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The biggest names in country music headed to the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Sunday (April 7) for the 2024 CMT Music Awards hosted by Kelsea Ballerini. The 2024 CMT Music Awards red carpet boasted appearances from Ballerini, Trisha Yearwood, Jelly Roll, Brandi Cyrus, rapper GloRilla, Little Big Town, Keith Urban, Cody Johnson and […]
The 2024 CMT Music Awards are here!
Going into Sunday night’s (April 7) show, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson, Kelsea Ballerini and Megan Moroney all lead the nominations with three apiece. Ballerini returns as host this year for the show, which is airing live from Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on CBS and streaming live and on-demand via Paramount+.
You can follow along with all the night’s biggest winners as Billboard brings you coverage from the red carpet, the show and beyond. Find the 2024 CMT Music Awards winners below:
Video of the year Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.
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Cody Johnson – “The Painter”
Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”
Kelsea Ballerini – “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)”
Female video of the year Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist.
Ashley McBryde – “Light On In The Kitchen”
Gabby Barrett – “Glory Days”
Kacey Musgraves – “Deeper Well”
Kelsea Ballerini – “Penthouse”
Lainey Wilson – “Watermelon Moonshine”
Megan Moroney – “I’m Not Pretty”
Reba McEntire – “Seven Minutes In Heaven”
Male video of the year Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist.
Bailey Zimmerman – “Religiously”
Cody Johnson – “The Painter”
HARDY – “Truck Bed”
Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”
Jordan Davis – “Next Thing You Know”
Luke Combs – “Fast Car (Official Live Video)”
Morgan Wallen – “Last Night (One Record At A Time Sessions)”
Duo/group video of the year
Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists.
Brothers Osborne – “Nobody’s Nobody”
Dan + Shay – “Save Me The Trouble”
Old Dominion – “Memory Lane”
Parmalee – “Girl In Mine”
The War And Treaty – “Have You A Heart”
Tigirlily Gold – “Shoot Tequila”
Collaborative video of the year Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists.
Carly Pearce feat. Chris Stapleton – “We Don’t Fight Anymore”
Ella Langley feat. Koe Wetzel – “That’s Why We Fight”
Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan – “Cowboys And Plowboys”
Justin Moore & Priscilla Block – “You, Me And Whiskey”
Lukas Nelson + Promise of The Real feat. Lainey Wilson – “More Than Friends”
Mickey Guyton feat. Kane Brown – “Nothing Compares To You”
Old Dominion & Megan Moroney – “Can’t Break Up Now”
Breakthrough female video of the year, presented by Walt Disney WorldBest video from a female artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.
Anne Wilson – “Rain In The Rearview”
Ashley Cooke – “your place”
Brittney Spencer – “Bigger Than The Song”
Tigirlily Gold – “Shoot Tequila”
Breakthrough male video of the year, presented by Walt Disney WorldBest video from a male artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.
Chayce Beckham – “23”
Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”
Warren Zeiders – “Pretty Little Poison”
Zach Bryan – “Oklahoma Smokeshow”
CMT performance of the yearMusical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).
Amber Riley – “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” (from CMT Smashing Glass)
Bret Michaels & Chris Janson – “Nothing But a Good Time” (from CMT Crossroads)
Carrie Underwood – “Hate My Heart” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
Cody Johnson – “Human” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
Dierks Bentley – “Drunk On A Plane” (from CMT Storytellers)
Dustin Lynch feat. MacKenzie Porter – “Thinking ‘Bout You” (from CMT Campfire Sessions)
Hozier & Maren Morris – “Take Me To Church” (from CMT Crossroads)
Jelly Roll – “Need a Favor” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
Kelsea Ballerini – “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
The War And Treaty – “On My Own” (from CMT Smashing Glass)
CMT digital-first performance of the year
Musical performance from a production, series or livestream created for CMT digital / social channels; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).
Chase Rice – “Goodnight Nancy” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
Dylan Scott – “Don’t Close Your Eyes (Keith Whitley Cover)” (from CMT Digital Campfire Sessions)
Megan Moroney – “I’m Not Pretty” (from CMT Digital Campfire Sessions)
Nate Smith – “Whiskey On You” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
Stephen Wilson Jr. – “Year to Be Young 1994” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
Scotty McCreery – “It Matters To Her” (from CMT Stages)
The Castellows – “I Know It Will Never End” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
Jelly Roll took home three accolades during Sunday’s CMT Music Awards, becoming the winningest artist of the evening. The rapper-turned-singer won male video of the year, breakthrough male video of the year (both for his “Son of a Sinner” music video) and CMT digital-first performance of the year for his performance of “Son of a Sinner” on CMT All Access.
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After the show, Jelly Roll’s wife, model and podcast host Bunnie XO, posted a sweet tribute to her husband on Instagram. She included a photo showing Jelly Roll with his head resting against his head as he held onto the railing in front of him.
“An anomaly: Something that deviates from what is standard, normal or expected,” she wrote in an Instagram post in tribute to Jelly Roll. “You my sweet other half, are just that. A man that was told no every corner he turned only to hit ‘em with that Nashville shuck & come out on top every time. I always tell you you have a horseshoe stuck up your ass, but that isn’t it baby. This is sheer will to spread light, to move mountains, to touch broken souls with your voice, to break generational traumas & set examples for the future. In short, you are the game changer papas. You were sent here to destroy stereotypes & blaze the trail for all the have nots.
“Saying I’m proud of you has to be so redundant after all these years, so tonite, per usual- I stand in awe of you. The pied piper of lost souls, the melancholy maestro.. tonite was your night. Hell if we’re being honest, 2023 has been your YEAR. You filled their hearts with love & brought ‘em to church handsome. Can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Jelly Roll performed his new single “Need a Favor” on Sunday’s CMT Music Awards, backed by a gospel choir. “Need a Favor” is currently at No. 32 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Jelly Roll was also among those featured in the New Faces of Country Music Show during this year’s Country Radio Seminar. On June 2, he will release his new album Whitsitt Chapel.
On Sunday night (April 2), Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and power couple Kane and Katelyn Brown reigned as the biggest winners of the CMT Music Awards, which, for the first time in the awards show’s history, was held outside of Nashville, at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
First-time nominee Jelly Roll took home the most awards wins of the evening (three accolades, including male video of the year), with Wilson taking home two (including female video of the year). Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown’s romantic video for “Thank God” took home the evening’s highest honor, video of the year.
Kelsea Ballerini and Brown returned as co-hosts, and also turned in powerful performances alongside Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, an all-star tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd and the 10th anniversary of the CMT Next Women of Country Franchise as highlights of the performances throughout the ceremony.
But not all the top moments on the CMT Music Awards are broadcast on television—such as some stars spilling the tea on their all-time favorite music videos (Kane Brown’s is Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” Lainey Wilson’s is the Lee Ann Womack classic “I Hope You Dance,” and Jelly Roll points back to the era of music videos created under Master P’s No Limit Records, and under the Ronald “Slim” Williams and Bryan “Birdman” Williams label Cash Money: “It was all just bling and parties,” says Jelly Roll. “They would literally just go to like project buildings, have parties and shoot videos. I miss that era.”)
Here are seven moments from the awards that you didn’t see on TV last night.
Cody Johnson Teases a New Album, Collaborations
Johnson released Human: The Double Album in 2021, and he says he’s already hard at work on a follow-up project.
“We’ve got some duets and some collaborations set for this next album,” Johnson told Billboard backstage — and says one of the artists contending to be on the project is none other than Jelly Roll.
“Jelly Roll is definitely sending flowers, trying to get a spot on the project. Not guaranteed, we’ll see how it goes,” Johnson says. He said watching Jelly Roll take home his first CMT Music Awards honors was among his favorite moments of the evening.
“I loved watching my boy Jelly Roll winning an award in country music — because I’m a big fan of Jelly Roll, even outside of just country music. But what’s he’s done inside country music, to adapt the genre — I think he’s been so respectful, lyrically, and sonically. I think he’s doing great.”
Jelly Roll on Why He Doesn’t Plan to Keep All of His CMT Music Awards Trophies
The temperatures in Austin were still in the 80s, with plenty of humidity, as artists finished up on the CMT Music Awards red carpet and made their way into Moody Center. Add in the heat from the stage lights, and a few artists were glistening as they made their way to backstage media area. One of those was Jelly Roll, who briefly removed his ballcap to wipe his forehead before chatting with media — and was quick to joke that he chalked it up to “liquor, nerves, alcohol and obesity.”
During the CMT Music Awards, Jelly Roll picked up three wins — for breakthrough male video of the year (“Son of a Sinner”), digital-first performance of the year (“Son of a Sinner,” from CMT All Access) and male video of the year (“Son of a Sinner”). He was also joined by a gospel choir to perform his new song “Need a Favor.”
But the singer-songwriter isn’t planning on keeping all three of them — something he learned from Texan Cody Johnson, who picked up two CMT Music Awards trophies in 2022 and this year won CMT performance of the year (from his 2022 CMT Music Awards performance of “’Til You Can’t”).
“I seen this last year when it happened and Cody won,” Jelly Roll told Billboard backstage. “I asked him later what he did [with his award] and he said he gave it to his guitar player. I thought, ‘Man, if I win I wanna do the same thing, man. Maybe me and him, maybe he can start something and I can push it over the edge.”
On June 2, Jelly Roll will release his next album, Whitsitt Chapel, and he says fans can expect a slightly different sound from the new project.
“There’s still a lot of the pain that I sing about, but there’s a lot of redemption on this album,” he added. “There’s a lot of tempo on this album — I’ve never had tempo on an album. I normally stay right in the 76 [beats per minute] range and keep it nice, slow and down the middle. But this is going to be fun.”
Megan Moroney on Her Touring Must-Haves and Making Music Videos
Jelly Roll wasn’t the only one feeling the heat and humidity as he entered the media area.
“There’s boob sweat,” Megan Moroney quipped as she entered the backstage media area at Moody Center, wearing a stunning “Lucky” green dress and matching shoes.
Texas temperatures weren’t the only thing sizzling, as Moroney took home her first CMT Music Award win, the breakthrough female video of the year honor, for her debut video clip “Tennessee Orange.”
“With the discovery of ‘Tennessee Orange,’ we really wanted to play into that with the video,” Moroney told Billboard backstage. “When we met with the director [Jason Lester], I was like, ‘Either we could go to [Knoxville, Tennessee’s] Neyland Stadium and have me wear a Tennessee jersey with a guitar onstage and it’ll look cool, but it’s charting in areas that don’t care about Georgia or Tennessee football, because they are relating to it as a love song, so we leaned more into that . It’s a special video.”
Moroney is also gearing up for the release of her debut album, Lucky, on May 5 and will hit the road again in September on The Lucky Tour, inspired by the album’s title. Moroney also shared a few of her must-haves when she’s on the road.
“I must have Red Bull, and I eat a lot of Doritos. And of course I have to have clip-in extensions — shoutout Cashmere,” she added, running her hands over her long blonde hair. “And boots. Lots of boots.”
Lainey Wilson Talks That Alanis Morissette Collaboration
Lainey Wilson took home collaborative video of the year (for “Wait in the Truck” with HARDY), as well as female video of the year (for “Heart Like a Truck”) at Sunday evening’s CMT Music Awards. But she was also part of a stellar on-stage lineup, as she joined seven-time Grammy winner Alanis Morissette (along with Madeline Edwards, Ingrid Andress and Morgan Wade) for a performance of Morissette’s 1995 hit “You Oughta Know,” to celebrate the 10th anniversary of CMT’s “Next Women of Country” franchise.
“I think all the girls were a little nervous, but super excited,” Wilson told Billboard of the performance while backstage. “We couldn’t believe that we were getting to have the opportunity to share the stage with somebody like her. She’s a bada–, that’s the best word for it. So we were all up there trying to channel our inner bada–es too.”
Wilson also discussed her own favorite music video, Lee Ann Womack’s 2000 clip for “I Hope You Dance.”
“I remember the little girls dancing around, and when I was watching that video as a little girl, it made me feel like I could do anything I set my mind to … and CMT has been a huge part of why I’ve even dreamed of any of this. I remember sitting there in front of the TV, just watching for hours, and it’s crazy. Now they’ve welcomed me right on in.”
HARDY Talks Acting Aspirations
HARDY and Wilson took home the CMT collaborative video of the year, for their video “Wait in the Truck.” Backstage at the CMT Music Awards, HARDY told Billboard that watching Wilson’s acting talent inspired him during the making of the video.
“The first scene we shot for the whole video was her performance shot in the courtroom and I got to see it. After like two takes, I was like, ‘D–n, dude. She’s really good,’ and it inspired me. After that first shot, we really just dug into our own characters, but she really inspired me because she just killed it from the beginning.”
HARDY says he, like his duet partner (and Yellowstone actor) Wilson, would like to give acting a shot one day.
“I would love to,” he tells Billboard. “I’ve always been inspired by Doyle from [the 1996 film] Sling Blade [who was portrayed by country entertainer Dwight Yoakam], a dark, drunk piece of s–t kind of guy. I don’t think I’m that kind of person, but I think that would be a fun person to kind of dig into. But something really redneck would be up my alley too, for sure.”
He names “Typical” by Mutemath as one of his all-time favorite music videos. “They learned to play and sing the song in reverse,” HARDY says. “They filmed the whole music video in reverse so when they edited the music video they just reversed that and played it forward, and it was so unique. To process that is insane.”
Kelsea Ballerini Shows RuPaul’s Drag Race Alumni the Love
Kelsea Ballerini welcomed RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni including Manila Luzon, Kennedy Davenport, Jan Sport and Olivia Lux during her performance of “If You Go Down (I’m Going Down Too).” But her support for her onstage collaborators didn’t end when the music did.
As they were walking offstage, Ballerini bowed down to the drag queens and then raised her arms to encourage the crowd to cheer louder for the queens as they exited the stage.
Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown Talk Follow-Up to ‘Thank God’
When contemplating a follow-up to their No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit collaboration “Thank God,” Katelyn Brown said there is nothing in the works at the moment.
“For me and Kane, we’re not planners,” she told Billboard backstage. “We didn’t plan out ‘Thank God.’ Everything has be organic — so I think we just gotta get in there, get creative and see what we come up with.”
“It does have to beat ‘Thank God,’ though,” Kane added with a grin.
“We’re gonna have to try and top it,” Katelyn added with a laugh. “It’s like, ‘Okay, the bar’s high. How do we top this?’ It’s all good, I like the challenge.”
The fan-voted CMT Music Awards, slated to take place on Sunday, April 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas and to air on CBS Television Network (and also streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+), will welcome an all-star slate of performers and presenters, including Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Megan Thee Stallion, Shania Twain, Gwen Stefani, and Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown.
Brown and Kelsea Ballerini will co-host this year’s show, while Lainey Wilson is the leading nominee for this year’s awards, earning four nods including video of the year, female video of the year, collaborative video of the year and CMT performance of the year. Johnson, Brown and first-time CMT Music Awards nominee Jelly Roll follow with three nominations each.
Previously known as the CMT Flameworthy Music Video Awards, the awards show changed its name to the CMT Music Awards in 2005, and differentiated itself from other awards shows through its dedication to honoring music videos in a range of categories, including “Cameo of the Year” “Hottest Video of the Year” and “Most Inspiring Video of the Year” (all now-defunct categories). Presently, the awards show honors not only music videos, but top artist performances on various CMT shows over the past year, via the CMT performance of the year category. 2022 brought another momentous shift for the awards show, when the CMT Music Awards moved from CMT to a key timeslot on CBS Television Network.
Over the years, artists including The Judds, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Zac Brown Band, Jennifer Nettles, Dwight Yoakam and Tanya Tucker have brought some of the most powerful moments in CMT Music Awards history, through unforgettable acceptance speeches, performances, promotional videos, unique collaborations and by honoring trailblazers and iconic artists within the country music genre.
As the CMT Music Awards gear up to add to the list of memorable moments on Sunday evening, we highlight 10 memorable moments from previous CMT Music Awards celebrations:
The Judds’ Final Performance (2022)
On April 11, 2022, The Judds’ Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd gave what would be their final television performance together during the CMT Music Awards, performing their 1990 signature hit “Love Can Build a Bridge,” backed by a gospel choir, in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.
Just over two weeks later, Naomi Judd died on April 30, 2022, one day before The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She was 76. Wynonna and her sister Ashley Judd attended the Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony to commemorate the induction, honoring the mother-daughter duo’s decades of success.
Taylor Swift Celebrates First CMT Music Awards Win (2007)
Taylor Swift is now arguably the biggest pop star in the world, as she crosses the country on her Eras Tour this year. But back in 2007, she was celebrating what was touted as the first awards win of her professional career, when the then-teenager accepted the breakthrough video of the year win at the 2007 CMT Music Awards for her music video “Tim McGraw,” directed by Trey Fanjoy. Swift’s debut single, “Tim McGraw,” reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
CMT Launches Equal Play Award (2020)
In 2020, Jennifer Nettles was honored with the inaugural CMT Equal Play award, which honored Nettles’ advocacy for women and diverse voices within the country music industry.
One year prior, Nettles used her CMT Music Awards red carpet appearance to put country radio on blast, wearing a suit with a cape emblazoned with the words, “Play our f*@#in’ records! Please & Thank You.” As female artists have continued to face an uphill battle in getting airplay on country radio, Nettles has been among the artists regularly speaking out and bringing visibility to the issue.
This year, Shania Twain will be honored with the CMT Equal Play Award; in 2021, Linda Martell was honored with the award for her groundbreaking work as a woman of color in country music. Martell was the first Black female artist to perform solo on the Grand Ole Opry, and released the album Color Me Country in 1970. Her song “Color Him Father” became her highest-charting song, reaching No. 22 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Johnny Cash Honored With Visionary Award (2003)
In April 2003, Johnny Cash was honored with the Visionary Award at the CMT Flameworthy Music Video Awards. Vince Gill hosted the tribute, which also included taped praises from stars including Rosanne Cash, U2’s Bono, Kris Kristofferson and the Dixie Chicks.
His wife, June Carter Cash, accepted on his behalf. The video is poignant, given that both Johnny and June Carter Cash died later that year, with June Carter passing on May 15, and the Man in Black passing away on Sept. 12.
“I come for my husband. I used to be just kind of an entertainer like a lot of you,” June Carter Cash told the crowd. “But I married Johnny Cash a long time ago. I just about done everything with him, so I came to thank you for this. This is beautiful…I accept this for him in all humility. He’s one of the most humble guys I know. He’s one of the best husbands that’s ever been and he’s just one of the best country music entertainers I’ve ever known.”
Following Cash’s passing, the accolade was renamed the Johnny Cash Visionary Award, and has been bestowed on artists including Reba McEntire, Loretta Lynn, and Hank Williams Jr.
Zac Brown Has a Message For All the Haters (2019)
In June 2019, Zac Brown Band won the CMT Music Awards’ group video of the year honor, for their video clip “Someone I Used to Know.”
Taking the stage to accept the honor, ZBB lead singer Zac Brown had some pointed advice for aspiring artists, saying, “For you young artists, have courage to stand up against the machine, be yourself, work hard, and one day you can stand up here and tell all the haters to f**k off.”
Backstage at the event, Brown expanded on his comments to Billboard, saying, “I think we just have been ourselves the whole time. I have the best band in the world. We’re just artists and we love to make music and we have a fan base that loves what we do and follows us down all these different rabbit holes of what we like. We really love all different styles of music and to write all different kinds is really fulfilling to us. We don’t have to dance for anybody. That’s the greatest part about it, to really create what we want.”
Chris Stapleton Teams With H.E.R. (2021)
Two top-notch singers and guitar shredders, Chris Stapleton and “Damage” hitmaker H.E.R., joined forces during the 2021 CMT Music Awards to perform “Hold On,” trading off guitar licks and vocal lines. The understated performance heavily showcased the talents of both performers. Stapleton later praise H.E.R. via Instagram, saying “H.E.R. is without a doubt one of the greatest singer/songwriter/guitar players on the planet earth. Fact.”
That wasn’t Stapleton’s only performance of the evening; he also performed a rendition of “Arkansas,” from his 2020 album Starting Over.
Dwight Yoakam Honors Buck Owens (2006)
At the 2006 CMT Music Awards, Dwight Yoakam honored his late friend and mentor, Buck Owens, with a performance of Owens’s 1964 hit “I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail.”
Owens died in March 2006 at his ranch just north of Bakersfield, California. In 2007, Yoakam further honored his friend with the release of the album Dwight Sings Buck. The album includes renditions of “Crying Time,” “My Heart Skips a Beat” “Act Naturally” and more.
Tanya Tucker’s All-Star Lineup (2019)
At the 2019 CMT Music Awards, the iconic Tanya Tucker performed her signature 1972 hit “Delta Dawn” with the help of an all-star lineup of friends, culminating with a chorus filled with luminous harmonies.
Brandi Carlile, Deana Carter, Martina McBride, Carly Pearce, RaeLynn and Trisha Yearwood joined Tucker during the awards show, held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, to pay homage to the song that became a hit with Tucker was just 13.
The performance coincided with the release of Tucker’s “Wheels of Laredo,” from her album While I’m Livin’. The Carlile and Shooter Jennings-produced album would go on to win Tucker her first two Grammy awards, for best country album, and best country song (“Bring My Flowers Now”).
Shania Twain, Taylor Swift Team Up (2011)
The 2011 CMT Music Awards opened with a video of Taylor Swift and Shania Twain, and a double shot of attitude, in this wild mock movie “Taylor and Shania,” a spoof on the 1991 classic film Thelma & Louise.
The clip shows Swift getting dumped by a lover, just as she is about to head to the recording studio to record an album of love songs. She turns to friend and fellow artist Twain, who picks up Swift in a classic blue convertible. The two proceed to take off down the highway and find some mischief. Their hijinks make newspaper headlines, leading to a scene of Donald Trump (pre-Presidential run/win/indictment) looking up from his newspaper and saying, “If I could harness the power of these two women, I could control the world. They’re incredible.”
Kid Rock, actor Chord Overstreet and Kenny Rogers all make cameos, with Rogers singing a bit of his signature hit “The Gambler.”
As the video nears its end, Swift and Twain pick up Kid Rock, and then proceed to mimic the final scene of Thelma & Louise, as they drive the car off a cliff. The car careens over the edge and lands in a fireball of a crash, as the CMT Music Awards begin.
Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert Bring the Fire (2014)
Two of country music’s best vocalists teamed up for “Somethin’ Bad,” as Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert offered a red-hot performance during the 2014 CMT Music Awards. The collaboration featured not only sterling vocals and plenty of attitude, but also an abundance of pyrotechnics, smoke and fire.
“Somethin’ Bad” was included on Lambert’s 2014 album Platinum and was a top 10 hit on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. In 2015, the video for “Somethin’ Bad” was named collaborative video of the year at the CMT Music Awards.
Lambert has won eight career CMT Music Awards and is nominated this year for female video of the year (“Actin’ Up”), while Underwood holds the record as the artist with the most CMT Music Awards wins in history, with 25 career wins. Underwood is nominated for the video of the year honor again in 2023, for “Hate My Heart,” and in the female video of the year category, for “Ghost Story.”
CMT is set to pay tribute to the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd with a power-packed performance during Sunday’s (April 2) CMT Music Awards. Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash will join Wynonna Judd, Billy Gibbons, Chuck Leavell, Cody Johnson, Paul Rodgers, Warren Haynes and LeAnn Rimes as part of the performance, which comes half a century after the 1973 launch of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s self-titled debut album.
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The Lynyrd Skynyrd album included many of the group’s signature hits, including “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps” and “Free Bird.” The tribute performance also follows the death of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s final original founding member, guitarist Gary Rossington, who passed away on March 5 at age 71.
Johnson and Rodgers will lead vocals with Gibbons, with Slash and Haynes on electric guitar for a one-time-only performance of a pair of timeless Lynyrd Skynyrd hits. Nashville studio musicians Ethan Pilzer and Rich Redmond will round out the lineup on bass and drums. Rimes and Judd will fill the role of The Honkettes.
Rossington’s wife and band member Dale Krantz Rossington is set to attend the event, along with fellow Lynyrd Skynyrd members Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlock.
In 2016, Lynyrd Skynyrd appeared on CMT Crossroads with Brantley Gilbert. The CMT Music Awards will air live on CBS, from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, and will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
The tribute performance joins previously announced performances from Darius Rucker with The Black Crowes, as well as sets from Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll, Tyler Hubbard, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce and CMT Music Awards co-hosts Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown.
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CMT Music Awards Week continues with new episodes of CMT Storytellers. Kane Brown and Dierks Bentley will headline upcoming episodes premiering on Tuesday (March 28) and Wednesday (March 29) at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on CMT.
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The back-to-back episodes are part of a week-long celebration leading up to the 2023 CMT Music Awards on April 2, which will be co-hosted by Brown and Kelsea Ballerini.
CMT Storytellers is an hour-long series featuring artists performing music and sharing the stories behind their songs. Previous episodes have featured Darius Rucker, Brooks and Dunn and Ballerini, who became the first female artists to headline the country music series.
Keep reading for ways to watch and stream CMT Storytellers and details about the new episodes.
CMT Storytellers: How to Watch & Stream from Anywhere
CMT Storytellers: Kane Brown will debut on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on CMT. Brown will perform hits such as “Like I Love Country Music,” “Short Skirt Weather” and “What Ifs,” in addition to “For My Daughter” and “Cold Spot.”
Brown’s episode was taped in front of an intimate audience at the legendary Grand Ole Opry’s Studio A in Nashville.
CMT Storytellers: Dierks Bentley premieres on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. CT on CMT. The episode was filmed in downtown Nashville and includes performances of hits like “I Hold On,” “Drunk on a Plane” and “What Was I Thinkin” along with songs from Bentley’s latest album, Gravel & Gold.
Viewers who have access to CMT and CMT.com through cable and other TV providers can watch new episodes of CMT Storytellers starting on Tuesday and stream episodes on demand (use ExpressVPN to stream CMT from outside of the country). Older episodes are also available at CMT.com.
No cable? Stream CMT Storytellers on Philo. The service is free for the first week and then just $25 per month.
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CMT’s programming week kicked off with Monday’s CMT Music Awards Nominee Special and will include CMT Defining: Carley Pearce premiering on Thursday (March 30) at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT.
The 2023 CMT Music Awards will air on CBS on April 2. Country fans can see even more footage from the show when CMT Awards Extended Cut, featuring 30-minutes of bonus content, premieres on April 6 on CMT.
Watch a teaser for Brown’s episode of CMT Storytellers below.