Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Throwback To Brooks and Yearwood’s Impressive Performance in 2016 CMA Awards

by
  • Riley is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, known for her engaging storytelling and insightful coverage of the genre.
  • Before joining Country Thang Daily, Riley developed her expertise at Billboard and People magazine, focusing on feature stories and music reviews.
  • Riley has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Belmont University, with a minor in Cultural Studies.

The chemistry between Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood is undeniable. And the power couple further proved that every time they perform together.

Take for instance, the 2016 CMA Awards, where we got treated to an extra special performance of the husband-wife duo. Together, they joined forces to bring Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on a journey beyond some of country music’s biggest classics.

They began the performance with Johnny Cash and June Carter’s 1967 hit “Jackson” – which tells the tale of a married couple who find that their relationship no longer has the fire that it has before. The song then narrates the couple’s desire to travel to “Jackson,” where they each await to be greeted as someone far better fitted to the city’s lively nightlife.

Brooks and Yearwood then proceeded into the memorable moments of several other classics: “I Beg Your Pardon, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” by Lynn Anderson, “Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Keith Whitley, and “Golden Ring” by George Jones. The two ended the incredible performance with a sweet kiss.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a hundred years,” Brooks said to PEOPLE about how he couldn’t resist kissing his wife. “Usually, when we sing together, we stand back and bow, but I just want to eat her alive! I thought she did so well, and she was so gorgeous, and I actually thought the cameras were off us — that’s why I did it. And that was probably one of the best kisses I ever got from her!”

The crowd can’t help but go wild. Indeed, that’s a horrific bunch of history taken in just a few minutes, but Brooks and Yearwood made it look easy. 

From The Power Couple Themselves

Before the event, Brooks promised that the 2016 CMA Awards wouldn’t be like any other yearly installment of the biggest awards show in country music.

“Hats off to all the artists,” Brooks said. “I don’t know if you guys know this, but all of the artists are pretty much saying the same thing. ‘Hey, screw my current stuff, whoever we need to pay homage to, whoever we need to — count us in!'”

“You know, all the guys — Jason [Aldean], Alan [Jackson], Keith [Urban] — all the guys, all the girls are all doing past music from other artists,” he added. You can say Brooks stuck to his promise. 

But the great night did not end there. It only got better when Brooks was named CMA Entertainer of the Year — twenty-five years after winning his first one.

“There you are, a cr𝐚zy kid like everybody else, and you get lucky, and you have your run. Then you leave, you raise your babies, fifteen, sixteen years, and then say, I’d like to come back. And people show up,” Brooks said of winning again after so many years. “And so the gratitude this time – I don’t think I took things for granted then, but there is a level of gratitude that is unbelievable just because you’re able to do this still this late in your career.”

With more than ten CMA Awards together, Brooks and Yearwood are certainly country music royalty. Yearwood made history when she became the first woman to be named CMA Female Vocalist of the Year twice – in 1997 and 1998 – since Mary Chapin Carpenter five years earlier. On the other hand, Brooks was named Entertainer of the Year four times and had eleven CMA Awards under his belt.

You can watch Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood relive classic country tunes during the 2016 CMA Awards in the video below. It’s a performance you won’t soon forget.

Latest Stories

Keith Urban holds a CMA award on stage, showing the same trophies he often ships home so his mom can keep a room full of them.

Keith Urban Gives Away Almost Every Award He Wins So One Person Can Keep a Room Full of Them

Keith Urban doesn’t just pick up awards, he packs them up and ships them off faster than most country stars can find a shelf. For a guy who’s racked up ...

Toby Keith performs with his American flag guitar, the same patriotic spirit that fueled his song "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue."

The Untold Truth Behind Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)”

When Toby Keith sat down with a fantasy football stat sheet and scribbled out “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue”, he didn’t just write a song. He lit a ...

Toby Keith plays guitar with an American flag design, capturing the patriotic vibe perfect for a Fourth of July country playlist.

35 Patriotic Country Songs to Turn Your Backyard Into the Ultimate 4th of July Party

Nothing says freedom like blasting a rowdy country playlist while you torch a few burgers, keep the cooler stocked, and watch your drunk uncle light fireworks way too close to ...

Keith Urban sits next to Nicole Kidman looking serious, a moment that echoes him shutting down talk about her steamy movie scenes.

Keith Urban Shuts Down Interview When Nicole Kidman’s Scenes With Younger Men Are Mentioned

Some lines just ain’t worth crossing, especially when you’re asking Keith Urban about Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron rolling around on screen. This week, the whole thing went sideways when ...

Tim McGraw sits outdoors with Faith Hill, leaning on a cane, sparking questions about his health but showing their strong bond.

Tim McGraw Using a Cane With Faith Hill Beside Him Raises Questions About His Health

Sometimes country music’s strongest cowboys need a little help standing tall, and Tim McGraw’s latest photo has folks asking how much longer he can keep carrying that torch. It’s not ...

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood smile together at an event, standing united amid the ongoing sexual assault lawsuit drama.

Garth Brooks’ Marriage With Trisha Yearwood Reportedly Unshaken by Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Nothing tests a marriage like ugly headlines, but Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are riding out this storm shoulder to shoulder. Since last October, Garth Brooks has been staring down ...

Country legend George Jones plays guitar under spotlight, embodying the raw heartbreak behind these 12 most depressing country songs.

These 12 Depressing Country Songs Will Have You Sobbing and Hitting Repeat All Night

Straight from the depths of Reddit’s country corner, here’s a list built by real fans who know heartbreak better than any Nashville hit machine ever could. These songs weren’t picked ...

Jimmy Swaggart preaching passionately in an undated photo, remembered now after his death at 90 from a heart attack.

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart Dies at 90 Just Weeks After Suffering a Massive Heart Attack

There’s a hush across Pentecostal churches this week as believers remember Jimmy Swaggart, the firebrand evangelist, gospel singer, and TV preacher who spent decades filling stadiums, living rooms, and airwaves ...

Gavin Adcock onstage raising a whiskey bottle while blasting Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ as “not real country music.”

Viral Country Star Gavin Adcock Slams Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Says ‘That S— Ain’t Country Music’

Some headlines feel like a parody of the country music circus these days, and this is one of them. Gavin Adcock, the beer-slinging viral star who built half his brand ...

George Strait beams onstage at Patriots Stadium, guitar in hand, as he brings Texas charm with “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”

George Strait Brings Lone Star Magic to Patriots Stadium With “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”

Some legends don’t need confetti cannons or stadium-shaking pyros. They just need a guitar, a baritone voice, and a song about every ex they ever outran in a pickup truck. ...