9 MILLION Country Fans Lit Up the Holidays with ‘CMA Country Christmas’

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Nothing like “CMA Country Christmas” to put 9 MILLION awesome Country Music fans in the holiday spirit!

Thanks to all of the fans who tuned in to the 2011 CMA Country Christmas on ABC Thursday night! More than 9 MILLION fans watched Jennifer Nettles host this unforgettable night and were treated to amazing performances by Lauren Alaina, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Brian Setzer, Sugarland, Keith Urban, and even Miss Piggy in a memorable duet with Vince Gill!

And thanks for everybody who chimed in with comments on Facebook and Twitter!  We love keeping up with everyone online!  Here are some of our favorite tweets during the show:

@brookehof How could anyone not love Jennifer Nettles? #CMAChristmas #talentfordays #bestpartofmynight

@LBTmusic @Lauren_Alaina, you did Amy Grant proud, girl! Kimberly #CMAChristmas

@martinamcbride This performance by Faith Hill is really powerful. So beautiful. #CMAChristmas

@EmmaAlaina Holy. 7 minutes in. RT @sara_weaver: Dang. #CMAChristmas is already #1 trending worldwide. That was fast.

@callmeparks Darius Rucker has the perfect voice to sing Walking in a Winter Wonderland #CMAChristmas

@CountryMashup@kherbert87: Miss Piggy wants to du-et with Vincent Gill #CMAChristmas” very funny line

@familymgrkendra Watching @Sugarland perform “Silent Night” on #CMAChristmas. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Tell us your favorite performance!

Steppin’ Back in Time…Fan Fair at the Fairgrounds

Time for your history lesson again!  After growing exponentially in the 1980s, Fan Fair (the old name for the CMA Music Festival) became so big that it was moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in 1982 to accommodate more fans.   Not long after, Patty Loveless swung by Vince Gill’s booth at the 1985 Fan Fair for an autograph and picture with him.  Though she wasn’t a star yet, she told Vince she would be soon.  And boy was she right!  Just two years later, Vince was singing on Patty’s debut album, and she went on to win CMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 1996.   

Coming full circle -- After getting Vince's autograph in 1985, Patty takes a turn at giving autographs in 1990.

Coming full circle -- After getting Vince's autograph in 1985, Patty takes a turn at giving autographs in 1990.

At the 1988 event, complete darkness from a power failure didn’t keep George Strait from seeing fans and Continue reading