Country music is a genre that is rooted in old-fashioned, traditional values, and one of those values is marriage. Continue reading…

Garth Brooks cleaned up at the ACM Awards back in 1991. There probably wasn’t an artist that had a more dominant run in the 90s than Garth Brooks. Everything he touched turned to gold, and at the 26th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, that was on full display. The country star took home not one, not two, not three (I’ll skip the next couple numbers to save us some time), but six separate awards in one night. All of those wins are listed below: -Top Country Video (“The Dance”) -Song of the Year (“The Dance”) -Single of the Year (“Friends in Low Places”) -Album of the Year (No Fences) -Top Male Vocalist -Entertainer of the Year At the time, Garth’s big night set a record for most awards won for a single year at the ACMs (Faith Hill tied that record in 1999, as did Chris Stapleton in 2016). It wasn’t necessarily a shock that Garth Brooks was awarded with all of those trophies. Many expected him to win a number of the categories he was nominated in, but even the “If Tomorrow Never Comes” singer was shocked when he had already been up on stage five times, and heard his name called once more for the “Entertainer of the Year” title. Garth Brooks’ own website (where most of Garth’s news is now shared) even pinpointed the moment that truly froze Brooks in place. Alabama was up on stage presenting the award, and when they did a count down and all exclaimed Garth’s name at once, the country music superstar had to take a moment to fully grasp what had just happened: “When they said Garth’s name in unison, he sat for a few seconds in stunned silence before hugging his family and stepping to the podium. He thanked his booking agency, Buddy Lee Attractions, his band and crew, and ‘most of all, those people that fill those concert seats and slept out overnight for tickets. You guys are crazy, but I’m having a ball!'” Though Brooks was undoubtedly having a ball in the 1990s, for a moment at the 1991 ACM Awards, he didn’t move a muscle. He just sat in his chair and tried his best to soak in the moment. Then he got up on stage and gave his acceptance speech, which you can view below: Pretty soon, another “Entertainer of the Year” will be named. The 61st Annual ACM Awards will air live from Las Vegas this Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 8 P.M. EST on Prime Video. 61st Annual ACM Awards Nominees Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs Jelly Roll Cody Johnson Megan Moroney Chris Stapleton Morgan Wallen Lainey Wilson Female Artist of the Year Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Ella Langley Megan Moroney Lainey Wilson Male Artist of the Year Luke Combs Riley Green Cody Johnson Chris Stapleton Zach Top Group of the Year 49 Winchester Flatland Cavalry Old Dominion Rascal Flatts The Red Clay Strays Duo of the Year Brooks & Dunn Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Muscadine Bloodline Thelma & James Album of the Year [Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record Company–label(s)] Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33 Cherry Valley – Carter Faith; Producer: Tofer Brown; Record Company-Label: Gatsby Records / MCA Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe) – Riley Green; Producers: Dann Huff, Michael Knox; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum; Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse; Record Company-Label: MCA Song of the Year “A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure “Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor “I Never Lie” – Zach Top; Songwriters: Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols “Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Andy Albert, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg Single of the Year “6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley “I Never Lie” – Zach Top “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson “The Fall” – Cody Johnson Visual Media of the Year “6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney “A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton “Cuckoo” -Stephen Wilson, Jr. (Winner) “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson “The Fall” – Cody Johnson Music Event of the Year “A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton “Amen” – Shaboozey & Jelly Roll “Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley “Trailblazer” – Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson “You Had To Be There” – Megan Moroney & Kenny Chesney Songwriter of the Year Jessie Jo Dillon (Winner) Ashley Gorley Charlie Handsome Chase McGill Blake Pendergrass Artist-Songwriter of the Year Luke Combs Riley Green Ella Langley Megan Moroney Morgan Wallen New Male Artist of the Year Gavin Adcock Vincent Mason Shaboozey Hudson Westbrook Tucker Wetmore (Winner) New Female Artist of the Year Avery Anna (Winner) Mackenzie Carpenter Dasha Caroline Jones Emily Ann RobertsThe post ACM Awards 1991: Garth Brooks Doesn’t Move A Muscle After Winning His First Entertainer Of The Year Award first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Jason Aldean's latest album is stirring up buzz, especially with the possibility of a special guest on tour — and it’s someone close to home. Continue reading…

The girl can rock. Last night, the American Idol season finale aired, where contestant Hannah Harper was crowned the winner: View this post on Instagram And throughout the evening, there were some great performances, including judge and country star Carrie Underwood joined Mötley Crüe for a rocking performance of “Home Sweet Home” and “Kickstart My Heart,” where she once again proved she can sing any genre. Carrie has always been a fan of rock and roll, we’ve seen her perform with several iconic rock acts over the years including teaming up with Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose for a performance of “Sweet Child Of Mine” and “Paradise City” during her headlining set at Stagecoach in 2022, and she later surprised fans at one of their shows in London to sing with the whole band. She also covered their hit “Welcome to the Jungle” to kickoff this tour, and crushed a drum solo of her original song “Poor Everybody Else.” Carrie previously spoke to Audacy about how she wouldn’t be opposed to making a rock album one day, which honestly wouldn’t be as surprising as it sounds, and I think fans have learned over the years by seeing her sing these songs that she has a genuine love for the genre that could translate into an actual rock project one day. She said that putting out a full on rock album one day isn’t totally out of the question: “You never really know with me. I never say never about anything. I feel like certain influences work their way into different songs and different moments, even if they’re not songs that I record.” She added that she grew up with tons of different musical influences, and she has an “affinity” for rock and metal music specifically: “I grew up listening to everything. I do have an affinity for rock music and metal, and I just love the energy more than anything. I love going to rock concerts because it feels like freedom to me.” Carrie won the Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album in 2021 for her incredible My Savior record (still my favorite project she’s ever done, honestly), and though this would basically be the opposite of that, consider me intrigued. I totally think she could do it, in my opinion she’s one of the few mainstream country artists who could actually pull it off, and I would actually like to see her really go for it and do it. It’s somewhat unexpected, which would make it more fun, and she already has friendships with several iconic rock bands so I imagine it wouldn’t be too hard for her to get at least a couple cool features… The performance on Idol was solid as always, and I’m continually impressed when Carrie goes full rocker girl… I’m so here for it, check it out: The post Carrie Underwood Joins Mötley Crüe For Rocking Performance Of “Home Sweet Home” And “Kickstart My Heart” On ‘American Idol’ Finale first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Keep an eye out for some history to be made on Sunday. With the 61st annual ACM Awards airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, the buzz surrounding the show keeps growing with each passing day. Like the CMAs last year, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson are leading the way once again. Additionally, Zach Top, Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton are also among the night’s top-nominated artists. So far, we’ve already seen the Academy crown multiple winners. Both Tucker Wetmore and Avery Anna took home New Male and Female Artist to kick things off late last month. The red-hot Stephen Wilson Jr. took home his first ACM, winning Visual Media of the Year for “Cuckoo.” Finally, Jessie Jo Dillon made history, winning Songwriter of the Year for the third straight year and becoming the first to win the award three times. Despite quite a few winners already being revealed, there’s still plenty of awards up for grabs across the major categories. In particular, Zach Top is riding the well-deserved buzz gained at both the CMA Awards and Grammys recently, picking up five nominations for Male Artist of the Year (his first), Album of the Year (Ain’t In It For My Health) and Single and Song of the Year (“I Never Lie”). Ella Langley is also gearing up for a huge night, thanks to the success of her record-breaking hit, “Choosin’ Texas,” getting seven nominations. These include her first-ever Female Artist of the Year nod as well as a Single and Song of the Year nomination for “Choosin’ Texas,” and an Artist-Songwriter nod. A familiar cast of characters (for the most part) occupy the Entertainer of the Year nominees, with Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson all receiving nods in the jam-packed category. Of course, given the history of the ACM Awards, there are plenty of different notable storylines and potential records to be broken by various artists throughout the night. Notably, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs and Lainey Wilson have the opportunity to set, break or extend some major ACM records thanks to the data collected by Vegas Insider. Here are five of the most notable records that can be broken in Vegas this Sunday. 1. Chris Stapleton Passes George Strait Unsurprisingly, the King himself, George Strait, has remained the highest-decorated male artist in the history of the ACM Awards with 24. Thanks to his generational run over the past decade, however, Chris Stapleton has quickly closed the gap in the past few years. As it stands today, Stapleton has 21 awards with an additional five nominations this year — including Entertainer, Male Artist, Song, Music Event and Visual Media of the Year (“Song to Sing”). He’s already lost Visual Media of the Year to Stephen Wilson Jr.’s “Cuckoo.” With that being said, if “Song to Sing” receives a lot of love on Sunday and he wins his third Male Vocalist trophy in four years, he can pass Strait and bring his career total up to 25. 2. Luke Combs Notches The “Triple Crown” The ACM “Triple Crown,” which is an award given to artists who have notched New Male/Female Artist, Male/Female Artist and Entertainer of the Year at some point in their career, is incredibly rare. Throughout its history, only 11 artists have ever done it, including the likes of Merle Haggard, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton. So far, Luke Combs has won New Male Artist in 2019 and Male Vocalist of the Year in 2020, meaning he just needs to grab the highly-coveted Entertainer of the Year this year to obtain it. Given the fact that he’s currently 0/7 in the past decade, it’s safe to say the “Hurricane” singer is past due for one. With so much momentum following the release of The Way I Am and his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour, I could see Combs cementing himself in country music history on Sunday. 3. Chris Stapleton Ties Merle Haggard As stated previously, Chris Stapleton has been on one hell of a run the past decade. Since his debut in 2015, the “White Horse” singer has already won five Male Artist of the Year trophies. Amazingly, he’s already surpassed the likes of George Strait, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, George Jones and more. As it stands, he’s currently in second place behind Merle Haggard, who has six. Given how well Stapleton has fared at the ACMs recently, it seems likely he can tie Haggard this year. 4. Miranda Lambert Extends Her Song of the Year Record As the most awarded artist in the history of the ACMs with a staggering 38 awards, Miranda Lambert holds multiple records. One of the most notable, however, is the number of Song of the Year trophies she’s garnered over the years. To date, she’s won seven, six as a songwriter and artist for “Tin Man” (2018), “Automatic” (2015)” and “Over You” (2013) as well as one as an artist for “The House That Built Me” (2011). Being an artist and songwriter on “Song to Sing” with Chris Stapleton and a co-writer on Ella Langley’s mega-hit, “Choosin’ Texas,” Lambert has a good chance to extend her lead in some capacity, especially with “Choosin’ Texas” heavily favored to bring home the trophy. 5. Lainey Wilson Joins Elite Company With Third-Straight Entertainer of the Year Win It’s no secret at this point that Lainey Wilson is an award show darling. Bringing home three straight Female Artist of the Year and two straight Entertainer of the Year trophies here at the ACMs, as well as four straight Female Artist of the Year and two EOTY wins in the past three years at the CMAs, she’s simply been dominant. If Wilson brings home her third-straight Entertainer of the Year on Sunday, she’ll become the first woman to win in three consecutive years. Even more incredibly, she’ll become just the sixth artist ever to notch the three-peat, joining only Alabama, Hank Williams Jr., Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean. You can view the full list of nominees below. 2026 ACM Awards Nominees Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs Jelly Roll Cody Johnson Megan Moroney Chris Stapleton Morgan Wallen Lainey Wilson Female Artist of the Year Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Ella Langley Megan Moroney Lainey Wilson Male Artist of the Year Luke Combs Riley Green Cody Johnson Chris Stapleton Zach Top Group of the Year 49 Winchester Flatland Cavalry Old Dominion Rascal Flatts The Red Clay Strays Duo of the Year Brooks & Dunn Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Muscadine Bloodline Thelma & James Album of the Year [Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record Company–label(s)] Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33 Cherry Valley – Carter Faith; Producer: Tofer Brown; Record Company-Label: Gatsby Records / MCA Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe) – Riley Green; Producers: Dann Huff, Michael Knox; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum; Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse; Record Company-Label: MCA Song of the Year “A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure “Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor “I Never Lie” – Zach Top; Songwriters: Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols “Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Andy Albert, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg Single of the Year “6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley “I Never Lie” – Zach Top “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson “The Fall” – Cody Johnson Visual Media of the Year “6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney “A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton “Cuckoo” -Stephen Wilson, Jr. (WINNER) “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson “The Fall” – Cody Johnson Music Event of the Year “A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton “Amen” – Shaboozey & Jelly Roll “Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley “Trailblazer” – Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson “You Had To Be There” – Megan Moroney & Kenny Chesney Songwriter of the Year Jessie Jo Dillon (WINNER) Ashley Gorley Charlie Handsome Chase McGill Blake Pendergrass Artist-Songwriter of the Year Luke Combs Riley Green Ella Langley Megan Moroney Morgan Wallen New Male Artist of the Year Gavin Adcock Vincent Mason Shaboozey Hudson Westbrook Tucker Wetmore (WINNER) New Female Artist of the Year Avery Anna (WINNER) Mackenzie Carpenter Dasha Caroline Jones Emily Ann RobertsThe post 5 Records That Could Be Broken At The 61st ACM Awards first appeared on Whiskey Riff.