Country
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Wednesday night’s (Nov. 20) 58th annual Country Music Association Awards showcased the best and brightest that country has to offer, from its rising stars to a moving tribute to the man they call the King of Country, George Strait.
It also featured multiple appearances from fresh-to-the-genre rapper-turned-crooner Post Malone, as well as a couple spotlight moments for Jelly Roll, who cemented his status as one of the brightest, most inspiring singers in Nashville when he held his own with Brooks & Dunn during a performance of their inspiring gospel-tinged track “Believe.”
Malone and Chris Stapleton kicked things off with their duet “California Sober,” followed by new artist of the year winner Megan Moroney’s glitzy “Am I Okay?” and Shaboozey’s ramble through his ballad “Highway,” which gave way to his 18-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
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Other notable duets came from Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan on “Cowboys Cry Too,” Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims mashing up “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Woman” and “Lose Control,” and Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood’s “I’m Gonna Love You.”
Though he went into the night with seven nominations, entertainer of the year winner Morgan Wallen was a no-show, while Stapleton had a great night, winning three of the top five prizes, including single of the year and song of the year for “White Horse.”
If you missed some, or all, of the action, check out all of the 2024 CMA Awards performances below.
Post Malone and Chris Stapleton
The dynamic duo opened the show in style with a run through their weed-is-acceptable anthem from Posty’s hit debut country album, F-1 Trillion.
Megan Moroney
The new artist of the year honoree brought the glam with a bedazzled performance of the title track from her latest album, Am I Okay?
Shaboozey
For a minute there it seemed like this year’s breakthrough country superstar might eschew his ubiquitous hit in favor of the more contemplative new single, “Highway.” No worries, though, he also came through with a high-spirited take on “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” that had the all-star crowd at Bridgestone Arena dancing and singing along.
Ella Langley and Riley Green
After winning musical event of the year before the broadcast, the duo performed their honored old-school duet, “You Look Like You Love Me,” with Langley moseying to the stage after starting out on the arena floor as she sang-talked her way to the barroom set on the main stage. Green followed suit, making the same slow walk with his trusty acoustic slung across his chest.
Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims
Dressed in their finest black leathers, Rhett and Swims started in the venue’s backstage area and slow walked into the spotlight for a rumble through the former’s soulful “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Woman” from Rhett’s seventh studio album, About a Woman. Keeping the love vibes going, they pivoted to Swims’ equally impassioned Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Lose Control.”
Luke Combs
Combs lit up the stage with his Twisters soundtrack hit “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” barreling through the rock-tinged track on a set featuring giant rusty oil derricks, towering pyro effects and digital lightning flashing behind him.
Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan
Ballerini and Kahan performed their duet “Cowboys Cry Too” — the lead single from Ballerini’s recently released fifth album, Patterns — live for the first time together on TV.
Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood
With images of snow-capped mountains behind them, Johnson and Underwood gave us all the feels with their moving duet from the deluxe edition of his 2023 Leather album.
Chris Stapleton
The night’s big winner proved why he’s a humble Nashville favorite son with an unadorned, mesmerizing performance of his Higher ballad “What Am I Gonna Do,” accompanied by his “secret weapon,” wife singer/songwriter Morgane Stapleton.
Kacey Musgraves
Musgraves didn’t need anything besides her trusty acoustic and her bell-clear voice to strum her way through the wonder-of-the-universe single “The Architect” from this year’s Deeper Well album.
Brooks & Dunn and Jelly Roll
The triple-threat trio brought the CMAs to church with their emotional, soaring performance of the beloved duo’s gospel-tinged “Believe,” backed by a full orchestra and swaying choir.
Lainey Wilson
The evening’s co-host took the crowd to a nighttime tailgate party with her impassioned run through her latest single, “4x4xU,” surrounded by roaring campfires and glittering stars.
Bailey Zimmerman
Injecting some rock energy into the proceedings, Zimmerman cut loose with his twangy “New to Country” on a set accented by a four-wheeler, his initials in towering red letters and a bunch of Solo cup-swigging bros playing beer pong with a wrestler.
George Strait tribute featuring Lainey Wilson, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum and Chris Stapleton
The beloved King of Country got his proper respect during a nine-minute, all-star tribute that kicked off with Wilson performing “Amarillo By Morning,” followed by Johnson’s take on “Give It Away,” Lambert and McCollum joining in on “Troubadour” and the Country Music Hall of Famer himself popping out with Stapleton for their collab, “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame.”
Ashley McBryde
McBryde’s reverential tribute to late country outlaw Kris Kristofferson via his classic “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” brought a hush over the arena as her crystalline voice was accompanied by a series of pictures of the beloved singer who died at 88 in September.
Luke Bryan
The American Idol judge and night’s co-host kept it simple with a bare bones, earnest run through his top 5 Country Airplay hit, “Love You, Miss You, Mean It.”
Eric Church
In his ongoing quest to keep a light on those Americans in his home state of North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene, Church played “Darkest Hour,” a song he released last month to help with recovery efforts. The impassioned Van Morrison-like ballad, which found Church backed by a horn and string section and choir, featured projected images from the aftermath of the devastating storm.
Editor’s note: At press time Post Malone’s solo performance of his ballad “Yours,” Jelly Roll and Keith Urban’s team-up on “Liar” and the “American Girl” finale with Dierks Bentley, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes were not available on the CMAs YouTube feed.
As this year’s CMA Awards drew to a close on Wednesday night (Nov. 20), Chris Stapleton became the evening’s foremost winner, picking up three trophies, single of the year, song of the year (both for “White Horse”) and male vocalist of the year. Morgan Wallen took home the evening’s biggest win, entertainer of the year. Meanwhile, Cody Johnson picked up album of the year for Leather. Brooks & Dunn extended their streak of the most wins in the vocal duo of the year category, nabbing a 15th win in the category. Megan Moroney picked up her first CMA Awards win, for new artist of the year, as did Riley Green and Ella Langley, in the musical event of the year category, for “You Look Like You Love Me.”
Outside of the award winners, many of the brightest moments at this year’s show came via a host of performances from artists ranging from legendary artists to buzzy newcomers. The soundscape highlighted a range of music under the country umbrella, including classic Texas honky-tonk, soul and rock fusions and bluegrass-leaning jams.
This year’s performances included several collaborations, including Kelsea Ballerini teaming with Noah Kahan, Post Malone performing with Chris Stapleton and Jelly Roll partnering with Brooks & Dunn on a stirring, gospel-tinged version of Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe,” included on B&D’s new Reboot II album. Plus, Dierks Bentley played alongside a trio of bluegrass music luminaries: Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes.
Artist tributes also contributed to some of the top moments, with Ashley McBryde paying homage the late singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. George Strait was honored with the 2024 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, and was feted with all-star performances from Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson.
Meanwhile, Eric Church continued to bring awareness to those impacted by Hurricane Helene through his stirring performance of “Darkest Hour.”
Every artist brought a unique artistry and talent to the CMA Awards stage. Here, we count down the top performances.
Post Malone Offers Familial Ode on “Yours”
The 2024 CMA Awards, held on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, had its fair share of snubs and surprises. To be sure, many races went exactly as expected. Old Dominion won vocal group of the year for the seventh year in a row, the longest continuous winning streak in that category’s history. […]
Morgan Wallen was crowned entertainer of the year at the 2024 CMA Awards, which were held on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Wallen’s coronation comes less than four years after a career-imperiling moment where he was caught on video using a racial slur, and suggests that he is now back in Nashville’s good graces. (He did come up short in his other six categories this year, so he’s perhaps still not all the way back.) Wallen was a no-show, perhaps sensing that he was still persona non grata.
Wallen’s win for entertainer of the year means that Chris Stapleton has now lost in that category eight times without winning. That’s the most nominations for entertainer of the year without a win. Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood are currently tied for second place on the list of artists with the most nominations without a win (six).
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But Stapleton won three awards on the night, more than any other artist. This brings his career total of CMA wins to 18. Only two other artists have won 18 or more CMA Awards. Brooks & Dunn, who won another award this year, lead with 19 awards. Vince Gill, like Stapleton, has won 18 awards. At this year’s show, Stapleton pulled ahead of George Strait (17 wins) and Alan Jackson (16).
Stapleton won male vocalist of the year for a record-extending eighth time. He’s far ahead of the pack in terms of most wins in the category. Runners-up, with five wins each, are Gill, Strait and Blake Shelton. (By way of comparison, the top winner in the female vocalist of the year category, Lambert, has won it seven times.)
Stapleton also won single and song of the year for “White Horse.” It’s the third time he has doubled up and won both awards on the same night. He also won both awards for “Broken Halos” in 2018 and “Starting Over” in 2021. Stapleton is the first artist in CMA history to win single of the year three times. Stapleton’s single beat a pair of long-running No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey and “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone featuring Wallen.
This was also Stapleton’s third win for song of the year. Only two other songwriters have won three or more times in this category. Gill leads with four song of the year wins. Don Schlitz also won it three times.
Lainey Wilson won two awards, second only to Stapleton. She took female vocalist of the year for the third year in a row. She’s the sixth woman to win in this category three or more years in a row. Tammy Wynette was the first singer to accomplish the feat (1968-70), followed by Reba McEntire (1984-87), Martina McBride (2002-04), Underwood (2006-08) and Lambert (2010-15). Wilson also won music video of the year for “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.” This ups her CMA tally to nine wins, all in just three years.
Old Dominion won vocal group of the year for the seventh consecutive year. They’re the first group ever to win in this category seven years running, though they still have a ways to go to catch up to The Statler Brothers for most total wins in the category (nine).
Brooks & Dunn won vocal duo of the year for the 15th time; the first time since 2006. Everyone was wondering if Brothers Osborne or Dan + Shay would win this time, or could The War and Treaty possibly win in an upset? Few thought Brooks & Dunn would reclaim the award they won 14 times between 1992 and 2006. When Brooks & Dunn first won the award, they beat reigning champs The Judds. With this latest win, they beat reigning champs Brothers Osborne.
Megan Moroney won new artist of the year on her second nomination. She lost to Jelly Roll last year. (Artists are allowed two nominations in this category.)
Cody Johnson’s ninth studio album, Leather, won album of the year. Its win was considered a surprise given the strong competition, including Stapleton’s Higher and Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel.
Guitar player Charlie Worsham won musician of the year for the first time, ending Jenee Fleenor’s five-year hold on the award. With Worsham’s win, steel guitarist Paul Franklin lost in the category for the 32nd time. That’s not a typo – Franklin has been nominated, and lost, in the category 32 times.
Jeff Bridges is many things – and “legendary actor” is certainly one of them. Not only did Bridges bring The Dude to life in 1998’s The Big Lebowski, creating one of the most beloved (and imitated) cinematic characters of the last 30 years, but he beautifully portrayed an alcoholic country singer in 2009’s Crazy Heart […]
Temperatures rose at the 2024 CMA Awards when Jelly Roll stepped out onstage for his second performance of the night, joined by Keith Urban for a rousing performance of “Liar.” Backdropped by bursts of flames and rhythmic balls of sparks, the two musicians brought the heat, with the “Son of a Sinner” singer passionately belting […]
With a whopping 44 chart-toppers on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs list, George Strait is a bona fide legend in the genre and beyond. And at the 2024 CMA Awards at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 20), Strait made a rare public appearance to accept the Willie Nelson lifetime achievement award from the Country Music Association.
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The tribute opened with a fiery-eyed, ferocious Jamey Johnson performing Strait’s 2006 single “Give It Away,” a Hot Country Songs No. 1 hit that Johnson co-wrote. (Johnson made headlines just days ago after being arrested in Tennessee on Sunday and charged with speeding and drug possession; Johnson has spoken about his sobriety journey before, but acknowledges that he sometimes smokes “a joint.”)
Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum followed with Strait’s 2008 single “Troubadour,” a fitting enough song for the 72-year-old legend given that it’s a meditation on music, aging and legacy (“I was a young troubadour/ When I rode in on a song/ And I’ll be an old troubadour when I’m gone”).
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After that, Strait himself proved he’s far from done, taking the stage with Chris Stapleton for a full-throated duet on “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” from his recent album Cowboys and Dreamers while his wife, Norma Strait, bopped along from the crowd.
“First of allm, I want to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ,” Strait said after wrapping his performance and receiving a standing ovation from the crowd (including Luke Combs, who mimed bowing down to Strait). “I want to thank the CMAs for adding my name to the incredible artists on this small list of recipients, hearing the name of the icon Willie Nelson.”
He also thanked “these great artists” who performed his songs on the CMA Awards stage. “It’s amazing to hear y’all do them – I’m so glad I got to ‘em before you,” he said, laughing, and adding, “Not you, Jamey.”
After paying homage to some of his departed associates (fiddle player Gene Elders, road manager Tom Foote and manager Erv Woolsey have all passed away in 2024), Strait paid tribute to his closest companion for more than half a century. “I want to thank my family who are all here tonight. My wife Norma, my son Bubba, his wife Tamara, my grandkids Harvey and Jillian,” Strait said. “Especially Norma, who has supported me for just shy of 53 years – it’s been an amazing 53 years.”
The 2024 CMA Awards took over Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night (Nov. 20) to honor country’s brightest stars, from fresh talent like new artist of the year winner Megan Moroney to CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award honoree George Strait. The awards show — hosted by Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson and Peyton Manning — was […]
Old Dominion made history at the 2024 CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday (Nov. 20) evening. Not only did the country outfit nab the 2024 CMA Award for vocal group of the year, but it became the second-most awarded vocal group in the history of the Country Music Association Awards. Explore Explore […]
Post Malone didn’t have much time to chill in his Bridgestone Arena seat at the 2024 Country Music Association Awards in Nashville Wednesday night (Nov. 20). After opening the show 90 minutes earlier with a run through “California Sober” with multiple CMA-winner Chris Stapleton, Posty was back all by his lonesome later in the broadcast […]