The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy's signature "hat" trophy was first created in 1968. The awards were first televised in 1972 on ABC. In 1979, the academy joined with Dick Clark Productions to produce the show. Dick Clark and Al Schwartz served as producers while Gene Weed served as director. Under their guidance, the show moved to NBC in 1979, then to CBS in 1998, and Amazon Prime Video in 2022.
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. After more than twenty years in Nashville, the awards ceremony is now held Austin, Texas, and is broadcast live on CBS, along with CMT and other Paramount Global networks. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini is an American country pop singer and songwriter. She began songwriting as a child and signed a contract with Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, The First Time. Her second studio album, Unapologetically, followed in 2017.
"Love Me Like You Mean It" is a song co-written and recorded by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini. Ballerini co-wrote the song with Josh Kerr, Forest Glen Whitehead and Lance Carpenter. It was released on July 8, 2014, as Ballerini's debut single and the lead single from her debut studio album, The First Time, released on May 19, 2015, by Black River Entertainment. The song is about a young woman showing interest in a man. The song was previously released in promotion of Ballerini's 2014 self-titled EP.
"Peter Pan" is a song co-written and recorded by American recording artist Kelsea Ballerini. It was released to American country radio by Black River Entertainment as the third single from her debut studio album The First Time (2015). Ballerini co-wrote the song with Forest Glen Whitehead and Jesse Lee. The track is a country pop ballad about a lost love being compared to the song's namesake as a metaphor for being immature and having a tendency to run off to his own fantasy.
"Legends" is a song by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini for her second studio album, Unapologetically (2017). Ballerini co-wrote the track with Hillary Lindsey, and Forest Glen Whitehead. The song was released as a digital single on June 7, 2017 and impacted American country radio on July 10, serving as the lead single for the album.
The 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 15, 2018. Nominations were announced on March 1, 2018, with Chris Stapleton leading the nominations with five. Reba McEntire returned as host for the first time in six years, making it the fifteenth time she has hosted the show.
Abby Anderson is an American country music singer-songwriter from Southlake, Texas near Dallas. She is signed to the independent entertainment company, Black River Entertainment.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2020.
"Half of My Hometown" is a song recorded by American country music artists Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney. It was released to country music radio on April 19, 2021, as the fourth single from Ballerini's third studio album Kelsea. Ballerini co-wrote the song with Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally, and Jimmy Robbins. An alternate recording of the song is also included on Ballerini's first remix album, Ballerini.
"The Other Girl" is a song performed by American singer-songwriters Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey. It was released to country radio in the United States on April 20, 2020, as the second single from Ballerini's third studio album Kelsea (2020). Ballerini and Halsey co-wrote the song with Ross Copperman and Shane McAnally. It was released to pop radio formats in June 2020. The track received positive reviews from music critics who praised the lyrical storytelling and both women's performances. In the US, "The Other Girl" peaked at numbers 19 and 52 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, respectively. It also reached number 95 on the US Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. For promotion, Ballerini and Halsey performed the song live on the American television show CMT Crossroads on March 25, 2020. The song won a CMT Music Award for Performance of the Year, marking both artists' first award at the ceremony. An alternate solo recording of the song is also included on Ballerini's first remix album, Ballerini.
A Holly Dolly Christmas is the forty-seventh solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 2, 2020, by Parton's Butterfly Records in partnership with 12-Tone Music Group. The album was produced by Kent Wells, with Parton serving as executive producer. It is Parton's third Christmas album, following 1984's Once Upon a Christmas with Kenny Rogers and 1990's Home for Christmas. The album features guest appearances by Michael Bublé, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, and Parton's brother Randy. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, becoming Parton's eighth album to top the chart. The album also peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart and number 16 on the Billboard 200. The album was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Jason Owen, is an American music manager, record executive, and Tony-nominated producer best known for launching artist management company Sandbox Entertainment and leading the careers of Shania Twain, Kacey Musgraves, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Dan+Shay, and Kelsea Ballerini among others. In 2015, Owen was named one of Billboard's “40 Under 40: Music’s Top Young Power Players”, and has since been included twice in the trade magazine's "Power 100" industry ranking.
The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards were held on April 18, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast from various locations around Nashville. The evening was co-hosted by Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton. Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton received the most nominations, including one for Morris as a member of the Highwomen. Morris led the night with three wins, including one trophy for Female Artist of the Year and two trophies for Song of the Year, "The Bones," as both the artist and as the songwriter. The ceremony involved no ticketed audience due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but featured a limited number of health care workers.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2021.
The 2021 CMT Music Awards, the 55th edition of the awards ceremony, were held in Nashville, Tennessee on June 9, 2021. Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini were hosts of the ceremony.
"I Quit Drinking" is a song by American singer Kelsea Ballerini and American pop band LANY. It was released on June 9, 2021, via Black River Entertainment and Warner Chappell Music. Ballerini co-wrote the song with Nicolle Galyon and Paul Jason Klein, while Jimmy Robbins and Noah Conrad produced it.
The 2022 CMT Music Awards, the 56th edition of the awards ceremony, were held in Nashville, Tennessee on April 11, 2022, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium and locations in and around Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony was hosted by Kelsea Ballerini (virtually), Kane Brown, and Anthony Mackie. The ceremony marked the final appearance and public performance of the country music duo, The Judds, as Naomi Judd died on April 30.
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards was held on May 11, 2023, in Frisco, Texas at the Ford Center at The Star. The ceremony was hosted by country legends Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks.
The 2023 CMT Music Awards, the 57th edition of the awards ceremony, were held at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on April 2, 2023. The ceremony was hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, aired on CBS and streamed on Paramount+; an additional extended edition aired on CMT.
