On Thursday (Sept. 26), CMT shared the news that Reba McEntire will be honored with the Artist of a Lifetime award presented by Ram Trucks at this year’s CMT Artists of the Year event.
And she shared that she was honored, because she is still having fun after a lifetime in country music. “I have loved entertaining people since I was a little girl and after being in the music business more than 40 years, I’m still having so much fun! For CMT to recognize me as the Artist of a Lifetime is pretty special,” McEntire said.
Has it only been 40 years? As legend has it, McEntire was discovered in 1974 when she was singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” our national anthem, at the National Rodeo finals in Oklahoma City before she was even 20 years old. And her first top ten hit came a few years later, with “(You Lift Me) Up To Heaven.”
When she takes home her Artist of a Lifetime achievement, McEntire will join the short list of previous recipients, including Loretta Lynn (2018), Shania Twain (2016), Kenny Rogers (2015), and Merle Haggard (2014).
This year’s CMT Artists of the Year special is the 10th anniversary of the live music event. The honorees include Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett, and the show will feature surprise musical pairings and guests. It will air live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday, October 16 at 8pm ET/PT.
Later this year, McEntire will join Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood to co-host the 53rd Annual CMA Awards on November 13.
