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ABC RadioThursday, for the 10th year in a row, the Universal Music Group record label took over Nashville's Ryman Auditorium for a Country Radio Seminar event to show off its roster.  But after the label's rising stars and superstars all performed...

Hootie & the Blowfish rock the Ryman, Keith & LBT debut new music at annual Universal showcase

ABC RadioThursday, for the 10th year in a row, the Universal Music Group record label took over Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for a Country Radio Seminar event to show off its roster.  But after the label’s rising stars and superstars all performed, none other than Hootie & the Blowfish made a surprise appearance to close the show.

Darius Rucker is already on the label, but his 90’s pop rock band just signed a deal to make a new album.  The audience cheered wildly as Darius and his bandmates played two of their biggest hits: “Only Wanna Be With You” and “Hold My Hand.”

But they were just the capper to a show that included everyone from Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton andEric Church, to Jon Pardi, Dierks Bentley and Jordan Davis.

Little Big Town opened the show with an impactful new song about the pressures that society puts on women, whose title may be “A God for the Daughters.”  Keith Urban also played a new song called “We Were” — but it was so new that he actually forgot the words!  Don’t worry: He eventually remembered them.

Dierks Bentley debuted his new single “Living,” while Jordan Davis played an album cut called, “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot.”  The bearded singer didn’t seem too upset that the head of the label joked that he resembled Bigfoot.

Vince Gill also debuted a new song — a tearjerker that seemed to be called “A Letter to My Mama.”   Chris Stapleton sang his latest hit “Millionaire,” while Valentine’s Day inspired Eric Church to do “Heart Like a Wheel,” and Maddie & Tae to sing “Die from a Broken Heart.”

Rising stars like Travis Denning, Brandon Lay, Adam Hambrick, Kassi Ashton and Caylee Hammack also performed their latest singles at the event at the Mother Church of Country Music.

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