Morgan Wallen and Eric Church surprised 2023 CMA Awards viewers with a performance of their duet, “Man Made A Bar.”
Their collaborative performance came unannounced and certainly excited country music fans as this unexpected performance served as the live debut of the track.
“God made the world in seven short days / He said it was good, I bet it was great / And God made a man, the man got lonely / He said ‘Please Lord if I could only / Have an angel to hold in my arms’ / So God made a girl, his best work of art / Oh, but he didn’t make no place to go when she breaks your heart / So man madе a bar,” the country stars and longtime friends, sang.
Watch Morgan Wallen And Eric Church Perform “Man Made A Bar” Below
“Man Made A Bar,” appears as the fourth track on Wallen’s One Thing At A Time album. It was co-written by Rocky Block, Jordan Dozzi, Larry Fleet, and Brett Tyler.
Who Wrote “Man Made A Bar”?
Morgan Wallen says “Man Made A Bar” was sent to him by Larry Fleet and that he immediately fell in love with the song upon first listen.
Wallen recently discussed his current album and shared how “Man Made A Bar” fell into his hands. He also revealed the backstory of how he and Church came together to duet on the song.
“Larry Fleet actually sent me that song,” Wallen said, adding that the tune was one of the last songs that made the record.
“He sent me two songs one day, and I heard that one. I was like, ‘Yep, I like that a lot.’ And I didn’t even really think about features, man. I was on such a time limit. I was trying to get the album done,” the East Tennessee native shared with Country Countdown USA.
“So, literally, the last week, I started [being], like, ‘Whoa! Maybe I ought to get a couple of my friends on here, at least. So I hollered at Eric and was like, ‘Man, I think this is the song we should do together.’”
Church was all-in. “He said, ‘Absolutely.’ So he showed up on Monday and sang it and did his thing on there,” Wallen recalled. “He absolutely crushed it. That was a cool day for me.”
“Mind-Blowing” Duet
The thought of having a duet with Church is “pretty mind-blowing” to Wallen as Church is one of his musical heroes and biggest inspirations.
“I just fell in love with everything that he did. Once I saw him in concert that, kind of, ignited a real fire in me that maybe I could be like that one day,” the 30-year-old star told ET Canada.
In addition to performing with Church, Wallen also shared the stage with HARDY and Post Malone.
2023 CMA Awards
Co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the 57th Annual CMA Awards aired live on Wednesday, November 8 on ABC (8:00-11:00 PM/EST). The star-studded show featured performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Chris Stapleton, Jordan Davis, Cody Johnson, Ashley McBryde, The War And Treaty, Lainey Wilson, and more.
Always known for epic collaborations, the 2023 CMA Awards also featured a Jimmy Buffett tribute from Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Mac McAnally, and Zac Brown Band, a not-to-be-missed performance of country classics from Post Malone, Morgan Wallen, and HARDY, a performance honoring The Judds from Jelly Roll and K. Michelle, plus special duets from Carly Pearce and Chris Stapleton, Old Dominion and Megan Moroney, and Little Big Town with Tanya Tucker.
Paula Abdul, Bill Anderson, Nate Bargatze, Kevin Cahoon, Jordan Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Sara Evans, Brian Kelley, Lady A, Martina McBride, Parker McCollum, Craig Morgan, Darius Rucker, Corey Seager, Gerry Turner, Keith Urban, Hailey Whitters and Chris Young appeared to present during “Country Music’s Biggest Night.”
Those who are unable to watch the show in real-time can watch the CMA Awards the following day on Hulu.
