2020 ACM Awards Preview: What to Expect

The 55th Academy of Country Music Awards air live from Nashville tonight (Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020) at 8pm ET (delayed on PT) on CBS and CBS All Access.

Host & Presenters:

Keith Urban will host the 2020 ACM Awards with Lauren Alaina, Lily Aldridge, Clint and Lisa Hartman Black, Bobby Bones, CeCe Winans, Cam, Darius Rucker, and Runaway June all set to present.

Performances:

Performers will take the stage from three Nashville venues: the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium, and The Bluebird Cafe.

Throughout the night, there will be performances from: Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Riley Green, Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett featuring Jon Pardi, Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Stefani, Taylor Swift, Tenille Townes, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban with P!NK, Morgan Wallen, and Trisha Yearwood.

Nominations:

Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett lead the night with five nominations each. Ahead of the event, a few winners have been announced, including the winners of Music Event of the Year, Video of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, New Female Artist of the Year, and New Male Artist of the Year. Check out all of the nominees as well as the early winners below.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Carrie Underwood

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Dierks Bentley
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban

DUO OF THE YEAR

Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae

GROUP OF THE YEAR

Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion
The Highwomen

NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Ingrid Andress
Gabby Barrett
Lindsay Ell
Caylee Hammack
Tenille Townes - WINNER

NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Jordan Davis
Russell Dickerson
Riley Green - WINNER
Cody Johnson
Morgan Wallen

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Center Point Road - Thomas Rhett
GIRL - Maren Morris
Heartache Medication - Jon Pardi
What You See Is What You Get - Luke Combs
Wildcard - Miranda Lambert

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

"God’s Country" - Blake Shelton
"One Man Band" - Old Dominion
"Rainbow" - Kacey Musgraves
"Rumor" - Lee Brice
"What If I Never Get Over You" - Lady Antebellum

SONG OF THE YEAR

"10,000 Hours" - Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber
"Girl Goin’ Nowhere" - Ashley McBryde
"God’s Country" - Blake Shelton
"One Man Band" - Old Dominion
"Some Of It" - Eric Church

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

"10,000 Hours" - Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber
"God’s Country" - Blake Shelton
"One Man Band" - Old Dominion
"Remember You Young" - Thomas Rhett - WINNER
"Sugar Coat" - Little Big Town

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Ashley Gorley
Michael Hardy
Hillary Lindsey - WINNER
Shane McAnally
Josh Osborne

MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR

"10,000 Hours" – Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber
"Dive Bar" – Garth Brooks featuring Blake Shelton
"Fooled Around And Fell In Love" – Miranda Lambert featuring Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack & Elle King - WINNER
"Old Town Road" – Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
"What Happens In A Small Town" – Brantley Gilbert featuring Lindsay Ell

CASINO OF THE YEAR – THEATER

The Colosseum at Caesars Palace - Las Vegas, NV
The Joint: Tulsa – Tulsa, OK
Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort – Mt. Pleasant, MI
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino – Las Vegas, NV
WinStar Global Event Center – Thackerville, OK

CASINO OF THE YEAR – ARENA

Mark G. Etess Arena – Atlantic City, NJ
MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV
Sandia Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
Stir Concert Cove – Council Bluffs, IA
T Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV

FAIR/RODEO OF THE YEAR

California Mid-State Fair – Paso Robles, CA
Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo – Houston, TX
Minnesota State Fair – St. Paul, MN
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo – San Antonio, TX

FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR

Boots and Hearts Music Festival – Oro-Medonte, ON
Stagecoach – Indio, CA
Tortuga Music Festival – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Watershed Festival – George, WA
Windy City Smokeout – Chicago, IL

CLUB OF THE YEAR

Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
Coyote Joe’s – Charlotte, NC
Grizzly Rose – Denver, CO
Joe’s Live – Rosemont, IL
Losers Bar & Grill – Nashville, TN

THEATER OF THE YEAR

The Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
The Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
DeJoria Center – Salt Lake City, UT
Rialto Square Theatre – Joliet, IL
Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL

OUTDOOR VENUE OF THE YEAR

Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion – Gilford, NH
Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Innsbrook After Hours – Glen Allen, VA
Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
Rose Music Center – Huber Heights, OH
The Wharf at Orange Beach – Orange Beach, AL

ARENA OF THE YEAR

Infinite Energy Center – Duluth, GA
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, MI
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena – Jacksonville, FL

DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR

Clay Campbell – Triangle Talent
Gary Osier – Gary Osier Presents
Gil Cunningham – Neste Live!
Kell Houston – Houston Productions
Nina Rojas – Neste Live!
Todd Boltin – Variety Attractions

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

Adam Weiser – AEG Presents
Brian O’Connell – Live Nation
Jered Johnson – Pepper Productions
Stacy Vee – Goldenvoice, MTG
Troy Vollhoffer – Country Thunder

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Eli Beaird
Mike Brignardello
Tim Marks
Michael Rhodes
Jimmie Lee Sloas

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR

Fred Eltringham
Miles McPherson
Greg Morrow
Jerry Roe
Nir Zidkyahu

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Tom Bukovac
Dann Huff
Rob McNelley
Adam Shoenfeld
Ilya Toshinskiy

PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

David Dorn
Tony Harrell
Charlie Judge
Tim Lauer
Gordon Mote
Mike Rojas

SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Stuart Duncan
Jenee Fleenor
Jim Hoke
Danny Rader
Joe Spivey
Charlie Worsham

STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Dan Dugmore
Paul Franklin
Josh Grange
Russ Pahl
Justin Schipper

AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Chuck Ainlay
Jeff Balding
Tony Castle
Julian King
Steve Marcantonio
Justin Niebank

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

busbee
Buddy Cannon
Dann Huff
Michael Knox
Joey Moi

Pre-Show Information:

The pre-show will take place on the PeopleTV YouTube channel from 7-8pm ET. Hosted by Jeremy Parsons, the pre-show will feature live and pre-recorded interviews with nominees and performers.

For all your music needs, head over to Live365.com for the best variety of radio stations around.

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