Last Night's CMT Music Awards Saw Jelly Roll Crush It, Billy Gibbons, Chuck Leavell, Cody Johnson, Paul Rodgers, and Slash Deliver An Unreal Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute, And Gary Clarke Jr. Honor Stevie Ray Vaughan
The other music awards shows need to take notes. This is what draws viewers in and music fans want to see. Live performances by artists singing their latest single for promo purposes is great and all, but it doesn't get the juices flowing or put asses in seats.
Give us shit we've never seen before.
Take advantage of your ability to bring together the most talented artists in the world under one roof at the same time.
Have today's current stars, and the legends who are still alive honor the greats.
Which is exactly what the CMT Music Awards did last night.
Had I known going into last nightt that we could expect two of my favorite living guitarists, Slash, and Gary Clarke Jr. to both be taking the stage to play a medley of hits, along with some other massive artists, to honor Lynyrd Skynyrd and Stevie Ray Vaughan respectively, there's no way I would have missed it and had to watch it on Youtube.
Check that performance up top out, seriously.
Imagine being in that crowd? Holy shit was that awesome.
The amount of talent they assembled on stage alone was impressive.
Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, Texas native Cody Johnson, LeAnn Rimes, and Wynonna Judd. They even eplicated Skynyrd’s famous three-pronged guitar attack featuring ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Slash, and Warren Haynes, who also did some powerful singing of his own. The Allman Brothers’ Chuck Leavell also anchored the performances with his piano playing.
They followed that up with Gary Clarke Jr. doing what Gary Clarke Jr. does and leaving jaws on the floor.
Texas-born stud guitarist Gary Clark Jr. took the stage and seemingly channeled Stevie Ray Vaughan in a tribute to the legendary Texas six-string player Clarke grew up idolizing. Very very cool.
But perhaps the biggest performance of the night, came from the man who also took home the most hardware, Jelly Roll.
If you still haven't heard of this guy, you soon will. He's been on a fucking tear this past year and his wins are well-deserved. He's the anti-establishment artist in a way. Not fitting the normal mold of what country music singers look like, sound like, or sing about whatsoever. All things which have made him incredibly relatable and endearing to fans.
During in the show, Jelly Roll took home the award for Breakthrough Male Video of the Year for “Son Of A Sinner.” After embracing his wife, Bunnie XO, the 39-year-old singer/songwriter took to the stage to accept the belt buckle trophy.
“They let a loser win tonight, baby,” he shouted. “They let a loser win tonight. This is for the underdogs, baby, this is for the losers and the have-nots. God takes the impossible and makes it look small. Let’s go, baby!”
Later in the night he was presented with the award for Male Video Of The Year for his chart-topping hit, “Son Of A Sinner.”
And he capped off his incredible night with a crowd-rocking performance of his hit "I Need A Favor" that brought the house down. Complete with a gospel choir backing him up.
What a night for a guy who's hard not to root for.
“Need a Favor” will appear on Jelly Roll’s upcoming new album, WHITSITT CHAPEL.
Arriving on June 2, the project is named after the church the Antioch native grew up attending and will feature 13 tracks.
WHITSITT CHAPEL serves as Jelly Roll’s debut full-length country record via BMG/Stoney Creek Records. Among the tracks featured will be his fan-favorite tune “Save Me,” “SHE,” and a collaboration with Brantley Gilbert and Struggle Jennings.
“This album is about growth and gratitude happening in my life. I wanted to create a project that felt hopeful. I believe the worst feeling a person can have is feeling hopeless or worthless. This is therapeutic music. Real music for real people with real problems,” Jelly Roll shared in a statement.