Recap of the 50th Annual CMA Awards
Last night were the 50th Annual CMA Awards. Country music icons gathered to celebrate the past, the present, and the future of country music.
The genre’s biggest names showed up last night in Nashville to pay tribute to the artists who started it all. The seats were filled with CMA winners from the past 50 years, making for an incredibly special night.
It wouldn’t be the CMA Awards without mentioning Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, the hosts for the ninth consecutive year. The two opened up the show with a musical performace combining the old with the new. They were joined on stage with people like Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, and Charley Pride. But what really sealed the deal was when Randy Travis appeared and stole the show with a single note, singing the “amen” to his 1987 classic, “Forever and Ever, Amen.”
NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 02: Carrie Underwood, Randy Travis , Brad Paisley and Reba McEntire perform onstage at the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 2, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/FilmMagic)
The hosts then went on to cracking political jokes and calling out some country music legends, like they do every year. Paisley made remarks like “this show is rigged” and calling Underwood a “nasty woman.” He even introduced a male duet as “bad hombres,” clearly poking fun at Trump’s comments through this election. You know there’s trouble in the republican party when the Country Music Association is making fun of it. Paisley and Underwood’s dynamic truly steals the show. The two honored the 50th anniversary of the Awards by dressing the decades throughout the show, an ode to the past.
Stars like Peyton Manning, Jennifer Garner, and Taylor Swift were there to announce winners. Matthew McConaughey even popped in with his infamous “alright alright alright” line while he introduced Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind” performance.
Performances from country’s best were scattered across the 3 hour show. Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini are both newer artists in this industry but didn’t show it during each of their times on stage. Morris performing “My Church” while Ballerini sang “Peter Pan.” George Straight and Alan Jackson, two icons in country music, sang “Remember When.” Little Big Town performed their new song, “Better Man,” while Keith Urban and Tim McGraw put on memorable shows as well. A performance by Jennifer Nettles, Reba, Kacey Musgraves, Martina McBride, and Carrie Underwood blew the crowd away as they sang a melody of Dolly Parton’s top songs. It ended with an incredible rendition of “I Will Always Love you.” Parton received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 02: Dolly Parton accepts the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award onstage at the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 2, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)
As if these performances weren’t enough, Beyonce then showed up to sing a duet with The Dixie Chicks. They mixed “Daddy Lessons” into “Long Time Gone,” and were backed by a band of banjos and fiddles. And the crowd went wild for it.
It was a night to remember for artists and fans, alike. They put on quite the show, but the real excitement came when award recipients were announced. The highest honor, Entertainment of the Year, went to Garth Brooks. “Thank you for a wonderful run,” Brooks saying after receiving the award. “We are so damn lucky to be part of this thing called country music.” Chris Stapleton won his second consecutive Male Vocalist of the Year, noting “These are the best people in the world, country music people.” Female Vocalist of the Year went to Carrie Underwood for the fourth time while Little Big Town won Vocal Group of the Year for the fifth consecutive year.
The best recipient of an award were Brothers Osborne who were literally uttered speechless as they heard their names called out for Vocal Due of the Year. They hadn’t prepared a speech as they just expected Florida Georgia Line to win again. But they ended up pulling themselves together, T.J Osborne noting “I feel so grateful to be here tonight; this is unreal,” while John Osborne let out a “WOOOO” leaving the stage.
NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 02: Maren Morris performs onstage at the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 2, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
New Artist of the Year went to Maren Morris directly after performing “My Church.” Morris accepted the award while fighting back tears. She said that just last year, she was sitting across the street at a bar, watching the awards on the TV. “I never thought as a songwriter I’d be standing here today,” she exclaimed between wiping away tears. Lori McKenna became the first woman to win Song of the Year twice in a row. She won with Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind” this year.
Here’s everyone who received an award last night:
Entertainer of the Year: Garth Brooks
Female Vocalist: Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist: Chris Stapleton
Vocal Group of the Year: Little Big Town
Vocal Duo: Brothers Osborne
New Artist of the Year: Maren Morris
Album of the Year: Mr. Misunderstood, Eric Church
Song of the Year: Humble and Kind, Lori McKenna
Single of the Year: Die A Happy Man, Thomas Rhett
Musical Event of the Year: Different For Girls, Dierks Bentley featuring Elle King
Musician of the Year: Dann Huff (guitar)
Music Video of the Year: Fire Away, Chris Stapleton
Pinnacle Award: Kenny Chesney
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dolly Parton
Next: 5 Memorable Moments From The 50th Annual CMA Awards
Last night proved to be yet another, huge night in country music, and we’re excited to see what surprises are in store for next year.