Kenny Chesney was one of the first people to text David Lee Murphy to let him know he'd won his first CMA Award.

The old friends were announced as early winners on Wednesday morning (Nov. 14) during the Good Morning America broadcast from Nashville. They won Musical Event of the Year for their collaboration on "Everything's Gonna Be Alright."

When Chesney texted Murphy about the award, his message was simple. "'Brother, we won it,'" Murphy shared backstage at the awards show.

Chesney was unable to attend the show due to a death in the family, and while Murphy wished his friend could've been there to perform the song with him, he knows he was where he was supposed to be.

"It was really special because we had put a lot of time into this record," Murphy reflects of their win. "He loved this record and it made me really happy that we got this award for that reason. We worked really hard for it."

"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" beat out Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha's smash hit "Meant to Be," along with Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert's "Drowns the Whiskey," Dierks Bentley's collaboration with Brothers Osborne on "Burning Man" and Maren Morris' "Dear Hate" featuring Vince Gill. It's Chesney's 29th No. 1 hit and Murphy's first since "Dust on the Bottle" topped the charts in 1995.

"I'm just so happy to be here tonight to get this award," Murphy enthused. "It's just been a really fun day."

Chesney was also nominated for Entertainer of the Year following a year on the road on his Trip Around the Sun Tour and the release of his 2018 album Songs for the Saints. Keith Urban took home the award, 13 years after the first time he won it.

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