Everything We Know About the CMA Awards: Performers, Presenters and More

The 2019 CMA Awards air Wednesday night from Nashville, and like always, there are sure to be some great performances, surprise wins and red carpet-worthy fashion moments.

The CMA Awards are known as country music’s biggest night, and each year’s winners are determined by over 7,300 members of the Country Music Association, who cast their votes for the act they think is most deserving of that iconic glass trophy. With three of the genre’s major stars serving as host and many more up for awards, the 2019 awards are sure to be a night to remember.

Read through for everything we know about this year’s ceremony.

The Hosts

The CMAs will be hosted by Carrie Underwood for the 12th straight year, but the Oklahoma native has a new pair of co-hosts this time around. Instead of Brad Paisley, Underwood will be joined by co-hosts Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, with the night to focus on highlighting the women of country music.

“I feel like the whole tone of the night is just going to be very heartfelt and sincere,” she told Good Morning America. “Of course we’re going to have fun moments because it’s me and Dolly and Reba, but it’s a tribute to legends — women of country music, the now, current people and we’re looking to the future, too.”

The Performers

– Kelsea Ballerini with Lindsay Ell, Maddie & Tae, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce and Runaway June

– Kelsea Ballerini

– Dierks Bentley, Sheryl Crow, Chris Janson and John Osbone will honor Kris Kristofferson

– Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton will hit the stage for their duet, “Dive Bar”

– Brooks & Dunn and Brothers Osborne will team for Brooks & Dunn’s “Hard Workin’ Man”

– Eric Church will perform his song “Some of It”

– Dan + Shay

– Lady Antebellum and Halsey will deliver a “genre-bending mashup”

– Luke Combs will sing his hit “Beer Never Broke My Heart”

– Miranda Lambert will share her new single “It All Comes Out in the Wash”

– Reba McEntire will perform “Fancy”

– Maren Morris will sing “GIRL” in her first performance since announcing her pregnancy

– Willie Nelson and Kacey Musgraves will reunite to perform Nelson’s “Rainbow Connection”

– Old Dominion

– Dolly Parton will join For King & Country and Zach Williams for a gospel medley of “God Only Knows,” “There Was Jesus,” and “Faith”

– Pink and Chris Stapleton will team up for their duet “Love Me Anyway”

– Thomas Rhett

– Blake Shelton will hit the stage to sing “God’s Country”

– Carrie Underwood will perform her new single “Drinking Alone”

– Keith Urban will perform “We Were”

The Opening Number

Underwood, McEntire and Parton will open the show along with Tanya Tucker, Crystal Gayle, Martina McBride, Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Gretchen Wilson, Jennifer Nettles and the Highwomen, whose members include Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Natalie Hemby and Maren Morris.

“We are having this big, monster open,” Underwood said last week while guest hosting Live With Kelly and Ryan. “Dolly, Reba and myself kind of have the first song in our open, but there’s a lot of faces that people are just excited to see on the show. A lot of strong, incredible women in country music that I’ve loved forever and just glad I’m going to get to be in the same room with them.”

The Presenters

Presenters include Bobby Bones, Blanco Brown, Hannah Brown, Deana Carter, Kristin Chenoweth, Janie Fricke, Jim Gaffigan, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, Martina McBride, Midland, Craig Morgan, Jennifer Nettles, Madelaine Petsch, J.B. Smoove, Pam Tillis, Morgan Wallen and Trisha Yearwood.

The Awards

Maren Morris is this year’s most-nominated artist, picking up six nods including nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for GIRL. Brothers Osborne has four nominations and several artists have three, including Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Kacey Musgraves, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood.

As always, Entertainer of the Year will be a closely-watched category, with Garth Brooks, Church, Stapleton, Underwood and Keith Urban vying for the honor this year.

How to Watch

The awards will take place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and will air on ABC at 8 p.m. ET until 11 p.m. ET. You can go to CMAawards.com/watch to to find your ABC affiliate and services live streaming the awards. 

ABC’s On The Red Carpet at the CMA Awards will air live on ABC from 7:30-8:00 p.m. ET, and that show will also be live streamed starting at 6:30 p.m. at OnTheRedCarpet.com and CMAawards.com/redcarpet. Entertainment Tonight will also be live streaming from the red carpet at ETOnline.

A Long History

The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967, and the CMA Awards was broadcast for the first time the following year. It is now the longest-running annual music awards program on network television and has aired on ABC since 2006. This year’s ceremony will be the 53rd annual event.

Photo Credit: Getty / Jo Hale