FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, DOLLY PARTON, JUSTIN MOORE AND MANY MORE FEATURED IN THE LATEST EPISODE OF “THE PICKUP”

Continuing the tradition of bringing you the latest in country music news, “The Pickup” starts by paying tribute to two country music artists taken way too soon. CMA and ACM winner Don Williams and Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry both died on September 8. Williams passed away at the age of 78 after a battle with emphysema. Gentry was tragically killed in a New Jersey helicopter crash headed to a concert on the East Coast for later that night. Gentry was 50 years old.

Justin Moore has announced his “Hell on a Highway Tour.” The tour is scheduled to kick off October 13 in Louisiana and will run through Spring 2018. Opening for Moore will be previous Pickup & Coming success story Dylan Scott.

Dustin Lynch, Brothers Osborne and Lauren Alaina announced the nominees for the 51st Annual CMA Awards have been announced. Up for Female Vocalist of the Year are Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Reba and Carrie Underwood. Nominees for Male Vocalist include Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban. For a full list of awards and nominees go to cmaworld.com. The awards show will air on ABC November 8 at 8 pm ET/ 7 pm CT.

Fall may be right around the corner, but the newest Pickup & Coming artist Scott Brantley is keeping summer around a little longer with his single “My Cooler.” The Georgia native stopped by “The Pickup” headquarters.

Last time “The Pickup” went behind the scenes Hank Jr.’s all new “Are You Ready For Some Football.” In this episode, “The Pickup” has an exclusive with his rowdy friends Florida Georgia Line and Jason Derulo about what it means to them to be part of such an iconic anthem.

As previously mentioned on “The Pickup,” Dolly Parton has announced her debut children’s album called I Believe In You. “The Pickup” was on hand when Parton performed some of the tracks for a group of children, and got to catch up with her backstage where she talked about the music on the album. The album will be available digitally on September 29 and physical copies will be available October 13.

Watch the latest episode of “The Pickup” below.

CMA FEST, VINCE GILL, JOHNNY LEE, RAY SCOTT, JASON ALDEAN AND MANY MORE FEATURED IN THE NEWEST EPISODE OF "THE PICKUP"

Continuing the tradition of bringing you the latest news in country music, the latest episode of “The Pickup” features a look inside CMA Fest, Vince Gill’s latest musical pairing, Johnny Lee still lookin’ for love, Ray Scott’s latest album, and so much more of country’s top stories.

One of country music’s biggest names, Vince Gill, will be the newest member of the Eagles, one of the best-selling bands of all time. Gill can be seen performing with the band throughout the month of July.

With CMA FEST right around the corner, “The Pickup” has a list of must-dos for the week. This list includes paying a visit to the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater to see classic acts such as The Oak Ridge Boys and Billy Ray Cyrus for free. Also on that list is the CMA Fest Family Feud: Country Stars vs Reality Stars featuring Darryl Worley, Jeannie Seely and Ray Stevens Sunday at the CMA Close Up Stage.

John Conlee was recently honored by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association for his song “Walkin’ Behind the Star” in support of the women and men in blue.

Ray Scott talks about his newest album Guitar For Sale that is set to release on June 9. He has also released a lyric video to “Livin’ This Way” that features a look at the recording process.

Country legend Johnny Lee is releasing his autobiography titled Still Lookin’ for Love and speaks with “The Pickup” about the meaning behind the title.

The Country Music Hall of Fame has a new exhibit chronicling Jason Aldean’s life and career that will be open until November. Aldean talks to “The Pickup” about his thoughts on the exhibit, Asphalt Cowboy.

“Things Change” is the title track to the latest album from living legend Bobby Bare. Bare shares the secrets to his distinctive country voice with Adam Wurtzel from “The Pickup.”

Stay tuned for our next episode for a look inside CMA Fest. It will be one you don’t want to miss!

Check out the latest episode of The Pickup below.

ROY CLARK, KELSEA BALLERINI, ERIC CHURCH AND MORE FEATURED IN LATEST EPISODE OF "THE PICKUP"

Plus Exclusive Dolly Parton Backstage Content and a Special Message to Mel Tillis

Continuing the tradition of presenting the top stories in country music, The Pickup, brings fans another fact-filled edition with exclusive content you can only see here!

The Pickup sat down with Roy Clark to discuss his Conversation with Roy Clark show which was featured at The Franklin Theatre. He tells us that his goal with this show is to “bare all” and give the fans an in-depth view into his career between performing some of his biggest hits and favorite tunes.

Billboard has announced their Greatest of All-Time Country Albums rankings. The rankings include albums from Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Kenny Rogers, Big & Rich and more. According to Billboard, the rankings are based on weekly performance on Top Country Albums (from its Jan. 11, 1964 inception through June 4, 2016). The full chart can be viewed on Billboard’s website here and listened to on Spotify.

Eric Church will kick-off the Holdin’ My Own Tour in Lincoln, Neb. onJanuary 13, 2017. The 60 date tour will be solo, all Eric Church, no opening acts. For ticket pre-sales and more info go to EricChurch.com.

As previewed in the last episode, this episode features exclusive backstage content from Dolly Parton’s Pure & Simple Tour. The content includes Dolly meeting with fans and performing on stage amongst an interview with The Pickup about her new album “Pure and Simple” available August 19. She evens shares some thoughts on the Olympics and which event she would compete in.

The Pickup was in attendance at the ‘Stars Behind the Stars’ benefit concert at Billy Bob’s in Dallas, Texas on July 27. The event benefitted the Dallas Police Association’s Assist the Officer Foundation and featured artists like Tanya Tucker, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mark Wills, an appearance by Randy Travis and many more iconic artists.

This episode celebrates along with Mel Tillis for his birthday, previewing a video compilation of artists wishing the country singer/songwriting legend a happy birthday. Country artists like Mark Wills, Larry Gatlin, Charlie Daniels and many more came together to wish the ailing star well as he recovers from recent surgeries.

Rising country artist Kelsea Ballerini visited with The Pickup to discuss how excited she is to join the Country Cruising Cruise in January 2017. Ballerini is looking forward to partying on the Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas along with fans who can purchase cabins at CountryCruising.com.

ROY CLARK, KELSEA BALLERINI, ERIC CHURCH AND MORE FEATURED IN LATEST EPISODE OF "THE PICKUP"

Plus Exclusive Dolly Parton Backstage Content and a Special Message to Mel Tillis

Continuing the tradition of presenting the top stories in country music, The Pickup, brings fans another fact-filled edition with exclusive content you can only see here!

The Pickup sat down with Roy Clark to discuss his Conversation with Roy Clark show which was featured at The Franklin Theatre. He tells us that his goal with this show is to “bare all” and give the fans an in-depth view into his career between performing some of his biggest hits and favorite tunes.

Billboard has announced their Greatest of All-Time Country Albums rankings. The rankings include albums from Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Kenny Rogers, Big & Rich and more. According to Billboard, the rankings are based on weekly performance on Top Country Albums (from its Jan. 11, 1964 inception through June 4, 2016). The full chart can be viewed on Billboard’s website here and listened to on Spotify.

Eric Church will kick-off the Holdin’ My Own Tour in Lincoln, Neb. onJanuary 13, 2017. The 60 date tour will be solo, all Eric Church, no opening acts. For ticket pre-sales and more info go to EricChurch.com.

As previewed in the last episode, this episode features exclusive backstage content from Dolly Parton’s Pure & Simple Tour. The content includes Dolly meeting with fans and performing on stage amongst an interview with The Pickup about her new album “Pure and Simple” available August 19. She evens shares some thoughts on the Olympics and which event she would compete in.

The Pickup was in attendance at the ‘Stars Behind the Stars’ benefit concert at Billy Bob’s in Dallas, Texas on July 27. The event benefitted the Dallas Police Association’s Assist the Officer Foundation and featured artists like Tanya Tucker, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mark Wills, an appearance by Randy Travis and many more iconic artists.

This episode celebrates along with Mel Tillis for his birthday, previewing a video compilation of artists wishing the country singer/songwriting legend a happy birthday. Country artists like Mark Wills, Larry Gatlin, Charlie Daniels and many more came together to wish the ailing star well as he recovers from recent surgeries.

Rising country artist Kelsea Ballerini visited with The Pickup to discuss how excited she is to join the Country Cruising Cruise in January 2017. Ballerini is looking forward to partying on the Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas along with fans who can purchase cabins at CountryCruising.com.

BONNIE BROWN, MIRANDA LAMBERT, CHARLIE DANIELS, KIEFER SUTHERLAND AND MORE FEATURED IN LATEST EPISODE OF "THE PICKUP"

This episode of ‘The Pickup’ is dedicated to the memory of Bonnie Brown of Country Music Hall of Fame group, The Browns, who passed away on July 16. Roy Clark shares his thoughts on the day of her passing exclusively in this episode.

Charlie Daniels will be featured in a brand new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit opening on September 23. Million Mile Reflections will feature artifacts from Daniels career as well as some personal memorabilia donated by the legend himself who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in October.

The Pickup was in attendance on July 16 when Bill Anderson celebrated his 55th Opry Anniversary. Anderson has become one of the elders of the Grand Ole Opry with country artists of all ages looking to him for guidance and advice. Whisperin’ Bill’s new autobiography, ‘Whisperin’ Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music,’ will be released on September 1.

Speaking of releases, Miranda Lambert has released her newest single, “Vice” and Kiefer Sutherland’s “Can’t Stay Away” released in preparation for his album release on August 19. ‘The Pickup’ caught up with Lambert who said of the song, “We all have things in our life that aren’t necessarily pleasant to talk about, but this song is honest as you can get about emotions and letting raw emotions live where they live.”

Country fans can get excited for Justin Moore’s fourth studio album, Kinda Don’t Care, slated for release on August 12. He gives viewers a bit of insight into how he decided on the name of the album along with Big Machine label head, Scott Borchetta.

Prayers are requested for Holly Dunn who is battling cancer and going through the struggles associated with fighting the disease.

Stay tuned to the next episode of ‘The Pickup’ who will exclusively be on tour with Dolly Parton bringing you never before seen footage into the everyday tour life of Dolly, her band and crew.

"THE PICKUP" CRUISES INTO FEBRUARY WITH KENNY ROGERS, RANDY OWEN, THE OAK RIDGE BOYS & THE BELLAMY BROTHERS

New Episode Features Lorrie Morgan, Hank Williams Jr., Whoopi Goldberg,

 A Tribute To The Eagles' Glenn Frey & More

"The Pickup" sails into February with another star-studded episode that features artist insights from the 2016 Country Music Cruise, an exclusive interview with Lorrie Morgan, a tribute to The Eagles' Glenn Frey, performance footage of Whoopi Goldberg with Hank Williams Jr., plus major news on other Country headliners.

Released to participating broadcast outlets today, the news and entertainment program goes in-depth with Morgan as she discusses her upcoming CD, LETTING GO ... SLOW.  Her first solo release in five years promises personal reflection, emotion and never-before-heard songs. "The Pickup" was on hand as The Gatlin Brothers were inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame; the siblings thanked the "real" cowboys with hats in hand.  Whoopi Goldberg and Hank Jr. set aside political differences to join together on "Wrapped Up, Tangled Up In Jesus" from Williams' highest-charting studio release to date, IT'S ABOUT TIME.  Keifer and Shawna Thompson of Thompson Square welcomed baby boy Rigney Cooper Thompson to the world last week, while Big & Rich celebrated 12 years of hits and back-to-back Top 10s from their current CD, GRAVITY, with a party at Rich's "Mount Richmore." In addition, Leroy Van Dyke was honored for his 60-plus year career by Missouri state senator Mike Parson, and gave auctioneering tips to viewers.  Kenny Rogers, The Oak Ridge Boys, Randy Owens and The Bellamy Brothers shared a quick preview from the 2016 Country Music Cruise.  Full celebrity interviews and more coverage from the Cruise will appear on upcoming episodes.

"THE PICKUP" MOMENTUM BUILDS WITH COVERAGE IN BILLBOARD

Famed Music Industry Magazine Spotlights New Video Segment

"The Pickup" is generating more buzz than ever as the new year kicks off.  Already syndicated to approximately 70 radio stations around the United States, the country music news program has now been profiled in Billboard magazine.

In the music industry journal's Jan. 4, 2016 issue, Phyllis Stark devotes her column, "The Stark Report," to "The Pickup" and its rapid rise as a source of news for country music fans.  Host Adam Wurtzel describes how the program is "streamlined" so that participating stations need only post an embed code once on their website, which will then update the show with new episodes automatically, twice a month.  He shared some of his goals for "The Pickup" as well, including more events, more interviews and coverage of "'every red carpet in Nashville's country music industry."

The current episode of "The Pickup," delivered on Jan. 1, looks back on highlights dating from its debut in January 2015.  These included a waterslide adventure with Bucky Covington, an all-star Halloween costume contest, and special moments with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Dolly Parton, the Oak Ridge Boys, Dierks Bentley, Gary Allan and many other stars.  Wurtzel also reports on LOCASH and Big & Rich's ambitious "quadrilogy" project with Tim McGraw.  Additionally, viewers can enjoy a visit with Kelsea Ballerini and an excerpt from Chris Stapleton's performance at Nashville's spectacular New Year's Eve "Bash On Broadway."

"The Pickup" has expanded its presence dramatically among country music fans by taking viewers behind the scenes at television tapings, concerts, festivals and special events, reporting news and creating fun features involving the stars of country music. New episodes can be viewed on the 1st and 15th of every month on major broadcasters' websites, various media sites and SKY TV's CM&T program.

Previous episodes of "The Pickup" have featured a one-on-one conversation with Dolly Parton, tour-bus visits with Joe Nichols and Thompson Square, the George Jones Museum opening, a visit to "Larry's Country Diner" and much more.

Social Media:

Twitter:@thepickuptv

@adamwurtzel

TIS THE SEASON FOR KENNY ROGERS, THE OAK RIDGE BOYS, TANYA TUCKER, T. GRAHAM BROWN AND MUCH MORE ON THE HOLIDAY EDITION OF ONLINE SERIES "THE PICKUP"

Jefferson City, Missouri's 94.3 KAT Country Joins The Pickup's Growing Syndicated Family

'Tis the season to celebrate good tidings as the popular online series "The Pickup" adds Zimmer Communications' 94.3 KAT Country (Jefferson City, Missouri) to its syndicated online family.  The holiday edition features exclusive interviews with Kenny Rogers, T. Graham Brown and Tanya Tucker.

Holiday cheer flows through this festive episode in conversations with Kenny on his new Christmas album, Tanya on where she's spending her holiday, T. Graham on how a holiday memory sparked a new song on his album and more.  The program also reports on the phenomenal success of NBC's Dolly Parton biopic Coat Of Many Colors and gives the new LeAnn Rimes Christmas album a spin.  Holiday-themed performances on the Taste Of Country Christmas Tour and by The Oak Ridge Boys are covered as well.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH "The Pickup"

On January 1, a "Best of 2015" episode will be released featuring some of the program's best moments and interviews from the year. In less than a year, "The Pickup" has expanded its online presence dramatically among country music fans by taking viewers behind the scenes at television tapings, concerts, festivals and special events, reporting breaking news and creating fun features involving the stars of country music.  New episodes can be viewed on the 1st and 15th of every month on major broadcasters' websites, various online media sites and SKY TV's CM&T program.

Previous episodes of "The Pickup" have featured a one-on-one conversation with Dolly Parton, tour-bus visits with Joe Nichols and Thompson Square and a water-slide adventure with Bucky Covington.  The show attended the George Jones Museum opening, captured memorable moments from the Country Music Hall of Fame's most recent induction ceremony, covered the CMA Music Awards Red Carpet, visited backstage at "Larry's Country Diner" and presented an all-star Halloween costume contest.

ONLINE SERIES "THE PICKUP" ON THE ROAD WITH THOMPSON SQUARE, WRAPS UP CMA AWARDS WEEK AND PREVIEWS CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR

"The Pickup" Syndicated Online Series Profiles Country Music Artists, Events and Award Shows
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (November 17, 2015) -- Syndicated online series, "The Pickup," continues providing content and coverage of country music headlines, happenings and untold stories with the latest episode featuring Hank Williams Jr.'s CMA Awards opening number, a preview of this year's CMT Artists of the Year, a candid interview with Thompson Square and a special report about the a passing of a beloved folk singer/songwriter beloved by children.

The latest edition of "The Pickup" also includes Tanya Tucker's upcoming appearance at this year's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Christmas Tree Lighting on November 27 and a light-hearted chat with Thompson Square's Keifer and Shawna Thompson. The ACM and CMA Award-winning duo welcomed "The Pickup" host Adam Wurtzel into their tour bus to chat about what keeps them up at night.

In addition, Wurtzel interviews two artists who helped kindle his lifelong love for country music by traveling to Toronto to celebrate the legacy of Sharon, Lois & Bram, whose music entertained a generation of young viewers via "The Elephant Show" on Nickelodeon and "Skinnamarink TV" on TLC.

"Like millions of others, I grew up watching them on Nickelodeon and listening to their albums over and over again," Wurtzel says.  "Talking to Sharon and Bram about their true folk and country roots and reminiscing about their singing partner Lois, who passed away earlier this year, was a true bucket-list moment for me."

Their album sales have topped three million worldwide, and their performances have included appearances in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the White House.

In less than a year, "The Pickup" has expanded its online presence dramatically among country music fans by taking viewers behind the scenes at television tapings, concerts, festivals and special events, reporting breaking news and creating fun features involving the stars of country music.  New episodes can be viewed on the 1st and 15th of every month on major broadcasters' websites, various online media sites and Sky TV's CM&T program.

Previous episodes of "The Pickup" have covered opening day at the George Jones Museum, memorable moments from the Country Music Hall of Fame's most recent induction ceremony, CMA Music Festival 2015, a visit behind the scenes at "Larry's Country Diner," an all-star Halloween costume contest, a country legends concert at famed Nashville venue The Wildhorse, a pro water-slide adventure with Bucky Covington at Nashville Shores and much more.

Get social with "The Pickup" on Twitter at @ThePickup

Connect with Adam Wurtzel here: AdamWurtzel.com, Facebook.com/AdamWurtzel, and on Twitter at @AdamWurtzel