The 56th Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards took place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, November 9 evening. Hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the CMAs brought together a host of singing pros, guitar aces and several music legends for three hours.
The show opened with a tribute to country pioneer Loretta Lynn, who died on October 4 at the age of 90, by Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood. Before the night was over, Alan Jackson received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award and received an exuberant musical tribute from Dierks Bentley, Lainey Wilson and others. Jackson himself closed his own musical tribute by playing his 1991 single “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”, a No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. “I can’t thank everyone who has been in my life all these years, but I have to say thank you to my wife Denise,” Jackson said. “We started as teenagers and she hung on and went on this roller coaster ride with me…. She is my best friend.”
The big winner of the evening was Luke Combs, who won the prestigious CMA Artist of the Year. A tearful Lainey Wilson was named Female Vocalist of the Year, and Chris Stapleton was honored with the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. See the full list of winners here. Below, check out some of the standout moments from the 2022 CMAs, from Katy Perry’s performance with Thomas Rhett to the smoldering duet of HARDY and Wilson.
