Country music stars came together for the prestigious CMA Awards Wednesday night, just one month after 58 people were killed at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Almost 500 others were also wounded in that massacre. The country music world sought to honor the victims throughout the evening, starting at the very top of the ceremony with a powerful performance of “Amazing Grace” by Eric Church. That was followed by plenty of awards and a rousing group performance of “Hold My Hand” by dozens of country stars.
But the most poignant moment of the evening came when Carrie Underwood performed the classic hymn, “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling,” in memory of all the victims of Las Vegas. Underwood was overcome by emotion at one point as photos of the victims appeared on the screen behind her. Her voice began to break up, and she became so emotional she couldn’t continue singing the words. READ MORE
