1993 CMA Awards: Performers, Winners, and Show Highlights
Your Complete Guide to the 1993 Country Music Association Awards
Written by Amanda Tempel
Vince Gill led the nominations for the 27th annual CMA Awards with eight. “The 27th Annual CMA Awards,” took place at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville and was broadcasted on September 29, 1993, on CBS. Clint Black and Vince Gill hosted the show. Find the complete list of 1993 CMA Award performers, presenters, winners, and show highlights below.
1993 CMA Award Winners
Entertainer of the Year - Vince Gill
Nominees:
Brooks & Dunn
Garth Brooks
Alan Jackson
Reba McEntire
Female Vocalist: Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter: “This is an incredible surprise. It really is. I’m overjoyed, thank you so much. Thanks to John Jennings who is my dear friend and co-producer, and Sony Music, and all the good friends who keep us healthy and happy while we’re doing what we're doing. Bless you all. Thank you.”
Nominees:
Reba McEntire
Pam Tillis
Tanya Tucker
Wynonna
Male Vocalist: Vince Gill
Vince Gill: “Thank you very much. I’ve neglected to mention my family’s here tonight - my wife Janis and my daughter Jennifer. I love you guys. I’m glad you’re here with me. I always react, I guess very spur of the moment with these things and tonight is no exception. I think that this is the first time in history that anybody has won this three times in a row and I’m very very flattered, honored, and humbled to be the first person to do that. And I would like to accept this tonight in memory of Conway Twitty. Thank you.”
Nominees:
John Anderson
Garth Brooks
Alan Jackson
George Strait
Vocal Group: Diamond Rio
Marty Roe: “Oh goodness, we did not expect this. Last year was a surprise, but this is a dream come true. Speaking of dreams, as Wynonna's song said, fortunately for us, it is not over yet. We’re glad to be standing up here before you. We want to thank our label, right off the bat. We have the best label an artist could ever want - Arista Records. They stood by us through thick and thin and we’ve had a few thin times here lately, and we’re glad that they’re with us. Most of all though, we want to thank the fans. Y’all are the reason we got in this business years ago. You’re the reason we do it right now. You’ll be the reason we do it when all these things are over with. God bless you all. Thank you so much.”
Nominees:
Alabama
Confederate Railroad
Restless Heart
Sawyer Brown
Vocal Duo: Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn:
Ronnie Dunn: “We’re out there having the time of our lives, I’m almost embarrassed to stand here and admit that to you and to think that we actually get paid for what we’re doing. And, we actually are brothers. Thought we’d let you know that tonight.”
Kix Brooks: “My dad’s here tonight and I’d like to say thanks to him. He’s probably the most natural entertainer I’ve ever known. To my wife Barbara, and my son Eric, and my daughter Molly, for letting me live my dream so guilt-free. I really appreciate and love y’all. Thank you!”
Nominees:
Bellamy Brothers
Darryl & Don Ellis
Sweethearts of the Rodeo
Horizon: Mark Chesnutt
Mark Chesnutt: “Thank you. This is great. I’ve been watching this show since I was little bitty kid. This is the biggest night of my life because I’m actually on the show that I’ve watched all my life. I’ve seen Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba, and all my idols singing up here, you know, now I’m here. Thank you so much. Y’a’ll have been wonderful to us the past few years. All the fans, y’all are great. Thank you for giving us a job. MCA Records, I’m so glad to be part of your family. And I’m so glad you believed in me and gave me a chance to do what I love to do. Thank you mama, thank you Tracy - my wife, thank God. Thank y’all. I love you!”
Nominees:
Sammy Kershaw
Tracy Lawrence
John Michael Montgomery
Trisha Yearwood
Album of the Year: I Still Believe In You - Vince Gill | Producer: Tony Brown
Vince Gill: “Thank you very much. I’m speechless. Got all this funny stuff as host, but as a singer, I’m having a hard time trying to find the right things say sometimes. Tony Brown, one of my oldest friends in the world, I thank you for making these records with me. Bruce Hinton, everybody at MCA, for a lot of hard work. I’m very very surprised and I thank you.”
Nominees:
Award goes to Artist, and Producer(s).
Hard Workin’ Man - Brooks & Dunn
Producers: Don Cook, Scott Hendricks
A Lot About Livin’ (And A Little ‘Bout Love) - Alan Jackson
Producer: Keith Stegall
Come On, Come On - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Producer: John Jennings
The Chase - Garth Brooks
Producer - Allen Reynolds
Song of the Year: “I Still Believe In You” | Songwriters: Vince Gill & John Barlow Jarvis
John Barlow Jarvis: “I think the surest way to get one of these is to write a song with this guy right here. I’d like to thank Tony Brown, the musicians, the engineers, and the people at MCA that turned this song into a record to give you all a chance to hear it. And most of all, I’d like to thank Vince.”
Vince Gill: “Thank you very much. Boy, this is the third one of these in a row for me, for Song of the Year. I just want to say I know a lot of people think that there’s another award that’s more important than this, but this to me is the epitome of what we do. These songs will last a lifetime. We’ll come and go as artists, but these songs are definitely the reason this town lives. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
Nominees:
Award is presented to the songwriter.
“Seminole Wind”
Writer: John Anderson
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie”
Writer: Ronnie Dunn
“Chattahoochee”
Writers: Alan Jackson and Jim McBride
“Ain’t That Lonely Yet”
Writers: James Hand and Kostas
Single of the Year: “Chattahoochee” – Alan Jackson | Producer: Keith Stegall
Alan Jackson: “Thank y’all very much. Well, it was a good single for me. My wife got lipstick all over me. I want to thank Jim McBride for helping me create that song. Great songwriter, written a lot. To Keith Stegall, who produced the record. And I want to especially thank John Kelton, who’s an engineer in town. Probably got the best ears in Nashville, that helped us with that song and the whole album. John, and everybody that works in the office for Arista, and everyone in Barry’s office that put such a great promotion on the album, video, and everything, made it such a successful song. And for all the people that loved it across America, thank you. God bless you all.”
Nominees:
Award goes to Artist and Producer
“Ain’t That Lonely Yet” – Dwight Yoakam
Producer: Pete Anderson
“Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away” – Vince Gill
Producer: Tony Brown
“I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair” – George Jones
Producer: Emory Gordy Jr.
“Two Sparrows In A Hurricane” – Tanya Tucker
Producer: Jerry Crutchfield
Vocal Event of the Year: “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” – George Jones and Friends
Award presented to: George Jones, Vince Gill, Mark Chesnutt, Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, Joe Diffie, Alan Jackson, Pam Tillis, T. Graham Brown, Patty Loveless and Clint Black
Nancy Jones: “I promised that he showed up. He’s in the bathroom. I swear he’s here. Someone find my husband. Get over here, Clint! George, where are you?”
Clint Black: “I think we need to make her say something, don’t you?”
Nancy Jones: “He’s gonna kill me. Not only is George gonna kill me, but Bruce Hinton is gonna kill me. But, Bruce, he’s here. He’s in the bathroom, I promise I’ll have him here in a minute. Somebody find him. Well, if George was standing here, I think he’d say thank you….and….what am I doing? Thank y’all for this!”
Nominees:
“A Bad Goodbye” - Clint Black and Wynonna
“Tell Me About It” - Tanya Tucker and Delbert McClinton
“The Heart Won't Lie” - Reba McEntire and Vince Gill
“Walkaway Joe” - Trisha Yearwood and Don Henley
Music Video of the Year: “Chattahoochee” – Alan Jackson | Director: Martin Kahan
Alan Jackson: “Thank you. Thank you very much. After making several videos and talking to so many of the fans, people out there, I realized just how important these videos are now. An important part of our music. I appreciate all the nice comments we’ve had from the fans especially all the younger fans who really enjoying watching. And I want to thank Martin Kahan who directed the video and also especially Brad Fuller who shot a lot of the water skiing footage down in Florida, made such a great part of the video. Just enjoyed making it. I just hate to lose to John Anderson - what a comeback of a decade. Such a fan of his! John, God bless you. Thank my daddy for teaching me to ski when I was six years old. Thank you all and good night.”
Nominees:
Award goes to Artist(s) and Director.
“Cleopatra, Queen of Denial” – Pam Tillis
Director: Michael Salomon
“Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away” – Vince Gill
Director: John Lloyd Miller
“I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair” – George Jones
Director: Marc Ball
“Seminole Wind” – John Anderson
Director: Jim Shea
Musician of the Year: Mark O'Connor
Mark O’Connor: “I would like to mention the wonderful nominees up here with me. They’re wonderful musicians and they inspire me so much. I hope to play with them for the rest of my life. Thank you.”
Nominees:
John Barlow Jarvis
Paul Franklin
Brent Mason
Matt Rollings
1993 CMA Award Performances
Vince Gil and Clint Black - “Honky Tonk Blues”
Reba McEntire and Linda Davis - “Does He Love You”
Dwight Yoakam - “Fast As You”
Wynonna - “Is It Over Yet”
Clint Black - “All Tuckered Out”
Tanya Tucker - “Soon”
Garth Brooks - “American Honky Tonk Association”
Sawyer Brown - “Thank God For You”
Mary Chapin Carpenter with Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea, Suzy Bogguss, and Trisha Yearwood - “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”
Brooks & Dunn - “She Used To Be Mine”
Pam Tillis - “‘Til All The Lonely’s Gone”
Billy Ray Cyrus - “Somebody New”
George Strait - “Easy Come, Easy Go”
Kathy Mattea - “Listen To The Radio”
Marty Stuart & Lee Roy Parnell with all nominees for Musician of the Year - “Working Man Blues”
Alan Jackson - “Chattahoochee”
John Michael Montgomery - “I Love The Way You Love Me”
Trisha Yearwood - “The Song Remembers When”
Mark Chesnutt - “It Sure Is Monday”
Sammy Kershaw - “Haunted Heart”
Tracy Lawrence - “Can’t Break It To My Heart”
George Jones - “Hello Darlin’”
John Anderson - “Seminole Wind”
Vince Gill - “Nothin’ Like A Woman”
Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette - “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”
1993 CMA Award Presenters
Patty Loveless and Billy Dean
Joe Diffie and Michelle Wright
Kelly Willis and Doug Stone
Shelby Lynne and Steve Wariner
KT Oslin
Sawyer Brown
Billy Ray Cyrus
Kathy Mattea
Marty Stuart
Naomi Judd
Ricky Skaggs and Suzy Bogguss
Carlene Carter and Aaron Tippin
Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette
Willie Nelson’s Country Music Hall of Fame Speech
Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and actor Rip Torn presented Willie Nelson with his Country Music Hall of Fame plaque. Willie Nelson’s speech ran several minutes, and eventually producers went to commercial break before he was finished talking.
Here’s the speech that was televised:
Willie Nelson: “Thank you. Again, thank you very much. I really thought you had to die to get here. So, I went ahead and dressed up just in case. Let’s talk about the other guys. You know, let’s talk about Harlan Howard, and let’s talk about Ray Price, and let’s talk about Merle Haggard, and let’s talk about Don Gibson.
When I first met Harlan Howard, Hank Cochran had just sort of took me under his wing here in Nashville, and we were writing songs over at Pamper. So Harlan was already in town. He’d already written a hundred number one songs before I got here - “Pick Me Up On Your Way Down,” “I Fall To Pieces,” and a thousand more. He and I wrote one together called “Wanted: One Mother” - it’s just the saddest song you ever heard in your life. But anyway, Harlan is a friend of mine, and so is Ray Price.
When I first came to town, Ray hired me to play bass in his band. Also, his publishing company and Hal Smith and Pamper Music hired me to write songs. I think I killed one of his roosters one time, but that’s another story. But anyways, he’s a good friend of mine.
And then there’s Don Gibson. Don Gibson had already written “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Sweet Dreams” and “Oh Lonesome Me” while I was still selling books in Ft. Worth. So then you got me and Merle Haggard. Hell, me and him are Pancho and Lefty. So all good friends. We did Branson together. We got Purple Hearts, I guarantee it.
Anyway, then we got…I think that covered everybody - Harlan Howard, Ray Price, and Don Gibson, and Merle Haggard. All these guys are friends of mine, so if you think I’m gonna come in here and accept this award on all these guy’s behalf that are just as deserving as I am, you damn right I am. ‘Cause I know they want me to.
Also, I would like to say that country music has come a long way. There’s a whole big audience out there…oh before I talk about that - Gene Autry - one of the guys in the hall of fame is having a birthday today. So let’s sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Gene Autry. You want to?” (Entire audience sings “Happy Birthday”)
Kris Kristofferson: “And Lisa, too.”
Willie Nelson: “And Lisa!”
“Well Happy Birthday! And also, I’m proud to be in the hall of fame with guys like Gene Autry, Chet Atkins, Minnie Pearl, and Little Jimmy Dickens, and the list is a long one. Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
Also, in the future, we gotta remember the guys like Harlan and Ray, and Haggard….these two guys are young back here. Johnny’s already in there, you know, he’s already a member. And Kris is young. And Waylon…we’ll get him later. But we gotta remember Faron Young, we gotta remember Faron Young. We gotta remember Ferlin Husky, Carl Smith, I mean there’s some guys out there we gotta go back and pick up. Next year, I think we oughta dump about five or ten folks in this hall of fame and catch up cause we’re getting behind!”
1993 CMA Awards Recap
The CMA’s extended their broadcast to nearly two and a half hours, the longest in its televised history at that point. The set design was also enhanced with backdrops, flooring, and props to complement performances.
Several artists received standing ovations for their performances including Reba McEntire and Linda Davis for their duet “Does He Love You.” Wynonna’s powerful “Is It Over Yet” would command a standing ovation. Johnny Cash and Reba McEntire were the first to rise to their feet after Pam Tillis performed “’Til The Loney’s Gone.” When Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette joined Dolly Parton onstage the crowd greeted them with a standing ovation, and once again after their song concluded.
Before heading to commercial breaks, the CMA showcased an up-and-coming performer by playing a snippet of their song and having that artist say who was coming up on the show next. Those artists included Martina McBride, Collin Raye, Radney Foster, Little Texas, Toby Keith, Lisa Stewart, Brother Phelps, and Clay Walker.
While he had previously one the Music Video of the Year in 1992, this year marked the first time Alan Jackson was the given the chance to accept a CMA award with a speech on TV.
The U.S. Postmaster General was recognized as an audience member. A series of stamps featuring timeless country artists had recently been revealed.
Before presenting the Musican of the Year trophy, in an unscripted moment, Marty Stuart mentioned how this was the first time the award had presented on air in quite some time.
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