Blake Shelton flew to Nashville to show some love for country supergroup Alabama. The singer and former coach on The Voice was one of nearly a dozen country stars who posed for photos and spoke to media on the red carpet for CMT Giants: Alabama.

• CMT Giants has been celebrating the best in country music since 2006.
• CMT Giants: Alabama was filmed at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville on Wednesday (Jan. 17) and will air later this year.
• Sam Hunt, Riley Green, Old Dominion, Pam Tillis, Lorrie Morgan and Jason Aldean were a few more artists who walked the red carpet.

Related: 15 Country Legends Who Deserve to Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Taste of Country caught up with several artists eager to share their first or favorite moment with Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and the late Jeff Cook.

“This moment is definitely one of those that I’ll always remember,” Green — one of the Alabama natives in attendance — noted. “I think my grandaddies, my parents, a lot of my family and friends know what a big deal this is. In Alabama, this was the group.”

Hunt’s first memory was hearing the song, “Song of the South.” “I have home videos of me singing that song as a 6-year-old, 8-year-old … it’s a powerful song and a fun song and I think it captures southern culture,” he shares.

Jeff Cook’s widow Lisa was present for the event. It was clear as she walked the carpet that this event was bittersweet for her, Owen and Gentry.

“Of course we miss him like you can’t imagine,” Gentry tells ToC. “It’s like your right arm being gone, all the years we spent putting things together, but we got a good bunch of supporting cast that makes us still sound good.”