Vince Gill: The Christmas Collection has been released as a limited-edition, double-vinyl set available exclusively at Cracker Barrel stores nationwide. The MCA Nashville double LP includes 1993’s platinum, #1 Billboard Holiday Album, Let There Be Peace on Earth on green vinyl and 1998’s Breath of Heaven, recorded with the Patrick Williams Orchestra, on red vinyl. The collection includes such classics as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “The Christmas Song,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The 21-time Grammy award-winning artist also lends his voice to Elvis Presley’s 1957 hit, “Blue Christmas.”

Also included in the package are Gill’s classic versions of “O Holy Night,” “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” featuring a then 11-year-old daughter Jenny Gill, and “Breath of Heaven,” a song co-written by Gill’s wife and star of the Contemporary Christian genre, Amy Grant.

Gill and Grant are set for a 12-night engagement as part of their much-beloved Christmas at the Ryman performances, beginning on November 28 and ending December 23. These historically sold-out concerts at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium have become a Music City tradition.

Vince Gill: The Christmas Collection is available now in all Cracker Barrel stores nationwide and online at Cracker Barrel.com/music.

Dierks Bentley wrapped his 2018 MOUNTAIN HIGH TOUR this past Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. Since its launch in May, “expectations were instantly met and exceeded” (Arizona Republic) throughout the 30-city run with Bentley’s “eclectic, likable tour of country styles” (Newsday). Bentley brought along special guests Brothers Osborne and LANCO, and the tour’s final show included a two-song jam with the entire lineup and surprise guest Dwight Yoakam.

“This season of my life has been filled with so much meaning and purpose and this tour played a large role in that,” said Bentley. “We launched it with the new album, which was in a lot of ways a reflection of the fans’ stories we’d heard out on the road, combined with my own personal life and career journey. We played and sold out bucket-list rooms like Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl. Most importantly, it was a year the friendships that already existed with Brothers Osborne, LANCO and DJ AYDAMN were taken to new levels. The family atmosphere that existed on this tour is something I strive for every year and this year was no exception… it was one of the most fun touring seasons of my life on and off the stage.”

The full throttle tour was known to “deliver an evening of feel-good, rockin’ Country music” (Buffalo News) with spontaneous performances and eye-catching production. Standout moments included impromptu sets from Bentley’s 90’s cover band Hot Country Knights, along with a reappearance from LANCO’s lead singer Brandon Lancaster as the two paired for John Michael Montgomery’s classic hit “Sold” (The Grundy County Auction). Additionally, each night Bentley was joined by Brothers Osborne for his Top 20 and climbing single “Burning Man” where “fans danced and sang like nobody was watching” (Calgary Herald).

Reaching a new creative high, Bentley co-wrote 10 of his current album THE MOUNTAIN’s (Capitol Records Nashville) 13 tracks, which earned him the highest debut sales  of his career and became his seventh chart-topping album. Bentley has amassed billions of digital streams, countless nominations from the  ACMs, Billboard Music Awards and more while earning 13  GRAMMY  nominations – including at least one stemming from each of his last six albums.

Dierks is nominated for three CMA Awards, including Male Vocalist, Album of the Year (The Mountain) and Musical Event of the Year with Brothers Osborne for his latest single “Burning Man.” The CMA Awards, hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 14th at 8pm ET on ABC.

Eric Church’s Desperate Man debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The collection sold 116,000 units (comprised of albums, track downloads and over 14 million audio on-demand streams).

The North Carolina native says the creative process of the album was interesting because he broke away from his usual process in the studio.

“This record was made in the studio, from writing to completion, then any record we have ever made,” says Eric. “It was really there, ‘cause I wrote songs there, we change things there, I played parts there I never played, never thought of. I think maybe it was the first album in our career that there was more creative energy in the studio than any other because it was written, made, conceived, it was all there.”

Eric, who is sitting inside the Top 15 on the country singles charts, will kick off his 2019 Doubles Down Tour January 18th and 19th in Omaha, Nebraska.

You can catch Keith Urban on NBC’s The Voice the next two weeks. He will serve as an adviser for Blake Shelton’s team beginning tonight (October 15th) through October 23rd. Catch Keith and Blake, as well as the rest of the celebrity coaches, on the singing competition show beginning at 8pm ET on NBC.

Set your DVR: Alan Jackson will be the subject of a new documentary, Small Town Southern Man on AXS-TV Tuesday night (October 16th) at 10pm ET.

Carrie Underwood and her husband Mike Fisher hosted a benefit earlier this month for Danita’s Children, a cause near and dear to both of their hearts. The event, which featured performances by Carrie and friend Brad Paisley, raised nearly $600,000 for the organization to help provide medical care, food and education to orphaned and impoverished children in Haiti.

Luke Bryan takes a break during auditions for American Idol to play a little on the piano and sing Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind.” The cameras caught him in action.

Auditions intermission with @LukeBryanOnline on the 🎹.

Volume up! 🔈 #AmericanIdol #LukeBryan #TheNextIdol pic.twitter.com/TjyUPlVhze

— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) October 15, 2018

Shania Twain will be joined by Jake Owen and Travis Tritt for the new competition show, Real Country, which debuts November 13th at 10pm ET on the USA Network.

Travis Denning is making his way up the country charts with his debut single, “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs,” and while you know the song and possibly the artist, we’re here to help put the two together with “Five Things You Need to Know About Travis Denning.”

“Well, first off, number one, I’m left-handed. Number two, I’m unapologetically a Georgia Bulldog fan. Number three, the Allman Brothers are the pinnacle thing in my life musically. Number four, take me to Bass Pro Shops I’ll be happy. And number five, if you come see us live, you will absolutely not be disappointed,” says Travis.

The Georgia native will hit the road with Lanco on their Hallelujah Nights Tour October 24th in Columbia, Missouri.

Halloween is Wednesday, October 31st, and the holiday has some of your favorite country stars getting into costumes, while others are recalling memories of Halloweens past.

Clare Dunn, known for her transfixing live shows, unparalleled guitar artistry, and clean, powerful vocals (as demonstrated on her current single “More”) has released her version of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.”  This track’s audio and video were recorded in one pass and Clare’s vocal remains raw and unedited.

“I’ve always loved this song because of its poetic cadence and honesty. I recently rediscovered it playing guitar on my couch late one night, and remembered being a little girl driving a tractor the first time I heard Garth Brooks’ version of it, so in a lot of ways, Garth introduced me to Bob Dylan. I love Dylan’s writing style so when I was offered the opportunity to record a song of my choice for Spotify, this was my immediate pick,” says Clare.

An artist on the ascent, Clare is a “masterful guitar player who can do it all” (CMT) with “big, soaring vocals and serious guitar prowess,” (Rolling Stone).  Clare caught the attention of rock legend Bob Seger who, after hearing her sound check only once, invited her to be his opener for his Ride Out Tour.

Clare will perform shows through the end of the year — including opening for Kane Brown at Madison Square Garden on November 7. (Her full tour schedule is available at www.claredunn.com.)

Below are links to hear her version of “Make You Feel My Love,” along with a link to her current single, “More.”

– “Make You Feel My Love” Purchase/Stream – http://strm.to/makeyoufeelmylove
– “More” Purchase/Stream – http://strm.to/claredunnmore

Photo credit: Jim Wright

Jon Pardi debuted the video for his latest song, “Night Shift” exclusively on ESPN on Thursday night. In the new video for the “working man’s love song,” Jon drives a semi-truck into downtown Nashville, swapping shifts with a trucker before he continues on to perform with his band on the back of the semi-tractor trailer. “Nightshift” will be heard during night games college football telecasts on ESPN networks throughout the rest of the season.

“College football is my favorite sport, so being able to incorporate that with my music is really cool. Football fans are big country music fans, and they are the ones coming out to the shows and standing in the rain, crowd surfing or just waiting to get into the concert to have fun,” says Pardi.

“Night Shift,” the fifth single from Pardi’s GOLD-certified album California Sunrise, follows three back-to-back No. 1 songs and a Top 25 hit. Rolling Stone says, “The premise sounds worthy of a Bruce Springsteen song, but ‘Night Shift’ doesn’t toss many bones to rock & roll fans. Instead, the song doubles down on Pardi’s country roots, with a singalong chorus that’s performed with a hillbilly howl.” Taste of Country notes, “Pardi’s distinct vocals alongside forward-thinking production, a heart-stomping beat and memorable guitar parts make ‘Night Shift’ an obvious radio hit.”

Lauded as an artist who is expertly crafting his own traditional country sound with a modern blend, Rolling Stone affirms, “…his state-of-the-art blend of traditional instrumentation and progressive grooves…point to country’s future.” People.com calls Pardi, “…a leader among a growing number of artists bringing back fiddle, steel and twang while still finding ways to freshen the sound…” and Variety notes the “…lovable young California honky-tonker who has developed into one of the most popular acts at country radio.”

Pardi is currently touring nationwide with Luke Bryan’s What Makes You Country Tour and is working on his highly-anticipated, third studio album. Upcoming performances include the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN (10/16), Rochester, NY (10/25) and Detroit, MI (10/26). For more information, visit http://www.jonpardi.com.

Purchase Jon Pardi’s latest music: http://umgn.us/jonpardipurchase
Stream the latest from Jon Pardi: http://umgn.us/jonpardistream
Sign up to receive email updates from Jon Pardi: http://umgn.us/jonpardiupdates

Kip Moore announced he will release ROOM TO SPARE: THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS EP on November 16th. Driven by a promise to fans to share an acoustic EP, Moore shared further insight into the project exclusively with American Songwriter today, including the creative process that went in to the seven-song collection and
co-writing five of the tracks. Fans can pre-order the upcoming release starting today here.

Been a long time coming. You guys have wanted some acoustic recordings for quite some time and you won’t have to wait much longer. Also I told y’all we were gonna play some small acoustic shows at the end of the year. #RoomToSpare https://t.co/w9i6ch31sW pic.twitter.com/FutLSTUmva

— Kip Moore (@KipMooreMusic) October 12, 2018

Audiences across the country will also be able to experience the new tracks live this fall as Moore also revealed a limited Room To Spare: Acoustic Tour kicking off in Milwaukee, WI on 11/29 and stopping in Des Moines, IA (11/30), Emporia, KS (12/1), and Akron, OH (12/8), inviting special guests Charlie Worsham and Jillian Jacqueline to join him on the special stint. Tickets will go on sale Friday, Oct. 19 at 10am local time here.  Moore is currently out on the road proving why he is “one of country music’s most tireless and powerful live draws” (Rolling Stone), as he headlines his stacked AFTER THE SUNBURN TOUR.

ROOM TO SPARE: THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS showcases Moore’s signature sound in a stripped-down setting, as his gritty vocals resonate through each track. The collection opens with an acoustic spin on fan-favorite and live-show staple “Plead The Fifth,” and keeps the momentum going with the hook-driven “Tennessee Boy.”  The longing and reflective “It Ain’t California,” offers another stand-out moment and also sees Moore collaborate with upcoming tourmate Charlie Worsham, who has co-writer and studio credits throughout the release.

ROOM TO SPARE: THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS Track List:
1. Plead The Fifth (Acoustic Version)
(Luke Dick, Josh Kear)

2. Tennessee Boy
(Kip Moore, Dan Couch)

3. Love You To The Moon
(Charlie Worsham, Natalie Hemby, Luke Dick)

4. It Ain’t California
(Kip Moore, Charlie Worsham, Jon Mabe)

5. Wish It Was Me
(Kip Moore, Adam Browder, Scott Stepakoff, Dan Couch)    

6. Come Home With You
(Kip Moore, Troy Verges, Blair Daly)

7. Part Of Growing Up
(Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Andrew DeRoberts)

**Physical EP only available at roomtospare.kipmoore.net and at Moore’s Room To Spare: Acoustic Tour shows. When you pre-order at roomtospare.kipmoore.net, the first 250 purchasers of the EP Fan Package will get their EP autographed. Preorders also include presale ticket access to those upcoming dates.

Kip’s current song, “Last Shot,” is closing in on Top 15. It’s the second single from his third studio album, Slowheart, and is the follow-up to his fourth No. 1 hit “More Girls Like You.