Like they say, never meet your idols.
Carrie Underwood nearly enjoyed every second of hosting the CMA Awards alongside her “she-roes” Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire.The 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards had a performance by co-hosts Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, and Dolly Parton.
The trio opened the performance with a rendition of Dolly Parton’s 1987 song “Those Memories of You,” which she originally recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris for their album “Trio.”
The three women were then joined by Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Crystal Gayle, Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, Tanya Tucker, Gretchen Wilson, and The Highwomen’s Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires in which they performed a tribute medley to the legendary women of country music.
The evening celebrated women in country music, and the three performers exemplified this objective admirably. However, Underwood joked that sharing the stage with living legends required more labor than she anticipated. Nonetheless, Underwood felt blessed in the end, observing that she and her peers aspire to be like Parton and McEntire.
Underwood previously co-hosted the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley every year. Still, Parton and McEntire joined her in 2019 as co-hosts. Underwood explained before the performance that this year’s event would focus on women in country music, and the venue was filled with women.
She hoped it would be so extraordinary that people would ponder, “How can we recruit more women? How can we acquire more?” Underwood added that hosting with her two “she-roes” was also significant; one aspect was unexpectedly more complicated than she anticipated.
While hosting alongside the legends, Underwood told the audience, “I have loved every moment of working with them, except for sharing a dressing room. The air is thick with hairspray, heels, and costume changes. There are racks of clothing and gowns everywhere, and for some reason, Dolly’s rack is significantly larger,” she explained.
Underwood raved about collaborating with Parton and McEntire during a pre-show interview with GMA. She remarked to McEntire, “Both of you ladies know how to do things properly. We can all learn so much from you people. You are what the rest of us strive to become. So, I feel fortunate.”
McEntire was elated and said to Underwood, “Well, listen up. You’re lovely. Thank you for mentioning me alongside Dolly Parton.” Over the years, the legendary “Fancy” vocalist has looked up to Dolly, observing and studying her.
“She is a beautiful woman on the inside and out. I have tremendous respect for her,” she said, adding that she looked forward to cutting up with her and sharing the stage with her. There, the love celebration was not over.
Parton and McEntire both had positive remarks about Underwood. After announcing to photographers that they had been at it for a while, Parton told Underwood, “But she’s good at it.” McEntire then concurred, “She is a child…However, [she] excels at it.”
Following “Those Memories of You,” Nettles, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, and Kimberly Schlapman performed “You’re Looking at Country” by Loretta Lynn. The Highwomen and Dolly Parton then stole the show with their rendition of Tammy Wynette’s “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad.” Tucker then performed her famous song “Delta Dawn.
Wilson then performed “Redneck Woman” with the women on stage, and Gale then performed “Don’t Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” Clark then sang “Better Things to Do,” and Evans sang “Born to Fly” before the medley concluded with McBride’s “Independence Day.”
In addition to introducing the ceremony, Underwood hosts the CMAs for the twelfth consecutive year. Compared to previous years, she is accompanied by co-hosts McEntire and Parton. Over the past eleven years, Underwood and Paisley have co-hosted the program.
With a new team of co-hosts, however, Underwood ensured that the show was filled with many hilarious moments. She stated, “I believe that Dolly and Reba are equally adept at those hilarious one-liners that kill. I can’t imagine some of those not in there.”
Underwood returned to the stage to perform “Drinking Alone” from her most recent album, “Cry Pretty.” McEntire will perform her famous single “Fancy.” In contrast, Parton will perform a gospel medley with KING & Country and Zach Williams.
The ensemble reunited to perform “God Only Knows.” Additionally, Miranda Lambert and Morris demonstrated their vocal prowess. Morris performed “GIRL” while Lambert sang “It All Comes Out in the Wash.”
