The CMA Awards aired Nov. 10 on ABC from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Read on to see the winners for the event billed as Country Music's Biggest Night.
Performers
Gabby Barrett, Luke Bryan, Jennifer Hudson, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band took the stage. Dierks Bentley performed with "Beers on Me" collaborators Breland and Hardy.
Two of the most commercially-successful duet pairings of the past year, Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood ("If I Didn't Love You") and Chris Young and Kane Brown ("Famous Friends"), were among the night's collaborations. Chris Stapleton performed "Cold" from his award-nominated album Starting Over, while Old Dominion performed its tongue-in-cheek radio hit "I Was on a Boat That Day." Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert also took the stage.
Blake Shelton performed recent release "Come Back as a Country Boy," while defending CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church sang "Heart on Fire." Other performers included Jimmie Allen ("Freedom Was a Highway"), Brothers Osborne (a selection from CMA-nominated album Skeletons), Dan + Shay ("I Should Probably Go to Bed"), the duo of Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde ("Never Wanted to Be That Girl") and the trio of Mickey Guyton, Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards (material from Guyton's debut album, Remember Her Name).
Looking forward to performing at this year’s @CountryMusic #CMAawards! Tune-in to ABC and watch live on Wed, Nov. 10th!!! pic.twitter.com/UjiLbi1z64
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) October 21, 2021
Host
American Idol judge and reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan hosted this year's broadcast.
Bryan flew solo in a gig shared in recent years by multiple hosts. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood hosted from 2008 to 2018, with the trio of Underwood, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton as 2019's masters of ceremonies and McEntire and Darius Rucker doing the honors last year. Vince Gill was the most recent solo host back in 2003.
"The CMA Awards is one of the biggest nights of the year for Country Music," said Bryan in a press release. "Being asked to host the CMA Awards was definitely something I put a lot of thought into before answering. The pressure that comes along with that can be overwhelming, but knowing I get to help honor and celebrate so many of my friends, I knew it was something I couldn't turn down. I mean, growing up in Georgia, I remember watching Vince Gill, Reba, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrell, to name a few. They were so good. And then becoming a part of this amazing country music family and sitting on the front row while Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and Darius Rucker took the reins, all of these artists are heroes and friends, and I am honored to have my name included in this group. I'm looking forward to making it fun and memorable and using this platform to continue to make Country Music shine."
Read More: Blake Shelton's Funniest Moments on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'
Presenters
The Country Music Association announced on Monday (Nov. 8) a long list of presenters from the worlds of music, entertainment and professional sports, including Trace Adkins, Ingrid Andress, Kelsea Ballerini, Deana Carter, Lauren Daigle, Russell Dickerson, Faith Fennidy, Florida Georgia Line, Freddie Freeman, Amy Grant, Dulé Hill, Alan Jackson, Elle King, Lady A, Zachary Levi, Scotty McCreery, Hayley Orrantia, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Susan Sarandon, Saycon Sengbloh, Kurt Warner, Lainey Wilson, Trisha Yearwood and Rucker.
Nominees
Chris Stapleton and Church lead nominations for the 55th annual CMA Awards. Both Stapleton and Church earned Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year nods. Stapleton was also nominated for Album of the Year for Starting Over, while Church earned a nomination for his album Heart, part of his triple album Heart & Soul. The two artists will also compete in the Single of the Year and Song of the Year categories.
Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert and Underwood also earned Entertainer of the Year nominations.
Lambert, McBryde, Pearce Gabby Barrett and Maren Morris are nominated in the Female Vocalist of the Year category, while Dierks Bentley, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett, Church and Stapleton round out the Male Vocalist of the Year category.
Competing against Church and Stapleton in the Album of the Year category are Carly Pearce's 29, Brothers Osborne's Skeletons and Morgan Wallen's Dangerous: The Double Album. This is the sole nomination for Wallen. The Country Music Association previously announced that the singer wouldn't be eligible for individual awards after he was recorded using a racial slur earlier this year. Nor will Wallen be invited to the event.
Other nominees include Allen, Barrett, Guyton, Ingrid Andress and Hardy, who earned New Artist of the Year nods.
On Wednesday morning (Nov. 10), GMA announced two pre-show winners. Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney shared two awards for their "Half of My Hometown" duet: Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
See the full list of winners below.
Winners
Entertainer of the Year
Eric Church
Luke Combs — WINNER
Miranda Lambert
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year
"Famous Friends," Chris Young with Kane Brown
"The Good Ones," Gabby Barrett
"Hell of a View," Eric Church
"One Night Standards," Ashley McBryde
"Starting Over," Chris Stapleton — WINNER
Album of the Year
29, Carly Pearce
Dangerous: The Double Album, Morgan Wallen
Heart, Eric Church
Skeletons, Brothers Osborne
Starting Over, Chris Stapleton — WINNER
Song of the Year
"Forever After All," Luke Combs
"The Good Ones," Gabby Barrett
"Hell of a View," Eric Church
"One Night Standards," Ashley McBryde
"Starting Over," Chris Stapleton — WINNER
Female Vocalist of the Year
Gabby Barrett
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Maren Morris
Carly Pearce — WINNER
Male Vocalist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton — WINNER
Vocal Group of the Year
Lady A
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion — WINNER
Zac Brown Band
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne — WINNER
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
Musical Event of the Year
"Buy Dirt," Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan
"Chasing After You," Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
"Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)," Elle King and Miranda Lambert
"Famous Friends," Chris Young with Kane Brown
"Half of My Hometown," Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney) (Winner)
Musician of the Year
Jenee Fleenor, Fiddle — WINNER
Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar
Aaron Sterling, Drums
Ilya Toshinskiy, banjo
Derek Wells, Guitar
Music Video of the Year
"Chasing After You," Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
"Famous Friends," Chris Young with Kane Brown
"Gone," Dierks Bentley
"Half of My Hometown," Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney) (Winner)
"Younger Me," Brothers Osborne
New Artist of the Year
Jimmie Allen — WINNER
Ingrid Andress
Gabby Barrett
Mickey Guyton
Hardy
