Carrie Underwood To Release New Album CRY PRETTY September 14

Multi-platinum global superstar Carrie Underwood will release Cry Pretty, her first studio album on Capitol Records Nashville on September 14.  The title track and lead single was released worldwide on April 11 and is the most added song at Country radio this week. 

“Cry Pretty” has already topped the iTunes Top Songs charts in 12 countries and quickly racked up over 1.3 million streams in the U.S. with only two days of reporting. In addition to co-writing the single with Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, and Liz Rose (aka The Love Junkies), Carrie is co-producing her album with fellow writer/producer David Garcia.

Underwood says, “At this point in my career, I feel stronger and more creative than ever.  I think you can hear that in this new album.  It’s emotional, it’s soulful, it’s real, and we also have some fun on there too.  I hope everyone loves it as much as I have loved making it.”
 
On Sunday night at the 53rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards™, Underwood took home her 14th career ACM Award for Vocal Event of the Year for “The Fighter,” her collaboration with Keith Urban, after bringing the audience to their feet with her emotional performance of “Cry Pretty.”  Billboard ranked the “vocal dynamo” performance as the best of the night, touting “this is how you do an award show performance” while Rolling Stone noted that Underwood “channeled her inner country-soul diva” during the “knockout rendition.” 
 
Underwood, who is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, gives fans an intimate look inside her recording and co-producing process for Cry Pretty in this exclusive album trailer.

Cracker Barrel’s “Country Roads Stage” Returns To CMA Fest with FREE Nightly Concerts

The Country Music Association has announced the return of the popular free nightly concerts during CMA Fest at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage located in downtown Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater Thursday, June 7 through Saturday, June 9, starting at 7:00 PM/CT each evening. 

Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater Presented by BBR Music Group kicks off festivities Thursday night with a lineup of non-stop music featuring Chase Bryant, Craig Campbell, Lindsay Ell, Everette, Chase Rice, Runaway June, and Granger Smith.

Lee Brice will headline Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater Presented by Red Light Management on Friday night. The lineup also includes Clare Dunn, Tyler Farr, Maddie & Tae, and Drake White and The Big Fire.

Saturday fans will enjoy Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater Presented by Warner Music Nashville for the second year featuring Cole Swindell joined by Cale Dodds, Morgan Evans, Michael Ray, and Tegan Marie.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® returns to CMA Fest with Rock With Us, a rocking chair experience Thursday through Saturday. The brand will turn Ascend Park and the nearby John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge into a true Cracker Barrel front porch experience by displaying 100 rocking chairs as well as three giant rockers making their festival debut. Fans are encouraged to post photos in the rockers on their social media channels using the hashtag #CBMusic. During CMA Fest in 2017, Cracker Barrel raised $15,000 for the CMA Foundation through a rocking chair experience. Additional details for this year’s Rock With Us will be announced soon.      

“Cracker Barrel shares our same passion for music and social responsibility, which is why we are thrilled to continue our partnership into a second year with a great lineup of acts performing nightly on the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater and helping to raise funds for music education and the CMA Foundation,” said Emily Evans, CMA Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships.

“Music and entertainment are an important part of the Cracker Barrel brand because it provides us an authentic and emotional connection with our guests,” said Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Senior Marketing Manager Julie Ulmer. “We were thrilled to bring free nightly concerts to festival goers at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage last year and look forward to our second year at CMA Fest.”

Fans can purchase the CMA Fest Nash Pass for $60, allowing a limited amount of VIP early access to nightly shows at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater. The Nash Pass will also include Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum tour, Ryman Auditorium tour and four-day admission to Fan Fair X in Music City Center. Fan Fair X activities and stage lineups will be announced in the coming weeks.

A limited number of tickets for the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium are still available through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST. Nightly concert tickets also include four-day access to Fan Fair X. Outdoor daytime stages including the Breakout Stage, Budweiser Forever Country Park Stage, Riverfront Stage and others to be announced soon are free and open to the public. All artist lineups are subject to change.

Don’t miss a beat—get connected with CMA on CMAfest.com, the Official CMA Fest App, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and sign up for CMA Country Connection emails to receive the latest news as soon as it’s announced.

Miranda Lambert Is The Most Decorated Artist In ACM History with 32 Career Wins

Miranda Lambert made country music history following the 53rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15th. The country mega-star now stands as the most decorated artist in ACM history with a collective 32 career wins.

Lambert won three awards during Sunday night’s show including her ninth consecutive “Female Vocalist of the Year” award and two for “Song of the Year” for her emotionally-raw hit “Tin Man” (songwriter and performer) from her Platinum double-album The Weight of These Wings.
 
“I cannot believe this, I really can’t,” Lambert said. “I love country music. It’s my entire life, and the fact that you all care so much about what I’m doing, I’ll never take it for granted.”
 
Lambert also stunned in the performance of her newest single, “Keeper of the Flame,” which hits radio on April 30th. The single is her latest from the powerhouse double-album, The Weight of These Wings.

This summer, Lambert alongside award-winning group Little Big Town, will be hitting the road in their co-headlining, The Bandwagon Tour, which kicks off on July 12th in Charlotte, NC. The tour will travel along the U.S. Atlantic seaboard, Southeast and Midwest regions.
 
Live Nation is the national tour promoter for The Bandwagon Tour and please visit MirandaLambert.com and LittleBigTown.com for more information on show dates and ticketing.

Michael Ray Set To Release Deeply Personal Sophomore Album, AMOS, on June 1

Michael Ray burst onto the scene with his self-titled, debut album featuring two RIAA Gold-certified No. 1 hits, “Kiss You in the Morning” and “Think A Little Less.” Now, the Florida native is set to release his true introductory album, Amos, June 1 on Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville.

Promising his most personal to date, the album is named after Ray’s grandfather, Amos, who was a huge influence on him not just musically–also in fueling his love for country music. In fact, Ray first began singing and performing in his grandfather’s band when he was only nine years old. To this day he still plays Amos’ hand-me-down guitar, a 1978 Les Paul, as a reminder of the time they spent together sharing stories, learning songs and making memories.

One memory in particular stays with Ray to this day: “The day I made my debut on the Opry stage, all I could think about was how he would be so proud,” Ray shares of his late grandfather, whose passing was just two months prior to his first bow on her stage. Ray was set to fulfill the dream they crafted over a decade before while touring dive bars, American legions and pool halls when he got the call from his family that Amos had suffered a heart attack.  “Looking back, that moment was a pivotal one–our family lost its patriarch. So, when we started making this record, before I would record vocals on the song I would ask myself, ‘is this a song I would have played proudly for him?’ It makes this album that much more special to think he would have said, ‘Ray, that’s a good one.’”

Amos features 11 tracks including Ray’s current top 20 and climbing single, “Get To You.”

For more information, visit MichaelRayMusic.com.

Complete List of Winners of the 53rd ACM Awards

Winners have been announced for the 53rd ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™. Airing live last night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and hosted by Reba McEntire, the evening included stellar performances and honored multiple country artists.

Following is a complete list of winners from the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean – WINNER
Garth Brooks
Luke Bryan
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert – WINNER
Reba McEntire
Maren Morris
Carrie Underwood

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton – WINNER
Keith Urban
Chris Young

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne – WINNER
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
LOCASH
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum
LANCO
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion – WINNER

NEW FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
 Lauren Alaina – WINNER
Danielle Bradbery
Carly Pearce
Raelynn

NEW MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
 Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Devin Dawson
Russell Dickerson
Brett Young – WINNER

NEW VOCAL DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
 High Valley
LANCO
LOCASH
Midland – WINNER
Runaway June

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The Breaker – Little Big Town
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

California Sunrise – Jon Pardi
Producers: Bart Butler, Jon Pardi
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

From A Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton – WINNER
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
Record Label: Mercury Records

Happy Endings – Old Dominion
Producer: Shane McAnally
Record Label: RCA

Life Changes – Thomas Rhett
Producers: Julian Bunetta, Jesse Frasure, Dann Huff, Joe London, Thomas Rhett
Record Label: The Valory Music Co.

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR
Better Man – Little Big Town
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

Body Like A Back Road – Sam Hunt – WINNER
Producer: Zach Crowell
Record Label: MCA Nashville

Broken Halos – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
Record Label: Mercury Records

Drinkin’ Problem – Midland
Producers: Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
Record Label: Big Machine Records

I’ll Name The Dogs – Blake Shelton
Producer: Scott Hendricks
Record Label: Warner Bros.

SONG OF THE YEAR
Body Like a Back Road – Sam Hunt
Songwriters: Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
Publishers: Anderson Fork In The Road Music (ASCAP), Atlas Music Publishing, Highly Combustible Music (ASCAP), I Love Pizza Music (ASCAP), Kobalt Music Group Ltd. (GMR), Kobalt Songs Music Publishing (ASCAP), Sam Hunt Publishing (ASCAP), Smack Hits (GMR), Smack Songs LLC (ASCAP), Smackville Music (ASCAP), Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing (ASCAP), Universal Music Corp. (ASCAP), Who Wants To Buy My Publishing (ASCAP)

Female – Keith Urban
Songwriters: Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon and Shane McAnally
Publishers: A Girl Named Charlie (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music Inc. (BMI), Plain Jane Songs (BMI), Rezolant Music (BMI), Smack Hits (GMR), Smack Songs LLC (GMR), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)

Tin Man – Miranda Lambert – WINNER
Songwriters: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert Jon Randall
Publishers:Beat Up Ford Publishing (BMI), BMG Platinum Songs (BMI), Lonesome Vinyl Music (BMI), Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), SWMBMGBMI (BMI)

Whiskey And You – Chris Stapleton
Songwriters: Lee Thomas Miller, Chris Stapleton
Publishers: New Sea Gayle Music (ASCAP), Spirit of Nashville One (BMI), Spirit Two Nashville (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), WM Music Corp. (ASCAP)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Black – Dierks Bentley
Director: Wes Edwards
Producer: Max A. Butler

It Ain’t My Fault – Brothers Osborne – WINNER
Director: Wes Edwards, Ryan Silver
Producer: Tiffany Davies

Legends – Kelsea Ballerini
Director: Jeff Venable
Producer: Ben Skipworth

Marry Me – Thomas Rhett
Director: TK McKamy
Producer: Dan Atchison

We Should Be Friends – Miranda Lambert
Director: Trey Fanjoy
Producer: April Dace

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Craving You – Thomas Rhett Featuring Maren Morris
Producers: Julian Bunetta, Dann Huff, Joe London, Thomas Rhett
Record Label: The Valory Music Co.

Dear Hate – Maren Morris featuring Vince Gill
Producers: Brad Hill, Maren Morris
Record Label: Columbia Nashville

Funny (How Time Slips Away) – Glen Campbell And Willie Nelson
Producer: Carl Jackson
Record Label: Universal Music Enterprises

The Fighter – Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood – WINNER
Producers: Busbee, Keith Urban
Record Label: Capitol Nashville

What Ifs – Kane Brown Featuring Lauren Alaina
Producer: Dann Huff
Record Label: RCA Nashville