Trisha Yearwood will be the inaugural recipient of CMT’s June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award, as well as performing a new song, on the “CMT Music Awards” telecast, airing live April 7 on CBS.
The singer will get the honor for her philanthropic work, which extends across many charities but most visibly includes two decades of involvement with Habitat for Humanity, which she’s long supported alongside husband Garth Brooks. (They were jointly given the org’s Habitat Humanitarians honor in 2016.)
Yearwood will use her first appearance on the annual awards show in five years to premiere “Put It in a Song,” the first preview of a forthcoming album that will be a first in her career, in that it’ll be the first collection in which she co-wrote all the songs.
The new award, named for June Carter Cash, doesn’t mark the first time a member of that country music family has had a CMT honor named after him or her. In some previous years, the CMT Music Awards have given out a Johnny Cash Visionary Award, first given to Cash himself in 2003 (before his name was tagged on to the title), then to artists such as Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams Jr. and Reba McEntire.
The June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award will be given to artists who demonstrate “an exceptional dedication to community and their fellow artists, embodying June’s spirit as a fierce advocate and initiator in paying it forward, helping others find their voice and using their platform to inspire and uplift others,” CMT said. The network further stated that Yearwood “has a unique ability to rally a community, whether that may be families in need with Habitat for Humanity, or uplifting her fellow artists and entertainers trying to carve a path in the industry. She embodies the bold strength of June, who tirelessly devoted herself to service and community, and the namesake for this award. Both multi-hyphenate trailblazers eloquently crafted a script for others to model, letting their hearts and authenticity guide their personal, professional and public lives.”
Other organizations Yearwood has been involved with include the American Cancer Society, the Humane Society, MusiCares, the animal rescue org Dottie’s Yard, the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential,the Starkey Hearing Foundation, the Susan B. Komen Foundation and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. CMT also referenced her efforts championing female artists as part of the “Five Decades, One Voice” initiative.
“The CMT Music Awards” is being broadcast on CBS for the second year in a row, after years of premiering on its namesake network and Paramount’s other cable outlets. It will be seen April 7 live from 8-11 p.m. ET, and delayed to air in the same time slot on the west coast. Paramount+ subscribers will also be able to stream it as it airs in their time zones, or on-demand afterward.
