cma fest

"I think that if music education at the schools wasn't as good, I don't know if I would be here in Nashville," says Lindsay Ell.

"I saw the light in a sunrise ..."

Musgraves will make her 'SNL' debut in mid-May!

Hank Williams Jr. closed the 2014 Taste of Country Music Festival with a mix of covers, hits and variations on well-known tracks from his deep catalogue. Thousands filled Hunter Mountain to hear the country music legend, and he didn't disappoint.

Fans covered Hunter Mountain like snow in December during Dierks Bentley's set at the Taste of Country Music Festival in Hunter, N.Y. on Friday night. The singer was the last of five singers to take the stage, and was forced to follow a powerful show from Brantley Gilbert. He handled the pressure well.

The 2014 CMA Fest went out with a bang on Sunday (June 9), the last day of the four-day music festival. It was highlighted by performances from several fan-favorite artists who lit up the stage at LP Field in Nashville.

For the first time in 19 years, Alabama is performing at the CMA Music Festival. They'll kick of the June 5 show at LP Field.

The 2014 CMA Music Festival is right around the corner and over 50 artists have been announced to play the riverfront stage in downtown Nashville. Fans from all over the country will head to the festival which kicks off on Thursday, June 5 and lasts four days.

The Marshall Tucker Band is as old as the CMA Music Festival. Both were born in 1972, and both have have experienced changes in recent years. Fans at this year's Kick-Off Concert at the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage will find out that both have the same infectious energy today that they did 40 years ago. Maybe even more.

Every year, country music kicks off CMA Fest by giving back. Before the acts and their hordes of fans descend on Nashville to indulge in great food and even better music, dozens of stars participate in the City of Hope's annual Celebrity Softball Challenge to raise money for cancer research.

Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan are among the first artists to be confirmed for the 2013 CMA Fest, which is set to invade the streets of downtown Nashville on June 6-9.