{"id":6812,"date":"2025-11-20T02:48:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T02:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/stephen-wilson-jr-stand-by-me-cma-awards-2025-1236117919\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T02:48:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T02:48:41","slug":"stephen-wilson-jr-stand-by-me-cma-awards-2025-1236117919","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/stephen-wilson-jr-stand-by-me-cma-awards-2025-1236117919\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Wilson Jr. Captivates CMA Awards With \u2018Stand By Me\u2019 Cover: \u2018It\u2019s Been Haunting Me My Whole\u00a0Life\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tIt\u2019s safe to say anyone who hits the stage at the CMA Awards has seriously lived some life, but Stephen Wilson Jr. might have \u2018em all beat at least in terms of strange paths to the country spotlight.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHere Are the 2025 CMA Awards Winners: Full List (Updating\u00a0Live)\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tThe Indiana-born Wilson has been a boxer, competing in the Golden Gloves of America amateur competition; 10 years ago, he was wearing a lab coat and working as a microbiologist; not long after that, he became a songwriter in Nashville, signed to Big Loud. But following the death of his comparatively extroverted father in 2018, something changed, and he began to warm up to the idea of stepping into his own spotlight. His debut album, s\u00f8n of dad<\/em>, dropped this year, and although he skews country, he\u2019s covered everyone from Nirvana to Smashing Pumpkins.<\/p>\n

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Have you played Billboard\u2019s \u201cA Little Bit Country\u201d Crossword?
Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n\tAt the 2025 CMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 19) night, Wilson appeared on stage, wearing mostly black but rocking a floral ball cap with the Virgin Mary on it. In his firm, raspy tone, Wilson slowly but surely captivated the Bridgestone Arena with a soul-rending cover of Ben E. King\u2019s \u201cStand By Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAhead of his performance of \u201cStand By Me,\u201d which turned heads when he brought it to the Atlanta-based YouTube series Live at the Print Shop<\/em> in Oct. 2024, Wilson spoke to Billboard<\/em> correspondents on the CMA Awards red carpet and explained how the 1986 film of the same name influenced his decision to trot out this iconic song.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m a big Stephen King fan,\u201d Wilson told Billboard<\/em>. \u201cI play this song called \u2018Stand By Me,\u2019 which I\u2019m playing tonight as well, because of a movie called Stand By Me <\/em>based off a Stephen King [story called The Body<\/em>]. It\u2019s been haunting me my whole life. I started playing this song after my dad died to kinda bring him back. I turned it into a hymn for me. And then fast-forward these years later, I get invited to sing this song and write this song with Shaboozey for a Stephen King movie called The Long Walk<\/em> and here we are playing both of those songs. The world is weird, life is weird and I\u2019m just here for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLater in the evening, Wilson joined Shaboozey to perform that song, \u201cTook a Walk,\u201d on the CMA Awards stage, too.<\/p>\n

\n\tCheck out Billboard<\/em>\u2019s interview with Stephen Wilson Jr. on the CMA Awards red carpet below.<\/p>\n

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