Rising star Kassi Ashton mixes melancholy and hope beautifully to deliver a stirring rendition of the Dolly Parton classic “Hard Candy Christmas.” Written by Carol Hall for the Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which later became a movie starring Parton, “Hard Candy Christmas” serves as testimony that while things may be tough right now, it will get better.
“I think we can all agree, it’s been a hell of a year,” says Kassi. “But as the year comes to a close, and we are all in the holiday spirit, it’s time to decide what we take with us and what we leave behind- and there is no better fitting song for that than Dolly Parton’s ‘Hard Candy Christmas.’”
Listen to Kassi Ashton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” HERE
About Kassi Ashton Kassi brings a whole new attitude to country music. The California, Missouri singer/songwriter touched down with a string of critically acclaimed tracks released by UMG Nashville in conjunction with Interscope Records. Her introductory release “California, Missouri” stirred up widespread critical acclaim from Taste of Country, CMT, The Boot, and many more. Named “Who to Watch” by Huffington Post,The Tennessean, and radio personality Bobby Bones. Rolling Stone lauded her as “a devilish songwriter who isn’t afraid to flip convention on its head,” while Refinery29 claimed, “she blends pop aesthetics with a presence doused in no-fucks-left-to-give authenticity,” and PAPER Magazine called her “the next big country superstar.”
EMI Nashville recording artist and award-winning actress Chrissy Metz releases her first ever holiday song with a heartwarming rendition of the Bing Crosby classic “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” – available now at all digital service providers.
“’I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ is not only nostalgic but incredibly special to me because it’s my Mom’s favorite Christmas song,” says Chrissy. “This year it takes on a whole new meaning as we all more than ever want to be with loved ones, especially during the holiday season.”
Chrissy’s current single “Talking To God” is playing on country radio now. Fans can also hear songs “Actress,” “Feel Good,” and more on Chrissy’s Feel Good Playlist. Chrissy made her debut at the famed Grand Ole Opry this summer after signing a record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville earlier this year. Chrissy has showcased her vocal abilities as “Kate Pearson” on NBC’s award-winning series This Is Us and, while starring in 20th Century Fox’s Breakthrough movie, the soundtrack features her performance of the Oscar-nominated track, “I’m Standing With You.” For more information, visit www.ChrissyMetzMusic.com.
Chrissy Metz (I’ll Be Home for Christmas song) OC: …the production of that. :29
“So, ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever, and one of my mom’s favorites. I think it is my mom’s favorite, and we decided to make this version really special. It’s one of those versions, I think, that can sort of invoke sort of like a Christmas Vacation. I don’t know why, but that’s what I feel when I hear it because it’s kind of swanky and swaggy and really fun. Derek Wells did a great, amazing job on the production of that.”
Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (I'll Be Home for Christmas)
Mercury Nashville Recording artist Travis Denning is taking his first-ever No. One single “After A Few” (Thursday Night Football Edition) to Nissan Stadium, opening FOX Sports’ Thursday Night Football pregamecoverage with a special performance. Fans can tune in to catch the Gameday-tailored performance, of one of the Top 5 most played songs of 2020, ahead of tonight’s (11/12) Titans vs. Colts game at 7:00pm CT on FOX.
“Kicking off FOX Sports coverage of ‘Thursday Night Football’ is an absolute dream come true,” shared Travis Denning. “Since before I can even remember my dad has taken me to pro games, college games, high school games…and I’ve been in love with football my whole life. Rewriting ‘After A Few’ for this was a lot of fun too.”
A native of Warner Robins, Georgia, singer/songwriter and Mercury Nashville recording artist Travis Denning just celebrated first No. One and GOLD-certified single with the “shadowy” (Rolling Stone) “After A Few.” Accelerating his ascend from a chart-topping single, the song is taken from his recently-released debut EP BEER’S BETTER COLD that debuted in the Top 20 of Billboard’s Country Albums chart. Denning first made waves showcasing his “future star power” (Billboard) with the release of his Top 40 debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs.” Denning kicked off 2020 as direct support on Dustin Lynch’s STAY COUNTRY TOUR and has previously opened shows for Cole Swindell, Alan Jackson, LANCO, Riley Green and his first headlining “Heartbeat Of A Small Town Tour.” With over 353 million streams worldwide, Denning has been spotlighted for his head-turning sound and was selected this past year as an Opry NextStage recipient and CMA KixStart Artist, as he makes his mark within the industry. Inspired at a young age, Denning developed a love for country, pop, rock and heavy metal and started playing local bars from the age of 16, as he built a strong following from his distinctive songs and raucous guitar solos. A prolific writer with an unquestionable stage presence, Denning moved to Nashville and secured outside cuts by Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, Michael Ray and more. Denning’s newest songwriting cut includes Michael Ray’s Top 20 single “Her World Or Mine.” For more information, visit travisdenning.com.
Darius Rucker has just released the official music video for his latest single, “Beers and Sunshine.” Check it out below.
You can catch Darius hosting next week’s CMA Awards with Reba McEntire. “The 54th Annual CMA Awards” will broadcast live from Nashville’s Music City Center Wednesday, November 11th at 8pm ET on ABC.
Darius Rucker co-hosted last night’s CMA Awards for the first time ever, and says being up there on that stage with Reba McEntire (who’s hosted and co-hosted five times) was “one of the best experiences of his life.”
“It was a dream come true,” said Darius backstage at the CMA Awards. “It was something I never ever thought they would ask me to do. Reba made it so easy and she was so great to me, and this was one of the best experiences of my life.”
Darius performed his latest hit single, “Beers and Sunshine,” on the show, as well as a duet with Reba on “In The Ghetto,” which paid tribute to the late and great Mac Davis, who recently passed away.
Audio / Darius Rucker says co-hosting the CMA Awards with Reba was one of the best moments of his life and career.
Darius Rucker (CMA Awards greatest night) OC: …of my life. :10
“It was a dream come true. It was something I never ever thought they would ask me to do. (Reba: “He did a great job.”) Reba made it so easy and she was so great to me, and this was one of the best experiences of my life.”
Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Little Big Town, Jon Pardi and Keith Urban have been added to the list of performers at this year’s CMA Awards. They’re joined by Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Ingrid Andress, Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber, Jenee Fleenor, Old Dominion, CarlyPearce and LeeBrice and Morgan Wallen
CMA Duo of the Year-nominated Brothers Osborne, reigning CMA Musician of the Year Fleenor and reigning CMA New Artist of the Year and previously announced performer Ashley McBryde will come together with Aldean and Bentley for the first time to perform an epic, multi-song show opening tribute to Charlie Daniels.
Three-time nominee this year Urban invites viewers to Australia for a special intimate performance of “God Whispered Your Name.”
Nominated group this year Little Big Town pays a sweet tribute to Kenny Rogers, while CMA Album of the Year (Heartache Medication) nominee this year Pardi throws it back to perform in honor of Joe Diffie.
Previously announced performers include hosts Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker taking the stage together for an emotional, groundbreaking tribute performance. Darius will also take the stage with Lady A. Additional performances include Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Florida GeorgiaLine, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, Rascal Flatts and Thomas Rhett feat. McEntire, HillaryScott and Chris Tomlin.
“The 54th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker, will broadcast live from Nashville’s Music City Center Wednesday, November 11th at 8pm ET on ABC.
Chris and Morgane Stapleton performed a “spellbinding” (Billboard) version of “Starting Over” during last night’s 54th Annual CMA Awards. Watch HERE. Later in the evening, Stapleton joined “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for “A Very Covid Christmas” and will return to the show tonight for a performance and chat with the host.
“Starting Over” is the title track of Stapleton’s anticipated new album, which will be released tomorrow on Mercury Records Nashville (pre-order/pre-save). As a special preview, SiriusXM will debut the full album today across all country channels. The special will feature stories and insight from the two men closest to the project, producer and six-time Grammy Award winner Dave Cobb and Stapleton himself. Full details here.
Already receiving widespread acclaim, the Associated Press declares, “a sure-footed masterpiece…one of the year’s finest albums,” while Entertainment Weekly praises, “…a dynamite and dynamic new album from the mighty-voiced Kentucky native…the singer-songwriter is hitting new heights, nailing the crossroads of country, rock, gospel, and pop across 14 tracks.” Stapleton was also recently featured on NBC’s “Sunday TODAY withWillie Geist.” Watch the full profile HERE.
StartingOver is an album of startling prescience—completed in late February only days before the shutdown began. Across its fourteen tracks are songs that examine life’s simplest joys and most serious struggles. Alongside eleven songs written by Stapleton with both longtime friends and new collaborators are three carefully chosen covers: John Fogerty’s “Joy Of My Life” and Guy Clark’s “Worry B Gone” and “Old Friends.” The resulting album—both timely and timeless—speaks to and transcends the current moment in ways unimaginable even while it was being created.
The album finds Stapleton back in his second home, Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A (with additional work done at Muscle Shoals Sound and Compass Sound Studio), surrounded by his trusted collaborators as well as some new faces. Produced by Cobb (who also plays acoustic guitar), the record features his beloved wife, Morgane Stapleton (vocals, tambourine), with J.T. Cure (bass) and Derek Mixon (drums). Special guests include legendary musicians Mike Campbell (electric guitar), Benmont Tench (Hammond B3 organ) and Paul Franklin (pedal steel) as well as the All Voices Choir who are featured on “Watch You Burn,” written by Stapleton and Campbell.
Kentucky-born Stapleton is a 5x Grammy, 10x CMA and 7x ACM Award-winner and one of the country’s most respected and beloved musicians. Following 2015’s quadruple platinum breakthrough solo debut album Traveller, Stapleton released two No. 1 albums in 2017. Both From A Room: Volume 1 (certified platinum) and From A Room: Volume 2 (certified gold) take their name from legendary RCA Studio A, where they were recorded with Cobb. Released to overwhelming critical acclaim, The Tennessean praises, “Both are rich with the textures of Stapleton’s vocals that make him one of country music’s most beloved artists, classic country sounds and thoughtful articulate lyrics about love, life and pain.” He was recently announced as the first-ever “Artist-Songwriter of the Decade” recipient by the Academy of Country Music and, next year, will be the subject of a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Stapleton’s “All-American Road Show” tour is planned to resume next year. Highlights include headline shows at Washington State’s Gorge Amphitheatre, Chicago’s Wrigley Field, New York’s Madison Square Garden and “A Concert for Kentucky”—a special performance benefitting his newly created Outlaw State of Kind Hometown Fund to be held at University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field on April 24. Presented by Live Nation, the performance is the first concert ever held at UK’s Kroger Field and will feature very special guests Willie Nelson & Family, Sheryl Crow and Yola. 100% of the concert’s net proceeds will go toward Chris and Morgane Stapleton’s Outlaw State of Kind Hometown Fund. Established in partnership with the Blue Grass Community Foundation, the fund will specifically support local and national organizations directly impacting Kentucky, with initial grant distributions focusing on music and arts education. See below for complete itinerary.
CMA Album of the Year nominee Jon Pardi is performing on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” tonight (11/5), ahead of CMA Awards week. Pardi is set to perform his current Top 10 single “Ain’t Always The Cowboy,” which made an impact as a song with “…a clever twist…” (Billboard) that “…gives more than a subtle nod to major Pardi influence George Strait,” (Rolling Stone). “Ain’t Always The Cowboy” is included on Pardi’s recently released Deluxe Edition of his critically-acclaimed album Heartache Medication, which debuted among the top of the Billboard Country Albums chart and was named as the only artist/album in the Los Angeles Times Best Albums Of the Year list.
Tune-in tonight to watch Pardi’s performance of “Ain’t Always The Cowboy” on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” at 11:35 p.m. ET/10:35p.m. CT.
Heartache Medication Deluxe Edition was released on the heels of Pardi’s first CMA Album of the Year nomination (his first nod in the category), his second consecutive ACM Album of the Year nomination, and the Platinum-certification of title track “Heartache Medication.” Soaring with “…fiddles, steel guitar and dive-bar jukebox energy…” (New York Times), critics hailed Heartache Medication as a blend of “honky-tonkin’, boot-stompin’ tracks about whiskey, women and song” (The New York Times) and called Pardi an artist that “…proves that Country music is still thrillingly alive” (Rolling Stone). Heartache Medication Deluxe Edition follows the release of Rancho Fiesta Sessions – an eight-song album that features a combination of songs Pardi is both inspired by, and loves to perform, and the roll-out of his 8-episode digital series “Pardi Time” broadcasting across CMT’s digital platforms. View the trailer here. For more information, visit www.jonpardi.com.
Multi-platinum-selling country music artist Josh Turner received an unexpected surprise this week when his wife Jennifer presented him with a two-time Platinum Certification plaque for his multi-week #1 singles “Why Don’t We Just Dance” (from the album HAYWIRE) and “Would You Go With Me” (from the album YOUR MAN). Turner was given the plaque during a special livestream event he performed at AJ’s Good Time Bar in Nashville this week to celebrate his critically acclaimed new album COUNTRY STATE OF MIND (MCA Nashville). Fans can watch the livestream event here: https://umgn.us/JTCSOMLivestream
The label surprised me with 2x platinum certifications on “Why Don’t We Just Dance” and “Would You Go With Me” during my recent taping at @ajsgoodtimebar. 🥳🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/EOgfyR3DvW
COUNTRY STATE OF MIND finds Turner paying homage to a cross-section of classic country music icons, including five legends whom he has called his “Mount Rushmore of Country Music”- Randy Travis, John Anderson, Johnny Cash, Vern Gosdin, and Hank Williams. Turner also invited a stellar group of guest artists to join him, from legends such as Randy Travis and Kris Kristofferson, to newer contemporary voices such as Chris Janson, Maddie & Tae and Runaway June.
