CMA Dierks Bentley's current Mountain High tour features LANCO and Brothers Osborne, and backstage at CMA Fest this weekend, Dierks told ABC Radio that choosing those acts are all a part of his philosophy of creating the most fun summer tour exper...
CMA You might think playing the main stage this weekend at CMA Fest would be Brett Young’s most pressure-packed performance of the year. But you’d be wrong, because the California native recently found out his fiancée, Taylor Mil...
CMAJake Owen’s come a long way since the first time he attended the country festival formerly known as Fan Fair. This weekend, he played his top-ten tribute to John Mellencamp, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” on the main stage ...
CMABebe Rexha spent CMA Fest week in Nashville hanging out with Florida Georgia Line, attending their number one party for their collaboration "Meant to Be" and joining the guys onstage at Nashville's Nissan Stadium. She even got her first-ever...
CMAMaren Morris' bulldog puppy Pancake came to her from, of all places, Jon Pardi's mom, who's a dog breeder. According to Jon, it started out as a little fun project for her, but now it's taken over her life. "Yes, my mom is obsessed with English bu...
CMAIt’s been another big year for Chris Stapleton. Since he last played CMA Fest in Nashville, he and wife Morgane welcomed twin sons, and Chris had his first number one single with “Broken Halos.” “You know, I'd written some nu...
CMAMidland toured with Little Big Town earlier this year, and while you wouldn't think the two acts would necessarily mesh, they had a great time together. "They're like family to us...Thank God that Little Big Town gets our sense of humor!" Mark Wys...
CMAAs Keith Urban played CMA Fest’s main stage at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium over the weekend, he recalled his very first time attending country music’s biggest festival as a fan.
“I certainly remember the first one I went to,” he told ABC Radio backstage, “just to be on the side of the stage watching this thing called Fan Fair back in the day. Some friends of ours took us to see this 'new artist' called Tim McGraw.”
He laughs, “It was amazing!”
Not only do the biggest stars in country music turn out to play CMA Fest -- they do it for free. The Country Music Foundation, in return, donates all the money from ticket sales to music education. It’s a cause that’s very close to Keith’s heart.
“I was really fortunate to go to a public school that happened to have a music room and a music teacher,” he explains, “And I just thought that was a basic, standard, given in every situation. But you're seeing it more and more where they do away with that when they're cutting costs.”
He goes on, “It's a big problem because it's not some sort of fringe curriculum thing that you can just discard. You know, with so many kids who are musically gifted, that is the way in which they find their voice. And their self-esteem and identity and everything is in that.”
You can experience this year’s CMA Fest for yourself, as the annual three-hour music extravaganza airs Wednesday, August 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini return as hosts for the second year in a row.
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Comstock/ThinkstockOn this day in 1949, this 25-year-old made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry performing "Lovesick Blues" and"Mind Your Own Business." He received an astounding six encores. Can you name him? ANSWER: Hank Williams Sr. Copyright &...
CMAThe final night of CMA Fest 2018 closed with a who's-who of superstars from the worlds of both country and pop. Dierks Bentley found out the lead single from his new The Mountain album, "Woman, Amen," is #1 shortly before taking...