Cody Johnson had a surprise in store for his fans during his appearance on CMA Fest, a three hour concert special airing Wednesday night (July 19) on ABC.
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The special, recorded in June during CMA Fest (hence the name) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, saw Johnson take the stage by himself to perform “Whoever’s in New England,” a song known to be recorded by McEntire. After he sang the first few verses, You spend an awful lot of time in Massachusetts / Seems Like every other week you’ve got a meeting waiting there / Business must be booming or could something else / Be moving in the air up there / … You say that it’s important for our future / An executive on his way up has got to play the part / And each time duty calls you got to give it all / You’ve got with all your heart, a roar could be heard from the crowd.
The reason for the roar? Reba McEntire. The queen of country surprised fans by stepping out on stage to take a verse or two of the song. Johnson and McEntire suddely became the duo we never knew we needed.
Reba sings, I hear the winter time up north can last forever / And I’ve been told it’s beautiful to see this time of year / They say the snow can blind you ’til the world you left behind / Just disappears I hear, as the shocked crowd erupts in cheers.
“Whoever’s in New England” is the lead single and title track from McEntire’s 10th studio album, released in 1986. Written by Kendal Franceschi and Quentin Powers, the song reached the No. 1 spot on the country charts and earned McEntire her first Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
The three-hour concert special, which aired on ABC, featured a series of performances from the 50th anniversary of CMA Fest, and included performances by Jelly Roll, Jason Aldean, Jo Dee Messina, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Leon Bridges, HARDY, Little Big Town, Luke Combs, Tanya Tucker, Vince Gill, Avril Lavigne, Cody Johnson, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker, Eric Church, and more.
Check out the performance below.
. Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage
