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  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD LAUNCHES “THE CRY PRETTY TOUR 360” WITH SOLD-OUT SHOW IN GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.

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    Carrie Underwood

    (photo credit: Jeff Johnson)

    Seven-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Carrie Underwood, launched her new arena tour, THE CRY PRETTY TOUR 360, on Wednesday (May 1st), with a sold-out show at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Sponsored by CALIA, the new tour will play more than 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada.

    Carrie, a strong supporter of rising female artists, is joined on THE CRY PRETTY TOUR 360 by special guests Maddie & Tae and Runaway June.  In addition to their own sets, both groups joined Underwood onstage for a tribute to some of the iconic country females that have paved the way for today’s artists.

    The superstar’s two-hour set featured songs from her critically-acclaimed album, Cry Pretty, including the title track, her recent hit single, Love Wins, and the just-released “Southbound,” which had its broadcast debut on the recent ACM Awards and is the most-added single at country radio this week.  She covers numerous hits spanning her spectacular 14-year career, including new arrangements and special mash-ups created for the tour.  Another highlight of the show featured the winner of an ongoing contest wherein fans submit stories about what Underwood’s hit anthem, “The Champion,” means to them for the chance to join her on stage and perform the rap originated by Ludacris on the platinum track.

    Carrie takes her tour to Birmingham, Alabama on Friday (May 3rd), followed by shows in Little Rock, Arkansas (May 4th) and San Antonio, Texas (May 6th).

    Last night, Carrie was also named Top Country Female Artist at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards.

    For more information regarding THE CRY PRETTY TOUR 360, go to http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com.

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about performing live on stage.

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    Carrie Underwood (performing live on stage) OC: …a lot of fun. :35
    “I think my favorite thing about performing live is just getting kind of lost in the music and the show. I have as much fun as hopefully everybody sitting out in the audience is having. I get to connect with the fans. I get to see people. The people that are streaming music and downloading music and buying albums, they’re finally in front of me. To get to have that moment with them is so much fun. The lights and the costumes and getting to have moments with my band members on stage, I mean it’s all a lot of fun.”

  • CLARE DUNN FLIES CROSS-COUNTRY TO RESCUE SPECIAL NEEDS POOCH.

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    Clare Dunn

    In celebration of National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, MCA Nashville recording artist Clare Dunn is happy to announce a new addition to the family: Conner, a young pit bull who was scheduled to be euthanized this week.

    The singer/songwriter/producer was touring the East Coast last week, prepping for another show on the acclaimed 2019 CMT Next Women of Country Tour, when she came across Conner’s picture on Instagram. She was immediately drawn to him. “There was just something special about him. He had the sweetest face but I could also tell he had a broken spirit. I had to help him,” said Clare.

    The problem? Conner was nearly 3,000 miles away, housed in the Riverside County Animal Services shelter outside of Los Angeles. He’d been there for several weeks, too, and had recently been moved to the shelter’s kill list.

    Dunn contacted a dozen friends, hoping to find someone who could help save the dog. When those attempts failed, she hopped on a flight at 6 a.m. on Tuesday  — National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, coincidentally — and headed straight to California. By the afternoon, she’d officially adopted Conner, and by the evening, Conner was fast asleep in Clare’s lap.

    Animals have always played a role in Dunn’s life. Years before launching her country music career in Nashville, Dunn spent her childhood on the family farm in Two Buttes, Colorado, growing up alongside dairy cattle, horses, and dogs. As Conner’s new owner, she continues a lifelong association with the pit bull breed, while also providing a home for an animal who nearly lost his life.

    Dunn’s passion for animals is only matched by her passion for music. A triple-threat frontwoman who writes her own songs, plays her own guitar solos, and co-produces her own recordings, she’s made serious strides this spring, racking up more than a quarter-million streams for her newest track, “My Love,” and plays sold-out shows at venues like the Gramercy Theater in New York City. She’ll continue touring this spring and summer…and will probably have to find a dog bed for the bus.

    Clare’s upcoming tour dates include:
    May 2 | Evansville, IN | K.C.’s Marina Point
    May 3 | Des Moines, IA | Wooly’s
    May 4 | Columbia, MO | Blue Note
    May 30 | Pittsburgh, PA | Tequila Cowboy
    May 31 | Columbus, OH | Tequila Cowboy
    June 1 | Southern Pines, IL | Sunrise Theater
    June 15 | Brookfield, MO | Summerfest
    June 21 | Chicago, IL | Country Lake Shake Festival
    June 27 | Oshkosh, WI | Country USA 2019
    June 29 | Lansing, MI | Common Ground Music Festival
    July 13 | Decorah, IA | Winneshiek County Fair
    August 3 | Fort Collins, CO | Sundance Steakhouse & Saloon
    August 10 | Galva, IL | The Back Road Music Festival
    August 16 | Pullman, WA | National Lentil Festival
    June 15 | Brookfield, MO | Summerfest
    August 16 | Pullman, WA | National Lentil Festival
    September 14 | Louisville, KY | Hometown Rising

    About Clare Dunn:
    MCA Nashville singer/songwriter/producer Clare Dunn is known for her transfixing live shows, powerful vocals, and unparalleled guitar playing.  As part of CMT’s 2019 Next Women of Country Tour, Clare is taking her “big voice” (The Boston Globe) on the road with Hannah Ellis and Cassadee Pope to cities including New York, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Boston. The Colorado native who “can do it all” (CMT) with “swaggering confidence and soulful vocals” (Rolling Stone) caught the attention of rock legend Bob Seger who, after hearing her sound check only once, invited her to open his Ride Out Tour. Clare has been named “One to Watch” by USA Today, Billboard, The Boston Globe and Rolling Stone.

    Follow Clare on Social Media: 
    www.ClareDunn.com
    instagram.com/claredunnmusic
    Facebook.com/ClareDunnMusic
    Twitter.com/ClareDunnMusic

  • MAY 5TH ANNIVERSARY: Chris Stapleton’s “Traveller” and “From A Room: Volume One

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    Chris Stapleton

    Chris Stapleton is celebrating two anniversaries on May 5th. In 2015, he released his multi-platinum album, Traveller, and in 2017, he released From A Room: Volume One.

    Audio / Chris Stapleton talks about the title of his 2015 album, Traveller.

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    Chris Stapleton (title of Traveller) OC: …folks too. :43
    “The song ‘Traveller’ and how it ended up being the title of the record, it seemed like a natural thing to call it, because a lot of, certainly the inspiration for this record came from a series of events. It’s kind of the only song that was written inside of, well, there might’ve been one other song written inside of knowing I was going to make this record in this way. The rest of the songs came from outside of that time period. So, that’s one reason to name it that. The other reason is that it can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. It’s about a journey in a musical sense and in a physical sense and in a spiritual sense. In every way that you can have a journey, this record is kind of that for me, and hopefully for some other folks too.”

    Audio / CHRIS STAPLETON SAYS RCA STUDIO A HAS A DISTINCTIVE SOUND THAT HE LIKES.

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    Chris Stapleton (From A Room studio) OC: …about it. :38
    “That whole room is a sweet spot. The thing to know about that room is that room sounds like that room. I’m also a fan of studios that have a sound. Over time, there have been places that have sounds, you know, Capitol out in L.A. or Muscle Shoals. You can point to places that have sounds – Stax, Motown – these places have sounds, not just by the guys playing ‘em, but the actual sound of the room. The room’s become part of the band. Here in town, the place that has the most of that kind of mojo to me is that room, so that’s what I like about it.”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKED ABOUT HER NEW TOUR, BABY AND MUCH MORE ON TODAY SHOW.

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    Carrie Underwood

    Carrie Underwood appeared on NBC’s TODAY show on Wednesday (May 1st). She spoke with the show’s Natalie Morales about her new world tour, letting fans come on stage to rap Ludacris’ lyrics for “The Champion,” and how she’s juggling the tour after just giving birth to her second child, Jacob, in January. Check out the entire interview here.

    Carrie just hit the airwaves with her latest song, “Southbound,” and kicks off The Cry Pretty Tour 360 tonight in Greensboro, North Carolina with an all-female lineup with Maddie & Tae and Runaway June.

    For more information on The Cry Pretty Tour 360, click here.

  • MOTHER’S DAY 2019 AUDIO

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    Brandon Lay / Carrie Underwood / Caylee Hammack / Darius Rucker / Eric Church / Jon Pardi / Jordan Davis / Kacey Musgraves / Keith Urban / Lauren Alaina / Little Big Town / Maddie & Tae / Shania Twain / Travis Denning

    Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 12th, and some of your favorite country artists are celebrating the mothers in their lives this weekend. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.

    Audio / Brandon Lay says he probably gets his work ethic from his mother.

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    Brandon Lay (Mother’s Day) OC: …comes from her. :2
    “She works harder than anybody I’ve ever seen. She can outwork most 20-year-olds in the yard still. She grew up on a farm, and I think a lot of that just bulldog it and get it done attitude, I probably get from her. She’ll go from sunup to sundown, and she doesn’t complain, and that’s just so rare. I feel like the work ethic, as far as grind it out and get it done, that toughness comes from her.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack describes the qualities she most admires in her mother.

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    Caylee Hammack (Mother’s Day) 1 OC: …love fully. :53
    “I love that my Mom is a no-nonsense woman. I love that she always speaks her mind and she’s super stubborn, because she handed it down to me and it’s come in handy, to be honest. She’s a great cook. I wish I was half the cook that she is. She’s obsessive about Tupperware and plates, which I used to hate, but now as an adult whenever I break a dish or something, I just call her, and I know that I have one on standby. I love that she loves random things so that I can squirrel them away and take them to Nashville sometimes. And I love that she loves big. She either gives all of her heart or nothing at all; she always gives all of her heart. She loves, you know, she has a bleeding heart, and I think that’s just one of the most beautiful traits in the world is to love fully.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about now being a mother to two boys.

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    Carrie Underwood (having 2 boys) OC: …little brother. :49
    “It’s kind of crazy to think, sometimes I’ll literally look at my husband and be like, ‘We have two sons. We have two kids. We’ve been married for almost nine years. We have two children. We live on a farm.’ Like it’s just weird to think how life turns out sometimes. Life is very different with two. We kind of got out of that baby stage with Isaiah. He’s much more self-efficient, and he can brush his own teeth and put his own clothes on, and he’s making decisions for himself, and then we start all over with the little squishy one again. It’s just kind of crazy. You forget how hard it is, to be honest, but you just figure your way through it. I am so blessed to have Isaiah who is super helpful and super sweet, and he loves his little brother.”



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    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she doesn’t really have any Mother’s Day traditions.

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    Carrie Underwood (Mother’s Day traditions) OC: …even more so. :40
    “We don’t really have like any Mother’s Day traditions. I feel like I remember me and Dad making breakfast for Mom like once as a kid. I’m pretty sure we just made a giant mess in the kitchen and we never did that again, so. Being on the other side of things, I obviously don’t expect anything from my three-year-old, but my husband’s really good at getting presents from quote unquote Isaiah. It’s really sweet, because he likes to bring me things. He’s such a sweet little guy, and anytime he’s outside, he’ll pick me flowers and things. So, I’m like, ‘You’re learning. You’ve already got me wrapped around your finger, and then you do stuff like that, and it’s even more so.’”

    Audio / Clare Dunn talks about the support and undying devotion her mom has for her and her sister.

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    Clare Dunn (Mother’s Day) OC: …in the world. :41
    “She is unrelenting in her love and her support, and even when we’re crazy kids and we screw up, it doesn’t matter. Her love knows no bounds. And her undying devotion to her kids – to my sister and I – always believing in us a million percent, always backing us up a million percent and helping us navigate life and navigate our dreams and helping us go towards that goal – those are some of the qualities that I hope to have some day as a mother, you know? And I’m so grateful I have THE best mom in the WORLD!”

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about not disappointing his beloved mother, who passed away a few years ago.

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    Darius Rucker (Mother’s Day) OC: …killed me. :17

    “I think that’s the main reason I am how I am…an innate fear of disappointing my mom.  My mom’s not even alive, and I have a fear of her looking down from heaven and going, ‘Man I’m just disappointed in my son.’ She could have said anything in the world to me, but if she would have said, ‘Son, you just disappointed me,’ That would have killed me. It would have killed me.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker recalls one of his favorite memories of his mother.

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    Darius Rucker (favorite memory of his mother) OC: …my Mom’s song. :34
    “Oh goodness! A lot of great memories of her, but probably one of my favorite memories, I was a young kid, probably eight or nine, and she was in the kitchen cooking and listening to the gospel station and Shirley Caesar’s ‘No Charge’ came on and she was singing ‘No Charge.’ I just remember I ran into our living room which was adjoined to our kitchen and I just sat there and I just listened to her sing that song, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow! What an amazing voice.’ That’s just always a memory I’ve always had, and that song still to this day when I hear it just moves me because that was my mom’s song.”

    Audio / Eric Church says he’s learned quite a bit from his mom.

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    Eric Church (Mother’s Day) OC: …as a man. :57
    “My mom, even though my dad won’t like this, my mom is by far the toughest person that I’ve met. She’s tough. One of those people that’s been through a lot in her life, adversity wise and never complains, always really resilient with anything that’s happened to her. And it’s just that attitude, the positive attitude, regardless of what has happened that I think is the one thing that I got from her. With career, she’s always been a person that’s been really positive through times that I couldn’t find a positive streak, [laughs] and she was always really positive, and very much believes in tough it out, keep working hard, and that’s her motto with stuff like that. I’ve always been impressed with that stuff. Then musically, she’s where I get my talent from, musically. She sings great, always has, her mom sang great. I owe my musical chops to her. And she still sings some. So, career-wise, I owe her everything. And just in life-wise she’s given me a lot of the qualities that it has taken for me to get me where I am. Not only as a musician, but as a man.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi says his mother, Shelly, is an angel.

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    Jon Pardi (Mother’s Day) OC: …worrying about me. :29
    “My mom’s always been there for me. First of all, she’s a great mom. She’s an angel. She takes care of people that aren’t even in the family. She’s always been like that, and she’s a great mother. She’s always proud, and she’s always there supporting and being a great mom. She’s just a good human being. There’s not one mean bone in her body. And she cries about every time I talk to her. She always worries about me. I have to tell her, ‘Stop worrying about me.’”

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS SAYS HE’S A “MAMA’S BOY” AND HOPES HE HAS HER KINDNESS AND POSITIVE OUTLOOK.

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    Jordan Davis (Mother’s Day) OC: …Mother’s Day. :30 [laughs]
    “I’m a Mama’s Boy. I love my Mom, and it’s the way she finds the good in everything. With my Mom, as opposed to finding anything negative, she’s gonna find something positive first. That’s something I really hope I can be more like her on; one of the many things I wish I could be more like my mom on. My mom, she loves flowers, so we’ll get her flowers or take her to, we’re slowly getting her into sushi, so we love to take Mom out to sushi spots on Mother’s Day.” [laughs]

    Audio / Kacey Musgraves comes from a very creative family, and here she talks about the women in her immediate family and their talents.

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    Kacey Musgraves (creative women) OC: …taking pictures. :16
    “My mom’s an artist – all different kinds of mediums, paint, but she’s always working on something different. My Meemaw, she’s a soap maker. She makes soap and they’re beautiful and they smell really good and they’re all natural. My sister has an etsy store, and she’s constantly creating something, sewing pillows and taking pictures.”

    Audio / Keith Urban explains why his wife Nicole Kidman is an extraordinary mother to their two children, Sunday and Faith.

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    Keith Urban (Nicole is extraordinary mother) OC: …to see. :45
    “She’s an extraordinary mum, she really, really is. Those girls are very, very lucky, and I feel very lucky that the children I should have in this world happen to be with Nic. I don’t know anything about raising kids and Nic does, and that comes in extremely, um, it’s really made for an experience I wouldn’t have had without that. Her patience, her recognizing them as people and not just little kids is really extraordinary. Her attention to honoring their feelings and listening to them right from day one – really being attentive to that is not how I was raised at all, so it’s really beautiful to see.”

    Audio / Lauren Alaina says she can count on her mom for just about everything.

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    Lauren Alaina (Mom keeps her grounded) OC: …same for her. :19
    “I honestly would not be able to do it without my mom. I get overwhelmed sometimes, and if she wasn’t there to comfort me or tell me, ‘Look just realize what you’ve got going for you,’ I’d be up the creek [without a paddle]. She’s got my back. My mom would walk through a fire pit for me, and I’d do the same for her.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says she always dreamed of being a mother…and her dream came true nearly nine years ago when she gave birth to daughter, Daisy (July 27, 2007). In 2017, she and her family welcomed daughter Dolly Grace.

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    LBT (Mother’s Day) OC: …for my mother. :34
    “Being a mother is a life-long dream for me. When I was a kid, that’s what I wanted to be is a mama. It took a long time. I wasn’t ever sure that I would be, but I am now, and it’s the greatest gift of my life. And as I’m a mother now, I see what my mother gave up and her sacrifices and her love and how she made us the most important thing in her life, and that’s what I strive to do for my little girl. It’s the most important job I have, and it’s the most responsibility that I have, and I try to live up to a great example that I had for my mother.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild says being a mother to Elijah Dylan Westbrook is the best feeling in the world.

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    LBT (Mother’s Day-Karen) OC: …every day. :23
    “There isn’t anything that means more to me than sitting on the bench and eating a grilled cheese sandwich with this little guy who calls me Mama. There isn’t anything better than that. He’s just a little miracle. I went from dreaming about him to eating grilled cheese sandwiches and ketchup with him, and I could never have dreamed this up – how good it could be, and it just gets better every day.”

    Audio / MADDIE & TAE’S TAE DYE SAID SHE PULLED OFF A GREAT MOTHER’S DAY SURPRISE A FEW YEARS AGO.

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    Maddie & Tae (Mother’s Day-Tae) OC: …was so fun. :25
    TAE: “To this day one of the best surprises I’ve ever pulled off was on Mother’s Day three years ago. ‘Cause my mom’s birthday always tends to fall on Mother’s Day Weekend – it’s coming up – and my mom and dad were coming into Nashville and I was like, ‘Okay-this has got to be a big weekend. It’s Mother’s Day, her birthday and the weather was going to be beautiful, so I planned this awesome surprise where we would drive first – she wouldn’t know where we were going, and then we ended up going canoeing down the Harpeth River [located south of Nashville], and it was so fun.”

    Audio / Maddie & Tae’s Maddie Marlow says her mother is great at balancing life and that a hug from her mother can fix almost anything.

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    Maddie & Tae (Mother’s Day-Maddie) OC: (Maddie) …everything’s okay. :53
    MADDIE: “She is so good at balancing is what I’m trying to say. My Mom is such a great balancer, but as I’m coming into our adulthood, and all that kind of stuff, she’s very conscious about when I’m trying to be perfect and have everything in order with everything. And she’s like, you can’t. You can’t do that. Life, you have to figure out how you’re going to deal with the curveballs that are thrown out you. Are you going to catch them and whine out about it or are you going to catch them and move on? Like you have to just go with what’s thrown at you. And my Dad’s been a really, really good supporter on just not letting life’s trials bring you down and letting them just be learning tools and all of that. But, most of the time, a Mama hug can really fix anything.” TAE: “Ahh…it’s the best.” MADDIE: “If my Mom hugs me while I’m crying, everything’s okay. There’s just something about it. I’m 23, grown, but, my Mom, if she hugs me, everything’s okay.”

    Audio / Shania Twain says it’s such a joy to be a parent.

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    Shania Twain (joy to be a parent) OC: …means everything. :14
    “It’s such a joy to be a parent. So, I relate to all the mums out there who are getting all their love and appreciation from their kids, and I hope, when you’re a kid, a child of somebody, show your mum you love her, because it means everything.”

     

     

     

  • CMA FEST REVEALS LINEUP FOR ADDITIONAL FREE DAYTIME STAGES JUNE 6 – 9.

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    Adam Hambrick / Billy Currington / Clare Dunn / Kassi Ashton / Travis Denning

    Adam Hambrick, Billy Currington, Clare Dunn, Kassi Ashton and Travis Denning have been added to the list of performers at this year’s CMA Fest, running June 6th – 9th in downtown Nashville. Check out when and where you can find these free performances, plus many others below.

    Chevy Breakout Stage at Walk of Fame Park, Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza and Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage will feature over 110 performances Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9, highlighting fan favorites and rising Country stars daily.

    Located at Walk of Fame Park, the lineup at the Chevy Breakout Stage will highlight rising artists from 11:10 AM – 4:55 PM on Thursday, and 10:30 AM – 4:55 PM Friday through Sunday including Carlton Anderson, Tenille Arts, Kassi Ashton, Drew Baldridge, Chris Bandi, Kelleigh Bannen, Bailey Bryan, Austin Burke, Dillon Carmichael, Adam Craig, Travis Denning, Cale Dodds, Adam Doleac, Clare Dunn, Brooke Eden, Filmore, HARDY, Jillian Jacqueline, James Barker Band, Austin Jenckes, Brett Kissel, Love and Theft, Tegan Marie, Steve Moakler, Muscadine Bloodline, Brandon Ratcliff, Brandon Ray, Teddy Robb, Noah Schnacky, Dylan Schneider, Seaforth, Smithfield, Matt Stell, Sweet Tea Trio, Tenille Townes, Rachel Wammack, Waterloo Revival, The Wild Feathers and Carter Winter. Gates for the Chevy Breakout Stage will open to the public at 10:40 AM Thursday, June 6 and 9:30 AM Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9. In addition, Miranda Lambert will lead MuttNation’s Mutt March on Thursday, June 6 from 8:30 to 10:30 AM.  Starting at Nissan Stadium, the parade of pups will wind its way across the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and into Walk of Fame Park, where Storme Warren will interview Lambert in a live broadcast from the Chevy Breakout Stage on SiriusXM’s The Highway. Register for the MuttMarch here: https://www.MuttNationFoundation.com.

    The Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza entertains fans from 10:45 AM – 4:30 PM daily, with the “BMI Tailgate” performances Thursday, June 6 from 2:45 PM – 5:10 PM, which includes Colin Elmore, House Whiskey, Josh Phillips and Dan Smalley. Additional acts taking the stage include The Adelaides, Jay Allen, Roan Ash, Gabby Barrett, Stephen Carey, Troy Cartwright, Crowder, Kyle Daniel, Jaida Dreyer, Ross Ellis, Everette, Fairground Saints, Ray Fulcher, Noah Guthrie, Adam Hambrick, Levi Hummon, Hunter Brothers, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Lauren Jenkins, Willie Jones, King Calaway, The Last Bandoleros, Leaving Austin, Baylee Littrell, Hayley Orrantia, Drew Parker, Stephanie Quayle, Faren Rachels, Elvie Shane, Kalie Shorr, The Sisterhood Band, The Swon Brothers and Lainey Wilson. Gates for the Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza will open to the public at 9:45 AM each day, Thursday through Sunday.

    The Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage, located inside the NCVC Visitor Center at Bridgestone Arena, will take place daily from 11:00 AM – 4:40 PM. Thursday’s performances are presented by ASCAP and feature Haley Mae Campbell, Seth Cook, Cross Atlantic, Jobe Fortner, Makayla Lynn, Jill Martin, David Ray, Maggie Renfroe, Joe Robinson and Anna Rose. Friday’s performances are presented by SESAC and feature Blanco Brown, Nora Collins, Spencer Crandall, Erin Enderlin, Aaron Goodvin, Kelly McGrath, Tom O’Connor, Jake Rose, Scott Stevens and Jenny Tolman. Saturday and Sunday’s lineups includes Beoga, Jordan Brooker, Brown & Gray, Shy Carter, Robert Counts, Crawford & Power, Hannah Dasher, Larry Fleet, Kylie Frey, Tony Jackson, Angie Keilhauer, Cory Marks, Jaden Michaels, Emily Ann Roberts, Shane Runion, SixForty1, Tiera, Tyler Reese Tritt, Anna Vaus and The Wandering Hearts.

    Additional performers at CMA Fest include Billy Currington at the Chevy Riverfront Stage on Thursday, Randy Houser at Firestone Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater Presented by BBR Music Group on Thursday and Pam Tillis on the Budweiser Forever Country Stage on Sunday.

    All outdoor daytime stages including the Budweiser Forever Country Stage, Chevy Breakout Stage at Walk of Fame Park, Chevy Riverfront Stage, Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza and Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage are free and open to the public. All stage lineups are available in the Official CMA Fest App. Additional stage lineups, Xfinity Fan Fair X activities and more will be announced in the coming weeks. All artist lineups are subject to change.

    Artists performing at CMA Fest donate their time so a portion of ticket proceeds can directly benefit high-quality music education initiatives across the United States through the CMA Foundation.

    Don’t miss a beat by staying connected with CMA on CMAfest.com, the Official CMA Fest App, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and sign up for CMA Country Connection emails to receive the latest news as soon as it’s announced.

  • LAUREN ALAINA COVERS CHEAP TRICK’S “SURRENDER” AT THE ORIGINAL SOUND STUDIOS.

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    Lauren Alaina

    Lauren Alaina recorded a cover of Cheap Trick’s classic 1978 smash, “Surrender,” at Sound City Studios in L.A. She and her band even recorded her vocals in the studio’s bathroom — the same location where the band recorded the song over 40 years ago. “We kind of stripped it back and got to showcase what the song is and put a little Lauren Alaina on it,” the singer told Rolling Stone. Check out the full interview and video here.

    Lauren is currently making her way up the country charts with her latest song, “Ladies in the ’90s.”

  • HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH ADD U.K. AND IRELAND DATES TO HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED GROUP THERAPY TOUR.

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    Hootie & the Blowfish

    A month ahead of the highly-anticipated Group Therapy Tour launch, Hootie & the Blowfish announced seven dates throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland this October to follow their 47-date U.S. and Canada run of shows.

    The announcement follows a wave of excitement surrounding news of the band’s first full tour in over a decade with forthcoming music under a new record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville. They will celebrate the soon-to-begin tour as part of National Concert Week with a performance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” this Wednesday, May 1.

    “I had the incredible opportunity to play the Royal Albert Hall in London last year, which was a bucket list night for me,” explained frontman Darius Rucker. “The fans there and everywhere else we played in Europe were so special. In talking with all of the guys about how special this year’s tour is going to be, we knew it wouldn’t be complete without a trip back across the pond to see our amazing fans there.”

    A pre-sale for Hootie & the Blowfish email subscribers begins Wednesday, May 1 at 9:00 a.m., as does the O2 Priority pre-sale, with a C2C pre-sale to follow on Thursday, May 2 at 9:00 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, May 3 at 9:00 a.m. All times are local.

    Group Therapy Tour
    May 30             Virginia Beach, Va. | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
    May 31             Raleigh, N.C. | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

    June 1               Atlanta, Ga. | Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
    June 6               Orange Beach, Ala. | The Wharf
    June 8               West Palm Beach, Fla. | Coral Sky Amphitheatre
    June 9               Tampa, Fla. | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
    June 13             Austin, Texas | Austin360 Amphitheater
    June 14             Houston, Texas | Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
    June 15             Dallas, Texas | Dos Equis Pavilion
    June 19             Phoenix, Ariz. | Ak-Chin Pavilion
    June 21             Chula Vista, Calif. | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
    June 22             Las Vegas, Nev. | T-Mobile Arena
    June 23             Irvine, Calif. | FivePoint Amphitheatre presented by Mercury Insurance
    June 25             Los Angeles, Calif. | Hollywood Bowl
    June 28             Wheatland, Calif. | Toyota Amphitheatre
    June 29             Mountain View, Calif. | Shoreline Amphitheatre

    July 11              Englewood, Colo. | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
    July 13              Maryland Heights, Mo. | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
    July 14              Rogers, Ark. | Walmart AMP
    July 19              Monticello, Iowa | Great Jones County Fair
    July 20              Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverbend Music Center
    July 21              Burgettstown, Penn. | KeyBank Pavilion
    July 26              Cleveland, Ohio | Blossom Music Center
    July 27              Bristow, Va. | Jiffy Lube Live
    July 28              Camden, N.J. | BB&T Pavilion

    August 2           Guilford, N.H. | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
    August 3           Mansfield, Mass. | Xfinity Center
    August 4           Saratoga Springs, N.Y. | Saratoga Performing Arts Center
    August 8           Columbia, Md. | Merriweather Post Pavilion
    August 9           Canandaigua, N.Y. | Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center: CMAC
    August 10         New York, N.Y. | Madison Square Garden
    August 11         New York, N.Y. | Madison Square Garden
    August 16         Detroit, Mich. | DTE Energy Music Theatre
    August 17         Noblesville, Ind. | Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
    August 18         Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa State Fair
    August 22         St. Paul, Minn. | Minnesota State Fair
    August 23         East Troy, Wis. | Alpine Valley Music Theatre
    August 24         Tinley Park, Ill. | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
    August 29         Toronto, Ont. | Budweiser Stage
    August 30         Hershey, Penn. | Hersheypark Stadium
    August 31         Hartford, Conn. | XFINITY Theatre

    September 5      Charlotte, N.C. | PNC Music Pavilion
    September 6      Birmingham, Ala. | Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
    September 7      Nashville, Tenn. | Bridgestone Arena
    September 11    Columbia, S.C. | Colonial Life Arena
    September 12    Columbia, S.C. | Colonial Life Arena
    September 13    Columbia, S.C. | Colonial Life Arena

    October 4          Dublin, Ireland | 3Arena*
    October 6          Bristol, England | O2 Academy*
    October 7          Leeds, England | O2 Academy*
    October 9          Glasgow, Scotland | Barrowland*
    October 12        London, England | Eventim Apollo*
    October 15        Manchester, England | O2 Apollo*
    October 16        Birmingham, England | O2 Academy*

    *newly announced U.K. & Ireland dates

    For more information and to sign up for the Hootie & the Blowfish email list, visit www.hootie.com. 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 5th 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 will mark the band’s first full-time touring year in over a decade as they embark on the Group Therapy Tour in support of forthcoming new music under a new record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville.

  • KIP MOORE DELIVERS AN UNFORGETTABLE SHOW AT ETHEREAL CUMBERLAND CAVERNS AS HE CONTINUES HIS SOLD-OUT INTERNATIONAL ROOM TO SPARE: ACOUSTIC TOUR.

    Press
    Kip Moore

    Kip Moore proved why his live show has been heralded as a “unique animal,” (Rolling Stone) delivering an intimate sold-out show at Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tennessee on Saturday night (4/27). The special night, set inside the ethereal caves, wrapped another weekend of capacity crowds with every show on his headlining Room To Spare: Acoustic Tour selling out to date. Moore’s impressive streak continues this weekend with full house shows in Boston, MA (5/2), New Brunswick, NJ (5/3), and Burlington, VT (5/4).

    Moore recently unleashed his “galloping” (NPR) new single “The Bull,” taken from his revered third studio album SLOWHEART, that garnered instant praise from critics as the “sound of an uncompromising, genre-defying artist firing on all cylinders,” (NOISEY), as well as spawning his fourth No. One hit “More Girls Like You.” SLOWHEART also landed on multiple “Best Of” lists including Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, UpRoxx, Bobby Bones Show and many more. SLOWHEART follows the acclaim that surrounded Moore’s sophomore album WILD ONES and his PLATINUM debut album UP ALL NIGHT that spawned three No. One hit singles, including GOLD certified “Beer Money,” PLATINUM certified “Hey Pretty Girl,” and the DOUBLE PLATINUM breakout hit “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck.” Moore is currently on his extended ROOM TO SPARE: ACOUSTIC TOUR following a sold-out run last Fall. The stacked tour has shows scheduled in the U.S., Canada and The U.K. where tickets to all four dates of his upcoming U.K. shows in London, Glasgow, Birmingham, and Manchester sold out within minutes of going on sale. Moore has relentlessly poured his energy into nurturing his international fanbase, with Music Row highlighting “Moore is part of a groundswell of rising country artists with a focus on building their international presence, and with good reason.” For more information, visit kipmoore.net.

    Photo Credit: Jason Kempin – Getty Images 

  • TRAVIS DENNING RECALLS SEEING THE ALLMAN BROTHERS LIVE IN CONCERT.

    Audio
    Travis Denning

    Travis Denning has made no secret of his love for The Allman Brothers, citing the Southern Rock band as one of his main influences. The band was important (and still is) to him, but also to his family.

    “I’ll never forget my dad pulled me out of class on a Wednesday and taken me down to Florida so we could go see them at a musical festival. That’s how important it was to me and my dad and my mom and my family. So much of their music shines through what I do. I mean, I love to play guitar, I love hearing two guitars at the same time, and I can’t help but crank out the blues a little bit every now and then. It all leads back to them.”

    Travis has hit the charts with his latest song, “After a Few,” which he performed at this past weekend’s Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California. He makes his way to Salt Lake City for a show this Thursday (May 2nd).

    For more audio of Travis talking about The Allman Brothers, click here.

    Audio / Travis Denning says The Allman Brothers were very important to him and his family.

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    Travis Denning (Allman Bros) 2 OC: …back to them. :24
    “I’ll never forget my dad pulled me out of class on a Wednesday and taken me down to Florida so we could go see them at a musical festival. That’s how important it was to me and my dad and my mom and my family. So much of their music shines through what I do. I mean, I love to play guitar, I love hearing two guitars at the same time, and I can’t help but crank out the blues a little bit every now and then. It all leads back to them.”