Summary

If it weren’t for Elvis Presley, there may not have been a Country Music Association — and, by extension, no 60th anniversary of the CMA Awards to celebrate on Nov. 18. “In 1958, country radio stations all over the country were starting to turn to rock to follow the popularity of Elvis, and [industry] leaders got together during the DJ conference in Miami and said, ‘How do we keep our business strong?’ And they formed the CMA,” says Sarah Trahern, who has been the CMA’s CEO since 2014.

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