CMT TO HONOR COUNTRY LEGEND KENNY ROGERS WITH “ARTIST OF A LIFETIME” AWARD PRESENTED BY RAM TRUCKS AT “CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR” SPECIAL PREMIERING LIVE ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 AT 8PM ET/PT

11/17/15

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Biggest Names in Music, Film and Television to Toast and Pay Homage To Honorees Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt

NASHVILLE – November 17, 2015 – CMT today announced that legendary country superstar Kenny Rogers will receive the prestigious “Artist of a Lifetime” award presented by Ram Trucks during the sixth annual “CMT Artists of the Year,” the definitive year end party, live from Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on Wednesday, December 2 at 8pm ET/PT. Rogers is only the second recipient of the award with Merle Haggard receiving the inaugural honor in 2014.

"You go through your life and your career and you try to do the right things and make the right decisions.  You don’t always do that, but I have been very lucky.  I am grateful for it all.  This is a great honor and one I highly treasure.  Being in with Merle Haggard on anything is always a thrill.  To CMT, the fans, and all who made this incredible award possible, I can’t thank you enough," said Rogers.

The sixth-annual 90-minute special will feature once-in-a-lifetime performances, unexpected tributes and unforgettable toasts as the biggest stars of music, film and television gather to celebrate the five artists that earned the right to be called CMT’s artists of the year: Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt. These artists collectively dominated the last 12 months ruling CMT’s platforms and country radio, scoring chart-topping album and singles, and selling out arenas around the country. Additional performers, presenters, and special guests will be announced at a later date.

They join an overgrowing prestigious list of past “CMT Artists of the Year” honorees that includes Jason Aldean (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), Kenny Chesney (2011, 2012), Eric Church (2012), Hunter Hayes (2013), Toby Keith (2012), Lady Antebellum (2010, 2011), Miranda Lambert (2012, 2014), Tim McGraw (2013), Brad Paisley (2011), Taylor Swift (2010, 2011), Carrie Underwood (2010, 2012), Keith Urban (2014) and Zac Brown Band (2010).

Previous “CMT Artist of the Year” performances have included Adele and Darius Rucker performing Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan’s mashup of “Oh No” and “All Night Long,” and Maroon 5 covering Taylor Swift’s “Mine.” The show has featured appearances by EllenDeGeneres, Matthew McConaughey, Selena Gomez, Billy Bob Thornton, Roger Clemens, Morgan Freeman and more.

The past several years have been some of the most active and rewarding of Country Music Hall of Fame member and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, Kenny Rogers,’ entire career. Having recently announced his retirement from touring on NBC's Today show, he is gearing up for a worldwide farewell tour bringing his legendary music one last time to fans across the globe.On November 11, Rogers embarked on his 34th Christmas & Hits tour in support of his latest Christmas album, Once Again It’s Christmas (Warner Bros. / Warner Music Nashville.) In 2013, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 47th Annual CMA Awards. To date, Rogers has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide. He has charted a record within each of the last seven decades. The first country artist to consistently sell out arenas, Rogers quickly became a pop superstar as well — his 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 10's rank him fourth-best of all time among men, trailing only Elton John, Neil Diamond, and Elvis Presley. Rogers has recorded 12 No. 1 albums and 24 No. 1 hits and is the RIAA’s eighth best–selling male solo artist of all time. He has received three GRAMMY Awards, 11 People's Choice Awards, 19 American Music Awards, eight Academy of Country Music awards and six Country Music Association awards.

For more information visit CMT.com or CMTPress.com, and go join the conversation on the official CMT Facebook page or follow @CMT on Twitter using the official hashtag, #CMTAOTY.

To celebrate Rogers’s lifetime achievement, RAM Trucks and CMT are giving one lucky winner and a guest the chance to attend “CMT Artists of the Year” and experience the presentation live with the “Experience of a Lifetime Contest Presented by RAM Trucks.” To enter, fans can go to ramlifetime.cmt.com, or enter via social on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with custom hashtag #RAMlifetimeContest and submit a photo/video of who inspires them.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is executive produced by Switched On Entertainment’s John Hamlin. Jayson Dinsmore and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.

www.cmtpress.com

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT App, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

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