As part of the festivities surrounding the Battle at Bristol the CMA songwriter’s series made a stop in Bristol Thursday night. The lineup featured Tracy Lawrence along with hit songwriters Barry Dean and Luke Laird. It was held at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, which is an affiliate of the Smithsonian.

News 2 caught up with Lawrence beforehand.

“I’ve played some stuff out at the Bristol Speedway before but I’ve never really played anywhere here in Bristol proper so it’s a pretty unique experience and I’ve learned a lot about the Bristol community and how this is the birthplace of country music which I was not aware of,” Lawrence said.

The CMA songwriter’s series serves as a kickoff of sorts for this year’s 50th CMA awards.