corecountry

[corecountry]

2017 Summer Tours

Are you as ready for the summer as we are? One of our favorite parts of the summer is that so many amazing country artists go on tour. Check out the list of 2017 Summer Tours, including ticket links, and listen to our playlist HERE to get ready!

Sam Hunt’s “15 in a 30″ Tour with Maren Morris, Chris Janson, and Ryan Follese

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s “Soul2Soul” Tour

Dierks Bentley’s “What the Hell” Tour with Cole Swindell and Jon Pardi

Luke Bryan’s “Huntin’, Fishin’, and Lovin’ Every Day” Tour with Brett Eldredge, Lauren Alaina, Granger Smith, Seth Ennis, Craig Campbell, and Adam Craig

Zac Brown Band’s “Welcome Home” Tour

Jason Aldean’s “They Don’t Know” Tour with Chris Young, Kane Brown, and Dee Jay Silver

Lady Antebellum’s “You Look Good” World Tour with Kelsea Ballerini and Brett Young

Florida Georgia Line’s “The Smooth Stadium Tour” with Nelly, Chris Lane, and The Backstreet Boys

Brantley Gilbert’s “The Devil Don’t Sleep” Tour with Tyler Farr and Luke Combs

Chris Stapleton’s “All American Roadshow” with Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Brent Cobb, Lucie Silvas, Anderson East, Margo Price, and Lindi Ortega

Sturgill Simpson’s “The Sailor's Tour” 

[corecountry]

2017 GRAMMY Awards: Final Performer List

The 59th GRAMMY Awards are only two days away and we can barely contain our excitement. Country is extremely well represented in the incredible performance line-up. Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban will be teaming up on stage, hopefully to perform their new single “The Fighter.” Kelsea Ballerini is making her GRAMMY stage debut. Sturgill Simpson, album of the year nominee, will hit the stage as well. Little Big Town is taking the stage to perform a song from their highly anticipated upcoming album, The Breaker. Do you think they will sing their Billboard Hot Country #1 hit, “Better Man,” written by the one-and-only Taylor Swift? We sure hope so. Last but not least, is the talented Maren Morris, who has four nominations this year. She will be taking the stage with Alicia Keys, who has already proven to be an amazing teammate for Morris during their CMT Crossroads performance. Not only are these powerhouse country artists performing, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Thomas Rhett are presenting some of the music industry’s most esteemed awards. There is no way to contain our excitement for Sunday’s ceremony. 

Be sure to tune in this Sunday, February 12 at 8PM ET to catch these incredible performances and see who takes home their very own GRAMMY awards! In the mean time, get excited for the show by listening to our 2017 GRAMMY’s Spotify playlist HERE!  

[corecountry]

2017 GRAMMY Awards: First Round Performers Announced

On Wednesday, The Recording Academy announced the first wave of performers for the 2017 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards, airing on February 12th. 

Country is already well-represented in night’s performances, with Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood each confirmed to play! Keith Urban is a four-time Grammy Award winning artist and has 2 more nominations this year, for both Country Album (Ripcord) and Country Solo Performance (”Blue Ain’t Your Color”). Seven-time Grammy winner, Carrie Underwood has 1 nomination this year for Best Country Solo performance for “Church Bells.” Urban and Underwood even collaborated this year on Ripcord, releasing “The Fighter!” Which of your favorite country artists do you want to see perform as well? 

Stay tuned for the next round of performer announcements! You can listen to all of the 2017 GRAMMY nominated country acts on our “2017 GRAMMY Nominations” playlist HERE! 

[corecountry]

2017 GRAMMY Nominations

Today, The Recording Academy announced the 2017 GRAMMY nominations, which recognizes projects that have impacted the music industry over the past year. MusicRow projected that over 21,000 recordings were submitted to be considered for these awards – they were definitely given a lot to choose from! For the Country categories, some of our favorites, like Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban racked up several nominations for their works in 2016. Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris also scored a HUGE nomination in the overall category for New Artist of the Year. Check out these nominees and others in our 2017 GRAMMY Nominations Spotify playlist.

The GRAMMY Awards will be held in Los Angeles, CA and will be broadcasted on February 12th, 2017. The host for the show is James Corden, who is famous for his Carpool Karaoke.

 The country nominations for the 2017 show are below:

 Best New Artist

Kelsea Ballerini

The Chainsmokers

Maren Morris

Chance the Rapper

Anderson Paak

                                      COUNTRY FIELD

Best Country Solo Performance

-       “Love Can Go To Hell” — Brandy Clark

-       “Vice” — Miranda Lambert

-       “My Church” — Maren Morris

-       “Church Bells” — Carrie Underwood

-       “Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Keith Urban

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

-       “Different For Girls,” Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King

-       “21 Summer,” Brothers Osborne

-       “Setting The World On Fire,” Kenny Chesney & P!nk

-       “Jolene,” Pentatonix Featuring Dolly Parton

-       “Think Of You,” Chris Young With Cassadee Pope

Best Country Song

-       “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban)

Track from: Ripcord Label: Capitol Records Nashville; Publisher(s): Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Songs of The Corn, admin. by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.; HillarodyRathbone Music, admin. by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC; House Of Sea Gayle Music, admin. by ClearBox Rights/Spirit Catalog Holdings, S.a.r.l. admin. by Spirit Two Nashville.

-       “Die A Happy Man,” Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)

Track from: Tangled Up Label: The Valory Music Co.; Publisher(s): EMI Blackwood Music Inc./Cricket On The Line admin. by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC./ Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Eastman Pond Publishing admin. by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Music of Big Deal/Nice Life/Frederic and Ried Music. admin. by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC.

-       “Humble And Kind,” Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw)

Track from: Damn Country Music Label: Big Machine Records; Publisher(s): Songs of Universal, Inc./Hoodie Songs

-       “My Church,” busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris)

Track from: Hero Label: Columbia Nashville; Publisher(s): International Dog Music/Words & Music/BMG Platinum Songs/BMG Rights Management/Hello I Love You Music

-       “Vice,” Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

Track from: The Weight of These Wings Label: Vanner Records/RCA Nashville; Publisher(s): SonyATV Tree Publishing/Pink Dog Publishing/Smack Songs LLC/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing/Anderson Fork In The Road Music/Kobalt Music Publishing

 Best Country Album

-       Big Day In A Small Town, Brandy Clark, Label: Warner Bros. Records

-       Full Circle, Loretta Lynn, Label: Legacy Recordings

-       Hero, Maren Morris, Label: Columbia Nashville

-       A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, Sturgill Simpson, Label: Atlantic

-       Ripcord, Keith Urban, Label: Capitol Records Nashville

[corecountry]

2017 Country Music Tours

As we begin to reflect the best moments (and maybe worst) of 2016, country music fans will definitely remember all of the amazing concerts/performances from this year. However, 2017 is about to be SO much better. Several country acts, including superstars Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, have announced 2017 tours that will touch upon major cities in the United States. Recent tour announcements include: Martina McBride with Lauren Alaina (CMT Next Women of Country), Blake Shelton with Raelynn (Doin' It to Country Songs), and Luke Bryan with Brett Eldredge (Kill The Lights). In addition, Kenny Chesney has announced ONLY 2 dates for 2017 and they will both be held at Gillete Stadium in Boston, MA. These lineups are only the beginning of so much more to come for 2017- stay tuned!

 Check out our twitter (@corecountry) for more details on all of the tours.

[corecountry]

“A Very Kacey Christmas” brings new wave of energy to Christmas music

Tis’ the season to movie marathons, toasty hot chocolate, and shopping. We have all been looking forward to this time of year for several months now and we finally get to soak up all of the joy that comes with Christmas, including fresh new holiday albums. One in particular that captures all of the moments of Christmas is Kacey Musgraves’s “A Very Kacey Christmas.”

One of the great parts about the album is that it’s not the typical Christmas compilation. It features several collaborations and originals that will make you laugh and cry- yes, I said cry. The 12 track disc is clearly influenced from Musgraves’s Texas heritage with its steel guitar-driven melodies. Her current holiday single, “Present Without a Bow,” is a collaboration that features gospel/soul singer Leon Bridges.

In addition to her holiday studio album, the “Follow Your Arrow” singer is hitting the road on A Very Kacey Christmas tour, which will continue throughout the remainder of the year.

                           A Very Kacey Christmas Tour Dates:

Nov. 26: Windsor, Ontario, Canada; The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor

Nov. 28: Nashville; Ryman Auditorium

Dec. 8: New York City; The Town Hall

Dec. 9: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; FM Kirby Center for the Performing Arts

Dec. 10: Washington, DC; National Theater

Dec. 15: Joliet, Illinois; Rialto Square Theater

Dec. 16: Knoxville, Tennessee/Tennessee Theater

Dec. 17: Evansville, Indiana/Victory Theater

Check out some of the tracks featured on Kacey Musgraves’s Christmas album in our Country Christmas Spotify playlist.

[corecountry]

Maren Morris is just simply ON FIRE!

After surprising millions of people by winning New Artist of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards, it’s easy to say that Maren Morris is having a FANTASTIC year. To top things off, she was recently named one of Billboard’s ‘Women in Music’ honorees for 2016 and will take home the award for Breakthrough Artist. But, she’s not done yet. Morris has announced her first headlining tour, The Hero Tour 2017. The multi-month tour, will feature opening acts such as Ryan Hurd and Devin Dawson. Look out world, Maren Morris is the girl on fire!

 The Hero Tour 2017:

Feb. 3 — Boston, Mass. @ Paradise Rock Club with Ryan Hurd

Feb. 4 — Philadelphia, Pa. @ TLA with Ryan Hurd

Feb. 16 — Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club with Ryan Hurd

Feb. 17 — Knoxville, Tenn. @ Bijou Theatre with Devin Dawson

Feb. 18 — Athens, Ga. @ Georgia Theatre with Ryan Hurd

March 1 — Oxford, Ohio @ Brick Street with Devin Dawson

March 2 — Chicago, Ill. @ Joe’s on Weed Street with Devin Dawson

March 3 — Springfield, Ill. @ Boondocks Pub with Devin Dawson

March 4 — Louisville, Ky. @ Headliners Music Hall with Devin Dawson

March 23 — Dallas, Texas @ House of Blues with Devin Dawson

March 24 — Houston, Texas @ House of Blues with Devin Dawson

March 25 — New Braunfels, Texas @ Gruene Hall with Devin Dawson

April 5 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Cannery Ballroom with special guests

April 29 — Indio, Calif. @ Stagecoach Country Music Festival

 Check out Maren’s new single, 80’s Mercedes in our New Country Spotify Playlist.

[corecountry]

Album Review: Kenny Chesney’s Cosmic Hallelujah:

It comes as no surprise that Kenny Chesney’s new album, Cosmic Hallelujah, was well worth the wait. The album was originally scheduled to be released in Summer 2016, but was pushed back for creative purposes. This album might showcase his best effort for a couple of different reasons. First things first, Kenny remained true to himself on this album – which we all love. In addition, Chesney did an excellent job at balancing out the “vibe” of the record by mixing up strong ballads with up-tempo feel good songs. Lastly, he connects with his audience now more than ever with songs like “Noise” and “Rich and Miserable,” that both speak out about the issues in our society. We highly recommend this album, especially to those who are inspired by lyric-driven music.

Check out Kenny Chesney’s chart-topping single, “Setting the World On Fire,” which features pop superstar pink in our New Country Spotify playlist.

[corecountry]

50th Annual CMA Awards Recap

 Last night, the Country Music Association celebrated 50 years of incredible Country music. Several decades of artists attended last night’s reunion, as well as a few non-country acts such as Elle King, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift. The show was filled with so many great surprises and the performances were nothing short of perfection.

To recap:

-       The show opened with a magnificent melody sang by Vince Gill, Roy Clark, Charley Pride, Alabama, Charlie Daniels, Reba, Dwight Yoakam, Clint Black, Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, and Carrie Underwood, which ended with a tribute to the one and only Randy Travis

-       Maren Morris + the Brothers Osborne both shocked the audience when they received their very first CMA Award (New Artist of the year, Duo of the Year).

-       Beyoncé and the Dixie Chicks sang “Daddy Lessons” and it was FLAWLESS. PS- you can actually DOWNLOAD the song the song for FREE!!

-       Alan Jackson and George Strait performing together was a dream come true

-       Carrie FINALLY winning Female Vocalist of the Year was worth the wait

-       Kacey Musgraves, Reba, Jennifer Nettes, Martina McBride, The Pentatonix, and Carrie Underwood did a tribute to Dolly Parton and it made you feel all good inside. Side note- Dolly’s acceptance speech should never be cut off

-       Garth Brooks won the biggest award of the night (Entertainer of the Year).

 Here is the full list of winners from last night:

 Entertainer of the year

Garth Brooks (winner)

Luke Bryan

Chris Stapleton

Carrie Underwood

Keith Urban

Male vocalist of the year


Dierks Bentley

Eric Church

Tim McGraw

Chris Stapleton (winner)

Keith Urban

Female vocalist of the year

Kelsea Ballerini

Miranda Lambert

Maren Morris

Kacey Musgraves

Carrie Underwood (winner)

New artist of the year


Kelsea Ballerini

Old Dominion

Maren Morris (winner)

Brothers Osborne

Cole Swindell

Album of the year

Dierks Bentley, “Black”

Eric Church, “Mr. Misunderstood” (winner)

Maren Morris, “Hero”

Keith Urban, “Ripcord”

Carrie Underwood, “Storyteller”

Single of the year

“Record Year,” Eric Church

“Humble and Kind,” Tim McGraw

“My Church,” Maren Morris

“Die a Happy Man,” Thomas Rhett (winner)

“Nobody to Blame,” Chris Stapleton

Song of the year

“Burning House,” Cam (written by Camaron Ochs, Tyler Johnson, Jeff Bhasker)

“Record Year,” Eric Church (written by Eric Church and Jeff Hyde)

“Humble and Kind,” Tim McGraw (written by Lori McKenna) (winner)

“My Church,” Maren Morris (written by Busbee and Maren Morris)

“Die a Happy Man,” Thomas Rhett (written by Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett and Joe Spargur)

 Vocal group of the year

Lady Antebellum

Little Big Town (winner)

Old Dominion

Rascal Flatts

Zac Brown Band

Vocal duo of the year

Brothers Osborne (winner)

Dan + Shay

Florida Georgia Line

Joey + Rory

Maddie & Tae

Musical event of the year

“Different For Girls,” Dierks Bentley feat. Elle King (winner)

“Home Alone Tonight,” Luke Bryan feat. Karen Fairchild

“The Fighter,” Keith Urban feat. Carrie Underwood

“Think of You,” Chris Young with Cassadee Pope

“You Are My Sunshine,” Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton

Music video of the year
“Burning House,” Cam

“Fire Away,” Chris Stapleton (winner)

“Humble and Kind,” Tim McGraw

“Record Year,” Eric Church

“Somewhere on a Beach,” Dierks Bentley

[corecountry]

LBT is Back!!

HAPPY CMA WEEK, COUNTRY FANS! There will be so many exciting moments in the coming days, but we couldn’t be more excited about Little Big Town’s news! Today, the group announced that they will be doing a first ever residency at the Ryman in 2017 AND that they will be releasing a new album on February 24th! LBT also let out a secret today: the writer of their new single “Better Man” is none other than the pop queen herself, Taylor Swift!! No wonder we like it so much. “Better Man” is featured on our New Country playlist on Spotify.

[corecountry]

Brett Eldredge’s Glow is Out Now!

We are GLOWING with excitement today! Not only is it Halloweekend, but Brett Eldredge also just released his Christmas album, Glow, and it’s everything we could have wanted and more!! Honestly, it’s like a country Michael Bublé Christmas album, and we all know that’s saying a lot. Trust us, it’s worth breaking your “no Christmas music until Thanksgiving” rule, it’s THAT GOOD. All of the songs will put you in the holiday mood, but some of our favorites are his renditions of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with pop sensation Meghan Trainor, and of course his original title track, “Glow.” Kacey Musgraves and Chris Young also released their Christmas albums today! Go check these out on our new Country Christmas playlist on Spotify, which will be adding to as the season gets nearer.

[corecountry]

Brett Eldredge releases “Baby, it’s Cold Outside” with Meghan Trainor

The temperature may be getting colder outside, but Brett Eldredge is sure heating things up with his new collaboration with pop sensation, Meghan Trainor...can I get a hallelujah?! The two superstars teamed up for a great rendition of “Baby, it’s Cold Outside” for Eldredge’s new holiday album, Glow, which will hit store shelves October 28th.  Fans, however, are able to access the duet by pre-ordering his new Christmas album here. Trainor, on the other hand, is no stranger to country music. She has written several country hits including Rascal Flatts’ number one hit “I Like the Sound of That” and rising newcomer Lauren Alaina’s “Road Less Traveled.”  While you wait for October 28th, you can listen to Brett Eldredge’s new single “Wanna Be That Song” in our New Country Spotify playlist.

[corecountry]

Kelsea Ballerini: Songwriter & Superstar

Kelsea Ballerini must feel like she’s in Neverland, as she once again makes HUGE strides for women in country music. Yesterday in Nashville, she celebrated her third number one single “Peter Pan,” which makes her the first female country artist in history whose first three singles hit the top of the charts. Not only that, but she recently was one of just five songwriters to make it in MusicRow Magazine’s 2016 Publisher Issue. In the issue, Ballerini reflects on how her personal life has changed and lets us know what to expect from her sophomore album. You can read the whole article here. The “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer will round out her 2016 year on a busy schedule; she will be on the road headlining her own tour, making appearances at major award shows, and finishing up the anticipated second album! Check out her newest single, “Yeah Boy,” on our New Country playlist. Keep taking names, Kelsea!!

[corecountry]

CMA premiers “Forever Country Cover Series”

The 50th annual CMA Awards are ALMOST here!  We all know we cannot contain our excitement, but to celebrate early, The Country Music Association has selected a handful of country acts to cover several previously awarded songs to honor the show’s 50th celebration…Who doesn’t love a good cover?! The list of artists ranges from former nominees like Eric Paslay, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Jo Dee Messina to new and upcoming artists like Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, and Drake White. So far, CMA has released the following videos:

“Forever and Ever Amen” by Jon Pardi:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkHkzjaVp1g

“Believe” by Lauren Alaina:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-umtCvS8W0

“Friends in Low Places” by Dustin Lynch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9g-Yj8vcqk

“Sunday Morning Coming Down” by Michael Ray:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdixNLDd02A

“The Gambler” by Mark Wills:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k18XBmtMoos

 About a month ago, CMA released “Forever Country” which is an ultimate mashup of three songs sung by then, now and “forever country” acts…amazing, right? The CMA Awards will be live November 2nd on ABC. To stay up to date on all of the artist nominated, check our our 2016 CMA Awards playlist on Spotify.

[corecountry]

FRIYAYY!

You made it through the week – reward yourself with some great new country music!! Thomas Rhett released “Star of the Show” as his newest single, and it’s once again an adorable ode to his beautiful wife Lauren… can you say #relationshipgoals? It’s also a great day for the newcomers!! Aubrie Sellers dropped her first full-length album New City Blues. Clayton Anderson released his upbeat “In The Dark” and Bailey Brown’s “Own It” is a happy tune about loving herself. Go check all this awesome new music on our New Country playlist on Spotify, and let us know what your favorites are!

[corecountry]

Kenny Chesney to receive BMI Presidential Award

If you close your eyes and think of Kenny Chesney, what pops into your head? You might see Country Music’s top touring act, or maybe a multi-platinum selling recording artist, but do you see a top notch songwriter? Many people don’t realize that Kenny Chesney also has that claim to fame. He has written several hits, including his own “Beer in Mexico” (check this one out on our Summer playlist!) and “Reality,” as well as Rascal Flatts’s “Take Me There.” Chesney will be recognized for this talent at the 64th Annual BMI Country Awards, where he’ll take home the BMI Presidential Award. According to MusicRow, this award only goes to “songwriters who have distinctly and profoundly influenced the entertainment industry.” The annual award show will happen on November 1st at the BMI office in Nashville. Congrats Kenny!!

[corecountry]

Jana Kramer- Dancing with The Stars

We all know Jana Kramer is incredibly talented. She’s an actress, singer, mother, and now dancer. The former One Tree Hill actress was picked up for the 23rd season of Dancing with The Stars, where she will be competing against Olympic medalists Laurie Hernandez and Ryan Lochte, Jake T. Austin, former NFL player Calvin Johnson, IndyCar racer James Hinchcliffe and many more. Kramer has been partnered with Gleb Savchenko and will be asked to perform several different types of dances throughout the duration of the season. The two recently performed a Viennese waltz to Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman.” Check out Kramer’s hit single “I Got The Boy” on our Women of Country Spotify playlist. Dancing with the Stars premiers every Monday on ABC.