CMA Awards 50/50: 50th Annual CMA Awards are LONDON bound

The 50th Annual CMA Awards are coming to LONDON, England!

 CMA Awards 50/50: “Nothing Like the First Time"

Happy April Fools Day Folks! 

Advancing Country Music around the world is central to the Country Music Awards (CMA’s) mission and they are delighted to acknowledge the exhaustive efforts of their international and domestic colleagues and their dedication to developing new territories and fans for Country Music beyond their U.S. borders

The CMA Awards turn 50 in 2016, and they released a trailer for what is shaping up to be a very special anniversary.

Starting in 1968 they were held at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry (initially at Ryman Auditorium, and from 1974 through 2004 at the new Grand Ole Opry House).

In 2005, the awards show was held outside of Nashville at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Since 2006, they have been held at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. For 50 years, the CMA Awards stage has been home to Country Music’s most iconic moments. Legends have been born. Country Music royalty has been crowned. The songs that touch the depths of our souls have become timeless.

Following the phenomenal success of the 2016 C2C Country To Country Festival the CMA have now decided to take it one step further with their boldest move yet! 

With Bob Shennan, CMA Board member and BBC Director of Music, Bob Harris (OBE) and BBC Radio 2 rolling out the C2C red carpet treatment the CMA simply couldn’t resist!

YES! The 2016 country superstars and CMA nominees will be heading once again to London’s iconic O2 Arena in November for the award ceremony.

In this special year the CMA will be asking both present and past CMA hosts to take part.

1991/ 1992 host Reba McEntire will join Mr. CMA and 2013 C2C star Vince Gill (1994-2003), Brooks & Dunn (2004-2006) and 2008-2015 CMA hosts and C2C superstars Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.

It is doubtful that Bobbie Gentry will appear who co-hosted the first ceremony (which was not televised).

Bob Harris (OBE) is slated to present an award along with frequent British Country Music Awards host Steve Cherelle “The Big Man” of country music. Cherelle is best known as the presenter of the Sunday Country show on BBC Radio Essex which broadcasts right across the eastern counties. He is also a gigging musician remembered as Britain’s answer to the late John Denver on the popular 90s TV show Stars In Their Eyes.

During the 2016 Country To Country Festival Kacey Musgraves was presented with the International Artist Achievement Award. Formerly the International Touring Artist Award, the CMA International Artist Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who contributes to the awareness and development of Country Music outside the United States.

Kacey Musgraves & Bob Harris receive their CMA awards backstage
at the Country To Country 2016 Festival

Bob Harris received his fourth award from the CMA when he picked up the Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award for a second time. The Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievements in media, which contribute to the development of Country Music outside the United States. Radio, TV, print journalists, authors, editors, television writers, producers, and PR companies, who reside outside the United States, are eligible to win this Award.

CMA has been associated with C2C since the inaugural event in 2013. CMA-sponsored activities in 2016 included the popular CMA Talks series, which featured “Live with Charles Esten” followed by a signing and “Nashville Heavy Hitters”.  

CMA Cinema returned with a screening of CMA Music Festival and CMA Songwriters Series shows featured Little Big Town and Darius Rucker. The joint CMA/Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation (NCVC) booth was the hot spot for autograph seekers in the O2 Arenas Town Square.

The popular CMA Songwriters Series featured Charles Esten, Lori McKenna, Ashley Monroe, Charlie Worsham, and host Shane McAnally – with a surprise appearance by 6 times CMA Award Female Vocalist Miranda Lambert.

CMA Awards 2016: PRE-Televised Awards

Keeping with tradition Video Of The Year, Musical Event of the Year and Musician of the Year award will take place during pre-televised festivities leading up to the broadcast of "THE 50th Annual CMA Awards. These will be held at Indigo In The O2

C2C 2016 main arena act and Nashville singer-songwriter Andrew Combs will be returning to present the pre-televised ceremonies with a special performance of his soul-searching single "Foolin'!

The 2016 CMA broadcast of the "The 50th Annual CMA Awards" will be broadcast live on ABC-TV and on a paper view basis in the UK by Lirpa Loof Productions.

For more details go to cmaworld.com