Nominations Announced for the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards®, Country Music's Party of the Year®

ENCINO, Calif., Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominations were announced today for the 51^st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS®, Country Music's Party of the Year®, honoring country music's superstars and hottest emerging talent. Hosted by Dierks Bentley and reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, the ACM Awards are produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM - 11:00PM ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.   

Dierks Bentley announced the nominees for six categories including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Duo of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, and Album of the Year live today on "CBS This Morning." Additionally, "Entertainment Tonight" co-host Nancy O'Dell revealed nominees for the newcomer categories, Single Record of the Year, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year on ETOnline.com.

Eric Church is nominated in five categories, including his first for Entertainer of the Year and third for Male Vocalist of the Year. Also, Church is nominated for Album of the Year for Mr. Misunderstood, Video of the Year for "Mr. Misunderstood," and Vocal Event of the Year for "Raise 'Em Up" with Keith Urban.

Chris Stapleton earned five nominations, including his first-ever nods for Male Vocalist of the Year, New Male Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year for "Hangover Tonight" with Gary Allan, and is twice nominated as both artist and producer in the Album of the Year category for Traveller.

Cam, first-time ACM Awards nominee, received four nominations, including New Female Vocalist of the Year, Video of the Year for "Burning House, and is twice nominated as both artist and producer in the Single Record of the Year category for "Burning House."

Chris Young received four nominations, including his first Album of the Year nomination for I'm Comin' Over as both the artist and producer. Also, he received two nods as artist and producer in the Single Record of the Year category for "I'm Comin' Over." 

Little Big Town, reigning Vocal Group of the Year, leads group nominations with four, including their 10^th nomination for Vocal Group of the Year. The group earned nominations in the Single Record of the Year and Video of the Year categories for the song "Girl Crush." Also, Little Big Town received a Vocal Event of the Year nomination for "Smokin' And Drinkin'" with Miranda Lambert. Additionally, Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild received an individual nomination for Vocal Event of the Year for "Home Alone Tonight" with Luke Bryan.

First-time ACM Awards nominee, Chris Janson earned three nominations, including New Male Vocalist of the Year, and is twice nominated as both artist and producer in the Single Record of the Year category for "Buy Me A Boat."

Reigning Female Vocalist of the Year, Miranda Lambert earned three nominations, including her fifth nomination for Entertainer of the Year and 10th consecutive nod for Female Vocalist of the Year. Additionally, she is nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for "Smokin' And Drinkin'" featuring Little Big Town.

Thomas Rhett earned three nominations including his first in the Album of the Year category for Tangled Up and Single Record of the Year category for "Die a Happy Man." Also, he received a nomination for New Male Vocalist of the Year.

Previously fan-voted, Entertainer of the Year and newcomer categories, New Male Vocalist of the Year, New Female Vocalist of the Year and New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year, are now all incorporated into the professional membership voting process this year. 

Following is the list of final nominees. Note, nominees for Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards will be announced at a later date. The Academy of Country Music's professional membership selects the nominees and winners of the Academy of Country Music Awards. Winners in each of the categories, except where noted, will be presented with an ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD during the live television broadcast:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Jason Aldean
• Garth Brooks
• Luke Bryan
• Eric Church
• Miranda Lambert

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Jason Aldean
• Dierks Bentley
• Eric Church
• Brett Eldredge
• Chris Stapleton

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Kelsea Ballerini
• Jana Kramer
• Miranda Lambert
• Kacey Musgraves
• Carrie Underwood

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Florida Georgia Line
• Joey + Rory
• Maddie & Tae

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Eli Young Band
• Little Big Town
• Old Dominion
• Rascal Flatts
• Zac Brown Band

NEW MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Brett Eldredge
• Chris Janson
• Thomas Rhett
• Chase Rice
• Chris Stapleton

NEW FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Kelsea Ballerini
• Cam
• Mickey Guyton
• RaeLynn

NEW VOCAL DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

• A Thousand Horses
• Brothers Osborne
• Maddie & Tae
• Old Dominion
• Parmalee

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

• I'm Comin' Over – Chris Young 
  Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young 
  Record Label: RCA Records

• Montevallo – Sam Hunt 
  Producers: Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally 
  Record Label: MCA Nashville

• Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church 
  Producer: Jay Joyce 
  Record Label: EMI Records Nashville

• Tangled Up – Thomas Rhett 
  Producers: Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Chris DeStefano, Joe London 
  Record Label: The Valory Music Co.

• Traveller – Chris Stapleton 
  Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton 
  Record Label: Mercury Records

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

• Burning House – Cam  
  Producers: Jeff Bhasker, Tyler Johnson, Camaron Ochs 
  Record Labels: Arista Nashville, RCA Records, Kravenworks

• Buy Me A Boat – Chris Janson 
  Producers: Brent Anderson, Chris DuBois, Chris Janson 
  Record Label: Warner Music Nashville

• Die A Happy Man – Thomas Rhett 
  Producers: Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure 
  Record Label: The Valory Music Co.

• Girl Crush – Little Big Town 
  Producer: Jay Joyce 
  Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

• I'm Comin' Over – Chris Young  
  Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young 
  Record Label: RCA Nashville

• Take Your Time – Sam Hunt  
  Producers: Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally 
  Record Label: MCA Nashville

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award)

• Biscuits – Kacey Musgraves 
  Director: Mark Klasfeld 
  Producer: Nicole Acacio

• Burning House – Cam 
  Director: Trey Fanjoy 
  Producer: Trent Hardville

• Girl Crush – Little Big Town 
  Directors: Karla Welch, Matthew Welch 
  Producer: Amanda Prunesti

• Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church 
  Directors: Reid Long, John Peets 
  Producer: Megan Smith

• Riser – Dierks Bentley 
  Director: Wes Edwards 
  Producer: Jennifer Rothlein

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]*(Off Camera Award)

• Hangover Tonight – Gary Allan Featuring Chris Stapleton 
  Producers: Gary Allan, Greg Droman 
  Record Label: MCA Nashville

• Home Alone Tonight – Luke Bryan Featuring Karen Fairchild 
  Producers: Jeff Stevens, Jody Stevens 
  Record Label: Capitol Nashville

• Raise 'Em Up – Keith Urban Featuring Eric Church 
  Producers: Nathan Chapman, Keith Urban 
  Record Labels: Hit Red Records, Capitol Nashville

• Smokin' And Drinkin' – Miranda Lambert Featuring Little Big Town 
  Producers: Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay, Glenn Worf 
  Record Label: RCA Nashville

• Wild Child – Kenny Chesney With Grace Potter 
  Producers: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney 
  Record Labels: Blue Chair Records, Columbia Nashville

RADIO AWARDS - The following radio awards will be presented during the annual Radio Winners Reception held the day prior to the ACM Awards telecast, on Saturday, April 2 in Las Vegas, NV. 

NATIONAL ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR  (3-way tie within category lead to increased nominees)

• Blair Garner, Chuck Wicks - America's Morning Show
• Cody Alan - CMT After MidNite with Cody Alan
• Lon Helton - Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton
• Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase - The Crook and Chase Countdown
• Sam Alex - Taste of Country Nights
• The Bobby Bones Show - The Bobby Bones Show
• Whitney Allen, Jackie Stevens & Mike McNamee - The Big Time with Whitney Allen

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET

• Ben Campbell and Matt McAllister - KNIX-FM - Phoenix, AZ
• Cadillac Jack - WQYK-FM - St. Petersburg, FL
• Chris Carr, Maverick and Kia - KEEY-FM - St. Louis Park, MN
• Paul Schadt, Meg Butterly, Geof Knight - WKKT-FM - Charlotte, NC
• Tanner in the Morning - WSOC-FM - Charlotte, NC

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET

• AJ & Ashley In The Morning - WWKA-FM - Orlando, FL
• Dave O'Brien - WLHK-FM - Indianapolis, IN
• Jim Denny, Deborah Honeycutt & Kevin Freeman - WFMS-FM - Indianapolis, IN
• Karen, Scott & Radar - WMIL-FM - Greenfield, WI
• Randy Carroll and Jamie Martin - KAJA-FM - San Antonio, TX

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET

• Andy Ritchie, Alison Mencer, Jimmy Holt - WIVK-FM - Knoxville, TN
• Broadway, Cory, Jordan - WWYZ-FM - Hartford, CT
• Buzz Jackson - KIIM-FM - Tucson, AZ
• Scott Wynn, Sarah Kay, Sue Wilson - WQMX-FM - Akron, OH
• The Dex and Mo Show - WUSY-FM - Chattanooga, TN

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET

• Bill Barrett, Tim Fox & Tracy Berry - KKNU-FM - Eugene, OR
• Brent Lane and Candy Ruddy - WYCT-FM - Pensacola, FL
• Brian Gary, Todd Harding, and Susan Moore - The Good Morning Guys - KUAD-FM - Windsor, CO                                              
• Scotty Cox & Cara Denis - KCLR-FM - Columbia, MO
• Sherry St. John - WXFL-FM - Florence, AL

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET

• KMLE-FM - Phoenix, AZ
• WKKT-FM - Charlotte, NC
• WKLB-FM - Boston, MA
• WQYK-FM - St. Petersburg, FL
• WYCD-FM - Southfield, MI

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET 

• KAJA-FM - San Antonio, TX
• WLHK-FM - Indianapolis, IN
• WMIL-FM - Greenfield, WI
• WUBE-FM - Cincinnati, OH
• WQDR-FM - Raleigh, NC

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET

• KUZZ-FM - Bakersfield, CA
• WHKO-FM - Dayton, OH
• WIVK-FM - Knoxville, TN
• WQMX-FM - Akron, OH
• WUSY-FM - Chattanooga, TN

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET

• KKNU-FM - Eugene, OR
• KTTS-FM - Springfield, MO
• WGSQ-FM - Cookeville, TN
• WXFL-FM - Florence, AL
• WYCT-FM - Pensacola, FL

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Awards counts for artists reflect categories in which they have been recognized as individuals or as part of their duo or group. In some cases, an artist may receive more than one nomination which factors into their official count. For example, Chris Young received two nominations in the Album of the Year category—one each as artist and producer—because that category recognizes both.

Award recipients in each category are noted above parenthetically in the Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year.

About the Academy of Country Music Awards
The 51^st Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, R.A. Clark, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are executive producers.  Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.

Press credential applications to cover the awards in Las Vegas, NV are available from the Media Center at www.ACMcountry.com. 

SOURCE Academy of Country Music

Related Links

http://www.acmcountry.com