The Academy of Country Music Awards kicks off Sunday with a slew of familiar faces in the genre, while a handful of others are missing.
Some of the genre’s biggest stars and charts, such as Morgan Wallen and Luke Bryan, won’t be in the building when the show kicks off in 2021.
Wallen, whose latest album and singles have had major success on both the country and pop charts, was declared ineligible by the ACMs after being caught on camera with a racist slur earlier this year. Bryan, meanwhile, withdrew from the event because he recently tested positive for the corona virus. The diagnosis also prevented him from appearing as a judge on the season’s first live show for “American Idol.”
Bryan has been nominated for the top prize – Entertainer of the Year – where his competition includes Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Eric Church and Thomas Rhett, who won the honor last year in a draw with Carrie Underwood.
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All of the Entertainer of the Year nominees, with the exception of Bryan, will perform – most of them pre-recorded at various locations in Nashville, Tennessee, including the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium, and The Bluebird Cafe. The audience will be small and will consist of medical and health professionals.
Morgan Wallen will not appear at the ACM Awards 2021.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP file)
“Come in and find out that you are the winning entertainer of the year along with Carrie Underwood, that’s just – that’s just adrenaline going all year round,” Rhett said in an interview Saturday. “So it’s an honor to be back at the ACMs, being nominated in the same category is just super special. And something I’ll never take for granted in a million years and feel super honored to be here.”
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Some artists join forces on stage: Underwood sings with gospel legend CeCe Winans; Maren Morris will perform with husband Ryan Hurd; Dierks Bentley sings U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)” with husband and wife duo The War and Treaty; and Miranda Lambert and pop rock singer Elle King kick off the show with their new duet “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).”
Other artists include Blake Shelton, Alan Jackson, Dan + Shay, Lady A, Brothers Osborne, and Ashley McBryde. The foursome Little Big Town will also perform, although band member Phillip Sweet will not participate, as he also recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Luke Bryan sat down a recent episode of “American Idol” due to a positive coronavirus test.
(ABC / Brian Bowen Smith)
Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton will host for the first time, and are also expected to perform onstage.
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Stapleton and Morris are the best nominees with six each. Stapleton’s nominations include Album, Song, and Male Artist of the Year. Morris’ nominations include single and female artist of the year. She also landed a group of the year nod as a member of the Highwomen, the supergroup that also includes Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby.
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Some of the ACM winners were announced in advance, including Gabby Barrett (new female artist), Jimmie Allen (new male artist) and Kane Brown (video of the year). Carly Pearce and Lee Brice’s platinum hit “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” co-written by Combs, won Music Event of the Year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.