Alabama was awarded the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement award at the recent 8th annual Nashville Songwriter Awards in Nashville at the legendary Ryman Auditorium.
The trophy recognizes their almost 50 years of songwriting.
Country Now reports that Alabama guitarist, Teddy Gentry was on hand to receive the award.
Since the Nashville Songwriters Association International was originally started by Kristofferson, the evening began with a tribute to the country music icon and his legacy.
Throughout the evening, 42 different songwriters were recognized.
At the end of the evening, Kristofferson’s widow Lisa Kristofferson spoke about her late husband before inviting Gentry on stage.
He accepted the award for himself and his band mates, including Randy Owen and the late Jeff Cook.
Gentry said “This award was a lifetime wish for me. As a songwriter, musician and singer, being honored for our contributions as songwriters is the most welcome accomplishment in my world. The Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award from NSAI means more to me than I can put into words.”
When you think of Alabama’s library of songs, there are so many classics that were penned by the band decades ago, that are still played loud and proud on radios today.
Songs like:
- “Mountain Music”
- “Tennessee River”
- “Why, Lady, Why”
- “Feels So Right”
Those four songs were the biggest hits actually written by one of the band members. They’ve got plenty more unforgettable hits that were penned by other songwriters.
Alan Jackson, who just announced details about his final ever performance, won the Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.
What Was Alabama’s Biggest Hit?
Arguably, the band’s signature song is “Mountain Music,” which came out in 1982 as part of an album of the same title.
When Did Kris Kristofferson Die?
September 28, 2024 was a sad day for country music. That’s the date the country legend died.
Pictures From ‘CMT Giants: Alabama,’ An All Star Tribute
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
Kenny Chesney, Travis Tritt + More Country Stars Remember Alabama’s Jeff Cook
Jason Aldean, Jamey Johnson and Mark Wills are just a few of the country artists paying tribute to Alabama’s co-founding member Jeff Cook, who died Monday (Nov. 7) at the age of 73.
