Luke Bryan may have won the CMA Awards’ top prize for entertainer of the year, but a soulful outsider swept many of the night’s most significant trophies.
Chris Stapleton was the big winner of the latter half of the Country Music Assn. Awards, winning for album of the year for “Traveller†and male vocalist of the year.
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Following an impressive duet with Justin Timberlake and a win for new artist, the awards codified Stapleton as both a major new star and one of the genre’s most artistically significant newcomers.
Stapleton accepted his awards with humility. “Two years ago I lost my dad,†he said. “He would have liked to have seen this. It’s an unbelievable thing. I’m not going to take it lightly.â€
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Co-hosts Brad Paisley, left, and Carrie Underwood perform a skit during the opening bit.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 2/23
From left, Phillip Sweet, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town accept the award for single of the year for “Girl Crush.â€
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 3/23
Edie Brickell and Steve Martin present the award for single of the year.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 4/23
Keith Urban, left, and John Mellencamp perform.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 5/23
Brad Paisley, left, William Shatner and Carrie Underwood perform a skit onstage.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 6/23
Hank Williams Jr., left, and Eric Church hit the stage together.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 7/23
Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band performs a tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 8/23
Kenny Chesney works the crowd.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 9/23
Paisley and Underwood crack jokes onstage.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 10/23
Justin Timberlake, left, and Chris Stapleton give a memorable performance.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 11/23
Sam Hunt performs.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 12/23
Lori McKenna, from left, Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey accept the award for song of the year for “Girl Crush,†performed by Little Big Town.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 13/23
Blake Shelton performs with a smile.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 14/23
Kelsea Ballerini hits all the right notes.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 15/23
Miranda Lambert accepts the award for female vocalist of the year.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 16/23
Jason Aldean performs.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 17/23
Kacey Musgraves takes the stage in a glittery ensemble to match the setting.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 18/23
Chris Stapleton accepts the award for new artist of the year.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 19/23
Carrie Underwood takes time off her co-hosting duties to perform.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 20/23
Brian Kelley, left, and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line accept the award for vocal duo of the year.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 21/23
Jimi Westbrook, from left, Kimberly Schlapman, Karen Fairchild and Philip Sweet of Little Big Town perform one of their hits.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 22/23
Miss America Betty Cantrell and Darius Rucker present the award for song of the year.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) 23/23
Miranda Lambert takes the stage.
(Chris Pizzello/ Invision/Associated Press) Even Bryan, accepting the night’s top prize on the strength of his LP “Kill the Lights,†had to hand it to him: “Watching Chris Stapleton have this night is so uplifting,†Bryan said.
Little Big Town continued its winning streak with a prize for vocal group of the year, underlining the prowess of their inescapable single, “Girl Crush.â€
While some of the show’s latter nods went to upbeat, more radio-minded performers (like Florida Georgia Line, the bro-country staple that took home vocal duo of the year), others came with darker undertones.
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Neil Perry, left, Kimberly Perry and Reid Perry, of the Band Perry, arrive at the CMA Awards.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 2/25
Miranda Lambert arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 3/25
Kacey Musgraves, left, and Misa Arriaga arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 4/25
From left, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook, of Little Big Town, arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 5/25
Steve Martin and Edie Brickell arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 6/25
Keith Urban arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 7/25
Kyle Jacobs and Kellie Pickler arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 8/25
Carrie Underwood arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 9/25
Steven Tyler arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 10/25
Chris Lucas, left, and Preston Brust, of LoCash, arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 11/25
Kelsea Ballerini arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 12/25
From left, Avi Kaplan, Kirstin Maldonado, Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi and Kevin Olusola, of Pentatonix, arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 13/25
Dierks Bentley, left, and Cassidy Black arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 14/25
Hannah Davis arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 15/25
Clay Walker and Jessica Walker arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 16/25
Luke Bryan with Caroline Boyer on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 17/25
Jason Aldean and Brittany Kerr arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 18/25
Kimberly Williams-Paisley arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 19/25
Brantley Gilbert and Amber Cochran arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 20/25
Scotty McCreery arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 21/25
Holly Williams arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 22/25
Kelly Lynn Janson and Chris Janson arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 23/25
Dan Smyers, left, and Shay Mooney, of Dan + Shay, arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 24/25
Cassadee Pope arrives on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 25/25
Mike Caussin and Jana Kramer arrive on the red carpet.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Miranda Lambert, accepting the prize for female vocalist of the year, subtly alluded to her breakup with Blake Shelton.
“I needed a bright spot this year,†she said. “I’m going to go home and practice.â€
Bryan proved his mettle with a strong performance of his relatively racy cut “Strip It Down,†as did co-host Carrie Underwood with her hard-bitten “Smoke Break†and Dierks Bentley with “Riser.â€
But the show’s most unlikely pairing came when the pop-punk band Fall Out Boy teamed with Thomas Rhett for a combo of their singles “Crash and Burn†and “Uma Thurman.†The songs’ brashness, especially “Uma Thurman’s†spy-flick guitar lines, made for an unexpected but refreshing mélange.
Later, Reba McEntire joined Brooks & Dunn for a revisit of their respective singles “Why Haven’t I†and “Play Something Country,†which implied that the night’s experimentalists couldn’t wander too far without a riposte from country’s roots.
Yet even an artist as mainstream as Bryan had to acknowledge that at the 2015 CMA Awards, songs like “Girl Crush†and Stapleton carried the night. Sometimes ambition can be a winning bet as well.
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