Beyonce to Perform at 50th CMA Awards
Beyoncé will perform at the 50th annual CMA Awards, joining an already impressive lineup of artists slated to appear during the telecast, multiple sources confirmed to Rolling Stone Country.
There is no official word on what (or with whom) the pop/R&B superstar will perform during the show, but her acclaimed 2016 album Lemonade notably featured the country-steeped track “Daddy Lessons.” Opening with the bright sounds of a New Orleans brass band before letting an acoustic guitar and percussion sketch out a funky rhythm, “Daddy Lessons” depicts a woman’s complex relationship to her father as well as the dark threat of violence when relationships between men and women start to break down. “He told me when he’s gone / Here’s what you do / When trouble comes to town / And men like me come around / Oh, my daddy said shoot,” she sings.
CMA Entertainer of the Year-winning trio the Dixie Chicks took to performing the tune – written by Beyoncé with Wynter Gordon, Kevin Cossom and Alex Delicata – at stops on their DCX MMXVI tour in 2016. During the down section of the shows, Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer lined up along the front of the stage with their band and churned out a mostly acoustic, percussion-heavy version of Beyoncé’s song. They have not yet been confirmed to appear at the CMA Awards this evening.
Along with Beyoncé, a number of generation-spanning country performers are set for the show, including George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Randy Travis, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Maren Morris, Garth Brooks with Trisha Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Roy Clark, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Urban and many others.
The 50th annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.