Kenny Rogers, Chris Stapleton to Receive Special CMT Artists of the Year Awards

Kenny Rogers and Chris Stapleton will be among the honorees at the sixth annual CMT Artists of the Year show.

Rogers will be receiving the Artist of a Lifetime Award, while Stapleton has earned the Breakout Award.

“You go through your life and your career, and you try to do the right things and make the right decisions. You don’t always do that, but I have been very lucky,” Rogers says. “I am grateful for it all. This is a great honor and one I highly treasure."

The Artist of a Lifetime Award has only been given out once before in the history of the CMT Artists of the Year show: to Merle Haggard in 2014.

“Being in with Merle Haggard on anything is always a thrill," Rogers continues. "To CMT, the fans and all who made this incredible award possible, I can’t thank you enough.”

Stapleton's selection for the Breakout Award should come as no surprise to country music fans who paid attention to the 2015 CMA Awards: The singer-songwriter swept the three categories in which he was nominated, New Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year. Prior to the awards, his debut album, Traveller, received much critical acclaim.

In addition to being honored at the ceremony, Stapleton will also perform.

The sixth annual CMT Artists of the Year show, a 90-minute program featuring toasts to the year’s honorees, as well as special tributes and performances, will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Dec. 2 at 8PM ET. In addition to Rogers' and Stapleton's honors, Little Big Town, Sam Hunt, Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan have been selected as CMT’s 2015 Artists of the Year.

See Kenny Rogers' + More Country Stars' Yearbook Pictures