Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley Honor Chuck Berry at 2017 ACMs
Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley got to add a little something special to their hosting duties at the ACM Awards Sunday night (April 2) when they took the stage alongside iconic guitarist Joe Walsh to play a tribute to the legendary Chuck Berry, who recently died. The two teamed up on either side of Walsh, Bryan on keys and Bentley on acoustic, jamming out to the classic “Johnny B. Goode.”
Walsh kicked it off with his always-impressive riffs before Bentley took a turn at the vocals, giving it his all on the infamous rock 'n' roll tune, originally released in 1958. Bryan stood at the keys and took over the next section, clearly enjoying every second. The guys made a memorable trio on stage, and everyone in the audience was rocking along with them, from Keith Urban’s wife Nicole Kidman to Kelsea Ballerini.
Bryan and Bentley were up to do the monologue afterward, but had to take a moment to catch his breath first. Bryan took a moment to remember Berry for his influence as well, noting he “influenced every form of music, including country."
Berry died March 18, 2017. “Johnny B. Goode” is considered the No. 7 greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone on their list of the Top 500.
Bryan is nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the 2017 ACMs and is hosting for the fifth year running, while Bentley is hosting for his second. He’s up for several awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year.
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