Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey Leans on Bandmates at 2023 ACM Awards

Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey has made a triumphant return to the spotlight, after an ATV accident. The lead singer attempted to walk the high-profile red carpet at the 2023 ACM Awards on Thursday (May 11) but had to lean on his bandmates for assistance. 

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While sporting a chic off-white suit and sued loafers, the hitmaker caught up with Entertainment Tonight’s Rachel Smith to address his recovery journey, which includes a cane. 

“This is my first venture into cane-dom,” said Ramsey, making light of the situation.

The four-wheel accident occurred in March, leaving Ramsey with a fractured pelvis in three places. Although it’s only been three months since the incident, Ramsey refused to let his injury slow him down. The group said they were thrilled to attend the show together and rub elbows with the biggest stars in country music. 

“You see everyone that you don’t get to see all year round,” shared Brad Tursi.

Old Dominion has had a successful few years, as they recently went on tour with Kenny Chesney and released “Beer With My Friends” with the leader of No Shoes Nation. They also dropped a four-song EP titled, Memory Lane. The Shane McAnally-produced collection serves as the start of their “new chapter,” as they experiment with their sound. They also embarked on their No Bad Vibes Tour, which is scheduled to cover 31 different stops in total.

Ahead of the show, Rosen said it “would be wonderful” if they scored Group of the Year. As Ramsey referred to his band as “musical geniuses,” Rosen said they would “gladly welcome more statues.”

Old Dominion spoke their goal into existence and brought home the coveted accolade. The men were against notable names in the industry – Lady A, Little Big Town, Midland, and Zac Brown Band.

“Thank you to my friends here for holding me up when I needed it,” said Ramsey during the acceptance speech. “But I also know that there are people obviously hurting in the world right now, trying to figure out how to make sense of divisiveness and shootings and things like that, and there are people that are really hurting right now. We are so proud to be in a room full of country music fans and make music for those people, but we’re most proud to make music for people that are hurting right now.”

Old Dominion then pledged to continue to make music that will uplift listeners when times get rough. The country community was surprised to see Ramsey take the spotlight, as he previously mentioned that he would need to take time at “home and recover for a little while.”

The accident forced the band to postpone three performances on their No Bad Vibes tour to 2024. 

Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage

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