NEW YORK – Carrie Underwood brought the Academy of Country Music Awards to church. Maren Morris won two awards, including song of the year. Miranda Lambert has performed three times and has maintained her track record as the most distinguished winner in ACM’s history. And Mickey Guyton, the first black woman to present the awards ceremony, gave a powerful, top-notch vocal performance.
While female country stars didn’t compete for the night’s top prize – Luke Bryan was named Entertainer of the Year – they owned Sunday’s ACM Awards.
Underwood’s performance stood out the most. Joined by gospel legend CeCe Winans, the dynamic duo blended their voices like angels on stage. Underwood played songs from her recent gospel hymn album ‘My Savior’, and started the set with ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness’. Then Winans joined in, matching her strong vocal performance.
Lambert performed three times, first with rock pop singer Elle King for a fun, energetic performance of their new duet “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).” Lambert, who founded MuttNation animal shelter, also performed alongside year-winner Chris Stapleton’s album for “Maggie’s Song,” a tribute to Stapleton’s dog who died in 2019. Her last performance was with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall.
The performances that aired Sunday were pre-recorded at several locations in Nashville, Tennessee, including the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium, and The Bluebird Cafe. Winners, wearing masks, received prizes in real time in front of a small audience of medical and health professionals.
Bryan was scheduled to perform on Sunday, but withdrew from the show because he recently tested positive for the corona virus.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there,” he said from Los Angeles. And for all my fans out there and country radio, we miss touring. We missed being out and about with anyone who makes me an entertainer. My bus drivers, my band, my crew, what a challenging year. But for all the fans and everyone we go out to do what we love. “
Morris spoke of the taxing year without live music when she won Female Artist of the Year.
“Really happy to be in a category with women who weren’t able to tour this year but brought so much excitement into the game on country music this year. You have inspired me so much, and even in a year when no one was allowed to play shows, I have heard the best music from all of you in the last year. So thank you very much for inspiring me, ”she said.
Collaborating on stage was the theme of the awards ceremony, and Morris and husband Ryan Hurd sang together, ending with a kiss. Tearful-eyed Morris won song of the year for her Grammy-nominated hit “ The Bones, ” which topped the country music charts for months last year.
Morris lost the single of the year where all the nominated songs were performed by female performers. Carly Pearce and Lee Brice’s platinum duet, “I Hope You’re Happy Now”, won the award.
“We wrote this song about my story and I think it appealed to everyone,” said Pearce onstage, also thanking Busbee, who produced the song and passed away in late 2019. “This is the last song my producer worked on.”
Another tender moment came when Blanco Brown presented Old Dominion Group of the Year. It was Brown’s first public appearance on Sunday after he was seriously injured in a head-on collision with the vehicle last year.
But the whole three-hour show didn’t go smoothly. Grammy-winning duo Dan + Shay played their latest hit, “Glad You Exist,” but the pre-recorded moment was out of sync.
“Apparently there was a problem with the audio / video sync on the television broadcast,” the duo tweeted. “We’re sorry, but it happens, especially when gigs take place in multiple locations.”
Another accident occurred when Martina McBride announced the winner of the single of the year. McBride rightly announced “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” although Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope” appears on the TV screen.
Pearce and Brice’s “I Hope You’re Happy Now” also won Music Event of the Year, while Barrett was named New Female Artist of the Year. Rhett won Male Artist of the Year and Jimmie Allen was named New Male Artist of the Year.
Those acts performed on Sunday, as did Alan Jackson, Lady A, Blake Shelton, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne and Guyton, who gave an all-star performance of “Hold On” on the show, which she hosted with Keith Urban. She recently had her first child and this year became the first black solo female to be nominated for a Grammy in this country category.
Little Big Town also performed – but as a trio. The Grammy winners have been singing “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” without band member Phillip Sweet since he recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Sweet and Bryan weren’t the only country stars missing from the show. Morgan Wallen, whose latest album and singles have had major success on both the country and pop charts, was declared ineligible by the ACMs after being caught on camera with a racist slur earlier this year.