The awards ceremony airs live from Nashville on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CMT.
Honorees from the 2019 CMT Artists of the Year event are shining bright!
Ahead of the awards ceremony on Wednesday, CMT released the official family portrait, which features Carrie Underwood, Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Reba McEntire, Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde and Dan + Shay.
This year's ceremony will be a special one, as it will celebrate the decade-long anniversary of the live music franchise. The live, 90-minute soiree will pay tribute to McEntire, as well as the other aforementioned artists who ruled the last 12 months.
While it will surely be a night to remember for all, it will be extra memorable for Rhett, as his wife, Lauren Akins, will be presenting him with his award. Speaking about his fourth studio album, Rhett said his goal for Center Point Road was "to tell a true, honest story about my life."
"I feel like Life Changes did that pretty well, but on Center Point Road I felt like it went a whole layer deeper," he explained. "I really wanted to get back to the storytelling aspect of the kind of music that I like to write."
"My wife has always been that rock to me," he added. "Right before a show, my wife is always the last person I see, the last person I talk to, always the person that will put her hands on my shoulders and say, 'Honey, you've got this. You're born for this.'"
This Is Us star Chrissy Metz will be performing a song in honor of Combs, while Sam Hunt and Lady Antebellum will take the stage to deliver a tribute performance to McEntire, the recipient of this year's CMT Artist of a Lifetime award.
"I have loved entertaining people since I was a little girl and after being in the music business for more than 40 years, I'm still having so much fun!" McEntire said in a statement. "For CMT to recognize me as the Artist of a Lifetime is pretty special."
Additionally, stars like Bobby Bones, Vince Gill, Johnny Galecki, Lonnie Chavis and Maddie & Tae will present.
The 2019 CMT Artists of the Year awards ceremony airs live from Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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