Morgan Wallen, who was not present, was locked out of the event until he won the greatest trophy of the night, performer of the year, while Chris Stapleton won four Country Music Association Awards and barely left the stage on Wednesday night.
Stapleton won song of the year and single of the year for "White Horse," and he performed three times on the ABC program in Nashville, Tennessee's Bridgestone Arena, including a duet with Post Malone at the beginning of the show.
Stapleton, who is usually quiet, won the male vocalist of the year award for a record-tying seventh time. "I'm really honored for this, thank you very much," he said.
Until presenter Jeff Bridges mispronounced Wallen's name as "Morgan Waylon" when he revealed entertainer of the year, it appeared for a large portion of the evening that Wallen, the front-runner and seven-time nominee, would be eliminated.
Wallen had four nominations for his popular song "I Had Some Help," which he co-wrote with Malone. However, neither the song nor Malone, who was nominated for the first time, won any awards.
However, following the release of his debut country album earlier this year, rapper-singer Malone was beaming throughout the CMAs. He performed his song "California Sober" with Stapleton while decked out in full cowboy garb, including a bolo tie the size of a belt buckle. Later, he sang the heartfelt song "Yours," which he dedicated to his small daughter, on stage by himself.
As part of an all-star tribute to George Strait, who was given the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, Stapleton subsequently played his own song "What Am I Gonna Do" alongside his wife Morgane.
Alongside NFL legend Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, last year's entertainer of the year, presented the ceremony and took home two CMAs: outstanding music video and female vocalist of the year for "Wildflowers and Wild Horses."
It appeared for a moment that Stapleton would win a sweep, but he was beaten by Cody Johnson, who astonished everyone by winning album of the year with "Leather."
"I thought Chris Stapleton or Jelly Roll was going to win," stated Johnson.
Old Dominion surpassed Little Big Town's six consecutive wins to win vocal group of the year for a record seven times.
Much of the evening, including the Stapleton-Malone opener, was a celebration of a period of crossover and cooperation in country music.
The show, which was streamed on Hulu on Thursday, included performances by artist combinations Brooks & Dunn, who represented the 1990s and 2000s, and Jelly Roll, who represented the present day in country music. They sang Brooks & Dunn's 2005 song "Believe" in a heartfelt gospel manner.
Following that, Brooks & Dunn won vocal pair of the year for the first time since 2006 and for the fifteenth time overall.
A piece of Shaboozey's more sober tune "Highway" opened his solo performance, which drew the audience to its feet. He then launched into one of the year's biggest successes, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)."
Read Also : How old was Adam Johnson, the hockey player?
Willow Stella
Morgan Wallen, who was not present, was locked out of the event until he won the greatest trophy of the night, performer of the year, while Chris Stapleton won four Country Music Association Awards and barely left the stage on Wednesday night.
Stapleton won song of the year and single of the year for "White Horse," and he performed three times on the ABC program in Nashville, Tennessee's Bridgestone Arena, including a duet with Post Malone at the beginning of the show.
Stapleton, who is usually quiet, won the male vocalist of the year award for a record-tying seventh time. "I'm really honored for this, thank you very much," he said.
Until presenter Jeff Bridges mispronounced Wallen's name as "Morgan Waylon" when he revealed entertainer of the year, it appeared for a large portion of the evening that Wallen, the front-runner and seven-time nominee, would be eliminated.
Wallen had four nominations for his popular song "I Had Some Help," which he co-wrote with Malone. However, neither the song nor Malone, who was nominated for the first time, won any awards.
However, following the release of his debut country album earlier this year, rapper-singer Malone was beaming throughout the CMAs. He performed his song "California Sober" with Stapleton while decked out in full cowboy garb, including a bolo tie the size of a belt buckle. Later, he sang the heartfelt song "Yours," which he dedicated to his small daughter, on stage by himself.
As part of an all-star tribute to George Strait, who was given the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, Stapleton subsequently played his own song "What Am I Gonna Do" alongside his wife Morgane.
Alongside NFL legend Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, last year's entertainer of the year, presented the ceremony and took home two CMAs: outstanding music video and female vocalist of the year for "Wildflowers and Wild Horses."
It appeared for a moment that Stapleton would win a sweep, but he was beaten by Cody Johnson, who astonished everyone by winning album of the year with "Leather."
"I thought Chris Stapleton or Jelly Roll was going to win," stated Johnson.
Old Dominion surpassed Little Big Town's six consecutive wins to win vocal group of the year for a record seven times.
Much of the evening, including the Stapleton-Malone opener, was a celebration of a period of crossover and cooperation in country music.
The show, which was streamed on Hulu on Thursday, included performances by artist combinations Brooks & Dunn, who represented the 1990s and 2000s, and Jelly Roll, who represented the present day in country music. They sang Brooks & Dunn's 2005 song "Believe" in a heartfelt gospel manner.
Following that, Brooks & Dunn won vocal pair of the year for the first time since 2006 and for the fifteenth time overall.
A piece of Shaboozey's more sober tune "Highway" opened his solo performance, which drew the audience to its feet. He then launched into one of the year's biggest successes, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)."
Read Also : How old was Adam Johnson, the hockey player?