BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
NASHVILLE – It was a night of unconventionality, no doubt.
Little Big Town stirred plenty of controversy with their oft-misunderstood ballad, "Girl Crush."
But the band with Georgia ties -- Karen Fairchild is a graduate of Lassiter High School in Marietta and Kimberly Schlapman a native of Cornelia -- received proof of the song's potency with Single and Song of the Year wins for "Girl Crush" at the 49th annual CMA Awards.
"This song is about being brave and being bold," Fairchild said from the Bridgestone Arena stage, before thanking country radio "for having the guts to play it."
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Backstage, in a form-fitting red gown, Fairchild elaborated.
“We all love singing the ‘Pontoons’ and ‘Day Drinking’s,” but we want to get to the heart of things. I think it speaks volumes – ‘Girl Crush,’ Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves up there…I think the tide is turning.”
She also noted that among the celebrity support the song received was a tweet from Boy George.
The “Girl Crush” writers, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey, said they never really considered the uproar that the song caused among conservative music fans who might not have listened through to the thematic twist.
“We didn’t think that much about it. We heard about it in the morning and it was sort of over by afternoon,” Lindsey said. “We wanted to talk more about people listening to the lyrics and not making a judgment about what we were talking about until it gets to a certain part of the song.”
Little Big Town also defeated Atlanta’s Zac Brown Band, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts for Vocal Group of the Year honors.
Leesburg native Luke Bryan scored his second consecutive Entertainer of the Year award and greeted the trophy with a kiss.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Dapper in black after the show, an effusive Bryan reflected.
“Two years in a row…it just felt unsurmountable this year a little more. It’s just been an amazing year for me on the road. From A-Z, I don’t think I’ve ever sang or performed better on the road than this year. For this to happen tonight, it’s such a blessing.”
Rivaling the “Girl Crush” attention with his own trio of awards was newcomer (as a solo artist – he’s been a big-time songwriter for several years) Chris Stapleton.
The bear-ish Kentucky musician, who slayed his performance at Atlanta's Parklife music festival last month , nabbed Best New Artist, Best Male Vocalist and Album of the Year honors for "Traveller" – all without having a mainstream hit.
“I worked hard a lot of years to do this,” Stapleton said humbly, before thanking his wife and stage partner Morgane. “The best parts of me come from her.”
Stapleton also deserves kudos for inviting Justin Timberlake to share the stage for what turned into an epic performance by two guys with soul coursing through their veins.
Backed by a large band, including those Memphis-styled horns Timberlake so loves, the pair swung from gritty to falsetto to vein-popping passion on Stapleton’s version of “Tennessee Whiskey” and Timberlake’s rootsy singalong “Drink You Away” from his 2013 album, “The 20/20 Experience.”
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
“All those guys and all my guys, too, brought it. They’re pros and then some,” Stapleton said backstage. “It elevates you in a way that maybe cannot happen on your own… all those guys and my wife. To get to do this tonight in the way that we did it, it’s a crazy thing, man.”
While their performance was the undeniable highlight, other collaborations added some sizzle to the three-hour telecast.
Eric Church and Hank Williams Jr. launched the show with “Are you Ready for the Country?,” Williams' new cover of the Waylon Jennings song (who else noticed the kick drum emblazoned with the message, “Music has value"?). Their performance segued into the first pop-country pairing of the night -- John Mellencamp, who turned up the twang for his ‘80s classic “Pink Houses” with the unflappable Keith Urban.
Valdosta’s Thomas Rhett played a frisky version of his “Crash and Burn” with Fall Out Boy, who contributed their overplayed “Munsters”-loving “Uma Thurman while dancers who looked as if they were auditioning for the “American Music Awards” shimmied and made Rhett look increasingly uncomfortable.
Other major names who took a spin in the spotlight included Zac Brown Band (a smoothly psychedelic “Beautiful Drug”); Blake Shelton (a starry “Gonna”); Miranda Lambert (who appeared a little overwhelmed by the awkwardness of being at a huge event with her now-ex in the room at the end of “Bathroom Sink” and later when she received her sixth consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year award); Brad Paisley (“Country Nation,” performed with a squad of NCAA mascots) and Kacey Musgraves (tarted up like Loretta Lynn in a spangled leotard instead of a ball gown for “Dime Store Cowgirl”).
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Paisley and Carrie Underwood, CMA hosts for the eighth consecutive year, rolled through their typically topical opening song - Caitlyn Jenner, Donald Trump and a lame Muppets tie-in (hi, ABC!) all made appearances.
But the running joke of an aborted "Star Wars" theme to open the show paid off brilliantly with the reveal of William Shatner as a Stormtrooper (#ShatnerStorm, anyone?).
In other Georgia-related sightings, Miss America, Betty Cantrell, presented Song of the Year honors with Darius Rucker. On the red carpet before the ceremony, Cantrell said that she's a huge Carrie Underwood fan and hoped she would get a chance to meet the country superstar while at the show. She also revealed that she’s only had time to return home three times in the past two and a half months because of her crazy-busy Miss America duties (she’ll be on the road more than 300 days in the next year).
Florida Georgia Line, earned their third nod for Vocal Duo of the Year. Backstage, Brian Kelley and Monroe native Tyler Hubbard said they were pleased they could debut their new single, “Confession,” on the show, even though they worried a bit about following the steamrolling Timberlake/Stapleton performance.
“Justin and Chris, they’re two of the best,” Hubbard, man bun intact, said. “But I think it was a cool follow-up. I think we took everybody to church.”
Here is the complete list of winners from the 49th annual CMA Awards.
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