Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan & More Earn Nominations at CMT Music Awards [Full List]

Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan & More Earn Nominations at CMT Music Awards [Full List]

Kelsea Ballerini announced the nominations for the CMT Music Awards on the Today show on May 8.

A number of artist earned multiple nominations for the fan-voted awards, including Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Brothers Osborne, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett and more.

The CMT Awards will air live from Nashville on June 6 at 8 p.m. CT.

Take a look at all of the nominees below.

Male Video Of The Year

  • Dustin Lynch — “Small Town Boy”
  • Jason Aldean — “You Make It Easy”
  • Blake Shelton — “I’ll Name The Dogs”
  • Jon Pardi — “Heartache On The Dance Floor”
  • Luke Bryan — “Light It Up”
  • Thomas Rhett — “Marry Me”

Female Video of the Year

  • Carly Pearce — “Every Little Thing”
  • Carrie Underwood — “The Champion”
  • Lauren Alaina — “Doin’ Fine”
  • Maren Morris — “I Could Use A Love Song”
  • Miranda Lambert — “Tin Man”
  • Kelsea Ballerini — “Legends”

Duo Video of the Year

  • Big & Rich — “California”
  • Brothers Osborne — “It Ain’t My Fault”
  • Dan + Shay — “Tequila”
  • Florida Georgia Line — “Smooth”
  • High Valley — “She’s With Me”
  • Tim McGraw & Faith Hill — “Speak To A Girl”

Group Video of the Year

  • Lady Antebellum — “You Look Good”
  • Lanco — “Greatest Love Story”
  • Midland — “Make A Little”
  • Old Dominion — “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart”
  • Little Big Town — “When Someone Stops Loving You”
  • Rascal Flatts — “Yours If You Want It”
  • Zac Brown Band — “My Old Man”

Breakthrough Video of the Year

  • Carly Pearce — “Every Little Thing”
  • Danielle Bradbery — “Sway”
  • Devin Dawson — “All On Me”
  • Lanco — “Greatest Love Story”
  • Russell Dickerson — “Yours”
  • Walker Hayes — “You Broke Up With Me”

Collaborative Video of the Year

  • Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line — “Meant To Be”
  • Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris — “The Champion”
  • Cole Swindell feat. Dierks Bentley — “Flatliner”
  • Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton — “Say Something
  • Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina — “What Ifs”
  • Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris — “Craving You”

CMT Performance of the Year

  • Andra Day, Common, Little Big Town, Lee Ann Womack, Danielle Bradbery — “Stand Up For Something” (CMT Artists of the Year 2017)
  • Backstreet Boys & Florida Georgia Line — “Everybody” (CMT Crossroads)
  • Charles Kelley, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Derek Trucks — “Midnight Rider” (CMT Music Awards 2017)
  • Earth Wind & Fire & Lady Antebellum — “September” (CMT Crossroads)
  • Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Keith Urban — “I Won’t Back Down” (CMT Artists of the Year 2017)
  • Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood — “The Fighter” (CMT Music Awards 2017)

Video of the Year

  • Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton — “Say Something”
  • Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line — “Meant To Be”
  • Blake Shelton — “I’ll Name The Dogs”
  • Brett Young — “Mercy”
  • Brothers Osborne — “It Ain’t My Fault”
  • Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris — “The Champion”
  • Dan + Shay — “Tequila”
  • Jason Aldean — “You Make It Easy”
  • Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina — “What Ifs”
  • Luke Combs — “When It Rains It Pours”
  • Thomas Rhett — “Marry Me”
  • Kelsea Ballerini — “Legends”
Robert Earl Keen Announces New Summer Tour Dates

Robert Earl Keen Announces New Summer Tour Dates

Texas troubadour Robert Earl Keen announced a new slate of summer tour dates, including visits to Indianapolis, Denver, Tulsa and multiple stops in his home state.

REK will also host his sixth annual concert on the 4th of July in Kerrville, Texas, where he has lived for nearly 30 years. In addition, Robert Earl and longtime friend Lyle Lovett will open for George Strait during his residency at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and 8.

Robert Earl Keen Tour Dates

June 8 – Fort Worth, Texas – Billy Bob’s
June 15 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – Cain’s Ballroom
June 16 – Lacygne, Kansas – Tumbleweed Music Festival
June 17 – Indianapolis, Indiana – HI-FI
June 19 – Alexandria, Virginia – The Birchmere Music Hall
June 20 – Portsmouth, New Hampshire – Prescott Park
June 21 – South Burlington, Vermont – Higher Ground Ballroom
June 23 – Norfolk, Connecticut – Infinity Hall
June 24 – Westerly, Rhode Island – Knickerbocker Café
June 25 – Richmond, Virginia – The National
June 26 – Rocky Mount, Virginia – Harvester Performance Center
June 30 – Stafford, Texas – Redneck Country Club
July 4 – Kerrville, Texas – Kerrville’s 4th on the River
July 15 – Greenfield, Massachusetts – Green River Festival
July 25 – Jackson, Wyoming – Teton County Fair Grounds
July 27 – Denver, Colorado – Levitt Pavilion
August 10 – Bozeman, Montana – MSU – Oval Field
August 11 – Challis, Idaho – Braun Brothers Reunion
August 12 – South Salt Lake City, Utah – The CommonWealth Room
August 25 – Galveston Island, Texas – The Grand 1894 Opera House
September 7 – Brevard, North Carolina – Mountain Song Festival
December 7-8 – Las Vegas, Nevada – T-Mobile Arena*
* with Lyle Lovett supporting George Strait

photo by Curtis Hilbun/AFF-USA

Keith Urban’s New Album, “Graffiti U,” Debuts Atop Billboard Country Chart

Keith Urban’s New Album, “Graffiti U,” Debuts Atop Billboard Country Chart

Keith Urban is in familiar territory once again as his ninth studio album, Graffiti U, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

The 13-track offering, which includes his current single, “Coming Home,” featuring Julia Michaels, is Keith’s sixth No. 1 album on the Top Country Albums chart. Graffiti U also debuted at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, moving 145,000 equivalent albums units in its first week, according to Nielsen Music.

“Just off a plane to a ‘screaming’ phone filled with texts and emails about Graffiti U and I still feel like I’m in the clouds,” said Keith. “It’s amazing to know that these songs are connecting in the way that they are, and I feel so blessed and thankful to everyone who is coming along on the ride with me. I can’t wait to get out on the road to bring these songs to life on the Graffiti U World Tour.”

Keith will embark on a 58-city Graffiti U World Tour with opener Kelsea Ballerini this summer and fall. The tour will kick off on June 15 in St. Louis and will make stops in Nashville, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas and more, as well as 10 dates in Canada.

photo by Jason Simanek

Lady Vols Earn #4 Seed in SEC Softball Tournament

Lady Vols Earn #4 Seed in SEC Softball Tournament

Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With a 14-10 conference record, the Tennessee softball team has earned the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament beginning Wednesday in Columbia, Mo.

The Lady Vols (44-11 overall) ended the regular season by winning four of their last five games to climb into fourth place in the SEC standings. UT will face the winner of 5th-seeded LSU and 12th-seeded Ole Miss in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, May 10, at 4 p.m.

With a 47-8 overall record and 20-4 mark in conference games, Florida enters as the tournament’s top seed. The Gators and Lady Vols have not met in 2018, the first time the two programs did not play one another in the regular season since 2015. Georgia (43-10, 16-8 SEC) and South Carolina (43-13, 15-9 SEC) make up the No. 2 and No. 3 seed, respectively.

UT will try to capture its third SEC Championship in program history, with the other titles coming in 2006 and 2011. Tennessee will rely on a balanced effort in Columbia, led offensively by its top three hitters. Junior Aubrey Leach currently leads the SEC in runs scored (72) while ranking second in  batting average (.439), hits (72) and on base percentage (.568). Senior Meghan Gregg (66) and Chelsea Seggern (62) rank third and fourth in the nation in RBI’s.

In the circle, Caylan Arnold looks to continue her sensational sophomore campaign. Arnold went 23-4 in the regular season with a 2.13 ERA and 203 total strikeouts. Junior Matty Moss added 17 wins of her own, while putting up a 2.30 ERA and 111 punchouts.

 

UT Athletics

Jason Aldean Drops Lyric Video for New Single, “Drowns the Whiskey,” Featuring Miranda Lambert [Watch]

Jason Aldean Drops Lyric Video for New Single, “Drowns the Whiskey,” Featuring Miranda Lambert [Watch]

Jason Aldean’s “You Make It Easy,” the lead single from his eighth studio album, Rearview Town, is the No. 1 song on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for the second consecutive week. It’s also the only country song released in 2018 that has achieved Gold certification from the RIAA.

As Jerry Reed once said, “When you’re hot, you’re hot.”

Jason is hoping to continue his hot streak with the release of his new single, “Drowns the Whiskey,” which features vocals from Miranda Lambert. Written by Brandon Kinney, Jeff Middleton and Josh Thompson, “Drowns the Whiskey” has the chance to become Jason’s 21st No. 1 single after it hits country radio on May 14.

“The way fans and radio have responded to this record has been really cool for me,” said Jason. “‘Whiskey’ has always been a favorite of mine, but when Miranda came in and knocked out her parts in only a couple takes, I knew it was special.”

Watch the lyric video for “Drowns the Whiskey.”

photo by Jason Simanek

Morgan Evans Announces “10 in 10 Tour”

Morgan Evans Announces “10 in 10 Tour”

On the strength of his Top 20 debut single, “Kiss Somebody,” Morgan Evans announced he will embark on the 10 in 10 Tour this summer.

Kicking off on June 21 in Los Angeles, Morgan will perform in 10 cities over the course of 10 days, including stops in Denver, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and more.

“Playing live is my favorite thing to do, so what better way to celebrate my first single on country radio than to play it live?” says Morgan. “I’ll be bringing the loop pedal and giving you the first listen to music that is to come. I’d do 365 if I could, but 10 seems like a reasonable place to start. I can’t wait to see all 10 cities in 10 days.”

Tickets go on sale on May 11.

10 in 10 Tour

June 21
Los Angeles, CA

June 22
Denver, CO

June 23
Manhattan, KS

June 24
Chicago, IL

June 25
Dallas, TX

June 26
Austin, TX

June 27
Atlanta, GA

June 28
New York, NY

June 29
Philadelphia, PA

June 30
Washington, D.C.

main photo by Jason Simanek

Dustin Lynch Sets Sights on Summer Groove With New Single, “Good Girl”

Dustin Lynch Sets Sights on Summer Groove With New Single, “Good Girl”

Dustin Lynch is moving on from his 2017 album, Current Mood—which spawned No. 1 hits “Seein’ Red” and “Small Town Boy”—with the release of “Good Girl.”

Co-written by Dustin, Justin Ebach and Andy Albert, “Good Girl” is a song that Dustin felt was timely for the summer season and he wanted to get it on airwaves before the release of his next album.

“A few weeks ago, we came across something that I just fell in love with immediately,” said Dustin via an Instagram video. “And we just said, ‘Well, why not just go record the song?’ And once we decided that, I got to thinking, ‘Man, I cannot live with this song not being heard this summer.’ So, I called my record label, and they were cool with me going ahead and recording it, and then I asked, ‘Man, what if we went ahead and put this out for summer ’18. Like, I can’t wait all year long to put this out next year, or something.’ And they were like, ‘Why, hell yeah.’”

Listen to “Good Girl” below.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

From Curveballs to Country Music, Charley Pride Celebrates 25th Grand Ole Opry Anniversary

From Curveballs to Country Music, Charley Pride Celebrates 25th Grand Ole Opry Anniversary

Life is full of curveballs—just ask Charley Pride.

Before winning Grammy Awards and topping the charts with hits like “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” and “I’d Rather Love You,” Charley had dreams of pitching in Major League Baseball. Charley chased the dream in his teens and 20s—finding some success in the Negro Leagues—but hung up his glove in the 1960s after an unsuccessful tryout with the New York Mets. From there, he embarked on a 50-plus-year country music career that saw him achieve induction into the Grand Ole Opry in 1993 and Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

Over the weekend, Charley, 84, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Opry induction with appearances on the Opry stage on May 4 and May 5.

Never forgetting his baseball roots, Charley drew a correlation between his dream of playing in the Majors and the reality of being inducted into the Opry—where, like the Baseball Hall of Fame, you are immortalized with a bronze plaque.

“It’s as if I had made it in baseball and they came up to me and took me to Cooperstown and said, ‘This is where your plaque is going to be—beside Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron,’” said Charley.

Charley may not have made it to the Majors, but he became a part of the MLB in 2010 when he purchased a small stake in the Texas Rangers. Charley has been attending the Rangers spring training since the 1970s.

Charley will be performing at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest on June 8 at 8 p.m.

photo by Rachael Black, courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry

Carrie Underwood Returning to “American Idol” to Mentor the Finalists

Carrie Underwood Returning to “American Idol” to Mentor the Finalists

As a farm girl from Checotah, Okla., Carrie Underwood burst onto the scene and into America’s heart during the fourth season of American Idol in 2013.

With a voice like a cannon, Carrie left no doubt night after night who the next American Idol was going to be (sorry, Bo Bice, it wasn’t even close.) Even judge Simon Cowell predicted Carrie’s coronation early in the competition—and he’s never wrong.

“I learned so much on American Idol,” said Carrie to NCD. “I’m an observer, and I’m the kind of person who can sit back and take it all in and really learn from an experience like that. It all happened in such a short amount of time. We went from being nobodies to people recognizing us on the street.”

On May 13, Carrie will return to Idol to serve as a guest mentor to the five finalists: Gabby Barrett, Cade Foehner, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Maddie Poppe and Michael J. Woodard. The finalists will perform tunes from Carrie’s songbook, following a special mentoring session with her during a surprise trip to Nashville. Carrie will also perform her new single, “Cry Pretty.”

American Idol airs on May 13 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

Brett Eldredge Extends “The Long Way Tour” With New Fall Dates

Brett Eldredge Extends “The Long Way Tour” With New Fall Dates

After an initial run of 11 dates that ran from April 5 to May 5, Brett Eldredge announced he will extend his debut headlining tour with new fall dates.

Kicking off on Sept. 13 in Denver, the 14-date fall leg of The Long Way Tour will also make stops in Kansas City, Cleveland, St. Louis and more. Devin Dawson will serve as the opener.

Tickets go on sale on May 11.

The Long Way Tour

Sept. 13
Denver, CO
Bellco Theatre

Sept. 14
Council Bluffs, IA
West Fair Amphitheatre

Sept. 15
Kansas City, MO
Providence Medical Center Amp (KBEQ Yallapalooza)

Sept. 20
Puyallup, WA
Washington State Fair

Sept. 21
Kennewick, WA
Toyota Center

Sept. 22
Sun Valley, ID
Sun Valley Pavilion

Sept. 28
Cleveland, OH
Jacob’s Pavilion at Nautica

Sept. 29
Bloomsburg, PA
The Bloomsburg Fair

Oct. 4
Southaven, MS
Landers Center

Oct. 5
St. Louis, MO
Peabody Opera House

Oct.11
Kingston, RI
Ryan Center

Oct. 13
Manchester, NH
SNHU Arena

Oct. 18
Orlando, FL
Dr. Phillips Center

Oct. 19
Boca Raton, FL
Mizner Park Amphitheatre

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

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