Live Review: Alan Jackson, Lainey Wilson & More Celebrated At Academy Of Country Music Honors

Country music icons and industry veterans gathered at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, August 21, to celebrate the accomplishments of the country music community at the 17th Academy of Country Music Honors.

Carly Pearce returned as a host for the fourth straight year and was joined by first-time host Jordan Davis.

The nearly 4-hour event celebrated a wide array of music industry professionals, from performance venues and studio musicians to songwriters and artists. The ACM Special Award honorees included Alan Jackson, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, Trisha Yearwood, Walt Aldridge, Tony Brown, and Shannon Sanders. Performers included Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Terri Clark, Jordan Davis, Jackson Dean, Kameron Marlowe, Carly Pearce, Lee Ann Womack, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Tyler Hubbard, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde, and Keith Urban.

To kick off the evening, Tyler Hubbard took the stage to host the ACM Industry Awards, which recognise venues and talent buyers/promoters who have bought or promoted Country Music concerts and helped promote Country Music ticket sales. Hubbard continued his hosting duties with the Academy’s Studio Recording Awards, which recognise the creators behind the music.

Each artist, musician, producer, and engineer must have played a part in a commercially released single or album embodying the creator’s performance that achieves a Top 20 chart position or better during the eligibility period. Hubbard returned at the end of the night to perform his current single, “Park.”

Before switching gears to the ACM Special Awards, The BIG 615’s Storme Warren played auctioneer to help raise money for ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic partner of the Academy that is dedicated to improving lives through the power of music with a focus on health-related initiatives.

The live auction became quickly animated when Luke Bryan and Garth Brooks began bidding on the guitar autographed by the evening’s honorees. Brooks ended up donating $70,000 for one of the two guitars.

Co-hosts Carly Pearce and Jordan Davis opened the Special Awards portion of the night with a musical tribute to ACM Poet’s Award recipient Alan Jackson.

Davis performed Chattahoochee, while Pearce performed Don’t Rock the Jukebox and had Davis join her. In addition to their hosting duties, Pearce later performed her current single hummingbird while Davis took to the stage to perform his latest I Ain’t Sayin.

To celebrate Lainey Wilson’s two awards of the night (ACM Milestone Award and ACM Triple Crown Award), Terri Clark performed Wilson’s Hang Tight Honey. Dolly Parton sent her well wishes to the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year by video message, and Post Malone took the stage in person to officially present Wilson with the award trophies.

Wilson qualified for the Triple Crown Award after winning ACM New Female Artist of the Year, ACM Female Artist of the Year, and ACM Entertainer of the Year, an honour only nine other artists have been awarded. 

She won ACM New Female Artist of the Year and ACM Song of the Year at the 57th ACM Awards, following up those wins with numerous others, including ACM Female Artist of the Year at the 58th ACM Awards and ACM Entertainer of the Year at the 59th ACM Awards, qualifying her for the ACM Triple Crown Award and bringing her ACM Awards count to ten trophies.

Wilson was also chosen as the recipient of the ACM Milestone Award, which is presented to an artist or industry leader for a specific, unprecedented or outstanding achievement in the field of Country Music during the preceding calendar year. 

In her acceptance speech, Wilson described the various milestones she’s achieved throughout her career, including her multiple ACM wins. 

“My first question to myself was, how do you measure a milestone?” pondered Wilson. “Is it about miles? Is it about how many people you connect with? How many hands you shake, how many relationships you build?”

She recalled her first gig in Louisiana, the time she graduated from a flatbed truck to a tour bus and the first time she heard her own lyrics being sung back to her by a sold-out crowd. She also called out the irony of the Triple Crown award since she crowns a cowgirl of the night at each of her shows.

“That means maybe seeing some things in other people that they don't always see in themselves and pulling somebody from the crowd, recognising 'em and recognising what makes them special and making them feel like they can literally do anything that they want to do. And I know how important it is to make people feel that way, and it's because y'all have done that for me. Every single person in here, I'm telling you, I look around the room. And thank you. Just thank you so much for making my dreams come true.”

Keith Urban performed his latest single Messed Up As Me to honour one of its co-writers, Jessie Jo Dillon, who was named ACM Songwriter of the Year.

Brandy Clark presented the award to Dillon, a first-time ACM Award winner. Dillon’s writing credits include Cole Swindell’s Break Up in the End, Old Dominion’s Memory Lane, and Megan Moroney’s Am I Okay?

To celebrate Music Has Value’s $100,000 contribution to ACM Lifting Lives with a focus on music and memory care, Big Machine’s Jackson Dean performed Strong in tribute to the late Glen Campbell, who battled Alzheimer’s disease. Dean captivated the Ryman Auditorium crowd with his haunting vocals and revealed that he was even wearing clothes from Campbell’s collection. 

Another standout performance came from Jamey Johnson, who performed Chris Stapleton’s Whiskey and You to a standing ovation. Although Stapleton was not able to attend in person, he was awarded the ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Year Award and delivered his acceptance speech by video message. This marked Stapleton’s fourth ACM Award this year and his 20th ACM Award to date.

“I've always considered myself a songwriter first, and so to get an award like this is very meaningful,” said Stapleton.

Vince Gill and Ashley McBryde joined forces for a stunning rendition of When I Call Your Name, the first song that ACM Icon Award winner Tony Brown produced for Gill. From playing piano with Elvis Presley in the TCB Band to producing over 100 No. 1 country songs, Brown has cemented his legacy in the country music industry. One of the many artists Brown worked with throughout his career was George Strait, who sent a video message to congratulate the seven-time ACM award winner. 

The ACM Icon Award is “presented to a Country Music artist, duo/group or industry leader who, throughout their career, has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry, such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions, and other goodwill efforts.”

Trisha Yearwood also received the ACM Icon Award this year, recognising her incredible body of work throughout her career. To celebrate the achievement, Emmylou Harris and Lauren Alaina delivered an emotional performance of The Song Remembers When. Alaina fought back the tears while she sang, moved by the profound honour of celebrating her mentor and friend.

During her acceptance speech, Yearwood took the opportunity to “say sappy things” about her husband Garth Brooks, despite the fact that the couple had agreed long ago not to do so on stage.

“He’s the love of my life, and it has been and continues to be the grandest adventure of my life to share it with him.” She went on to express gratitude to the people who helped her at the beginning of her career - songwriter Kent Blazy and producer Garth Fundis. “It took a whole lot of folks to believe it in me, and I'm just grateful. I'm humbled,” said Yearwood. “I'm not really a crier, but I guess I am now. I'm honoured to be part of this community.”

To honour ACM Lifting Lives Award recipient Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean performed Someone Else Calling You Baby, a song that could’ve easily fit into Aldean’s catalogue. Aldean and Bryan expressed gratitude for their friendship in an industry that could’ve made them rivals and enemies. “Somehow, we navigated this business kind of competing against one another but also pushing one another. And at the end of the day, drinking a lot of having fun,” joked Bryan.

“I love these nights. I sit in the front row down here just still not even believing that I've got the opportunity to do the things that I've done in life and to play music and to see everybody's brand of music doing their thing and seeing it grow. And I mean, to sit there and watch what country music is starting to welcome into its world and how it's just becoming a special thing. It's very, very uplifting.”

He credited his wife Caroline for his involvement with charity work, saying that it’s always been a big deal in their household. “The heart of country music and the beauty of country music is good people. And I'm so blessed to be a part of this industry where everywhere you look people go the extra mile to help and do things.”

Lee Ann Womack joined the renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers to perform Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right, which was produced by ACM Lift Every Voice Award recipient Shannon Sanders. The award recognises an industry leader who “plays a pivotal role in elevating underrepresented voices throughout the Country Music genre, transcending demographics and geography.” Sanders is a songwriter, producer, and musician who currently serves as Executive Director, Creative at BMI, and he is an advocate for music creators, serving on the Academy of Country Music Board of Directors and as well as chairing the ACM Lifting Voices Council.

The final honour of the night was the ACM Poet’s Award, which was presented to Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Alan Jackson and legendary songwriter Walt Aldridge for their musical and lyrical contributions to the country music genre throughout their careers. 

Aldridge wrote or co-wrote 56 top-40 songs on the Billboard Country charts. He has written songs for everyone from Lou Reed to Reba McEntire, including No. 1 hits for Ronnie Milsap, Earl Thomas Conley, Travis Tritt, and Heartland. Rising star Kameron Marlowe performed a rousing rendition of Travis Tritt’s Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde, written by Aldridge, and received a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Alan Jackson has sold nearly 60 million albums worldwide and has charted 50 top-ten hits and 35 No. 1s, solidifying why he was recognised with the ACM Poet’s Award. 

Crowd-favorite Eric Church honoured Jackson by putting his own spin on Jackson’s classic Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow. He admitted he was taking a risk, saying, “I’m gonna try to paint around the Mona Lisa.” His bold move paid off, earning a standing ovation from the audience, with fans chanting “Chief” following his performance.

Jackson was helped to the stage by his wife Denise, referring to her as his “leaning post, in more ways than one.” He shared the story behind writing Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow nearly 40 years ago and how the simple things in life are often the best inspiration. 

“I realised a long time ago that life gives you a lot of ingredients for songwriting, and that's what typically makes the best songs,” said Jackson. “And I've been fortunate to pull a lot of stuff out my life to turned into music over the years, and that's been my biggest pride as an artist, is to write a song and have people enjoy it and be touched by it or move by it or help them through a hard time or enjoy a good time.” He concluded, “I’ve definitely lived that honky tonk dream y’all.”

ACM Honors will air Tuesday, September 24 (9:00 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. PT) on Dr. Phil’s Merit Street, marking the first time the special will air on the network as part of a larger partnership between Merit Street Media and the Academy of Country Music. To watch, fans can use the channel-finder link at www.meritstreetmedia.com.