Look for the spotlight to shine on three young Alabama acts when the Academy of Country Music broadcasts its CMA Awards show Wednesday evening.
Riley Green, Ella Langley and the Red Clay Strays are all among the nominees. According to information recently released by the CMA, all are also among the night’s performers.
The situation has some similarities to the picture a year ago. Then, Green and Langley performed their blockbuster duet “You Look Like You Love Me” on the awards broadcast. They took home the Musical Event of the Year award for the tune.
This time around, “You Look Like You Love Me” is nominated for Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year. Langley is among the nominees for Female Vocalist of the Year. And if that feels familiar, it might be because Riley and Green swept multiple categories with the song at the ACM Awards back in May.
Green and Langley are again nominated for Musical Event of the Year for a duet: This time it is Green’s “Don’t Mind If I Do.” So don’t be too surprised if that’s what they play in their CMA Awards performance.
Another similarity: As they were last year, the Red Clay Strays are nominated for Vocal Group of the Year. The competition again includes Little Big Town, a group with Alabama connections of its own, as well as 2024 nominees Lady A and Old Dominion. Rascal Flatts also is nominated this year.
The Strays are a roots-rock group whose sound includes enough grit and twang to win them a place in the country world. (At an appearance this summer at The Wharf in Orange Beach, frontman Brandon Wilson touched on the band’s blurry music-industry categorization: “We are country people and we’re from the South. We do not play country music, we play more rock and roll than anything else. So here’s another country song for you.”)
The band recently announced that it will headline a show at Madison Square Garden in August 2026 and another at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena in October 2026. For ticketing links, visit www.redclaystrays.com.
The CMA Awards will be held Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The event will be broadcast live on ABC starting at 7 p.m. Central; starting Thursday, it will be available for streaming on Hulu.
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