The Academy of Country Music celebrates 60 years of the ACM Awards tonight with a 12-minute show opening, celebrating six decades of ACM Songs of the Year. The all-star performance includes Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland in what will surely be one of the night’s unforgettable moments.
Country music fans can catch the moment live when the 60th ACM Awards air Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Twitch and Prime Video. Reba McEntire will host the newly expanded two-and-a-half-hour show.
In the spirit of looking back, here are five unforgettable moments of the ACM Awards’ modern era.
Videos by American Songwriter
Taylor Swift Meets Tim McGraw
Taylor Swift released her debut single “Tim McGraw” in 2006, and in 2007 she met McGraw for the first time on live television as she sang the song in front of him and his wife Faith Hill at the ACM Awards.
“Hi, I’m Taylor,” said the teenager, then extended her hand to McGraw, who shook it and hugged her. She was 17 years old.
Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler Duet
Could there have been a bigger flex for Carrie Underwood in 2011 than when Steven Tyler learned the words to her song “Undo It” and sang it with her on the ACM Awards? Underwood started the song, and then Tyler sauntered on stage and joined her for the high-octane performance. They followed up with an intense, foot-stomping version of “Walk This Way.”
Brad Paisley Reunites Alabama with “Old Alabama”
Paisley stunned country music radio executives in 2011 when he did an interpolation of Alabama’s “Mountain Music” at an industry event and then brought the band, whom everyone thought had retired, on stage to finish the song with him. A few weeks later, he did it again at the ACM Awards. Paisley’s “Old Alabama” not only earned them a hit, but reunited the band for good. Thirteen years later, original member Jeff Cook is gone, but the Country Music Hall of Fame group still plays shows.
George Strait Debuts “Love Without End, Amen”
George Strait is one of country music’s most beloved living country music legends – and in 1990, he debuted one of his most iconic songs on the ACM Awards. Strait wore a black bow tie and black cowboy hat when he sang the sentimental “Love Without End, Amen” on the 25th ACM Awards.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Display Love — and Baby Bump
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill put their new love on display in 1997, along with Hill’s growing baby bump, at the ACM Awards. The couple performed their first joint single and eventual smash hit “It’s Your Love,” romantically staring into each other’s eyes.
Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images
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