Alan Jackson Will Receive CMA’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at 2022 CMA Awards
Alan Jackson will be the focus of a special all-star tribute at the 2022 CMA Awards. The Country Music Hall of Famer is set to receive the CMA's Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Only seven other artists have earned the honor since it first went to Willie Nelson in 2012. The CMA Lifetime Achievement award is arguably the highest honor given by the Country Music Association, and it goes to iconic artists who "achieved both national and international prominence and stature through performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, streaming numbers, record sales and public representation."
A CMA tribute performance featuring Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood and Lainey Wilson will happen during the 2022 CMA Awards on Nov. 9.
The award comes weeks after Jackson was given CMT's Artist of a Lifetime award during the Artist of the Year ceremony in Nashville. Jackson gave a short speech during the gala and performed his hit song "Chattahoochee."
After Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton were given the CMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, 2015 and 2016, respectively. After a two-year term with no recipient, Kris Kristofferson was presented the award in 2019, with Charley Pride (2020) and Loretta Lynn (2021) following.
The award for Jackson comes after he was forced to cut his 2022 tour short for health reasons. In 2021, the 64-year-old shared that he had been living with a degenerative nerve condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. While not life-threatening, it has made ordinary movements, like walking, more difficult. At the time, the country icon indicated he'd be slowing down some, but planned to perform for as long as he was able. There are no tour dates currently listed on his website.