State Champ Radio CMA Awards
Trending on Billboard On the red carpet of the CMA Awards 2025, we caught up with Brett Young, Cooper Alan and many more to debate when they put up their Christmas decorations and whether there is such a thing as “too early.” Rania Aniftos: This is very controversial, so answer carefully: Do you decorate for […]
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The Country Music Association awarded Big Machine Label Group founder, chairman and CEO Scott Borchetta the 2025 CMA Irving Waugh Award of Excellence on Wednesday (Nov. 19) ahead of the 59th Annual CMA Awards. Borchetta was surprised with the industry honor on the red carpet by Riley Green, a Big Machine Label Group/Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment artist (and winner of three 2025 CMA Awards).
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Borchetta was also a 2025 CMA Awards nominee in the musical event of the year category as a producer, along with Jimmy Harnen and Dann Huff, of Green’s “Don’t Mind If I Do,” which reunited the singer with Ella Langley. It was Borchetta’s second CMA nod. He was first nominated in 2013 as a producer on Taylor Swift’s Red, an album of the year nominee.
“Scott has played a pivotal role in shaping Country Music’s modern era,” Sarah Trahern, CMA’s CEO, said in a statement. “I’ve watched him navigate this industry with remarkable clarity and conviction — championing emerging talent, supporting legacy artists and investing in ideas that move our genre forward.”
“I truly did not see this coming,”Borchetta said. “A sincere thank you to our extraordinary CEO, Sarah Trahern, and all on the CMA Board for this incredible recognition. Irving Waugh was a true visionary who did so much for Country Music and its culture, and I’m humbled to stand on his shoulders alongside so many who continue to shape and inspire the world of Country Music.”
Big Machine Label Group is home to such stars as Thomas Rhett, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Carly Pearce, Mötley Crüe and Sheryl Crow. As an executive producer, Borchetta has championed projects such as the 20-track Petty Country and the Grammy-winning documentary Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me.
Waugh was a radio and TV executive who was active from the late 1940s through the early 1990s. He first joined WSM-Nashville as a radio announcer in 1941. In the late ’40s, after serving in World War II, he returned to WSM and began a career that included positions as commercial manager, GM, vp and president of WSM’s radio and TV operations. He died in April 2007 at age 94.
Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson and Blake Shelton all moved up the list this year. See where they rank.
11/20/2025
Trending on Billboard The Country Music Association Awards wouldn’t be complete without, well, some “country dang music,” as entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson phrased it Wednesday night (Nov. 19) while hosting the 2025 ceremony at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. That’s why numerous artists took the stage for a cornucopia of live performances during this […]
This year’s CMA Awards were marked by powerful female artist wins, as well as several first-time wins and a changing of the guard in certain categories. Lainey Wilson earned her second entertainer of the year win (she previously won in 2023), as well as her fourth consecutive female vocalist of the year win, and her […]
Many of the awards presented at the 2025 CMA Awards, which went down at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday (Nov. 19), went just about as expected. Did anyone seriously think that Lainey Wilson wasn’t going to win her fourth consecutive award for female artist of the year? And no one could have been too […]
Some artists didn’t just win at the 59th annual CMA Awards, which were held on Wednesday (Nov. 19) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. They made history. Of course, acts have been making history at the CMA Awards for years. In 1971, Charley Pride became the first (and is still the only) Black artist to win […]
Trending on Billboard Rapper-turned-country hitmaker BigXthaPlug and longtime genre superstar Luke Combs rocked the CMA Awards together on Wednesday night (Nov. 19) with the live TV debut of their teamup “Pray Hard.” Introduced by host Lainey Wilson (who called Combs her “camper trailer buddy”), the pair lit up the Bridgestone Arena stage in a semi-literal […]
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With country legend Vince Gill taking home the prestigious Willie Nelson lifetime achievement award at the 2025 CMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 19), it’s only fitting that a who’s who of country stars would show him their love.
First up, Americana star Brandi Carlile gave a plaintive rendition of Gill’s “When I Call Your Name.” Dressed in simple yet sleek maroon suit and tie, Brandi kept her eyes trained on Gill as she belted out his moving ballad. Soon, she was joined on stage to turn the song into a rare duet with country star Patty Loveless for a moving final beat.
Once the pair stepped off the stage, the King of Country himself, George Strait, stepped up to offer a tribute of his own to Gill. Instead of singing, though, Strait gave a speech celebrating Gill’s pioneering work in the country industry. “There’s not a lot more to say about this man that hasn’t been said, or that you don’t already know,” Strait offered. “But his guitar playing is amazing, his songwriting is amazing, his singing is amazing, he can sing higher than anyone I know … there’s not a more deserving person to receive this great honor.”
For his part, Gill thanked Carlile and Loveless for their tribute, joking that “it’s not lost on me that they had to have girls come out here and sing for me tonight — none of the boys can get up that high.” He also took the moment to revel in being honored with a lifetime achievement award that very few other artists have received.
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“I think this has been give to nine or 10 people, and that list is astounding,” he said. “The man whose name is on this is a long, long friend. Fifty years we’ve known each other, shared stages and all that. I adore him.”
Lainey Wilson, along with serving as host during the ceremony, earned six nominations at the awards — the most of any artist in 2025, alongside fellow nominees Ella Langley and Megan Moroney. Meanwhile, stars including Luke Combs, Shaboozey, Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini and more took to the stage for their own performances.
Trending on Billboard The 2025 CMA Awards took over Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 19) night for the 59th annual edition of the Country Music Association’s annual awards show. Explore See latest videos, charts and news But when Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert took the stage to perform their duet “A Song to Sing,” […]
