Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton Top ACM Award Winners

Thomas Rhett (Photo: Brent Harrington/CBS ©2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)

Winners for “The 56th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS” were revealed TONIGHT (4/18) during a performance-packed show that aired live from NASHVILLE on CBS. Eight trophies were handed out during the show, joining the four presented in the days prior to the telecast.

LUKE BRYAN, who had to withdraw from his planned performance as a result of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, was named Entertainer of the Year, and accepted the award virtually from LOS ANGELES. MAREN MORRIS, who went into to the show with six nominations, won her second consecutive Female Vocalist award. Additionally, MORRIS’ “The Bones” was named Song of the Year, an honor she shared with fellow songwriters JIMMY ROBBINS and LAURA VELTZ.

THOMAS RHETT was named Male Vocalist of the Year, one of the four awards for which he had been nominated. CHRIS STAPLETON who, like MORRIS, had six nominations going into the show, won Album of the Year for “Starting Over.”

CARLY PEARCE and LEE BRICE’s hit duet, “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” won the Single of the Year prize during the show, adding to their previous win in the Music Event category, announced late last week. 

OLD DOMINION won their fourth consecutive Group of the Year trophy while DAN + SHAY notched their third consecutive win in the Duo of the Year category. DAN + SHAY’s performance of current hit “Glad You Exist” was, unfortunately, marred by an audio/video sync issue, but the duo seemed to take the glitch in stride, releasing a statement soon after saying, “We’re bummed about it, but it happens, especially when performances are happening in multiple locations. Kudos to the @ACMawards for pulling off a great show.” SHAY MOONEY also addressed it during the virtual backstage press conference, noting that they had pre-taped their performance the day before the show.

Following is a complete list of winners.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
• LUKE BRYAN

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• MAREN MORRIS

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• THOMAS RHETT

DUO OF THE YEAR
• DAN + SHAY

GROUP OF THE YEAR
• OLD DOMINION

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
• “Starting Over” – CHRIS STAPLETON
Producers: CHRIS STAPLETON, DAVE COBB
Record Label: MERCURY NASHVILLE

SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
• “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – CARLY PEARCE & LEE BRICE
Producers: BUSBEE
Record Label: BIG MACHINE RECORDS / CURB RECORDS

SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)] 
• “The Bones” – MAREN MORRIS
Songwriter(s): JIMMY ROBBINS, MAREN MORRIS, LAURA VELTZ
Publishers: BIG MACHINE MUSIC, LLC; EXTRAORDINARY ALIEN PUBLISHING; INTERNATIONAL DOG MUSIC; OH DENISE PUBLISHING; ROUND HILL SONGS; WARNER-TAMERLANE PUBLISHING CORP.

Winners Announced Pre-Telecast

NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 
• GABBY BARRETT

NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 
• JIMMIE ALLEN

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] 
• “Worldwide Beautiful” – KANE BROWN
Director: ALEX ALVGA
Producer: CHRISTEN PINKSTON

MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
• “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – CARLY PEARCE & LEE BRICE
Producer: BUSBEE
Record Label: BIG MACHINE RECORDS / CURB RECORDS

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