ACM Awards

Official 51st ACM Awards Show Recap & Winners

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On Sunday, April 3, 2016, superstars Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley took the stage at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena to co-host the 51st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS®. The show, produced by dick clark productions, marked Luke Bryan’s fourth consecutive turn hosting the Awards and Bentley’s first time hosting a LIVE televised event.

The star-studded ceremony, which broadcast LIVE on the CBS Television Network, was full of once-in-a-lifetime musical collaborations, performances and more as some of country’s greatest talents were recognized for their achievements.

The industry named Jason Aldean as Entertainer of the Year, the evening’s biggest honor. While Aldean had been previously nominated four times in this category, this year marked his first time taking home the trophy.

Dolly Parton was presented the Tex Ritter Award to recognize the success of Coat of Many Colors. The Tex Ritter Award is presented to recognize a motion picture that featured country music and received major exposure. Parton and pop superstar Katy Perry joined forces for an unprecedented duet performance live on the telecast.

Chris Stapleton won Male Vocalist of the Year for the first time. He came into the night already a winner of the New Male Vocalist of the Year award and was the leading winner of the night with a total of six wins, including Album of the Year as both Artist and Producer, and Song of the Year as both Artist and Producer. With his six wins he tied the record for most ACM Awards won in a single year. Only Garth Brooks and Faith Hill have reached this pinnacle before.

Miranda Lambert won Female Vocalist of the Year for the seventh consecutive year, setting a new record for the most consecutive wins in that category. Lambert also won Vocal Event of the Year for Smokin’ And Drinkin’ with Little Big Town, which presented prior to the show on the red carpet.

Little Big Town won the Vocal Group of the Year award for the second year in a row, and third time overall. They also won Vocal Event of the Year for Smokin’ And Drinkin’ with Miranda Lambert.

Thomas Rhett won Single Record of the Year for Die A Happy Man. This was Rhett’s first-ever ACM award win.

Kelsea Ballerini was previously awarded New Female Vocalist of the Year, and performed an energetic medley of her new single Peter Pan and her breakout number-one hit Love Me Like You Mean It with Nick Jonas.

Eric Church won Video of the Year for Mr. Misunderstood. Florida Georgia Line won Vocal Duo of the Year for the third year in a row.  Both Church and Florida Georgia Line were presented with the awards prior to the telecast.

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ACM Week Recap – Day 1 – Maine to California

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Wednesday March 30th, 2016

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My adventures started off by being asked to call KBUL 98.1 in Revo, NV shortly after arriving at the airport! I had connected with their morning show host, Bob Richards, on twitter a couple of weeks before. During my search to win fly away’s to Vegas for the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards, I entered every contest that existed. I secured a one way flight, just in case I didn’t win, to insure that I would get there. However, while being there, I also had my hopes set on being able to attend the 3-Day Party For A Cause Festival. The price of the 3-day festival, however, was $175 before taxes and fees. Definitely not something that I could afford on my own, on top of flights, especially with this trip having a super strict budget!

Luckily I believe in manifesting your desires and the Law of Attraction. I believe that acting like you already have something (or in this care that you’re already attending) will help the Universe deliver what it is that you want. BUT, you must also put in the effort to obtain this desire, and ASK. You’re not going to get what you want magically (unless you’re insanely lucky)… you have to take some action. So I searched the official PFAC hashtag, #ACMparty on twitter to find contests to enter. I entered the ones that I could, but the “call in to win” ones, I knew I would be unable to listen to non-local radio stations day in and day out. So I reached out to the KBUL Moo Crew in Reno, NV.

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ACM Party For A Cause Set Times!

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Who else is counting down to The Week Las Vegas Goes Country? The schedule has been finally announced so that all of us going can start to plan our weekends! I’ve already printed and highlighted the artists that I absolutely cannot miss, and then those whom I would like to see, but willing to miss if it interferes with a meet and greet or something. I’m still undecided about Sunday, because I really want to try to find a way into the awards show at night… however, Sunday has THE BEST LINEUP! Ahhhh! I’m thinking festival then “home” (aka back to the hotel) to nap then shower and get all fancy for the after parties?! I guess I will play it by ear and see what my friends want to do! 🙂 Let me know in the comments below if you will be there!

Bookmark this page to save this map of the Festival Grounds!

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ACM Awards Spotlight: New Female Vocalist of the Year Nominees

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The ACM Awards are right around the corner and there is a new category this year- ‘New Female Vocalist Of The Year.’ My passion for the ACM Awards runs deep, and I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to team up with Variety Beat for some pre-ACM coverage! You can check out the article that we wrote below! There’s even a poll at the bottom, so please vote for your favorite!

Source: ACM Awards Spotlight: New Female Vocalist of the Year Nominees

ACM Party For A Cause Survival Guide!

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I’m so exited to share with y’all that I’ve officially written my first guest post for the website, Stage Right Secrets!

As all of you may already know, my passion for the ACM Awards and “The Week Vegas Goes Country” runs deep. My first trip in 2011 changed my life! All of my dreams of finding a soulmate and starting a family did a complete circle and I realized that I wanted to be a part of the country music scene that I fell so deeply in love with that weekend in Vegas. It became a goal to find a way to get there every year afterward! Since then, I’ve gone in 2011, 2013 and 2014. (I had no interest in going last year when it was in Dallas, TX.)

Are you planning on attending the 3 day festival this year? If so, take a look at these tips and tricks from a seasoned veteran, so that you’re fully prepared!

ACM Party For A Cause Survival Guide

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You Just Gotta Believe

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Shine Bright!

“How are you going to make enough money to survive? How are you going to make this happen? Where are you going to work? Do you even have a plan?”

In the words of Big Kenny (of Big & Rich):

“You just gotta believe. You come to this town and you start meeting all these people and you become inspired. Everywhere you go there’s someone who can play, someone who can write a song. You finally meet enough of them that you start to think to yourself, ‘Wow, maybe I am kind of normal after all.'”

Nashville. “It’s a crazy town full of neon dreams, everybody plays, everybody sings.”

Although I don’t have the typical musician dream, I do have a dream of working in the country music industry. I fully believe that once I am there, surrounded by the people that make this crazy passion of mine feel “normal,” that this dream is going to really take flight. Thriving most on inspiration, I am positive that, although I might feel slightly threatened by the competition at first, it’s what I truly need.

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2016 ACM Nominees Announced

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If you’re new to this blog, and unaware, I am extremely partial to the Academy of Country Music, the ACM Awards Show, and The Week Vegas Goes Country. Check out this post of where this passion for the ACM’s began, when I won my “Dream Trip of a Lifetime”! I NEED TO FIND A WAY BACK THIS YEAR! I’m so torn between saving the money that I had originally saved for my annual ACM trip and putting it toward my Nashville move. That would put me one step closer to my long term goal, but devastate me when April comes around. It’s been a struggle trying to make this decision. I want more than anything to be in my favorite place on earth (Vegas) during my favorite week of the year (ACM week)… with all of the new connections I’ve made over the past two years, I can only imagine how epic this trip would be. I could network like CRAZY and tell everyone I meet that I’m moving to Nashville and tell them I’m looking for a job… Vegas turns me into the person that I wish I could be every day; I become this wonderful confident version of myself and to put that version of me in an environment SURROUNDED by country music everywhere would benefit my career and future immeasurably.

However, without that money that I’ve saved up for ACM week, saving enough to get to Nashville by the end of the year might not be feasible. I know that sacrificing the trip would most likely be beneficial to my long term goal, but I know how painful it would be not to go this year, especially with how far that I’ve come where this dream is concerned. I tend to base decisions on feelings instead of logic… logic says save that money and make the move to Nashville, but my heart knows how much it would break not being there… especially with seeing everyone’s snap chats and tweets all week. I need to make a decision fairly quickly, seeing as how I need to purchase flights and outfits and start a hard core work out routine and all of the prep that goes into that week. I just wish so badly someone could come with me and split the room with me! I can’t afford to do it alone! I’m hoping that the Universe sends me a clear message soon to help me with my decision! But anyway…

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I’m the Dreamer, Soaking Up Every Line…

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NEW MUSIC MONDAY!

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I’m the dreamer, soaking up every line
Searching for truth all the time
The believer, that music can save a soul
The one who’s at every show, in the front row,
Singin’… 

Trying my best to not be a “basic white girl” right now, but… I can’t even. I can’t even get over the goosebumps that I felt hearing this song for the first time today, I can’t even describe to you how much joy my heart felt and how much that I could relate to every note and every lyric. I was literally blown away when I heard Charles Kelley’s new song, “The Driver” on WPOR this morning. Upon returning home and immediately looking up the lyrics/video and downloading it from iTunes, I discovered that Eric Paslay and Dierks Bentley also collaborate on what is SURE to be the 2016 ACM Vocal Event of the Year… if not DECADE. This song is going to soar to the top of the charts and win many, many awards. This masterpiece was beautifully written by Charles Kelley, Eric Paslay and Abe Stoklasa. It’s the story of the road… these artists on tour that pour their hearts and souls into every show. Me? I’m one of those dreamers, a believer, a singer… at every show, in the front row. I wouldn’t have it any other way! Please take a look and listen! You won’t be disappointed!

If you’d like to purchase this song from iTunes, click here!

Please let me know what you think below in the comments. I would love to hear from you. 🙂

 

 

 

Chase Rice Debuts New Music Video

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Chase Rice’s new music video premiered on CMT yesterday, and it’s a great one! Most of us know Rice as a rowdy party kind of guy, but this video definitely shows off his softer side! Gonna Wanna Tonight was released to radio in November, but is currently not on the Top 40 Charts… I think that this video will change that. While I don’t foresee another number 1 like Ready Set Roll, I do appreciate Rice’s contribution to the country music world. There isn’t a single song on his CD that I don’t love and sing along to! (I’ve also seen him in concert at least twice, if not 3 times!)

Whoever directed this video deserves an A+!

Gonna Wanna Tonight

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“Dream Trip of a Lifetime”

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My local radio station, 99.9 The Wolf, announced a contest opportunity to win a trip to Vegas for the 2011 ACM Awards. Teaming up with J.D. Haas Entertainment, they were able to offer an all expense paid trip including round trip airfare, 3 night stay at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, tickets to the live 2011 ACM Awards show, and tickets to attend the taping of the CBS Special, Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country to be filmed and then aired at a later date.

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First of all, Vegas is one of my all time favorite places on earth. By this time my interest and knowledge of country music had grown and blossomed and I knew that there could be nothing better in this world than combining my TWO LOVES into one. A entire weekend of country music concerts, shows, a red carpet experience, fancy dresses, cowgirl boots, and everyone who is anyone in the country music world all staying at the same hotel. I HAD TO WIN. It wasn’t really an option.

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