All posts in "ACM Awards"

GAC's Bill Cody (r) chats with Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood on the red carpet at the second annual ACM Honors. Photo by Keri Braswell, GAC staff.

Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center was crawling with star power Tuesday night as the Academy of Country Music celebrated Randy Travis, Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton among others in its second annual ACM Honors.

Hosted by Lee Ann Womack, the event recognized a horde of winners of lifetime awards and musicians trophies with performances by Jamey Johnson, Joe Nichols, Blake Shelton and Steve Wariner, among others.  Carrie Underwood sang Randy’s “I Told You So,” Continue Reading

Lee Ann Womack photo courtesy of MCA Nashville. Photo credit Danny Clinch.

George Strait: ACM Artist Of The Decade All Star Concert airs on CBS Wednesday, and while the honor itself was no secret to George the night he received it, one of the performances came as a complete surprise.

The special was shot in Las Vegas April 6, one day after the Academy of Country Music handed out its annual awards. Lee Ann Womack joined Jamey Johnson for a duet version of “Give It Away,” then sang a solo. The song she handled on her own was written specifically for the special and then kept hidden until the big night. Continue Reading

Toby Keith photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.

Sunday night’s CBS telecast of the “44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards” was an ratings winner for the network as an average of 14 million fans hung in throughout the broadcast for the final Entertainer of the Year showdown, in which Carrie Underwood was a surprise victor.

But the biggest drama took place behind the scenes. Toby Keith lambasted a reporter, Tim McGraw walked out during rehearsals, and the folks in the business continue to debate the Academy’s increasing use of fan votes to determine the winners. Continue Reading

Carrie Underwood with her awards for Entertainer of the Year and Top Female Vocalist backstage at the 44th Annual ACM Awards on April 5, 2009. Photo © Sara de Boer / Retna Ltd.

For the first time in eight years, a woman is now the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year.

Carrie Underwood took the final honor of the evening during Sunday’s telecast of the “44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards” from Las Vegas, ending Kenny Chesney’s four-year command of the prestigious category. Kenny was gracious in the process. He gave Carrie, who previously toured as his opening act, a kiss on the cheek on her way up to the podium to make her second acceptance speech of the night. Continue Reading