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| 2003 Country Music Awards |
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Larry Garcia founder of DetroitCountryMusic.com
offers his take on the 2003 Country Music Awards that
aired last night on CBS. Thanks Larry for helping us out with this one.
 Unless you were under a rock somewhere last night, you at least KNEW about the 37th Annual Country Music Awards that aired on CBS Wednesday Night. CBS spent a great deal of money advertising the show in every magazine, on billboards and on every conceivable TV show. From preliminary numbers, they banked correctly, the show had a phenomenal viewing audience.
First to be awarded was the Music Video of the Year. There was no surprise that the award was given to the late
Johnny Cash as a further tribute to the incredible contribution he made to the music world. I didn't say Country Music you will note, because Johnny has influenced so many millions of performers in every genre of music. The award was accepted by two of Johnny's children. I am not sure if it was planned or not, but
Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Kid Rock and several other of the male performers and presenters became the "Man in Black" for the night with their wardrobes.
Patty Loveless even showed solidarity with a black leather outfit that looked rather enticing. The spirit of Johnny Cash was everywhere tonight, as it should have been.
Martina McBride looked incredible singing her new hit - " My Daughter's Eyes" this lady seems to draw more emotion with every new release. The song brought tears to the eyes of
Wynonna and show host Vince Gill. Accepting her award for Female Vocalist of the Year, Martina seemed genuinely humbled and surprised to win considering the field of nominees in her category. How can you not love her? Favorite outfit of the night for me goes to
Sara Evans, 11 times nominated - one time CMA winner. Wow says it all.
With the blurred lines between country, pop and even rock the last few years, producers of the show seemed to go more traditional than they had recently.
Shania Twain's contribution to the evening even had distinct country flair to it. I have panned Shania recently for her
(un) Country Music, but it appears she made valiant efforts tonight. Is it Johnny Cash's major influence in the awards or just the love of the fiddle and dobro? Either way, I truly and thoroughly enjoyed the "sound" of this year's awards.
One of the most interesting pairings of the night was Dolly Pardon with Norah
Jones, performing a near Southern-Soulful tune from the Latest TRIO cd. A wild standing ovation followed the ladies. Vince Gill said: "Brittany and Madonna can kiss all the want, I wanna hear THESE girls sing". We see more artists from other musical styles coming home to country this year. There is even rumor that Kid Rock will put out a country rock cd late in 2004. But to anyone who saw CMT's "Crossroads" with Kid and
Hank Williams Jr, you can tell there is some deep country down in that boy's soul. I was lucky enough to meet and talk with Hank and Kid when they performed at Freedom Hill this past summer.
In an amazing turn after winning Vocal Group of the Year, Rascal Flatts called to the stage
Randy Owens of Alabama and presented their award to "Their Heroes". Noticeably stunned, Randy made his way to accept the award from the popular band.
Perfectly chosen was the host for this evening's event. Vince Gill is truly the Burt Parks of the CMA's. His natural wit and boyish charm make him the perfect lead man. This was the 12th time to host the show that brought him 18 Country Music Awards himself. Vince even shared the stage with his daughter Jenny for one song during the evening.
One of the major kudos that I give the CMA award show itself, is that it has always allowed all of the Horizon Award nominees to perform. This, unlike many of the other award shows, allows the viewers to see the cream of the up and comers.
Entertainer of the year went to Alan Jackson, who's music has shown everyone that you don't have to turn pop to be accepted and sell records. You may remember Alan's tune with George Jones at the CMA's about what he perceived as the Death of True Country Music. It's a good thing this years awards have shown there is more than one path and new country can mean good country as well.
The highlight of the evening was the tribute to Johnny Cash. A more perfect guest list could not be found anywhere.
Sheryl Crowe, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Travis
Tritt, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Hank Williams Jr. all sang in celebration to their mentor, idol and friend. Hank even tried to take on a Johnny Cash warble.. I think the best part of seeing the tribute was that all the performers were having fun. Sheryl Crowe and Travis Tritt sang "Jackson" smiling and laughing right through.. I can't image a better way to be remembered.
Nobody ever walked the line like the man in black. You will be dearly missed.
It was wonderful to see the CMA's come back home and represent country music the way it was meant to be.
Webmasters Note: I must admit that I tuned in
to the CMA last night for the first time drawn by my interest in the tribute to
Johnny Cash. Unfortunately, as in often the case, I was interrupted and
missed the whole tribute. I did watch the first hour and a half of the
show and must say that the Grammys and American Music Awards could learn
a lot from this show. It was almost all performances with very little
talk. All of the stars had their turn and , as Larry mentioned, they made
sure that all of the up and coming artists got to play. How refreshing
that was.
I wrote Larry last night about an hour before the show asking if he would
be so kind as to do a write up for us. This article was in my mail box
before noon this morning. Big MB kudos to Larry and DCM for supporting
diversity in local music. Head on over to www.detroitcountrymusic.com
and check it out. We promise we won't tell a soul. I'm sure a
word of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.
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