Sam Hunt and Carrie Underwood To Perform A Duet at the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards

Continuing its tradition of pairing artists in never-before-seen GRAMMY® Moments, The Recording Academy® reveals a series of collaborations featuring several GRAMMY newcomers, including nominees James Bay and Tori Kelly; nominees Andra Day and Ellie Goulding; and nominee Sam Hunt with seven-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Carrie Underwood.

Previously announced performers include Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Little Big Town, and The Weeknd. A special tribute to 2016 MusiCares® Person of the Year Lionel Richie will highlight the GRAMMY winner’s wide-ranging career.

This will mark the GRAMMY debuts for James Bay, Andra Day, Ellie Goulding, Sam Hunt, and Tori Kelly.

Sam Hunt is up for two awards: Best New Artist and Best Country Album for Montevallo.

Seven-time GRAMMY winner Carrie Underwood is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “Little Toy Guns.”

Entertainment icon and two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J is set to host Music’s Biggest Night® for the fifth consecutive year. Taking place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards® will be broadcast live in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network, Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Additional performers will be announced shortly.

Full Lineup Announced for the ACM Party for a Cause Festival

The Academy of Country Music announced that Brandy Clark, Brett Eldredge, Martina McBride, Maren Morris, Chase Rice and A Thousand Horses will all perform at the 4th ACM Party For A Cause® Festival rounding out the full lineup at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on Friday, April 1 – Sunday, April 3, 2016.

The three-day event will include multiple stages, for ongoing LIVE country music performances, interactive games, a country marketplace, and more. The festival is part of The Week Vegas Goes Country® leading up to the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

On Friday, April 1, Carrie Underwood will headline a special “ACM Women of Country Night” to kick off the festival. The all-female lineup of performers will include Cam, Kelsea Ballerini, Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler and Maddie & Tae on the Main Stage as well as performances by Lauren Alaina, Kelleigh Bannen, Brandy Clark and Jana Kramer on the Party Stage.

Dierks Bentley will headline the festival on Saturday, April 2, and will be joined on the Main Stage by fellow country males Frankie Ballard, Lee Brice, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Chris Stapleton and Chris Young. Earlier performances on the Party Stage will feature Chase Bryant, Chris Lane, Jackson Michelson and A Thousand Horses.

On Sunday, April 3, Kenny Chesney will close out the festival with a full set that will take place simultaneously as the 51st ACM Awards. Earlier in the evening, Brett Eldredge, Sam Hunt, Kip Moore, Chase Rice and Old Dominion will perform on the Main Stage, while Lindsay Ell, Maren Morris and Granger Smith will perform on the Party Stage.

For the first time ever, exclusive rehearsal and backstage footage from the 51st ACM Awards at the MGM Grand will be on display for festival goers. This footage will offer fans a behind-the-scenes look at all of the excitement and backstage moments, similar to the backstage experience previously offered by the ACM Fan Jam, which will not be taking place this year.

Fans can purchase three-day passes here. The full lineup is listed below in alphabetical order.

Friday, April 1:

3:00 PM PT          Gates Open

Party Stage Performers:

  • Lauren Alaina
  • Kelleigh Bannen
  • Brandy Clark
  • Jana Kramer

Main Stage Performers:

  • Cam
  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Martina McBride
  • Kellie Pickler
  • Maddie & Tae
  • Carrie Underwood

Saturday, April 2:

12:00 PM PT       Gates Open

Party Stage Performers:

  • Chase Bryant
  • Chris Lane
  • Jackson Michelson
  • A Thousand Horses

Main Stage Performers:

  • Frankie Ballard
  • Dierks Bentley
  • Lee Brice
  • Chris Janson
  • Dustin Lynch
  • Chris Stapleton
  • Chris Young

Sunday, April 3:

12:00 PM PT       Gates Open

Party Stage Performers:

  • Lindsay Ell
  • Maren Morris
  • Granger Smith

Main Stage Performers:

  • Kenny Chesney
  • Brett Eldredge
  • Sam Hunt
  • Kip Moore
  • Chase Rice
  • Old Dominion

Ticket proceeds from the ACM Party For A Cause Festival benefit the Academy’s charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives.  Generous giving from fans, and partnerships with artists, has allowed ACM Lifting Lives to support military programs that use music therapy to aid our veterans and wounded warriors, while providing funding to help them ease back into civilian life.  Over $400,000 has been donated to various military organizations in just three years.  For more information, visit www.ACMpartyforacause.com.

 

Lee Brice Makes Changes To His “Life Off My Years” Tour

Curb recording artist Lee Brice was ready celebrate the New Year by launching his “Life Off My Years” concert tour with his good friend and running buddy Tyler Farr — and Dylan Scott — beginning February 4 in Salisbury, MD. But, with Farr undergoing emergency vocal chord surgery and enforced vocal rest, the Academy of Country Music Song and Single of the Year winner is forced to give his friend time to heal and has tapped CMA winners Maddie & Tae, Clare Dunn and Jerrod Niemann to fill Farr’s boots.

“Maddie and Tae are the kind of girls a guy can hang out with and girls wanna be — and they are not kidding when they strap on their guitars and own that stage. They’ve only been at this a little while, but they’re fearless and have fun with the crowd,” Brice says of his new tour-mates. “Clare Dunn. Man she can play that guitar. She’s so talented! And Jerrod — he’s one of my oldest friends. We came up through the ranks together, as writers and artists. He understands who my fans are, and this is the kind of line-up where when he’s out there, it’ll feel like exactly the right combination of songs, singing and hitting people where they live.”

If the hard-charging Farr — known for “Guy Walks Into a Bar,” “Whiskey In My Water” and “Redneck Crazy” — was a perfect fit, Maddie & Tae’s aggressive traditionalism, Clare Dunn’s determined guitar slinging and Jerrod Niemann’s boundary-pushing approach to country are a match for Brice’s muscular take on the genre.

“Life happens,” says the philosophical Curb Records artist. “I always stand by my friends, and I’m grateful that Maddie & Tae, Clare and Jerrod will join me on these dates. Touring with Tyler promised a lot of fun, but knowing this group of artists, I wholeheartedly believe people coming to these shows will have a great time. I can’t wait to get on the road and mix it up with these guys — I know I’m ready, and so are the fans.”

LIFE OFF MY YEARS Tour Markets:
All Dates Include Dylan Scott.
Due to tour lineup changes, the following dates have been cancelled:
2.18 (Southaven,MS), 2.19 (Augusta, GA) 2. 20 (Pikeville, KY)

Feb 4-5 (Maddie & Tae)
Feb 4- Salisbury, MD
Feb 5- Rochester, NY
Feb 6- Kingston, RI

Feb 12- 14 (Jerrod Niemann)
Feb 12- Rockford, IL
Feb 13- Kearney, NE
Feb 14- Brookings, SD

March 17-19 (Clare Dunn)
March 17- Lowell, MA
March 18- Allentown, PA
March 19- Augusta, ME

April 7-9 (Maddie & Tae)
April 7- Milwaukee, WI
April 8- Kalamazoo, MI
April 9- Rosemont, IL

April 14, 15 (Maddie & Tae)
April 14- Saginaw, MI
April 15- Highland Heights, KY
April 16- Huntington, WV (direct support TBA)

April 21-13 (Maddie & Tae)
April 21- Dayton, OH
April 22- Youngstown, OH
April 23- Toledo, OH

Tyler Farr Goes On Immediate Vocal Rest

Following microlaryngeal surgery to remove a vocal polyp on his vocal chords, Columbia Nashville post modern country traditionalist Tyler Farr has been placed on total vocal rest. The power vocalist first became aware of vocal issues while on tour with Jason Aldean this summer – and the problem was identified during a severe bout of bronchitis at the end of 2015.

“This is the last thing I would’ve ever expected,” says the operatically-trained Farr. “I sing hard, and I give it everything I have every night, but I really believed I was putting my training to work. After a #1 song, an awesome tour with Jason and getting engaged, this is not how I thought I was going to be winding up 2015.”

Rather than wait and see, Farr and his medical team opted to remove the polyps and begin vocal rest, followed by aggressive therapy. To maximize recovery and minimize time off the road, the Missouri-born owner of three gold and one platinum single is cancelling all shows for the next few months.

“I know what it takes to get out there and really deliver,” Farr says. “I hate cancelling shows, especially the upcoming tour with my buddy Lee Brice, but I never want to give the fans less than everything… And I know the sooner I let my body heal, the sooner I can get back out there – and the fewer problems I will have in the long run. To me, it’s never about the next few days, but doing the right thing overall, and now I’m under doctor’s orders.”

Working with the medical team at the Vanderbilt Voice Clinic, Farr will be doing all he can to heal his vocal chords and gearing up for the road this spring.  Being given a good report post-surgery, it appears his voice will return stronger and richer than ever.

Maren Morris Releases “My Church” Music Video

Singer/songwriter Maren Morris’ music video for her debut single “My Church” is available for fans to view now. Over the weekend CMT exclusively aired the world premiere of the first-ever music video from the artist NPR Music describes as having “the swagger and the style of a young Bonnie Raitt.” The Rachel McDonald directed video was shot on the outskirts of Austin in Morris’ home state of Texas.

Also over the weekend “My Church” shot to #1 on SiriusXM’s The Highway Hot 45 Countdown, which closed out a week that was already hard to top. Last week Morris’ “My Church” made Country radio history with a record breaking 107 first week Country radio chart reporting stations spinning the song that she co-wrote and co-produced with Busbee. As the No. 1 most added song at Country radio for last week, “My Church” sets the record for the most first week stations at the single impact date for the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Country Aircheck’s Mediabase Chart. The previous record for a debut single was 99.

“My Church,” the first single off the Texas singer/songwriter’s forthcoming album due later this year also appears on Morris’ self-titled EP, Maren Morris, which released in November and touts nearly 10 million combined streams of the five tracks.