This year's CMT Music Awards will be full of surprises, one of which will be an all-star tribute performance to the legendary band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The tribute will feature some of the world's most renowned guitarists, such as Slash, Billy F. Gibbons, and Warren Haynes, along with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Cody Johnson, Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band members, and Rolling Stones' keyboardist, Chuck Leavell. In addition, Wynonna Judd and LeAnn Rimes will contribute to the show as backup singers, filling in for Skynyrd's backup singers, The Honkettes.

The tribute comes as a celebration of the band's founding member, Gary Rossington, who passed away recently, and marks the 50th anniversary of the band's debut album. The band's current members, Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlock, will be in attendance, along with Rossington's widow, Dale Krantz Rossington.

The 2023 CMT Music Awards will take place live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on April 2, 2023. This year's show boasts a star-studded lineup of performers and presenters, including Shania Twain, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani, among many others. Country music fans can watch the show on CBS, Paramount+, or various streaming services.