FRISCO, TX (CelebrityAccess)—The Academy of Country Music’s (ACM) biggest party of the year was broadcast live on Amazon’s Prime Video from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Thursday (May 16) night. Luke Combs (8), Megan Moroney (6) and Morgan Wallen (6) led the pack with the most nominations. Country music legend and 16-time ACM award winner Reba McEntire took on solo hosting duties. She did well with self-deprecating jokes, announced that she would host the 60th annual ACM awards next year and called every performer her friend – and there was plenty packed into the two-hour broadcast. The performances showcased some new music, some old and a few surprise appearances.
Here’s what you missed:
Lainey Wilson opened the show with “God Blessed Texas” and her new song “Hang Tight Honey,” with a performance full of Louisiana swagger. It ended with her holding her guitar and welcoming McEntire to the stage. The awards were largely predictable, with Wilson securing her second consecutive Female Artist of the Year award and Chris Stapleton taking home the Male Artist of the Year trophy. Wilson also won Entertainer of the Year and Music Event of the Year – which she humbly shared with first-time nominee Jelly Roll for their “Save Me” collaboration. Stapleton also went home with a win for Album of the Year and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.
There are a few things in life you can count on – paying taxes, the sun, moon and stars, and Old Dominion winning their seventh successive Group of the Year win. I couldn’t pick Old Dominion out of a lineup if they wore shirts that said Old Dominion. Do better ACMs.
However, the duo of the year category held some suspense, given its history of toggling between Dan + Shay and Brothers Osborne for the past eight years. Dan + Shay took the award, tying the score with Brothers Osborne at four wins each.
Snubs and Surprises:
Despite his six nominations, Wallen left empty-handed, losing to Stapleton in three major categories: album of the year, male artist of the year, and artist-songwriter of the year. This marks the second consecutive year Wallen has missed out on the artist-songwriter category, losing to Hardy the previous year.
Jordan Davis’s “Next Thing You Know” winning song of the year over Comb’s version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” was another unexpected result. Many had predicted “Fast Car” would take the honor, especially after it won the CMA Award for Song of the Year. Davis co-wrote “Next Thing You Know” with Chase McGill, Greylan James, and Josh Osborne, marking Osborne’s second win in this category.
Jelly Roll, who had a strong year on the charts, won his first ACM Award for music event of the year with “Save Me” featuring Wilson. Yet, he missed the Male Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Need a Favor.” His losses were among several surprises, as Cody Johnson, Kelsea Ballerini, and Zach Bryan, each with multiple nominations, also went home empty-handed.
The Good, The Bad And The Other
For Stapleton’s performance, pop star Dua Lipa made a surprise appearance. She held her own and sang “Think I’m in Love With You” from Stapleton’s album Higher. She took center stage with Stapleton on the left and his wife Morgane on the right. Morgane, who usually sings with her husband, seemed “there.” It was awkward watching it – even with Lipa’s amazing voice.
Nate Smith teamed up with Avril Lavigne for a performance of “Bulletproof.” Lavigne’s punk-edged, skater girl “thing” is tired; she’s a grown-up. Even though Smith and Lavigne are great friends, the performance just didn’t fit well into the broadcast and was way overproduced.
Miranda Lambert exuded confidence with her new single, “Wranglers,” which was said to be a throwback to her Kerosene days. However, she’s happily married and no longer sets things on fire as “hell hath no fury.” It was just good.
The War and Treaty introduced Kane Brown, who sang “Georgia” in tribute to Ray Charles. But it should have been Brown introducing The War and Treaty. If the roles were reversed – hands down, it would have been the best performance of the night—no question.
The Better
Post Malone provided one of the most traditional country performances of the night with “Never Love You Again,” showcasing his versatility and affinity for country music backed by a band of steel guitars and fiddle. He later performed his hit “I Had Some Help” without Wallen, his usual duet partner. Instead, he joined McEntire in a touching tribute to the late Allman Brothers Band singer-guitarist Dickey Betts with a cappella rendition of “Ramblin’ Man.”
Another highlight was Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan’s performance (is he country?/ is he NOT country? – do we care?). They blended their songs “Mountain With a View” and “Stick Season” seamlessly. It was well done, but watching Kahan play live makes it seem like he can’t strum the guitar or leave the stage fast enough.
Jelly Roll continued his streak of heartfelt performances with his new song, “Liar.” The gospel-inflected track addressed themes of addiction and redemption, which Mr. DeFord knows well.
McEntire closed the show with her powerful new song “I Can’t.” She’s Reba, it was very Reba, and it works because she’s Reba.
The Best
Jason Aldean honored Toby Keith with a heartfelt, slowed-down version of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” featuring a poignant fiddle accompaniment. Aldean’s sincere delivery resonated with the audience, particularly as the camera focused on Keith’s family and friends, who were visibly moved.
The full list of nominees and winners is below:
Entertainer of the Year
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
WINNER: Lainey Wilson
Female artist of the year
Kelsea Ballerini
Ashley McBryde
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
WINNER: Lainey Wilson
Male artist of the year
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
WINNER: Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Duo of the year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
WINNER: Dan + Shay
Maddie & Tae
The War And Treaty
Group of the year
Flatland Cavalry
Lady A
Little Big Town
WINNER: Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band
New female artist of the year
Kassi Ashton
Ashley Cooke
Hannah Ellis
Kylie Morgan
WINNER: Megan Moroney
New male artist of the year
ERNEST
Kameron Marlowe
Dylan Scott
Conner Smith
WINNER: Nate Smith
New duo or group of the year
Neon Union
Restless Road
WINNER: Tigirlily Gold
Album of the Year – Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)
Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs; Producer: Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs; Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville
WINNER: Higher – Chris Stapleton; Producer: Chris Stapleton, Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton; Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville
Leather – Cody Johnson; Producers: Trent Willmon; Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville LLC
One Thing at a Time – Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Cameron Montgomery, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good) – Kelsea Ballerini; Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym; Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment
Single of the year – Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)
“Burn It Down” – Parker McCollum; Producer: Jon Randall; Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville
WINNER: “Fast Car” – Luke Combs; Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville
“Last Night” – Morgan Wallen; Producer: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records
“Need a Favor” – Jelly Roll; Producer: Austin Nivarel; Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville
“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Producer: Paul DiGiovanni; Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville
Song of the Year – Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)
“Fast Car” – Luke Combs; Songwriters: Tracy Chapman; Publishers: Purple Rabbit
“Heart Like a Truck” – Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Dallas Wilson, Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson; Publishers: Sony / ATV Countryside; Songs of Riser House; Songs of Wild Cat Well Music
WINNER: “Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Songwriters: Chase McGill, Greylan James, Jordan Davis, Josh Osborne; Publishers: Family Farm Songs; Hold On Can I Get A Number 1 Music; Songs of Universal Inc.
“The Painter” – Cody Johnson; Songwriters: Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins; Publishers: Big Music Machine; BMG Platinum Songs US; Nashblonde Music; Pompano Run Music; Songs for Ellie May; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group; Well That Was Awkward Music
“Tennessee Orange” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Ben Williams, David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins; Publishers: 33 Creative; Bone Bone Creative; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing
Music event of the year – Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)
“Can’t Break Up Now” – Old Dominion, Megan Moroney; Producers: Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Ross Copperman, Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Three Up Three Down, LLC / Columbia Nashville
“Different ‘Round Here” – Riley Green (Ft. Luke Combs); Producer: Dann Huff; Record Company-Label: BMLG Records
“I Remember Everything” – Zach Bryan (feat. Kacey Musgraves); Producer: Zach Bryan; Record Company-Label: Belting Bronco Records / Warner Records, Inc
“Man Made a Bar” – Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church); Producer: Joey Moi; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Mercury Records / Republic Records
WINNER: “Save Me” – Jelly Roll (with Lainey Wilson); Producers: Zach Crowell, David Ray Stevens; Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville
Visual media of the year – Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)
WINNER: “Burn It Down” – Parker McCollum; Producers: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney
“Human” – Cody Johnson; Producer: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney
“In Your Love” – Tyler Childers; Producer: Kacie Barton, Whitney Wolanin, Nicholas Robespierre, Ian Thorton, Silas House; Director: Bryan Schlam
“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis; Producer: Jamie Stratakis; Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
“Tennessee Orange – Megan Moroney; Producer: Lauren Starr, Saul Levitz, Laura Burhenn; Director: Jason Lester
Songwriter of the Year
WINNER: Jessie Jo Dillon
Ashley Gorley
Hillary Lindsey
Chase McGill
Josh Thompson
Artist-songwriter of the year
Zach Bryan
ERNEST
HARDY
WINNER: Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
