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Keith Urban is pleased to accept the award for the 52nd annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. (Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
Emily Yahr
Style reporter cover pop culture and entertainment
At the end of the Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday night, introduce Lionel Richie to the show's biggest hit. In the audience, someone yelled "Chris Stapleton!" Everyone laughed, because Stapleton is an industry favorite, and would probably win.
But then Richie opened the envelope and read the name: "Keith Urban!"
No one looked at more than Urban, who is approaching the fourth decade of his career, and the last won in the year 2005. Urban has become emotional and uncomfortable.
[After some criticize Keith Urban’s ‘Female’ for ‘mansplaining,’ country singers push back]
"Thank you so much. . . I am shocked beyond shocked, "he told the cheering crowd. Nicole Kidman ("Baby girl, I love you so much"), and their two daughters, and wrapped up by thanking his fans: "I just feel very, very hurt, very grateful that I get to do what I do. . . God bless country music. "
Stapleton, of course, did not seem to mind the loss. Broken Halos, the most powerful and powerful song of the year, was created by Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney. missed the show because of a death in his family.
Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean perform "Drowns the Whiskey" at the CMA Awards. (Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
Elsewhere, Carrie Underwood won female vocalist. Osborne Brothers have been named vocal of the year for the third time in a row and provided the night's only political quip. ("If this was in Florida, there would definitely be a recount.") Old Dominion nabbed vocal group, ending Little Big Town's six-year winning streak. Rookie hitmaker Luke Combs won new artist. In a surprise victory, Kacey Musgraves beat Stapleton, Urban, Thomas Rhett and Dierks Bentley for the album of the year prize.
The three-hour telecast opened in Thousand Oaks, Calif., As the producers showed all 12 names on the screen.
"Tonight 's show," said Garth Brooks, "before the audience in a moment of silence. "Tonight, let's celebrate their lives, let the music unite us with love and their enduring memory."
A complete list of winners and nominees is here – here's a rundown of some of the best and worst moments.
BEST
Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris and Mavis Staples's performance.
Do you know what you're doing in the world? CMAs moment (remembering your career-making duet with Justin Timberlake in 2015?) Along with Morris, the breakout country star, and Staples, the gospel legend, the group slow their powerhouse vocals to "Friendship" and "I'll Take You There." Stapleton's wife, Morgane, joined in, along with Marty Stuart and gospel choir.
The crowd goes wild: While "Friendship" is a track on Stapleton's CMA-nominated album, it was originally recorded by Staples' father, Pops Staples. "I'll Take You There" is the 1972 hit from Staples' family band, the Staple Singers. And we have broken a record for the number of times a variation on the word "staple" has been used in a single news story.
Chris Stapleton, from left, Maren Morris, Mavis Staples and Morgane Stapleton perform "I'll Take You There" at the 52nd Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday in Nashville. (Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
Kacey Musgraves's big night.
[Why it’s a big deal that Kacey Musgraves won album of the year at the CMA Awards]
Musgraves, who had one of the night's best performances with the mesmerizing "Slow Burn," looked shocked. "This is really, really crazy timing, because I just got this morning – it's like a decade ago, I moved to Nashville," she said. "Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, my two co-producers, made this record with me, and we poured everything we have into this. And I'm so proud of it. "
Kacey Musgraves accepts the award for album of the year. (Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
The Ricky Skaggs tribute.
Although there is a constant debate about what's considered "real" country music, it's always fun watching the reactions of the musicians (from pop-leaning to more traditional) This year, they went crazy during the tribute to bluegrass star Ricky Skaggs, one of the recent inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Accompanied by Urban, Brad Paisley and John Osborne – Some of the best guitarists in Nashville – Skaggs played "Black Eyed Suzie," "Highway 40 Blues" and "Country Boy." There were lots of dancing in seats, while some (such as Martina McBride) recorded the epic show on their phones.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood's lovefest.
Although sleepy acoustic ballads can be mood-killers, this was actually pretty sweet. (Sample lyrics: "If I have a choice, I'd pray God takes me first, cause you're stronger than me."The camera panned back and forth between Brooks and Yearwood too intimate of a moment. Mostly, it was just adorable.
Luke Bryan's opening number.
Bryan kicked off the night with "What Makes You Country" and Ashley McBryde and Lindsay Ell, along with Jon Pardi, Luke Combs, Chris Janson and Cole Swindell. Not only were the guests a surprise, but it was a lot of fun.
The Pistol Annies.
Did you ever thought you would see Miranda Lambert playing a washboard on national television while singing a song that maybe-not-but-probably takes a shot at her ex-husband, Blake Shelton? The Pistol Annies – Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley – were in fine form at the CMAs, adding to the proud, incredibly catchy "Got My Name Changed Back."
Ashley Monroe, from left, Angaleena Presley and Miranda Lambert of Pistol Annies perform. (Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
Impressive songs from rising artists.
Luke Combs ("She Got the Best of Me") and vocal duo nominee Dan + Say ("Tequila") got big hits for their singles. It's no surprise for either, with Combs's solid performance of one of his biggest hits, or Shay Mooney's hitting a ridiculous high note as he closed the song.
WORST
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood's monologue.
This pair has been hosting the CMAs for 11 years, and they've developed excellent comic timing. However, this year. . .wasn't great. While these parody songs are typically a highlight, these fell flat: Such as "A Star Is Bored," in which they made fun of all the snoozing celebrities in the audience. Except it did not make sense, because the show had just started, and no one was bored; Both Urban and Stapleton looked confused when they were called out.
Even a cameo from viral country sensation Mason Ramsey could not help. There were also many jokes about Underwood's pregnancy, such as guessing the identity of the father. When they were poking fun in the Nashville, Paisley said, "In 2019, I hear Carrie is going to be opening her very own milk bar." ("For a very exclusive clientele!" She added. )
However, we will give them credit for the joke about Emmys, and have someone offers on stage.
"Carrie, that's not our style. This is country music, "Paisley reminded her. "So during tonight's broadcast, one of our winners is going to be getting divorced."
Brad Paisley makes Carrie Underwood wear a bubblewrap dress, to prevent another injury. (Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
Lauren Alaina's inexplicably short tribute.
Lauren Alaina performs a full song on her own? The trainer "American Idol" runner-up has demonstrated his killer vocals again and again and finally had some radio success last year. But she only got a brief performance slot, in which she sang "A Lesson in Leavin '" as a tribute to Dottie West, a recent Hall of Fame inductee. While the new artist nominees all had varying degrees of time on internship, Alaina has more than earned a chance to at least sing her own material.
Lauren Alaina performs as she announces Dottie West is in the Country Music Hall of Fame. (Harrison Mcclary / Reuters)
The lack of explanation for Midland 's Burt Reynolds tribute.
The trio's rendition of Jerry Reed's "East Bound and Down" was extremely entertaining – even though it was not so much about the "Smokey and the Bandit" theme song, which we imagine is at least share of the CMA hearing. The announcer promised before the break that Midland would "salute a Hollywood legend" but never mentioned that it was Burt Reynolds, who died this fall. The video clips on-screen eventually showed Reynolds, though it took awhile.
Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, and Mark Wystrach of Midland. (Michael Loccisano / Getty Images)
Complete list of winners and nominees:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban – winner
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"From A Room: Volume 2," Chris Stapleton
"Golden Hour," Kacey Musgraves – winner
"U Graffiti," Keith Urban
"Life Changes," Thomas Rhett
"The Mountain," Dierks Bentley
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
"Broken Halos," Chris Stapleton – winner
"Drinkin 'Problem," Midland
"Drowns the Whiskey," Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert
"Meant to Be," Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line
"Tequila," Dan + Shay
SONG OF THE YEAR
"Body Like a Back Road," Sam Hunt (written by Sam Hunt, Crowne Zach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
"Broken Halos," Chris Stapleton (written by Chris Stapleton, Mike Henderson) – winner
"Drowns the Whiskey," Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert (written by Brandon Kinney, Jeff Middleton, Josh Thompson)
"Drunk Girl," Chris Janson (written by Chris Janson, Carusoe Scooter, Tom Douglas)
"Tequila," Dan + Shay (written by Dan Smyers, Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds)
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood – winner
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dierks Bentley
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton – winner
Keith Urban
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lauren Alaina
Luke Combs – winner
Chris Janson
Midland
Brett Young
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum
LANCO
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion – winner
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne – winner
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
Sugarland
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
"Burning Man," Dierks Bentley feat. Osborne Brothers
"Dear Hate," Maren Morris feat. Vince Gill
"Drowns the Whiskey," Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert
"Everything's Gonna Be Alright," David Lee Murphy with Kenny Chesney – winner
"Meant to Be," Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
"Babe," Sugarland (Taylor Swift)
"Pretty Cry," Carrie Underwood
"Drunk Girl," Chris Janson
"Marry Me," Thomas Rhett – winner
"Tequila," Dan + Shay
Read more:
Miranda Lambert is a superstar. But can she get a No. 1 on radio only if she sings with a man?
Florida Georgia Line could have been a one-hit wonder. Instead, they built an empire.
Inside country music's complex – and lucrative – love affair with alcohol
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