NFL legend Peyton Manning could not formally be a part of the nation music world, however he is nonetheless acquired his finger on the heart beat of the style.
He and Luke Bryan are set to co-host the 2023 CMA Awards for the second yr working on Wednesday night time (Nov. 8), and Manning says that one of the vital thrilling elements of internet hosting the present is assembly and attending to know the celebrities.
“It has been numerous enjoyable for me, and I actually do worth these friendships and get to make new ones every year,” he informed press on Tuesday, the day earlier than this yr’s awards present.
However Manning additionally says that he is nonetheless ready to satisfy 2023’s most-nominated artist.
“I didn’t get to satisfy Lainey Wilson final yr,” he pointed out, earlier than turning to Bryan and joking, “In case you’ll introduce us?
“She’s a Louisiana native. I all the time take pleasure in assembly fellow Louisianans so I look ahead to assembly her right this moment or tomorrow,” he provides.
As somebody who grew up in New Orleans and spent his faculty years at Knoxville’s College of Tennessee, Manning comes actually by his love of music. He explains that his childhood in New Orleans gave him an appreciation for dwell music proper off the bat, but it surely wasn’t till faculty that he began to dig into the nation style.
“I wasn’t essentially an enormous nation fan rising up in New Orleans as a result of I wasn’t uncovered to [that particular genre as much], nation music is correct in entrance of you and I simply jumped proper in and embraced it,” he explains.
That was when he first began assembly the celebrities in individual, too.
“I met Kenny [Chesney] on the sidelines of a Tennessee sport. We acquired to be good pals. [I] noticed him carry out a number of instances. He carried out at my wedding ceremony, which was a terrific honor,” Manning goes on to say. “That is simply been the good half for me, is attending to know these artists as pals as nicely, not simply entertainers.”
Manning has historical past with Jordan Davis, too: Actually, his first assembly with the “Subsequent Factor You Know” star dates again about twenty years.
“I met Jordan about 4 years in the past and he informed me that we might met earlier than. I mentioned, ‘I do not recall that,'” Manning recounts.
“He mentioned, ‘I used to be a highschool soccer quarterback from Shreveport [La.] and I got here down in your highschool soccer camp in 2004.’ I mentioned, ‘Clearly, we coached you proper into nation music,'” he jokes. “I like tales like that.”
The 2023 CMA Awards are set to air on Wednesday (Nov. 8) at 8PM ET on ABC. The present will happen dwell at Nashville’s Bridgestone Area.
*Bear in mind: The easiest way to look at the CMAs is on ABC, with ToC in your telephone.
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Gallery Credit score: Billy Dukes
