Chris Stapleton is nominated for 7 awards, but not Entertainer of the Year.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is the site of the 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night. Along with the Country Music Association Awards and the Grammys, the ACM awards are the biggest events each year for the Nashville music industry.
The list of performers this year are Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chensey, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, and Sam Hunt. Bands like Florida Georgia Line and Little Big Town (featuring Trombone Shorty) will play songs this year.
Katy Perry Appears
Not all the performers set to appear are classic country music artists. Katy Perry is on hand to sing a pair of duets with Dolly Parton. Kelsea Ballerini is supposed to perform alongside Nick Jonas.
In what is certain to be an emotion-packed performance, new divorcee Miranda Lambert is supposed to sign with Keith Urban and Billy Gibbons. Miranda Lambert and ex-husband Blake Shelton, long one of the glamour couples of country music, divorced this past year. Ms. Lambert now dates Anderson East, an R&B singer from Atlanta, Georgia. Meanwhile, Blake Shelton and his fellow VOICE judge Gwen Stefani are a couple.
Chris Stapleton’s 7 Nominations
Chris Stapleton does not appear to be singing at the show, but he is the talk of the country music scene at the moment. This year, Chris Stapleton is up for 7 awards, which marks him as the leading nominee of 2016. Though Stapleton is not up for Entertainer of the Year, he is competing for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Male Vocalist of the Year. He won Best New Male Vocalist in an early announcement by the ACM.
Entertainer of the Year
Those up for Entertainer of the Year are Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Garth Brooks, and Jason Aldean. Luke Bryan is the reigning champion and he has won the award 2 of the last 3 years. Garth Brooks is the 6-time Entertainer of the Year (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998) and was the Artist of the Decade, but he has not won the award in nearly 20 years.
Miranda Lambert is a sentimental favorite with many fans, though it is uncertain how much sentiment will have to do with the judges’ decision. If she won, Lambert would be the first female to win the award since Carrie Underwood in 2012.
Triple-Award Winners
Only six performers have ever won the Triple-Award, meaning they won each of the three biggest awards in their categories: Top Vocalist, Top New Vocalist, and Entertainer of the Year.
Those performers are Merle Haggard, Barbara Mandrell, Mickey Gilley, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, and Carrie Underwood.
About the Academy of Country Music Awards
The Academy of Country Music was founded in Los Angeles in 1964. In 1966, the academy organized an awards ceremony for the year’s best country & western acts. The signature “hat” award made its first appearance in 1968, while the program was broadcast on ABC for the first time in 1972.
Beginning in 1979, Dick Clark Productions began to present the show, with Dick Clark and Al Schwartz hosting the presentation. During this era, the show was moved first to NBC and then, later, to CBS. The yearly presentation is broadcast on CBS each year.
The Academy of Country Music Awards was the first major awards ceremony to use Internet fan voting, in 2004. Until 2015, the Entertainer of the Year Award was presented to the artist with the most fan votes. In 2016, fan voting no longer counts toward the Entertainer of the Year. Instead, fan votes are made on three new categories.
In 2003, the program left Los Angeles and relocated in Las Vegas. From 2003 until 2005, the show was held in Mandalay Bay. From 2006 to 2014, the awards show was helped in the MGM Grand Garden Arena. For 2015, the show was held at the AT&T Center in Arlington, Texas (home of the Dallas Cowboys). For 2016, the show is once again held in the MGM Grand.
About the MGM Grand
The MGM Grand has been home to a number of big events over the past year. Many of the world’s biggest boxing matches are held at the MGM Grand’s arena each year, including the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight in May 2015. It is also the site of the David Copperfield show, which is one of the longest running acts in Las Vegas — and the inspiration for a slot machine from IGT.
Update – ACM Awards Winners
Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Male Vocalist of the Year
Chris Stapleton
Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert
Vocal Duo of the Year
Florida Georgia Line
Vocal Group of the Year
Little Big Town
New Male Vocalist of the Year
Chris Stapleton
New Female Vocalist of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year
Old Dominion
Album of the Year
Traveller – Chris Stapleton
Song of the Year
“Nobody to Blame” — Chris Stapleton
Single Record of the Year
“Die a Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett
Video of the Year
“Mr. Misunderstood” – Eric Church
Vocal Event of the Year
“Smokin’ and Drinkin'” – Miranda Lambert featuring Little Big Town
