Thomas Rhett Takes Over a Hawk Weekend

We're just a week into the new year, but Thomas Rhett is back at work. Next week, he hits the road with Jason Aldean's We Were Here 2016 Tour. Sunday night at 7, he co-hosts Country Countdown USA on 98.1 The Hawk.

So how did Thomas spend the holidays? "This is the first year we didn't travel for the holidays. My wife and I decided we've traveled every year, so this year we're going to take some time for ourselves, stay home, and rejuvenate."

Before the holidays, Thomas wrapped up the Suits & Boots Tour with Brett Eldredge in Chicago. Thomas told host Lon Helton,  there was a celebrity in the audience that night: "Tyler Hubbard from FGL showed up. I found out the day before he was coming up, he said, 'Hey man, I'm coming to your show tomorrow.' He told me, 'I'm jealous, I wish it was me playing a show tonight instead of you." Of course, Thomas spent all summer on the road with FGL, so it was a reunion.

There is a special bond between Thomas and Chris Stapleton. "I wrote my first single with Chris. When I met him, I thought he was the coolest dude on earth. We wrote 'Something To Do With My Hands,' and we just meshed. Chris wrote 'Crash & Burn,' my last #1, so I couldn't be happier for someone. I think everyone is overjoyed that Chris got that moment on the CMA Awards."

During this week's show, Thomas found out that Keith Urban is a big fan of his. When Keith was Lon's co-host, he said he liked what Thomas was doing, and his live show. We played that for Thomas, and he said, "I've only met Keith twice. For him to say that about my show, I'm geeking out right now. He's awesome."  Thomas talks more about that and how he & Kelsea Ballerini attended the same college.

In April, Thomas will be playing the Country 2 Country Tour in Europe. It's his first tour of Europe, and he told Lon he & his wife will be going there earlier to do some research: "We're going to be there for ten days before the tour starts. There's a line in 'Die a Happy Man' that goes 'If I never get to see the northern lights,' so we're going to see the northern lights. I'm looking forward to it. We've never been out of the country."

Thomas also has great stories this week about Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Randy Houser, A Thousand Horses, Cam, and Florida Georgia Line.

Listen for Country Countdown USA, Sunday night 7-10pm on 98.1 The Hawk or on the FREE Hawk app RadioPup.  Download it free right HERE.