ACM Awards Artist Glossary: A Country Who's Who For The 50th Annual Awards Show
By Radio.com Staff
This Sunday, the Academy of Country Music celebrates the 50th anniversary years of the ACM Awards. First held in Los Angeles in 1966, the award ceremony has grown into country music's party of the year. This year's show takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will be broadcast live on Sunday, April 19 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Related: ACM Awards Live Coverage
Don't know all the nominees? Not to worry. We've created a Who's Who list (in alphabetical order...by first name, of course!) of all the nominated artists so you can watch along with friends and family and share the best facts about each of them. And for those wanting a more active, participatory experience, follow our ACM Awards Live Coverage for the latest ACM news, facts and, of course, winners.
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This Knoxville, Tennessean moved to Nashville when she was just 13 and made a name for herself writing songs for the likes of Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert before becoming a member of all-female trio the Pistol Annies alongside Lambert and Angaleena Presley. But it was her second solo album, 2012’s Like A Rose, that really put her in the spotlight, thanks to a duet with Blake Shelton (“You Ain't Dolly (And You Ain't Porter)") and the raunchy track “Weed Instead of Roses,” which made it clear she prefers weed, whiskey, heavy metal, chains and whipped cream to roses any day. ~Shannon Carlin
Miranda Lambert’s husband is currently the most winning coach on The Voice, and he's also cohosted the ACMs for three years running (initially with Reba, now with Luke Bryan). He has also racked up 19 No. 1 singles over the course of nine albums. Prone to drinking and texting, though he knows he probably shouldn’t. ~S.C.
This West Virginia native, who has sold 12 million records over the course of 10 albums, has gotten a reputation for being country music’s resident funny guy with songs like “Ode de Toilet (The Toilet Song),” which is all about leaving the toilet seat down for your girl, and videos that feature water-skiing squirrels (“River Bank”) and an annoying talking orange (“Limes”). His controversial 2013 track “Accidental Racist” with LL Cool J, however, was not meant to be funny, it was meant to start a conversation about racism and what it’s like to be caught between feeling “Southern pride and Southern blame.” ~S.C.
This openly gay singer/songwriter from Washington is best known for co-writing Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow,” the be-who-you-are-no-matter-what anthem that talks about smoking weed and kissing whomever you please. Clark continued to prove she was a born storyteller with her 2013 debut, 12 Stories, which mixes honesty and dark comedy. The record went on to earn Clark a 2015 GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist, which she later lost to Sam Smith. ~S.C.
