Thomas Rhett: What 'Almost Made Him Cry' At ACM Awards

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When Thomas Rhett stood on the ACM stage last night (4/18) at the Grand Ole Opry House to accept his Male Vocalist award, he was so pleased to see the Vanderbilt University Medical Center medical staff in the balcony watching the show.

Thomas has a special connection to those in the medical field, as he shared backstage after his win, “Just knowing that my wife graduated from [Vanderbilt University in] Tennessee with a nursing degree, and knowing how much work she put into getting that degree, and then watching people there tonight, that were literally on the front lines, doing what my wife had trained to do for so long. It almost made me cry, honestly, lookin’ up into those stands."

Rhett added, "Seein’ people that are puttin’ their health and their lives just on the line and gettin’ to give them live music for the first time in a long time was one of the most special things I’ve gotten to do in a minute. So, tonight was extra special for that reason.”

ACM Male Artists

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Thomas Rhett

Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media GroupWriter

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.