Country Artists Have Lots To Be Thankful For

Thanksgiving 2011 is here. All the Country stars are off enjoying the holiday with their families and friends. But, before they took time off, we wanted to know what they're thankful for or what they plan on having for dinner today.

Sugarland
"Thankful and counting our blessings and that it absolutely what we've been doing. Just so grateful as Kristian said very appropriately when we accepted our awards…the fans saved our lives this year and they were super instrumental in what has been the healing from that tragedy. Not only for us but also for the people of Indianapolis, you know, and everybody who was there. So, we're grateful that's how I feel, just thankful."

Alan Jackson
"My favorite Thanksgiving dish would be the homemade dressing that we, cornbread-based kind of dressing that we always have with turkey. That recipe is a kind of a combination of my mama, and Denise has taken it and perfected it over the years, so that me and my children really enjoy it."

The Band Perry.
"So we have this family recipe for pumpkin pie that was originally Kimberly's Traditional Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie. And then subsequently, they crossed out my name and Reid put his name in there for his Traditional Pumpkin Pie. And then this little guy came along, Neil, and so he crossed out both of our names. So I guess, as it stands right now as Neil's Traditional Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie. So it's one of the favorites in our house."

"There's always something to be thankful for, we find. Our kids come into town. My son is a teacher in Sacramento. They…he and his wife — I can't say the word — it's our first child that one of our kids has had. What do you call that word?  I can't get it to come out yet. Anyway, they have a baby due. Found out it's a boy. And, so, I'm going to be a granddad. I got it out. I have to go to therapy now."

Casey James
"I'm just going to go home and visit with the family for Thanksgiving. For me, it's watching sports with the family, eating food, and hanging out. We like to play a lot of games ourselves; too, so really that's the deal."

Keith Urban
"Thankful that, well, my marriage is just, it's life-giving, not just life-changing, it's been life-giving for me. And from there, we created life, and that's just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And the effect that all of that has had in my work, has given life to it too, has given it a sense of purpose and really deepened the experience for me."

Joe Nichols
"There's always that one or two people that bring that dish that you go, 'Oh my God, I don't want to eat that, but I'm going to have to 'cause I don't want to hurt their feelings.' So, I have to say that's the hardest part about Thanksgiving, kind of going through that 'Ahh, this is going to suck and I'm going to get sick later but I have to do it.' But everything else is great, you know, I love the food, the football, you know, the getting together and telling the jokes and cussing each other out, that's always fun."

Dierks Bentley
"Coming off the 'Miles & Music' event this year in Nashville and Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and knowing how many families are going through tough times with health of their children. That's the #1 blessing when you have kids is that they're healthy. Even when they have a mild cold, it's like, 'Aww, man. I feel so bad for them.' I can't imagine what those folks at Vanderbilt and St. Jude and all of those children's hospitals across the country, what they're going through on Thanksgiving. I'm sure they're just happy to be together, and that'd be the same thing for me - just to be with my family and thankful for the blessings we have… And the second thing we will pray for is the troops and their families, the ones that are away from their families at Thanksgiving, the ones that are out there fighting on Thanksgiving Day, you know, so we can be back here and have that quality time, have that quiet time is definitely something we're so appreciative of."

Eric Church
"A couple of things… I'm thankful for my family, my son, my wife and great health. And I'm thankful for, from a career standpoint, I'm very thankful for the success we've had lately. I'm thankful for 'Chief,' I'm thankful for what the fans have done. I'm thankful that we're starting to have some hit songs on the radio, I mean there's a lot of stuff to be thankful for in that regard. And I'm thankful that I was given the opportunity to do it my own because I’m just not a guy, you know if we were having this success and I wasn't able to do it my own, it wouldn't be the same for me. I'm not one of those people that could keep doing that. Some people can, I can't. I'd bail. So, I'm thankful that I'm going to get to keep doing this and do it the way that I want to do it."

Darius Rucker
"Oh, the main thing I'm thankful for is my family, there's no doubt about that. Thanksgiving is about family for us. If we're in Jersey, getting together with family… If we're in Charleston, getting together with family and just cooking and eating… Sitting around and talking and remembering and being thankful for where we are, you know? We're all still alive."

Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley
"Thanksgiving is a really big holiday for my family. We always have about 60 of our closest family and friends up in the North Georgia mountains for kind of a yearly, big Thanksgiving extravaganza. We have about everything under the sun to eat, and I usually have an eating contest with my brothers."

And, finally and funnily -- Jerrod Niemann
"Here's the deal: I don't really have any holiday plans, but I wonder what Hugh Hefner's doing. I wonder if he has an empty seat at the table over at the mansion, that little humble abode."