Alabama has received a special honor from the Country Music Association (CMA).
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During the final night of CMA Fest 2023 on Sunday (June 11), Alabama was bestowed with the CMA Pinnacle Award. The award was accepted onstage at Nissan Stadium by living members Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry following a surprise set where they performed some of their biggest hits including “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band).” Bandmate and cousin Jeff Cook passed away in November 2022 from complications from Parkinson’s disease.
CMA Fest co-hosts Dierks Bentley and Elle King presented the award to Owen and Gentry. “They’re the most successful band in country music y’all, so to recognize that achievement, we’re handing this out to Alabama tonight,” Bentley professed in a video posted to the band’s Instagram Stories.
“The Pinnacle Award recognizes an artist or group who has undeniably redefined the pinnacle of success in the genre by achieving prominence through concert performances, consumption numbers, record sales and/or other significant industry achievements at levels unique for Country Music,” as described by CMA in a press release. “They have also attained the highest degree of recognition within the broad expanse of music worldwide, and their talent and presence will have a long-term positive impact on the appreciation of Country Music for generations to come.”
Forming in 1969 in Fort Payne, Alabama, the family trio hit their stride in the 1980s, beginning at the start of the decade with back-to-back No. 1 hits “Tennessee River” and “Why Lady Why” in 1980. This started a record streak of 21 consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and more than 40 hits overall including “Mountain Music,” Dixieland Delight” and “Song of the South.”
The Pinnacle Award was established in 2005 with Garth Brooks as the first recipient. The only other artists to receive it are Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney in 2013 and 2016, respectively.
Photo Credit: Nick Zimmer/CMA
