The Ryman Auditorium will host the Academy of Country Music’s 14th annual ACM Honors ceremony Aug. 25, with a swath of Nashville’s finest artists to be recognized for contributions made to the genre both on the front lines and behind the scenes.
Each year, the event recognizes special honorees and off-camera category winners connected with the year’s iteration of the ACM Awards, with the special designations voted on by the ACM board of directors.
Among this year’s recipients is country legend Loretta Lynn, who will receive the ACM Poet’s Award for a lifetime of work in creating timeless country music prose.
She’ll receive the award alongside songwriters Gretchen Peters and Curly Putman (posthumously).
Peters had a hand in hits including Patty Loveless’ “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am,” George Strait’s “Chill of an Early Fall” and Martina McBride’s “My Baby Loves Me” and “Independence Day.”
Putman lent his pen to Dolly Parton’s “Dumb Blonde” and George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
Songwriter Hillary Lindsey will take home the mantle of Songwriter of the Year.
Lindsey has 27 No. 1 songs to her name with artists from Miranda Lambert to Lady Gaga, including “I’ll Never Love Again” from “A Star Is Born,” Kelsea Ballerini’s “Hole in the Bottle” and Luke Bryan’s back-to-back No. 1 singles “What She Wants Tonight” and “Knockin’ Boots.”
In addition to this year’s studio recording award winners, a host of studio recording award winners from the previous year will also be recognized during the proceedings, due to issues previously created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, June 18, at ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $85 to $142.
Leading up to ACM Honors, ACM’s Party for a Cause, which will benefit ACM Lifting Lives, will be hosted in Nashville for the first time ever come August.
More details will be announced for that event in the coming weeks, according to a release from ACM.
14th Annual ACM
Honors Recipients
Special Awards
ACM Cliffie Stone Icon Award – industry executive Joe Galante and Rascal Flatts
ACM Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award – Lady A and producer Ross Copperman
ACM Gene Weed Milestone Award – Luke Combs
ACM Jim Reeves International Award – Dan + Shay
ACM Mae Boren Axton Service Award — ACM Awards producer RAC Clark
ACM Merle Haggard Spirit Award – Toby Keith
ACM Poet’s Award – Loretta Lynn, songwriter Gretchen Peters and songwriter Curly Putman (posthumously)
Tex Ritter FILM Award – Ken Burns’ “Country Music”
ACM Songwriter of the Year Award – Hillary Lindsey
2021 Studio Recording Honors
Bass player of the Year: Tony Lucido
Drummer of the Year: Aaron Sterling
Guitarist of the Year: J.T. Corenflos (awarded posthumously)
Piano/keyboard player of the Year: Dave Cohen
Specialty Instrument Player of the Year: Ilya Toshinskiy
Steel Guitar Player of the Year: Dan Dugmore & Mike Johnson
Audio Engineer of the Year: F. Reid Shippen
Producer of the Year: Jay Joyce
Unannounced 2020 Studio Recording Honors
Bass Player of the Year: Jimmie Lee Sloas
Drummer of the Year: Miles McPherson
Guitar Player of the Year: Rob McNelley
Piano/Keys Player of the Year: Gordon Mote
Specialty Instrument Player of the Year: Jenee Fleenor
Steel Guitar Player of the Year: Paul Franklin
Audio Engineer of the Year: Justin Niebank
Producer of the Year: busbee (awarded posthumously)
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