Garth Brooks, Bill Anderson Among ACM Winners
Sarah Skates
The Academy of Country Music will present Garth Brooks with its Crystal Milestone Award during the 43rd Annual ACM Awards on Sunday, May 18. Brooks, the first artist to receive the honor, will also perform a medley of his greatest hits during the CBS telecast. The Crystal Milestone Award is given to an artist or industry leader to commemorate a specific, remarkable achievement. Brooks, recently certified as the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history, has won eighteen ACM Awards, including Artist of The Decade in 1998.
Also revealed today (5/7) were ACM award winners who will be honored separately from the show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Special Awards and MBI (Musician, Band and Instrumental) Awards will be handed out in Nashville later this year. The Industry and Radio Awards will be presented during the New Artists’ Party for a Cause on Sat., May 17 in Las Vegas.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Dick Clark will receive the Jim Reeves International Award, presented for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world. He has worked with the ACM since 1979, helping bring the show to NBC and later to CBS. Dick Clark Productions still produces the show.
Bill Anderson and Fred Rose have been selected to receive the first-ever Poet’s Award, which honors songwriters for outstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their careers in the field of country music.
Brenda Lee, The Oak Ridge Boys, Conway Twitty, and Porter Wagoner have been chosen to receive the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award honoring individuals who are pioneers in the country music genre.
MBI AWARDS
Top Guitarist Of The Year Dann Huff
Top Piano/Keyboard Player Of The Year Matt Rollings
Top Bass Player Of The Year Michael Rhodes
Top Percussionist/Drummer Of The Year Shannon Forrest
Top Steel Guitar Player Of The Year Paul Franklin
Top Fiddle Player Of The Year Stuart Duncan
Top Specialty Instrument(s) Player Jerry Douglas
Audio Engineer Of The Year Justin Niebank
Producer Of The Year Mark Wright
INDUSTRY AWARDS
Nightclub Of The Year Billy Bob’s, Ft. Worth, TX
Casino Of The Year Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
Don Romeo Talent Buyer Of The Year Gil Cunningham, Neste Event Marketing
Promoter Of The Year Brian O’Connell, Live Nation
Venue Of The Year Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA
RADIO AWARDS
On-Air Personality
National The Big D And Bubba Show, The Lia Show
Major Market Gerry House & The House Foundation, WSIX-FM, Nashville, TN
Medium Market Valleri St. John, WWGR-FM, Fort Myers, FL
Small Market Gator & The Styckman, WGSQ- FM, Cookeville, TN
Radio Station
Major Market WMIL-FM, Milwaukee, WI
Medium Market WUSY- FM, Chattanooga, TN
Small Market WGSQ- FM, Cookeville, TN