Luke Bryan To Host CMA Fest Special On ABC
Country music fans around the world may have had to miss out on CMA Fest in Nashville due to the…

Luke Bryan; Photo by Andrew Wendowski
Country music fans around the world may have had to miss out on CMA Fest in Nashville due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Country Music Association is doing its best to bring music to fans with a new TV special hosted by Luke Bryan and a star-studded live stream event.
Airing Thursday, July 9 at 8/7c on ABC, CMA Best of Fest will feature over 25 performances from past CMA Fest events as well as a brand new, must-see performance with Bryan and special guest Darius Rucker. Hosted by Bryan, the show will feature performances from the past 16 including appearances by Trace Adkins, Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dan + Shay, Lzzy Hale, Sam Hunt, Joan Jett, Lady A, Miranda Lambert, Lil Nas X, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Dwight Yoakam and Zac Brown Band, with guest appearances by Bobby Bones, Jim Gaffigan, Kirk Herbstreit, Peyton Manning, Lionel Richie, Rob Riggle, Gwen Stefani, Michael Strahan and Rita Wilson.

One week prior to the airing of CMA Best of Fest, Jimmie Allen and Lindsay Ell will host CMA Summer Stay-Cay presented by Budweiser Nitro Gold, a brand new live stream event featuring over 50 country artists. The multi-hour live stream will air on the CMA’s YouTube channel and Facebook page and will include performances, Q&As, games with artists and much more. Additional details can be found at CMASummerStayCay.com.
CMA Fest will return to Downtown Nashville June 10-13. 2021.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.