Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne and Ashley McBryde came together to kick off the 2020 CMA Awards on Wednesday night (Nov. 11) with an electric tribute to country music icon Charlie Daniels, who died in July at age 83.
Bentley started off with an emotional rendition of “Long Haired Country Boy” under a single spotlight, before joining Brothers Osborne to kick the performance into high gear with a lively delivery of “Trudy.” McBryde joined in for a fast-paced tribute to “Texas,” before Aldean wrapped up the fiery performance with a classic, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
Jenee Fleenor was scheduled to take the stage with her fiddle, but was forced to pull out last minute due to a positive COVID-19 test. “I am thankfully feeling just fine, just bummed of course,” she tweeted. Fleenor was replaced was Bentley’s fiddler, Dan Hochhalter, who rocked a string-breaking fiddle solo.
On the Hot Country Songs chart, Daniels charted 33 entries (the bulk by The Charlie Daniels Band). Of those, three hit the top 10, with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” marking his sole No. 1.
Hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker, country music’ biggest night is taking place at Nashville’s Music City Center. Check back here all night for CMAs coverage.
Watch the full performance below.