THE 2024 Country Music Association Awards brought star power, lots of fun and too many musical moments to count.

Hosts Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson And Peyton Manning took the stage during the ceremony on Wednesday, November 20 after a kickoff performance of Chris Stapleton And Post Malone.

“Smile, have fun and don’t listen to a word Luke Bryan said. Really,” Manning, 48, told Wilson, 32, after Bryan, 48, recommended, “When you’re in a rut, shake your butt!”

While the the animators set the tonethey were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the evening’s most memorable moments.

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Stapleton, 46, not only performed in front of his peers, but he also awarded three prizes on show.

Carrie Underwood I didn’t walk the red carpet but surprised fans with a performance of her and Cody Johnson“I’m going to love you.” Wilson and Miranda Lambertmeanwhile, were two of the many artists who paid homage to the legend George Strait during the show.

Scroll down to see the five best moments from the CMA Awards:

Chris Stapleton’s big night

Stapleton performed three times at the awards ceremony, including a duet of “What Am I Gonna Do” with his wife, Morgane. He won the night’s top prize for single of the year for “White Horse”.

When he won song of the year, he reminded fans that not all heroes wear capes – some wear cowboy hats. Stapleton began his speech by apologizing to his wife, that he forgot to bring with him during the first victory.

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“I owe my wife an apology. This last reward also belonged to him and it was not presented. It all happened so quickly,” he said, noting that she was now behind the scenes. “I love you, darling. I really owe her a lot of my music, so I want to say thank you for always supporting me.

He also won the Male Vocalist of the Year award.

Carrie Underwood makes a surprise appearance

Johnson, who was nominated for five CMAs on Wednesday, took the stage solo to perform his duet “I’m Gonna Love You.” After the first verse, a woman’s voice came from the side of the stage before Underwood, 41, came out to join him.

“Yeah, it’s Carrie Underwood,” Johnson, 37, said after the two finished their song to a room full of applause.

Star-studded tribute to George Strait

Strait, 72, received this year’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Before receiving the award, Wilson took the stage to perform his hit “Amarillo by Morning.” She spoke about Strait, saying, “He was always authentically Texan and authentically country. We love you.”

Jamey Johnson then performed “Give It Away” in front of Lambert, 41, and Parker McCollum did a duet for “Troubadour”. Strait joined Stapleton for the final song, “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame”.

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Stapleton then presented the trophy to Strait, calling the musician “a true country music royalty. The king of the country.

“First of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to thank all these great artists who have performed some of my songs,” Strait said. “It’s amazing to hear you do them. I’m so happy to have them in front of you. He concluded by thanking his wife and children as well as his fans.

Cody Johnson wins album of the year

Johnson had stiff competition for album of the year, competing against Kacey Musgraves, Luc Combs, Jelly roll and Stapleton, who won three awards at the event. Johnson surprised fans – and himself – by winning for Leather.

“I didn’t expect that. I was really expecting Chris Stapleton or Jelly Roll to be announced,” Johnson said while accepting the trophy. “I’ll be honest with you, I looked at my wife, Brandiand said, ‘Jelly Roll has this.’ » He then let out a loud “woo” in celebration.

Jelly Roll and Keith Urban bring the fire

Jelly roll, 39 years old, urban enlisted57 years old, for his second performance of the evening for “Liar”. Jelly Roll previously sang with Brooks & Dunn on their hit song “Believe.” Although Urban didn’t sing on “Liar,” he played a killer guitar solo and medley while flames filled the back of the stage.

Jelly Roll and Urban embraced their dark sides during the searing performance, which also featured a church choir on backing vocals. The musicians gave each other a big hug after finishing the song.