Blake Shelton and Riley Green are among the stars you’ll see on Thursday’s CMT GIANTS: ALABAMA.
The songs they’ll perform, “Old Flame” for Blake and “Dixieland Delight” for Riley, have been longtime favorites for both artists.
“I just always felt like ‘Old Flame’ was just one of the best Alabama songs for me. I just love the melody, I love the harmonies,” Blake shares in a press interview. “When I got invited to be a part of this concert, that was the song I instantly thought of.”
“I was hoping nobody else had already picked that song,” he continues. “Once they said, ‘Yeah, it’s clear, you can do that one,’ that’s when I called Steve Wariner and I said, ‘Man, come do this tribute concert with me and help me recreate these harmonies.'”
For Riley, “Dixieland Delight” was like a default option as a proud Jacksonville, Alabama, native.
“I think I’ve covered ‘Dixieland Delight’ at every show for well over a decade now. [It’s] very much an anthem in the state of Alabama and I grew up playing in all these, you know, college towns,” he tells the press ahead of his performance. “So, it’ll be pretty cool, probably a little bit nerve-wracking to play it for the group that made it famous.”
Other artists honoring Alabama include Jason Aldean, Sam Hunt, Old Dominion, Little Big Town, Jamey Johnson, Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan. Alabama will also take the stage to perform “Mountain Music.”
The star-studded CMT GIANTS: ALABAMA airs Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on CMT.
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