There’s no snow in the New York City forecast this week, but that didn’t stop Brett Eldredge from calling for it during his sizzling performance of “Let It Snow!” from Times Square on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Brett recorded the holiday favorite on his 2016 Christmas album, Glow.
Check out his performance below.
After a busy 2016 that included touring with Kenny Chesney, Sam Hunt is closing out the year by recharging his batteries with a trip to Israel. The “Make You Miss Me” singer posted a few Instagram pics of his trip with gal pal Hannah Lee Fowler, including taking a dip in the Dead Sea and a boat ride.
Check them out.
2016 was the Year of the Baby in country music. Country stars sure were getting busy bringing new life into the world.
In January, LOCASH’s Preston Brust and wife Kristen welcomed daughter Love Lily, making her the first country music baby of the year—but not the last. From Jana Kramer and Charles Kelly to the year’s most recent addition, Eli Young Band’s Jon Jones’ daughter Lila Pascale (Nov. 30), 2016 saw a new generation of future country stars being born.
For our Year in Review, NCD compiled a list of all those country music babies born in the year 2016.
Jan. 5
Daughter: Love Lily Brust – 7 lbs., 7 oz.
Jan. 24
Son: Rigney Cooper Thompson – 7 lbs., 13 oz.
Jan. 31
Daughter: Jolie Rae Caussin – 7 lbs., 1 oz.
Feb. 11
Son: Ward Charles Kelley – 7 lbs., 9 oz
March 8
Daughter: Lillie Mae Louise Coleman – 6 lbs., 15 oz.
March 21
Daughter: Remi McKenna – 6 lbs., 10 oz.
March 23
Daughter: Presley Morgan – 7 lbs., 9 oz.
April 12
Son: Remington Alexander Blackstock (Remy)
May 16
Son: River Kelly Smith – 9 lbs., 10 oz.
Heart and hands are full. We added one more boy to the clan. River Kelly Smith has joined his brother and sister! pic.twitter.com/XIUUNZHr0r
— Granger Smith (@GrangerSmith) May 20, 2016
Oct. 21
Daughter: Hattie Bowles
Nov. 4
Son: Charles Robert Cook – 8 lbs.
Nov. 30
Daughter: Lila Pascale – 7 lbs.
Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of LOCASH have teamed with Lyft ridesharing and Erie Insurance for the Safe Rides Rock campaign, an initiative to promote safe driving habits, especially during New Year’s Eve.
As part of the campaign, Chris and Preston surprised unsuspecting Lyft passengers and treated them to an in-car concert, while explaining how they could snag free Lyft rides in Nashville on New Year’s Eve.
Check out the video below.
To register to receive a personal discount code for a free $10 Lyft ride in Nashville on NYE, click here.
Your invitation may have gotten lost in the mail, but don’t worry, we have all you need to know about the country music weddings that took place this past year. From RaeLynn and Cam to Randy Houser and Tyler Farr, Nash Country Daily takes a look back at the weddings that happened on our watch in 2016.
Feb. 27
RaeLynn tied the knot with her financial advisor boyfriend, Joshua Davis, in a private outdoor ceremony in Franklin, Tenn. The couple exchanged vows at a friend’s barn with more than 300 guests in attendance, including her The Voice coach and good friend Blake Shelton and his girlfriend, Gwen Stefani.
March 5
Mo married his girlfriend, Emily Bankester, in Emily’s hometown of Carbondale, Ill. The couple got engaged six months earlier on Sept. 12 and said their vows in front of 170 guests while family members sang. Mo performed an original song called “You Touch Me” for his new bride.
April 28
Craig Wayne Boyd, winner of Season 7 of The Voice, married his model girlfriend, Taylor Borland, in a secret ceremony. The couple privately exchanged vows at a Franklin, Tenn., courthouse with two family members in attendance. The couple, who were engaged in June 2015, share an 11-month-old daughter, Dakota Lynne, born on Dec. 31, 2015.
May 4
Randy and his girlfriend, Tatiana Starzynski, were married at Homestead Manor in Thompson Station, Tenn. The couple walked down the aisle to Florida Georgia Line’s hit song, “H.O.L.Y.,” as 120 family members and friends looked on, including groomsmen Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard of FGL,Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann and Jamey Johnson. Randy’s 4-year- old son, West, and dog, Hawk, served as ring bearers.
May 26
Rachele and her fiancé, Tim Creedon, said “I do” at Cactus Creek Barn in Dickson, Tenn., surrounded by family and friends. The bride wore a ballgown by Allure Romance that featured Swarovski crystal accents with floral pattern lace, and made her entrance on horseback, guided by her father, Rob. The private ceremony was a family affair with Rachele’s grandmother playing piano as the bridal party walked down the aisle and her younger sister, Heather Cole, singing “I Choose You” by Sara Bareilles, when Rachele walked down the aisle.
May 28
Dylan Scott, singer of “My Girl,” a song he says is inspired by his fiancée Blair Anderson, tied the knot in Bastrop. La. While details of the wedding are still being kept under wraps, Dylan married Blair in an outdoor ceremony dressed elegantly in a tuxedo while his bride dressed in a white mermaid gown with frilled skirt. According to Dylan’s Instagram page, the couple honeymooned in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
June 4
Maggie Rose wed longtime boyfriend, music publisher Austin Marshall, in a church ceremony at Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac, Md. Hit songwriter Dallas Davidson, who was among the 230 guests, served as groomsman and had the honor of singing an original tune co-written with Maggie called “She’s All Yours,” as the bride danced with her father.
Sept 24
Cameron Ochs, better known as Cam, married real estate agent boyfriend Adam Weaver in an intimate ceremony in front of 140 guests in Joshua Tree, Calif. Cam walked down the aisle in a white Jenny Packham gown (not yellow) as a mariachi band played “Besame Mucho.” Following the ceremony, the couple danced to Miranda Lambert’s version of “Oklahoma Sky” at the reception.
Oct. 10
Tyler and Hannah Freeman wed in an outside ceremony on a farm in Nolensville, Tenn., in front of more than 200 guests, including Lee Brice and Colt Ford, who served as groomsmen, Maddie & Tae and Jason Aldean, who served as Tyler’s best man. During the reception, Brad Paisley serenaded the couple with his song, “Today,” as they danced alone in front of their guests. Tyler proposed to Hannah in May 2015 at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium.
Randy Travis and his wife, Mary, had a special Christmas surprise for Gainesville, Texas, police officer Keith Bartlett, who lost his home and most of his possessions—including his prized Gibson guitar—in a house fire on Dec. 12.
Randy and Mary, who met Keith a few years earlier when he responded to a theft at their property, surprised Keith by showing up at the police station on Christmas Day with a brand-new Gibson guitar.
“I just know how important music is and what therapy it is, especially at a time like this,” Mary said to Dallas/Fort Worth’s NBC TV affiliate.
“‘Surprised’ isn’t even the word for it,” Keith said. “These are amazing people.”
After presenting Keith with the guitar, which Gibson donated, Randy and Mary stuck around the station and visited with officers while Keith picked his new present. Watch a video of the Christmas Day surprise below.
The holidays would not have been the same without a special performance from one of country’s leading ladies, Miranda Lambert. Two days before Christmas (Dec.23), Miranda took part in the 18th annual A Home for the Holidays TV special on CBS.
Miranda headlined the show, performing her 2010 hit single “The House That Built Me,” as well as “Pushin’ Time” and “Keeper of the Flame” from her current album, The Weight of These Wings. Joining Miranda for the pre-taped program were artists LL Cool J, Trace Adkins, Alessia Cara and Rachel Platten.
A Home for the Holidays helps brings awareness to children in foster care by highlighting heartwarming adoption stories with special star-studded performances.
“I hope this special can change some lives tonight in that they can sing the ‘House That Built Me’ in a couple of years because they have a home to call home,” Miranda said.
Miranda released her sixth studio album, The Weight of These Wings, in November, which features the singles “Vice” and “We Should Be Friends.” Kicking off the new year, Miranda will be headlining the Highway Vagabond Tour, which begins Jan. 26 in Evansville, Ind.
Watch Miranda’s moving version of “House That Built Me.”
Engagements and baby announcements are running rampant in country music this holiday season. On Christmas Day, Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves announced their engagements and Ashley Monroe announced that she and her husband are expecting their first child. Yesterday (Dec. 26), Love and Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles and his wife Jenna joined in the fun by announcing that they are expecting their second child and revelaed the baby’s gender—a girl—in the cutest way.
The new baby girl will join big brother Jett in the family, making the Liles household a family of four. On Christmas morning, Jett got one heck of a present from his parents. Stephen and Jenna had Jett open a box that contained a helium balloon—which floated out of the box—revealing the baby’s gender.
“We could have found out the sex of the baby [before now], but it was worth the wait. We couldn’t be more excited. We haven’t decided the name yet. We both come from big families and are excited to start our own big family,” said Stephen in a statement.
Not only will 2017 bring a new baby for Stephen, but Love and Theft have also signed with a new label, Curb Records, and released their new single, “Candyland,” which will get a big push at the beginning of next year.
We’re looking forward to big things from Love and Theft in the new year. Congratulations to the growing family.
Watch how Stephen and Jenna revealed the gender of their baby to 3-year-old Jett.
Pop superstar George Michael, 53, died unexpectedly on Christmas Day at his home in Goring in Oxfordshire, England, from suspected heart failure. As a member of the duo Wham! and as a solo artist, George sold tens of millions of albums and influenced a bevy of artists across all genres.
Carrie Underwood shared a post on Instagram about the influence George had on her music, stating: “I never told him (mainly because I thought I’d freak him out) but #georgemichael has always been such an influence on me. As a child, his was the first voice I could pick out of the sea of voices I heard on the radio. Before I knew anything about him, I knew his voice. As an adult, I cried when I saw him in concert. His songs and his voice helped to teach me how to sing. I will forever regret not letting him know…Thank you, George, for giving the world your gifts…may you rest in peace.”
It’s time to rewind and take a look back at the 15 Top Videos from 2016. Enjoy!
Director: Shane Drake
Director: Dustin Riker
Director: Alon Isocianu
Director: Jim Wright
Director: John Urbano
Director: Wes Edwards
Director: Matt Mahurin
Director: Wes Edwards
Director: Trey Fanjoy
Directors: Becky Fluke and Reid Long
Director: Kristen Barlowe
Director: Daniel Carberry
Director: Trey Fanjoy
Director: TK McKamy
Director: Joseph Kahn
