country
MUSIC PEOPLE
NEWS
DECEMBER 2023 Volume 54 Number 12 Issue 646
Editor Duncan Warwick
Contributors David Allan , Janet Aspley , Donnie Ayers , Craig Baguley , Tony Byworth , Larry Delaney , Don Cusic , Julie Flaskett , Michael Hingston , Stan Hitchcock , Tony Ives , Sianna King , Spencer Leigh , John Lomax III , Bryce Martin , Adrian Peel , Paul Riley , Alex Rossi , Chris Smith , Tom Travis , Walt Trott , Jack Watkins New release consultant : Steve Tidbury
Assistant editor Kelly Gregory
Photographers Patricia Presley , Barry Dixon
Advertising Kelly Gregory - kelly . cmpcountry @ gmail . com
Printed by Micropress Printers Ltd micropress . co . uk
Distributor Seymour International Press Distributors Ltd . 2 East Poultry Avenue London EC1A 9PT Telephone + 44 020 7429 4000
Country Music People is published the last Thursday of each month by KICKIN ’ CUTS LIMITED
24 Darley Close , Wittering , Peterborough PE8 6EQ , UK
+ 44 07787 203131 + 44 01780 783689
countrymusicpeople @ gmail . com www . cmpcountry . com
© 2023 Kickin ’ Cuts Ltd . All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced , stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher . The Publisher accepts no responsibility for statement of fact or opinion expressed by contributors . The views of the contributors are not necessarily those of Country Music People or its editor .
Please recycle this magazine
CMA AWARDS
L ainey Wilson ( pictured ) topped an
already hugely successful year by being named Entertainer of the Year at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards . It was her first time nominated for the prestigious trophy considered the top prize and only the second year in which she has been nominated at all . She also picked up trophies for Album of the Year , Female Vocalist of the Year , as well as Music Video of the Year and Music Event of the Year for her Wait In The Truck collaboration with HARDY .
Chris Stapleton was named Male Vocalist for the seventh time while Brothers Osborne were named Vocal Duo for the sixth time with TJ Osborne joking , “ I thought the way this was going that Lainey Wilson and HARDY were gonna win this award .”
Old Dominion also made it a sixth win as Group of the Year , but early on it was Luke Combs who was on a roll snagging Single of the Year and Song of the Year for his cover of Tracy Chapman ’ s 35-yearold hit Fast Car . Chapman didn ’ t attend the event but was honoured by Combs in his acceptance speech saying , “ I want to thank Tracy Chapman for writing one of the greatest songs of all time . It ’ s the first favorite song I ever had .”
In the UK the broadcast was edited to an hour long show that included performances from Ashley McBryde and a tribute to the late 90s hitmaker Joe Diffie by Morgan Wallen , HARDY , and rapper Post Malone ( who has promised
4 country music people