Photo Credit: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
The inaugural People Choice Country Awards is in the books with Jelly Roll taking home four trophies– the most of anyone. Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson took home three each.
The top award of the evening, the People’s Artist of 2023, which was won by Morgan, was not televised, presumably because the show ran longer than expected.
See the full winners list here.
Performances:
- Little Big Town – “Down on the Boondocks”
- Kane Brown – “Bury Me in Georgia”
- Carly Pearce – “Country Music Made Me Do It”
- Blake Shelton – “Who’s Your Daddy” (In tribute to Toby Keith)
- Toby Keith – “Don’t Let the Old Man In” (Country Music Icon Award)
- HARDY – “Wrong Side of the Truck Bed”
- Kelsea Ballerini – “Over for Me”
- Wynonna – “I Saw the Light”,” Why Baby Why,” “No One Else on Earth” (Country Champion Award)
- Dan and Shay – “Bigger Houses”
- Jelly Roll – “Save Me”
Highlights:
- Blake Shelton’s heartfelt speech honoring Toby Keith as Country Music Icon.
- A gaunt Toby Keith opened his acceptance speech by saying, “I bet you never thought you’d see me in skinny jeans.”
- Blake Shelton looked perplexed when his name was announced as the Social Country Star of 2023.
- Little Big Town, Lady A, Dustin Lynch and Lauren Alaina join together on the Grand Ole Opry House stage to talk about who invited them to join the Grand Ole Opry.
- Country Music Champion Wynonna joked that years ago, Tim McGraw opened for her, and recently she opened for him.
- Jelly Roll accepted the award for Male Artist of 2023 and performed “Save Me” live from his show in Cincinnati.
