Nominations Announced for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards

The Academy of Country Music announced nominations for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards. Hosted by global superstars Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, “Country Music’s Party of the Year” will stream live exclusively for a global audience across 240+ territories on Prime Video on Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT/5 p.m. PDT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

ACM Awards- Academy of Country Music Awards Logo

The Emmy-nominated, star-powered experience will celebrate country music’s biggest stars and emerging talent, and feature unforgettable performances, exclusive collaborations, and unexpected moments that will captivate fans worldwide. The full rebroadcast of “Country Music’s Party of the Year” will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee.

Fans can also stream the ACM Awards playlist available now on Amazon Music in celebration of this year’s nominees. Fans can listen to country music’s biggest stars, such as Kane Brown, Carrie Underwood and Luke Combs, directly on the Amazon Music app HERE.

Nominee Highlights for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards

  • HARDY leads with seven nominations including Song of the Year and Artist-Songwriter of the Year. HARDY shares three of his nominations with fellow artist and collaborator Lainey Wilson for their song wait in the truck.
  • Lainey Wilson receives the most nods for a female artist with six nominations including Female Artist of the Year. She is nominated in more categories than any other artist. Last year, Wilson won in both categories she was nominated in.
  • Most-awarded artist in ACM history, Miranda Lambert, receives her record-breaking 17th Female Artist of the Year nomination (passing Reba McEntire with 16), as well as four other nominations. Lambert’s five nominations give her the opportunity to break more records following her Triple Crown Award presented at ACM Honors in the fall.
  • At least one woman is nominated in Every Eligible Main Awards Category this year.
  • For the second time in ACM history, three albums released by all-female acts have been nominated for Album of the Year in the same year, with Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville by Ashley McBryde, Bell Bottom Country by Lainey Wilson, and Palomino by Miranda Lambert each receiving nominations. The only other time three all-female acts had albums nominated for Album of the Year in the same year was in 1999 with Faith by Faith Hill, I’m Alright by Jo Dee Messina, and Wide Opens Spaces by The Chicks all receiving nominations. Wide Open Spaces by The Chicks ended up winning the category.
  • Luke Combs, Kane Brown, and Cole Swindell follow HARDY with the second-most nominations for a male artist, with five total nods each.
  • Luke Combs and Chris Stapleton are nominees for Entertainer of the Year. A win for either artist in this category will also clinch the coveted Triple Crown Award, which consists of an Entertainer of the Year win, plus wins in an act’s respective New Artist (male, female, or duo or group) and Artist (Male, female, duo or group) categories.
  • This is the fourth year in a row that Luke Combs is nominated for both Male Artist and Entertainer of the Year.
  • Kane Brown receives his first ever nominations for Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year.
  • Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown receive three nominations together for their song Thank God in the Single, Music Event, and Visual Media of the Year categories. This marks Katelyn’s first nominations, and with an additional two solo nominations this year brings Kane’s total nominations to 14.
  • Cole Swindell receives first-time nominations in three categories including Single of the Year, Visual Media of the Year, and Music Event of the Year, in which he shares a nomination with his collaborator and fellow artist Jo Dee Messina who receives her first nomination in 22 years.
  • Morgan Wallen receives four nods including his first nomination for Entertainer of the Year, bringing his career total to nine. Last year he took home ACM Album of the Year.
  • Chris Stapleton receives four nominations, including his eighth consecutive nomination for Male Artist of the Year.
  • Cody Johnson receives three nominations this year, making this the most ACM Award nominations he has ever received and making him the most-nominated Texas-born male artist this year.
  • Brothers Osborne’s nomination for Duo of the Year marks their 16th ACM nomination and their ninth year in a row being nominated for ACM Duo of the Year, an award they have brought home three times, including last year.
  • John Osborne of Brothers Osborne receives his first solo nomination as a producer for producing Ashley McBryde’s album Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville.
  • Jon Pardi receives two separate nominations for Album of the Year as both Artist and Producer, marking his third consecutive album to be nominated for ACM Album of the Year.
  • The War And Treaty receive their first nomination for Duo of the Year, making them the first Black duo to receive a nomination in the category.
  • Old Dominion receives a nomination for Group of the Year, making this the eighth consecutive year the group has been nominated in the category. The group has taken home the title every year for the last five years.
  • Little Big Town receives their 17th nomination for Group of the Year, which leaves them one nomination short of the all-time record of 18 nominations for Group of the Year held by Alabama. The group has been nominated in the category every year since 2005, with the exception of 2011.

Following is the full list of nominees for the Main Awards, Studio Recording Awards, and Industry Awards categories.

MAIN AWARDS:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

  • Jason Aldean
  • Kane Brown
  • Luke Combs
  • Miranda Lambert
  • Chris Stapleton
  • Carrie Underwood
  • Morgan Wallen

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Miranda Lambert
  • Ashley McBryde
  • Carly Pearce
  • Lainey Wilson

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

  • Kane Brown
  • Luke Combs
  • Jordan Davis
  • Chris Stapleton
  • Morgan Wallen

DUO OF THE YEAR

  • Brooks & Dunn
  • Brothers Osborne
  • Dan + Shay
  • Maddie & Tae
  • The War and Treaty

GROUP OF THE YEAR

  • Lady A
  • Little Big Town
  • Midland
  • Old Dominion
  • Zac Brown Band

NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

  • Priscilla Block
  • Megan Moroney
  • Caitlyn Smith
  • Morgan Wade
  • Hailey Whitters

NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

  • Zach Bryan
  • Jackson Dean
  • ERNEST
  • Dylan Scott
  • Nate Smith
  • Bailey Zimmerman

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

  • Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville – Ashley McBryde

Producer: John Osborne

Record Company-Label: Warner Music Nashville

  • Bell Bottom Country – Lainey Wilson

Producer: Jay Joyce

Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records

  • Growin’ Up – Luke Combs

Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton

Record Company-Label: Columbia Records

  • Mr. Saturday Night – Jon Pardi

Producers: Jon Pardi, Bart Butler, Ryan Gore

Record Company-Label: Capitol Records Nashville

  • Palomino – Miranda Lambert

Producers: Jon Randall, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Mikey Reaves

Record Company-Label: Vanner Records/RCA Records Nashville

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

  • Heart Like A Truck – Lainey Wilson

Producer: Jay Joyce

Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records

  •  Never Wanted To Be That Girl – Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde

Producers: Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally

Record Company-Label: Big Machine Records/Warner Music Nashville

  • She Had Me At Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell

Producer: Zach Crowell

Record Company-Label: Warner Music Nashville

  • Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown

Producer: Dann Huff

Record Company-Label: RCA Nashville

  • ‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson

Producer: Trent Willmon

Record Company-Label: Warner Music Nashville/CoJo Music

SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

  • Sand In My Boots – Morgan Wallen

Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Josh Osborne, Michael Hardy

Publishers: Relative Music Group; Sony/ATV Accent; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing

  • She Had Me At Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell

Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Cole Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett, Tim Nichols

Publishers: Ashley Gorley Publishing Designee; Be A Light Publishing; Colden Rainey Music; EMI Blackwood Music

Inc; Songs Of Roc Nation Music; Sony Tree Publishing; Telemitry Rhythm House Music; Universal Music Corp; WC

Music Corp; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp

  • Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson

Songwriters: Ben Stennis, Matt Rogers

Publishers: Anthem Canalco Publishing; Dead Aim Music; The Stennis Mightier Music

  • wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson

Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair

Publishers: Humerus Publishing Global; Nontypical Music; Pile of Schmidt Songs; Rednecker Music; Relative Music

Group; Round Hill Verses Publishing; Sony/ATV Accent; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; The Money Tree Vibez; WC

Music Corp; Who Wants to Buy My Publishing

  • You Should Probably Leave – Chris Stapleton

Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, Chris Stapleton

Publishers: One77 Songs; Sea Gayle Music; Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing; Spirit Two

Nashville; WC Music Corp

VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

  • HEARTFIRST – Kelsea Ballerini

Producers: Christen Pinkston & Wesley Stebbins-Perry

Director: P Tracy

  • She Had Me At Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell

Producer: Troy Jackson

Director: Spidey Smith

  • Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown

Producer: Luke Arreguin

Director: Alex Alvga

  • ‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson

Producer: Maddy Hayes

Director: Dustin Haney

  • wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson

Producer: Inkwell Productions

Director: Justin Clough

  • What He Didn’t Do – Carly Pearce

Producer: Ryan Byrd

Director: Alexa Campbell

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

  • Nicolle Galyon
  • Ashley Gorley 
  • Chase McGill
  • Josh Osborne
  • Hunter Phelps

ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

  • Luke Combs
  • ERNEST
  • HARDY
  • Miranda Lambert
  • Morgan Wallen

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

  • At the End of a Bar – Chris Young with Mitchell Tenpenny

Producers: Chris DeStefano, Chris Young

Record Company-Label: RCA Nashville

  • She Had Me At Heads Carolina [Remix] – Cole Swindell & Jo Dee Messina

Producer: Zach Crowell

Record Company-Label: Warner Music Nashville

  • Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown

Producer: Dann Huff

Record Company-Label: RCA Nashville

  • Thinking ‘Bout You – Dustin Lynch feat. MacKenzie Porter

Producer: Zach Crowell

Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records

  • wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson

Producers: Derek Wells, HARDY, Joey Moi, Jordan Schmidt

Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records

The 2023 Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards will be presented to recipients at the 16th Academy of Country Music Honors, a special event held annually in August at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. This year’s show will be held August 23, with more details to be announced in the coming months.

STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS:

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

  • Mark Hill
  • Tony Lucido
  • Steve Mackey
  • Lex Price
  • Craig Young

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR

  • Fred Eltringham
  • Miles McPherson
  • Jerry Roe
  • Aaron Sterling
  • Nir Z

ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

  • Tim Galloway
  • Todd Lombardo
  • Danny Rader
  • Bryan Sutton
  • Ilya Toshinskiy

PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

  • Jim “Moose” Brown
  • Dave Cohen
  • Charles Judge
  • Billy Justineau
  • Alex Wright

SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR

  • Dan Dugmore
  • Stuart Duncan
  • Jenee Fleenor
  • Josh Matheny
  • Justin Schipper

ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

  • Kris Donegan
  • Kenny Greenberg
  • Rob McNelley
  • Sol Philcox-Littlefield
  • Derek Wells

AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

  • Drew Bollman
  • Josh Ditty
  • Gena Johnson
  • Justin Niebank
  • F. Reid Shippen

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

  • Buddy Cannon
  •  Luke Dick
  • Jay Joyce
  • Joey Moi
  • Jon Randall
  • Derek Wells

INDUSTRY AWARDS:

CASINO OF THE YEAR – THEATER

  • Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, SD
  • Golden Nugget – Lake Charles, LA
  • Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
  • Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hollywood, FL
  • Soaring Eagle – Mount Pleasant, MI

CASINO OF THE YEAR – ARENA

  • Fallsview Casino Resort – Niagara Falls, ON
  • Harrah’s – Council Bluffs, IA
  •  Harveys Lake Tahoe – Stateline, NV
  • Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, MN
  • Northern Quest Resort & Casino – Airway Heights, WA
  • Turning Stone Resort Casino – Verona, NY

FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR

  • C2C: Country to Country – UK
  • Carolina Country Music Fest – Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Country Concert – Fort Loramie, OH
  • Country Fest – Cadott, WI
  • Country Thunder – Bristol, TN
  • Stagecoach Festival – Indio, CA
  • Tortuga Music Festival – Fort Lauderdale, FL

FAIR/RODEO OF THE YEAR

  • Auburn Rodeo – Opelika, AL
  • Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
  • Florida Strawberry Festival – Plant City, FL
  • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – Houston, TX
  • Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, IA

CLUB OF THE YEAR

  • Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
  • Coyote Joe’s – Charlotte, NC
  • Grizzly Rose – Denver, CO
  • Gruene Hall – New Braunfels, TX
  • Joe’s on Weed St. – Chicago, IL

THEATER OF THE YEAR

  • Crystal Grand Music Theatre – Wisconsin Dells, WI 
  • Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL
  • Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
  • Orpheum Theater – Omaha, NE
  • Stiefel Theatre – Salina, KS

OUTDOOR VENUE OF THE YEAR

  • Bank of NH Pavilion – Gilford, NH
  • FirstBank Amphitheater – Franklin, TN
  • Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
  • Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
  • St. Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL
  • The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, AL

ARENA OF THE YEAR

  • Denny Sanford PREMIER Center – Sioux Falls, SD
  • Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX
  • Hertz Arena – Estero, FL
  • Moody Center – Austin, TX
  • Simmons Bank Arena – Little Rock, AR
  • Thompson-Boling Arena – Knoxville, TN

DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR

  • Ron Pateras
  • Pat Powelson
  • Michelle Romeo
  • Stacy Vee
  • Troy Vollhoffer

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

  • Patrick McDill
  • Aaron Spalding
  • Ed Warm
  • Adam Weiser
  • Jay Wilson

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • The awards count for artists reflects 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 per category, such as producer, director, or songwriter which factors into their official count.
  • Award recipients in each category are noted above in brackets in the Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year, and Music Event of the Year.
  • Awards are voted on by members of the Academy of Country Music, which boasts a record-high membership this year of nearly 5,000 members and serves as a powerhouse advocate for Country fans, artists, and all facets of the business.
  • A full database of previous Academy of Country Music Awards nominations and winners can be found on the Academy of Country Music website in the “Winners Search” section found HERE.

The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions, with Raj Kapoor, Barry Adelman, and Fonda Anita serving as executive producers, and Damon Whiteside serving as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music. Patrick Menton is co-executive producer. A limited number of tickets are still available for purchase on SeatGeek, offering fans exclusive entry into a nonstop party packed with their favorite country stars performing the biggest hits from the last year and seats closer to the action than ever before.

Established in 1966, the Academy of Country Music Awards is the longest-running country music awards show and made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, in partnership with Prime Video. This year’s show marks its return to Texas since the landmark 50th ACM Awards, which broke a Guinness World Record in 2015 for being the most-attended awards show with more than 70,000 attendees at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

About Shauna "WhiskeyChick" Castorena

Shauna "WhiskeyChick" Castorena is a freelance writer for both Country Music News and Country Music On Tour. Want to collab on some content? Email me. Want my rates for commercial promo work outside of music? Get them right here.