Jason Aldean & More Kick Off CMA Awards With Charlie Daniels Tribute

A few of the biggest country stars helped kick off the CMA Awards in a big way by paying tribute to the late great Charlie Daniels.

Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Ashley McBryde, and Brothers Osborne opened the 2020 annual awards show with a medley of songs by Daniels. Bentley began the performance with "Long Haired Country Boy," then joining Brothers Osborne for "Trudy." Next, Ashley McBryde performed "Texas" as she was also joined by John Osborne for a guitar solo.

Finishing out the medley was Jason Aldean with a fiery rendition of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," accompanied by an incredible fiddle performance.

Daniels passed away at 83 years old back in July after suffering a stroke. In a statement, CEO of the Country Music Association, Sarah Trahern, said after his passing, "There are few artists that touched so many different generations in our business than Charlie Daniels did. Today, our community has lost an innovator and advocate of Country Music. Both Charlie and Hazel had become dear friends of mine over the last several years, and I was privileged to be able to celebrate Charlie’s induction into the Opry as well as tell him that he was going to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame."

Ahead of the performance, Bentley said (via The Tennessean), "(Daniels') music was some of the first music that I got into. I love the bravado and attitude. He's one of those guys that was so important to country music because he was a bridge. People listen to him and go 'What? That's country music?' And then you go back...he takes you back over into his influences and you go, 'Oh, man this is cool.' That's how this genre grows."

After the CMA Awards show-opening, Hazel and Charlie Daniels, Jr. said on Twitter, "Now that’s how you start an awards show, son! Thank you @CountryMusic Association, @DierksBentley, @AshleyMcBryde, @brothersosborne and @Jason_Aldean! - Hazel and Charlie Daniels, Jr."

Photos: Getty Images