The 46th Annual Country Music Awards (CMAs) premiered on ABC last Thurs. Nov. 1 and was held in Nashville, Tennessee. The program was hosted by country music icons Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood who have now presided over the program for five years.
The awards show began with a performance by country stars Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Eric Church who led the night with an inspiring opening act.
The three artists joined forces to sing a group version of the song “The Only Way I Know,” a song credited to Aldean himself. The singers additionally acknowledged the east coast and their struggles with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and throughout the program opportunities to donate were announced.
The award show then introduced their two hosts, Paisley and Underwood, who spent some time engaging the audience by promoting new television shows, poking fun at celebrities such as Taylor Swift, and even participating in a little “Gangnam Style” dance that Paisley likes to refer to as “Sexy Paisley.”
The show, which ran from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., included several performances including Tim McGraw who sang “One of Those Nights,” Miranda Lambert who sang “Fastest Girl in Town”, Eric Church who sang “Springsteen,” and Taylor Swift who performed her first live version of the song “Begin Again” off her new album Red.
Other performers included Faith Hill, Keith Urban with Zac Brown, Hunter Hayes, and The Band Perry.
Hosts Paisley and Underwood also performed, taking over the last two performance spots of the show. Paisley sang his song “Southern Comfort Zone” and Underwood performed her song “Blown Away”.
Additionally, there were several tributes to artists of the past, including a photo dedication for Andy Griffin and a musical tribute to Willie Nelson.
The CMAs has a total of 12 awards. While some are merely announced during the program, most are presented during the award show itself. Some of the winners include Blake Shelton as Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the year, Miranda Lambert as Female Vocalist of the year, and Little Big Town as vocal group of the year.
Other awards include Vocal Duo of the year, single of the year, album of the year, and song of the year.
Many celebrities including Tim Allen, Jake Owen, Hayden Panettiere, Kellie Pickler, Reba, and Lisa Marie Presley all presented awards and spent their evening watching the many performances and waiting to see who won each award.
The first CMAs was held in 1967 and has since has become a major aspect in American award show culture. For more information about the 2012 CMA’s, the performers, and winners please visit www.cmaworld.com.