At the Country Music Association aka CMA Awards on Wednesday night, Chris Stapleton took home six prizes, including song and album of the year. Luke Combs took home the top prize, entertainer of the year.
For “Starting Over,” Stapleton received song and single of the year, as well as an album of the year for his album of the same name. As a producer on the single and album, he received two more awards.
He went on to win male vocalist of the year for the seventh time. It looked like he was going to sweep the night until Combs rushed in and stopped it from becoming a coronation.
“I don’t deserve to win it,” an emotional Combs said as he accepted the entertainer of the year trophy from Alan Jackson, “but I’m sure as hell glad that I did.”
Stapleton, who also performed twice, appeared to be on stage the entire night.
“Man, amazing,” the soft-spoken singer with the long beard, never one for speeches, said after he won his last award. “I’m running out of words.
He was the top nominee going into the night, along with Eric Church, who was aloof.
Combs beat out Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. He started the ABC show with a medley of her songs, including “Kerosene,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” and “Gunpowder & Lead,” together with Stapleton and Church.
For many of the winners at the CMA Awards, it was an emotional night.
For the fourth time, the Brothers Osborne were the vocal pair of the year. T.J. Osborne, the band’s lead singer came out as gay earlier this year. He appeared to be holding back tears as he took the award.
“It’s been a roller coaster of a year, especially for me emotionally, and for you all to support me, it’s been incredible,” he said from the stage.
Allen was honestly tearful as he became the second Black performer to win new artist of the year.
“I want to thank my father who’s no longer with us for introducing me to country music,” Allen said.
He described spending the last of his money to watch Charley Pride, a pioneering Black country performer, at the CMAs in 2016, and then performing alongside Pride on the next year’s performance. A month later, Pride succumbed to COVID-19.
Darius Rucker was the first Black artist to win the award, which he received in 2009.
For the fourth year in a row, Old Dominion won vocal group of the year.
Carly Pearce sobbed when she accepted her first award for female vocalist of the year.
Pearce was the only woman to enter the stage and accept an award during the ceremony, which is now in its 55th year. She was competing in an all-female category.
For the show, the ceremony marked a return to normalcy. Last year’s event took place at a crowd-free Music City Center due to the coronavirus pandemic. It then returned in front of an audience at its customary venue, the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
“We’re following all the health protocols to keep everyone safe,” host Luke Bryan said during his opening monologue. “And we’re all vaccinated,” he said, “or not,” asking the awkwardly laughing audience, “anyone?”
He was quickly joined on stage by his “American Idol” co-host Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, who came up behind him.
“I have hosted other awards shows,” Bryan told his “Idol” co-hosts, pretending to be in shock. “I can handle this myself.”
Perry answered, “Yeah, we’ve seen them, that’s why we’re here.”
They then assisted him in presenting Stapleton with the first award.
The CMA Honors are famous for their heavy emphasis on performances. Hence, this year was no exception, with more songs awarded than awards.
As he sang “Heart on Fire,” flames surrounded Church on the stage. Pearce and Ashley McBryde then sang “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” as a duet.
Underwood and Jason Aldean performed a duet on their current hit “If I Didn’t Love You”. Real-life pals Kane Brown and Chris Young sang their smash duet “Famous Friends”. It was nominated in three categories but didn’t win.
Morgan Wallen was videotaped earlier this year hurling a racial epithet. Morgan was among the contenders for the album of the year. Wallen was disqualified from individual prizes by the CMA Awards Board of Directors, but he might still win for his work.
Wallen, who was not in attendance, received the loudest applause from the audience of all the album finalists.
If he had won, it would have been on a show that celebrated country music’s diversity and inclusiveness.
Stapleton joined Jennifer Hudson to pay respect to Aretha Franklin and the country songs she recorded with a stirring, gospel-style rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Night Life,” in addition to the remarks by Allen and Osborne, who also brought up his sexuality during the duo’s performance.
For her song of Black self-acceptance, “Love My Hair,” Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards joined Mickey Guyton at the CMA Awards.