August 31, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Capitol NashvilleFor Keith Urban, performing onstage hasn’t just been a way to make a living, it’s been a way of life.

So not being able to play in front of live audiences because of the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard for the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year.

“I made a record, so I didn’t go crazy,” he laughs. “I’ve always played, since I joined this sort of singing group when I was seven and performed at the shopping centers, you know, on school holidays at the mall, and joined a band at twelve and then quit school at fifteen and was playing five nights a week. I’ve always, always played on stages.”

Even during the off-season, Keith’s made a habit of popping up in small clubs to soak up the vibe and flex his musical muscles. Now, he says the hardest parts are the unknowns. 

“It’s a very strange feeling,” he tells ABC Audio on the phone from his native Australia, “not only having not been on a stage in a long time, but truly not knowing when we’re gonna get to get back on one again, or how it’s gonna be, where it’s gonna be.”

“So I just dived into the studio,” he continues, “which is, you know, in a lot of ways my other stage.” 

You can sample the fruits of of Keith’s labors on September 18, when The Speed of Now Part 1 comes out, featuring his current hit, “God Whispered Your Name,” as well as his Eric Church collaboration, “We Were.”

That’s just a couple days after Keith hosts the first all-virtual ACM Awards, live from Nashville, on CBS.

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

August 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

David BergmanThe Country Music Association is ready to unveil its list of 2020 nominees, and it’s enlisting Luke Combs and Carly Pearce to help share the exciting news. The two rising acts will reveal this year’s nominees on ABC’s Good Morning America next Tuesday, September 1.

Both Luke and Carly know a little something about being honored on country’s biggest night: Luke has picked up three trophies at the awards show over the past couple of years, and Carly scored her first CMA nod in 2019.

They’ll read a portion of the nominees list in the 8:30-9AM half hour, while standing on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Following the broadcast, Gabby Barrett and Ingrid Andress will reveal more categories of nominees during a livestream on the CMA’s social channels. 

Country music is entering a complicated season, as many events and shows have been pushed to the end of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and some big country announcements that would normally be spaced throughout the year are happening in rapid succession.

The ACM Awards show, for example, typically takes place in April, but due to the pandemic it was adapted into a virtual event broadcasting from Nashville this fall. Now, it’s taking place on September 16, just a couple of weeks after the CMA announces this year’s nominees.

Very few details about this year’s CMA Awards show have been announced thus far. We don’t yet know who’s hosting, although Carrie Underwood, who’s been the show’s host for the past 12 years, announced early in 2020 that she’s stepping down this year.

The 54th annual CMA Awards are scheduled to take place in Nashville on November 11.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

August 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Big Loud RecordsYou can’t always judge a book by his cover — but you can certainly judge a country boy by his set of wheels. That’s the premise behind Hardy’s new song, “Truck,” an ode to all the things you can glean about someone by just looking at their vehicle.

The singer wrote the song with Hunter Phelps and Ben Johnson, and he says that from the start, they wanted to write a classic country ode to trucks, but with an extra twist.

“We wanted to do it differently than it’s been done before and write the song about the character of the truck, things that you can know just by looking,” Hardy explains.

“In the wintertime, if you live in a rural area and you’re riding around roads, you’re eventually going to see a buck in the back of somebody’s truck, and you know that guy’s a deer hunter and he is jacked that he just got a buck — you automatically know a little bit about that guy,” he goes on to say.

“Truck” comes off of Hardy’s forthcoming debut album, A Rock, which is due out this September.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

August 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of Tanya TuckerEarlier this summer, Tanya Tucker shared the sad news that she would be postponing her headlining CMT Next Women of Country: Bring My Flowers Now Tour as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, she promised fans that she would “throw one heck of a party,” once it was safe to do so, and in 2021, Tanya’s prepared to make good on that promise. The singer just announced next year’s extensive slate of dates, some of which feature Brandi Carlile.

Despite a few venue changes, date swaps and additions, Tanya will plan to hit nearly all of the original planned stops. The tour kicks off next July and will run through November. Visit her website to check specific dates and details.

In addition to Tanya’s headlining performance, the CMT Next Women of Country tour originally featured a talented roster of opening support including Brandy Clark, Hailey Whitters, Aubrie Sellers, Erin Enderlin and more. It’s unclear if those artists will join Tanya on the road in 2021, and which shows will include which artists.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

August 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Jeremy Cowart/Shauna Dodds & Sarah Dodds/Backstage Design StudioGranger Smith boils life down to its essentials on “Country Things,” the just-released title track of a new double album he’s got in the works. The first half of that project, Country Things Vol. 1, will be out on September 25.

In the eight-song first chapter, Granger offers a look into his family life today. It’s been a difficult time period for Granger and his wife, Amber: Just a little over a year ago, they lost their 2-year-old son, River, in a tragic accidental drowning.

Since then, Granger, Amber and their two other children have had to navigate the grieving process and re-learn their family dynamic. Of course, Granger says, music has been a huge part of that experience, and the songs on this album will focus on the ways in which this difficult time has shed new light on the importance of gratitude.

“This collection focuses on the things that money and politics and status can’t buy,” he explains. “The things that you can center on and I want to live my life for. The things you want to raise your kids with and find joy in. The country things.”

On a lighter note, Country Things Vol. 1 will also feature a guest appearance from Granger’s colorful, oddball alter-ego, Earl Dribbles Jr.

In addition to the title track, Granger is previewing his album with another new track, “Hate You Like I Love You.” The project also features the previously-shared “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads.”

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.