Silke Jasso
A big reason people love country music lies in the fact that the format, for the most part, respects its elders. That’s especially true when it comes to the late, great George Jones, who is widely considered to be the greatest male country vocalist in history.
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That’s why it was so shocking when the CMA Awards wouldn’t let George sing his nominated hit “Choices” in its entirety back in 1999. Due to time constraints, producers wanted George to just sing a verse and a chorus of the song. That didn’t sit well with the Possum, so he opted to skip the awards show altogether.
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It didn’t sit well with country superstar Alan Jackson, either.
After he sang his hit song, “Pop a Top,” on the show, Alan abruptly launched into a chorus of Jones’ “Choices.” After he finished, Alan walked off the stage in protest of the way the CMA handled the situation with George Jones.
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That moment had tongues wagging all over Nashville and in office buildings across the country the next day.
In this latest installment of the CMA’s 50/50 video series, Sam Hunt recalls, “I know that was a controversial moment, but it was a very memorable moment. I think it was really awesome of Alan Jackson when he did that.”
You can look forward to more memorable moments like that one at the 50th Annual CMA Awards this November on ABC.
