Carrie Underwood, Cece Winans give riveting performance of gospel classics at ACM Awards
Sixteen-time Academy of Country Music Award-winner Carrie Underwood teamed up with gospel royalty CeCe Winans for a hair-raising medley of iconic gospel songs at the 56th ACM Awards show Sunday.
The performance walked listeners through the classic hymns “Amazing Grace,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “How Great Thou Art” and “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” The breathtaking duet featured the powerhouse vocalists going back and forth in praise. At times Underwood was heard thanking Jesus, modeling a worship leader during a church service.
Underwood’s performance was introduced by country icon Dolly Parton, who, in a pre-recorded message, said, “I am so pleased and proud to introduce my dear friend, Carrie Underwood.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
“I have always admired Carrie’s incredible talent, but I am just as impressed with her personal qualities — her compassion, kindness, generosity, and, most of all, the powerful faith that we both share. Now, her performance tonight speaks to that faith in a medley from her new gospel hymns album, My Savior, which I know is a true passion project for her,” Parton added.
Winans collaborated on “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” for Underwood’s new album.
Underwood’s My Savior concert recently raised $112,000 for the charity Save The Children during a streaming Easter Sunday event. Winans also appeared on the broadcast to perform a duet with the Oklahoma native.
Underwood’s faith-filled album release debuted at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200 list and topped the Christian and Country chart at the top of the month.
My Savior is now Underwood’s ninth-consecutive album to debut at the top of the Billboard Country charts.
Underwood’s last release in 2020 was a Christmas album titled My Gift, which also featured some Christian songs.
The "American Idol" alum performed all 13 songs on the My Savior album during her Easter Livestream performance at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, known as the “Mother Church of Country Music.”
According to a statement from Universal Music Group Nashville, about 2.5 million fans worldwide watched the show while millions more watched exclusive performance clips during the 48-hour window.
My Savior features 13 songs performed by Underwood, including "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus" featuring Bear Rinehart, the frontman of the Christian rock band Needtobreathe, "Softly and Tenderly," “How Great Thou Art," "The Old Rugged Cross" and "Amazing Grace."
