Watch Kenny Chesney Revisit His Early Days In Nashville on ‘Center Stage: Countdown to the CMA Awards’: Exclusive
Before the 59th annual CMA Awards take place Nov. 19, ABC will pay tribute to some of country music’s leading names with Center Stage: Countdown to the CMA Awards — Special Edition of 20/20, which will air Nov. 18 evening.
Hosted by former CMA Awards host, Luke Bryan, the special will feature Kenny Chesney as he revisits the lower Broadway venues he first played when he arrived in Nashville, as well as talks about his new book, Heart Life Music, which tops two New York Times Best Sellers lists this week.
Below, Billboard exclusively premieres the trailer for the special , which will air from 10:07 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST and then streams the next day on Disney + and Hulu.
In the trailer, Chesney talks about getting his start. “I started playing in clubs, that’s where I learned how to connect with an audience,” he says. “I sat and played four hours a night with a tip jar in front of me. God, it was so much fun.”
The special will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry with Lauren Alaina, Gabby Barrett, Dan + Shay and Russell Dickerson.
Additionally, the program will include appearances from Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, Ashley McBryde and Keith Urban, as well as the some of the nominated pairings for the CMA Awards’ musical event of the year: Blake Shelton and Post Malone, Carrie Underwood and Cody Johnson and Ella Langley and Riley Green.
The CMA Awards airs broadcasts live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, starting at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and is available next day on Hulu.
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