SPECIAL GUESTS REVEALED AHEAD OF “CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR” PREMIERING LIVE TOMORROW, DECEMBER 2 AT 8 P.M. ET
12/01/14
Larry the Cable Guy Hosts the 90-minute Special with Appearances and Performances by Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Chris Cornell, Merle Haggard, Wiz Khalifa, Danica Patrick and Chris Stapleton
Eric Church, Billy Bob Thornton, Ashley Monroe and T Bone Burnett to honor Merle Haggard
Eric Church, Billy Bob Thornton, Ashley Monroe and T Bone Burnett to honor Merle Haggard
NASHVILLE – December 1, 2014 – Music City will celebrate the successes of five of its own when the fifth annual CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR premieres LIVE tomorrow, December 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET on both CMT and VH1. Honoring Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban, and hosted by Larry the Cable Guy, ARTISTS OF THE YEAR will feature live performances and special guests as each honoree is celebrated for his or her achievements over the past year.
Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Chris Stapleton, Ashley Monroe, T Bone Burnett and Merle Haggard will appear. Slated to present at this year’s show are eight-time Entertainer of the Year and the only country artist in Billboard’s Top 10 live acts of the past 25 years Kenny Chesney; multiple Grammy-winning and Golden Globe nominated singer/songwriter and legendary frontman for pioneering rock bands Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, Chris Cornell; Grammy nominated and multi-platinum selling hip hop artist Wiz Khalifa; NASCAR driver Danica Patrick; and Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton.
Icon Merle Haggard will be in the audience to receive the “Artist of a Lifetime” award, the first time this award has ever been given. He will be honored by a special performance by Eric Church, Ashley Monroe and T Bone Burnett. Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton will present the award to Haggard.
Join the conversation on CMT.com/AOTY/ and the official Facebook page, or follow @CMT on Twitter using official hashtag #CMTAOTY.
CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is executive produced by Michael Dempsey. John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.
www.cmtpress.com
CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT App, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.
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PRESS CONTACT:
Cindy Finke
615-335-8404
cindy.finke@cmt.com
