Jelly Roll celebrated another big night in Austin with sweeping win at the 2024 CMT Awards

The biggest stars in country music shone brightly at the Moody Center in Austin Sunday at the 2024 CMT Awards.

Jelly Roll was the night's top winner, bringing home three trophies, including the night's top honors, and delivering three impassioned speeches.

Brittney Spencer and Parker McCollum collaborated for a fiery performance of their song "Burn It Down." Sam Hunt channeled Johnny Cash's concert in Folsom Prison when he hit the stage with his new song "Locked Up."

And it was a night of firsts. Trisha Yearwood debuted a new song on stage, giving a moving performance of the brand new tune "Put It In A Song." Keith Urban performed his new song "Straight Line" live for the very first time.

The most moving moment of the night, though, was an emotional tribute to the late Toby Keith. The "Should've Been A Cowboy" singer died in February after battling cancer. Honoring him onstage through song were Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson and rock legend Sammy Hagar.

2024 CMT Awards: Winners and nominees from this year's show at Austin's Moody Center

Jelly Roll wins three awards, delivers rousing speeches

Jelly Roll was the talk of the town at this year's CMT Awards.

At one point, Kelsea Ballerini joked that instead of giving out gift bags at this year's ceremony, they'd be giving out Jelly Roll hugs. He went on to hug Ballerini, TV personality Gayle King, and other country stars in the audience.

And then, Jelly Roll took home three big awards: Video of the Year for "Need a Favor," Male Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year.

For each win, he delivered a speech.

In his first speech, he said that CMT gave him an opportunity to perform “Need a Favor” for the first time on live television at last year's awards. He thanked his wife, daughter and fans, noting that his life has changed so much since his first time attending the CMTs in 2023.

In his second speech, Jelly Roll said, "Thank you to CMT, man. I couldn't believe it y'all gave me a chance last year...I came back this year on fire, baby! I'm having one of the greatest nights of my life!"

Jelly Roll then said he wanted to stand on stage tonight and "represent those that are looking for second chances." He addressed people in juvenile detention facilities today, directing his speech to them.

"I'm cheering y'all boys on," he said. "You can be this guy. You can change. You can be this guy. I promise you can, baby!"

In his final speech of the night, Jelly Roll cheered on fellow nominees Cody Johnson and Kelsea Ballerini, thanked his manager, publicist and the rest of his team. Again, he thanked his wife Bunnie XO, saying she "finds beauty in broken things."

Jelly Roll closed out the night with a performance of his song "Halfway to Hell," complete with bursts of flames, a walk through the audience and his powerful, rumbling vocals.

Brittney Spencer and Parker McCollum 'Burn It Down'

Parker McCollum and Britney Spencer performed song "Burn It Down" together towards the top of the show. Among red lights on a smoke-filled stage, the two's harmonies soared and flames blazed behind them.

In front of a screen showing a house ablaze, two sang, "Burn it down 'til its ashes and smoke / Burn it down to the smolderin' coals." The duo's fiery performance was met with explosive applause.

Trisha Yearwood recieves Humanitarian Award, debuts new song

Trisha Yearwood was awarded CMT's new June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award, making history as the first artist to be honored by CMT for her devotion to giving back.

Some of Yearwood's philanthropic endeavors include working with Habitat for Humanity efforts like the Carter Work Project and National Women Build Week.

The "XXX's And OOO's" singer delivered a moving speech as she accepted the award. "June Carter Cash was a force, and she was also married to a force," Yearwood said, referencing Johnny and June Carter Cash's relationship and nodding to her own with fellow country star Garth Brooks.

"My hope is that we can all learn a little bit from June Carter Cash’s legacy, and be a little bit more real, be a little bit more vulnerable, be a little bit less about 'me,' and a little bit more about 'us.'”

Yearwood had another big moment at the night's awards ceremony.

She debuted her brand new tune "Put It In A Song." She gave an earnest, bare-bones performance of the vulnerable song, standing firmly center-stage, backed by two acoustic guitars.

Yearwood sang, "All the pain and all the hurt / When it's too hard just to say the words / I find my pen and pour it on the page / Grab a guitar and just play."

Sam Hunt channels Johnny Cash in song 'Locked Up'

A clean-cut Sam Hunt hit the stage to perform his new song "Locked Up" at the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Wearing a black suit and white dress shirt, Hunt brought some “Folsom Prison Blues” vibes to the CMT stage.

Hunt released "Locked Up," the title track of his new EP, last week. "It was sort of meant to be a callback, a nod, to Johnny Cash's concert at Folsom Prison," he told The Tennessean. "That's what we're going for."

Hunt channeled Cash's performance closely, even including some actors in prison garb watching him perform and cheering along.

Hunt's song, too, draws from personal experience after Hunt spent time in jail in 2021 due to DUI charges. He sang, "The night I got locked up, everything went wrong / The night I got messed up, should've just stayed home."

Little Big Town, Sugarland cover Phil Collins' 'Take Me Home'

Before musical group Little Big Town and duo Sugarland hit the stage together, Kelsea Ballerini announced that the two acts would be touring together this fall. The two groups will kick off the tour in October and end in Nashville with a Dec. 13 show at Bridgestone Arena.

Then, the six performers—Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush—took the CMT stage and brought the house down with a cover of Phil Collins' 1985 hit "Take Me Home."

Smoke poured off the stage and lights strobed as they hit powerful harmonies, standing together in line. "Take, take me home / Take, take me home," they sang.

Lainey Wilson, Brooks & Dunn and Sammy Hagar perform Toby Keith tribute

Brooks & Dunn, rocker Sammy Hagar and Lainey Wilson hit the stage to honor the late Toby Keith in song. Keith, known for his country song "Should've Been a Cowboy," died in February after battling stomach cancer.

Brooks & Dunn started the tribute with a performance of "Shoulda Been a Cowboy" that had the audience singing along.

Next, Sammy Hagar took the stage wearing a Toby Keith t-shirt. Keith was a dear friend of Hagar's—the two spent a lot of time in Cabo San Lucas singing and partying at Hagar's bar. "It’s hard to get thrown out of your own bar and we managed to do that," he told the crowd.

Hagar performed a hearty cover of Keith's song "I Love This Bar," one he used to sing with Keith in Cabo.

Lainey Wilson finished out the tribute with song "How Do You Like Me Now?," which had the audience singing along again.

Holding red Solo cups in honor of another Keith song, the crowd and performers raised their cups and sang along.

Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens took the mic at the end of the tribute, asking the crowd to chant "Whiskey for my men and beer for my horses." He teared up as he thanked Keith's widow and his children for sharing their dad with the world.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Jelly Roll wins big at the 2024 CMT Music Awards, other top moments