Month: November 2022

Backstage at the CMA Awards Wednesday night in Nashville, some of the stars celebrated by focusing on their families.

John Osborne of Brothers Osborne admitted that his wife Lucie Silva didn’t know that when he and brother TJ took the stage to accept Vocal Duo of the Year, he was going to tell the world that she’s pregnant with twins.

He sweetly explained that when he saw Lucie sitting in the audience, “My heart filled up…I just wanted to tell the world. I hope that was O.K., Lucie!  I’m sorry if it wasn’t!”   John also joked that he’ll raise the twins as a musical duo who’ll eventually succeed him and TJ in the country music world.

Jordan Davis also had family on his mind: He and his brother Jacob shared the Song of the Year trophy for co-writing “Buy Dirt.” “I mean, I shared a room with the guy ’til I was 16 years old, so we’re pretty close,” he noted. “So this is something that nobody’s ever gonna be able to take away from us.”

Double winner Lainey Wilson brought her father, who’d recently been very ill, as her date, and told reporters, “He’s grinning ear-to-ear. This is the most I’ve seen him smile in months!”  She described the event as a “full circle moment” for her dad, because as a kid, Lainey said, “He used to roll a picnic table out to the side of the highway…and play his guitar for the cars passing by.”

Lainey also saluted the country music “family,” saying the women she beat in the Female Vocalist category — Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde and Carly Pearce — are like a “sisterhood.” “Every single girl in the category, I look up to…a lot of the girls have given me advice…they have listened to me cry,” she said. “They are rooting me on, and I feel the love. It’s so genuine.”

Matthew Ramsey of Old Dominion mourned a recently departed member of the country music family — Alabama‘s Jeff Cook — by praising the legendary group for giving them “examples of the right way to do something,” and for “changing the direction” of country music. “We wouldn’t be here without ’em,” he admitted.

And Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs said one lesson he’s learned with all his success is “just being present.” He added, “My wife is here, our son is home and my parents are still around…[so it’s] just being thankful for the things that I have right now…I get to live my dream everyday with people that I love living it with.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the 56th annual CMA Awards aired live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday night. 

The biggest night in country music kicked off with a heartwarming tribute to late legendary singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn, opening with a montage of throwback clips of Lynn at prior CMA Awards shows. After, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire each took a turn at one of Lynn’s songs before they joined forces for “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

That was just the beginning of the night’s performances, with stars like Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Zac Brown Band, Morgan Wallen and Kelsea Ballerini taking the CMAs stage. Pop stars Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson also graced the stage as part of the big night.

One of the night’s surprises came from Jo Dee Messina, who returned to the CMAs for the first time in 20 years. She joined Cole Swindell as he performed his smash record “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” which heavily references Messina’s 1996 debut hit “Heads Carolina, Tails California.”

When it came to big wins of the night, Lainey Wilson, who led the pack with six nominations, took home New Artist and Female Vocalist of the Year. Chris Stapleton won Male Vocalist of the Year, making it his sixth time winning the honor, while Luke Combs snagged Album of the Year for Growin’ Up. Combs also took home the coveted Entertainer of the Year award, which he said was a “dream come true.”

The Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement award went to Alan Jackson after a tribute performance by Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Underwood and Wilson.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The biggest names in country music were honored at the 56th annual Country Music Association Awards Wednesday night.

Here is the complete list of the 2022 CMA Award winners:

Entertainer of the Year
Luke Combs

Female Vocalist of the Year
Lainey Wilson

Male Vocalist of the Year
Chris Stapleton

Single of the Year
“‘Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson

Album of the Year
Growin’ Up – Luke Combs

Song of the Year
“Buy Dirt” – Jordan Davis (songwriters Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins and Matt Jenkins)

Vocal Group of the Year
Old Dominion

Vocal Duo of the Year
Brothers Osborne

New Artist of the Year
Lainey Wilson

Musical Event of the Year
“Never Wanted to Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde

Music Video of the Year
“‘Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson

Musician of the Year
Jenee Fleenor, fiddle

Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award
Alan Jackson

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Zac Brown Band is nominated for Vocal Group of the Year at the 2022 CMA Awards, and frontman Zac Brown says he'd love to be able to score a win for the home team.

“I would love [to win], really, for my band,” the singer tells ABC Audio. “They deserve it.”

ZBB isn't necessarily a darling at award shows: Though they've been nominated many times, they haven't won a trophy since back in 2010 when they were named New Artist of the Year.

“We're kind of outlaws of a lot of things,” Zac says, “…and this kind of, you know, one of those things….We've got great perspective on things, but I would love for them to have a win and actually get a trophy.”

Still, in the grand scheme of things, they've already won, he notes. “The country music fans, and the people that show up at our shows, that's how we win,” Zac points out. “We win an award every single night that we go play.”

The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight, November 9, at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Parker McCollum stands to win his first-ever CMA trophy tonight, November 9: He's up in the New Artist of the Year category, but if it were up to him, that award would go to one of the other nominees in the category: Cody Johnson.

“You know, it'd be a disappointment to me if he didn't win it,” Parker tells ABC Audio. “He just deserves it, man. I can't speak enough about him.”

The two up-and-comers share more than their home state of Texas: Cody has been a generous friend and touring partner to Parker ever since the beginning, he explains.

“He's been so good to me since I very first started, touring in Texas and stuff, and used to have me open for him all the time,” the singer relates. “I just got all the respect for him in the world. He's the real deal. If anybody deserves to take that hardware home tonight, it's certainly him.”

In the meantime, Parker's making big plans for a glamorous date night with his wife, Hallie Ray Light, and he's been hard at work on his outfit for quite a while.

“A woman that good-looking, you can't waste a night to get her all fancied up,” he jokes. “This was actually the first year I was kind of specific on what I wanted to wear. I just saw a video of one of my favorite singers back in the day and said, Man, I'd like to do something like that for the CMAs.' So I had it all custom-made. It'll be cool.”

To catch Parker's special CMA Awards look — and to see who wins New Artist at the show — tune into ABC. The 2022 CMA Awards starts at 8 p.m.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Falling the day after the U.S. midterm elections, the 2022 CMA Awards comes at a particularly tense moment in the country's ever-divisive political climate.

But Luke Bryan has always believed that Americans have more commonalities than they do differences, and he's hoping to underscore that point with a performance of his unifying top-ten single, “Country On,” at the show.

“It's a really tense day in the world of politics today with the midterms,” Luke tells ABC Audio. “I'll try to do a song to [highlight the fact that] we're all Americans and we all love each other and stand together in unity, harmony.”

In fact, he's got a new commandment or two to add: “Love thy neighbor, hug thy neighbor, drink beer with thy neighbor,” Luke adds light-heartedly.

His performance is just the beginning: Luke's also co-hosting the show with Peyton Manning, and he says he's hoping to draw inspiration for the gig from Peyton's football career.

“You gotta make sure the plays are in order. So, he runs a tight ship,” Luke notes. “I think if we're comfortable being loose and having fun, the room will be, too. The bottom line is just: Get up there, have fun in the room and honor the people that are winning — just make a great show and try to have fun in the moment.”

The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight, November 9, at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Most artists only get one award show cycle to celebrate a big song, but Kelsea Ballerini lucked into two.

Her song, “Half of My Hometown,” won her her very first CMA trophies last year for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year. Now, in 2022, the song is nominated for Single of the Year because it was a single during the eligibility window for this year's show.

“So it's like, this song is truly the gift that keeps on giving,” Kelsea jokes to ABC Audio. “I'm like, Am I gonna be nominated for this next year, too? Is it still eligible for five years from now?'”

Out of all the songs in her discography, this one is special, the singer goes on to say. Not only is it a duet with Kenny Chesney — who also hails from her hometown of Knoxville — but at the crux, the track is Kelsea's ever-evolving, complex relationship with the place where she comes from.

“I resented my hometown for a long time because in my brain, it was the place that was keeping me from being in Nashville and doing this, pursuing my dream,” she reflects. “As I've gotten older and wanted to learn more about myself and grow up eloquently, every time I come home, I find so much more of myself.” ?

The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight, November 9, at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jordan Davis is up for two CMA trophies leading up to tonight's awards show, both surrounding his massive hit, “Buy Dirt,” a gratitude anthem that reflects on the importance of family, friends and faith.

Those values are at the heart of the song: Jordan recorded it as a duet with his superstar pal Luke Bryan, and he co-wrote it with his songwriter brother, Jacob Davis. Ahead of the show, he says it's those powerful connections that make the song so special.

“Obviously, having a Song of the Year nomination is a pinnacle to somebody that moved to town to write songs,” he tells ABC Audio. “But the impact I've seen it make on some people has been pretty awesome. And me and my brother getting to share it together. [Co-writers] Josh [Jenkins] and Matt [Jenkins], who are two guys that have helped make me a better songwriter. It's just a really special song.”

Speaking of family, it might not be too much longer before Jordan’s two-year-old daughter, Eloise, starts wanting to come to award shows. She's already showing interest, although she might not quite understand some of the details of a music industry party.

“We had our ASCAP Awards last night, and…my wife had a white, like a silvery dress on,” the singer recounts. “[Eloise] thought we were going to a Frozen party.”

Of course, she wanted to tag along. “She wanted to go to the princess party. So I think she's getting to where she's like, I want to go to this. I want to put on a dress and go walk around,'” he adds.

The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight, November 9, at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.