Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Alan Jackson is the patriarch of a family of five, including his wife Denise and his three daughters Mattie, Ali and Dani. Even though his children are grown, his family still stick to their Christmas traditions.

“Christmas is pretty traditional. We don’t let anybody open any presents until Christmas morning,” says Alan. “We don’t let them get up on their own and take off, you know, everybody has to wait and kind of get situated, and maybe have a cup of coffee, and then we start all of the regular Christmas morning activities, opening presents, taking pictures and video. We have music going, you know, I try to keep Christmas music going in the background. I like to turn that on before I let them come down to the tree and everything.”

Alan released his second holiday album, Let It Go, in 2002.

Chris Stapleton appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday (December 4^th) with Guardians of the Galaxy’s Chris Pratt as guest host. During the show, Pratt brought out Stapleton to sing a duet, aka “Cheesy Duet.” After spinning a wheel of several songs including “A Whole New World,” “Don’t Know Much,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” the wheel landed on “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing. They did a great job, and even did the “lift” from the end of the film, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

The two then talked about Stapleton’s new album, From A Room: Volume 2, as well as their newfound friendship and toast each other with some “Tennessee Whiskey.”

Check out the videos below.

Stapleton is currently climbing the country charts with his song, “Broken Halos.”

Kip Moore and his brothers would go on fishing trips with their dad around Christmas before the elder Moore passed away a few years ago, and it was always one of his favorite traditions. Another one of his favorite traditions was watching movies with his family on Christmas Eve.

“The night before Christmas, we would rent a bunch of movies,” says Kip. “My dad would take us to the store, the video store and we would rent a bunch of movies and we’d watch them all through the night. That was always a thing that we’d look forward to was all hanging out together and laugh until 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning, then waking up two hours later for the presents.”

The Georgia native has just released his new song, “Last Shot,” from his album Slowheart. He’s got a few dates left on the books to close out 2017, before hitting the road with Luke Bryan on the What Makes You Country Tour, kicking off February 16th in Springfield, Missouri.

Easton Corbin may not had snow on Christmas Day growing up in Florida, but he certainly had enough to get him into the holiday spirit. He reveals which soulful sounds got him into the holiday spirit. “I think the song that gets me, I guess, in the most Christmas spirit would probably be – since Merle Haggard is one of my heroes, ‘If I Make It Through December,’” says Easton.

His favorite gift would have to be a guitar. “My favorite Christmas gift probably as a kid would probably be the guitar my dad got me, the first electric guitar my dad got me one Christmas,” says Easton.

Easton is nearing the Top 10 on the country charts with his song, “A Girl Like You.”

Luke Bryan releases his new album, What Makes You Country, on Friday (December 8th). The four-time Entertainer of the Year has a list of what makes him country, which includes manners and growing up in Georgia.

“I think that what makes me country is where I was raised — Leesburg, Georgia — how I was brought up saying ‘Yes sir,’ ‘No sir,’ ‘Yes, ma’am,’ ‘No, ma’am,’ hopefully with manners and raised with a work ethic and raised in the outdoors fishing and hunting and playing sports,” says Luke. “I would say definitely it starts with my small-town upbringing and how we were raised; church on Sundays as much as we could. But just enjoying life and living life in a small town.”

Luke is poised to enter the top of the country charts with his latest song, “Light It Up,” which is the first release from his new album, What Makes You Country.

Luke is set to perform on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 12th.

Chris Stapleton released his new album, From A Room: Volume 2, which he recorded at the same time as Volume 1, released this past May and won the CMA Album of the Year Award. The very first song he recorded for both projects is “Scarecrow in the Garden,” which he wrote with Brice Long and Matt Fleener. The tune’s subject matter is relatively dark, but the story song contains a lot of substance and imagery, according to Chris.

“Maybe it’s my inner love of bluegrass murder ballads creeping out. It’s a farming/suicide song for the most part [laughs], you know. So it’s not exactly like, it’s not happy fare at all. But it’s a fun story-song and fun’s not the right word, but for me it’s fun, you know. I love things with story and substance and I feel like lyrically and subject-matter-wise, that thing has all that to me. And I just love the imagery in that song. I’m not trying to toot my own horn, I just, we had a good day that day.”

Chris, who is making his way up the country charts with “Broken Halos,” will appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday (December 4th).

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® will kick off a nationwide campaign called, “THIS SHIRT SAVES LIVES” featuring some of the industry’s biggest names and influencers in order to create a giving movement. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. (PRNewsfoto/St. Jude Children’s Research)

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® will kick off a nationwide campaign called “THIS SHIRT SAVES LIVES”  featuring some of the industry’s biggest names and influencers in order to create a giving movement. Nashville photographers, John Shearer and Andres Martinez, have lent their talents to the campaign, shooting many of the over 80 artist images that will be featured.

The campaign will be supported by St. Jude Country Cares radio partners to cover more than 120 markets in December. The on-air push will coincide with a social push as artists and influencers wear and share photos in THIS SHIRT on their socials.

St. Jude has long given apparel as a thank you to “Partners In Hope,” donors who give $20 per month to the hospital’s lifesaving work. THIS SHIRT SAVES LIVES T-shirt will exclusively be available to those that become Partners In Hope.

“St. Jude is an amazing organization, and whenever you see that name you trust that it’s the best of all causes,” said award-winning singer, songwriter and longtime St. Jude supporter Luke Bryan. “It’s important for me to be a part of causes that inspire people. It’s a life-changing experience to get to see St. Jude and meet the kids who are fighting for their lives.”

St. Jude will officially launch the campaign with an industry-wide reception at the Country Music Association in Nashville on Monday, December 4, 2017.

Confirmed artists include: Luke Bryan, Brothers Osborne, Darius Rucker, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Josh Turner, Easton Corbin, Kacey Musgraves, Canaan Smith, Brandon Lay, Mickey Guyton, Brett Eldredge, Cassadee Pope, Chris Janson, Chris Young, Cole Swindell, Dustin Lynch, Hunter Hayes, Jake Owen,  Kelsea Ballerini, Lee Brice,  Maren Morris, Rascal Flatts, Scotty McCreery and Thomas Rhett.

Since 1989, Country Cares for St. Jude Kids has raised more than $750 million for the kids of St. Jude.

To join the THIS SHIRT SAVES LIVES movement, visit: www.thisshirtsaveslives.org.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude) and following us on Twitter (@stjude).

Chris Stapleton is making the media rounds this week. He’s scheduled to appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday (December 4th) along with superfan/actor Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Parks and Recreation, Jurassic World) and actress Margot Robbie (The Suicide Squad). Stapleton is also scheduled to perform on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday (December 6th).

OF NOTE: Pratt appeared on Popcorn with Peter Travers where he talked about how Chris Stapleton was on his own mixtape (a reference to Guardians) and sang part of “Tennessee Whiskey.” Then, Chris sent him a mixtape of his From A Room: Volume 1 along with a walkman, so he could listen to it properly. When Stapleton performed during the second of a two-night stand at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena earlier this year, Pratt came out wearing a jean jacket embossed with Stapleton’s image. They proceeded to sing “Tennessee Whiskey” together.

Luke Bryan will perform on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 12th.

Darius Rucker, as well as Dolly Parton and Brad Paisley, will honor the late Glen Campbell during ABC’s The Year in Memoriam 2017 television special airing December 18th at 10pm ET. A companion special, The Year: 2017, will air the following night (December 19th) and will highlight major events that took place over the past year. Both specials will be hosted by Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts.

Kacey Musgraves will join Josh Groban for the Home for the Holidays special December 19th at 8pm ET on CBS. Kelly Clarkson and Kane Brown will also appear during the one-hour show which will feature performances alongside inspirational stories of families whose lives have been changed by adoption.

Vince Gill was honored with the CMA Foundation Humanitarian Award last week at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

Dierks Bentley has been booked as one of the headliners for the fourth annual Country LakeShake Festival, being held June 22nd – 24th in Chicago. He’ll be joined by Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Billy Currington, Lee Brice, Tracy Lawrence, Cole Swindell and many more.

Chris Stapleton and his wife Morgane were featured on NBC’s Sunday Today With Willie Geist (December 3rd). They talked about Chris’ new album, From A Room: Volume 2, which just came out last week, as well as his road to stardom, “Drink a Beer,” which he wrote and his friend Luke Bryan took to No. 1, as well as when he and Morgane found out they were expecting twins.

Chris is currently making his way up the country charts with “Broken Halos,” which is on From A Room: Volume 1.