November 24, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCMany country stars turned to social media to share their gratitude following Tuesday morning’s announcement of the 2021 Grammy Award nominations.

Mickey Guyton made history by becoming the first Black female solo artist to be nominated for a Grammy in a country category, when “Black Like Me” earned a nod for Best Country Solo Performance.

“I am speechless,” Mickey shared in a statement. “This nomination is a testament to never give up and live your truth.  I can’t think of a better song to make history with than ‘Black Like Me’ and I hope that I can continue to help open doors for other women and people who look like me.”   

Fellow first-time nominee Ingrid Andress was blown away by her nominations for Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best New Artist. 

“THIS. CANNOT. BE. REAL. 3 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS ARE YOU KIDDING ME RN????? IM SCREAMING,” she professed on Instagram. “I am truly honored that the music my friends and i write is something you all can relate to. I will never forget this feeling. Thank you thank you thank you.”

For Dan + Shay, their collaboration with Justin Bieber on “10,000 Hours” is the hit that keeps on giving, scoring them a nod for Best Country Duo/Group performance.

“Thank you so much to the nomination committees for considering us, it truly means the world. we’re proud to share this moment with our friend @justinbieber, and all the wonderful fans who got us here,” the duo wrote on Instagram.   

Maren Morris used social media to congratulate her fellow nominees for Best Country Song, for which she earned two nominations: for “The Bones” and The Highwomen‘s “Crowded Table.” Ashley McBryde also commended the artists she’s nominated alongside for Best Country Album, stating, “excited isn’t a big enough word for this feeling.” 

Here are other country stars’ reactions to their Grammy nominations: 

Lady A: “Thank you to every single person that has listened to this song and made it part of their story.” 

Old Dominion: “It’s incredibly rewarding to be recognized in such a huge way for putting ourselves out there.”  

Little Big Town: “Beyond grateful and completely blown away.” 

Brandi Carlile: “I am so unbelievably proud to be nominated in these categories!”

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 24, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Chris Armstrong ’90s country great Hal Ketchum has died at the age of 67.

Hal’s wife Andrea Ketchum confirmed his passing on his official Facebook page today.

“With great sadness and grief we announce that Hal passed away peacefully last night at home due to complications of dementia. May his music live on forever in your hearts and bring you peace,” she writes. 

Born in New York in 1953, Ketchum later migrated south to Texas, where he cut his teeth performing at clubs around the state as a singer/songwriter.

After moving to Nashville and signing a record deal with Curb, he had a thriving career throughout the 1990s. His 1991 debut album Past the Point of Rescue spawned four singles, a pair of which reached number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: “Small Town Saturday Night” and the title track. The album was certified gold by the RIAA. 

The title track of his 1992 album Sure Love peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while “Hearts Are Gonna Roll” reached number two and “Mama Knows the Highway” hit number eight. 

Throughout the decade, Ketchum reached the top 20 with hits including “I Know Where Love Lives” and a cover of the Vogues‘ “Five O’Clock World.” He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1994. 

At the 1997 CMA Awards, Ketchum was nominated for Musical Event of the Year for his contribution to a remake of Charlie Daniels’ “Long Haired Country Boy,” recorded with Daniels and John Berry.

In 1998, Hal was diagnosed with rare neurological disease acute transverse myelitis, which caused the left side of his body to become paralyzed. Andrea shared in April 2019 that he was retiring amid a battle with dementia.

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 24, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCMiranda Lambert, Maren Morris and Ingrid Andress picked up multiple nominations at the 2021 Grammy Awards. 

Miranda appears in three of the show’s four country categories, including Best Country Album for Wildcard and Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance, for the chart-topping “Bluebird.”

Newcomer Ingrid also pulled in nods for Best Country Song, for her hit “More Hearts Than Mine,” and Best Country Album, for Lady Like.  

Ingrid also finds herself in the coveted all-genre Best New Artist category alongside Jimmie Allen‘s “This is Us” collaborator Noah Cyrus, plus Phoebe Bridgers, Megan Thee Stallion and others. 

Meanwhile, Maren is nominated twice for Best Country Song with “The Bones” and “Crowded Table,” the latter of which she’s featured on as part of The Highwomen. 

Mickey Guyton‘s “Black Like Me” is up for Best Country Solo Performance, while Dan + Shay appear in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category for “10,000 Hours,” featuring Justin Bieber, along with Brothers Osborne‘s “All Night,” “Ocean” by Lady A and more. 

The 2021 Grammys will be hosted by The Daily Show host Trevor Noah and air January 31 on CBS.

Here are the country nominees at the 2021 Grammy Awards:

Best Country Album
Wildcard — Miranda Lambert
Lady Like — Ingrid Andress
Nightfall — Little Big Town
Never Will — Ashley McBryde
Your Life Is a Record — Brandy Clark

Best Country Song 
“Bluebird” — Songwriters: Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby (Miranda Lambert)
“The Bones” — Songwriters: Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz (Maren Morris)
“Crowded Table” — Songwriters: Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Lori Mckenna (The Highwomen)
“More Hearts Than Mine” — Songwriters: Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland (Ingrid Andress)
“Some People Do” — Songwriters: Jesse Frasure, Shane McAnally, Matthew Ramsey, Thomas Rhett (Old Dominion)

Best Country Solo Performance
“Bluebird” — Miranda Lambert
“Stick That In Your Country Song” — Eric Church
“Black Like Me” — Mickey Guyton
“Who You Thought I Was” — Brandy Clark
“When My Amy Prays” — Vince Gill

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“10,000 Hours” — Dan + Shay ft. Justin Bieber
“Some People Do” — Old Dominion
“All Night” — Brothers Osborne
“Ocean” — Lady A
“Sugar Coat” — Little Big Town

Best New Artist
Ingrid Andress
Noah Cyrus
Phoebe Bridgers
Chika
D Smoke
Doja Cat
Kaytranada
Megan Thee Stallion

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 24, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Greg NoireBrett Eldredge and Sofia Reyes head to historic Capitol Studios in Los Angeles for the video for their duet on the Spanish version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” 

Dressed to the nines — Brett in a tuxedo and Sofia in a shimmering gold gown — the twosome offer a beautiful, bilingual rendition of the holiday classic, sitting socially distanced in the studio as they trade verses in Spanish and English.  The video includes sleek shots of the studio where Frank Sinatra laid down vocals for several albums.

“I love Sofía’s voice and I’ve always wanted to learn some Spanish. And who better to learn from than her?” Brett shares, with Sofia adding, “I’m so happy to work with Brett. It’s an honor and I think you’ll love the Spanish version of this song.”

The country star previously released “Baby It’s Cold Outside” as a duet with Meghan Trainor on his Christmas album, Glow.

Brett’s set to perform on The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration, airing Thanksgiving Day on ABC at 9 p.m. ET, along with Christmas in Rockefeller Center December 2 on NBC at 9 p.m. ET. 

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 24, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Valerie Macon/Getty ImagesDolly Parton continues her reign over the Christmas season wth a new line of holiday cards. 

As part of her partnership with American Greetings, the Have a Holly Dolly Christmas Collection features a variety of digital greeting cards that are connected to the icon’s music and legacy. 

One shows the singer in a cozy red and white jacket surrounded by red and green ornaments, with the phrase “Darlin,’ nobody dazzles like you do” written around her, while another features a guitar with the Dolly-ism “Our love is a song our soul knows by heart” printed on it. 

Other designs include a picture of Dolly in a Mrs. Claus suit that professes “You’ll always be at the tippy top of my nice list,” a butterfly adorned pink card, the Southern-inspired “Merry Christmas y’all” and many more.

“Knowing that I can be a small part of making someone’s day a little brighter is such a great feeling, and this holiday season, especially, it helps to know someone you love is thinking about you,” Dolly says in a statement.

The holiday collection follows the release of Dolly’s “Birthday Time” mashup card that features the legend herself singing an original birthday song set to the tune of her hit “9 to 5.”

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.