ICONIC ENTERTAINER REBA McENTIRE RETURNS TO HOST
COUNTRY MUSIC’S PARTY OF THE YEAR®
NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE
“53RDACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™,”
TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK, SUNDAY, APRIL 15,
FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS
Chris Stapleton Leads with 8 Nominations;
Thomas Rhett Receives 6 Nominations
Keith Urban and Songwriter Shane McAnally Each Receive 5 Nominations;
Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris Each Receive 4 Nominations;
Sam Hunt, Little Big Town and Midland Each Receive 3 Nominations;
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill Receive First Nomination as Vocal Duo
Tweet: Just announced! 53rd @ACMawards Nominations Revealed plus @Reba Returns to Host LIVE
from Las Vegas @MGMGrand April 15 at 8pm on #CBS!
ENCINO, CA (March 1, 2018) – The Academy of Country Music announced today the host and nominations for the 53RD ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, Country Music’s Party of the Year®, honoring country music’s superstars and hottest emerging talent. Multimedia superstar and sixteen-time ACM Award® winner Reba McEntire will return to host LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. This year’s show will mark Reba’s fifteenth time hosting the ceremony, last appearing in 2012 with Blake Shelton.
In addition to surprising audiences with the news that she will return to host, Reba appeared live today on “CBS This Morning” to announce this year’s ACM Award nominees for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Duo of the Year, and Vocal Group of the Year, as well as nominees for Song of the Year on Facebook LIVE. “Entertainment Tonight” host Nancy O’Dell announced additional nominees on ETonline.com.
Chris Stapleton leads with eight nominations in five categories, including his first nod for Entertainer of the Year. Stapleton is also nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, and twice, as both artist and producer, in both the Album of the Year and Single Record of the Year categories; he received the Album of the Year nod for From a Room: Volume 1, and the Single Record of the Year nod for “Broken Halos.” He is also nominated twice, both as artist and songwriter, in the Song of The Year category for “Whiskey and You.”
Reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, Thomas Rhett earned six nominations, including his second in the Male Vocalist of the Year category. Rhett is also nominated twice, as an artist and producer, for both Album of The Year for Life Changes and Vocal Event of the Year for “Craving You” (featuring Maren Morris). Lastly, he is nominated for his first Music Video of the Year award for “Marry Me,” along with director TK McKamy and producer Dan Atchison.
Keith Urban earned five nominations including his eighth nod for Entertainer of the Year and eleventh nod for Male Vocalist of the Year. Urban is also nominated for Song of the Year for “Female,” and twice, as both artist and producer in the Vocal Event of the Year category for “The Fighter” (featuring Carrie Underwood). Urban won Top New Male Vocalist of the Year in 2000, and Top Male Vocalist of the Year in 2004 and 2005. A win in the Entertainer of the Year category would also make him the eighth ever ACM Triple Crown winner.
Songwriter Shane McAnally received five nominations. He is nominated as Songwriter of the Year, and twice as songwriter in the Song of the Year category for Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Back Road” and Keith Urban’s “Female.” McAnally is also nominated in the Album of the Year category for Old Dominion’s album Happy Endings, and in the Single Record of the Year category as a producer in Midland’s single “Drinkin’ Problems.”
Reigning Female Vocalist of the Year, Miranda Lambert received four nominations, including her twelfth nod for Female Vocalist of the Year. If she wins, it will be her ninth consecutive win in this category. She is the current record holder for most consecutive wins in the Female Vocalist of the Year category. Miranda is currently tied for the winningest artist in ACM history with 29 awards along with Brooks & Dunn. This year she is also nominated twice, both as artist and songwriter, in the Song of The Year category for “Tin Man,” and for Video of the Year for “We Should Be Friends.”
Reigning New Female Vocalist of the Year Maren Morris received four nominations, including her second nod in the Female Vocalist of the Year category. Morris is also nominated twice, as an artist and producer, in the Vocal Event of the Year category for “Dear Hate” (featuring Vince Gill). She is nominated again in the category with Thomas Rhett for “Craving You.”
Sam Hunt received three nominations for his hit “Body Like A Back Road.” One nod in the Single Record of The Year category, and two, both as artist and songwriter, in the Song of the Year category.
Reigning Vocal Group of the Year, Little Big Town, earned their twelfth nomination in the category. This would be their fourth consecutive win and fifth overall. They are also nominated for Album of the Year for Breaker, and Single Record of the Year for “Better Man.”
First-time Academy of Country Music Award nominee, Midland, received three nominations for Vocal Group of the Year, New Vocal Duo/Group of the Year, and Single Record of the Year for “Drinkin’ Problem.”
Eighteen-time ACM Award winner Tim McGraw and sixteen-time ACM Award winner Faith Hill received their first-ever nomination as a duo in the Vocal Duo of the Year category.
Reba McEntire received her sixteenth nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year. This would be her eighth win in the category.
The following is the full list of final nominees. The Academy of Country Music’s professional membership selects the nominees and winners of the Academy of Country Music Awards.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
- Jason Aldean
- Garth Brooks
- Luke Bryan
- Chris Stapleton
- Keith Urban
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Miranda Lambert
- Reba McEntire
- Maren Morris
- Carrie Underwood
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Jason Aldean
- Thomas Rhett
- Chris Stapleton
- Keith Urban
- Chris Young
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Florida Georgia Line
- LOCASH
- Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Lady Antebellum
- LANCO
- Little Big Town
- Midland
- Old Dominion
NEW FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Lauren Alaina
- Danielle Bradbery
- Carly Pearce
- Raelynn
NEW MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Kane Brown
- Luke Combs
- Devin Dawson
- Russell Dickerson
- Brett Young
NEW VOCAL DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
- High Valley
- LANCO
- LOCASH
- Midland
- Runaway June
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- The Breaker – Little Big Town
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
- California Sunrise – Jon Pardi
Producers: Bart Butler, Jon Pardi
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
- From A Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
Record Label: Mercury Records
- Happy Endings – Old Dominion
Producer: Shane McAnally
Record Label: RCA
- Life Changes – Thomas Rhett
Producers: Julian Bunetta, Jesse Frasure, Dann Huff, Joe London, Thomas Rhett
Record Label: The Valory Music Co.
SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Better Man – Little Big Town
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
- Body Like A Back Road – Sam Hunt
Producer: Zach Crowell
Record Label: MCA Nashville
- Broken Halos – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
Record Label: Mercury Records
- Drinkin’ Problem – Midland
Producers: Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
Record Label: Big Machine Records
- I’ll Name The Dogs – Blake Shelton
Producer: Scott Hendricks
Record Label: Warner Bros.
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
- Body Like a Back Road – Sam Hunt
Songwriters: Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
Publishers: Anderson Fork In The Road Music (ASCAP), Atlas Music Publishing, Highly Combustible Music (ASCAP), I Love Pizza Music (ASCAP), Kobalt Music Group Ltd. (GMR), Kobalt Songs Music Publishing (ASCAP), Sam Hunt Publishing (ASCAP), Smack Hits (GMR), Smack Songs LLC (ASCAP), Smackville Music (ASCAP), Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing (ASCAP), Universal Music Corp. (ASCAP), Who Wants To Buy My Publishing (ASCAP)
- Female – Keith Urban
Songwriters: Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon and Shane McAnally
Publishers: A Girl Named Charlie (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music Inc. (BMI), Plain Jane Songs (BMI), Rezolant Music (BMI), Smack Hits (GMR), Smack Songs LLC (GMR), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)
- Tin Man – Miranda Lambert
Songwriters: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert Jon Randall
Publishers:Beat Up Ford Publishing (BMI), BMG Platinum Songs (BMI), Lonesome Vinyl Music (BMI), Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), SWMBMGBMI (BMI)
- Whiskey And You – Chris Stapleton
Songwriters: Lee Thomas Miller, Chris Stapleton
Publishers: New Sea Gayle Music (ASCAP), Spirit of Nashville One (BMI), Spirit Two Nashville (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), WM Music Corp. (ASCAP)
VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
Director: Wes Edwards
Producer: Max A. Butler
- It Ain’t My Fault – Brothers Osborne
Director: Wes Edwards, Ryan Silver
Producer: Tiffany Davies
- Legends – Kelsea Ballerini
Director: Jeff Venable
Producer: Ben Skipworth
Director: TK McKamy
Producer: Dan Atchison
- We Should Be Friends – Miranda Lambert
Director: Trey Fanjoy
Producer: April Dace
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR*(Off Camera Award)
- Rhett Akins
- Ashley Gorley
- Hillary Lindsey
- Shane McAnally
- Josh Osborne
VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Craving You – Thomas Rhett Featuring Maren Morris
Producers: Julian Bunetta, Dann Huff, Joe London, Thomas Rhett
Record Label: The Valory Music Co.
- Dear Hate – Maren Morris featuring Vince Gill
Producers: Brad Hill, Maren Morris
Record Label: Columbia Nashville
- Funny (How Time Slips Away) – Glen Campbell And Willie Nelson
Producer: Carl Jackson
Record Label: Universal Music Enterprises
- The Fighter – Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood
Producers: Busbee, Keith Urban
Record Label: Capitol Nashville
- What Ifs – Kane Brown Featuring Lauren Alaina
Producer: Dann Huff
Record Label: RCA Nashville
ACM RADIO AWARDS – The following previously announced radio awards will be presented during the annual Radio Winners Reception, which will be held at Topgolf Las Vegas at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Saturday, April 14.
NATIONAL ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
- Cody Alan CMT After MidNite with Cody Alan
- Bobby Bones, Amy, Lunchbox, Eddie The Bobby Bones Show
- Terri Clark Country Gold with Terri Clark
- Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase Crook and Chase Countdown
- Ty Bentli, Kelly Ford and Chuck Wicks Ty, Kelly & Chuck
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET
- Bud and Broadway WIL-FM St. Louis, MO
- Cadillac Jack WQYK-FM St. Petersburg, FL
- Chris Carr, Kia, Maverick and McKaila KEEY-FM St. Louis Park, MN
- Paul Schadt, Meg Butterly, Geof Knight WKKT-FM Charlotte, NC
- Roxanne Steele WYCD-FM Detroit, MI
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET
- Dale Carter KFKF-FM Kansas City, MO
- Double-L KWNR-FM Las Vegas, NV
- Jim Denny, Deborah Honeycutt & Kevin Freeman WFMS-FM Indianapolis, IN
- Johnson and Johnson KUBL-FM Salt Lake City, UT
- The Randy, Jamie and JoJo Show KAJA-FM San Antonio, TX
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET
- The 97.5 WPCV Breakfast Club with Roger Todd,
Julie Kay and DJ Thee Trucker WPCV-FM Lakeland, FL
- Carina With A Twist Of Lime WCYQ-FM Knoxville, TN
- Buzz Jackson KIIM-FM Tucson, AZ
- Steve & Geoff KUZZ-AM/FM Bakersfield, CA
- The Odd Squad CKRY-FM Calgary, AB
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET
- Ben Butler and Arnie Andrews WCOW-FM Sparta, WI
- Bobby and Steve (and Mandi!) WKYQ-FM Paducah, KY
- Dave Daniels KHAY-FM Ventura, CA
- Pat James KHUT-FM Hutchinson, KS
- The Q Crew with Jason and Ashley on Q100.3 KRWQ-FM Medford, OR
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET
- KILT-FM Houston, TX
- KMLE-FM Phoenix, AZ
- KSCS-FM Dallas. TX
- WIL-FM St. Louis, MO
- WPOC-FM Baltimore, MD
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET (tie within category increased nominees)
- KAJA-FM San Antonio, TX
- KUBL-FM Salt Lake City, UT
- WFMS-FM Indianapolis, IN
- WKDF-FM Nashville, TN
- WSIX-FM Nashville, TN
- WSM-FM Nashville, TN
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET
- KUZZ-AM/FM Bakersfield, CA
- KXKT-FM Omaha, NE
- WGKX-FM Memphis, TN
- WQMX-FM Akron, OH
- WUSY-FM Chattanooga, TN
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET
- KCLR-FM Columbia, MO
- KHAY-FM Ventura, CA
- KTHK-FM Idaho Falls, ID
- KTTS-FM Springfield, MO
- KYKZ-FM Lake Charles, LA
IMPORTANT NOTE: Awards counts for artists reflect categories in which they have been recognized as individuals or as part of their duo or group. In some cases, an artist may receive more than one nomination which factors into their official count.
Award recipients in each category are noted above parenthetically in the Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year.
About the Academy of Country Music Awards
The 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards™ is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will broadcast LIVE from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 8:00 PM live ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, R.A. Clark, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are executive producers. Pete Fisher is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.
Tickets to the ACM Awards are now on sale at www.axs.com. Media credential applications to cover the Awards in Las Vegas are now available at www.ACMcountry.com/press. For more information on the ACM Awards and all ACM events including ACM Party for a Cause®, visit www.ACMcountry.com and www.PartyForaCause.com. You can like Academy of Country Music on Facebook or follow on Twitter at @ACMawards and Instagram @ACMAwards for more immediate updates.
About Reba McEntire
Multimedia entertainment mogul and mom, Reba McEntire has become a household name through a successful career that spans across music, television, film, theater and retail. She capped off 2017 with the newly-packaged My Kind of Christmas – featuring collaborations with Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Darius Rucker, Lauren Daigle, Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood. Reba also marked her thirteenth summit as SING IT NOW: SONGS OF FAITH & HOPE topped both the Billboard Country and Christian/Gospel charts, bolstering her successful record of 35 No. 1 singles and over 56 million albums sold worldwide. The double-disc collection, released jointly on Nash Icon Records / Capitol Christian Music Group, earned Reba a GRAMMY Award for Best Roots Gospel Album and her first GMA Dove Award for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member has won 15 American Music Awards, 16 ACM Awards, 9 People’s Choice Awards, 6 CMA Awards and 3 Grammy Awards, in addition to other philanthropic and leadership honors such as Horatio Alger Association and induction alongside her mom in the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. During her 2011 All The Women I Am Tour, Pollstar and Billboard’s Boxscore named Reba the No. 1 female Country touring artist with a combined total of over 9 million tickets sold in her career. She is part of the longest-running Country act in The Colosseum at Caesars history, REBA, BROOKS & DUNN: Together In Vegas, which returns in March. In 2005, Reba partnered with Dillard’s to launch her own lifestyle brand, and she separately launched the REBA by Justin™ collection at select retailers nationwide. She most recently has been named the first female and musician to portray KFC’s iconic founder Colonel Harland Sanders in the brand’s celebrity colonel campaign to launch KFC Smoky Mountain BBQ fried chicken. The Oklahoma native is an acclaimed actress with 11 movie credits to her name, a lead role on Broadway in Annie Get Your Gun and starred in the six-season television sitcom Reba.
