Thursday (October 28th) is National First Responders Day and George Strait‘s song, “The Weight Of The Badge,” is even more relevant on this day.

“It’s gonna be a long one another graveyard shift
As he says goodbye to his wife and kids
He spends his life just like his dad’s
Driving away under the weight of the badge

He’s seen it all in his fifteen years
Watching our backs, facing our fears
Lord knows it ain’t no easy task
Keeping us safe under the weight of the badge

He swore that oath to protect and serve
Pours his heart and soul into both those words
Lays his life on the line
The line he walks is razor fine
Tempered strength is always tough
But he ain’t gonna buckle
Under the weight of the badge”

The country superstar wrote the song with his son, Bubba, and frequent collaborator Dean Dillon, after an encounter with an officer and Strait’s grandson Harvey during the ceremony honoring the singer with the Texan of the Year Award.

“‘The Weight of the Badge,’ the idea for that song came about when I got the Texan of the Year award,” George recalls. “Me and Bubba, Tamara and Harvey, everybody Norma, and even Jilliann, I think were there, and I had security you know I had an officer who was talking to Harvey and letting him play with his badge and hold it and pinning it on his shirt. And I just got to thinking about that because it really wasn’t that heavy until you put it on it and then it means, it really gets heavy. So, that was one of those things I thought was a real important message especially these days and times. I love the way it turned out.”

George is expected to release a video for the song on Thursday.

Here are some holiday liners from UMG Nashville artists, including Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Caylee Hammack, Chrissy Metz,Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Hootie & The Blowfish, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kassi Ashton, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Kylie Morgan, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Reba McEntire, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, Terri Clark, Travis Denning and more!

Capitol Records’ Caylee Hammack has been tapped to bring her vocal stylings to the fifth annual “Spotify Singles: Holiday Edition” playlist and campaign — alongside an all-genre lineup including Ashnikko, jxdn, Spoon and more — out today. Praised as a “dynamic singer…[with] soulful vocals,” (Billboard) Hammack fittingly pays homage to country icon Dolly Parton with a striking rendition of her Christmas classic “Hard Candy Christmas,” available to listen to here.

“‘Hard Candy Christmas’ has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs,” shared Hammack. “It was fun to get to strip it down a bit and produce it myself in the studio for Spotify’s Holiday Series. Merry Christmas y’all.”

Hammack made her main stage debut this past weekend at Tortuga Music Festival, and is slated to support REBA: LIVE IN CONCERT in January in select cities. Visit www.cayleehammack.com/tour for tickets and details.

Capitol Nashville “songwriter/producer/full-throttle vocalist” (HITS) Caylee Hammack released her debut record IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU to high praise from critics. The 13-track set that sees Hammack with writer and producer credits on every track was spotlighted by Billboard as “Hammack has arrived with this 13-track adrenaline blast…every song on here plays out like an entry in Hammack’s diary—and is just as compelling…Hammack deserves to be a star.” Hammack garnered more acclaim when she released a new version of her deeply personal song “Small Town Hypocrite” with a guest vocal by Chris Stapleton. Co-written and co-produced by Hammack, NPR and Esquire singled out the track as one of their “Best Songs of 2020.” Winning ACM “Music Event Of The Year,” with Miranda Lambert, Caylee Hammack has been noted as an “Artist To Watch” by outlets including The Bobby Bones Show, Rolling Stone and HITS Magazine for her “voice to move mountains” (Rolling Stone). With her breakout Top 30 single “Family Tree” marking the most-added single at Country radio by a female artist in over three years, Hammack, the Capitol Nashville recording artist has previously brought her unforgettable live set to opening slots for Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Trisha Yearwood, Brothers Osborne and some of country music’s biggest festivals. For more information visit www.cayleehammack.com.

Photo ID (L-R): Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, and Matt Jenkins
Photo Credit: Caleb Cockrell

Multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter, Jordan Davis, was presented yesterday with a Gold plaque for his hit single “Buy Dirt,” featuring country superstar Luke Bryan, being certified Gold by the RIAA. Davis shared the moment with co-writers, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins, and his brother Jacob Davis. Davis’ song is currently the No. 4 Streaming Song in country music, amassing over 120 million streams to date. “Buy Dirt” has been in the Top 5 on the Country Songs Chart for five consecutive weeks, No. 3 in Track Sales, and No. 14 on the Country Radio charts.

Additionally, Davis will be performing “Buy Dirt” on LIVE With Kelly And Ryan on November 8th. “Buy Dirt” received a nomination for Musical Event of the Year on the upcoming 55^th Annual CMA Awards. The CMA nomination marks Davis’ first of his career.

About Jordan Davis
MCA Nashville’s Jordan Davis has been named an “Artist to Watch” by Billboard, Rolling Stone, CMT, Pandora, Shazam, Amazon Music, Sounds Like Nashville, The Tennessean, SiriusXM, Whiskey Riff, and more. A Native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Davis graduated from LSU and briefly pursued the path of his degree working as an environmental consultant; however, his passion for music and songwriting eventually compelled him to move to Nashville in the summer of 2012. In 2018, Davis released his Gold-certified debut album, Home State, which features his three consecutive No. 1 hits: Platinum-Certified “Slow Dance In A Parking Lot,” the Double Platinum-Certified “Singles You Up” and Platinum-Certified “Take It From Me.” In 2019 Davis won Best New Country Artist at the iHeart Radio Music Awards and was a two-time nominee for ACM New Male Artist of the Year. He was also named Billboard’s Top New Country Artist of 2018 as well as Country Aircheck/Mediabase’s Most Heard New Artist of 2018. Davis has since accumulated over 2 billion streams worldwide. The hitmaker released a six-song, self-titled EP featuring a collaboration with pop superstar Julia Michaels titled, “Cool Anymore.” In May 2021, Davis released his new eight song EP, Buy Dirt. Davis co-wrote every song on the EP except for the John Prine inspired “Blow Up Your TV.” Davis cites Prine as one of his most important influences throughout his life and on his music. The EP also features country superstar, Luke Bryan, who lends his vocals on the vulnerable title track and centerpiece of the EP. Davis has made appearances on Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, TODAY Show, and has previously toured with the likes of Rascal Flatts, Jake Owen, Kip Moore, Brett Young and Old Dominion.

For additional information, visit www.jordandavisofficial.com.

On the eve of the debut of her first residency, REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner Carrie Underwood ushers in the holidays with multiple broadcast appearances on behalf of My Gift (Special Edition).  The album, featuring three new tracks, was released September 24th, debuting #1 on Billboard’s Holiday Albums chart. Underwood’s first Christmas album, My Gift, was initially released September 2020, and has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA).  To date, there have been over 297 million global streams for My Gift and My Gift (Special Edition) combined.

She kicked off the season with two stellar performances with Jason Aldean of the duo’s #1 smash hit duet, “If I Didn’t Love You,” on the 55^th CMA Awards and the 2021 American Music Awards, both of which aired on ABC in November.  Additionally, she won her 16^th and 17^th AMAs, marking her 8^th win for Favorite Female Country Artist and her first for Favorite Inspirational Artist, elevating her to tie Garth Brooks and Justin Bieber as the sixth top AMA winners of all time.

Underwood received another early Christmas surprise, with two GRAMMY® Award nominations – her album of beloved gospel hymns, My Savior has been nominated for Best Roots Gospel Album and she and Aldean are nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “If I Didn’t Love You.”

Underwood continues to grace the holiday airwaves with special performances on NBC’s 2021 “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” on November 25, ABC’s “CMA Country Christmas” on November 29 and “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” airing December 1 on NBC.  She will also be seen on Canada’s “2021 Santa Claus Parade,” airing December 4 on CTV and repeating through December on Bell Media Platforms (Crave, CP24 and CTV.ca).  HBO Max is currently streaming “My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood,” which premiered in December 2020, becoming an instant holiday classic.  Several additional holiday broadcast appearances will be announced shortly.

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

My Gift (Special Edition) is now available digitally, on CD and vinyl here.

Carrie also delighted fans with a “Christmas Bonus” – a comedic digital-only holiday track, “Stretchy Pants,” released November 12.  The track is available here and is accompanied by a fun-filled animated video at stretchypantssong.com, created especially for the song, with a portion of the proceeds from streaming and downloads donated to The Store, the Nashville-based organization which was co-founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.  Limited edition holiday “Stretchy Pants” are available at the Official Carrie Underwood Online Store.

REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency opens December 1 at the brand-new Resorts World Theatre, with upcoming engagements confirmed in March and April 2022.

Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church takes fans on a whirlwind trip down memory lane with the Reid Long-directed music video for his current top 25-and-climbing single “Heart On Fire.” From the Sinners Like Me launching pad of his career in 2006 through the raucous anthem off his latest chart-topping project, Heart & Soul, the must-see video offers a sizzle reel of Church’s hit-filled journey to date, as each reminiscent clip flows naturally from one to the next, connected by the same common threads: passion, contemplation and a reverence for live music. The rapid-fire trip through a decade-plus of hits – which has included 11 No. 1 songs at Country radio and 30 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified singles – provides a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it collection of reference points before Church brings the song to a rousing close with a performance alongside longtime powerhouse backing vocalist Joanna Cotten.

Through the magic of extreme digital editing, Eric’s throwback videos in this new clip include “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” “Love Your Love The Most,” “Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Homeboy,” ‘Drink in My Hand,” “Springsteen,” “Creepin’,” “Give Me Back My Hometown,” “Cold One,” “Talladega,” “Mr. Misunderstood” and “Record Year,” among others.  Check it out below.

Eric has said “Heart On Fire” was the first song to kick off his massive Heart & Soul project. “‘Heart On Fire’ was the first song we recorded when we got to North Carolina. I already had pretty much, I wrote this song by myself, but I already had this song on the rails and we were heading down the path of what this was going to be. I thought we needed to kind of break the ice and get started on something, you know, we were doing something that was tough to do – writing the song the same day we were record it. This was the song that was kind of the icebreaker for the whole project, and I credit this song a lot for getting us to where we ended up getting to with the project.”

Church, who is tied for most nominations with five at the upcoming CMA Awards (including a repeat nod for Entertainer of the Year) and has been announced as one of the performers, is bringing both “Heart On Fire” and the nostalgic hits of days past to fans across the U.S. and Canada as The Gather Again Tour continues into 2022. Tickets to all dates, including the grand finale at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden, are on sale now at EricChurch.com. All tour dates will enforce local venue and/or city guidelines regarding COVID-19 precautions. Church will be touring with a fully vaccinated crew. This weekend you can catch him north of the border in Calgary, Alberta and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Brothers Osborne wrap up their We’re Not For Everyone Tour this week with shows in Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Just like every other artist who finally hit the road this year, they were “over the moon” to get back out and play for the fans.

“The tour has been amazing. We’ve been trying to get back out on the road now for so long, and then we finally got out there and things were getting a little crazy. We were like, ‘Are we gonna stay on tour? Or is it gonna shut back down again?’ It’s been amazing to get back out there and see the fans,” says TJ Osborne. “Travis Denning, Tenille Townes both are such wonderful people and super talented, and it’s been such a  pleasure to get to see them night after night and get the crowd warmed up with some great country music. So, I’m just honestly over the moon.”

The newly crowned CMA Duo of the Year are making their way up the country charts with “I’m Not For Everyone.”

Darius Rucker really got into the Halloween spirit by spooking some visitors to the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Nashville. Check out the “My Masterpiece” singer and his great impression of a wax figure below.

Priscilla Block is one of five children, and she says her favorite Christmas gift was one Santa Claus brought to all of the kids.

“My favorite Christmas gift as a kid was the day we got a trampoline. Omigosh. It was so exciting,” says Priscilla. “Santa had it set up outside, and I don’t think we finished unwrapping our presents. We were so excited to get out on that trampoline. We slept on the trampoline that night. We had so many sleepovers growing up on our trampoline, and that was the best Christmas present ever.”

The North Carolina native says her family just hangs out all day on Christmas Day after opening gifts and eating breakfast. “During Christmas, my mom gets all the cereal that we love. We do breakfast bagels. Every single Christmas, we’ll have breakfast bagels. And usually we’ll just have leftovers all day. We eat all day long for Christmas, and it’s great. We stay in our jammies. We don’t do a whole fancy dinner. We just eat whatever’s in the house and watch movies all day. It’s fun.”

Priscilla is currently climbing the country charts with her single, “Just About Over You.”

Lauren Alaina flips the switch to turn the Opry’s signature barn pink for the annual
Opry Goes Pink to support the fight against breast cancer   photo credit: © Grand Ole Opry, photo by Chris Hollo

As the Grand Ole Opry^® nears its historic 5,000^th Saturday night broadcast on October 30, the show that made country music famous once again joined together with Susan G. Komen^® tonight in the fight against breast cancer with an Opry Goes Pink show. Lauren Alaina, Dillon Carmichael, Maddie & Tae, Del McCoury Band, Jeannie Seely, Victoria Shaw, Connie Smith and Dusty Slay performed on the show.

Multi-Platinum-selling rising superstar Alaina, who recently debuted her new album Sitting Pretty On Top of the World at No. 1, got the night started by flipping the switch to turn the Opry’s signature barn pink, then returned to the stage to close the show with  performances of favorites including “Getting Over Him,” “Good Ole Boy,” and “What Ifs.”

On October 30, 2021, the Opry, the world’s longest-running radio show, will mark a historic, record-breaking milestone with its 5,000^th Saturday night broadcast. Scheduled to perform on the Opry’s 5000^th Saturday night broadcast is Bill Anderson, Garth Brooks, John Conlee, Terri Clark, The Gatlin Brothers, Vince Gill, The Isaacs,  Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Darius Rucker, Jeannie Seely, Connie Smith, Chris Young, Trisha Yearwood, and more.