Multi-platinum-selling country music artist Josh Turner will treat fans to a livestream event from AJ’s Good Time Bar in Nashville this Thursday, October 29 at 5pm CT. The one-of-a-kind livestream event, hosted by Crook & Chase, will celebrate Turner’s critically acclaimed new album COUNTRY STATE OF MIND (MCA Nashville) and will feature Turner performing songs from the album. Special appearances by Runaway June and Maddie & Tae, both of whom performed with Turner on his new album, plus one very special surprise guest. Fans can to tune into the livestream performance via Facebook HERE and YouTube HERE.

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.

www.JoshTurner.com | Facebook.com/JoshTurner | Instagram @JoshTurnerMusic  | Twitter @JoshTurnerMusic

“After much anticipation Dierks Bentley is back” (E! Online) as the multi-Platinum entertainer returns with the most added single at Country radio this week, “Gone” (Capitol Records Nashville). Making its Top 30 debut on the charts,  78 first-week stations instantly welcomed “the clever mid-tempo track” (Billboard). Grounded by the unmistakable grit in his vocal and driven by an aching groove, “Gone” tells a heartbreak story with a big effect and is available at all digital retailers here.

Coinciding with the release of “Gone” at Country radio Bentley shared a full-band performance of the new single here.

As “the rock-infused ‘Gone’ is guaranteed to be a radio hit” (Whiskey Riff), the new single finds Bentley “stretching himself creatively and try something new for his next musical chapter,” (Sounds Like Nashville) which has won him both critical acclaim and commercial viability over the last nine albums and 19 No. One hits.

“Fits squarely in Bentley’s wheelhouse, allowing his raspy voice to sink into self-pity as he bemoans his heartbreaking trips down memory lane without ever leaving his living room.” – Billboard

“The song mixes upbeat production and a sing-along chorus with the same type of forlorn heartbreak he detailed in ‘Drunk on a Plane.'” – Rolling Stone

“The song finds Bentley in a sweet spot between his roots as a bluegrass fan, his past radio hits and the new sounds he gravitates toward as a Country music listener.” – Taste of Country

Bentley continues to be a dominant voice for the genre with over 6.4 billion streams. Reaching a new creative high while “making music designed to challenge” (New York Times), Bentley co-wrote 10 of 13 tracks on his last album THE MOUNTAIN, which earned him the highest debut sales of his career and became his seventh chart-topping release. Bentley has amassed countless nominations from the ACMs, CMAs, Billboard Music Awards and more while also earning 14 GRAMMY  nominations. He just recently celebrated his 15 year anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. For more information visit www.dierks.com.

Halloween is Saturday, October 31st, and the holiday, which may be a little different this year with a global pandemic, has some of your favorite country stars getting into costumes, while others are recalling memories of Halloweens past.

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Platinum-selling duo Maddie & Tae’s first ever holiday release, We Need Christmas, is out today. The six-track project features two originals, “Merry Married Christmas” and title track “We Need Christmas,” plus beloved holiday favorites including “This Christmas,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”

“I think more than ever, as we say in We Need Christmas, we really need all the joy and hope and love that the holiday season brings,” says Maddie Font. “There’s just something about Christmas that kind of silences all the chaos for a couple of days where you just get to quiet down with your loved ones. We’re so excited to celebrate Christmas this year and really cherish that quality time that we didn’t get as much of this year with quarantining and everything. And,” she adds, “we get to blast our own Christmas songs for our families!”

Listen to We Need Christmas HERE

Fans can also purchase limited edition We Need Christmas merchandise including ornaments, pajamas, candles and more, plus Maddie & Tae signed memorabilia at WeNeedChristmas.MaddieandTae.com.

We Need Christmas Track List:

1. This Christmas (Donny Hathaway, Nadine McKinnor)
2. Holly Jolly Christmas (Johnny Marks)
3. O Come All Ye Faithful (Traditional)
4. Merry Married Christmas (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Josh Kerr)
5. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector)
6. We Need Christmas (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Matthew West, AJ Pruis)

Produced by Jimmy Robbins and Derek Wells

CMT today unveiled the finalists for its highly coveted “Video of the Year” award at the “2020 CMT Music Awards.” Country music’s only entirely fan-voted show airs Wednesday, October 21st at 8:00PM ET/7:00PM CT on CMT, MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network, Pop and TV Land.

For the last several weeks, fans have been actively voting on a group of “Video of the Year” nominations that have been narrowed down to the following six finalists:

• CARRIE UNDERWOOD – “Drinking Alone”
• KEITH URBAN – “Polaroid”
• KELSEA BALLERINI – “homecoming queen?”
• LUKE COMBS – “Beer Never Broke My Heart”
• MIRANDA LAMBERT – “Bluebird”
• TANYA TUCKER – “Bring My Flowers Now”

Of the “Video of the Year” award nominees, Carrie Underwood brings fierce competition, reigning as the most awarded artist in CMT Music Awards history with 20 career wins, taking home last year’s top prize for “Cry Pretty.”

As of 12PM ET, fans can vote for the top six finalists by visiting vote.cmt.com into the show on Wednesday, October 21.

As previously announced, country hitmaker Kane Brown and entertainer Sarah Hyland will share co-host duties for this year’s show, alongside two other famous faces to be revealed closer to air date. On top of hosting duties, Brown and fellow country superstars Ashley McBryde, Dan + Shay, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and Maren Morris will bring highly-anticipated performances to the CMT stage alongside breakout artists Caylee Hammack, HARDY, Ingrid Andress, Mickey Guyton, Riley Green and Travis Denning, who will make their debuts on the Ram Trucks Side Stage. Additional performers and presenters will be announced closer to the show.

GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish recognize the sacrifice of military service members and their families as the holiday season approaches, with today’s release of “Won’t Be Home For Christmas” featuring Abigail Hodges. The song written by Hootie & the Blowfish and produced by Jeff Trott is available everywhere now.

Opening with Hodges’ earnest plea – “Dear Santa Claus / I write to you because / I don’t want toys this year / I just want my daddy here” – the duet portrays the dynamic between a young daughter at home and her deployed father, brought to life by lead singer Darius Rucker’s distinct baritone vocals.

“Abigail is actually the daughter of David Hodges, who’s an awesome producer here in Nashville” notes Rucker. “She did a great job of adding that perspective to this song and really bringing the lyrics to life.”

“We feel very fortunate to have the freedom to enjoy the holidays with our families, however we know that isn’t the case for everyone,” adds guitarist Mark Bryan. “Whether they’re deployed overseas or stationed far away from their families, this can be a tough time for military members. We wanted to really pay tribute to that sacrifice and thank these men and women for everything they do to keep us safe.”

Hootie & the Blowfish also recently released “Turn It Up (Walshy Fire Of Major Lazer Remix),” a re-imagined version of the track off their November 2019 album Imperfect Circle – the first new music in nearly 15 years from the Diamond-certified hitmakers, which followed their sold-out, five-country Group Therapy Tour.

For more information, visit www.Hootie.com, and follow on Facebook @hootieandtheblowfish, Twitter @HootieTweets and Instagram @hootieofficial.

About Hootie & the Blowfish 
With the rich, bluesy vocals of Darius Rucker and gleeful harmonies of guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber and drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, Hootie & the Blowfish have sold over 25 million records worldwide to date after their infectious melodies hit the airwaves in 1994 with hits such as “Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry” and “Only Wanna Be With You.”

The quartet met at the University of South Carolina where endless gigs at frat houses and local bars built a major local buzz. Their blend of pop, folk, blues, soul and rock made them hard to pigeonhole, but easily accessible to anyone who loved good music.

Atlantic Records, impressed by their regional draw, signed them and released Cracked Rear View in 1994. The album had been out for six months before the band played on the Late Show with David Letterman which sent sales skyrocketing, eventually landing at No. 1 on the Billboard chart the following spring. Cracked Rear View and the band went on to win two GRAMMY Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, and multiple People’s Choice Awards. Cracked Rear View went on to earn the band Billboard‘s Band of the Year Award in 1996 and the RIAA’s Diamond Award for sales in excess of 10 million units. Cracked Rear View remains the 7th most certified studio album in music business history.

The band remained a top draw nationwide and released five more albums for Atlantic: Fairweather Johnson, Musical Chairs, Scattered, Smothered & Covered, Hootie & The Blowfish and The Best of Hootie & The Blowfish, as well as Looking For Lucky on their own Sneaky Long Records and LIVE in Charleston, The Homegrown Concert Event DVD and CD. The band took a break from full-time touring in 2007, reuniting annually for a variety of philanthropic events while also pursuing solo projects. 2019 marked the band’s first full-time touring year in over a decade as they embarked on the sold-out Group Therapy Tour in support of Imperfect Circle, released in November 2019 under a new record deal with Universal Music Group.

Brothers Osborne perform their song “Hatin’ Somebody” from their new album, Skeletons, on ABC’s Good Morning America today (October 12th).

Check out the interview and performance here.

John and TJ, who are making their way up the country charts with their latest single “All Night,” are nominated for CMA Vocal Duo of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards. The 54th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker, will be broadcast live from Nashville on November 11th at 8pm ET on ABC.

The guys are also up for Duo Video of the Year for next week’s CMT Music Awards for their studio performance of “All Night.” The CMT Music Awards will air October 21st at 8pm ET/7pm CT on CMT.

Chris Stapleton’s new song, “Arkansas,” is out today (listen HERE). Written by Stapleton and legendary musician Mike Campbell, “Arkansas” is the third song unveiled from Stapleton’s anticipated new album, Starting Over, out November 13th on Mercury Records Nashville (pre-order/pre-save).

Already receiving widespread acclaim, Billboard calls the song “Cold,” “earth-shattering…this is the finest rip-your-heart-out song you’ll hear all day…or any day,” while Rolling Stone selected the title track, “Starting Over,” as a “Song You Need to Know” praising, “‘Starting Over’ is for a new day and, like its title implies, a fresh start…a song that, despite being written before the world went to hell in the spring, encapsulates our current moment.” Watch the song’s official music video, which was directed and filmed by Becky Fluke, HERE.

Starting Over 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 Dave 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.

Jordan Davis recently performed — virtually — his No. 1 hit, “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot,” as a couple’s first dance…in a parking lot.

According to Good Morning America, when Carrie and John Michael Simpson got engaged in April, they knew they wanted to start their lives together right away. They had always dreamed of fall nuptials and were determined to make that happen despite COVID-19. So, they inquired about different venue parking lots to hold their ceremony. The idea of getting married in a parking lot was also a special one because the couple’s anthem during the pandemic has been “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot” by country singer Jordan Davis.

“There’s a lyric from it that says, ‘Making the most of whatever we got / Even if it’s just a slow dance in a parking lot,’” explained Carrie. “That’s just kind of our anthem for life now of just making the most of whatever you get, even if it’s not that much just making the most of it.” The two have taken a hit financially this year and said the song helped them get through the toughest days of the global pandemic.

“They had this huge moment in their lives, which is, I know, looking back on my marriage, it was such a special day,” Davis told “Good Morning America.” “I hate that some of the shine is getting covered up because of what’s going on.”

When Davis learned that “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot” was the Carrie and John’s favorite song, and were planning on having their first dance to it in a parking lot on their wedding day, he wanted to help make the moment even more special by surprising them with a live performance via Zoom.

A couple who tied the knot in a parking lot due to the coronavirus pandemic got an epic musical surprise from country singer Jordan Davis on their big day. https://t.co/EwqhdzRWq5 pic.twitter.com/qdYXvH0chv

— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 9, 2020

Rising country artist, Adam Hambrick, released his latest Flipside titled, Love Is Quicksand, today, which features two new original songs. Jillian Jacqueline lends her vocals on the catchy love song, “The Longer I Lay Here,” written by Adam Hambrick, Gavin Slate, Blake Chaffin, Chandler Baldwin, and Tripp Howell. “Kill A Man,” written by Adam Hambrick, Andy Albert and Andrew DeRoberts, is a poignant piano ballad that finds Adam reflecting on the lengths he would go for his family. Last month, Adam released the first Flipside of the series titled, Top Down, Southbound, which included “Sunshine State of Mind” and “Do The Math.” Adam will release a final Flipside early 2021 culminating into a complete body of work.

Adam grew up in both Mississippi and Arkansas, being influenced by artists such as Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, John Mayer and The Foo Fighters. From an early age, Adam’s musical roots were grounded in the church singing hymns with his family, where his dad was a Baptist pastor and his mom played piano. After graduating from the University of Central Arkansas, the singer-songwriter made an appearance on KATV’s Good Morning Arkansas, a local Little Rock, Arkansas ABC affiliate, where fellow Arkansas-native and country star Justin Moore happened to be watching and was impressed by Adam’s unique voice and distinctive songs. Soon after, Justin’s producer Jeremy Stover reached out opening the door for Adam to move to Nashville and pursue music full-time. Adam has written a multitude of songs and has received numerous cuts for other artists including Miranda Lambert and Eli Young Band, as well as, No. 1 hits for Dan + Shay (“How Not To”) and Justin Moore (“Somebody Else Will”).