Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town and More To Be Honored at 10th Annual ACM Honors

Written by Lauren Laffer
Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town and More To Be Honored at 10th Annual ACM Honors

The Academy of Country Music has announced the honorees and winners for the upcoming 10th Annual ACM Honors.

The evening is dedicated to recognizing special honorees and off-camera categories from the 51st Annual ACM Awards and will take place at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in the fall. Among the honorees is Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Keith Urban, Glen Campbell and more.

Underwood will be honored with the ACM Lifting Lives Gary Haber Award. The new award, named for the late ACM Lifting Lives Chairman Gary Haber, was created by ACM Lifting Lives’ Board of Directors. It will recognize a country music artist or industry professional who shows dedication to helping those in need. Underwood was among one of the first artists to partner with Lifting Lives and has brought much needed musical instruments to her hometown of Checotah, OK. She has also been involved with Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, Operation Homefront and her own C.A.T.S. Foundation, as well as headlining the ACM Party for a Cause on April 1.

Little Big Town will be awarded with the Crystal Milestone Award. This award is given to an artist or industry leader to commemorate a specific achievement. LBT will be honored for their double-platinum single, “Girl Crush.” The song became the most downloaded country song of 2015 and held the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 13 consecutive weeks. They are currently nominated for ACM Vocal Group of the Year.

The Mae Boren Axton Award will be received by Keith Urban to recognize him for his years of dedication and service to the Academy of Country Music. Urban has been a friend and advocate for the Academy and ACM Lifting Lives throughout the years. He was also the 2009 recipient of the ACM’s Jim Reeves International Award.

Glen Campbell will be honored with the Career Achievement Award. The Career Achievement Award honors artists who have advanced the popularity of country music through their endeavors in the entertainment industry. In his six decades as an artist, he has become one of the genre’s most diverse entertainers. His career has taken a backseat in the last several years, following his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease. He documented his farewell tour in the acclaimed film, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me. His song, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” was featured in the film and won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Country Song and was nominated at the 2015 Academy Awards.

The Academy of Country Music Special Awards are voted on by the ACM Board of Directors for special achievements. The Studio Recording and Songwriter of the Year Awards are voted on by specific categories of the Academy’s professional membership.

ACM Lifting Lives Gary Haber Award – Carrie Underwood
Crystal Milestone Award – Little Big Town
Mae Boren Axton Award – Keith Urban
Career Achievement Award – Glen Campbell
Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award – Crystal Gayle, Tanya Tucker and The Statler Brothers
Jim Reeves International Award – Jeff Walker (awarded posthumously)
Poet’s Award – Eddie Rabbitt (awarded posthumously)
Tex Ritter AwardDolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors

Studio Recording Awards
Bass Player of the Year – Michael Rhodes
Drummer of the Year – Shannon Forrest
Guitar Player of the Year – Derek Wells
Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year – Jim ‘Moose’ Brown
Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year – Danny Rader
Steel Guitar Player of the Year – Paul Franklin
Audio Engineer of the Year – Justin Niebank
Producer of the Year – Dave Cobb

Songwriter of the Year – Ross Copperman