Glen Campbell Wins 1st CMA in 49 Years, Willie Nelson 1st in 15 via Vocal Event of the Year
Stop by Wednesday night (11-8) for Saving Country Music’s LIVE blog of the CMA Awards
If you’re looking for further evidence that the tide may be turning more in the direction of a deeper appreciation of traditional country, we just received quite a significant sign. Yes, the sympathy vote most certainly factored into this, but the achievement and its symbolic and subsnative importance shouldn’t be understated.
Ahead of Wednesday’s (11-8) 51st Annual CMA Awards, the combination of Willie Nelson and Glen Campbell walked away with the trophy for Vocal Event for the Year. It stems from their duet of “Funny How Times Slips Away” that appears on Glen Campbell’s final album, Adiós. The award was announced pre-telecast, along with Video of the Year that was awarded to Brothers Osborne for “It Ain’t My Fault.” Willie Nelson wrote “Funny How Time Slips Away,” and it was first released by Billy Walker in 1961, with subsequent cover versions making it a country music standard.
The last time Glen Campbell won a CMA Award was in 1968 for Entertainer of the Year. He also won Male Vocalist of the Year in 1968. Willie Nelson also breaks a long spell with no CMAs with the win. His last CMA was in the same category, when he won for “Mendocino County Line” in 2002 with Lee Ann Womack. Willie also had a Lifetime Achievement Award named after him in 2012 by the CMA, and became the inaugural recipient, but this is the first category win for Willie since George W. Bush was President.
To win, Glen and Willie had to beat out stiff competition from many of country’s mainstream radio stars, including Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Eric Church and Rhiannon Giddens, and Kenny Chesney with Pink. Unfortunately the CMAs chose to award this pre-telecast, as opposed to allowing Cambell’s family an opportunity to receive it in front of a television audience.
2017 CMA Musical Event of the Year
“Craving You” – Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris
“Funny How Time Slips Away” – Glen Campbell with Willie Nelson – WINNER
“Kill a Word” – Eric Church feat. Rhiannon Giddens
“Setting the World on Fire” – Kenny Chesney with Pink
“Speak to a Girl” – Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
November 8, 2017 @ 9:29 am
Would they have voted this if he didn’t die?
Funny, I actually pulled out some Glen and Willie material last week.
November 8, 2017 @ 10:28 am
He probably wouldn’t have been nominated in the first place
November 8, 2017 @ 9:38 am
This means absolutely nothing.
Come on, Trigger, I know you like to make mountains out of molehills, but this absurd. This is an industry, dominated by city born, rock ‘n’ roll raised, urban dwelling corporatists, who are paying homage to a dead guy in order to save face, and to a pot smoker, who has the cool factor among millennials.
The tide is not turning. If the tide were turning, Mo Pitney would be nominated for the horizon award.
November 8, 2017 @ 9:46 am
One less win for Thomas Rhett, Kenny Chesney, and “Pink” who shouldn’t be nominated anyway, and another reason to pay attention to a couple of men who actually make country music, and performed a country song. I’ll take that any day and be grateful for it.
November 8, 2017 @ 1:51 pm
Be grateful if you want. But the tide is not turning, and this award should not be misinterpreted as such.
I won’t be grateful, because I’m not a dog and I don’t like bones. Also, the Country Music Association rendered itself illegitimate a long, long time ago, so nothing they do impresses me.
The “good” things they do, are more fraudulent than the bad things they do, because the bad things are more honest. They SHOULD have Sam Hunt play, because that’s who, and what, they are.
November 8, 2017 @ 2:03 pm
I like the way you thunk the awards shwos are farcicaal and they always try to throw us bonesss and every time they promise a tribute its some thrirty second joke or when they tried to get the “legends” to play and they all opened for a few minutes byt really didntt even get much repsect it bothered me and still I have to disagree that sam hunt should play becvauee the cmmaa awarsds are the fafce of country music and if people tune in to see what its about sam hunt is bad id rather they see chris stapleton so I wont want because I dont forgive the thing about haggard or the time they shafted the efends to make rom for beyonce who cant sing at all but if people watch I want them to see the good stuff even though I wont watch because I hate it chris stapleton won on my birthday two years ago it was the best present ever I hope he wins again but thanks for saying what needs to be said about being thrown vones because its the gospel truth and you can take it to the bank
November 8, 2017 @ 2:56 pm
English class is so underrated in the 21st century.
November 8, 2017 @ 4:38 pm
hi honky i am a retred entymology and cosmetology student anywwyay the arthrirrists got into my hans and i cant type on the computeeet anymore and my granddaughter got me this ipdo 4 for christ yams last year i opened it anyway i still cant use the autospell it doesnt autopseell it just shows me the right word but wont change it but yur abosososltly right about bering sthrown bones because the musical corporate giant that wants the monee is all about control so it tries to softenn our hearts Denmark by makng us thing thngs are better so i agree with you mostly especially aotu how fraudulent everything is but i disagree about am hunt becausss am hut is mow what people think of when we say countr music so putting him on the awards sjhow makes all country music look bad i think that at least having a wider varitty this year will help pople realise that there is different countrymusic than samtunt have a nice day
November 8, 2017 @ 9:52 am
I can’t listen to Glen Campbell with a straight face.
November 8, 2017 @ 11:48 am
I used to be you. Now I go back and listen to him, and all I hear is a guy who knew music inside and out. None of his hits is musically uninteresting. Can he be schmaltzy? Yes. Does his visual schtick make him look like a Mormon trying too hard to fit in? Yes. But was he a good guy, and good for country music? You better believe it. He could play rings around these laughable, mercenary, goof-off, industry confections.
So Glen gets a pass. Forever.
November 8, 2017 @ 10:29 pm
I agree, and he could play banjo like none other..He had a national tv show when county music was still considered ‘regional’…So kudos to Glenn.
November 8, 2017 @ 6:18 pm
listen to one of Geln’s 70’s 80’s or 90’s albums OR his latest . You’ll find not only the most amazingly -produced records around but absolute songwriting gems from J. Webb and others . Listen to the lyric of Larry Weiss’ ” Country Boy ‘ ….listen to a record from 1972 called reunion with jim Webb….and yeah LISTEN TO THE MAN’S FLAWLESS VOCALS AND EMOTIONAL DELIVERY on EVERY TRACK he ever laid down . NO ONE compares .
November 9, 2017 @ 10:15 am
Thank you Albert for a sensible reply.
I have followed Glen’s career since the 60’s and spent an amazing evening seeing Jimmy Webb kick off his tribute to Glen tour 2 years ago.
Glen had more talent in his little finger than any of these country want- to- be’s.
Or as my wife calls them the Hick-Hop generation. His latest album is a masterpiece.
November 9, 2017 @ 4:09 pm
Whiskey_Pete,
How old are you? Obviously you didn’t grow up during an era when country was real …
November 8, 2017 @ 10:14 am
Good for them, but go figure that this category is one of the few that don’t get televised. :\
November 8, 2017 @ 11:11 am
I love Glen and Willie, but they didn’t have much competition in this category.
November 8, 2017 @ 11:40 am
They have 0 competition in any category from today’s celebrities posing as singers of country music, and I’m not even a Glen Campbell fan. I did meet his older brother once at a service station I worked at in the 70’s and he was a pretty nice guy.
November 8, 2017 @ 12:45 pm
I m happy for Glen and Willie’s fans.Congrats.By the same token however,the question that needs to be asked is,if Glen were still with us today,would Glen have even been nominated,let alone win? I doubt it.Keep in mind,the CMA’s waited until Johnny Cash passed before not only nominating him,but giving him four awards.Like the gospel song Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper says “Give Me the roses while I live,trying to cheer me on, useless the flowers that you give After the soul is gone.”
November 8, 2017 @ 1:05 pm
I know this is mostly about Glen and Willie, but congrats to Brothers Osborne. When I first saw that video, I worried that people would overreact and freak out. I mean Trump does get hit by a truck, but for the most part, people got the joke and reference to Point Break and the video helped the song.
I’m excited to see their performance tonight and to see them win Duo of the Year.
November 8, 2017 @ 1:45 pm
Well no offense but you have a shitty fucking taste in music. And music videos. No offense
November 8, 2017 @ 2:09 pm
None taken.
November 8, 2017 @ 1:16 pm
grrreat news so glad to here this I love glen Campbell’s and willy Nielsen thees guys are what the musucuc is suppo to soud like to me I dont wanna here these stoopid luke btryan noickelodeon rejects give me steal guitars and faddles and mandarins and folks like jeans shepherd and Conway twitty and mel street and vince gill I like some newer stuff to but it just isnt like glen Campbell’s he was talented man and willy nelson is amazing and I hope that chris stapletonn wins over luke bryan and also I hope lue combs wins I like him he seems like such a nice guy and I think Thomas ehtt is dumb and I dont like sam hint and I am glad that Jason alderaan got snubbed so hopefully it wont be too bad and I cant watch im at work but ill watch the love blog
November 8, 2017 @ 1:55 pm
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere
November 8, 2017 @ 2:03 pm
its 4 here
November 8, 2017 @ 4:02 pm
And by the looks of things, you got started around noon.
November 8, 2017 @ 4:12 pm
gitta be wasted to enjoy the acm awards but no im totlltaly sabre
November 8, 2017 @ 6:51 pm
This guy just said to the last guy that said that he has arthritis in his hands and is trying to type on an iPad.
What a dick.
November 8, 2017 @ 1:35 pm
I think it’s well-deserved. But I don’t think it really means anything in the grand scheme of things.
November 8, 2017 @ 4:21 pm
This to me is simply the CMA spraying colongne on a fresh steaming dump.
The idea that Glen hasnt received an award from the supposed COUNTRY Music Association since 1968 speaks volumes. 1968.. Let that sink in. That is pre-Woodstock, if you want to look at it from a significant music event timescale. They couldn’t even fabricate some bogus Lifetime award in recognition of any of the albums he put out during his final years, or even after he came out with his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Simply put, the CMA (a supposed standard bearer in the genre) forgot that he was alive until he passed on. So CMA, take your half-assed attempt to pull on our heartstrings with your “award”/recognition and shove it. Rememver this award is so important that its presentation is the day before and not televised. This will be lumped in with the litany of awards read by some narrator just before a mid-show commercial break, when we also learn who got awards for “Best Wall Decor for An Independant Recording Studio” and “Best Lead-In to a Commercial Break by a Daytime Radio Show Host in a Small Market”.
So take your Pinks, and Justin Timberlakes, and Nellys (Nellies?), and Sam Hunts, and Beyonces and have fun. Save me the speeches on “how talented they are as performers” and such. Just like nobody tunes in to the Source Hip Hop Awards looking to see Mickey Raphael play harmonica with Kendrick Lamaar, this crap doesnt belong mixed in, and certainly doesnt belong permeating our award shows.
So, I’ll gladly go yet another year skipping the show unfortunately knowing I’ll probably miss a decent performance or two. And I’ll think to myself, “maybe next year” (when I am sure Don Williams will be up for Vocal Performance of the Year).
November 8, 2017 @ 4:22 pm
Nice!
November 9, 2017 @ 1:25 pm
Hopefully this latest pop country trend is just the intermezzo to cleanse our palettes of the shit sandwich that was bro country, preparing us for the main course of Real Country to come!
#TeamMo
November 11, 2017 @ 5:54 am
I was at the CMA Awards when they honored Glen with a medley of his hits by Keith, Vince & Brad. It was pretty cool, but they only did this cause they knew he was dying. It’s like a radio station I was listening when his movie & soundtrack came out for “I’ll Be Me”. They were telling how Glen has Alzheimer’s and this could be his last album. They didn’t even play any of his new songs and the station was called “New Country”. I guess that means new artists not new songs.