PHOTOS: 5th Annual ACM Honors Ceremony
Joe Nichols Hosts 5th Annual ACM Honors
Country stars gathered at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium Monday night for the 5th Annual ACM Honors, an evening of musical tribute performances and special presentations celebrating the special honorees and non-televised category winners from the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, held earlier this year.
Hosted by Joe Nichols, the evening honored the following special award recipients:
Garth Brooks – Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award
Hank Cochran (posthumously) – Poet’s Award
John Dorris – Mae Boren Axton Award
Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers – Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award
Tom T. Hall — Poet’s Award
Reba – Career Achievement Award
Taylor Swift – Jim Reeves International Award
Country Strong — Tex Ritter Award (Produced by Tobey Maguire & Jenno Topping; executive produced by Meredith Zamsky; directed by Shana Feste; Production studio Screen Gems / Sony Pictures Entertainment.)
The ceremony included presenters Laura Bell Bundy, Ronnie Dunn, Ralph Emery, Robin Meade, John Michael Montgomery and special performers Rodney Atkins, Dean Dillon, Brett Eldredge, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, Randy Houser, Jack Ingram, The Isaacs, Jamey Johnson, Montgomery Gentry, Jerrod Niemann, The Oak Ridge Boys, Thompson Square, The Whites and Lee Ann Womack.
Garth Brooks was not in attendance. He accepted his award via viadeo message explaining that he stayed home because it was Trisha Yearwood’s birthday saying, “…the queen takes precedent, of course. But I wanted to send my love and my gratitude. Thanks to the academy, not only for tonight, but for my whole career.”
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“There are so many amazing fans who came out to the shows and gave the Academy of Country Music the idea to give me this award and it’s the fans who filled those arenas and came out to the shows and screamed very, very loudly, ‘We love you Taylor.’ I love you too.” ~Taylor Swift
“Thank you very much for putting up with me all these many, many years. I have had a blast doing this.” ~Reba
Thompson Square and Randy Houser
Montgomery Gentry
“I can’t tell you how much love we felt, on and offstage, at tonight’s ceremony. We are honored, humbled and filled with joy to have been chosen for such an amazing award. A big Texas ‘Thank you’ from the Gatlin boys to the Academy of Country Music.” ~ Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers (pictured above with Romain Virgo)
Jerrod Niemann
Jamey Johnson
Brett Eldredge
Lee Ann Womack
