ACM Awards
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As Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside prepares for the 58th edition of the ACM Awards to return to Amazon’s Prime Video on May 11, he says lessons learned from the 2022 edition are guiding this year’s show.
Last year, the ACM Awards became the first major awards ceremony to switch from broadcast to a streaming platform. “There was a chunk of people that didn’t know we moved from CBS,” Whiteside says. “What we’ve learned is we have to really lean into our core country audience and make sure they’re aware the show is happening. For anybody that is not a regular Prime Video user, we need to bring them into the Prime Video ecosystem and show them how simple it is.”
To make it as accessible as possible, Amazon is offering the show for free to subscribers and non-subscribers alike across more than 240 countries and territories via Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The full show will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee.
(Though rare, Prime Video has offered livestreams in the past, including for Kanye West and Drake‘s “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert in 2021. Amazon could not be reached for comment by press time.)
It helps that this year, the show’s co-hosts are two of the biggest stars in the world: Dolly Parton (who hosted last year with Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett) and Garth Brooks. Whiteside says he’s still “pinching myself” that the music icons are emceeing the two-hour show, which will stream commercial-free from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Tex.
After Parton hosted last year, “Our goal right away was ‘How can we get Dolly back involved again?’” Whiteside says. Once she was on board, the idea came to pair her with Brooks, who has never hosted an awards show before. “They’re close friends, admirers of each other, so it was actually very organic,” he continues. “We couldn’t have a better pair than the two of them to be the face of the show because we’re a global show and they’re global superstars.”
This year’s show has been thrown the curveball of the Writers Guild of America strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which started at midnight Tuesday (May 2). However, a source tells Billboard that the script was completed before the strike began and the show is not expected to be affected even if the strike is still ongoing.
This year marks the ACM Awards’ return to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for the first time since its 50th anniversary show in 2015 (last year’s ceremony was held at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium). The show’s host venue, the Ford Center at the Star, serves as the world headquarters for the Dallas Cowboys, who are partners for this year’s event. “Ever since I took this job [in 2019], my board said we need to work with the Cowboys again,” Whiteside says. “They’re amazing partners and Texas is a great market.”
HARDY leads all nominees at this year’s show with seven nods, followed by Lainey Wilson with six. Cole Swindell, Kane Brown, Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert each have five, while Chris Stapleton and Morgan Wallen landed four.
This year’s awards will feature several changes. The songwriter of the year category has been split into songwriter of the year and artist-songwriter of the year awards, while the criteria for album of the year eligibility shifted from 51% to 75% previously unreleased material. Most notably, the entertainer of the year category has expanded from five to seven nominees.
“We have so many amazing entertainer nominees that we’d like to showcase more of a breadth of them and [the expansion] gives more opportunity for more artists to have that spotlight,” Whiteside says. “It gives seven artists now the opportunity to say, ‘I’m an entertainer of the year nominee.’ So, it was to diversify, but also to give more artists the opportunity to be able to wear that badge of honor.”
The show, which is produced by Dick Clark Productions, also has a new executive producer in Raj Kapoor, who takes over for R.A. Clark, who “was ready to pass the baton,” Whiteside says. “We love him and never want to see him go, but we’re really excited about Raj,” who has worked on projects including the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards and numerous Las Vegas residencies. “He’s got a really good sense of what country is about and who the artists are, but at the same time, he’s also got this experience from all these other shows,” Whiteside adds. “He’s got his finger on the pulse of pop culture and what the public wants.”
Kapoor is joined by fellow executive producers Barry Adelman and Fonda Anita as well as co-executive producer Patrick Menton. Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy.
Performers slated for the event include Jason Aldean, Brown, Combs, Lambert, Wilson, Swindell, Wallen, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban and Bailey Zimmerman.
For the first time since the pandemic began, the ACM Awards will return to a full slate of activities for the week. These include the ACM Lifting Lives benefit on May 10, featuring Wallen, Wilson, HARDY, ERNEST and Zimmerman and hosted at the golfing green of Topgolf the Colony.
For the streaming audience, another goal was figuring out how to enhance the show’s ability to push viewers to participating artists’ Amazon Music accounts. “There’s going to be this uber-location where we can push our viewers to discover everything about the [participating] artists,” Whiteside says. “We can literally within the show push people right into streaming music. I’m excited to see how that’s going to lift artists’ streaming numbers and sales numbers after the show.” Ahead of the ceremony, Amazon Music is offering an ACM Awards playlist celebrating this year’s nominees.
This year’s show concludes the ACM Awards’ initial two-year pact with Amazon, but Whiteside is optimistic that the two partners will find a way to move forward. “Streamers are very much about the metrics, and they do a lot of evaluating around how the show performs,” he says, but adds, “[Amazon is] hugely excited about this show. It’s a tentpole priority for them. We’ve been having discussions about ’24 and ’25. We’re really just focused on another stellar year and growing from last year. We’re hopeful this is a long-term partnership.”
The 58th ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldredge, a unit of Billboard’s parent, Penske Media Company.
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Dolly Parton has something special in store for Amazon Pet Day. The country legend is teaming with Amazon for the two-day sale event launching next Tuesday (May 2).
Parton and her god-dog, Billy the Kid, will join Amazon Live both days to share their Pet Day favorites with audiences. “We’re gonna celebrate the pets that we all love,” Parton told Billboard during a phone interview this week.
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Prime members will be able to shop “two wonderful days” of sales, which includes 20% off Parton’s pet products line, Doggy Parton.
“We’ve gotten such wonderful responses [from] people,” Parton said of the pet line, consisting of clothes, hats, scarves, toys, leashes, collars and harnesses. Parton plans to expand the pet line to feature clothes for larger dogs and eventually items for cats.
Amazon’s 48-hour sale, which coincides with National Pet Month, will feature deals on treats, toys and supplies, along with home, electronics and personal care products to pamper your beloved pets.
Pet Day kicks off at midnight PT on Tuesday (May 2) and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday (May 3). Pet lovers can save 20% off select Purina pet food and treats, 20% off Blue Buffalo treats, 30% off Furbo dog cameras, 30% off all Frontline Plus Flea and Tick products, and other savings.
And it’s not just products: Save up to 50% on select pet movies and shows on Prime Video during Pet Day too.
Pet Day is open to all Amazon shoppers, but Prime members get fast and free shipping on pet supply orders over $25 (visit Amazon’s Pet Day page to shop early deals).
Parton has had several pets over the years, though she’s currently without a dog of her own. “I lost my last little dog just a few years back and I haven’t had time to pick another one and take it on the road with me. I’ve been so busy, but I love everybody’s animals, and Billy the Kid,” she said of the adorable French bulldog. “We’re together all the time! I got so attached to Billy we thought, ‘Well, we’re just gonna have to make a show out of him!’ So that’s kind of what we’ve done.”
Parton’s manager’s dog, Billy the Kid, inspired her new children’s book, Billy the Kid Makes It Big.
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Billy the Kid Makes It Big is about a dog who dreams of making it big in Nashville. “[Billy] meets up with some other friends with the same kind of dreams and they set out together to win the big contest in Nashville,” Parton explained. “Everybody [said] they couldn’t do it, but they kept on, kept the faith and stood up to bullies.”
In addition to Pet Day, and promoting her books and Duncan Hines cake mixes, Parton is gearing up to take the stage for the 2023 ACM Awards on Prime Video next month. Parton and Garth Brooks are set to host the awards show live from The Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Parton will also debut the lead single from her upcoming rock album during the show.
“I’m just looking so forward to working with Garth because he’s just a legend and he is one of the nicest people ever. He and Trisha [Yearwood] are two people I really love and admire,” said Parton, who hosted the show last year.
“I always get a little nervous because you want to do well and hit your marks, and hope everything goes good. The lighting, the sound, you hope your [microphone] works and all that.
“I’m not scared to death,” she joked. “But I’m always scared just enough to do well because it makes me try harder. It’s more like having butterflies until you get started and then you’re off and running.”
The 58th annual ACM Awards will stream live on Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch on May 11 at 8 p.m. ET.
The Academy of Country Music announced the first round of performers on Thursday (April 27), as well as that the 2023 ACM Awards will be free to stream live globally on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch on Thursday, May 11. The full rebroadcast will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee.
This is the show’s second year on Prime Video. The show, now in its 58th year, aired on CBS from 1998 to 2021 and before that aired on ABC and NBC.
In addition to co-hosting this year’s show with Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton is set to close the show by performing the lead single from her forthcoming rock album. The Country Music Hall of Famer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
The show will also will feature performances by Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Ashley McBryde, Jelly Roll, Cole Swindell, Keith Urban, Morgan Wallen, The War And Treaty, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman.
In an unusual move, the ACM announced that these will be the “only televised country music awards performances of the season” by Aldean, Combs, Lambert, Wallen, The War and Treaty, and Zimmerman. The ACM also says additional performers (including, presumably, Brooks), presenters and ancillary events will be announced.
The show is set to stream at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. A limited number of tickets have been added and are available for purchase on SeatGeek, with prices starting at $446 (and going up to $2,820).
Previous Amazon Music Breakthrough Artists Gabby Barrett and BRELAND will introduce Zimmerman as the next Breakthrough Artist from Amazon Music. Breakthrough is the emerging artist program from Amazon Music, aimed at amplifying the best new talent and championing them at key moments early in their careers.
Fans can listen to special guest features from Zimmerman, Parton and Brooks on “Country Heat Radio” in DJ Mode, along with new Country Heat Weekly podcast episodes hosted by Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton on Amazon Music, where fans can tune in to in-depth conversations with guests, including Zimmerman and Brooks.
Fans can also stream the ACM Awards playlist available now on Amazon Music in celebration of this year’s nominees. Fans can listen to country music’s top stars on the Amazon Music app.
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions, with Raj Kapoor, Barry Adelman and Fonda Anita serving as executive producers, and Damon Whiteside serving as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music. Patrick Menton is co-executive producer. (DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.)
Who will win entertainer of the year at the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11?
Miranda Lambert could win for the second year in a row, which would make her only the third woman to win more than once in this category, following Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift.
Either Underwood or Jason Aldean could take it for the fourth time, a total reached by only three acts in ACM history – Garth Brooks, who leads with six awards; Alabama, which is second with five wins; and Kenny Chesney, who has won four times. If Underwood wins, she would extend her lead as the woman with the most wins in the category.
Or we could see a first-time winner.
Kane Brown could make history as the first Black or biracial entertainer of the year winner. (Charley Pride won entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards, but not here, despite three nominations.) Either Brown or Morgan Wallen would also be the first male artist to win before turning 30 since Brooks in 1991. (Wallen hits the Big 3-0 two days after the ceremony.) A win for Wallen would cap a fast comeback from the career crisis caused by his videotaped use of a racial slur in early 2021.
Luke Combs, who has won the CMA award for entertainer of the year the last two years, could finally win the top prize at this show. Chris Stapleton, a three-time ACM winner for male artist of the year, could finally win entertainer of the year on his fifth try in the category.
The show will be hosted by two former entertainer of the year winners – Dolly Parton (who in 1978 became the second woman to win the award) and Brooks. It will be held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Tex. and will stream on Amazon Prime.
Twenty-seven artists have won the ACM Award for entertainer of the year since the award was introduced on the 1971 telecast. Here’s a complete list, showing the year(s) in which they won, other ACM Awards they won that year in competitive categories (if any), their total number of ACM entertainer of the year nominations; and, just for fun, their highest-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Merle Haggard
Image Credit: Fotos International/GI
Winner in: 1971
Other ACM wins that year: Top male vocalist
Total entertainer of the year nods: 5
Top Hot 100 hit: “If We Make It Through December” (No. 28 in 1974)
Notes: Haggard was nominated in this category every year from 1971-75. He died in 2016 at age 79.
Freddie Hart
Winner in: 1972
Other ACM wins that year: Album, single record and song of the year, all for “Easy Loving” and the album of the same name, and top male vocalist
Total entertainer of the year nods: 2
Top Hot 100 hit: “Easy Loving” (No. 17 in 1971)
Notes: Hart was nominated again the following year. He died in 2018 at age 91.
Roy Clark
Winner in: 1973, 1974
Other ACM wins those years: Television personality (1973)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 6
Top Hot 100 hit: A tender version of “Yesterday, When I Was Young,” co-written by Charles Aznavour (No. 19 in 1969)
Notes: Clark, who was as well-known as a TV personality as a musician, thanks to his co-hosting role on Hee Haw, was the first repeat winner. He co-hosted the 1979 ACM Awards. He died in 2018 at age 85.
Mac Davis
Winner in: 1975
Other ACM wins that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 1
Top Hot 100 hit: “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me” (No. 1 in 1972)
Notes: Davis is the only person to win on his or her one and only nomination in this category. He co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1984 and 1986. He died in 2020 at age 78.
Loretta Lynn
Winner in: 1976
Other ACM Awards that year: Album of the year (Feelin’s with Conway Twitty), top female vocalist of the year, top vocal group (with Twitty)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 8
Top Hot 100 hit: “After the Fire Is Gone,” collab with Twitty (No. 56 in 1971)
Notes: Lynn was the first woman to win in this category. Fifteen years later, Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for playing the country legend in Coal Miner’s Daughter. Lynn was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 1970s. She co-hosted the ACM Awards three times from 1975 to 1985. She died in 2022 at age 90.
Mickey Gilley
Image Credit: Disney General Entertainment Content via GI
Winner in: 1977
Other ACM Awards that year: Top male vocalist of the year
Total entertainer of the year nods: 2
Top Hot 100 hit: A remake of Ben E. King’s 1961 classic “Stand by Me” (No. 22 in 1980)
Notes: Gilley, whose honky tonk Gilley’s was featured in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy, co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1982. Gilley, shown here with Loretta Lynn, died in 2022 at age 86.
Dolly Parton
Winner in: 1978
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 6
Top Hot 100 hits: “9 to 5” (No. 1 in 1981) and “Islands in the Stream,” a collab with Kenny Rogers (No. 1 in 1983)
Notes: Parton was just 32 when she won, making her the youngest winner to that point. She hosted the ACM Awards in 2000, co-hosted in 2022 and is scheduled to co-host in 2023.
Kenny Rogers
Winner in: 1979
Other ACM Awards that year: Top male vocalist
Total entertainer of the year nods: 6
Top Hot 100 hits: “Lady,” written by Lionel Richie (No. 1 in 1980) and “Islands in the Stream,” a collab with Dolly Parton, written by Bee Gees (No. 1 in 1983)
Notes: Rogers was nominated six years in a row from 1978-83. He co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1978. He died in 2020 at age 81.
Willie Nelson
Winner in: 1980
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 7
Top Hot 100 hits: “Always on My Mind” (No. 5 in 1982) and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” a collab with Julio Iglesias (No. 5 in 1984)
Notes: Nelson received an Oscar nomination for “On the Road Again,” which he wrote for the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose, in which he starred.
Barbara Mandrell
Winner in: 1981
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 4
Top Hot 100 hit: A remake of Luther Ingram’s 1972 R&B hit “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right” (No. 31 in 1979)
Notes: Mandrell co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1978 and 1979.
Alabama
Winner in: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
Other ACM Awards those years: Album of the year in 1982 (Feels So Right), 1984 (The Closer You Get…) and 1985 (Roll On); top vocal group: all five years
Total entertainer of the year nods: 10
Top Hot 100 hit: “Love in the First Degree” (No. 15 in 1982)
Notes: Alabama was the first group to win, and the first act of any type to win more than twice. They remain the only act to win five years in a row. They were the first act to be nominated in this category nine years in a row, a record that has been tied but not surpassed. Alabama was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 1980s. The group co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1990. Group member Randy Owen co-hosted in 1993. Alabama was formed by guitarists Owen and Jeff Cook and bassist Teddy Gentry, cousins born and raised near Fort Payne, Ala. Mark Herndon, a rock drummer, later completed the classic lineup.
Hank Williams Jr.
Winner in: 1987, 1988, 1989
Other ACM Awards those years: Country music video of the year in 1989 (“Young Country”)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 7
Top Hot 100 hit: “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” (No. 67 in 1964)
Notes: Williams, the son of country legend Hank Williams, was the first solo artist to win three times. He co-hosted the show in 1988, marking the first time someone won entertainer of the year and hosted on the same show.
George Strait
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via GI
Winner in: 1990, 2014
Other ACM Awards those years: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 14
Top Hot 100 hit: “She’ll Leave You With a Smile” (No. 23 in 2002)
Notes: Strait has the longest gap between wins – 24 years. Strait was 61 at the time of his second win, older than any entertainer of the year winner in ACM history. Strait has amassed more nominations in this category than anyone else. He was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 2000s. Strait co-hosted the show five times between 1989 and 1997, including 1990, marking the second time someone won entertainer of the year and hosted on the same show.
Garth Brooks
Winner in: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999
Other ACM Awards those years: Single record of the year (“Friends in Low Places”), album of the year (No Fences), song of the year (as the artist on “The Dance”), country music video of the year (“The Dance”), and top male vocalist, all in 1991; top male vocalist (1992), video of the year (“We Shall Be Free,” 1994).
Total entertainer of the year nods: 13
Top Hot 100 hit: “Lost in You” by Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines (No. 5 in 1999)
Notes: Brooks was the first solo artist to win four times. He has won six times, more than anyone else. He was just 29 at the time of his first win, making him the youngest winner to that point. He was nominated nine years in a row in this category, matching Alabama’s record. (Luke Bryan has since also equaled the feat.) Brooks was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 1990s. He is scheduled to host the ACM Awards in 2023.
Reba McEntire
Winner in: 1995
Other ACM Awards that year: Top female vocalist
Total entertainer of the year nods: 9
Top Hot 100 hit: “What Do You Say” (No. 31 in 2000)
Notes: McEntire has amassed more nominations (nine) and more consecutive nominations (six) in this category than any other woman. She finally won on her seventh try, which was a record at the time. McEntire has hosted or co-hosted the ACM Awards 16 times between 1986 and 2019, more than anyone else in the show’s history.
Brooks & Dunn
Winner in: 1996, 1997, 2002
Other ACM Awards those years: Top vocal duet (all three years); video of the year (“Only in America” (2002)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 12
Top Hot 100 hits: “Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” (No. 25 in 2001) and “Red Dirt Road” (No. 25 in 2003)
Notes: Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn are the only duo to win. They co-hosted the 1996 show, marking the third time someone won entertainer of the year and hosted on the same show.
Shania Twain
Winner in: 2000
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 2
Top Hot 100 hit: “You’re Still the One” (No. 2 in 1998)
Notes: Twain, from Canada, was the first artist born outside the U.S. to win.
The Chicks
Image Credit: J. Vespa/WireImage
Winner in: 2001
Other ACM Awards that year: Top vocal group, video of the year (“Goodbye Earl”)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 3
Top Hot 100 hit: “Not Ready to Make Nice” (No. 4 in 2007)
Notes: The Chicks, previously called Dixie Chicks, are the only female group or duo to win. Sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer founded the band in 1989. Natalie Maines joined in 1995.
Toby Keith
Winner in: 2003, 2004
Other ACM Awards those years: Album of the year (Shock‘n Y’all), top male vocalist of the year, ACM/Launch video of the year (“Beer for My Horses,” with Willie Nelson), all 2004
Total entertainer of the year nods: 8
Top Hot 100 hit: “Red Solo Cup”(No. 15 in 2012)
Notes: Keith was nominated six years in a row – 2001 to 2006.
Kenny Chesney
Winner in: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Other ACM Awards those years: Vocal event of the year (“Find Out Who Your Friends Are” with Tim McGraw and Tracy Lawrence) (2008)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 10
Top Hot 100 hit: “Out Last Night” (No. 16 in 2009)
Notes: Chesney and Garth Brooks are the only solo artists to win in this category four years in a row.
Carrie Underwood
Winner in: 2009, 2010, 2020
Other ACM Awards those years: Top female vocalist (2009)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 6
Top Hot 100 hit: “Inside Your Heaven” (No. 1 in 2005)
Notes: Underwood was the first woman to win twice, and remains the only woman to win three times. She was just 26 at the time of her first win, making her the youngest winner to that point.
Taylor Swift
Winner in: 2011, 2012
Other ACM Awards those years: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 5
Top Hot 100 hits: Swift has amassed nine No. 1 hits on the Hot 100, most recently with “Anti-Hero” (eight weeks on top from 2022-23).
Notes: Swift was the second woman to win twice. She was just 21 at the time of her first win, making her the youngest winner in ACM history.
Luke Bryan
Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian/GI
Winner in: 2013, 2015, 2021
Other ACM Awards those years: Vocal event of the year (“The Only Way I Know,” with Eric Church and Jason Aldean, 2013, and “This Is How We Roll,” with Florida Georgia Line, 2015)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 9
Top Hot 100 hit: “Play It Again” (No. 14 in 2014)
Notes: Bryan won entertainer of the year three times but never twice in a row. He’s the only person who can make that claim. Bryan was nominated nine years in a row, tying the record set by Alabama and equaled by Garth Brooks. He co-hosted the show five years in a row from 2013-17. He is the only person to win entertainer of the year twice on shows he or she hosted.
Jason Aldean
Winner in: 2016, 2017, 2018
Other ACM Awards those years: Male vocalist of the year (2016), video of the year (the all-star “Forever Country,” 2017)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 9
Top Hot 100 hit: “Dirt Road Anthem” (No. 7 in 2011)
Notes: Aldean and Underwood are the only three-time ACM entertainer of the year winners who have yet to win the CMA Award in that category. Aldean was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 2010s.
Keith Urban
Winner in: 2019
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 9
Top Hot 100 hit: “Kiss a Girl” (No. 16 in 2009)
Notes: Urban, born in New Zealand, was the second act born outside of the U.S. to win. He finally won on his ninth try, which is a record in the category. He was 51 when he won, older than anyone else winning the award for the first time. He hosted the show in 2000 and co-hosted in 2001.
Thomas Rhett
Winner in: 2020
Other ACM Awards that year: Video of the year (“Remember You Young”)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 2
Top Hot 100 hit: “Die a Happy Man” (No. 21 in 2016)
Notes: Rhett, the son of 1970s country star Rhett Akins, won in a tie with Carrie Underwood – the only tie in the category’s history.
Miranda Lambert
Winner in: 2022
Other ACM Awards that year: Video of the year (“Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” with Elle King)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 7
Top Hot 100 hit: “Somethin’ Bad,” collab with Carrie Underwood (No. 19 in 2014)
Notes: Lambert finally won on her sixth try, which puts her behind just Urban and McEntire as the artist with the most losses before finally winning.
The Academy of Country Music enlisted a raft of country artists, including Lainey Wilson, Breland and Jelly Roll, to help reveal the winners of the 2023 ACM Radio Awards. The artists tossed a radio from one to another in a clever two-minute video in which the winners’ names were flashed on the screen. The video was posted on the Academy’s official social media pages on Tuesday (April 25). Other artists who participated included Priscilla Block, Russell Dickerson, Parker McCollum, Frank Lay, Lily Rose, Brooke Eden and LoCash.
Winners announced include two first-time on-air personality honorees, Elaina Smith of With Elaina for national weekly on-air personality of the year, and Julie and DJ of Julie and DJ in the Morning for medium market on-air personality of the year.
WIVK-FM in Knoxville, Tenn. and WYCT-FM in Pensacola, Fla. both take home their fifth total ACM Awards for medium market radio station of the year and small market radio station of the year, respectively.
Additional winners include George, Mo, and Erik of The Morning Bullpen with George, Mo, and Erik on KILT-FM in Houston and Big Dave, Stattman, and Ashley of The Big Dave Show on WUBE-FM in Cincinnati for major market and large market on-air personality of the year, respectively.
“The Academy congratulates all of our ACM Awards radio winners for championing the artists that make up the soundtrack of country fans’ lives,” Damon Whiteside, ACM CEO said in a statement. “Country radio has always been and continues to be one of the most important ways for today’s favorite artists to connect with fans, and for fans to find up-and-coming acts to fall in love with.”
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards is set to take place on Thursday, May 11 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX. Country legends Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks are set to host the show, which bills itself as “country music’s party of the year.” The two-hour show will stream live without commercial interruption on Prime Video worldwide for the second year in a row.
The show will stream at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase on SeatGeek.
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions, with Raj Kapoor, Barry Adelman and Fonda Anita serving as executive producers. Damon Whiteside is executive producer for the ACM. Patrick Menton is co-executive producer.
Below is a complete list of the radio award winners for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards:
On-air personality of the year winners:
National daily – Big D, Bubba, Patrick Thomas, Carsen | The Big D and Bubba Show
National weekly – Elaina Smith | With Elaina
Major market – George, Mo and Erik | The Morning Bullpen with George, Mo, and Erik – KILT – Houston
Large market – Big Dave, Stattman & Ashley | The Big Dave Show – WUBE – Cincinnati, Ohio
Medium market – Julie Kansy and Dale Sellers | Julie and DJ in the Morning – WPCV – Lakeland, Fla.
Small market – Steve Waters and Tiffany Kay | Steve & Tiffany in the Morning – WFLS – Fredericksburg, Va.
Radio station of the year winners:
Major market – KKBQ – Houston
Large market – WSIX – Nashville
Medium market – WIVK – Knoxville, Tenn.
Small market – WYCT – Pensacola, Fla.
Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, hosts of the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards, star in a fun and playful promotional video for the 2023 ACMs that was released on Tuesday (April 18). The 45-second spot, titled “First Time,” plays off the fact that Parton is an experienced host and this is Brooks’ first time as a host.
The scene takes place in Parton’s dressing room. Parton asks, “Are you ready for our big night?”
“Yeah, I’m a little nervous to be honest,” Brooks responds. “First time and all.”
Parton seeks to reassure her skittish partner by saying “Oh, don’t be nervous, I’m going to be right here with you.”
Brooks asks, “You’ve done this before, right?”
Parton responds, “Oh, I’ve done this before. Plenty of times – plenty of people.”
This, of course, makes Brooks even more nervous. “Really?”
“And I personally am going to make this the best night of your life,” Parton promises.
After a beat, Brooks asks, “We’re talking about hosting the ACM award show, right?”
Parton and Brooks handle the script’s comic double-entendres like the pros they are. The spot concludes with Parton saying, “If you have any problem, you just look at me.”
“Yes ma’am,” Brooks responds.
“Up here,” Parton reminds him.
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, dubbed “country music’s party of the year,” will stream live exclusively for a global audience on Prime Video on Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Established in 1966, the ACM Awards is the longest-running country music awards show. The show made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, in partnership with Prime Video.
Watch the promotional video below.
Songwriter Ashley Gorley has three ACM Awards nominations for song of the year. He’s only the third songwriter to achieve that feat in the show’s 58-year history. (The category was introduced in the show’s second year.)
Gorley co-wrote Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave” with Stapleton and Chris DuBois; Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” with Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett and Tim Nichols; and Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots” with Josh Osborne and Michael Hardy.
The only other songwriters to notch three nominations in one year are Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, each more than 50 years ago.
Hag was the sole writer of all three of his 1968 nominees – “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde,” “Mama Tried” and “I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am.” He was also the artist on all three songs. The first two reached No. 1 on Hot Country Singles – now called Hot Country Songs. “I Take a Lot of Pride” peaked at No. 3. Jimmy Webb won the award that year for writing the Glen Campbell classic “Wichita Lineman.”
Kristofferson was the sole writer of all three of his 1970 nominees – “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” a No. 1 hit for Sammi Smith; “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” a No. 1 hit for Johnny Cash; and “For the Good Times,” a No. 1 hit for Ray Price. (All three chart references are to Hot Country Singles.) Kristofferson won the award for the sublime “For the Good Times.”
Hag, who died in 2016 at age 79, and Kristofferson, 86, have long been country music royalty.
Haggard was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994. He received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2006 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010.
Kristofferson was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and received that organization’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 2006. He was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2006.
Gorley, 45, has written hits for a raft of country artists, as well as such non-country artists as Bon Jovi and Jason Derulo. He has topped Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart for 33 weeks and has headed Hot 100 Songwriters for three weeks.
HARDY is the top nominee for the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, with seven nods. Lainey Wilson, who won two awards last year, is a beat behind with six nods, followed by Cole Swindell, Kane Brown, Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert, with five nods each.
The ACM expanded the number of nominees for entertainer of the year from five to seven this year with Brown and Morgan Wallen receiving their first nominations in the category, while three-time winner Jason Aldean returns with his first nomination in the category in four years. Reigning entertainer of the year winner Lambert is also in the running, along with Combs, Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood, all of whom were nominated last year.
Lambert landed her 17th nod for female artist of the year, which enables her to pass Reba McEntire for the most nominations in the category. McEntire amassed 16 nods from 1983 to 2017.
Women accounted for three of the five nominees for album of the year: Lambert’s Palomino, Ashley McBryde’s Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville and Wilson’s Bell Bottom Country are competing for the award alongside Combs’ Growin’ Up and Jon Pardi’s Mr. Saturday Night.
This marks the first time that women (solo artists or all-woman groups) have accounted for three of the five nominations in this category since 1999, when The Chicks, Faith Hill and Jo Dee Messina were all nominated. The Chicks, then known as Dixie Chicks, won that year for Wide Open Spaces.
Combs’ album won the CMA Award for album of the year in November. Should it win here too, it would be the first album to win album of the year at both shows since Combs’ previous album, What You See Is What You Get, three years ago.
Brown’s “Thank God” (with wife Katelyn Brown) is nominated for single of the year. It’s the first single by a married couple to be nominated in that top category since “It’s Your Love” by Tim McGraw with Faith Hill, which won the 1997 award.
Carly Pearce & McBryde’s “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” is also nominated for single of the year. It’s the first all-female collab to be nominated in that category since “Does He Love You” by McEntire with Linda Davis 29 years ago. “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” won an ACM Award last year for music event of the year.
This year’s other nominees for single of the year are Cody Johnson’s “Til You Can’t,” Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” and Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck.” “Til You Can’t” won the CMA Award for single of the year in November.
Brown is a first-time nominee for both entertainer of the year and male artist of the year. Brown is the first biracial or Black artist to be nominated for entertainer of the year since Charley Pride, who was nominated the first three years the ACM presented the award (1970-72). The War and Treaty, consisting of married couple Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, are nominated for duo of the year. They are the first Black duo to be nominated in that category.
Hit songwriter Ashley Gorley co-wrote three of the five songs nominated for song of the year – Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave,” Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” and Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots.” Gorley is the only the third songwriter with three songs nominated in the same year, following Merle Haggard (1968) and Kris Kristofferson (1970).
Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett broke six-year streaks of nominations for female artist of the year and male artist of the year, respectively. But artists can come back after having a streak interrupted, as Kelsea Ballerini proves this year. She is nominated for female artist of the year for the sixth time after missing out last year.
The ACM Awards split their songwriter of the year category, won last year by HARDY, into two categories this year – songwriter of the year and artist-songwriter of the year. HARDY is nominated in the latter category, along with Combs, Lambert, Wallen and Ernest Keith Smith (ERNEST).
In another change, the name of the video of the year category was changed to visual media of the year.
The 2023 Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards will be presented at the 16th Academy of Country Music Honors, which will be held Aug. 23 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Here’s a complete list of nominees for the 2023 ACM Awards.
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Entertainer of the year
Jason Aldean
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Miranda Lambert
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
Morgan Wallen
Female artist of the year
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Carly Pearce
Lainey Wilson
Male artist of the year
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Jordan Davis
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Duo of the year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Maddie & Tae
The War and Treaty
Group of the year
Lady A
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band
New female artist of the year
Priscilla Block
Megan Moroney
Caitlyn Smith
Morgan Wade
Hailey Whitters
New male artist of the year
Zach Bryan
Jackson Dean
ERNEST
Dylan Scott
Nate Smith
Bailey Zimmerman
Album of the year
Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Label(s)
Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville – Ashley McBryde; Producer: John Osborne; Label: Warner Music Nashville
Bell Bottom Country – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Jay Joyce; Label: Broken Bow Records
Growin’ Up – Luke Combs; Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; Label: Columbia Records
Mr. Saturday Night – Jon Pardi; Producers: Jon Pardi, Bart Butler, Ryan Gore; Label: Capitol Records Nashville
Palomino – Miranda Lambert; Producers: Jon Randall, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Mikey Reaves; Label: Vanner Records/RCA Records Nashville
Single of the year
Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Label(s)
Heart Like a Truck – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Jay Joyce; Label: Broken Bow Records
Never Wanted to Be That Girl – Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde; Producers: Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally; Label: Big Machine Records/Warner Music Nashville
She Had Me at Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell; Producer: Zach Crowell; Label: Warner Music Nashville
Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown; Producer: Dann Huff; Label: RCA Nashville
‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson; Producer: Trent Willmon; Label: Warner Music Nashville/CoJo Music
Song of the year
Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)
Sand In My Boots – Morgan Wallen; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Josh Osborne, Michael Hardy; Publishers: Relative Music Group; Sony/ATV Accent; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing
She Had Me at Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Cole Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett, Tim Nichols; Publishers: Ashley Gorley Publishing Designee; Be A Light Publishing; Colden Rainey Music; EMI Blackwood Music Inc; Songs Of Roc Nation Music; Sony Tree Publishing; Telemitry Rhythm House Music; Universal Music Corp; WC Music Corp; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson; Songwriters: Ben Stennis, Matt Rogers; Publishers: Anthem Canalco Publishing; Dead Aim Music; The Stennis Mightier Music
wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair; Publishers: Humerus Publishing Global; Nontypical Music; Pile of Schmidt Songs; Rednecker Music; Relative Music Group; Round Hill Verses Publishing; Sony/ATV Accent; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; The Money Tree Vibez; WC Music Corp; Who Wants to Buy My Publishing
You Should Probably Leave – Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, Chris Stapleton; Publishers: One77 Songs; Sea Gayle Music; Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing; Spirit Two Nashville; WC Music Corp
Visual media of the year
Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)
HEARTFIRST – Kelsea Ballerini; Producers: Christen Pinkston & Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: P Tracy
She Had Me at Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell; Producer: Troy Jackson; Director: Spidey Smith
Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown; Producer: Luke Arreguin; Director: Alex Alvga
‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson; Producer: Maddy Hayes; Director: Dustin Haney
wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson; Producer: Inkwell Productions; Director: Justin Clough
What He Didn’t Do – Carly Pearce; Producer: Ryan Byrd; Director: Alexa Campbell
Songwriter of the year
Nicolle Galyon
Ashley Gorley
Chase McGill
Josh Osborne
Hunter Phelps
Artist-songwriter of the year
Luke Combs
ERNEST
HARDY
Miranda Lambert
Morgan Wallen
Music event of the year
Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Label(s)
At the End of a Bar – Chris Young with Mitchell Tenpenny; Producers: Chris DeStefano, Chris Young; Label: RCA Nashville
She Had Me at Heads Carolina [Remix] – Cole Swindell & Jo Dee Messina; Producer: Zach Crowell; Label: Warner Music Nashville
Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown; Producer: Dann Huff; Label: RCA Nashville
Thinking ‘Bout You – Dustin Lynch feat. MacKenzie Porter; Producer: Zach Crowell; Label: Broken Bow Records
wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson; Producers: Derek Wells, HARDY, Joey Moi, Jordan Schmidt; Label: Big Loud Records
STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS
Bass player of the year
Mark Hill
Tony Lucido
Steve Mackey
Lex Price
Craig Young
Drummer of the year
Fred Eltringham
Miles McPherson
Jerry Roe
Aaron Sterling
Nir Z
Acoustic guitar player of the year
Tim Galloway
Todd Lombardo
Danny Rader
Bryan Sutton
Ilya Toshinskiy
Piano/keyboards player of the year
Jim “Moose” Brown
Dave Cohen
Charles Judge
Billy Justineau
Alex Wright
Specialty instrument player of the year
Dan Dugmore
Stuart Duncan
Jenee Fleenor
Josh Matheny
Justin Schipper
Electric guitar player of the year
Kris Donegan
Kenny Greenberg
Rob McNelley
Sol Philcox-Littlefield
Derek Wells
Audio engineer of the year
Drew Bollman
Josh Ditty
Gena Johnson
Justin Niebank
F. Reid Shippen
Producer of the year
Buddy Cannon
Luke Dick
Jay Joyce
Joey Moi
Jon Randall
Derek Wells
INDUSTRY AWARDS
Casino of the year – theater
Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, SD
Golden Nugget – Lake Charles, LA
Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hollywood, FL
Soaring Eagle – Mount Pleasant, MI
Casino of the year – arena
Fallsview Casino Resort – Niagara Falls, ON
Harrah’s – Council Bluffs, IA
Harveys Lake Tahoe – Stateline, NV
Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, MN
Northern Quest Resort & Casino – Airway Heights, WA
Turning Stone Resort Casino – Verona, NY
Festival of the year
C2C: Country to Country – UK
Carolina Country Music Fest – Myrtle Beach, SC
Country Concert – Fort Loramie, OH
Country Fest – Cadott, WI
Country Thunder – Bristol, TN
Stagecoach Festival – Indio, CA
Tortuga Music Festival – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fair/rodeo of the year
Auburn Rodeo – Opelika, AL
Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
Florida Strawberry Festival – Plant City, FL
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – Houston, TX
Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, IA
Club of the year
Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
Coyote Joe’s – Charlotte, NC
Grizzly Rose – Denver, CO
Gruene Hall – New Braunfels, TX
Joe’s on Weed St. – Chicago, IL
Theater of the year
Crystal Grand Music Theatre – Wisconsin Dells, WI
Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL
Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
Orpheum Theater – Omaha, NE
Stiefel Theatre – Salina, KS
Outdoor venue of the year
Bank of NH Pavilion – Gilford, NH
FirstBank Amphitheater – Franklin, TN
Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
St. Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL
The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, AL
Arena of the year
Denny Sanford PREMIER Center – Sioux Falls, SD
Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX
Hertz Arena – Estero, FL
Moody Center – Austin, TX
Simmons Bank Arena – Little Rock, AR
Thompson-Boling Arena – Knoxville, TN
Don Romeo talent buyer of the year
Ron Pateras
Pat Powelson
Michelle Romeo
Stacy Vee
Troy Vollhoffer
Promoter of the year
Patrick McDill
Aaron Spalding
Ed Warm
Adam Weiser
Jay Wilson
Garth Brooks will join returning host Dolly Parton as co-host of the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Billboard has exclusively learned. The May 11 show will stream live on Amazon’s Prime Video from Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, outside of Dallas.
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Parton hosted the ACM Awards solo in 2000 and with Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett last year — its first year on Prime Video — while this will mark Brooks’ first time hosting the show. Billboard sat down with the two icons as they filmed promotional video footage for the awards show at a Nashville production studio and displayed an easy-going banter that should serve them well on awards night.
“All I hope that we do as a pair is represent [country music] well,” Brooks tells Billboard of co-hosting the ACM Awards. “I mean, you’ve got your foundation and what you’re looking for here,” he says, gesturing to Parton seated beside him. “You’ve got talent and class. Let’s represent country music the best that we can.”
“I told him to say all that, and that I’d say something good about him if he would say something good about me,” Parton says with a laugh.
“We are excited about this because we’ve always wanted to do something together,” Parton continues. “We’ve always admired each other musically and as people and how we handle our business. So this is a great thrill for me. I think the fans are going to enjoy seeing us together, ‘cause Lord knows he’s got fans and I got a few.”
Both Brooks and Parton have ample experience in the ACM Awards’ winners circle, with Parton earning 13 ACM Awards wins, including entertainer of the year in 1977. Brooks has earned 22 ACM Awards, including a record-setting six entertainer of the year trophies (with a consecutive four-year run from 1990-93), in addition to being named ACM artist of the decade for the ‘90s.
Though Brooks released his debut album in 1989 and went on to become the best-selling solo artist in U.S. history, with nine RIAA Diamond Awards to his credit and 19 Billboard Country Airplay chart-toppers, the ACM Awards will mark his first time hosting any major awards show. Brooks, who inked an exclusive streaming deal with Amazon Music in 2016, says several factors were at play in his decision to co-host this year’s ACM Awards in addition to that partnership.
Primary among his reasons is “just getting to work with Dolly,” says Brooks, briefly reaching over to hold Parton’s hand. “When you think about my career, I don’t want to pick favorites, but some of our biggest nights have been at the ACMs. The fact that they would even ask is flattering and the fact that I get to host with Ms. Parton is unbelievable. The surprise of the night is you’re gonna see this beautiful woman carry this 260-pound ass all night.”
When it comes to crafting the script that will navigate viewers through the evening, Parton says, “We’re both pretty good at ad-libbing. Garth’s more serious-minded than me. I just talk off the top of my head. But we’ll have a lot of fun together.”
“I like being a goofball too, but the truth is, comedy is the hardest way to make a living,” Brooks adds. “If you think you can just write comedy and it be funny, it usually isn’t. So my thing is, I feel more comfortable if we just stay on the class side and let her do her thing,” Brooks says, adding that he appreciates efficiency in hosts. “I watch awards shows and what do I want? Let me see the performances and don’t take a long time telling me who’s gonna win, because I want to hear what the winners will have to say.”
“That’s a good point,” Parton responds. “And there’s always things that just happen usually on live shows like that. Sometimes your best comedy are things that might even happen with someone in the audience or something is said and you just pick up on it. We’re country people, most of the artists are kind of like people we grew up with, so you play off of that, and it’s usually entertaining. Whether it’s funny or not, it’s usually entertaining.”
They note fans shouldn’t expect a musical collaboration during the ACM Awards, but Parton, who was officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, will premiere the lead single from her upcoming rock album on the show.
Meanwhile, Brooks’ excitement at finally working with Parton shines through.
“Just sitting here, I’m nervous as hell,” Brooks admits, “and I don’t know why that is because she’s never been anything but sweet to me, never been anything but treated me as an equal, though I’m not. It’s that thing when someone has done something that freaking cool, you just become a fan. If [George] Strait was here, I wouldn’t be holding his hand as much, but…” Brooks jokes, drawing a big laugh from Parton.
“Well, it’s because I’ve been around forever,” Parton interjects.
“What I’m looking forward to the most,” Brooks says, gesturing to Parton, “and forgive me for comparing you to somebody else, but when you get to work with Reba McEntire, you just wear out pencils on a notebook because you take notes, right? A woman in this industry — and I’m married to one of the greatest singers ever — they have to work a thousand times harder to get a tenth as much,” says Brooks, who wed Trisha Yearwood in 2005. “So you watch them go to work, and when it’s your turn, your time, you work like a girl. You outwork everybody you can.”
“Well, that’s very sweet,” Parton replied. “Now I see why you’ve been married to Trisha all these years. And Reba, I’ve co-hosted with her before [on the 2019 CMA Awards], and she is a worker too. I admire and respect all the great women in the business, but it’s nice to have these great guys like the Garths and people that really do appreciate the women as well as the men. We have a mutual respect for each other.”
She also recently announced an upcoming book, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, out in October. Asked about their fashion for the ACMs, Parton said, “[Garth] said a funny thing earlier. When they asked what I was going to be wearing — in three words, how would I describe it? — I said, ‘Nothing but trash,’ and when they asked him about it, he said, ‘Nothing but Trish.’ … I thought that was so great that she gets him all together,” Parton said.
Regarding whether fans might see a return Parton-Brooks pairing as ACM Awards co-hosts in 2024, Parton quips, “We’ll see how we do this year, they may not even ask us [back].”
Brooks adds, “I tell you what, yes to everything, except [Parton] might be going, ‘I’m not sure I wanna work with that guy. He’s too much of a fan.’”
“I’m a fan of yours too,” Parton replies. “I think that’s going to be one of the things that hopefully shows up on camera that we like each other for real. I think sometimes you get people onstage and everybody’s a pro and can get up there and talk, but when you really feel the warmth between two people, I think that’s where the magic is, and I think we both have that in us.”
Morgan Wallen will headline an all-star benefit concert for ACM Lifting Lives during ACM Awards week in May. ACM Lifting Lives LIVE: Morgan Wallen & Friends, Presented by VGT by Aristocrat Gaming, will be held Wednesday, May 10, on the golfing green at Topgolf The Colony.
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The show will take place a day prior to the 58th annual ACM Awards show on Thursday, May 11, set to be held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Joining Wallen will be reigning ACM new female artist and song of the year winner Lainey Wilson, “Rock and a Hard Place” hitmaker Bailey Zimmerman, and Wallen’s Big Loud Records labelmates HARDY and ERNEST. Also on the bill is DJ 13lackbeard.
Just prior to the benefit concert, ACM Lifting Lives will welcome the return of Topgolf Tee-Off and Rock On Fundraiser at Topgolf The Colony.
General Admission tickets on the green are separate from the Topgolf Tee-Off and Rock On tournament access and will be available to ACM Members, ACM A-List subscribers, 58th ACM Awards ticket holders, and Topgolf Friends and Family through an exclusive presale, which launched Thursday (March 23). Remaining tickets will be available for a general public on-sale beginning this Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m. CST through AXS. Those who have purchased bays for golf will be able to remain in their bay for the concert, with the bay serving as a suite to watch the show.
“ACM Lifting Lives does great work providing aid in times of need to folks inside and outside of the music industry,” Wallen said via a statement. “My band and I are excited to help them raise funds to continue doing this amazing work.”
“The support of Country Music artists and the industry as a whole are who make the impactful work of ACM Lifting Lives possible,” added ACM Lifting Lives Executive Director Lyndsay Cruz. “We are so thankful to Morgan, HARDY, Lainey, ERNEST, Bailey and DJ 13lackbeard for volunteering their time to help us raise money and awareness, and we know music fans in Texas will be blown away by this all-star lineup!”
In addition to distributing more than $4 million to date through its Covid Relief Fund, ACM Lifting Lives provides critical support through the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, significant annual commitments to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Music Health Alliance, and the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, and individual grants to organizations that reach communities all across America.
The ACM Awards will air live on May 11, exclusively via Prime Video.
Wallen recently broke the record for the most songs simultaneously charted on the Billboard Hot 100, entering 36 songs on the chart on the survey dated March 18, marking the entirety of his new album, One Thing At a Time. The album also marks a second week at the pinnacle of the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart.