Lainey Wilson is set to become the first woman to solo-host the CMA Awards twice. She solo-hosted the show last year after co-hosting it in 2024 with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning. Dolly Parton was the first woman to solo-host the CMA Awards in 1988. Reba McEntire did the honors in 1991.
The 60th annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC and Disney+ and will be available next day on Hulu.
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“I couldn’t be more excited to be hosting the CMA Awards again this year, especially with it being the 60th anniversary,” Wilson said in a statement. “I’ve had so much fun hosting the last two years, and this one’s going to be extra special. Can’t wait to see y’all in November!”
The announcement that Wilson is returning as host was made live on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday (Sept. 5). It was timed to coincide with the show’s 500th show on the road from Louisiana State University in Wilson’s home state.
Among all hosts, Vince Gill has solo-hosted the CMA Awards the most times (10). He is followed by Johnny Cash (four), Tennessee Ernie Ford and Kenny Rogers (three each), Wilson (two, counting the upcoming show), Glen Campbell, Parton, McEntire and Bryan (one each).
Wilson, 34, has won 12 CMA Awards in just three years. She is already second among all female artists on the CMA leaderboard, trailing only Miranda Lambert, who has won 14 CMA Awards.
Nominees for the 60th annual CMA Awards will be revealed on Thursday, Sept. 10, first on ABC’s Good Morning America, then via livestream on CMA’s official YouTube channel. Billboard will also carry the news. Tickets for the 60th annual CMA Awards go on sale Friday, Sept. 18 at CMAworld.com/tickets.
CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by over 7,000 Professional voting members of the Country Music Association.
The 60th annual CMA Awards is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton serves as executive producer, Alan Carter is director, and Jon Macks is head writer.
Here are the hosts and locations of previous milestone CMA Awards broadcasts.
- 10th annual, 1976: Johnny Cash and Roy Clark; Grand Ole Opry House
- 20th annual, 1986: Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson; Grand Ole Opry House
- 30th annual, 1996: Vince Gill; Grand Ole Opry House
- 40th annual, 2006: Brooks & Dunn; Gaylord Entertainment Center (now known as Bridgestone Arena)
- 50th annual, 2015: Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood; Bridgestone Arena
Alex Van Halen adds a Knighthood to his heaving collection of awards.
The Van Halen drummer and co-founder was Knighted this week in The Netherlands, the country of his birth — recognition of his remarkable career and influence on musicians around the globe.
Van Halen was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw) on Tuesday (Sept. 1) in Nijmegen, the Dutch city where he and his brother Eddie spent a good chunk of their childhood. It’s one of the country’s highest civilian orders, given only to those who “make extraordinary contributions” to society.
The 73-year-old rocker was on hand for the ceremony at the Berchmanianum, the academy building of Radboud University, where mayor Hubert Bruls presented the royal honor and spoke of Van Halen’s role in writing a “remarkable chapter in the history of rock music.”
Speaking on the sidelines, Van Halen remarked: “My cousin organized most of this. I’m very grateful. I think institutions like this are important in people’s lives because it adds a dignity and a gravity to what we do. Whether it’s actually deserved or not, that’s another question. But we can live up to it. That’s the whole thing, is you got to have something to live up to.”
Alex also signed Nijmegen’s Book of the City, a tome reserved for distinguished visitors, inking his name in its pages alongside Bruce Springsteen and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
“Alex still feels a connection with Nijmegen,” reads a statement from the city, “and Nijmegen in turn honors the band.”
For his 2024 memoir, Brothers (through HarperCollins), Alex Van Halen recounts his upbringing in Europe; the brothers’ relocation to the United States, eventually settling in Pasadena, California, in 1962; and their band’s ascent to the very highest peak of rock music.
Throughout Brothers’ 231 pages, Van Halen discloses the tight bond between him and Eddie, his guitar hero brother who passed away during Oct. 2020 at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer.
Van Halen was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, won a Grammy Award (hard rock performance for 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge), four MTV Video Music Awards, and, for a time, dominated the charts. In the United States, the band scored five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart and more than 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, including the 1984 smash single “Jump,” which logged five weeks at No. 1.
The NAACP Image Awards have added 10 new categories to recognize the achievements of African artists. Previously, there were no dedicated African categories. The new categories are:
- Outstanding African album
- Outstanding African new artist
- Outstanding African song
- Outstanding African motion picture
- Outstanding actor in an African motion picture
- Outstanding actress in an African motion picture
- Outstanding directing in an African motion picture
- Outstanding African television series
- Outstanding actor in an African television series
- Outstanding actress in an African television series
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Here’s how the NAACP framed these new categories in a statement: “With ten new African categories, the NAACP Image Awards expands its historic mission of recognizing Black excellence, building a cultural bridge between Africa and the global Black diaspora while celebrating the continent’s growing influence across film, television and music—and establishing the Image Awards as a global standard-bearer for Black creative achievement.”
Submissions for nomination consideration in 108 categories spanning motion picture, television + streaming, recording, literature and podcasts are now open on the NAACP Image Awards website.
The 58th NAACP Image Awards will also mark the return of four daytime drama categories: outstanding daytime drama series, outstanding actor in a daytime drama series, outstanding actress in a daytime drama series and outstanding supporting actor in a daytime drama series.
Nominees will be announced on Jan. 7, 2017. That is also the date that public voting opens. Public voting closes on Feb. 1. The date of the awards ceremony will be announced later. The 2026 show, hosted by Deon Cole, was held on Feb. 28 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif.
A performance or project that occurs between Jan. 1, 2026 and Dec. 31, 2026 qualifies to be submitted this year. Information and guidelines for submitting are available on the website.
Here’s a full list of recording categories for the 58th NAACP Image Awards:
- Outstanding new artist
- Outstanding male artist
- Outstanding female artist
- Outstanding jazz album
- Outstanding gospel/Christian album
- Outstanding international song
- Outstanding music video/visual album
- Outstanding album
- Outstanding soundtrack/compilation album
- Outstanding gospel/Christian song
- Outstanding soul/R&B song
- Outstanding hip hop/rap song
- Outstanding duo, group or collaboration (traditional)
- Outstanding duo, group or collaboration (contemporary)
- Outstanding original score for TV/film
- Outstanding African album
- Outstanding African new artist
- Outstanding African song
Whitney Houston won two Grammys for her blockbuster hit “I Will Always Love You” at the 36th Grammy Awards on March 1, 1994. She took record of the year and best pop vocal performance, female.
As the producer of the smash, David Foster shared the award for record of the year and also won producer of the year, non-classical, largely because of his work on the hit. But Dolly Parton wasn’t recognized for writing the song. She would have been a shoo-in to win song of the year but wasn’t eligible. She had first recorded the song in 1974, taking it to No. 1 on Hot Country Songs.
So, songs that were already well-known weren’t eligible? That rule has changed over the years.
Just two years earlier, Irving Gordon won song of the year for “Unforgettable,” which had been a pop standard for 40 years at that point, since Nat King Cole and Doris Day had recorded it in the early 1950s. Dinah Washington had a top 20 hit on the Hot 100 with the song in 1959. It won in 1992 because Natalie Cole’s sentimental recording of the song as a duet with her late father brought it back to prominence.
“Unforgettable” is a great song, no doubt, but should it have taken the top songwriting award in 1992 against such great contemporary songs as R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” or Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis” (both of which were also nominated in that category)?
The Recording Academy decided the eligibility rule needed to be tightened, so already famous songs wouldn’t be eligible. That was bad news for Parton’s song, even though it was no more famous pre-The Bodyguard than “Unforgettable” was prior to Natalie Cole’s revival of the song.
The Grammys have tinkered with the rules on song of the year (and also best new artist, for different reasons) many times, trying to strike just the right balance. The current rule states: “A song … must have been released on a recording for the first time, or achieved prominence for the first time, during the current eligibility period.”
Most of the song of the year winners in Grammy history were new songs that year, or songs that weren’t previously widely known. Jimmy Driftwood’s “The Battle of New Orleans,” which won in 1960, was written way back in 1936, but had not been a hit until country star Johnny Horton covered it in 1959.
Here are eight song of the year winners preceding “Unforgettable” that were already known to varying degrees. The years shown are the years of the Grammy ceremonies.
It was anything but an ordinary Tuesday night (Aug. 27) in Sydney as Darren Hayes was feted with the Excellence in Community Award at the 17th annual Music In The House event.
The ex-Savage Garden singer and songwriter was on hand at the Support Act fundraiser, presented at The Linseed House, The Grounds of Alexandria, where he doubled up with induction into APRA AMCOS’s Billions Club — recognition of the pop group’s Billboard Hot 100 leader from 1997, “Truly Madly Deeply,” one of their two U.S. No. 1s.
Savage Garden, the pairing of Hayes and Daniel Jones, was one of Australia’s biggest exports of the 1990s. Their self-titled debut album — which houses “Truly Madly Deeply” and top 10 hit “I Want You” — peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, while sophomore and final release Affirmation, which houses No. 1 smash “I Knew I Loved You,” reached No. 6. The group split in 2001.
For the past quarter century, Hayes has enjoyed a solo career, one that has yielded five studio albums, most recently the 2022 release Homosexual.
Across his career, Hayes has sold over 35 million albums worldwide, and collected 14 ARIA Awards and 10 APRA songwriting awards.
Away from the studio and the stage, Hayes has been a tireless leader of community, a stance that saw him appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to the music industry in 2019.
The Queenslander has candidly shared his personal journey with mental health, resilience, and LGBTQIA+ representation, Support Act explains, and used his global platform to break stigmas and foster safer, more supportive spaces across the creative industries.
“I’m deeply honored to be recognized by Support Act for my achievements beyond commercial success and chart statistics in the Australian music industry,” he remarked on receiving the Music In The House award. “I’m grateful to have been a voice advocating for an end to violence against women, homophobia, and racism, and I’m a passionate advocate for removing the stigma associated with mental health.”
Longtime friend Claire Marshall presented Hayes with his Excellence in Community Award, with television presenter Osher Günsberg serving as emcee of the celebration.
Hayes added, “Receiving any recognition from Support Act is an extreme honor. I hope that by highlighting my career, we can shine some of that spotlight on the much-needed funding crucial to the survival of this essential organization.”
On the night, a lineup of guests performers covers of Hayes and Savage Garden songs, including including Tania Doko, Electric Fields, Meg Mac, Michael Paynter, and Sister2Sister.
“Darren Hayes is not only one of the greatest songwriters and performers Australia has ever produced, but he is also a beacon of courage, openness, and empathy,” comments Clive Miller, CEO of Support Act. “His bravery in speaking out about mental health, trauma, and identity has paved the way for healthier, more compassionate conversations across the music community. We are thrilled to present him with this year’s Excellence in Community Award.”
Hayes left with his hands full, his APRA AMCOS prize for entry into the 1,000,000,000 List with “Truly Madly Deeply,” which has surpassed one billion streams across major services including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. APRA chair and ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Jenny Morris presented the Billions Award to Hayes.
“When APRA’s founding publishers first met 100 years ago in 1926, they could never have imagined we’d be here in 2026 celebrating songwriters and publishers for reaching one billion streams,” Morris said. “It’s an extraordinary achievement, a testament to the staying power and connection of the song. I’m thrilled to announce that Savage Garden’s ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ has reached that major milestone and will be added to our coveted Billions List.”
Established in 2006, Music In The House gathers the nation’s music industry to salute leaders in music for both their artistic achievements and their broader contributions.
Previous recipients include Troy Cassar-Daley, Powderfinger, Marcia Hines, Midnight Oil, Tina Arena, and the late Archie Roach.
All proceeds raised on the night go to Support Act’s much-needed initiatives, which include the charity’s Wellbeing Helpline, Crisis Relief grants, and mental health prevention programs for struggling music workers. Visit supportact.org.au for more.