WATCH: Jimmie Allen Teams Up with Louis York and The Shindellas for ‘CMA Country Christmas’ Performance

Newly crowned CMA New Artist of the Year Jimmie Allen made his debut performance on CMA Country Christmas on Monday…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

November 29, 2021

Jimmie Allen; Photo by Hunter Berry

Newly crowned CMA New Artist of the Year Jimmie Allen made his debut performance on CMA Country Christmas on Monday (Nov. 29) with a collaboration featuring Louis York and The Shindellas.

The artists joined forces to perform “What Does Christmas Mean” on the CMA Country Christmas set, getting fans into the holiday spirit with the song that was previously described as a “ festive doo-wop ditty.”

Jimmie Allen, Louis York, and The Shindellas; Photo by Hunter Berry, CMA

Originally featured on multi-GRAMMY nominated songwriting and production team Louis York’s 2017 EP Masterpiece Theater: Act III alongside fellow Weirdo Workshop artists The Shindellas, Allen joined both artists for a reimagined 2020 version that marries each artist’s signature sound to create a track filled with soul, jazz, R&B, pop, an infusion of variety show energy and a whole lot of merry cheer.

“I am a huge fan of Louis York and The Shindellas. I love what they have to say musically,” Allen previously shared. “And I am a big, big fan of Christmas – so being on this song with them is super special and fun.”

Gabby Barrett and Carly Pearce joined forces to co-host CMA Country Christmas, which aired on Monday, November 29 on ABC.

The star-studded show also featured festive performances by Barrett, Pearce, BRELAND, Brett Eldredge, Lady A, Pistol Annies, Carrie Underwood and Lainey Wilson.

Beginning November 30, CMA Country Christmas will be available to watch anytime on demand and available to stream on Hulu.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

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.