Stephen Wilson Jr. delivered a haunting cover of Ben E. King’s iconic hit “Stand By Me” at the 2025 CMA Awards on Wednesday evening (Nov. 19).
Live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, the CMA New Artist Of The Year nominee paid tribute to his late father with a unique rendition of “Stand By Me,” a song that he credits for helping launch his musical career.
“When the night/ The night has come/ And all the land is dark/ And the moon is the only light we’ll see/ No, I won’t be afraid/ No, I won’t shed a single tear/ Just as long as you/ Just as long as you/ Stand by me,” Wilson Jr. sang on the dark stage beneath a single spotlight.
Wilson Jr. earned a standing ovation with his stunning performance of the track as he held a rosary to end his performance.
Stephen Wilson Jr.’s cover of “Stand By Me,” first recorded by the legendary Ben E. King in 1961, has amassed tens of millions of streams and appears on his debut album, Son Of A Dad (Deluxe), which arrived via Big Loud Records earlier this year. After his father died, Stephen started covering the song at home, and it gradually shifted from a haunting tune to a hymn-like tribute. It became his way of keeping his father’s memory alive.
Ahead of the show, Stephen Wilson Jr. opened up about his decision to cover the song and how it honors his late father during an interview with Country Now.
“‘Stand By Me’ has been haunting me since I was a little kid. I watched this movie called Stand By Me, based off of a Stephen King book, and I don’t know why it haunted me. And when my father passed away, I started singing that song in my living room, but I kind of deconstructed it so it wouldn’t haunt me so bad, and it kind of turned more into a hymn and less of like a song,” he explained to the outlet. “It really brought him back, and it made him feel like a kid on my shoulders. And I’ve been back to what I said before, kind of chasing that feeling ever since. So it’s really wild that I’m playing it at the CMAs, and it’s done what it’s done. It has wings that I can’t quite understand. My dad’s probably has a lot to do with that.”
He also opened up about his first-ever CMA nomination: New Artist Of The Year. “It’s a strong club to be part of that I’m very humbled and honored to be a part of. Yeah, I couldn’t really quite believe it when they told me about it. I just kind of went and looked at a wall for 10 minutes to process it,” he added of his nod. “I never sang a song ever until like 10 years ago, and I just wanted to write songs for other people to sing [and] I quit my job as a scientist to be a songwriter, and songs are everything for me. And I never dreamt I’d be a singer in this capacity.”
Stephen Wilson Jr. also performed about song inspired by another Stephen King movie alongside Shaboozey, titled “Took A Walk,” from the film, The Long Walk.
2025 CMA Awards
The 59th Annual CMA Awards featured unforgettable performances from BigXthaPlug, Luke Combs, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, Lainey Wilson, Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Chris Stapleton and more.
In addition to performances, the show also featured a star-studded list of presenters and special guests, including Lady A, Alison Brown, Jessica Capshaw, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lauren Daigle, Jordan Davis, Elizabeth Hurley, Cody Johnson, Bert Kreischer, Brandon Lake, Ella Langley, Steve Martin, Leanne Morgan, NE-YO, Chris O’Donnell, Kimberly Perry, LeAnn Rimes, Alan Ritchson, Lara Spencer, Billy Bob Thornton, Grace Van Patten, Gretchen Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman and more.
“Country Music’s Biggest Night” also honored Vince Gill with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. The 68-year-old country music legend was celebrated with a special tribute performance before accepting the coveted award.
The 59th Annual CMA Awards was a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton was the Executive Producer, Alan Carter was the Director and Jon Macks was the Head Writer.
Hosted by Lainey Wilson, the 2025 CMA Awards broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19 (8:00–11:00 PM ET) on ABC and will be made available to stream the following day on Hulu.
