CMT to support Hurricane Harvey relief while honoring artists of the year

Sept. 6, 2017 11:23 AM PT

Music
Sept. 6, 2017, 11:23 a.m.

CMT to support Hurricane Harvey relief while honoring artists of the year

Chris Stapleton will be honored as a CMT Artist of the Year on Oct. 18 in a ceremony that also will highlight Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

CMT announced Wednesday its plans to champion Hurricane Harvey relief efforts while celebrating country music’s biggest stars at this year’s Artists of the Year special.

Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban will be honored at a ceremony airing live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center at 8 p.m. Eastern time Oct. 18.

Beyond the accolades, the network is determined to honor the efforts of volunteers and victims of the storm that wreaked havoc on southeast Texas in early September.

“Working with our honorees and the entertainment community, we’ll take advantage of one of our biggest nights of the year to honor the resilience of those impacted by this disaster and applaud the fearless efforts of those on the front lines,” Frank Tanki, general manager of CMT and TV Land, said in Wednesday’s statement.

The ceremony also will include a charitable initiative to be announced at a later date.