The most iconic CMA Awards performances

Reba McEntire’s revealing red dress may have stolen the show at the 1993 CMA Awards, but her dramatic duet with collaborator Linda Davis on “Does He Love You” meant that the audience was the real winner. 

Just after stirring controversy with a racy red velvet dress in 1993, Reba McEntire returned to the CMA Awards in 1994 with a poignant performance of her song “She Thinks His Name Was John,” which tells the story of a woman dying of AIDS. McEntire’s theatrical performance of the song still remains as one of the most political moments in CMA Awards history. 

Rarely do critiques of mainstream country music make it on the stage at the CMA Awards, but Alan Jackson and George Strait’s performance of “Murder on Music Row” was a direct indictment of those who were “killing” traditional country music in 1999. 

At the 2018 CMA Awards, R&B icon Mavis Staples was joined by Male Vocalist of the Year winner Chris Stapleton for a performance that blended genres and decades. Joined by Marty Stuart, Maren Morris, and Stapleton's wife and frequent collaborator, Morgane, this soulful performance of Staples Singers classic "I'll Take You There" and Stapleton's "Friendship" was seriously stunning. 

Genres collided and powerhouse vocals combined when R&B icon Little Richard joined Tanya Tucker for a rendition of Eddie Cochran’s “Somethin’ Else.” Tucker’s rough-around-the-edges voice paired perfectly with Richard’s soulful growl, making for one of the most fun CMA performances of all time. 

Shania Twain showed off her bold side with a performance of “Any Man of Mine” at the 1995 CMA Awards. Starting out in the audience, Twain saucily made her way through the crowd, making stops to “flirt” with fellow artists like Travis Tritt. 

There is perhaps no more iconic duet in country music than “Islands in the Stream.” The incredible chemistry and vocal prowess of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton was on display at the 1983 CMA Awards when they brought down the house with a rousing rendition of the song that would go on to become a legend. 

In perhaps his most rebellious move ever, Alan Jackson bucked the wishes of the CMA Awards and went for his own tribute to George Jones. After playing a truncated version of his hit “Pop A Top,” Jackson launched into Jones’ “Choices,” the exact song he’d been told not to play. 

In 2005, Miranda Lambert was a relative unknown until her fiery (literally!) performance of “Kerosene.” There were tons of actual fire on the stage, and Lambert showed everyone a taste of what was to come with her no-holds-barred, irreverent approach to the breakup song. 

Before he was one of country music's most awarded (and beloved) artists, Garth Brooks was a fresh-faced troubadour at the 1991 CMA Awards. Performing "Shameless," Brooks showcased the passion and vocals that would eventually make him a legend. 

At the 2013 CMA Awards, Luke Bryan had himself and the crowd fighting back tears with the live premiere of his song “Drink A Beer.” Joined by songwriter Chris Stapleton, Bryan dedicated the emotional performance to his brother, Chris, and sister, Kelly, both of whom have passed away. 

In 2009, Lady Antebellum began its reign as one of country music’s most successful groups with a stunning performance of its breakout hit, “Need You Now.” Since then, the group has racked up a total of six CMA Awards. 

Just weeks after Sept. 11, Alan Jackson debuted his emotional tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks, “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).” It was the first time the song had ever been performed, and Jackson’s stripped-down performance of the piece left pretty much everyone in the crowd in tears. 

With a performance that can certainly take a little credit for the rapid ascent of Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake joined the 2015 CMA Male Vocalist of the Year for a barn-burning duet medley of Stapleton’s cover of “Tennessee Whiskey” and his own hit “Drink You Away.” Video of the performance racked up millions of views on YouTube and introduced Stapleton to a broader audience than he ever had before. 

Combining the star power of Beyonce and the Dixie Chicks’ first CMA performance since the trio parted ways with country music, this medley of Beyonce’s twangy “Daddy Lessons” and the Chicks’ “Long Time Gone” was both a stunning display of these artists' immense talents and a tongue-in-cheek jab at stodgy country fans after the band's long absence. 

With his trademark tight pants and rockabilly dance moves, Dwight Yoakam brought his self-described “hillbilly honky-tonk” music to a national stage in 1993 with a performance of his iconic hit “Fast As You.” That high-octane performance is just one reason why it’s a shame that Yoakam has never taken home a CMA Award. 

Performed in memorial of the lives lost at the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas, Underwood’s gentle rendition of the gospel classic “Softly and Tenderly” left no dry eye in the house. 

At the tender of age of 15, LeAnn Rimes looked every bit a superstar when she took the stage at the 1996 CMA Awards to perform her record-shattering hit “Blue.” Originally written for Patsy Cline, the young Rimes made the song her own, and it remains one of her most iconic performances. 

Backed by a soulful brass section and gospel singers, Maren Morris made her CMA Awards debut in 2016 with a powerful performance of her breakout hit, “My Church,” also nominated in the Song of the Year category. She didn’t take home that trophy but did win New Artist of the Year.

Riding high on the heels of her "American Idol" success, Kellie Pickler gave one of the most powerful, tear-jerking performances in CMA Awards history in 2007. Performing “I Wonder,” a song co-written by Pickler about being abandoned by her mother, Pickler tearfully made her way through the stunning, unforgettable performance. 

Before she was the global pop superstar that she is now, Taylor Swift was firmly a wildly talented country artist at the 2009 CMA Awards. Surrounded by her screaming fans, Swift's performance of her teenage anthem, "Fifteen," brought down the house. 

Once again, in 2019, Reba McEntire stole the show at the CMA Awards. In addition to her co-hosting duties alongside Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton, McEntire also performed a version of "Fancy' that's somehow as good as the song was when it was first released in 1990.

At the 56th Annual CMA Awards in 2022, Chris Stapleton and Patty Loveless teamed up for a gorgeous, emotionally stirring rendition of "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," a song that Loveless recorded in 2001 for her album "Mountain Soul." The duet came after the two performed the song together at Kentucky Rising, a fundraiser for those impacted by historic flooding in the region.