BRAD PAISLEY, KELSEA BALLERINI, MEL TILLIS, NASHVILLE ON CMT, 2016 IN MEMORIAM AND MORE FEATURED IN THIS EDITION OF ‘THE PICKUP’

Continuing the tradition of presenting the top stories in country music, another all-new episode of the “The Pickup” features a look at Brad Paisley’s new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, a special holiday engagement, the new season of “Nashville” debuting on CMT, a new Pickup-and-Coming, a tribute to artists who left us in 2016 and more.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has opened a new exhibit through May 14 taking a glimpse into Brad Paisley’s illustrious career thus far. The exhibit features the “Today” singer’s first guitar, some of his many awards and even a letter to Santa.

The holidays are a popular time for engagements and that proved true when Kelsea Ballerini announced hers on Instagram. She posted her engagement photo with Morgan Evans appropriately hash tagging it with ‘#HeCalledDibs.’

According to a Facebook post from daughter Pam Tillis, Mel Tillis is out of the hospital and home in Florida. The good news came after many prayers and well wishes were extended to the songwriting legend from fans and friends in the industry alike.

CMT will debut the fifth season of “Nashville” on January 5 promising more music than ever before for the popular series that has shined a national spotlight on Music City. If fans miss the premiere, they can see it on demand in multiple places.

The latest edition of the Pickup-and-Coming features country newcomer Nick Brennan and his single “Buck Naked.” To hear the hilarious and thoughtfully written tune and learn more about Brennan, fans can head to NickBrennanMusic.com.

A number one party for Keith Urban’s “Wasted Time” hit was held at Nashville’s newest hotel The Westin with the songwriters of the song. Urban said that the song was written by accident when he crashed the writing session that the two co-writers had previously scheduled. The hitmaker helped Nashville ring in the New Year with a performance on New Years Eve downtown, The Pickup will have more on that in the next edition, so stay tuned!

In this episode, The Pickup pays tribute to artists who passed away in 2016, but whose music lives on. The memoriam includes Merle Haggard, Glenn Frey (The Eagles), Joey Feek, Sonny James, Guy Clark, Ralph Stanley, Jean Shepard, Holly Dunn and Bonnie Brown (The Browns).

Keep on the lookout for the next episode, which will include Jeannie Seely dishing on her new album of originals, “Written In Song.”

Check out the latest episode of The Pickup here:
http://www.viewbix.com/v/The-Pickup–48/bef58f3c-dfaf-4ee0-8e98-d6cf46b19a6e

ABOUT THE PICKUP:
Launched in early 2015, The Pickup, a syndicated country video news series produced by The Hot Seat, highlights today’s stars and classic country artists making news today. New episodes are posted on the 1st and 15th of each month. The Pickup, hosted and produced by Adam Wurtzel, can be seen on the websites of broadcasters across the country (Nash Icon, HankFM, Midwest Communications, Zimmer Communications’ 94.3 KAT Country, etc.), online media blogs, the U.K.’s SKY Television, Heartland Network, and Sandy Zimmerman’s Las Vegas Television Network.

About Shauna "WhiskeyChick" Castorena

Shauna "WhiskeyChick" Castorena is a freelance writer for both Country Music News and Country Music On Tour. Want to collab on some content? Email me. Want my rates for commercial promo work? Get them right here.