The 2017 ACM Awards Complete Preview
(Tune in Sunday night for Saving Country Music’s LIVE Blog of the ACM Awards)
THE 52nd ANNUAL ACM AWARDS
• When: 7 PM Central, 8 PM Eastern Sunday, April 2nd, 2017 on CBS.
• Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
• Hosts: Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
Chris Stapleton will debut a new single off of his still unnamed sophomore album due out on May 5th, and this will likely be proceeded with the release of the song, and more album information. Word is Stapleton has been performing as many as five new songs on his current tour. Which one of the new songs will be the new single, we’ll just have to see, and how it is received will have a lot to do if radio will be receptive to it. Chris Stapleton is also up for Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year for “Tennessee Whiskey,” and Video of the Year for “Fire Away.”
Lori McKenna has already made history, becoming the first female ever to walk away with the ACM’s Songwriter of the Year award since they started giving it out in 1966. If “Humble and Kind” wins the ACM for Song of the Year, it will be the first song to sweep the Song of the Year honors at the CMA’s, Grammy Awards, and ACM’s since Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” did it in 2002-2003.
Bad Music will be the order of the evening. For the last few years, traditional country fans have had pre-announced tributes and appearances by older artists to look forward to. This year there is no such thing in the works unless it is a surprise. Right now the big rumored surprise (meaning, you should expect it to happen), is a public sighting of Shania Twain.
Florida Georgia Line got inexplicably snubbed for Vocal Duo of the Year at the CMA’s. If they get the razz again at the ACM’s, this could really fortell a precipitous drop off from the franchise due to peer displeasure. The industry is trying to move on from Bro-Country (though some recent singles seem to tell a different story), and it feels like Florida Georgia Line has a target on their back, and could become the fall guy.
Since the ACM rehersals happened on April Fools Day, it’s hard to know what intelligence coming from the rehearsals is true, and what is meant as satire. Justin Bieber performing appears to NOT be true (though you could never put it past the ACM’s). Chris Stapleton also put out a picture of him with Boyz II Men, saying he was the newest member. That’s not likely, but it may not be out of the realm of possibility that the trio shows up on stage with Stapleton on Sunday.
THE PRESENTERS
Artist presenters (meaning artists still considered mainstream, but not important enough in the ACM’s estimation to perform) include: Lauren Alaina, Kane Brown, Kacey Musgraves, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, and Darius Rucker.
Non-artist presenters include: Entertainment Tonight host Nancy O’Dell, Reality TV stars Todd and Savannah Chrisley, NASCAR Drivers Elliot Sadler and Bubba Wallace, and Miss America Savvy Shields.
THE PERFORMERS
• Tim McGraw and Faith Hill will perform their new duet “Speak To A Girl.”
• Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood will perform their duet “The Fighter.”
• Florida Georgia Line with the Backstreet Boys will perform “God, Your Mama, and Me.”
• Cole Swindell will perform “Flatliner” with Dierks Bentley.
• Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris perform “Craving You.”
• Reba McEntire will collaborate with contemporary Christian star Lauren Daigle.
• Sam Hunt will perform “Body Like A Backroad.”
• Lady Antebellum performs new single “You Look Good.”
• Chris Stapleton will premier a new single.
• Maren Morris sings her latest single “I Could Use a Love Song.”
• Rascal Flatts performs their latest single “Yours If You Want It.”
• Miranda Lambert is performing the non single “Tin Man.”
• Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Jon Pardi, and Dierks Bentley and Maren Morris will also perform solo.
• And Shania Twain is rumored to perform.
AWARD NOMINEES
***Read Saving Country Music’s Picks & Prognostications***
Many Awards Have Already Been Handed Out:
- New Male Vocalist of the Year – Jon Pardi
- New Female Vocalist of the Year – Maren Morris
- New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year – Brothers Osborne
- Vocal Event of the Year – “May We All” – Florida Georgia Line
- Single of the Year – “H.O.L.Y” – Florida Georgia Line
- Songwriter of the Year – Lori McKenna
Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Florida Georgia Line
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
Male Vocalist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Dierks Bentley
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
Female Vocalist of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood
Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
Vocal Group of the Year
Eli Young Band
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
Lady Antebellum
Album of the Year
Black, Dierks Bentley
Dig Your Roots, Florida Georgia Line
Hero, Maren Morris
Ripcord, Keith Urban
The Weight of These Wings, Miranda Lambert
Video of the Year
“Fire Away,” Chris Stapleton
“Forever Country,” Artists of Then, Now and Forever
“Humble and Kind,” Tim McGraw
“Peter Pan,” Kelsea Ballerini
“Vice,” Miranda Lambert
Song of the Year – Awarded to Songwriter(s)
“Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Keith Urban (Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, Steven Lee Olsen)
“Die a Happy Man,” Thomas Rhett (Thomas Rhett, Sean Douglas, Joe Spargur)
“Humble and Kind,” Tim McGraw (Lori McKenna)
“Kill a Word,” Eric Church feat. Rhiannon Giddens (Eric Church, Luke Dick, Jeff Hyde)
“Tennessee Whiskey,” Chris Stapleton (Dean Dillon, Linda Hargrove)
“Vice,” Miranda Lambert (Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
Sam Hunt Steve
April 2, 2017 @ 8:57 am
What a turd of an ACM’s this will be. I would have liked to have seen your predictions for winners, Trigger.. I think Aldean and Lambert will walk away with the big awards of the night.
Trigger
April 2, 2017 @ 9:01 am
You missed the link. They are here:
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/the-acms-announce-2017-award-nominees/
Houston Erwin
April 2, 2017 @ 8:57 am
I think I saw somewhere that Miranda is singing Tin Man.
Greg
April 2, 2017 @ 9:02 am
Miranda is singing Tin Man
Greg
April 2, 2017 @ 9:03 am
And Florida Georgia Line already won two awards *pukes*
Trigger
April 2, 2017 @ 9:06 am
Of course she is. Because they have no single strategy with Miranda.
Mark
April 2, 2017 @ 10:30 am
Disappointing. That album is great and deserves much more attention and claim than it received. Why is Nashville so unable to adapt?
Brandon F
April 2, 2017 @ 2:02 pm
Her reasoning for performing Tin Man is that she put out a 22-song album and knows that the only exposure some of the songs will get is if she performs as many of those songs as possible in these types of performances. Sturgill has done something similar in the past, going on late night shows and always performing a different song each time. I’m glad she will be performing Tin Man solo. It should be a nice break from all of the terrible collaboration stuff with Tim and Faith, FGL & Backstreet Boys, Rhett and Maren, Cole and Dierks, and Carrie and Keith.
seak05
April 2, 2017 @ 9:09 am
As others have stated Miranda is singing Tin Man. It was apparently a last minute (i.e. this past week) change. I suspect the label realized that WSBF wasn’t going anywhere are radoi, and wasn’t selling, so not much value in the performance. I’m wondering if they’re hoping that Tin Man is her Tenn Whiskey (which Chris never did release to radio).
Anyways, given that FGL has already started out strong in winning awards this yr, and I can’t take another year of Dierks and Luke hosting, I’m going to skip watching, and just check out the good performances on video.
hoptowntiger94
April 2, 2017 @ 9:27 am
Besides Miranda and Stapleton, not much to look forward to. Trig better bring some extra snark tonight to keep me interested.
It seems like Miranda never sticks to the single formula when performing on award shows. I remember she performed “That’s the Way that the World Goes Round” at her coming out ACM party – don’t say that was 7 years ago!
seak05
April 2, 2017 @ 9:40 am
I think her label is giving up promotion on WSBF, it lost 75 spins today and will lose it’s bullet on MB & I think also BB. It’s been the single since December, she’s already performed it multiple times on TV, they’ve released the video, and they’ve had it discounted at itunes. All that, and it’s still barely in the top 30 at radio, and hasn’t sold remotely well. It’s time for them to move on to the next single anyways. Whether that single is Tin Man (please), or this is just an awards show performance (a la Chris w/Tenn Whisky or a little how Carrie was using Choctaw county affair).
Mark
April 2, 2017 @ 10:31 am
What is WSBF?
Kevin Davis
April 2, 2017 @ 10:37 am
“We Should Be Friends”
SauceisBoss
April 2, 2017 @ 10:43 am
We should be friends, see, not even good enough to be recognized via acronym!
Gena R.
April 2, 2017 @ 10:21 am
“Besides Miranda and Stapleton, not much to look forward to. Trig better bring some extra snark tonight to keep me interested.”
100% agreed. (Also, congrats to Lori for Songwriter of the Year! 🙂 )
albert
April 2, 2017 @ 9:41 am
Haven’t we seen these same nominees/performers enough times ?…
BTW…Thank God Miranda has ‘ gone her own way’ with TWOTW . Lyrically and sonically most of that record is such a contrast to ‘ radio’ it may wake a few listeners up to what an OPTION sounds like .
Antebellum , Urban , Big Little Town ,Rascal Flatts – what the …??
Kevin Davis
April 2, 2017 @ 10:40 am
If Miranda doesn’t win album of the year, I will be super pissed. The other nominees in that category are either utterly dreadful (FGL, Urban) or woefully inconsistent (Bentley, Morris).
seak05
April 2, 2017 @ 10:46 am
Side note: feels like Miranda is doing a full on publicity push at this year’s ACM’s. She’s been doing all the radio rounds, and she’s “crashed” several events unannounced to perform. Plus Eonline ran a couple puff pieces about her relationship w/Anderson.
She did a bunch of performances for her album, but no interviews, and with sales being a little underwhelming so far, plus the lack of success at radio, I wonder if the label is doing a bit of a reboot. If so, Tin Man is a great choice as a “kick off” song, plus I’d bet she wins a few awards tonight.
AC
April 2, 2017 @ 11:21 am
I think it’s a great choice to perform “Tin Man”. IMO it’s the best song off the album.
Jtrpdx
April 2, 2017 @ 11:57 am
Hopefully Stapleton will give a shoutout to Etta James if he wins anything for Tennessee Whiskey.
Kevin
April 2, 2017 @ 12:00 pm
Can’t wait to hear Tin Man.
Genuinely interested to see if Carrie’s label switch with help or hurt her tonight. Would love to see her become the only woman to win ETOY three times.
Raymond
April 2, 2017 @ 12:06 pm
I’m actually really looking forward to some of the performances like Miranda Lambert, Reba, and I am ashamed to admit this but I am so excited for when Lady Antebellum perform “You Look Good”! That Song has been my jam the past few weeks!!
Ryan
April 2, 2017 @ 12:30 pm
Surprised that Eric Church isn’t performing. Really wish he was. Other than Miranda and stapelton, not much to look forward too.
Chris
April 2, 2017 @ 2:50 pm
Eric Church isn’t performing because they asked him to perform collaborate with a “pop” artist and he turned them down…..
Trigger
April 2, 2017 @ 3:08 pm
Interesting. Where are you hearing this from if you can divulge your source?
Justin
April 4, 2017 @ 4:35 am
So they wanted him to collaborate with Sam Hunt?
CJ
April 2, 2017 @ 4:02 pm
All 5 Entertainer of the Year nominees will be performing together as the opening number of the show.
mark
April 2, 2017 @ 4:26 pm
looks pretty dull.
will follow liveblog.