Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert and Thomas Rhett Lead 2021 ACM Awards Nominees

Nominees for the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards were revealed on Friday morning (Feb. 26) and Maren Morris, Chris…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

February 26, 2021

8:12 am

Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett

Nominees for the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards were revealed on Friday morning (Feb. 26) and Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert and Thomas Rhett are among the top nominees.

The nominees in several categories were revealed on Friday morning (Feb. 26) by Kelsea Ballerini and Brothers Osborne on CBS This Morning with nominees in the remaining categories revealed via Entertainment Tonight.

Morris and Stapleton each received six nominations, tying for the most-nominated artists for this year’s awards ceremony.

Lambert raked in five nominations, continuing her streak as the most nominated female artist in Academy history with 68 lifetime nominations.

Rhett and Ashley McBryde each earned four nods.

Additionally, for the first time in ACM Awards history, four Black artists are nominated for awards in a single year including Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton and John Legend.

Every Single of the Year nomination features a female artist, and this was the first nomination in this category for three of the six nominees: Carly Pearce, Ingrid Andress, and Gabby Barrett.

The 2021 ACM Awards will return to Music City, broadcasting live from three iconic venues including the Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe.

The star-studded event will air on Sunday, April 18 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on CBS Television Network and will be streamed live and on-demand on Paramount+ and CBS All Access.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
• Luke Bryan
• Eric Church
• Luke Combs
• Thomas Rhett
• Chris Stapleton

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Kelsea Ballerini
• Miranda Lambert
• Ashley McBryde
• Maren Morris
• Carly Pearce

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Dierks Bentley
• Eric Church
• Luke Combs
• Thomas Rhett
• Chris Stapleton

DUO OF THE YEAR
• Brooks & Dunn
• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Florida Georgia Line
• Maddie & Tae

GROUP OF THE YEAR
• Lady A
• Little Big Town
• Old Dominion
• The Cadillac Three
• The Highwomen

NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Ingrid Andress
• Tenille Arts
• Gabby Barrett
• Mickey Guyton
• Caylee Hammack

NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Jimmie Allen
• Travis Denning
• HARDY
• Cody Johnson
• Parker McCollum

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

• Born Here Live Here Die Here – Luke Bryan
Producers: Jeff Stevens, Jody Stevens
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

• Mixtape Vol. 1 – Kane Brown
Producers: Andrew Goldstein, Charlie Handsome, Dann Huff, Lindsay Rimes
Record Label: RCA Nashville

• Never Will – Ashley McBryde
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville

• Skeletons – Brothers Osborne
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: EMI Records Nashville

• Starting Over – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Chris Stapleton, Dave Cobb
Record Label: Mercury Nashville

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

• Bluebird – Miranda Lambert
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Vanner Records/RCA Records Nashville

• I Hope – Gabby Barrett
Producers: Ross Copperman, Zach Kale
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville

• I Hope You’re Happy Now – Carly Pearce & Lee Brice
Producers: busbee
Record Label: Big Machine Records / Curb Records

• More Hearts Than Mine – Ingrid Andress
Producers: Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville

• The Bones – Maren Morris
Producer: Greg Kurstin
Record Label: Columbia Nashville

SONG OF THE YEAR
[Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

• Bluebird – Miranda Lambert
Songwriter(s): Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Natalie Hemby
Publishers: Emileon Songs; Little Louder Songs; Pink Dog Publishing; Songs of Universal, INC; Sony ATV Tree Publishing; Wrucke for You Publishing

• One Night Standards – Ashley McBryde
Songwriter(s): Ashley McBryde, Nicolette Hayford, Shane McAnally
Publishers: Canned Biscuit Songs; Smackworks Music; Smack Blue, LLC; Smackstreet Music; Tempo Investments; Warner Geo Met Ric Music; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp

• Some People Do – Old Dominion
Songwriter(s): Jesse Frasure, Matt Ramsey, Thomas Rhett, Shane McAnally
Publishers: Carrot Seed Songs; EMI Blackwood Music INC; Smackville Music; Songs of ROC Nation; Telemitry Rhythm House Music; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp; Smack Hits; Tempo Investments; Warner Gro Met Ric Music

• Starting Over – Chris Stapleton
Songwriter(s): Chris Stapleton, Mike Henderson
Publishers: I Wrote These Songs; Straight Six Music; WC Music Corp

• The Bones – Maren Morris
Songwriter(s): Jimmy Robbins, Maren Morris, Laura Veltz
Publishers: Big Machine Music, LLC; Extraordinary Alien Publishing; International Dog Music; Oh Denise Publishing; Round Hill Songs; Warner-Tamerlane
Publishing Corp.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
[Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

• Better Than We Found It – Maren Morris
Director: Gabrielle Woodland
Producers: Sarah Kunin, Jennifer Pepke

• Bluebird – Miranda Lambert
Director: Trey Fanjoy
Producer: Heather Levenstone

• Gone – Dierks Bentley
Directors: Wes Edwards, Ed Pryor, Travis Nicholson, Running Bear and Sam Siske, with animation by Skylar Wilson
Producer: David Garcia

• Hallelujah – Carrie Underwood and John Legend
Director: Randee St. Nicholas
Producer: Greg Wells

• Worldwide Beautiful – Kane Brown
Director: Alex Alvga
Producer: Christen Pinkston

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
*(Off Camera Award)

• Ashley Gorley
• Michael Hardy
• Hillary Lindsey
• Shane McAnally
• Josh Osborne

MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR
(Tie Within Category Increased Nominees)
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

• Be A Light – Thomas Rhett featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, Keith Urban
Producer: Dann Huff
Record Label: The Valory Music Co.

• Does To Me – Luke Combs featuring Eric Church
Producer: Scott Moffatt
Record Label: River House Artists/Columbia Nashville

• I Hope You’re Happy Now – Carly Pearce & Lee Brice
Producer: busbee
Record Label: Big Machine Records / Curb Records

• Nobody But You – Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Stefani
Producer: Scott Hendricks
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville

• One Beer – HARDY featuring Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson
Producers: Derek Wells, Joey Moi
Record Label: Big Loud Records

• One Too Many – Keith Urban, P!nk
Producers: Cutfather, Dan McCarroll, Keith Urban, PhD
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• Jarrod Travis Cure
• Mark Hill
• Tony Lucido
• Steve Mackey
• Glenn Worf

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
• Fred Eltringham
• Evan Hutchings
• Derek Mixon
• Jerry Roe
• Aaron Sterling

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• J.T. Corenflos
• Kris Donegan
• Jedd Hughes
• Ilya Toshinskiy
• Derek Wells

PIANO/KEYS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• Dave Cohen
• David Dorn
• Charlie Judge
• Mike Rojas
• Benmont Tench

SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(Tie Within Category Increased Nominees)

• Alicia Enstrom
• Jim Hoke
• Danny Rader
• Mickey Raphael
• Ilya Toshinskiy
• Kristin Wilkinson

STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• Spencer Cullum
• Dan Dugmore
• Mike Johnson
• Russ Pahl
• Justin Schipper

AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
• Jeff Balding
• Jason Hall
• Gena Johnson
• Vance Powell
• F. Reid Shippen

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
• Buddy Cannon
• Dave Cobb
• Dann Huff
• Jay Joyce
• Joey Moi

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.