Luke Combs leads the field with eight nominations for the 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which were revealed this morning. Morgan Wallen and Megan Moroney are next with six apiece, followed by Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson with five each. See the full list below.
Combs, Johnson, Stapleton, Wallen and Wilson will vie for the marquee Entertainer of the Year prize along with Kane Brown and Jelly Roll. The winners will be celebrated during the May 16 ceremony, which Prime Video will stream live from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
The ACMs presents separate awards for Female and Male Artist of the Year, Duo and Group, Female and Male New Artist and New Duo or Group of the year.
Among the highlights are Tracy Chapman’s first ACM nom for writing, as her 1988 hit “Fast Car” was remade by Combs and became a crossover smash — spending a remarkable eight weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also was the No. 1 song of 2023 on the Hot Country Songs chart and scored a Grammy nom. The pair played “Fast Car” during the Grammys telecast in February.
The eligibility period for the ACMs was calendar 2023, so Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album — which tops the all-genre Billboard 200 this week — will have to wait for next year.
The Academy of Country Music today also revealed the nominees for the ACM Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards, which will be handed out at the 17th Academy of Country Music Honors in August in Nashville.
Here are the nominees for the 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, followed by the nominees for the ACM Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
- Kane Brown
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Cody Johnson
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
- Lainey Wilson
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Ashley McBryde
- Megan Moroney
- Kacey Musgraves
- Lainey Wilson
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Cody Johnson
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
DUO OF THE YEAR
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Maddie & Tae
- The War And Treaty
GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Flatland Cavalry
- Lady A
- Little Big Town
- Old Dominion
- Zac Brown Band
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kassi Ashton
- Ashley Cooke
- Hannah Ellis
- Kylie Morgan
- Megan Moroney
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- ERNEST
- Kameron Marlowe
- Dylan Scott
- Conner Smith
- Nate Smith
NEW DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Neon Union
- Restless Road
- Tigirlily Gold
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs
Producer: Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs
Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville
- Higher – Chris Stapleton
Producer: Chris Stapleton, Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton
Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville
- Leather – Cody Johnson
Producers: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville LLC
- One Thing At A Time – Morgan Wallen
Producers: Joey Moi, Cameron Montgomery, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett
Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records
- Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good) – Kelsea Ballerini
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment
SINGLE OF THE YEAR[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Burn It Down – Parker McCollum
Producer: Jon Randall
Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville
- Fast Car – Luke Combs
Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville
- Last Night – Morgan Wallen
Producer: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome
Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records
- Need A Favor – Jelly Roll
Producer: Austin Nivarel
Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville
- Next Thing You Know – Jordan Davis
Producer: Paul DiGiovanni
Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
- Fast Car – Luke Combs
Songwriters: Tracy Chapman
Publishers: Purple Rabbit
- Heart Like A Truck – Lainey Wilson
Songwriters: Dallas Wilson, Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson
Publishers: Sony / ATV Countryside; Songs of Riser House; Songs of Wild Cat Well Music
- Next Thing You Know – Jordan Davis
Songwriters: Chase McGill, Greylan James, Jordan Davis, Josh Osborne
Publishers: Family Farm Songs; Hold On Can I Get A Number 1 Music; Songs of Universal Inc.
- The Painter – Cody Johnson
Songwriters: Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins
Publishers: Big Music Machine; BMG Platinum Songs US; Nashblonde Music; Pompano Run Music; Songs for Ellie May; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group; Well That Was Awkward Music
- Tennessee Orange – Megan Moroney
Songwriters: Ben Williams, David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins
Publishers: 33 Creative; Bone Bone Creative; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Can’t Break Up Now – Old Dominion, Megan Moroney
Producers: Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Ross Copperman, Kristian Bush
Record Company-Label: Three Up Three Down, LLC / Columbia Nashville
- Different ‘Round Here – Riley Green (Ft. Luke Combs)
Producer: Dann Huff
Record Company-Label: BMLG Records
- I Remember Everything – Zach Bryan (feat. Kacey Musgraves)
Producer: Zach Bryan
Record Company-Label: Belting Bronco Records / Warner Records, Inc
- Man Made A Bar – Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church)
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Mercury Records / Republic Records
- Save Me – Jelly Roll (with Lainey Wilson)
Producers: Zach Crowell, David Ray Stevens
Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
- Burn It Down – Parker McCollum
Producers: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry
Director: Dustin Haney
Producer: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry
Director: Dustin Haney
- In Your Love – Tyler Childers
Producer: Kacie Barton, Whitney Wolanin, Nicholas Robespierre, Ian Thorton, Silas House
Director: Bryan Schlam
- Next Thing You Know – Jordan Davis
Producer: Jamie Stratakis
Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
- Tennessee Orange – Megan Moroney
Producer: Lauren Starr, Saul Levitz, Laura Burhenn
Director: Jason Lester
Studio Recording Awards
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Jessie Jo Dillon
- Ashley Gorley
- Hillary Lindsey
- Chase McGill
- Josh Thompson
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Zach Bryan
- ERNEST
- HARDY
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Tony Lucido
- Steve Mackey
- Lex Price
- Jimmie Lee Sloas
- Craig Young
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
- Fred Eltringham
- Evan Hutchings
- Greg Morrow
- Jerry Roe
- Nir Z
ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Todd Lombardo
- Danny Rader
- Bryan Sutton
- Ilya Toshinskiy
- Charlie Worsham
PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Jim “Moose” Brown
- David Dorn
- Charlie Judge
- Billy Justineau
- Alex Wright
SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Dan Dugmore
- Paul Franklin
- Josh Matheny
- Justin Schipper
- Bryan Sutton
ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Tom Bukovac
- Kris Donegan
- Jedd Hughes
- Rob McNelley
- Sol Philcox-Littlefield
AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
- Drew Bollman
- Jeff Braun
- Jim Cooley
- Jason Hall
- Buckley Miller
- F. Reid Shippen
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
- Charlie Handsome
- Dann Huff
- Joey Moi
- Jon Randall
- Derek Wells
INDUSTRY AWARDS:
CASINO OF THE YEAR – THEATER
- Choctaw Grand Theater – Durant, OK
- Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, SD
- Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, CT
- Lucas Oil Live at WinStar World Casino and Resort – Thackerville, OK
- Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
CASINO OF THE YEAR – ARENA
- Golden Nugget Lake Charles – Lake Charles, LA
- Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, NJ
- Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
- Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
- Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, MN
FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
- Carolina Country Music Fest – Myrtle Beach, SC
- CMC Rocks – Ipswich, Queensland
- Crash My Playa – Riviera Cancun, Mexico
- Tortuga Music Festival – Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Windy City Smokeout – Chicago, IL
FAIR/RODEO OF THE YEAR
- Auburn Rodeo – Opelika, AL
- Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
- Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, IA
- Minnesota State Fair – Falcon Heights, MN
- San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo – San Antonio, TX
CLUB OF THE YEAR
- 8 Seconds Saloon – Indianapolis, IN
- Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
- Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA
- Joe’s Live – Rosemont, IL
- Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
THEATER OF THE YEAR
- Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
- The Franklin Theatre – Franklin, TN
- Moody Theater – Austin, TX
- Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
- Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
OUTDOOR VENUE OF THE YEAR
- Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville, TN
- Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
- Saint Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL
- Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
- The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, AL
ARENA OF THE YEAR
- Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
- Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX
- Hertz Arena – Estero, FL
- KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY
- T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, MO
DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR
- Gil Cunningham
- Andrew Fortin
- Nicole More
- Stacy Vee
- Ed Warm
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
- Jered Johnson
- Patrick McDill
- Brian O’Connell
- Aaron Spalding
- Adam Weiser