See Darius Rucker, Earth, Wind & Fire’s Funky ‘Shining Star’ on ‘Crossroads’
June was a busy month for country music fans, with the CMT Music Awards immediately preceding the CMA Music Festival. But before both, the latest CMT Crossroads episode was filmed in downtown Nashville, pairing Seventies funk masters Earth, Wind & Fire with a number of country acts and artists, including Darius Rucker.
Rucker, who just earned his first Number One song since 2013, joined the band for its song “Shining Star.” Visibly moved after, he embraced the band’s singers Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson.
“Song of the day,” Rucker tweeted of the performance on Tuesday.
Billed as “Earth, Wind & Fire and Friends,” the episode expanded far beyond its usual form of one pop act and one country star. Sara Evans also joined the band, adding her voice to “Boogie Wonderland,” while Lady Antebellum, Dan + Shay, Drake White, Martina McBride and Rascal Flatts all performed during the evening. Watch Evans’ performance below.
CMT Crossroads, first launched in 2002, has now produced over 60 episodes, pairing artists such as Katy Perry, Jason Derulo and John Legend with some of the biggest names in country music. The Earth, Wind & Fire episode was the first in the series’ history to be filmed outdoors.