Trisha Yearwood nailed her performance at the 2020 ACM Awards, honoring those in the country music industry who have passed away, but we have Garth Brooks to thank that she was even on stage. It was Garth who was first asked to perform, singing his classic song, “The Dance,” before he humbly suggested his wife’s “I’ll Carry You Home,” from her recent Every Girl album, instead.
“We started with the idea of individual performances honoring Kenny Rogers, Charlie Daniels and Joe Diffie, then I said, ‘Folks, I think this is a mistake,'” the 2020 ACM Awards Executive Producer RAC Clark recalled to Country Aircheck. “We’ve lost so many people. Why not Jimmy Capps, considering we’re at the Opry House? That’s when I turned to the folks at the Academy and said, ‘You’ve got to curate this list.’
“We talked to Garth about ‘The Dance,’ and he responded, ‘Listen to Trisha’s song,'” he added. “Of course, it was so appropriate. Plus, I knew she could do the setup from a hosting perspective. It looked so great .”
The 2020 ACM Awards will go down in history not only because the show changed both the date and location because of COVID-19, but also because for the first time in the history of the ACM Awards, there was a tie for Entertainer of the Year, with both Carrie Underwood and Thomas Rhett sharing the title. Although the winner’s name is usually a surprise for everyone, because of the COVID-19 restrictions, both artists’ managers were notified in advance, to make sure they were on-site to accept the award.
“I had a clue it was a tie,” he revealed. “I didn’t know if both artists would be there, but I certainly wanted them to be and made sure we went into the last act right on time. I always have filler if we’re short – long goodnights and short goodnights. [CBS executive] Jack Sussman told me if we need to go long in an emotional moment, that’s okay.
“For instance, when Old Dominion accepted [the ACM Award for Song of the Year]. and talked about feeling the presence of everyone who isn’t here anymore, Jack and I gave each other a look,” he recalled. “That’s what acceptance speeches need to be. Not the laundry list of your agent, manager and publicist. I knew CBS would stay with the Entertainer presentation if it came to it.”
