Billboard honored the country music industry’s most impactful, influential artists and executives during the 2024 Billboard Country Power Players Awards, held at Gilley’s in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday (May 14), just ahead of the ACM Awards slated for May 16.
Lainey Wilson, the cover star of Billboard’s Country Power Players issue, received the Record Breaker honoree. Nate Smith, known for hits including “Wildfire,” was celebrated as Rookie of the Year, while duo The War and Treaty was feted with the Groundbreaker award. Linda Martell, who charted three singles on Billboard‘s Hot Country charts and was the first Black woman artist to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in 1969, was honored with the Legend Award.
Billboard Executive Editor, West Coast and Nashville Melinda Newman presented Big Loud partner/CEO Seth England with the Executive of the Year accolade. Others honored during the evening were Shaboozey, who received a plaque for hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” and WME’s Jay Williams, the recipient of the Billboard Country Power Players Choice Award, which was voted on by members of Billboard Pro.
Presenters during the evening included Kelsea Ballerini and Lone River Beverage Company founder Katie Beal Brown (both honoring Wilson), Breland (honoring The War and Treaty) and songwriter Ashley Gorley (honoring Smith).
Wilson closed out the event with a powerful performance of her songs “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” and “Country’s Cool Again.” Sponsors for the evening included Lone River Beverage Company, BMG and Big Loud.
Here, we rounded up photos from the 2024 Billboard Country Power Players Awards.
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Shaboozey
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Shaboozey at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Kelsea Ballerini at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Nate Smith
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Nate Smith at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Hannah Karp, Rakiyah Marshall, Seth England & Melinda Newman
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Hannah Karp, Rakiyah Marshall, Seth England and Melinda Newman at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Kacie Boguskie & Rusty Gaston
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Kacie Boguskie and Rusty Gaston at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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GASHI & Reyna Roberts
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard GASHI and Reyna Roberts at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Lainey Wilson & Dasha
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Lainey Wilson and Dasha at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Breland & The War and Treaty
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Michael Trotter Jr., Breland and Tanya Trotter at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Willie “Prophet” Stiggers & Jon Loba
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Willie “Prophet” Stiggers and Jon Loba at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Reyna Roberts, Lainey Wilson & The War and Treaty
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Reyna Roberts, Lainey Wilson, Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter Jr. at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Alana Springsteen
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Alana Springsteen at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Brittany Cobb, Lizzy Chesnut Bentley, Daniel Musto & Katie Beal Brown
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Brittany Cobb, Lizzy Chesnut Bentley, Daniel Musto and Katie Beal Brown at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Lainey Wilson & Mandelyn Monchick
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Lainey Wilson and Mandelyn Monchick at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Reyna Roberts
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Reyna Roberts at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Lainey Wilson
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Lainey Wilson at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Shaboozey
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Shaboozey at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson & Melinda Newman
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson and Melinda Newman at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Dasha, Reyna Roberts, Breland, Hannah Karp, Nate Smith, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Lainey Wilson & The War & Treaty
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Dasha, Reyna Roberts, Breland, Hannah Karp, Nate Smith, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Lainey Wilson, Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter Jr. at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Katie Beal Brown
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Katie Beal Brown at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Breland
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Breland at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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The War and Treaty
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter Jr. at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Ashley Gorley
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Ashley Gorley at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Ashley Gorley & Nate Smith
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Ashley Gorley and Nate Smith at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Nate Smith
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Nate Smith at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Seth England
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Seth England at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Tanya Trotter, Melinda Newman & Michael Trotter Jr.
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Tanya Trotter, Melinda Newman and Michael Trotter Jr. at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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Lainey Wilson
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Lainey Wilson at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Shaboozey
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Shaboozey at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Lainey Wilson
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Lainey Wilson at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Kelsea Ballerini at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
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Lainey Wilson
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Lainey Wilson at the Billboard Country Power Players held at Gilley’s on May 14, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.