CMA Awards Announce Additional Performers, Including Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, Brett Young & More

CMA Awards Announce Additional Performers, Including Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, Brett Young & More

Posted on November 1, 2018

The Country Music Association announced its third round of performers for the 52nd annual CMA Awards: Jason Aldean with Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, Luke Combs, Midland, and Brett Young.

Previously announced performers include Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Old Dominion, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley with Brothers Osborne, Florida Georgia Line with Bebe Rexha, Kacey Musgraves, Pistol Annies, and Thomas Rhett.

Hosted for the 11th consecutive year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, the CMA Awards will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

Nominees are below.

Entertainer of the Year

Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban

Female Vocalist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist of the Year

Dierks Bentley
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban

Vocal Duo of the Year

Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
Sugarland

New Artist of the Year

Lauren Alaina
Luke Combs
Chris Janson
Midland
Brett Young

Single of the Year (Awarded to Singer, Producer and Engineer)

“Broken Halos” – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
Mix Engineer: Vance Powell

“Drinkin’ Problem” – Midland
Producers: Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank

“Drowns the Whiskey” – Jason Aldean (Feat. Miranda Lambert)
Producer: Michael Knox
Mix Engineer: Jeff Braun

“Meant to Be” – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
Producer: Willshire
Mix Engineer: Serban Ghenea

“Tequila” – Dan + Shay
Producers: Scott Hendricks, Dan Smyers
Mix Engineer: Jeff Juliano

Album of the Year

From A Room: Volume 2 – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton

Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
Producers: Ian Fitchuk, Daniel Tashian, Kacey Musgraves

Graffiti U – Keith Urban
Producers: Keith Urban, Dan McCarroll, J.R. Rotem, Josh Kerr, Jason Evigan, Greg Wells, Benny Blanco, Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid, Jesse Shatkin, Jimmy Robbins, Oscar Holter, Matt Rad, Eric Valentine, Ian Kirkpatrick, Mike Elizondo, Captain Cuts, Ross Copperman, Dann Huff, Peter Karlsson

Life Changes – Thomas Rhett
Producers: Julian Bunetta, Jesse Frasure, Dann Huff, Joe London, Thomas Rhett

The Mountain – Dierks Bentley
Producers: Ross Copperman, Jon Randall Stewart, Arturo Buenahora Jr.

Vocal Group of the Year

Lady Antebellum
LANCO
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion

Song of the Year (Awarded to Songwriters)

“Body Like A Back Road” – Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
“Broken Halos” – Songwriters: Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton
“Drowns the Whiskey” – Songwriter: Brandon Kinney, Jeff Middleton, Josh Thompson
“Drunk Girl” – Songwriter: Scooter Carusoe, Tom Douglas, Chris Janson
“Tequila” – Songwriter: Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers

Musical Event of the Year

“Burning Man” – Dierks Bentley feat. Brothers Osborne
“Dear Hate” – Maren Morris (Feat. Vince Gill)
“Drowns the Whiskey” – Jason Aldean (Feat. Miranda Lambert)
“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” – David Lee Murphy (with Kenny Chesney)
“Meant to Be” – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line

Music Video of the Year (Awarded to Artist & Director)

“Babe” – Sugarland (Featuring Taylor Swift)
Director: Anthony Mandler

“Cry Pretty” – Carrie Underwood
Director: Randee St. Nicholas

“Drunk Girl” – Chris Janson
Director: Jeff Venable

“Marry Me” – Thomas Rhett
Director: TK McKamy

“Tequila” – Dan + Shay
Director: Patrick Tracy

Musician of the Year

Jerry Douglas, Dobro
Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar
Dann Huff, Guitar
Mac McAnally, Guitar
Derek Wells, Guitar

photo by Jason Simanek

Football Central: Tennessee vs. Charlotte (Homecoming)

Football Central: Tennessee vs. Charlotte (Homecoming)

Posted on November 1, 2018
Baylen Buchanan – Vols DB / Credit UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It’s Homecoming Week for the Tennessee Volunteers as they get ready to host Charlotte on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.

Kickoff for Saturday’s Homecoming game is set for 4 p.m. on the SEC Network Alternate channel. Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Barrett Jones (analyst) will have the call with Taylor Davis reporting from the sidelines. Vol Network radio affiliates will have a live audio broadcast with Bob Kesling, Tim Priest and Brent Hubbs. Sirius (Channel 94) and XM satellite radio (Channel 190) will also carry the game.

Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between UT and Charlotte on the gridiron. The Vols are 1-0 against teams from Conference USA this season after defeating UTEP, 24-0, on Sept. 15.

Need to Know

95th Homecoming Game
Saturday’s contest between the Vols and 49ers will be the 95th Homecoming game in program history. Tennessee is 72-19-3 all-time on Homecoming and has won four straight Homecoming games dating back to the 2014 season. This week will be the 102nd Homecoming celebration at the University of Tennessee with the first coming back in 1916.

Winning Streaks at Neyland
The Big Orange have been very hard to beat in non-conference games played at Neyland Stadium. UT’s last non-conference home loss came in double overtime on Sept. 12, 2015 against Oklahoma. Since then, the Vols have won 10 consecutive non-conference home games. Even more impressive, Tennessee has won 29 straight home games against non-Power 5 opponents dating back to 2008.

Callaway Looks to Build Off Nine-Catch Performance at South Carolina
Junior wide receiver Marquez Callaway continues to lead the Vols’ receiving corps after posting a career-high nine catches last week at South Carolina. The Warner Robbins, Ga., native leads the team with a career-best 27 catches and 372 receiving yards heading into Saturday’s game against Charlotte.

True Freshman Duo Impressing at Corner
The duo of Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson has impressed at cornerback this season for UT. Taylor and Thompson are the only pair of true freshmen in the SEC to start a game together at corner this season, doing so three times now.

Thompson leads the team with two interceptions and has been named to the PFF College SEC Defensive Team of the Week three times this season. Taylor leads the team with two forced fumbles and recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in UT’s upset victory at No. 21 Auburn a few weeks ago.

About Charlotte
Charlotte has shown massive improvement this season after finishing with a 1-11 record in 2017. The 49ers enter Saturday’s contest at Neyland Stadium with a 4-4 record after posting a 20-17 victory over Southern Miss last weekend. Charlotte is led by sixth-year head coach Brad Lambert, who has amassed a 21-45 record during his time with the program.

The 49ers defense has led the way for the team this season, ranking 18th nationally in total defense (318.6 ypg). Led by redshirt senior linebacker Juwan Foggie and redshirt junior defensive end Alex Highsmith, Charlotte’s run defense enters Saturday’s game ranked sixth in the country, allowing just 89.8 yards per game on the ground. Foggie leads the FBS with six interceptions – two of which were returned for touchdowns – and is also third on the team with 40 tackles. Highsmith has racked up 30 tackles and leads the 49ers with 8.5 tackles for loss.

Offensively, Charlotte relies heavily on its ground game and junior running back Benny LeMay, who ranks third in Conference USA in rushing with 93.1 yards per game. The North Carolina native has posted three games with 100 or more rushing yards this year and also leads the team with six touchdowns.

Miami graduate transfer Evan Shirreffs is slated to make his third start of the season on Saturday after replacing injured starter Chris Reynolds. The Georgia native made his first-career start in a loss to Middle Tennessee two weeks ago before leading the 49ers to a 20-17 win against Southern Miss last Saturday. On the year, Shirreffs has completed 33-of-61 pass attempts for 405 yards, thrown two touchdowns and three interceptions, and has also rushed for a touchdown. Charlotte’s top pass catcher is redshirt freshman Victor Tucker, who has made 46 catches for 566 yards and two touchdowns. Tucker’s 70.8 receiving yards per game ranks third in the FBS among freshmen.

 

UT Athletics

Montgomery Gentry’s New Album, “20 Years of Hits,” Features Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Granger Smith & More

Montgomery Gentry’s New Album, “20 Years of Hits,” Features Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Granger Smith & More

Posted on November 1, 2018

Prior to Troy Gentry’s passing in September 2017, he and duo-mate Eddie Montgomery re-recorded many of Montgomery Gentry’s signature songs for the new album, Montgomery Gentry: 20 Years of Hits.

The new 12-song album, which will be released on Nov. 16, features a number of guest artists, including Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Granger Smith, Logan Mize, Colt Ford, Rodney Atkins and Jimmie Allen.

“20 years of hits, I can’t believe it’s been 20 years of hits,” says Eddie. “Seems like just yesterday me and T-Roy were just getting started in this business being told we would be lucky to make it three to five years. I can’t thank everyone of our friends who sang on this album enough. It still blows my mind that in 20 years I’m still hitting the road and still out there. I know I’d probably never have been here and have 20 years of hits if it wasn’t for T-Roy. Me and T-Roy want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts, the Man upstairs and our American heroes.”

The new album is available for pre-order now, with instant-grat track “Lucky Man.”

Montgomery Gentry: 20 Years of Hits

  1. “Back When I Knew It All” (feat. Brad Paisley)
  2. “Hillbilly Shoes” (feat. Granger Smith)
  3. “Hell Yeah” (feat. Jimmie Allen)
  4. “What Do You Think About That” (feat. Colt Ford)
  5. “My Town”
  6. “Lucky Man” (feat. Darius Rucker)
  7. “Where I Come From”
  8. “Something to Be Proud Of” (feat. Logan Mize)
  9. “Some People Change”
  10. “Better Me”
  11. “One in Every Crowd” (feat. Rodney Atkins)
  12. “Gone”

photo by Jason Simanek

See How Your Favorite Country Stars Dressed Up for Halloween, Including Kelsea Ballerini, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Chris Young & More

See How Your Favorite Country Stars Dressed Up for Halloween, Including Kelsea Ballerini, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Chris Young & More

Posted on November 1, 2018

Some of our favorite country stars got into the spirit of Halloween by donning funny, scary and crazy costumes. Check ’em out, including photos of Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan, Lauren Alaina, Keith Urban, Chris Young, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini and more.

View this post on Instagram

This is #Britney bish.

A post shared by Lindsay Ell (@lindsayell) on

main photo courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini

Neyland Stadium Renovation Project Update

Neyland Stadium Renovation Project Update

Posted on November 1, 2018
Neyland Stadium – Credit: UT Athletics

Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer announced Thursday that the department will continue to review all aspects of the Neyland Stadium Master Plan Renovations.

“To be very clear, I am super excited about the Neyland Stadium project going forward in the near future,” Fulmer said.

“I have been here 10 months and have studied this major project with everyone concerned. I think it is financially prudent and most responsible to delay the start of construction as we allow Audiology and Speech Pathology, currently in South Stadium Hall, to move in an orderly manner. It also allows us not to have additional expense and time pressures on both the university and athletics.

“We simply need time to study all ideas of scope and design as we seek to maximize the fan experience and our return on investment for the next 100 years of Neyland Stadium.

“Tennessee has always been committed to having the top facilities in the country, and a review of the project allows for more time to ensure just that.”

 

UT Athletics

Garth Brooks Announces Dates for First Two 2019 Stadium Tour Stops

Garth Brooks Announces Dates for First Two 2019 Stadium Tour Stops

Posted on November 1, 2018

Let’s hope Garth Brooks doesn’t announce every one of his 2019 Stadium Tour stops individually, but here we go with the first two (which were announced two hours apart):

March 9
St. Louis, Mo.
The Dome at America’s Center

March 23
Glendale, Ariz.
State Farm Stadium

The stadium concerts will feature in-the-round staging. Tickets go on sale on Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. CT (St. Louis) and 10 a.m. MT (Glendale) for $94.95.

Garth announced plans for his three-year stadium tour in October during a press conference in Nashville. Garth revealed that the tour’s first two stops will be in St. Louis and Glendale.

Garth’s new Stadium Tour follows his successful stop at Notre Dame Stadium in October, which was attended by more than 84,000 fans. The concert will air on CBS on Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. ET.

Garth will released his five-CD The Anthology Part III, LIVE on Nov. 20.

photo by Jason Simanek

Tennessee Tops Tusculum in Exhibition, 87-48

Tennessee Tops Tusculum in Exhibition, 87-48

Posted on October 31, 2018
Vols G Jordan Bowden / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Jordan Bowden led No. 6 Tennessee with 16 points in an 87-48 exhibition win over Tusculum at Thompson-Boling Arena Wednesday night.

The junior had two of the Vols’ seven steals, as they were out and running early on in the game. Grant Williams joined Bowden in double-figures finishing with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting while converting on 5-of-7 attempts from the free-throw line.

As a team, the Vols shot 23-of-30 at the charity stripe (76.7 percent) with 10 players having an attempt from the line. Derrick Walker finished with a game-high seven boards to go along with eight points, while John Fulkerson tallied a game-high five assists with four points and four rebounds.

Tennessee led the game wire-to-wire, opening with an 8-0 run in the first three minutes of play. Tennessee cashed in on early turnovers by Tusculum scoring 12 points off of the first six turnovers by the Pioneers.

After a Tusculum bucket made it 8-5 at the 16:17 mark, the Vols held the Pioneers without a field goal for the next 9:43 helping them stretch the lead to 27-7. By halftime, Tennessee had a 28-point lead, taking a 42-14 advantage into the locker room.

In total, Tennessee would turn Tusculum over 16 times in the first half on 34 total possessions (47.1 percent). The Vols forced more turnovers in the first half alone than they did in 23 contests in the 2017-18 season. They finished with 25 in the game which was more than any game they played in last year.

Freshman D.J. Burns and Brock Jancek saw their first collegiate action for the Vols. Burns finished with two points, two rebounds and a block in five minutes of play.

DEFENSIVE INTENSITY: Tennessee forced 25 turnovers on the night, which was one more than it forced in last year’s exhibition against Carson-Newman and four more than it forced in any game the during regular season. The Vols finished with eight blocks and seven steals totaling 28 points off of Pioneer turnovers.

SHARP SHOOTERS: Tennessee shot the long ball at a 50 percent clip in the game, making eight of the 16 attempts. The Vols finished the 2017-18 campaign averaging 38 percent from three-point range. UT only had four games with a higher percentage last season.

BALANCED SCORING: Twelve of the 15 Vols that saw time on the court tonight found the scoring column. That included having 32 points off the bench from seven different Tennessee players. Six players knocked down a three, with Yves Pons and Jordan Bowden hitting a pair each from behind the arc.

UP NEXT: The Vols open up the regular season vs. Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 7:00 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will air on SEC Network. Tennessee starts the regular season with three consecutive home games before traveling to New York City for the NIT Season Tip-Off.

-UT Athletics

 

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