Academy of Country Music Reveals Winners for Industry and Studio Recording Awards
All of the winners will be celebrated during the Academy of Country Music Honors, slated for Wednesday, Aug. 21 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.
The Academy of Country Music has revealed this year’s slate of winners for the organization’s Industry Awards and Studio Recording Awards for the 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
Steel guitar player Paul Franklin picks up his second ACM specialty instrument player of the year honor (which marks his 18th overall ACM Award, and he ties fellow steel guitarist J.D. Maness for the most ACM Studio Recording Award wins).
Dann Huff, whose illustrious list of clients includes Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, Merle Haggard, George Strait and Miranda Lambert, earns his fifth ACM producer of the year win (upping his total ACM Awards tally to 11). Meanwhile, Jimmie Lee Sloas picks up his fifth ACM bass player of the year win, and Rob McNelley wins his first ACM electric guitar player of the year accolade. Jim “Moose” Brown earns his third win for ACM piano/keys player of the year (in a tie with David Dorn, who picks up his second win in the category). Meanwhile, audio engineer Jim Cooley, and guitar player Charlie Worsham each earn their second career ACM Award for audio engineer of the year and acoustic guitar player of the year, respectively. Drummer Jerry Roe wins his first ACM Award, for drummer of the year.
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The ACM industry awards winners include two Nashville, Tennessee venues, with the Ryman Auditorium winning ACM theater of the year, while Bridgestone Arena won ACM arena of the year. This marks the Ryman’s eighth win and Bridgestone Arena’s sixth win.
Meanwhile, Uncasville, Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena took home its eighth ACM award, in the casino of the year – arena category.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo. won its third ACM outdoor venue of the year win (marking its fifth overall ACM accolade). Joe’s Live, in Rosemont, Ill., won its third ACM honor for club of the year, while the club’s owner, Ed Warm, picked up his first win for ACM Don Romeo talent buyer of the year (upping his total trophy count to six). The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Tortuga Music Festival earned a third ACM Award for ACM festival of the year, while the Durant, Okla.-located Choctaw Grand Theater was named ACM casino of the year – theater.
The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo earned its second ACM Award for ACM fair/rodeo of the year, while AEG promoter Adam Weiser earned his first ACM Award for ACM promoter of the year.
The winners were revealed via video announcements from Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Vince Gill, Cody Johnson, Parker McCollum, Justin Moore, Thomas Rhett, Tigirlily Gold and Keith Urban.
All of the winners will be celebrated during the Academy of Country Music Honors ceremony, slated for Wednesday, Aug. 21 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.