The 51st Annual CMA Awards crushes the competition in the ratings

ABC/Image Group LAFor Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, the tenth time hosting the CMA Awards certainly turned out to be a winner. The Wednesday night show came out on top for ABC, beating Survivor on CBS and Empire on Fox, landing at #1 for the entire prime-time period. The 51st Annual CMA Awards also attracted the show’s biggest audience in three years, …

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The Honky Tonk Highway rolls on for Alan Jackson

ABC/Image Group LAAfter he sang “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” on the 51st Annual CMA Awards, and closed the show with Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood singing along on “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,”  there’s no stopping Alan Jackson. The new Country-Music-Hall-of-Famer will extend his Honky Tonk Highway Tour into 2018, with dates in both the U.S. and Canada. The latest leg …

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Brett Eldredge plans to Glow even brighter this Christmas season

ABCFor Brett Eldredge, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — again. If you thought his big-band holiday album Glow sounded good last year, just wait for what’s coming this yuletide season.  For the first time, the Illinois native’s holiday collection will be available on vinyl this year. You’ll also be able to sample Brett’s offerings on …

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Country stars join “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for “CMA Mean Tweets 3”

Shore Fire Media/Jimmy FontaineOn Wednesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel followed up the CMAs telecast on ABC with the latest installment of “CMA Mean Tweets 3,” featuring Zac Brown Band, Cassadee Pope, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Randy Houser, Old Dominion, Trace Adkins, Darius Rucker, Dan + Shay, Jana Kramer, Chris Young, Florida Georgia Line, Lady …

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#StillTheSame: The return of Sugarland

ABC RadioWhether there’s new music on the way or not is yet to be seen — but the reunion of Sugarland is officially complete. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush have pursued solo careers — to critical acclaim but limited commercial success — since releasing their most recent joint effort, The Incredible Machine in 2010. But on Wednesday night at the 51st …

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Backstage at the 51st Annual CMA Awards: From church to confessional

ABC/Image Group LA If the 51st Annual CMA Awards seemed a little like church, the backstage press room seemed a lot like a confessional. A raspy-voiced Garth Brooks wasted no time admitting he’d made a “game-time” decision to lip-sync, trying to conserve his voice so as to not disappoint fans who’ve bought tickets for his upcoming World …

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Garth Brooks, Little Big Town & Chris Stapleton dominate a CMA Awards show filled with touching moments, moving tributes

ABC/Image Group LAGarth Brooks, Little Big Town and Chris Stapleton were the big winners at the 51st Annual CMA Awards, broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, a show chock full of touching moments, moving tributes and musical performances. Brooks took home the big award — Entertainer of the Year — thanking, among others …

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Carly Pearce says she “learned humility” by cleaning AirBnBs

Photo Courtesy of Big Machine RecordsCarly Pearce‘s debut single “Every Little Thing” is a bonafide hit, but as the 27-year-old tells the New York Post, she’s had a less-than-glamorous journey to the top. Carly began performing at a young age, singing in talent shows at the age of eight and fronting a bluegrass band at age 11. …

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Keith Urban’s new single partially inspired by Harvey Weinstein scandal

ABC/Image Group LAKeith Urban will debut his new single, “Female,” at the CMA Awards tonight. In an interview with Billboard, Keith and the song’s writers reveal that it was partly inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Songwriters Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon and Shane McAnally met to write the song in early October, when news first broke alleging that the Hollywood heavyweight was a sexual …

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Thomas Rhett celebrates number-one album “Life Changes” with Bruno Mars

ABC/Image Group LAThomas Rhett is gearing up for the CMA Awards tonight, where he’s nominated in three categories, including Male Vocalist of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year. While the singer is excited for the awards show, he tells Access Hollywood he was equally thrilled to meet his idol, Bruno Mars. “It was …

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