Luke Bryan has been the latest recipient of a magnificent award! Bryan won the Entertainer of the Year trophy at the 2015 CMA Awards on November 4, making it his second time in a row. The renowned singer elatedly jumped from his chair upon being announced but was promptly greeted by an enormous bear hug from legendary country singer; Garth Brooks.
The Entertainer of the Year Award has been around since 1967 when it was awarded to country music singer; Eddy Arnold. The awards have, in recent years, been televised live, generally in October or November, by NBC from 1969 through 1971, by CBS from 1972 through 2005, and by ABC beginning in 2006. The awards have been an extremely popular event with millions of people tuning in each and every year to see who their latest honored entertainer will be. The awards have had varying results and usually a disgruntled performer and fan base is created.
At this year’s award, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, and Kenny Chesney were the other four nominees for the biggest honor of the night. However, the unexpected win was anything but certain for the notorious “Strip it Down” singer. While Luke Bryan did release new music in 2015, the Kill the Lights album was not considered eligible for competition for various reasons explained by the deciders. Many theorized the possibility of a Lambert or Church breakthrough, and, needless to say, many were disgruntled by the continued accolades afforded to Bryan through this award.
Upon accepting the award, and elated Luke Bryan said that; “This is the best business in the world,” he then passionately insisted; “I love you country music, I love you fans.” His meager acceptance speech was greeted with much applause and was considered to be the highlight of the awards.
In the speech, Bryan proceeded to thank the usual group of people, including his management team and his wife, underscoring their importance in this endeavor. In particular, Bryan spent about 30 seconds of his speech passionately thanking his wife for letting him pursue his dreams which climaxed at this point. Then he became the second artist to turn attention to Chris Stapleton.
Receiving the Entertainer of the Year award hasn’t jaded the hard-working Luke Bryan. After touring the country in 2015 on his “Kick Up the Dust” concert series, Luke will begin another tour in 2016. Tickets for the 2016 Luke Bryan “Kill the Lights” tour will are already available, and the tour begins in Feb 2016. Country music fans will not want to miss the amazing performance by the 2 time CMA Entertainer of the Year.
After bringing attention to Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan commented on it saying; “Watching Chris Stapleton have this night is so uplifting.” He was referring to the “Traveller” artist’s unprecedented three CMA Awards wins. Lambert also recognized the soulful singer during her acceptance speech for Female Vocalist of the Year and was greeted with much cheering.
Although Bryan was only up for two nominations at the 2015 CMA Awards, he left a very large impact by winning the night’s biggest honor; the Entertainer of the Year Award. Prior to receiving the award, Bryan was gracious enough to perform “Strip it Down” for a large audience. Overall the 2015 music awards were seen by many as outstanding while the obligatory minority expressed anger over the outcome of the awards. Regardless, it is plainly clear that Luke Bryan was the undisputed champion of the night.
