PT. The two-hour special will also feature performances by Blake Shelton and his wife Gwen Stefani, Jimmie Allen, Brett Eldredge, Alicia Keys, Dan + Shay, the Radio City Rockettes and many more.
Brothers Osborne‘s JohnOsborne will join Ashley McBryde for a special performance on NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon next Tuesday (December 6th).
Chrissy Metz is set to perform on a special holiday version of CMT’s series, CMT Crossroads, with For King + Country. The one-hour show, which will also feature performances by BRELAND, Natalie Grant and Rebecca St. James, premieres December 12th at 10pm ET/9pm CT.
Darius Rucker has been tapped for a couple of different music festivals, including the Barefoot Country Music Fest in Wildwood, New Jersey June 15th – 18th, which will also feature performances from Blake Shelton, Jon Pardi, Parker McCollum and Kid Rock. Darius will also headline Appalachian State University’s An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, North Carolina on July 29th.
The War and Treaty will perform “O Holy Night” during the CMA Country Christmas special next week. Hosted by Carly Pearce, the show, which will also feature performances by Maren Morris, Dan + Shay, Scotty McCreery and more, airs December 8th at 9pm ET/8pm CT on ABC (and the next day on Hulu and Disney+).
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.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving has become known as “Drinksgiving.” Bars experience a huge boom the night before the holiday.
Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 24th, 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, Carrie Underwood, Catie Offerman, Caylee Hammack, 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, Tyler Hubbard and more. They share their thoughts of thanks this year, their lessons in gratitude, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.
Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.
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 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.
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.
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 / Catie Offerman explains what she's most thankful for this holiday.
Catie Offerman (Thanksgiving) OC: …what I do. :17 “I am so thankful for a lot of things. I think my family, the gift of being able to put music out this year has been huge for me. I think that’s something I’ve waited on for a really long time, and I’m so thankful for that. I’m thankful for my health and just being able to keep playing music and doing what I do.”
Audio / Caylee Hammack says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, because she gets to just spend time with her family.
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.
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.
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 Day is his favorite sporting day.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Jon Pardi (Thanksgiving) 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 talks about his childhood Thanksgiving traditions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Keith (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.
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.
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 / Luke Bryan talks about how thankful he is and his plans for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Luke Bryan (Thanksgiving) OC: …and family. :30 “Thanksgiving every year I go to my farm in Georgia, and we float on the Flint River and bass fish, and we do some quail hunting, but most importantly, we’re together as a family. I’m thankful every year to have the ability to go be with my family and reflect on another great year in the business, and I’m so thankful for health and I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to enjoy this career for so many years with so many friends and family.”
Audio / Maddie & Tae talk about their Thanksgiving traditions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 shows gratitude for her life every day.
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, 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.
Sam Hunt (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …disappears. :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 talks about a typical Thanksgiving holiday growing up.
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.”
Audio / Travis Denning lists his Thanksgiving must-haves.
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 / Tyler Hubbard explains why he’s so grateful this Thanksgiving.
Tyler Hubbard (Thanksgiving 2022) OC: …blessing for sure. 1:13 “I’m just super thankful to kind of be in a place of, I guess I feel like we’ve made it through the thick—we kept calling it, ‘Man, we’re in the thick of it.’ We had a rough last couple of years, you know, my wife and I and family, getting through the pandemic, injuries, we had our third baby, the big transition career-wise – so everything at once, it felt like our world was somewhat collapsing. So now we’re in this stage of the rebuild, and not only can we see the light at the end of the tunnel, it almost feels like we’re there. So, I just look around every day lately and I’m just so grateful to be able to be back on tour, able to play shows, my kids are healthy, we’re all happy and in a good place and getting into a rhythm and having a good balance in our life between work and family and just feeling really good. So, as I’m approaching Thanksgiving here, I’m just really kind of looking back and reflecting on this last year and how different it was last year and even the year before that, and just how grateful I am to be able to be making music and doing what I love and also being really present as a dad and getting to watch these kids grow up. It’s really a cool blessing for sure.”
Audio / Tyler Hubbard talks about his favorite Thanksgiving traditions.
Tyler Hubbard (Thanksgiving) OC: …I love it. :22 “Favorite Thanksgiving tradition for me is probably just getting together with family, having a big meal and watching a little football and taking a nice long nap. I mean, we didn’t reinvent the wheel with Thanksgiving by any means. But my Nanny (grandmother) does make a pretty mean sweet potato casserole, so that’s one of my favorites that I look forward to and I don’t know if that’s a tradition or not, but in my head it is. I love it.”
