The CMA Awards are the talk of the country music world right now, and unfortunately for them, it’s not the kind of press you want.
The 60th annual CMA Awards are set to take place on November 18 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and ahead of the ceremony, the CMAs announced that the show would pay heavy tribute to ’90s country, which is awesome… that’s the era that I grew up in, the era that shaped my country music fandom.
In a press release, the CMA Awards said:
“We’ll reach back some to the early days of the CMAs, but really, the hot artists today, their heroes are the stars of the ’90s. So the ability in this show to really focus on reaching back to there.”
Of course, when it comes to ’90s country stars, Sammy Kershaw is an absolute staple of the era. With hits like “Queen Of My Double Wide Trailer,” “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful,” “Cadillac Style,” “Third Rate Romance,” and the severely underrated “Politics, Religion & Her,” it’s hard to pay tribute to the ’90s without mentioning his name.
But apparently that’s not enough to get onto the red carpet at the CMA Awards…
Kershaw recently took to social media and revealed that the CMAs DENIED his request to walk the red carpet ahead of this year’s ceremony, expressing his disappointment at the organization as a CMA member himself:
“Well, I just found out some disappointing news and it really hurts me. I have to share my disappointment with the CMA as they have denied my request to walk the red carpet for a few minutes at this year’s CMA Awards, and I have to say I’m pretty sad about it.”
He went on to say that he doesn’t go to awards shows often, but planned on making a special trip with his wife this year since there was a 90s country tribute.
“After more than 50 years in this business, many millions of records and singles streamed and sold, more than two dozen Billboard charted hits, a CMA Horizon Award nomination, being a lifetime CMA member, that they presented to me in 1992, and being asked to donate my time to play CMA Fest, I would hope I’ve earned the opportunity to walk the red carpet alongside my wife, as we’ve done before.”
Upon Kershaw’s posting, many of his fellow country artists spoke up in his defense in his Instagram comments, including the likes of Riley Green, Carly Pearce, Jake Owen, Meghan Patrick, Ty Herndon, Drew Baldridge, who offered up his red carpet spot, and more. Mark Chesnutt went scorched Earth on the CMAs for their treatment of Sammy, as did Rodney Atkins, who says he also was denied.
Of course, the whole thing is utterly ridiculous and embarrassing for the Country Music Association, and I love that fellow artists are calling them out.
But it’s certainly not the first time they’ve disrespected a country artist, and the whole fiasco got me thinking about another incident in 1999…
Alan Jackson Goes To Bat For George Jones
Back in 1999, the CMA Awards disrespected one of the greatest country singers of all time – and got called out for it on their own stage.
That year, country legend George Jones had released “Choices” as the lead single from his Cold Hard Truth record. The Billy Yates and Mike Curtis-penned song was a massive hit, winning a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance though it failed to crack the top 25 on the country charts.
The song was also nominated for Single of the Year at the CMA Awards later that year, and Jones was invited to perform it during the show – sort of.
For some reason, organizers were only going to give Jones one minute to sing an abridged version of the song. Just one minute (probably leading into a commercial) for a country music legend like George Jones? You’re not the only one Sammy…
Well Jones didn’t think it was worth it to get all dressed up for one minute of stage time, so he refused to show up to the awards at all. He felt incredibly disrespected, and who could blame him? But he wasn’t the only one who was upset by the snub.
Alan Jackson, who was up for Male Vocalist of the Year, was scheduled to perform his then-current single “Pop a Top.” And he did perform his own song… briefly… and then he abruptly stopped after the first chorus and broke into his own version of George Jones’ “Choices.”
A big ol’ middle finger to the show and the producers…
Jackson received a standing ovation for making a bold and defiant statement to the very show he was performing on. And after his protest performance, he simply turned and walked offstage and out of the building, not even returning to his seat for the night.
It was a gesture that Jones would later say meant a lot to him:
“What he did meant more to me than I could ever say. I was watching the show, and when he began singing ‘Choices,’ it moved my wife Nancy and me both to tears.
He made a huge statement on my behalf, and on behalf of traditional country music, and didn’t worry about what the consequences might be.”
Alan later explained his reasoning for the song choice, and it’s exactly what you think… he was mad that they did George dirty like that, while also admitting that it’s very common for songs to get cut (Waylon once walked out when they asked him to cut his down).
But George Jones wasn’t just anybody… he’s a Mount Rushmore level country artist.
“I was glad to do it. I felt strongly about it, and I know I’ve been on awards shows for 10 years, and they’ve been real good to me. And I’ve had to fight to try to do my whole song.
They ask most artists at one time or another to reduce your song, and it’s not unusual. And people say, ‘Well everybody has to do that.’
But George Jones isn’t everybody. That’s why I felt strongly about it, that he deserved a little more than everybody else… It deserved a little more respect.”
Exactly. He’s George Jones. Put some damn respect on his name.
So my question now… who’s gonna break out some “Queen Of My Double Wide Trailer” during their performance slot for this upcoming awards ceremony? The full list of performers hasn’t been announced yet, but I could see Zach Top, Cody Johnson or Riley Green pulling a similar stunt.
And if they did… there’s NO doubt whatsoever the crowd would absolutely lose it. It would show the ultimate respect to Sammy, a legend who helped has paved the way before them, and it would be guaranteed to be the talk of the entire show.
Who’s gonna have the stones to follow in Alan’s footsteps?
CMA Awards 2026 – Nominees & Performers
The 2026 CMA Awards will air live from the Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 18th on ABC with Lainey Wilson hosting solo this year.
In terms of nominees, women absolutely dominate this year, with Ella Langley riding the highs of her record-shattering success with “Choosin’ Texas” to a staggering nine nominations. These nominations include her first-ever Entertainer of the Year nod, Album of the Year for Dandelion, Single and Song of the Year for both “Be Her” and “Choosin’ Texas,” Female Vocalist of the Year, Music Event of the Year (“I Can’t Love You Anymore” with Morgan Wallen) and Music Video of the Year (“Choosin’ Texas”).
Right behind her with seven is “Choosin’ Texas” co-writer and superstar, Miranda Lambert, who snagged seven nominations. These include her work on both Langley’s Dandelion and “Choosin’ Texas” as well as Female Vocalist of the Year, and two Musical Event of the Year nods for “A Song to Sing” with Chris Stapleton and “Horses and Divorces” with Kacey Musgraves.
Speaking of Musgraves, she made her grand return to the top of the nominations at the CMAs with five. This year, she scored Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Middle of Nowhere, Song and Music Video of the Year for “Dry Spell” and the aforementioned Musical Event of the Year for “Horses and Divorces” with Lambert.
Leading the charge for the men are the likes of Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson and Stephen Wilson Jr with four nominations. In particular, Wilson Jr. is primed to have a huge night.
And of course, several of the nominees will be performing, as it was just announced that Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, Red Clay Strays, Tim McGraw, Zach Top and Tucker Wetmore are the first group to be announced as performers.
Several of them will be part of a Dolly Parton tribute as well, and it’s definitely a solid group with more artists to be announced as performers soon:
“Celebrating six decades of Country Music’s Biggest Night with an evening full of unforgettable performances. Your favorite artists are taking the CMA awards stage on Wednesday, Nov. 18 on ABC and Disney Plus.
You don’t want to miss this. Featuring performances by Cody Johnson, Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Red Clay Strays, Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore and Zach Top.”
This night will be extra special as the CMA Awards celebrate six decades of the show, so don’t be shocked to see a few surprises on the night of too:
You can see the full list of nominees below.
Entertainer of the Year
- Luke Combs
- Cody Johnson
- Ella Langley
- Chris Stapleton
- Lainey Wilson
Album of the Year
- Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top
- Dandelion – Ella Langley
- Middle of Nowhere – Kacey Musgraves
- Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum
- The Way I Am – Luke Combs
Song of the Year
- “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley
- “Be Her” – Ella Langley
- “Beautiful Things” – Megan Moroney
- “Dry Spell” – Kacey Musgraves
- “Gary” – Stephen Wilson Jr.
Single of the Year
- “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley
- “Be Her” – Ella Langley
- “I Knew It, I Knew You” – Taylor Swift
- “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson
- “The Fall” – Cody Johnson
Male Vocalist of the Year
- Luke Combs
- Cody Johnson
- Chris Stapleton
- Zach Top
- Stephen Wilson Jr.
Female Vocalist of the Year
- Miranda Lambert
- Ella Langley
- Megan Moroney
- Kacey Musgraves
- Lainey Wilson
New Artist of the Year
- Avery Anna
- Carter Faith
- Emily Ann Roberts
- Tucker Wetmore
- Stephen Wilson Jr.
Vocal Duo of the Year
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Muscadine Bloodline
- Thelma & James
Vocal Group of the Year
- Lady A
- Little Big Town
- Midland
- Old Dominion
- The Red Clay Strays
Musical Event of the Year
- “A Song to Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton
- “Horses and Divorces” – Kacey Musgraves & Miranda Lambert
- “I Can’t Love You Anymore” – Ella Langley & Morgan Wallen
- “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” – Carly Pearce & Riley Green
- “McArthur” – Hardy, Eric Church, Morgan Wallen & Tim McGraw
Music Video of the Year
- “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley
- “Dry Spell” – Kacey Musgraves
- “Gary” – Stephen Wilson Jr.
- “The Fall” – Cody Johnson
- “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton
Musician of the Year
- Tom Bukovac – Guitar
- Jenee Fleenor – Fiddle
- Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
- Rob McNelley – Guitar
- Charlie Worsham – Guitar
