Zach Top took the stage with his timeless, classic country sound during the 59th CMA Awards on Wednesday night (November 19) in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Sunnyside, Washington-born singer-songwriter played on a guitar-shaped stage — earning a roaring applause and fist bumps in the crowd — when he performed “Guitar” during Country Music’s Biggest Night: “I ain't in it for the money/ If I was I’d do something else/ I ain't in it for the fame/ I damn sure ain't in it for my health/ I play this thing till the sun comes up/ For nothin' but the love/ Hey nothin' kick starts my heart/ Like guitar.”
The performance took place shortly before Top took home his first-ever CMA Award in the New Artist of the Year category.
Other artists in the star-studded lineup throughout the evening included Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, BigXthaPlug, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Tucker Wetmore, Lainey Wilson and Stephen Wilson Jr., Keith Urban and Little Big Town. Presenters and special guests included Lady A, Alison Brown, Jessica Capshaw, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lauren Daigle, Jordan Davis, Elizabeth Hurley, Cody Johnson, Bert Kreischer, Brandon Lake, Ella Langley, Steve Martin, Leanne Morgan, Ne-Yo, Chris O’Donnell, Kimberly Perry, LeAnn Rimes, Alan Ritchson, Lara Spencer, Billy Bob Thornton, Grace Van Patten, Gretchen Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman.
The 59th CMA Awards is airing live on ABC. The show will be available to stream on Thursday (November 20) on Hulu. Check back with iHeartCountry throughout the evening for a live-updated list of winners, red carpet fashion, performance highlights, backstage moments you won’t see on TV, and other can’t-miss moments throughout the show.