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Backstage Country

Top 10 2021 CMA Show Performances, Ranked

The 55th Annual CMA Awards last night (11/10) was full of great performances from country music’s biggest stars. Frankly, it’s hard to rank who was the best of the night….

Top 10 2021 CMA Show Performances, Ranked
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

The 55th Annual CMA Awards last night (11/10) was full of great performances from country music's biggest stars. Frankly, it's hard to rank who was the best of the night. But we're gonna take a crack at it anyway: here are what we feel were the 2021 CMA's top 10 performances.

10. Zac Brown Band Same Boat

Zac Brown always gets the crowd singing, and this performance was no different.

9. Gabby Barrett The Good Ones

Gabby proved her worth in country music with this performance.

8. Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean's If I Didn't Love You

A solid performance from these two superstars.

7. Chris Stapleton Cold

You could have heard a pin drop in the room when Chris sang this heartwrenching song.

6. Eric Church Hearts On Fire

Eric and his amazing backup singer, Joanna Cotten, were on fire in this electric performance.

5. Miranda Lambert Hits Medley

What a great way to kick off the show hearing Miranda sing her biggest songs in what looked like her own version of an Elvis jumpsuit.

4. Blake Shelton Come Back As A Country Boy

It was great to see Blake back on the CMA Awards, and his performance was top-notch.

3. Keith Urban Wild Hearts

Keith always gives a great performance, and his "Wild Hearts" from last night was stellar. It also helped that the CMA camera kept showing his wife Nicole Kidman singing along.

2. Luke Combs Doin' This

An amazing new song that's going to be a chart-topper for sure. Luke sang every word with such emotion.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 10: Luke Combs performs during the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 10, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

1. Chris Stapleton and Jennifer Hudson -

One of the best award show performances I have seen in a long time.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 10: Chris Stapleton and Jennifer Hudson perform during the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 10, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.