ACM Awards Add a Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani Duet and Carrie Underwood’s Salute to the Great Women of Country
The Academy of Country Music Awards are filling in the few missing pieces in a show next week that’s already heavy with previously announced performances, adding numbers by Carrie Underwood and the on-and-offstage duo of Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani.
Last year, in her final year as co-host of the CMAs, the other big country awards show, Underwood took part in an all-star opening salute to the great women of country. She’ll pay homage to the female trailblazers of the genre again this year at the ACMs — but handle the medley on her own this time. Her performance, which is being billed as in honor of the 95th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry, will consist of classic songs associated with Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride and Barbara Mandrell.
Shelton and Stefani will sing their recent collaboration “Happy Anywhere,” released in July as a followup to their No. 1-charting duet, “Nobody But You.”
Additionally, Trisha Yearwood has been slated to perform during the In Memoriam segment, singing “I’ll Carry You Home,” a song from her 2019 “Every Girl” album, in tribute to the figures the country music industry lost in the past year (or nearly year and a half, actually, since the 2020 telecast has been delayed by five months).
The program has also begun revealing presenters for the show, which airs a week from tonight. Lauren Alaina, Cam, Darius Rucker, Runaway June, TV/radio host Bobby Bones, model Lily Aldridge and the husband-wife team of Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black make up the slate announced Wednesday morning.
Previously announced performers for the Keith Urban-hosted telecast include Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, Tim McGraw, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Jimmie Allen, Tenillle Townes, Dan + Shay, Thomas Rhett with Jon Pardi, Old Dominion, Riley Green and Florida Georgia Line.
The show airs Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and on demand on CBS All Access.
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