Eric Church Is Morgan Wallen’s Surprise Duet Partner at 2023 CMAs

Morgan Wallen and Eric Church’s friendship is well-documented, so it shouldn’t have been too much of a shock when the elder statesman, who’s been a mentor of sorts to Wallen, joined him for what was billed as a performance with a “surprise guest” at the 2023 CMA Awards.

Together, the pair recreated “Man Made a Bar,” their duet about the need for a place to drink away heartbreak that appears on Wallen’s album One Thing at a Time.

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The “Last Night” singer is a multiple nominee at the 57th annual CMAs, including a nod for the big prize of Entertainer of the Year. He’ll also compete for Male Vocalist of the Year and for Album of the Year, for One Thing at a Time.

Wallen and Church have developed a strong bond over the last few years. After the younger singer was embroiled in a 2020 scandal involving his use of a slur, Church steadfastly stood by him. Wallen posted photos of them golfing and fishing together and joined Church onstage a few times, including in 2021 at a Church headlining stop in Philadelphia.

Wallen will make a second appearance on the CMA Awards stage when he performs with Hardy and special guest Post Malone. The medley is going to lean heavily on country classics and highlight Malone’s increasing presence in country music: This week he was photographed in the studio with both Wallen and the songwriter Ernest, and later, Luke Combs. The rapper is slated to perform a set of country songs at the 2024 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California.

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