Brooks on Brooks: Kix Says Garth Was Ready to “Let Other Acts Rock With” the CMA Entertainer of the Year Award

Brooks on Brooks: Kix Says Garth Was Ready to “Let Other Acts Rock With” the CMA Entertainer of the Year Award

With 19 CMA Awards in their trophy cases, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn are second only to George Strait (22) on the all-time list. The duo also took home the CMA’s most coveted award, Entertainer of the Year, in 1996.

From one CMA Entertainer of the Year to another, Kix Brooks shared his thoughts regarding Garth Brooks respectfully requesting to have his name withdrawn from future nominations for the CMA Entertainer of the Year Award. Garth won his record-setting seventh CMA Entertainer of the Year Award in 2019.

As Kix told Elaina Smith of Nights With Elaina, Garth was ready to “let other acts rock with it.”

“I know where Garth is coming from,” says Kix. “He can still sell out more shows, I think, than probably anybody in our business, if he wants to. If he wanted to really clean a market out, he can probably sell out 10 shows in about every market, which does make it hard for the next act that comes through because you’ve pretty much depleted the income of all our fans, so he’s careful about all that stuff—it’s true, it really is. He probably could win Entertainer of the Year just on that merit . . . He has been in that legitimate spotlight for so long . . . I think he probably would like to step out of that spotlight for a second and let other acts rock with it.”

Garth got his wish on Sept. 1 when the nominations for the CMA Awards were announced. His name was not included in the Entertainer of the Year category, even though it should have been. After the COVID-19 pandemic halted his Dive Bar Tour and Stadium Tour, Garth kept the music coming with a drive-in concert event, prime-time performance on CBS, Grand Ole Opry showcase, Facebook Live concerts and more.

The CMA Awards will air live from the Music City Center in downtown Nashville on Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

Entertainer of the Year

  • Eric Church
  • Luke Combs
  • Miranda Lambert
  • Carrie Underwood
  • Keith Urban

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Blogs

Cole Swindell Announces 2025 Headlining “Happy Hour Sad Tour”

On Monday (April 7), Cole Swindell unveiled the dates and details of his highly anticipated 2025 Happy Hour Sad Tour. Opening acts on select dates will be rising country stars Priscilla Block, Logan Crosby, and Greylan James. The tour will showcase songs from Swindell’s upcoming album, Spanish Moss, which is set for release on June…

Cole Swindell Announces 2025 Headlining “Happy Hour Sad Tour”

On Monday (April 7), Cole Swindell unveiled the dates and details of his highly anticipated 2025 Happy Hour Sad Tour. Opening acts on select dates will be rising country stars Priscilla Block, Logan Crosby, and Greylan James. The tour will showcase songs from Swindell’s upcoming album, Spanish Moss, which is set for release on June…

Ella Langley Tends To Riley Green’s “Injury” On Tour Bus After Their Show

Following their recent show in Toronto, Ontario, Ella Langley performed extremely minor surgery on Riley Green while the two artists were on their tour bus. In a TikTok video of the incident, Green can be heard exclaiming, “What are you gonna do?!” as Langley grabs a pair of scissors while holding his wounded hand. “I’m…

Ella Langley Tends To Riley Green’s “Injury” On Tour Bus After Their Show

Following their recent show in Toronto, Ontario, Ella Langley performed extremely minor surgery on Riley Green while the two artists were on their tour bus. In a TikTok video of the incident, Green can be heard exclaiming, “What are you gonna do?!” as Langley grabs a pair of scissors while holding his wounded hand. “I’m…

Kenny Chesney Pays Tribute To Megan Moroney Following Her Headlining Shows In Georgia

Kenny Chesney and Megan Moroney are continuing their heartwarming friendship on social media. Following Moroney’s celebratory Instagram comment of “Deserved!!!!” about Chesney's induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the music superstar sent Moroney a warm message after her two headlining shows at Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia. Moroney captured photos of the…

Kenny Chesney Pays Tribute To Megan Moroney Following Her Headlining Shows In Georgia

Kenny Chesney and Megan Moroney are continuing their heartwarming friendship on social media. Following Moroney’s celebratory Instagram comment of “Deserved!!!!” about Chesney’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the music superstar sent Moroney a warm message after her two headlining shows at Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia. Moroney captured photos of the…

Luke Bryan Announces Fall 2025 Farm Tour Dates

On Monday (April 7), Luke Bryan announced the dates and details of his fall 2025 Farm Tour, marking a return to the Midwest roots where the Farm Tour first began. The shows are scheduled from September 18-20, and will take place at family farms in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan, bringing Bryan's big time concert experience…

Luke Bryan Announces Fall 2025 Farm Tour Dates

On Monday (April 7), Luke Bryan announced the dates and details of his fall 2025 Farm Tour, marking a return to the Midwest roots where the Farm Tour first began. The shows are scheduled from September 18-20, and will take place at family farms in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan, bringing Bryan’s big time concert experience…

Stagecoach Festival Will Once Again Be Livestreamed By Amazon Music

Amazon Music has renewed its partnership with Stagecoach, announcing that for the third straight year they are the exclusive livestream provider for the sold-out 2025 edition of the country music festival. Livestream coverage will commence at 4 p.m. PT each day from April 25-27 via Prime Video, the Amazon Music app, or Twitch, airing content…

Stagecoach Festival Will Once Again Be Livestreamed By Amazon Music

Amazon Music has renewed its partnership with Stagecoach, announcing that for the third straight year they are the exclusive livestream provider for the sold-out 2025 edition of the country music festival. Livestream coverage will commence at 4 p.m. PT each day from April 25-27 via Prime Video, the Amazon Music app, or Twitch, airing content…