ACM Awards
winners since
1965

Every winner and nominee from the 1st ACM Awards to the 61st. Pick a year on the ruler, search an artist, song or album, or follow one award category through six decades.

Previous ceremony

1981 17th ACM Awards

Next ceremony

Entertainer of the Year

Band of the Year (Non-Touring)

  • Winner Desperados
  • Nominee Bayou City Beats
  • Nominee Geary Hanley Band
  • Nominee Palomino Riders
  • Nominee Sound Company

Band of the Year (Touring)

  • Winner Strangers
  • Nominee Asleep at the Wheel
  • Nominee Charlie Daniels Band
  • Nominee Urban Cowboy Band
  • Nominee Willie Nelson Family Band

Top Female Vocalist

Top Male Vocalist

Top Vocal Group

Top New Female Vocalist

Top New Male Vocalist

Album of the Year

Song of the Year

Single Record of the Year

Bass

  • Winner Curtis Stone
  • Winner Joe Osborn
  • Nominee Emory Gordy
  • Nominee Mike Leech
  • Nominee Red Wooten

Drums

  • Winner Buddy Harman
  • Nominee Archie Francis
  • Nominee Biff Adams
  • Nominee Jerry Kroon
  • Nominee Larrie Londin

Fiddle

  • Winner Johnny Gimble
  • Nominee Byron Berline
  • Nominee Charlie Daniels Charlie Daniels, has been chosen for the ACM Spirit Award, honoring the contributions of Merle Haggard, who received 20 ACM Awards in his career, including the Triple Crown Award. This award is presented to a singer-songwriter who is continuing the legacy of Country Music legend Mer, le Hagg, ard by following his/her own path, crafting great songs, and epitomizing Hagga, rd’s spirit through genuine performances and great storytelling., freely shared his thoughts and viewpoints throughout his career, but his legacy may be his deep love for children, his fans, and his country. He devoted countless hours of his time and recruited several of his favorite artists to join him on the annual Christmas 4 Kids Tour Bus Shows. His many Volunteer Jams appealed to Country listeners who embraced Daniels’ outsized personality, while veterans and military families could not have found a more enthusiastic or patriotic advocate., Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Daniels taught himself to play guitar at 15, started touring with a rock band after high school, and emerged in the 1960s as a promising songwriter and studio musician. E, vis Pres, ley cut one of Daniels’ compositions, “It Hu, rts Me,” in 1964. Daniels co-wrote the song with producer Bo, b Johns, ton, who would later hire Daniels to play guitar and/or bass guitar on three albums by Bo, b Dyla, n: Nashville Skyline, ,, Self Portrait, and, New Morning, ., In 1973, “Une, asy R, ider” carried the Charlie Daniels Band into the Top 10 at pop radio. A year later,, Fi, re on the M, ountain, proved to be the band’s platinum breakout album, offering essential CDB tracks like “Long Hai, red Country Boy,” “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” and “Tr, udy.” Although Daniels charted 34 singles at Country radio across five consecutive decades, his signature song will always be 1979’s “The De, vil Went Down to Ge, orgia.” A recipient of the 1997 ACM Pioneer Award, Daniels was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016 and passed away in 2020.
  • Nominee Doug Atwell
  • Nominee Doug Kershaw

Guitar

  • Winner James Burton
  • Nominee Al Bruno
  • Nominee Grady Martin
  • Nominee Phil Baugh
  • Nominee Roy Nichols
  • Nominee Thumbs Carlisle

Keyboard

  • Winner Hargus "Pig" Robbins
  • Nominee Billy Liebert
  • Nominee Floyd Cramer
  • Nominee Glen Hardin
  • Nominee John Hobbs

Specialty Instrument

  • Winner Charlie McCoy
  • Nominee Buck Trent
  • Nominee Danny Davis
  • Nominee John Hartford
  • Nominee Smokey Rogers
  • Nominee Terry McMillan

Steel Guitar

  • Winner Buddy Emmons
  • Nominee J.D. Maness
  • Nominee Lloyd Green
  • Nominee Ralph Mooney
  • Nominee Sneaky Pete
  • Nominee Sonny Garrish

Disc Jockey of the Year

  • Winner Arch Yancey

Radio Station of the Year

  • Winner WPLO - Atlanta, GA

Country Nightclub of the Year

  • Winner Billy Bob's Texas - Fort Worth, TX

Jim Reeves Memorial Award

  • Winner Al Gallico

Pioneer Award

  • Winner Leo Fender

Tex Ritter Award

  • Winner Any Which Way You Can
  • Nominee Coward Of The County
  • Nominee Stand By Your Man
  • Nominee Take This Job And Shove It

Top Vocal Duet