No Zach Bryan. No In Memoriam. But Country Was Back at 2022 CMA Awards
Luke Combs said it best while accepting the trophy for Entertainer of the Year Wednesday night (11-9) at the 2022 CMA Awards: “This is my fifth or sixth year being at this awards show, and country sounded more country than it has in a long time tonight.”
In truth, country music and the CMA Awards righting the ship goes back even further. It was seven years ago at the 2015 CMA Awards where Chris Stapleton was the surprising winner for just about everything at a time when he was a relative unknown outside of his peers in the industry. Then Stapleton took the stage and shocked everyone by performing a 40-year-old song in “Tennessee Whiskey” with Justin Timberlake.
The moment was seen in many respects as a repudiation of Bro-Country, which was all the rage at that time. And both mainstream country and the CMA Awards by proxy have been on a positive trajectory ever since. But it was at the 2022 CMA Awards where it wasn’t just positive signs in a sea of negative ones. The balance of power shifted. There were more traditional country songs, tributes, and artists highlighted than contemporary ones. Many of the contemporary stars had a more traditional country sound. And it was the pop acts and performance that felt like the outliers and out of place.
The CMAs have always been willing to dedicate a 90-second segment here or there to trotting out some country legend. The performance of Chris Stapleton and Patty Loveless singing the country standard “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” lasted over six minutes, and had the song’s writer Darrell Scott playing dobro. A tribute to Loretta Lynn opened the show, and not only included a medley of her hits, but a full version of “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” It lasted around seven minutes. And aside from the handing out of the Entertainer of the Year award, the last 20 minutes of the 2022 CMA Awards was dedicated to paying tribute to Alan Jackson.
That’s not to mention Carly Pearce singing her Loretta Lynn tribute song “Dear Miss Loretta” with Ricky Skaggs and Sonya Isaacs, or Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark, Pillbox Patti, and Brothers Osborne playing “When Will I Be Loved” made popular by Linda Ronstadt, or a tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis by Elle King. You couldn’t get away from the country classics at the 2022 CMA Awards.
So what exactly is going on here? Not to be entirely cynical, but part of this is most certainly a business decision. The simple fact is that Gen Z and Millennial listeners are just not going to stop down their lives to watch a live music awards show. Many of them don’t consume television whatsoever, or even own one. So why not cater to the audience who may actually tune in, which is the older country fans and more dedicated country fans who’ve always been there for you, and who’ve been marginalized in large sum by the CMA Awards ever since Taylor Swift’s win for Entertainer of the Year in 2009.
But a lot of this just has to do with country music in 2022 being significantly more country. Lainey Wilson and Carly Pearce are new artists. So are Cody Johnson and Ashley McBryde. It just happens to be that their music sounds more country, and more classic. Luke Combs feels very similar to how Chris Stapleton has for years now: safe, and somewhat pallid. But even this is a solid improvement from the time when Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt were dominating the landscape, and repulsing actual country music fans.
Country music is back. And country music is back in country music, and at the CMA Awards specifically. Though pontificators who reside outside of the genre, yet command a large audience since they write for The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc. will continue to say differently, the path forward for country music has never been incorporating and integrating more with pop and hip-hop, but to remain unique and autonomous in the popular music landscape. We saw and heard more steel guitars on the CMA Awards stage Wednesday night than perhaps any time in the last 15 years.
That’s not to say incorporating pop and hip-hop can’t result in short-term commercial boosts like we saw with Bro-Country. But that stuff flames out so quickly, and demonstrably, and leaves a mess for the genre to clean up afterwards. This is why country music is still struggling to find significant traction for women, despite small gains.
If there’s one holdover from the Bro-Country era, it is Morgan Wallen. And despite his fans wanting him to win the biggest awards, and think piece writers rooting for him too so they could rip him apart and impugn country for recognizing him, country music and the CMAs did the right thing: they accepted Wallen into their fold again in an act of forgiveness—just like they did for Maren Morris who ultimately showed after saying she was worried she wouldn’t feel comfortable—but ultimately the trophies when to the more talented and worthy people in the room.
But the evening wasn’t perfect, and neither are the CMA Awards. What we didn’t see is some of the artists that are commanding significant attention from the non-radio and independent realm of country. We did get performances by The War and Treaty and Marcus King from the Americana realm, which was appreciated. But it was outright catastrophic that Zach Bryan wasn’t even invited to at least present an award, let alone perform or compete for the evening’s top prizes. Aside from Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan the biggest thing going in country music at the moment, arguably even bigger than Luke Combs.
“Guys I don’t and will never want to be considered at the CMA’s,” Zach Bryan said on Thursday morning. “My pride is fine and I appreciate all the love and support and I say it with every ounce of respect to other country artists. Establishments will always be weird … To be clear, I’m not trying to insult the validity of a CMA, I respect any artist who receives one and the existence of them; I’m just saying on a personal level it is not one of my priorities to have awards on a shelf in my home. There’s room for more important things there.”
But it’s not Zach Bryan who needs the CMAs. It’s the CMAs who need Zach Bryan, whether they recognize that at the moment or not. Despite Zach’s young fan base being part of the cord cutting generation, it is the kind of active fans base who would set an appointment to watch the CMA Awards if they knew Zach was performing, or up for top trophies. The CMAs didn’t just miss out on an artist, they missed out on a phenomenon.
And last but certainly not least, despite all the tributes and respects paid to country greats at the 2022 CMA Awards, it’s still a glaring omission that they continue to not air an In Memoriam segment running down all the country legends we’ve lost in the last year. The CMAs used to do this. The ACMs and Grammy Awards still do this. It may seem simple or perfunctory, but even taking 90 seconds to make sure all the fallen greats like Naomi Judd, Olivia Newton-John, Mickey Gilley, and even performers like Luke Bell are recognized goes a long way for friends, fans, and family.
The CMAs regularly draw undue criticism to themselves for this oversight, and no amount of tributes will wallpaper over taking the time to make sure that most everyone is at least pictured or named during the presentation.
Country music most certainly is seeing dramatic improvement, from the support independent artists receive outside of the mainstream industry, to even the CMA Awards which symbolizes the very centerpiece of the country music industry. It doesn’t mean problems and dilemmas don’t still linger, or a level of vigilance isn’t necessary to make sure things don’t backslide and continue to improve in regards to opportunities for all artists, and representation for every country fan.
But even more important is that we recognize the incredible gains we have achieved over the last six or seven years, and make sure we don’t just voice our displeasure, but also our appreciation and satisfaction, while also taking moments to bask in the bounty of joy that country music has contributed to our lives.
Traditional country music fans are so used to being forgotten, marginalized, or outright insulted and repudiated that it can be hard to wake up to the realities that things are changing in a positive direction. There is a lot of scar tissue around their hearts, and bad blood sowed over years to where even the mere mention of something like the CMA Awards draws scorn and ire. But it’s not 2014 anymore, it’s 2022. And in 2022, country music made its way back to the Country Music Association Awards.
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November 10, 2022 @ 11:22 am
Wonderful to hear Patty Loveless again and her duet with Chris Stapleton was the highlight for me. 2 wonderful singers. Surprised but really pleased to see Lainey Wilson win Female vocalist. Her new album is well worth a listen. Would have liked Midland to be group of the year and see some recognition of Zach Bryan. However, it was a night with some great COUNTRY music. Much more than in the previous recent awards shows.
November 10, 2022 @ 1:40 pm
Midland has a good sound but they lack songs that are lyrically up to the same standard as any hits from the 80’s or 90’s.
Hopefully soon I can turn my radio in the car to a country station for more than 3 minutes.
November 10, 2022 @ 11:24 am
All I can say is COUNTRY needs to remain COUNTRY. It should be twangy….with steel guitars and fiddles. I am not a fan of POP COUNTRY, COUNTRY ROCK…& GOD FORBID COUNTRY RAP / HIP HOP. Yes I am a traditionalist and love when I’m watching awards to see the older artists….THE LEGENDS!!!!! It warms my heart that they are still remembered and thought about. Our younger listeners should taste this music…to see what they think. Many would be surprised…how good it is. Without these LEGENDS country music wouldn’t still be alive and kicking. But we seriously need to keep it COUNTRY. If we don’t we’ll lose the genre….and that would be BAD!!!!
https://youtu.be/osHVpmFI9m8
November 10, 2022 @ 11:43 am
I haven’t watched them regularly for a couple years. Every October was a exciting time for me knowing that the CMA Awards were on and I could see my favorites. This is way before the internet and all we had were magazines and syndicated shows like Hee Haw. It was good and a nice change. My one question is why the need for certain singers to sing twice or three times a night during the show? Give others that spot that might not be a name yet.
November 10, 2022 @ 7:36 pm
Yes, we saw Carly Pearce and Lainey Wilson both sing multiple times. It could be that they really wanted to give those two face time, or they were just the ones that volunteered for all the tributes that happened on the night.
November 10, 2022 @ 11:49 am
I wish Morgan Wade could make her way into the circle as well. It was a decent show overall.
November 13, 2022 @ 12:36 pm
I saw Morgan Wade open for Turnpike last night. I honestly was not impressed.
November 10, 2022 @ 1:55 pm
Well, Zach said he doesn’t care so let’s leave it at that. Move on Trig. He will be just fine and the CMA’s can continue to move towards country music without him. However, he does need to be there no doubt.
Now, I think it is too early to call this a trend for the CMA’s and other equally dubious award’s shows. They have a knack for disappointing. We will have to see if this trajectory can sustain. Just don’t know yet.
Patty Loveless was her spectacular self. I hope this increases her visibility for the CMHOF. Harlan was chilling, even with Chris doing his usual over-the-top blues singing. The dude needs to adjust his singing for the song, but they both did great.
Alan Jackson just cemented himself into the hearts of everyone, if he hadn’t already. Pure class.
November 10, 2022 @ 2:16 pm
Trigger, I won’t be convinced until you tell me that it’s safe to listen to country radio again. 🙂
November 10, 2022 @ 2:31 pm
Myself I would not rush to say country is back to being country. When it all sounds country it will be back!
November 11, 2022 @ 1:22 am
It hasn’t “all sounded country” since before Chet Atkins got hold of it, replaced the banjos and steel guitars with lush string arrangements and cocktail-lounge piano to create “countrypolitan.” That was 50 years ago, and mainstream country radio has been a balancing act ever since — not just “real country’ vs. “countrypolitan” but vs. country-pop, country-rock, country-disco, country-rap, etc. I appreciate a well-crafted pop, rock or r&b song, so I don’t mind the “impure” country music on the radio as much as you (or Trigger) does. I’m fine with more rather than the unachievable all.
November 10, 2022 @ 2:41 pm
Man, Carly Pearce is AMAZING. I already love Dear Miss Loretta to begin with, but she brought me to tears with that performance. She’s an absolute star. ????
November 10, 2022 @ 3:35 pm
“Never Leave Harlan Alive”
An absolutely stunning cover of stunning song First time i heard this song was by a Swedish activist and singer Maxidata Märak. It isn’t as powerful as this one but still good.
November 12, 2022 @ 6:26 pm
First time I heard it was earlier this year, sung by David Alan Bell on his newest album. Dude is legit. This performance here was so breathtaking, I had to watch it twice. First time I went out of my way to watch a country awards show.
November 14, 2022 @ 1:28 pm
” I had to watch it twice. ” Me too, I watch five time in row…I haven’t watched any of these awards, But maybe I should start too…But having Trigger to do it for me works fine too. ????
November 10, 2022 @ 3:41 pm
Trigger, do you think some of the improvements to this year’s show are due to the CMAs retaining the same directors from last year’s show (which hasn’t happened for 2020 and earlier, according to IMDb) and the CMAs bringing in Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions to assist (whereas the CMAs has been the sole production company for many years)? Whatever they did behind the scenes this year, they need to continue doing it next year!
November 10, 2022 @ 3:44 pm
Not to mention that there were few (if any) audio issues with this year’s production, which almost never happens at the CMAs.
November 10, 2022 @ 7:41 pm
I’m not really sure. That may be a factor. To me, the best thing about the show was the talent booked and the tributes planned. The directors and production may have some say so in that, but I think that mostly comes from the CMA. It was a solid production though. I don’t remember any major flubs, though I would have not had festive music playing when Wynonna came out, or they should have cut it.
I do think there are some economic decisions going on behind all of this. I think they are trying to appeal to people who actually watch TV, which is not teenagers and passive country fans. It’s older folks, and those that grew up on country music.
November 10, 2022 @ 3:42 pm
I’m a millenial and watched the CMA’s last night and have to say I enjoyed most of it. The ladies of Lindeville (Ashley, Brandy, Patti, and Caylee) did justice to When Will I Be Loved. Wow they all sounded great. Linda and The Everly Brothers would be impressed. It just kept coming from Cody Johnson, to Sassy Miranda Lambert, Lainey and Hardy, and I got real excited to see JoDee Messina singing om stage. One of the absolute best performances of the night I felt was by Carly Pearce. She’s the real deal and the mainstream is damn lucky to have her. Even Kelsea Ballerini has gone country and I really like her next single coming out If You Go Down I’m Going Down Too. Also can we get a full country album from Kelly Clarkson? The Alan Jackson tribute was touching. I wanted a full rendition of Carrie doing Remember When and Lainey doing Neon Rainbow. There’s something about Alan Jackson gets me choked up everytime, he’s such a good guy. However the glass breaking moment of the evening was Patty Lovelace and Chris Stapleton. I am pretty sure I still have chills today from the performance and have listened to Patty’s version of that song all day.
The real misses for me were Thomas Rhett and Katy Perry, Morgan Snap Track Wallen, and Luke Combs. I think Luke is a great guy and can sing, but that song does nothing for me.
I was stoked to see Lainey represent and hoping between Lindeville and Ashley McBrydes new album in the spring that she gets her recognition next year. She’s incredible live, the real deal, and a solid human.
Overall it was a great show and hope the momentum keeps going. Those putting out country pop are about to get left behind, adapt or join the dust bin of country history.
November 10, 2022 @ 7:44 pm
Let’s appreciate that Chris Stapleton has now been a part of two of the best CMA performances in history: “Tennessee Whiskey” with Justin Timberlake, which is STILL one of the most popular songs in country here 7 years later, and this performance with Patty Loveless that was one for the ages. My guess is the CMA folks saw them do this at the Kentucky Rising benefit, and knew they wanted to put that on the CMA stage. Stapleton gets some grief for not being “country” by the purists. But the guy can damn well sure perform.
November 11, 2022 @ 5:51 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUKeTl0PRBc&ab_channel=TracyCollins
Carrie has done Remember When before. So good!
November 11, 2022 @ 8:47 am
WOW, that was really well good. I love that song, I appreciate you sharing.
November 10, 2022 @ 4:25 pm
I did not watch the CMA awards show for fear it would be all pop-country and other dreck I would not care to watch (or hear). It is encouraging that those awards may be heading back toward a “traditional” country sound.
November 10, 2022 @ 4:36 pm
Following along with the SCM live blog felt like old times.
November 10, 2022 @ 5:31 pm
Ricky Skaggs and Sonya Isaacs sounded great on, Dear Miss Loretta.
Pearce sounded like an off key theme park “entertainer.”
Same as when Ashley McBryde has to prop her up.
So glad some top tier talent was at the CMA’s last night, such as R. Skaggs and Patty Loveless.
November 10, 2022 @ 5:56 pm
It was a good show. It didn’t need Zach Bryan, being he isn’t country. It could have used a run down and remembrance of all lost. The fact that Bryan keeps getting touted on here is just bad form especially considering the tone with wallen calling him bro country. Wallens voice sounds far more country than anything Bryan will ever do. He doesn’t even have the right voice for it.
November 10, 2022 @ 7:50 pm
The reason Zach Bryan keeps getting mentioned here is because he continues to do remarkable things. When you have the biggest night in country music, and the 2nd biggest artist is nowhere to be found, it’s worth remarking on. I agree he’s not 100% country, but he’s a lot more country than Thomas Rhett, Katy Perry, the Carrie Underwood performance last night, and many other pop country stars. If Zach Bryan is knocking the worst of pop country down a peg, I’m all for it.
I feel like I have been very fair to Morgan Wallen. You have to appreciate that in regards to the rest of the media and basically anyone on Twitter, I’m a Morgan Wallen kiss ass because I said he shouldn’t be cancelled. But I’m still going to call a spade a spade. He is an improvement from Bro Country. But the song he performed at the CMAs was “You Proof,” and that’s a straight click track post-Bro song.
November 11, 2022 @ 6:57 am
Well I’ll agree about the song to a point though many country artist in the past have done similar type songs and weren’t labeled bro country. This goes back to early country days. My only complaint with wallen is his urban mannerisms but have to remember people today are growing up more cultured than ever before so you are going to have that. Far as Bryan. He’s number two on country charts because they chose to label him as that. If he was labeled correctly he would be number one on that chart, not number 2 on the country chart. But regardless, if you want to give him some country cred thats fine. I don’t think the shows need him but I can see your point about his popularity. I figure they will eventually get around to it especially if money is involved in some form or another. So best just to give it time. He’s doing well, no one needs to panhandle for him just like he said. He might not even go if offered, just remember that.
November 11, 2022 @ 8:15 am
Zach Bryan is also #1 on Billboard’s folk/Americana chart. So Billboard considers him as someone who straddles those two lines, and puts him in both categories. From the beginning I’ve said they guy is not pure country. Really, I think that goes without saying, and that’s not even really the point when we’re talking about something like the CMA Awards when Lil Nas X has one. Is he more country than most of what’s on the mainstream country charts? Of course he is. It’s not even worth discussing. It’s singer/songwriter music that features acoustic guitar, fiddle, and banjo. It’s country enough.
November 11, 2022 @ 9:44 am
I get he’s number one on a crossgen chart,. They say he straddles the line . What the awards shows have on them and what these charts have on them don’t really echo real country. Lil Nas or whatever is definitely not so he’s beside the point. If Bryan is on a show that’s fine but I still don’t think he’s necessary if having country sounds is what you want.
November 10, 2022 @ 8:06 pm
Im honestly not the biggest Zach Bryan fan, but, with that being said, it doesn’t make much sense to me for him to not be recognized whatsoever by the CMAs, considering the success he’s had this year with what he’s released. Agreed that Morgan Wallen has a more country accent, but I don’t consider his music itself to be all that country. Morgan might have the “right voice” but he certainly lacks everything else. Im still perplexed at how Wallen has become the anointed outsider, when he honestly reminds me more of Florida Georgia Line than someone like Jon Pardi. Seeing “You Proof” performed last night was almost as bad as that guy singing about a Chevy to Alan Jackson.
November 11, 2022 @ 1:35 pm
A Chevy to Alan Jackson??
You talking about Pardi or Breland who did the Chevy ad ?
November 11, 2022 @ 3:27 pm
Didn’t know the guys name at the time, but Breland is who I was referring to with the Chevy ad. Love some Pardi.
November 10, 2022 @ 6:08 pm
as someone who lives here in Kentucky and calls it home not seeing Tyler Childers up there on stage with either Ricky Skaggs ,Chris Stapleton and Patty Loveless tonight like the other night at the “Kentucky Rising” almost looks like it’s a personal thing with Tyler what’s next for next year the CMA’s going to invite his family and not him it just kills my soul maybe I’m being too sensitive but it really looks that way
November 10, 2022 @ 6:51 pm
Di Harris & David: The Duke of Everything,
I think both your comments are 100% correct, at least for my taste.
Thanks for having the intestinal fortitude to speak such things here.
I will also add John Pardi. Although I like him in the “studio”, he often seems off to me when watching a live performance.
November 10, 2022 @ 7:37 pm
I noticed that about pardi as well like he’s not comfortable playing live. I too like his stuff on the radio but he just sounded off at the show.
November 10, 2022 @ 10:03 pm
Zach Bryan is once again being humble with nothing to be humble about.
Still not a fan of teenage emo acoustic badly played music. There’s nothing in the orange.
The rest seems like a good sign.
November 10, 2022 @ 10:15 pm
I just want to say that this CMA presentation was the best that I’ve seen in years. I’ve been a country music fan since the 70’s, grew up during the Mickey Gilley/Johnny Lee days and followed the CMA shows through the years but stopped watching when pop country kicked into high gear and took over the mainstream. Yes Trig, there is definitely a marked improvement in the mainstream of country music and I think we saw/heard that reflected in the CMA presentation Wednesday night. I’ve been as critical of the CMA over the past few years just as much as anyone. This time, I want to say thank you to the CMA for getting it right. I hope the CMA will return country music back to the CMA stage next year and for many years to come. Well done CMA!
November 11, 2022 @ 6:05 am
Hardy is a tool but his performance with Lainey Wilson was unbelievable.
The CMAs this year are the only thing that is giving me hope for our nation
November 11, 2022 @ 6:39 am
If the CMAs want to cater to the older audiences and not rely on the millenials and Gen Zs … Then they should have nominated and invited Tim McGraw, George Strait, Dolly, Willie, Clint Black, Vince Gill, Kenny Chensey, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Blake Shelton as performers.
November 11, 2022 @ 7:46 am
I would have to hazard a guess at how long it’s been since I watched an awards show…
The hazardous guess would be the year 2000, but maybe longer.
I prefer reading good writing (look in the mirror Trigger) over watching most anything.
That said; Patty Loveless and Morgane Stapleton are the 2 classiest women in Country Music and that performance above validates that. And I love, love, love, Miranda. Chris is good too!
To my dismay, there is no mention of Cody Jinks, who has actually paid his dues to get to where he is, with NO mainstream fan fare. Zach Bryan can’t hold a candle to him. I also saw he has started work on a new COUNTRY album… imagine that.
November 11, 2022 @ 1:20 pm
Kinda telling that it took the incest organization CMA over 20 years to have “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” featured live on stage on their “biggest” night. Patty Loveless recorded this song for her 2001 album “Mountain Soul,” with the collaboration of writer Darrell Scott on dobro and Deanie Richardson on fiddle, who made it to the stage with her.
So, if that pattern holds up, at the CMA awards 2043, they may feature Zach Bryan’s “Something In The Orange,” even though I (personally) have a problem labeling him country, which does not mean, he isn’t an interesting singer-songwriter and the commercial impact he had this year. Even more impressive as he’s mostly (still) ignored by the media.
Else it was great to not see the “usual” radio suspects, the puke-inducing duos, and wanna-be bands… hey record labels – NOW is the time to sign and market real country music duos and bands…
November 11, 2022 @ 2:31 pm
Is part of Zach Bryan’s success is that he isn’t country regardless of where the charts place him? Trigger has mentioned Zach’s stream numbers, my question is can most of those people tell you who Jones, Merle or Lefty are? Is Zach good for country music, I don’t know, was Taylor Swift good for country? I can’t answer this because I live in my own country music bubble of the legends along with newcomers who should but probably won’t get the time of day on the radio? I’m the guy who like Alan Jackson said who is still waiting for someone with a voice like Randy Travis to turn this thing around.
November 11, 2022 @ 6:04 pm
Zach Bryan is not country like George Jones and Merle Haggard were country.
Zach Bryan is country like John Prine and Guy Clark were country. He’s a singer/songwriter who happened to go viral and become a superstar. He’s his own animal. But he’s more country than his is rock or hip-hop. So that’s that. As someone who has made a living calling out country artists for not being country, I have no problem calling Zach Bryan country. It’s just a non issue, at least for me.
I’m sure some Zach Bryan fans can list off country legends, some can’t. Same as pretty much every fan base, especially ones that lean younger.
November 11, 2022 @ 4:43 pm
Reading up more about Bryan’s comments I found that I guess it did bother him that he might very well have been snubbed. Apparently he submitted his stuff to be eligible for the Grammys. In response to someone wondering why he wanted a Grammy when he said he didn’t care about country awards, he scoffed at the idea that a cma was equivalent to a Grammy. Maybe he’s right, maybe he isn’t, I don’t personally care about the Grammys at all,never have but it tells me they were right not to have him on there.
November 11, 2022 @ 6:08 pm
The Grammy Awards have nominated and awarded Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Brent Cobb, Billy Strings, Bela Fleck, John Prine, Rosanne Cash, Wood & Wire, Sarah Jarosz, and on and on in the last few years, let alone historically. The CMAs don’t even come close to that. The CMAs are a commercial trade organization designed to promote the industry. The Recording Academy is a non-profit whose goal is to promote music in American society, from education in schools, to pop music in its most popular forms, and everything in between.
My prediction is that Zach Bryan gets numerous Grammy nominations, and performs on the presentation. We find out on Tuesday.
November 11, 2022 @ 7:30 pm
Well that’s fine. But my knowledge of the Grammys is it’s generally been a stuffy organization that’s prides itself as more important than other awards. At this point in my life, I don’t really care about any but the Grammys are the least of that to me. Maybe some people think they mean something’ great and top tier in society but for me the award belongs on the bottom shelf.
November 13, 2022 @ 7:39 pm
Hey Trigger, what would be helpful to us who are far out of the Nashville area code is an explainer on the differences between the various awards shows and organizations: there’s ACM, CMA, CMT, Grammys, etc, and while I get that CMT is a cable television station (that I don’t get) I could not tell you the difference between the CMA and the ACM and why there are two different organizations or how they choose whom to honor.
Just an idea for you on a slow release week.
Carry on.
November 13, 2022 @ 8:47 pm
Thanks for the suggestion. May not be a bad idea.
November 11, 2022 @ 9:36 pm
No “In Memoriam”? That stinks.
November 13, 2022 @ 6:42 am
Gotta be happy for Cody Johnson, he finally got the recognition he deserves, he’s a true great country artist, sounds great, has a pretty good catalog of songs, and can really write good lyrics. He is what we need more of in modern country music.
November 14, 2022 @ 3:29 am
mountain soul is one of my favourite albums ever, Loveless performance with Stapleton was stunning. Totally agree with the article that this year’s been a drastic improvement for mainstream country but..am i the only one thinking that this HARDY/ Wilson song sounds extremely stupid?
November 14, 2022 @ 6:57 pm
I have to admit– not only did I not watch the CMAs broadcast this year, I haven’t watched them for several years now, precisely because I’ve been so deeply disheartened at the state of much of mainstream/radio-oriented country. To be clear, I love Hank Williams Sr. and George Jones and Merle Haggard as much as any serious country fan, but I’m not an absolutely hardcore purist, when it comes to country music I can get down with some funky country-soul (I absolutely love Yola), and I can rock out with some gritty, heartfelt, country-rock (big fan of the classic first album, especially, by the Outlaws).
Basically, I just want my country artists, in general, to at least *not* sound like they are *all but embarrassed* to even be classified in the genre of country music! I can’t remember who said this, but I hate it when country artists sound like “bad pop with a fiddle.” With all of this said, when I saw the very encouraging articles and comments here at SCM on this year’s CMAs, I decided that I had to actually re-subscribe to a streaming service that I had let go some time ago, *just* to be able to catch this year’s show, after the fact.
Crow has never tasted so good to me, y’all! Country music is being saved! To be sure, there is still much work to be done on that front, and this wasn’t a *perfect* awards show for country music, if there is such a thing (and I don’t watch many awards shows, at all, anymore, for various reasons), but for the first time in a *quite a long* time, this country fan watched most of this year’s CMAs, smiling from ear to ear– and since I have it on streaming, I’m going to watch it again, purely for the enjoyment! My Wesley Hanna CD and T-shirt came in today too, so I’m in an especially good mood tonight. Now, that man deserves to be on the CMAs! A man can hope!