Martina McBride Signs Deal With Nash Icon Music
Martina McBride is the latest artist to sign with Nash Icon Music, the joint venture of Cumulus Media and Big Machine Label Group which includes recently inked superstars Ronnie Dunn and Reba McEntire.
McBride revealed the news on ‘Today’ this morning (Dec. 23) with correspondent Jenna Bush Hager. The new record label and live music venture will feature country artists popular over the last 25 years.
“There are so many iconic country artists who are still passionate about recording new music and hearing their biggest hits on the radio,” says Big Machine Label Group President and CEO Scott Borchetta. “Nash Icon will allow so many of these artists to do both.”
McBride also tweeted the news, writing that she “could not BE more excited!” and revealing, “Making new music in 2015! More details to come.”
These are exciting times for McBride, who recently made history with her new record ‘Everlasting.’ She was the first solo female artist to debut at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart with an independently released and distributed album in the chart’s 50-year history. ‘Everlasting’ was her fifth chart-topping debut.
McBride also recently released a cookbook, ‘Around the Table.’
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Real Christmas Tree or Fake Christmas Tree? Carrie Underwood Weighs In
Carrie Underwood loves decorating her home for the holidays, but she isn’t about to go trudging through the woods for the perfect tree. Instead, the singer-songwriter says she and her husband, hockey player Mike Fisher, prefer to get their tree out of a box.
“I don’t think there’s any kind of tree that’s not a pain in the rear to get in and get out and decorate and whatever, but they’re pretty,” Underwood explains to ABC News Radio.
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Blake Shelton Dishes on Boozy Christmas Traditions With Miranda Lambert
Ever wondered what Christmas is like with country power couple Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton? The ‘Cheers, It’s Christmas’ album-maker dishes on traditions in the Lambert-Shelton household, and the No. 1 favorite involves wrapping paper … and alcohol.
Shelton tells Extra that each year, he and his sassy wife enjoy “the actual wrapping of the presents,” adding, “That’s something that Miranda and I make a point that we do.”
“Actually, she does it and I mix her drinks while she’s doing it,” Shelton jokes.
While we love to picture Shelton folding crisp corners and tying perfect bows, we definitely can picture him doling out the drinks instead!
And in going with the theme, for a singer who seems to have it all, there’s one thing Shelton really loves finding under that tree: “Alcohol is always in high demand around my house,” he says with a smirk.
However, if you don’t want to get Shelton some of the hard stuff, random items are always good. Shelton reveals that one of the best gift-givers around is fellow ‘The Voice’ coach Christina Aguilera.
“She got me … a two-headed duck,” he deadpans, adding that people ask, “Where do you get a two headed duck?”
And his response? “What do you mean? The same place everybody gets it — Christina Aguilera,” he says.
When Shelton and Lambert begin mixing drinks, wrapping gifts and receiving strange (and loved) gifts from Aguilera, you know Christmas is right around the corner.
Read More: Blake Shelton Shares Christmas Traditions With Miranda | http://tasteofcountry.com/blake-shelton-christmas-traditions-with-miranda-lambert/?trackback=tsmclip
For Randy Houser, Christmas Is a DIY Holiday
Randy Houser looks forward to taking his 2-year-old son home to Mississippi this Christmas. It’s a chance to show West how Daddy celebrated when he was growing up. Things were simpler then, mostly out of necessity.
“I really didn’t grow up in one of those big traditional, holiday memory kind of homes,” Houser tells Taste of Country. “It was making the best of everything we could. We always had something for Christmas but it never was blown out of the water. Mainly family time.”
For the most part, Houser grew up in a single-parent household, and Mom struggled to provide. They lived in low-income housing and learned to appreciate what they had. Life is different for West, but the 38-year-old says he’s planning on teaching his son the importance of hard work early.
“When I was a kid, we didn’t go buy a Christmas tree,” Houser says. “We couldn’t. We went in somebody’s woods on somebody’s land and found like a cedar tree or something and went and cut that sucker down and threw it in the back of a truck.”
“I remember stringing popcorn on trees and cranberries,” Houser adds of holiday traditions in Lake, Miss.
The ‘Like a Cowboy’ singer will spend plenty of time with his parents, but soak up as much time with West as he can during a break in his touring schedule. It’s been an up and down year for Houser — his career has taken off, but his marriage ended in divorce. One senses he’s looking forward to mentally letting go. When he can, he’ll tinker around on home projects and fix his stage. He’s partnered with Rockwell Tools for their Tools for People That Rock campaign. It’s a natural fit for this DIY-er.
“I just built a new stage this year … and it’s not that industrial aluminum look that everybody has,” Houser shares. “It’s kind of an old wood kinda thing, like a pirate ship.”
Adds the singer, “We kind of ran it ragged on the Dierks Bentley tour, so it requires some constant attention.”