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Charley Pride will receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 CMAs

• No Comments • Country Music News

Joseph LlanesLegendary country trailblazer Charley Pride is set to be honored at this year’s CMA Awards ceremony with the 2020 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

The new accolade comes in recognition of Pride’s life’s work as a trailblazer in music and beyond. As country music’s first Black superstar, Pride has notched over 50 top-ten hits and 29 chart-topping songs over the course of his career, including 1971’s “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” and 1970’s “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone.”

Pride was also the first Black man to co-host the CMA Awards, which he did in 1975 alongside Glen Campbell. He was named the awards show’s Entertainer of the Year in 1971.

“Charley Pride is the epitome of a trailblazer,” comments CMA chief executive officer Sarah Trahern. “Few other artists have grown Country Music’s rich heritage and led to the advancement of Country Music around the world like Charley. His distinctive voice has created a timeless legacy that continues to echo through the Country community today.”

The Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is dedicated to honoring artists who have achieved “both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, record sales and public representation at the highest level,” according to the CMA.

Pride joins a small, illustrious group of honorees. Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson have all taken home the honor in years past.

The 2020 CMA Awards will take place on November 11. The show will broadcast live from Nashville on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Miranda Lambert is “Settling Down” in her home-inspired new video, with help from her hubby

• No Comments • Country Music News

Blythe ThomasMiranda Lambert strikes a balance between her wandering spirit and a happy home life in her new music video for “Settling Down.”

The clip is an especially personal one, as it was filmed at Miranda’s farm and features her husband, Brendan McLoughlin, as co-star.

“My mom always called me a wild child and a homing pigeon,” the singer reflects. “I always have an itch to find a new adventure, but I’m also always ready to walk through my front door. I feel like a lot of people feel that way, and ‘Settling Down’ tells the story of being caught between those two feelings.”

Aside from Brendan, Miranda’s horse, Gibson, makes an appearance in the video, as does Delta Dawn, one of her several rescue dogs.

Mirroring the lyrics of “Settling Down,” the song’s video follows Miranda as she enjoys both sides of what life has to offer. She sips red wine while writing lyrics in the grass, and gallops through fields on Gibson’s back, but she also cuddles up with her husband in a hammock and watches adoringly from afar as he fishes in the couple’s pond.

Miranda has a long history of highlighting her handsome husband’s shirtless physique on Instagram, so of course no Brendan cameo would be complete without a shot of him shirtless in the kitchen. In that segment of the video, he chops vegetables and shares a stiff drink with his superstar wife.

“Settling Down” is climbing the charts, and is currently a top-40 hit. It comes off of Miranda’s latest album, Wildcard.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Matt Stell believes you're 'Better Than That': When "I Love You Too" isn't good enough

• No Comments • Country Music News

RECORDS Nashville/Arista NashvilleIn Matt Stell‘s top-five hit, “Everywhere but On,” the Arkansas native has a hard time putting an old lover in the past. 

Elsewhere on his new EP, Better Than That, the “Prayed for You” hitmaker tackles other relationship issues. On “I Love You Too,” it’s a friend who suspects a romantic partner isn’t quite up to par.

The idea came from Matt’s co-writer, Seth Alley.

“It was based on a conversation that Seth had had with his now-wife,” Matt explains, “but a conversation that I’ve honestly been on both sides of.”

“And when I heard that,” he adds, “and when we both heard it, you know, it just, that moment seems like a pretty universal thing, especially, you know, in some relationships that I’ve been in.”

In the song, a third party suspects a friend’s partner often fails to deliver the affection they deserve, and “only says ‘I love you, too.'”

“We really kind of tackled it from — not the love interest in the song — but sort of the friend in the song, the girl,” Matt continues. “Because sometimes you can see what’s going on a little easier from the outside looking in, and so that’s what that song’s about. And I just love it. I knew we did what we meant to do with that one.”

You can check out a new “Story Behind the Song” clip about “I Love You Too” that debuts exclusively via ABC Audio today.

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Carrie Underwood reigns at the socially-distanced, mostly-outdoor 2020 CMT Music Awards

• No Comments • Country Music News

CMTCMT took to the great outdoors around Nashville and Middle Tennessee Wednesday night to put on a socially-distanced version of the 2020 CMT Music Awards. A sparse, spaced-out audience even got to watch in Music City’s Cumberland Park — all sporting masks emblazoned with the show’s logo.

Carrie Underwood preserved her record as the winningest artist in the show’s history, picking up her twenty-first and twenty-second trophies for the night’s top honor, Video of the Year, as well as Female Video of the Year, both for “Drinking Alone.” 

Luke Combs kicked off the night with an amphitheater performance of the album cut, “1, 2 Many,” that found him shotgunning a beer as he welcomed Brooks & Dunn onstage. 

Kane Brown, Ashley McBryde, and Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland hosted the evening that mixed plenty of pop star power with country’s biggest and brightest. Taylor Swift gave Gabby Barrett her first-ever CMT trophy for Breakthrough Video for “I Hope,” an award the superstar took home just thirteen years ago. 

Katy Perry introduced fellow American Idol co-host Luke Bryan‘s performance of “What She Wants Tonight,” shortly after he nabbed Male Video for “One Margarita.” 

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani toasted after the rock star won her first CMT statue for Collaborative Video for “Nobody But You.” Their Voice co-star Kelly Clarkson intro’d Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey‘s bar-themed take on “The Other Girl.”

DJ/producer Diplo brought on his pal Morgan Wallen to sing his number one, “Chasin’ You,” while Rob Thomas introduced Jimmie Allen‘s duet with Noah Cyrus, who perhaps sported the night’s most memorable ensemble — a white bodysuit and cowboy hat reminiscent of Cher. 

But it wouldn’t have been a country music awards show without a tug or two on the heartstrings. An emotional moment came early, as Chris Young won his first CMT honor for CMT Performance of the Year for “Drowning,” the song he wrote about the loss of a close friend. He stepped in at the last moment to perform in Kane Brown’s place at the 2019 CMT Artists of the Year special, after the sudden death of Kane’s drummer. 

Jennifer Nettles accepted the inaugural CMT Equal Play Award for her work to further a more inclusive atmosphere for women in country music. CMT did their part, showcasing up-and-coming artists like Mickey Guyton, Ingrid Andress, Caylee Hammack, just to mention a few.

Little Big Town closed with a last call for “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” from Dickson, Tennessee’s Ruskin Cave. Ashley and Sarah wrapped up with quick birthday wishes for Kane, who turned 27 on Wednesday. 

Here’s a complete rundown of the night’s winners:

Video of the Year 
Carrie Underwood — “Drinking Alone”

Female Video of the Year 
Carrie Underwood — “Drinking Alone”

Male Video of the Year 
Luke Bryan — “One Margarita”

Group Video of the Year
Old Dominion — “One Man Band”

Duo Video of the Year
Dan + Shay — “I Should Probably Go To Bed”

Breakthrough Video of the Year 
Gabby Barrett – “I Hope”

Collaborative Video of the Year
Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani — “Nobody But You”

CMT Performance of the Year 
From CMT Artists of the Year: Chris Young — “Drowning”

CMT Equal Play Award
Jennifer Nettles

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Amid her virtual five-city run, Maren Morris says remote touring provides “some semblance of normal”

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAOf course, Maren Morris would rather be on the road, performing in front of a cheering crowd and getting to see and hug her fans in person.

But the singer tells People that her new five-city virtual tour — a partnership with Verizon’s loyalty program Verizon Up — is helping her stay connected to fans during a time when connection isn’t easy to come by.

“I’m just excited even for rehearsals, because that feels at least some semblance of normal for me,” Maren points out. “…You know, no matter what walk of life you’re coming from, to stand in a room with a bunch of strangers that just want to hear live music and their favorite song — I mean, I will treasure it even more so now, when we get to go back for real.”

Maren and her band are filming the shows for their remote tour at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, and they’ll be broadcast in five cities between Oct. 20-23.

Maren is one of an all-female lineup of acts headlining the Verizon Up remote tour. Kelsea Ballerini and Brandi Carlile are also scheduled to perform, and outside the country genre, pop star Billie Eilish, alt-rocker Brittany Howard and R&B duo Chloe x Halle will also deliver remote shows.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.