Awards
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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.
Judy Collins, Shelly Peiken, Noelle Scaggs and more were honored at the 2023 She Rocks Awards, which were held at The Ranch in Anaheim, Calif. on Thursday (April 13).
The 11th annual event, sponsored by The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN), honored the accomplishments of a diverse group of women representing all facets of the music industry.
The event kicked off with a set from Toronto-based band The Beaches. The all-woman quartet won their second Juno Award, rock album of the year, last year for Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album).
Laura Whitmore, founder of the Women’s International Music Network and She Rocks co-producer, welcomed those in attendance.
The night proceeded with Legend Award honoree Collins, who quoted Mae West in her acceptance speech and lead the audience in an a cappella rendition of her 1971 hit “Amazing Grace.” Collins has a 59-year span of Grammy nominations. She was nominated for best folk recording in 1964 for her third studio album, Judy Collins #3, and was nominated again last year for best folk album for Spellbound, her 55th album. She won a 1968 Grammy for her hit rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”
Dreaming Out Loud honoree Peiken encouraged the crowd “to not be afraid to grow up.” Peiken is a two-time Grammy nominee, for co-writing Meredith Brooks’ 1997 smash “Bitch” and for best spoken word album for Confessions of a Serial Songwriter.
“I’m just finding my time at this point in my career,” Peiken said. “And there are many more adventures ahead. It’s truly an honor to be in the company of giants past, present and future.”
Powerhouse honoree Scaggs of Fitz & the Tantrums spoke of her inspiration for starting the organization Diversify the Stage (DTS). “I wanted young people to feel like they had a place in the industry,” said Scaggs. “It’s incredible to see our community standing up in ways I never got to see growing up; women are in greater positions of power to build new ways of thinking and actions that are truly moving the needle and bringing confidence to young people who may have felt they didn’t have a place here, or that the glass ceiling could never be broken. It’s important that young people see their reflections in this industry, to have people who share their identities, who have a familiar journey, this is what the DTS mission is, ensuring no human will ever feel dis-included in this space, because they see their reflections, in front and behind the scenes.”
Champion Award honoree, Stacey Ryan, COO of the School of Rock, spoke about the work needed to elevate more women into executive positions, and the importance of organizations like the Women’s International Music Network for mentoring young, up-and-coming women in the music industry. Her award acceptance was followed by an all-female School of Rock Band performing En Vogue’s 1992 smash “Free Your Mind.”
The night culminated with a performance from guitarist Gretchen Menn, She Rocks Inspire Award recipient, who led her band in an original song followed by a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s 1972 classic “Rock and Roll” with fellow Zepparella member Holly West on bass and lead vocals helmed by guest Laura Clapp.
Founded in 2012, the Women’s International Music Network unites women who work within all facets of the music and audio industries. The organization produces the She Rocks podcast, the LIVE: Front & Center web series, WiMN She Rocks Spotlight Showcase Series and the She Rocks Awards, and is founded by music industry veteran Laura B. Whitmore. For more information, go here.
Here’s a complete list of 2023 She Rocks Awards honorees:
Legend Award: Judy Collins, singer/songwriter icon; Grammy-winner and two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee
Powerhouse Award: Noelle Scaggs, co-frontperson for Fitz and the Tantrums and founder of Diversify the Stage
Dreaming Out Loud Award: Shelly Peiken, Grammy-nominated songwriter
Tone Setter Award: Mary Spender – guitarist, singer, songwriter and YouTube star
Mad Skills Award: Michelle Bell – vp of creative for Roc Nation
Vision Award: Lisa S. Johnson, photographer and author of 108 Rock Star Guitars and Immortal Axes
Groundbreaker Award: Katherine Wing, vp of marketing for Roland, drummer
Champion Award: Stacey Ryan, chief operating officer for School of Rock
Excellence Award: Helen Culleton, chief operating officer for Audiotonix
Inspire Award: Gretchen Menn, guitarist and founding member of Zepparella
Heart and Soul: Brad Tolinski, former Guitar World editor and author
When the 58th ACM Award nominations were announced yesterday (April 13), HARDY led all artists with seven nods. While the tally may represent work released during the eligibility period, he says they are actually the culmination of years of effort.
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“My first [publishing] deal was in ’14. [I went] four years without a cut. I probably wrote seven or 800 songs that didn’t get touched until I started having success,” he says. “All that is chipping away at your craft and listening to songs you wrote and comparing them to songs that beat those songs out and then being like, ‘OK, back to the drawing board. Let’s do something different.’ I definitely put in the time and the grind and the hours and I guess it’s finally paying off.”
Five of HARDY’s seven nods are for “Wait in the Truck,” his duet with Lainey Wilson: he receives two nods for both artist and producer in the music event of the year category, one for visual media of the year and two for song of the year as the tune’s artist and co-writer. His two other nominations come in the song of the year category as co-writer of Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots” and in the artist-songwriter of the year field.
He stresses he is thrilled for any nomination but adds the two song of the year nominations mean the most. “I’ve been nominated a few times [in that category], but I haven’t gotten one yet, so I’m honored to two in that category. That’s so cool.” Though HARDY may not have won in that category, he is reigning songwriter of the year winner. This year, the category was split into songwriter of the year and artist-songwriter of the year.
HARDY found out about his nominations yesterday morning (April 13) when he woke up in Minneapolis on his bus on tour with Wallen. “I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I don’t keep up with it, not because I don’t care. It’s just an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing. I was just in shock.”
His “Wait in the Truck” collaborator, Wilson, is the second most nominated artist with six nominations. HARDY says he thinks he understands why the murder ballad about a stranger who kills the abuser of a woman he has just met has resonated with people. The song rises to No. 4 this week on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
“It is the first time in a long time that [the subject] was treated with I guess what you would call seriousness. I’m not knocking any of these songs because they were amazing, but [The Chicks’] ‘Goodbye Earl’ was funny. I guess [Carrie Underwood’s] ‘Two Black Cadillacs’ was the last one that was serious,” he says.
“I don’t think there has really been one in a while in the format, so I think people were maybe pleasantly surprised that here’s something a little bit different and something they’re familiar with, but they hadn’t heard in a long time,” he continues. “It means the world to me to know that a song like that can still survive and exist in country music and can be an actual hit on the radio.”
He also woke up yesterday to a text from Wilson. “She said, ‘Congrats. Let’s take some sh-t home.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is awesome. We had a little chat about it. It was great,’” he says.
Between HARDY and his tourmates, Wallen, ERNEST and Bailey Zimmerman, they racked up 15 nominations and he expects some celebrating to go on tonight and tomorrow as they play a two-night stand in Milwaukee. “My booking agent and his whole crew are here and basically my entire record label is up here right now, so we’re probably definitely going to have a big cheer to [the nominations] tonight. We’re looking forward to all having a moment together to celebrate.”
HARDY hasn’t really thought about how he’ll celebrate any wins, though getting a new tattoo is always a possibility. Instead, he’s focused on thank you gifts for his “Wait in the Truck’ collaborators for the song’s success even if it doesn’t win. “Lainey is going to get a really nice gift and I think the [co-writers] are going to get something really cool as well,” says HARDY who wrote the song with Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt and Renee Blair.
“I love giving people gifts,” he continues. “I always think about those days where I didn’t have any money or anything to offer other than just ‘thank yous,’ but it’s really special to know I’m now in a place in my career and, to be candid financially, that I can give gifts. It’s like the best thing in the world.”
Composer Christopher Lennertz will be named a BMI Icon at the 39th Annual BMI Film, TV and Visual Media Awards on May 10 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The two-time Emmy-nominated composer will receive BMI’s highest honor for his body of work across film, television and gaming.
In addition, the ceremony will celebrate the composers of the previous year’s top-grossing films, top-rated primetime network television series and highest-ranking cable and streamed media programs. The event will be hosted by BMI president and CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI vice president, creative, film, TV & visual media, Tracy McKnight.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate Christopher Lennertz and his tremendous musical accomplishments by presenting him the BMI Icon Award,” McKnight said in a statement. “His compelling body of work, from blockbuster films to hit TV shows and gaming, highlights Christopher’s passion for all styles of music and has made him one of the industry’s most sought-after composers.”
Previous BMI Icon Award recipients include Terence Blanchard, Alexandre Desplat, James Newton Howard, Rachel Portman (PRS), Alan Silvestri, Brian Tyler and John Williams.
Lennertz’s eclectic body of work includes scoring such blockbusters as Horrible Bosses and Ride Along, as well as such TV shows as Amazon’s The Boys, cult-favorite Supernatural (which originated on The WB before being picked up by The CW) Netflix’s Lost in Space and Marvel’s Agent Carter. Lennertz is also one of the most in-demand composers in video games, having worked on hits like Medal of Honor and the Mass Effect series.
Lennertz’s recent works include arranging and conducting a large orchestra for a new version of Guns N’ Roses “November Rain,” composing the score for Netflix’s coming-of-age drama 13: The Musical and producing, arranging and conducting Wondrous Journeys, Disney’s new salute to 100 years of animation. He has also written songs with Glenn Slater for Kelly Clarkson, Janelle Monáe and Lizzo. Coming up, Lennertz’s work on Marvel’s Rogers the Musical will come to life during the Disney100 celebration at the Disney California Adventure Park.
Lennert has received Emmy nominations for outstanding musical composition for a series for Supernatural (2006) and outstanding original music and lyrics for The Boys (2021). He collaborated with lyricist Michael Saltzman on the latter project. He has also received 20 BMI awards.
Furthermore, he has demonstrated his passion for education and philanthropy by serving on the board of Education Through Music-Los Angeles and Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, as well as Hands Together Haiti. Lennertz also launched the Symphony of Hope project, a collaboration of more than 25 leading film and TV composers and dozens of musicians and vocalists joining together to rally the film music community in support of Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry on Wednesday (April 12), and the icon celebrated the honor on social media.
“I’m honored beyond belief!” she wrote on both Twitter and Instagram about the special news. “I definitely did not even imagine this would happen when writing and recording this song! Thank you so much Ms. Hayden and the @librarycongress.”
Carey also shared a snippet of an interview she did with the Library of Congress, telling chief communications officer Roswell Encina, “This is major and this is so gratifying to me as an artist, as a songwriter, of course. You know, you can’t, like, come up with this. I wasn’t sitting there writing lyrics like, ‘I’m going to be in all these places and my song’s gonna mean something to people every Christmas.’ I had no idea, I just wrote from my heart what I wanted. So thank you for including me in this incredible company and the whole situation, thank you.”
The perennial holiday classic indeed finds itself in good company, with the National Recording Registry also inducting the likes of Madonna’s Like a Virgin, Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” the Super Mario Bros. theme, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” Queen Latifah’s All Hail the Queen and more.
According to the Library of Congress, the 25 recordings were selected for induction “based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”
Check out Mariah’s ecstatic reaction to her latest honor 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.
The 2023 Billboard Music Awards, set for Sunday, Nov. 19, are shaking up the traditional awards-show format.
In addition to the artists who perform live that night, select BBMAs winners will celebrate their achievements through unique performance experiences with their top fans. One-hundred superfans of those award winners will receive a “golden ticket,” which will allow them to attend a performance with the winning artist at a secret location.
Curated in close collaboration with the performing artists, these experiences will connect talent with their most engaged fans, and in the process give artists the creative freedom to deliver awards show performances in a newly imagined way.
The program will weave together these artist-fan experiences with live components from the show in Los Angeles in a first-of-its-kind awards show format. The show will honor all BBMAs winners, as well as a salute to this year’s Icon Award recipient with special tribute performances. Additionally, select industry awards will be presented.
Billboard and Dick Clark Productions announced last month that the show was moving from its customary spring time slot to the fall.
From its debut in 1990 through 2006, the Billboard Music Awards took place in December. Every edition from 2011 onward was held in May, with the exception of the pandemic-delayed 2020 show, which rolled out in October.
The 2022 BBMAs were held May 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and were hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The BBMAs celebrates the hottest names in contemporary music, with winners determined by performance on the Billboard charts, which measure key fan interactions with music, including audio and video streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and touring.
Awards for the 2023 BBMAs are based on music consumption reflected on Billboard’s charts dated Nov. 19, 2022 through Oct. 21, 2023. Those are the dates encompassing the 2023 year-end chart period.
For more, follow @BBMAs and #BBMAs on socials and billboardmusicawards.com.
As the final nominees for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards were announced Thursday (April 13), there were the usual number of expected names, as well as a handful of surprises and snubs.
The eligibility period for nominations ran Nov. 16, 2021-Dec. 31, 2022. The ceremony will stream live on Amazon’s Prime Video from Frisco, Texas, on May 11.
Here is a look at some of the year’s notable surprises and snubs.
Snub: Jelly Roll swept the CMT Music Awards earlier this month, and given how ascendent his star seems to be, it was shocking that he didn’t nab a single nomination — not even for new male artist of the year, which is overstuffed with six acts. Jelly Roll, who broke Billboard’s record for number of weeks at No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart in February when he hit 25 weeks, also seemed like a contender for a song of the year nod after his confessional “Son of a Sinner” hit No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart.
Surprise: Jason Aldean is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having taken home 15 ACM Awards, including artist of the decade in 2018. He’s even won entertainer of the year before three consecutive years, 2015-17. However, he had fallen out of the category after 2018 and makes a return for the first time in five years this year for his only nomination.
Snub: Maren Morris had a solid six-year run of female artist of the year nominations — including winning at the 2020 ceremony — but her streak is broken this year, perhaps because she is off album cycle. The ACMs have shown her plenty of love in the past, as she’s taken home six trophies over the last several years in a number of categories.
Surprise: Prolific songwriter Ashley Gorley has more than 50 No. 1s to his credit, so his inclusion for penning a song of the year entry is no surprise. However, he pulls off a hat trick, capturing three nominations in the category for co-writing Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave,” Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” and Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots.” He is the only non-performing songwriter to ever land a trio of songs in the category in one year. Songwriter/artists Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson achieved the feat in 1968 and 1971, respectively.
Surprise: Cole Swindell has received only two ACM nominations in his career, including for new artist in 2015, which he won. He’s making up for lost time this year with five nominations, including song and single of the year for “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.”
Snub: Similar to Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett has been a contender for six years running — in this case for male artist of the year — but he drops off the list this year. He’s not completely shut out, however, as he earns a nomination for song of the year as a co-writer on “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.”
Surprise: Not only is Kane Brown one of the leading nominees with five nods, but a very pleasant surprise is that he scores two nominations for the first time — including the prestigious entertainer of the year. It marks the first time in 50 years that a biracial or Black artist has been nominated in the category since Charley Pride in 1972. Brown, who previously won video of the year for “Worldwide Beautiful,” also snags his first male artist of the year nomination.
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.
MAIN CATEGORIES
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
Colin Hay, the singer, songwriter and frontman of beloved Australian rock group Men At Work, and the late trailblazing tour promoter Colleen Ironside are this year’s recipients of the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.
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The prestigious honor will be presented at the 2023 APRA Music Awards, to be held April 27 at ICC Sydney, on Gadigal land.
Hay will be on hand to receive his circular trophy, recognition for a stellar career that launched in the early ‘80s with Men At Work’s hit debut album Business As Usual, and its standout single “Down Under.”
It was a dream breakthrough, the type few acts have done before or since, as the single and its parent topped simultaneously topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and the group went on to win the Grammy Award for best new artist.
“Who Can It Be Now” logged a single week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, and “Down Under” would climb the summit later that year, holding top spot for four weeks. Today, the latter song has passed more than one billion streams across all platforms, and is treasured as Australia’s unofficial anthem.
“Overkill” and “It’s a Mistake” both hit the top 10 on the Hot 100, “Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive” cracked the top 40 (at No. 28). Followup LP Cargo peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The band called it quits in 1985, but the music lives on. Career record sales top 30 million, according to APRA.
This award is “for outstanding services to Australian Music,” notes Hay in a statement. “I think services is the key word here. It’s important to realise at some point in your life that it is a valuable thing to be of service. To be of some use.”
Hay’s music would be introduced to new generations through Scrubs and Garden State, and he continues to tour, both as a solo artist and as a guitarist in Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band. “Down Under” has been revisited in recent years with a hit drum ‘n’ bass cut by DJ Luude, and by award-winning Yolŋu surf rockers King Stingray.
Speaking to Billboard over Zoom from Sacramento, CA, Hay admits “Down Under” is “very dear to me. When I wrote the song, I had a lot of fear and trepidation about Australia becoming overdeveloped, like you know, Florida or something,” the Scottish-born artist notes, “and on the other side of the coin, there was this beautiful uniqueness and incredible — a kind of awesomeness — of the country which I thought, ‘we don’t want to lose that’. We have to nurture, it’s a precious thing we have.”
Also at the APRAs, Ironside will be posthumously saluted for a career during which she set the groundwork for a pan-Asian touring network and producing scores of tours in the region.
Ironside, who died in 2022, is equally remembered for her force-of-nature personality.
The concerts giant cut her teeth as a booking agent for the Harbour Premier Agency in Sydney, Australia. She went out on her own, establishing and running APA Booking Agency, which booked INXS, Ratcat, James Reyne, Jenny Morris, Wendy Matthews and Def FX for Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
In 1994, Frontier Touring recruited Ironside as head of its Asia division, where she managed tours by Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Tom Jones and others. In 1999, she established Live Limited and toured the Rolling Stones, Elton John, David Bowie, Sting and other titans of rock and pop music.
Later, in 2005, she began a five-year stint with Live Nation as senior VP of bookings in Pan-Asia, before reviving Live Limited, through which she promoted Janet Jackson in Hong Kong, Bruno Mars in Malaysia and Bob Dylan in Hong Kong and Vietnam.
“Colleen championed Australian songwriters and artists and created live music pathways into Asia with a business acumen that was years ahead of her peers,” comments Dean Ormston, CEO, APRA AMCOS.
And Hay “is a songwriter of the highest level and with the biggest heart, whose songs continue to connect and hit No. 1 on the charts. We look forward to honoring them with the Ted Albert Award at this year’s APRA Music Awards”.
The Ted Albert Award is one of the Australian music industry’s highest accolades, and is decided by the APRA board of writer and publisher directors.
Previous recipients include Paul Kelly, the late Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, Slim Dusty, The Seekers and last year’s recipient The Wiggles.
In other APRA Music Awards news, the most performed international work has been awarded to global smash “As It Was” by Harry Styles, with co-writers Thomas Hull and Tyler Johnson). Universal Music Publishing and Concord Music Publishing are publishers.
As previously reported, Grammy Award winners Flume and Rufus Du Sol are among the artists and songwriters scoring multiple nominations for this year’s ceremony.
Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s favorite events, a worthy counterpart to Britain’s Ivor Novello Awards.
The special moments in the APRAs program includes the performance of those song of the year nominees, often completely reimagined by another star from Australia’s music scene.
For more information visit the APRA website.