ICYMI: Country Music News in a Minute Dec 4th, 2018

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Memphis Aldean

With the holidays fast approaching everybody’s been so busy getting last minute errands run gifts bought and parties planned that following the latest country music news has been put on the back burner. I’m here today to give you a recap of what you may have missed in the last week. On Friday Jason Aldean and wife Brittany welcome their new baby boy into the world. The proud parents were quickly sharing pictures of baby Memphis all over social media with Brittany posting a beautiful shot of him on Instagram. Country Radio Seminar officials have announced the CRS 2018 new faces of country music performers. Those performers are Lauren Alaina, Luke Combs, Midland, Carly Pearce, and Michael Ray. These up-and-coming acts will perform as part of the closing ceremony for the country radio seminar, co-sponsored by the Academy of Country Music and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The seminar closes February 7th, 2018 at the Omni Hotel in Nashville. For those still following Taylor Swift, it’s officially been announced that she is adding Australian tour dates to her Reputation tour routes. Details for those dates are to follow. Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, and Florida Georgia Line are now scheduled to headline the Country LakeShake festival in 2018. The festival will be held at Huntington Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island outside of Chicago next June. The three-day event will run from Friday, June 22nd thru Sunday, June 24th. Additional artist performing during the Country LakeShake will include Lee Brice, Billy Currington, Cole Swindell, Russell Dickerson, Jillian Jacqueline, Chris Lane, Tracy Lawrence, Jackie Lee, LoCash, RaeLynn, Runaway June, and Dylan Scott. Tickets go on sale next Friday and will be available at countrymusicontour.com. And there you have it, all the headlines you may have missed over the weekend in country music news. Stay tuned next Monday for your next weekend recap.

Randy Travis Immortalized at Madame Tussauds Nashville

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Randy Travis in Madame Tussauds Nashville

Please join us on Friday, December 1 at Madame Tussauds Nashville in Opry Mills Mall as we unveil Randy Travis‘ wax figure. Media check-in will be at 10:30am at Entry 5. This event is open to the public! Randy’s wax figure will be added to a collection of over 50 figures at the Nashville attraction, which features artists from all genres of music including country, rock, jazz, blues and pop. Each Madame Tussauds figure is truly a work of art, involving teams of professional artists and sculptors who spend months on extensive research and take more than 300 measurements to recreate world-famous icons to achieve the kind of astonishing realism that has been at the heart of the 250-year Madam Tussauds legacy. The immersive experience in the attraction takes guests through different scenes and eras in America’s musical history.

Listen Now: MORGAN WALLEN IS READY TO TURN “UP DOWN”

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Morgan Wallen News on Country Music News Blog

Newcomer’s Driving New Single Featuring Florida Georgia Line Is Most Added At Country Radio Big Loud Records exciting new talent MORGAN WALLEN is primed to turn Country radio upside down as his new single “Up Down,” featuring BMLG Records’ superstar duo Florida Georgia Line, is this week’s most added single with 80 first week stations on board. Quickly after its October release, the fun-loving track rocketed into Spotify’s U.S. (#4) and Global (#6) Viral 50 charts, hit the iTunes Country A-List, launched into the Top 10 on Sirius XM The Highway, and entered the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Meanwhile, the song’s “infectious” (Rare Country) beachside music video has racked up more than 5 million views. “Up Down” follows Wallen’s Top 30 debut single, “The Way I Talk,” and gives a taste of his first full-length album, expected in 2018. Critics and fans alike are hooked on the laidback groove, written by Brad Clawson, Michael Hardy, and C.J. Solar. One Country predicted “You’re about to hear Morgan Wallen and Florida Georgia Line’s ‘Up Down’ on repeat,” and Taste of Country lauded the “big rowdy anthem.” Rolling Stone Country noted the “buoyant” cut “revolves around the title hook, repeated in an irresistible, syncopated fashion.” As Morning Hangover summed it up: “…’Up Down’ is going to be HUGE.” The kinetic performer has been honing his skills on the road throughout the year, opening for FGL’s THE SMOOTH TOUR 2017 and labelmate Chris Lane’s TAKE BACK HOME TOUR. He’ll round out a fiery run as support on Granger Smith’s DON’T TREAD ON ME TOUR in Flint, MI on December 17. About Morgan Wallen: Born in Sneedville, Tenn. (also home to bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin), Wallen was a star on the baseball diamond, attended the same high school as Country superstar Kenny Chesney, and has deep roots in the church. With a Hard Rock-loving preacher for a father and a mother who couldn’t get enough Country and contemporary Christian music, Wallen began performing for his local congregation at the tender age of 3 and went on to develop a strong love of Country, Rock and Hip-Hop. After moving to Music City in 2015, he’s co-written with hitmakers like Craig Wiseman, Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins, the Warren Brothers, Tommy Cecil and Matt Dragstrem, and has been honing his studio poise with award-winning producer Joey Moi. Wallen’s five-song EP THE WAY I TALK (2016) features Top 30 debut single “The Way I Talk,” that made its mark on Spotify’s popular Wild Country, New Boots and New Music Friday playlists. For more about Morgan Wallen, visit www.morganwallen.com.

Kenny Chesney’s COSMIC HALLELUJAH Scores Country Album Grammy Nomination

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Kenny Chesney News on Country Music News Blog

Kenny Chesney’s Unorthodox Grammy Nomination Cosmic Hallelujah Scores Best Country Album Nod at 2018 Grammy Awards Nashville, Tenn. — When Kenny Chesney switched the lead single to “Noise” nine days before the launch of Cosmic Hallelujah, people thought he was crazy. But the song – written, recorded and mastered in three days – spoke to the toxic information overload in a way that felt urgent, and the 8-time Entertainer of the Year decided to let the music speak to the 24/7 rush of constant connection. From that moment, everything about the songwriter/superstar from East Tennessee’s 16th album defied conventional wisdom. Today, Cosmic Hallelujah received Chesney’s first solo Grammy nomination for Best Country Album for at the 2018 Grammy Awards. Upon hearing the news, he marveled, “People thought I was crazy doing what felt right for the music. But sometimes songs need to be released, or given a video even if they’re not a single, or have the people who’re living the song make the video… It’s easy to lose track of the music in the marketing and the promotion, but for Cosmic Hallelujah, I wanted music to drive the decisions. Right now, I feel that was the right thing to do.” From “Noise” being written, recorded and swapped at the last minute, to the euphoric multiple-week No. 1 “Setting the World On Fire” with P!nk, a provocative, big budget “Paper Chase” video featuring John C. McGinley for “Rich and Miserable,” which never was a single, to a three-week No. 1 final single “All the Pretty Girls,” with a  video made by a pair of Belmont University students, nothing about Cosmic Hallelujah followed traditional orthodoxy. As Chesney says of the decisions, “It was a lot of heart, soul, and passion driven by music.” The critics agreed. The New York Times recognized the stretch, writing, “a long, long way from Mr. Chesney’s typical arena-country ballads about rural pleasures and island getaways,” and NPR cited the album’s depths of “folk’s storytelling, soul’s honesty and gospel’s spirit,” while Los Angeles Times opined, “the new album offers deeper, more nuanced thoughts on the distractions of the Instagram era (“Noise”), the comforts of home (“Jesus and Elvis”) and even the stagnation of the American dream (“Rich and Miserable”).” Co-produced with Buddy Cannon (Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard), Cosmic Hallelujah marked a progression from The Big Revival, both groundbreaking records for Chesney. Reflecting the kindred spirits of the No Shoes Nation, who are voracious to live life, Chesney’s fourth Grammy nomination stands as recognition for finding the intersection between connecting through traditional mainstream media/radio and creating music that digs a little deeper. Entertainment Weekly agreed, “His attempts at digging deeper make the lighter material feel earned, and they elevate his work above much of country’s escapist fare,” while Newsday called it, “country perfection,” and The Boston Globe deemed it “a love song to another person and to the idea of getting away…working from a larger sonic palette, one that incorporates ideas from stadium-rockers with whom he shares dressing Continue reading Kenny Chesney’s COSMIC HALLELUJAH Scores Country Album Grammy Nomination→

Tune-In Alert: Danielle Bradbery On TODAY Show 12/1

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Danielle Bradbery News on Country Music News Blog

DANIELLE BRADBERY HITS TODAY SHOW DECEMBER 1 TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF HER SOPHOMORE ALBUM I DON’T BELIEVE WE’VE MET Fans Take “First Listen” of the album on NPR NEW YORK  – Danielle Bradbery first reached fans on NBC’s The Voice in 2013, winning at age 16. Now 21, the Texas native will celebrate her re-introductory, sophomore BMLG Records album, I Don’t Believe We’ve Met, on NBC’s TODAY (9 a.m. hour) on the release day: Friday, December, 1. After realizing she wanted to play a bigger part in the creative process, Bradbery has been waiting for old and new fans everywhere to hear the album, after she took four years to carefully craft her own style and what she wanted to say. The transformation Bradbery was looking for was highlighted by NPR’s Jewly Hight as part of the album’s “First Listen” describing it as “a significant, and successful, reinvention captured in a taut 10 tracks.” Bradbery entered the writing room for the first time with songwriting veterans like Grammy-award winning Emily Weisband, superstar Thomas Rhett, 28-No.1 writer Rhett Akins, and more that helped her bring out her true story as she crafted I Don’t Believe We’ve Met. Now, Bradbery makes her songwriting debut penning seven out of 10 songs on the album Billboard says, “honesty and vulnerability can be heard throughout.” Bradbery, who NPR says is “exploring the possibilities of timbre, tone and inflection, and incorporating R&B-steeped pop attitude in a way that feels natural,” on I Don’t Believe We’ve Met, heads into her TODAY show performance on the heels of her recent performances at CMT’s Next Women of Country in November and CMT’s Artists of the Year Awards in October, where the hurt and losses from the many tragedies of 2017 were remembered. A four-show run at Nashville’s One at Cannery Row, New York’s Hill Country, Houston’s White Oak Music Hall and Los Angeles’ Hornblower Cruises and Events will kick off I Don’t Believe We’ve Met’s release. The only way for fans to enter is by buying a pre-order bundle HERE. Fans will receive “Worth It” along with lead single “Sway,” “Human Diary,” “Hello Summer” and “Potential” instantly when they pre-order I Don’t Believe We’ve Met HERE. Learn more about Danielle at DanielleBradbery.com or follow her on Facebook and Instagram @daniellebradbery and Twitter at @DBradbery.

Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town Lead Grammy Country Nominees

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Chris Stapleton Tickets

CHRIS STAPLETON and LITTLE BIG TOWN each received three GRAMMY nods today (11/28), leading all Country nominees. STAPLETON is up for Country Solo Performance (“Either Way”), Country Song (“Broken Halos”), and Country Album (“From A Room: Volume 1”). LITTLE BIG TOWN joins STAPLETON in the Album and Country Song categories (“The Breaker” and “Better Man,” respectively), with another nomination for Country Duo/Group Performance (“Better Man”). SAM HUNT, MIRANDA LAMBERT, MIDLAND, and LADY ANTEBELLUM were all double nominees. For the first time in 14 years, no Country acts were included in the GRAMMY’s top four categories, which are also considered its most prestigious: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, or Best New Artist. The “60TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS” are set for SUNDAY, JANUARY 28th, 2018 at NEW YORK’s MADISON SQUARE GARDEN and will be broadcast on CBS-TV. Here’s a full list of Country Grammy Nominees: Country Solo Performance: “Body Like A Back Road” — SAM HUNT “Losing You” — ALISON KRUASS “Tin Man” — MIRANDA LAMBERT “I Could Use A Love Song” — MAREN MORRIS “Either Way” — CHRIS STAPLETON Country Duo/Group Performance: “It Ain’t My Fault” — BROTHERS OSBORNE “My Old Man” — ZAC BROWN BAND “You Look Good” — LADY ANTEBELLUM “Better Man” — LITTLE BIG TOWN “Drinkin’ Problem” — MIDLAND Country Song: “Better Man” — TAYLOR SWIFT, songwriter (LITTLE BIG TOWN) “Body Like A Back Road” — ZACH CROWELL, SAM HUNT, SHANE MCANALLY & JOSH OSBORNE, songwriters (SAM HUNT) “Broken Halos” — MIKE HENDERSON & CHRIS STAPLETON, songwriters (CHRIS STAPLETON) “Drinkin’ Problem” — JESS CARSON, CAMERON DUDDY, SHANE MCANALLY, JOSH OSBORNE & MARK WYSTRACH, songwriters (MIDLAND) “Tin Man” — JACK INGRAM, MIRANDA LAMBERT & JON RANDALL, songwriters (MIRANDA LAMBERT) Country Album: “Cosmic Hallelujah” — KENNY CHESNEY “Heart Break” — LADY ANTEBELLUM “The Breaker” — LITTLE BIG TOWN “Life Changes” — THOMAS RHETT “From A Room: Volume 1” — CHRIS STAPLETON

Mel Tillis Remembered by Country Music Community

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COUNTRY MUSIC REMEMBERS MEL TILLIS: BOBBY BARE, RANDY TRAVIS,  ALABAMA, CHARLIE DANIELS, JEANNIE SEELY, LORRIE MORGAN, MOE BANDY, MAX T. BARNES, EXILE, JOHNNY LEE, LEE ROY PARNELL, TIM RUSHLOW AND PAUL BOGART   “I’ve lost a brother. Mel was the very first person I met when I came to Nashville in the late ‘50s and we’ve been friends ever since. I’ve lost another fishing buddy and a talented, talented brother. Without Mel and ‘Detroit City,’ I probably would not have had a career. Mel’s one of those people you’ve got to love.” – Bobby Bare, fellow Country Music Hall of Fame member and bandmate of Tillis’ in “Old Dogs” with Jerry Reed and Waylon Jennings. Mel Tillis co-wrote Bare’s smash-hit “Detroit City.” “Mel was a special friend, great artist, and constant inspiration to me—Heaven’s choir just got sweeter.” – Randy Travis, fellow Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member “Hall of Fame entertainer and songwriter — he was all in one, a great combination. He is one of our biggest heroes.” – Randy Owen of ALABAMA, fellow Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame member “Mel Tillis, you will be missed by so many of us you touched over the years. Rest in peace my friend.” – Charlie Daniels, fellow Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member “All I could think of when I heard the news of Mel’s passing was ‘one of the brightest lights in country music went out last night.’ He left an amazing legacy with his songs, but I will always remember his humor more than anything else. It’s sad to think there will be no more ‘Mel Tillis stories.’ – Jeannie Seely, fellow Grand Ole Opry member “It’s a sad day in country music but even sadder for the family and those of us who loved the late, great Mel Tillis. His life was the stage and making people laugh for years. He was truly one of the kindest men in the business to me. He was great friends with my dad and my uncle Bill and he’s treated me like a daughter. My heart breaks for the future of the Tillis family while they heal. It’s a hole that will never be filled for them. God bless Mel Tillis and the Tillis family.” – Lorrie Morgan, fellow Grand Ole Opry member “Mel was a great entertainer who inspired me so much. I am deeply saddened. What a great friend he was to me. I just thought the world of him. We will miss him dearly. His great songs will be with us forever. God Bless his family.” – Moe Bandy Old Dogs – Jerry Reed, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare and Mel Tillis from Edwin Schenk on Vimeo. “I first met Mel when I played with him on Bobby Bare and Friends in ‘85. He was a true country gentleman, a giant songwriter and an icon.” – Max T. Barnes “We always loved working with Continue reading Mel Tillis Remembered by Country Music Community→

JOHN LEGEND AND CARRIE UNDERWOOD SET TO CO-HOST “GRAMMYS® GREATEST STORIES

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JOHN LEGEND AND CARRIE UNDERWOOD SET TO CO-HOST “GRAMMYS® GREATEST STORIES: A 60TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL” AIRING FRIDAY, NOV. 24 ON CBS – superstars ALICIA KEYS, Ricky Martin, P!nk, Blake Shelton, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, AND UNDERWOOD ADDED TO STELLAr LINE-UP Santa Monica, CAlif. (nOV. 15, 2017) —GRAMMY® Award winners John Legend and Carrie Underwood will co-host “GRAMMYs® Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special,” an all-encompassing retrospective packed with epic moments from the past 59 years of GRAMMY history, including new anecdotes directly from the artists on how their GRAMMY performances came to be. The primetime special will be broadcast on Friday, Nov. 24, from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT, on the CBS Television Network. The one-of-a-kind broadcast event will feature rare archival footage, exclusive interviews, and special appearances by multi-GRAMMY winners and nominees Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Dave Grohl, Elton John, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Chris Martin, Ricky Martin, Paul McCartney, P!nk, Ed Sheeran, Blake Shelton, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Justin Timberlake, U2, Underwood, and Keith Urban. “GRAMMYs Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special” will highlight some of the most memorable GRAMMY Moments from the last five decades of Music’s Biggest Night® and take viewers behind the scenes to reveal unknown facts about the remarkable performances. Special segments will include reactions from GRAMMY producers and members of the music community following some legendary performances, including Paul McCartney bringing the Beatles’ legendary album, Abbey Road, to the GRAMMY stage. Artist reactions on “GRAMMYs Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special” include: “To be asked by Paul McCartney to come up and jam was like a life affirming moment for me.”—Dave Grohl “Everybody I’ve performed with on the GRAMMYs is brilliant and I’ve learn a lot from them, and I’ve enjoyed the experience so much. What I love about the GRAMMYs is seeing people, the true artists come on … the people who last the test of time, and they always give me goosebumps.”—Elton John “I have never felt more honored, proud, and nervous, and a sense of unexpected accomplishment. My first moment on that stage was with one of the greatest legends—not in country music—of the entertainment industry, period!“—Blake Shelton on performing with Glen Campbell at the 54th GRAMMY Awards in 2012. “GRAMMYs Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special” continues the tradition of previous Emmy Award-winning TV specials presented by the Recording Academy™, AEG Ehrlich Ventures, and CBS: “Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life—An All-Star GRAMMY Salute,” “The Beatles: The Night That Changed America—A GRAMMY Salute,” “Sinatra 100—An All-Star GRAMMY Concert,” and “Stayin’ Alive: A GRAMMY Salute To The Music Of The Bee Gees.” “GRAMMYs Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special” is produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures, LLC. Ehrlich is the executive producer, Ron Basile is the producer, and David Wild is the writer.   The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its Continue reading JOHN LEGEND AND CARRIE UNDERWOOD SET TO CO-HOST “GRAMMYS® GREATEST STORIES→

Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum To Open Tim McGraw & Faith Hill Exhibit This Friday

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How a failed audition may have saved Faith Hill's Life : On AXS TV

The COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM (CMHOF) has revealed details of its TIM MCGRAW and FAITH HILL exhibition entitled “TIM MCGRAW & FAITH HILL: MISSISSIPPI WOMAN, LOUISIANA MAN.” Opening this FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17th, the exhibit will chronicle the parallel singing careers that started in adjacent SOUTHERN states and merged — as spouses and performing partners — in NASHVILLE. “TIM MCGRAW & FAITH HILL: MISSISSIPPI WOMAN, LOUISIANA MAN” will incorporate a wide array of memorabilia representing milestones and significant moments in the couple’s lives both separately and together. “We are honored to be included in the halls of this historic museum, among the names and faces of so many of our friends and music heroes,” said MCGRAW and HILL. “This is a moment that dreams are made of, and we are so appreciative to the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM for all the hard work and care that has gone into the exhibit.”

‘Country Rising’ Benefit Raises $4 Million

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SUNDAY night’s (11/12) “COUNTRY RISING” concert in NASHVILLE, benefiting hurricane relief efforts and victims of the LAS VEGAS shootings, raised more than $4 million, according to organizers. The evening featured Country’s biggest stars, such as GEORGE STRAIT, JASON ALDEAN, DIERKS BENTLEY, SAM HUNT, LADY ANTEBELLUM, CHRIS STAPLETON, REBA MCENTIRE, MARTINA MCBRIDE, and KEITH URBAN, among others. Additionally, recently crowned CMA Entertainer Of The Year GARTH BROOKS sent a video greeting from his show in SPOKANE, WA announcing he’d donated proceeds from the concert to the relief effort. The fundraising effort continues, with fans able to give by texting “NASHVILLE” to 41010, donating online here, or purchasing concert merchandise here. All proceeds raised will go toward the COUNTRY RISING fund of THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE.