The first performers for the 60th Annual CMA Awards have been announced by ABC and the Country Music Association, and the show will also include a tribute to Dolly Parton, according to Deadline. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC and Disney+ from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET. It will stream on Hulu the following day.
The first lineup is Cody Johnson, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Kacey Musgraves, The Red Clay Strays, Zach Top and Tucker Wetmore. Lainey Wilson returns to host for a third consecutive year, Deadline reported.
Langley leads this year's nominees with nine, according to Billboard. Her nominations include Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Dandelion, Female Vocalist of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year. She is also nominated twice in both the Single of the Year and Song of the Year categories. Lambert has seven nominations, and Billboard noted that her 70 career nominations are the most for any female artist in CMA Awards history. Musgraves has five nominations, and Johnson, the reigning male vocalist of the year, has four.
Billboard reported that McGraw was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last month. Rolling Stone reported that his appearance will be his first at the CMA Awards since 2017. The Red Clay Strays are the reigning vocal group of the year, and Top is the reigning new artist of the year, according to Billboard. Wetmore has his second CMA Awards nomination, in the new artist category.
Billboard reported that the CMAs will pay tribute to Country Music Hall of Fame member Dolly Parton, who died in August. Rolling Stone noted that the songs the artists will perform have not been announced. Deadline said additional performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.
Earlier Center Stage coverage: Dolly Parton Laid to Rest Beside Carl Dean at Nashville's Woodlawn Memorial Park.
Sources: Deadline · Billboard · Rolling Stone
