ALABAMA REACTS TO RECEIVING KRIS KRISTOFFERSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
AT 8TH ANNUAL NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS AWARDS
Nashville, Tenn. (October 9, 2025) — On September 23 in Nashville, iconic country band ALABAMA took home yet another prominent industry award. At the 8th Annual Nashville Songwriters Awards, held at the Ryman Auditorium and presented by City National Bank, ALABAMA was presented with the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Developed by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the Nashville Songwriter Awards annual ceremony honors the unseen creators behind songs heard around the world.
To celebrate ALABAMA’s achievement, Jason Aldean took to the stage to perform “My Home’s In Alabama,” and Lorrie Morgan shared her rendition of “There’s No Way,” accompanied by current ALABAMA touring band member, Gordon Mote. Additionally, Mote performed “Tennessee River” and “Feels So Right.”
Lisa Kristofferson attended in honor of her late husband, and she graciously presented this year’s Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award to 2025 honorees Teddy Gentry, Randy Owen, and Jeff Cook, collectively ALABAMA.
To a standing applause, Owen accepted the award on behalf of the band’s founding members. Gentry was unable to attend as he was under the weather.
Today, after taking time to absorb the honor, Gentry and Owen publicly reacted to receiving the award.
“I have always thought of myself as a songwriter first and am so honored and pleased to receive the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award from the NSAI,” says Owen. “Kris was one of my icons. I want to thank Lisa Kristofferson for making the trip from Hawaii to Nashville to present the award to ALABAMA. And thanks for the wonderful performances by Jason Aldean, Lorrie Morgan and Gordon Mote who all honored us with our songs.”
“This award was a lifetime wish for me,” adds Gentry. “As a songwriter, musician and singer, being honored for our contributions as songwriters is the most welcome accomplishment in my world. The Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award from NSAI means more to me than I can put into words.”
Kristofferson was thrilled to present the award to her husband’s longtime friends and musical colleagues.
“NSAI’s pinnacle Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award is an honor bestowed on songwriters that exemplify a revolutionary, creative spirit, intelligence, integrity and musical and literary excellence over the span of their expansive careers,” shares Kristofferson. “ALABAMA’s genre-rocking style and musical brilliance fits this award like a glove. Welcoming Randy Owen and his lovely, lifelong wife Kelly, to the hallowed Ryman stage on behalf of ALABAMA was a magical moment I will always cherish. So deserving. Bravo ALABAMA for all the beautiful songs that have sweetened our lives forever.”
ALABAMA continues to bring its legendary sound to fans across the nation. Owen and Gentry are currently performing nationally on their Live In Concert 25 Tour with seven more live concert dates scheduled before the year’s end. Visit thealabamaband.com for the full tour schedule.
About ALABAMA
Over 50 years ago, Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen left the cotton farms of Fort Payne, Alabama to spend the summer playing music in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina bar called The Bowery. It took them six long years of tip jars and word-of-mouth to earn the major label deal they’d been dreaming of. Then, seemingly no time at all to change the face of country music. ALABAMA, country music’s first band, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. The group is known for hit songs including “Mountain Music,” “Roll On,” “Dixieland Delight” and “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band).” From humble beginnings picking cotton in the fields, to international stars, ALABAMA went on to sell 80 million albums and charted 43 No.1 hits, becoming the most successful band in the history of country music. In November 2022, ALABAMA co-founder Jeff Cook passed following a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease. With his prior encouragement and wishes, ALABAMA continues touring on a limited basis, keeping the iconic music they created alive for the current and future generation of fans.
For more information on ALABAMA, visit thealabamaband.com.
