News | ACM Lifting Lives

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 23, 2020) – ACM Lifting Lives®, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music® hosted the 11^th Annual ACM Lifting Lives® Music Camp with Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Wednesday, June 10 through Wednesday, June 17 via videoconference, with campers from all over the world including the U.S., Canada and Australia. Campers participated in a week of virtual activities and workshops joined by producer/songwriter Ross Copperman, Frankie Ballard, J.T. Harding, Runaway June, Cassadee Pope, Michael Ray and Tenille Townes.

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 27, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions announced today that the 55^TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™ will take place in Nashville, TN for the first time in the show’s 55-year history. In an unprecedented move, the 55^th ACM AWARDS® will be the first awards show to broadcast from three iconic Country Music venues including the Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe. The announcement was made this morning during Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s daily press conference. Hosted by reigning ACM® Entertainer of the Year and 15-time ACM Award winner Keith Urban, the 55^th ACM Awards will be broadcast on Wednesday, Sept. 16 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and will stream live and on demand on CBS All Access.

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 8, 2020) – ACM Lifting Lives®, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music® announced today the ACM Lifting Lives® COVID-19 Response Fund allocated $1 million in less than a week following the ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY special that aired Sunday, April 5 on CBS. Nearly 8 million music fans around the country united for an evening of music and togetherness on Sunday, featuring at-home acoustic performances by Country Music’s biggest stars, along with clips from past ACM Awards® moments and an introduction of the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund.

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 3, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions revealed today the complete list of chart-topping hits and fan-favorite songs that will be performed during ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY, a new two-hour special hosted by CBS THIS MORNING’s Gayle King, to be broadcast Sunday, April 5 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT and 7:00-9:00 PM CT) on the CBS Television Network and on CBS All Access. The special will feature intimate conversations and at-home acoustic performances with Country Music’s biggest stars, along with clips from past ACM Awards® moments. It will be a night filled with entertainment, hope and reflection, bringing the healing power of music to Americans at a time when they need it most.

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 1, 2020) – ACM Lifting Lives® announced today the creation of the ACM Lifting Lives® COVID-19 Response Fund. In response to the growing need due to COVID-19, this fund was created to assist individuals working in the Country Music industry who are suffering a financial crisis as a result of the pandemic. iHeartMedia’s leading country radio host and ACM® Radio Award National On-Air Personality of the Year Bobby Bones, a long-time ACM Lifting Lives supporter, will introduce the fund in a special package during ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY, which will be broadcast Sunday, April 5 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT and 7:00 PM CT) on the CBS Television Network and on CBS All Access.

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 31, 2020) – Gayle King announced this morning on CBS THIS MORNING that she will host ACM^® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY, a new two-hour special to be broadcast Sunday, April 5 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT and 7:00-9:00 PM CT) on the CBS Television Network and on CBS All Access. The special will feature intimate conversations and at-home acoustic performances with Country Music’s biggest stars, along with clips from past ACM Awards® moments. It will be a night filled with entertainment, hope and reflection, bringing the healing power of music to Americans at a time when they need it most.

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 26, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions announced today the all-star lineup of performers for ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY, a two-hour special featuring intimate conversations and at-home acoustic performances with Country Music’s biggest stars, along with clips from the Academy of Country Music Awards’™ 55-year history. Confirmed performers include Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown & John Legend, Luke Bryan, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Old Dominion, Brad Paisley & Darius Rucker, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban. The special will be broadcast Sunday, April 5 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT and 7:00 PM CT) on the CBS Television Network and on CBS All Access.

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 23, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions announced today that the 55^TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™ has set a new air date, Wednesday, Sept. 16 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and will stream live and on demand on CBS All Access. As previously announced, the 55^th ACM Awards® that honors the biggest names and emerging talent in the Country Music industry, will be hosted by reigning ACM® Entertainer of the Year and 15-time ACM Award® winner Keith Urban for the first time.

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 19, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions announced today, with appearances and concerts canceled, Country Music’s biggest stars are practicing social distancing by staying home – and inviting fans to join them for a new kind of entertainment special. ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY will feature intimate conversations and at-home acoustic performances with top Country artists along with clips of their favorite moments from the Academy of Country Music Awards’™ 55-year history. The new special will be broadcast Sunday, April 5 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Participating artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Encino, CA (March 15, 2020) – The 55^th Academy of Country Music Awards™ scheduled to air live on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, April 5^th from Las Vegas is postponed and will be rescheduled to air on CBS in September, at a date, time and venue to be determined. The health and safety of our artists, fans, industry, staff and partners is our number one priority.

ENCINO, CA (March 11, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® announced today the first round of performers for the 55^TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, Country Music’s Party of the Year®, honoring the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. 55^th ACM Awards® Host and nominee Keith Urban and nominee Miranda Lambert have been added as performers. Lambert will also perform with ACM Award nominated artists Lindsay Ell, Caylee Hammack, Elle King, Ashley McBryde and Tenille Townes for a can’t-miss live television premiere performance of the Music Event of the Year nominated song, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.”

The Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions remain committed to serving fans and our Country Music community by producing THE 55^th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™ live from Las Vegas on April 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. We are closely monitoring the situation along with the MGM team, who are in continuous contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Southern Nevada Health District, and other agencies and experts for guidance. We will take every precaution to ensure the safety of our artists, staff, crew, guests and attendees.

ENCINO, CA (February 27, 2020) – CBS and the Academy of Country Music® today announced that reigning ACM® Entertainer of the Year and 15-time ACM Award®-winner Keith Urban will host the 55^TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, Country Music’s Party of the Year®, honoring the biggest names and emerging talent in the Country Music industry. The awards show will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Sunday, April 5 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network and be available to stream live and on-demand across digital platforms on the CBS All Access subscription service. This will be Urban’s first time hosting the ACM Awards.

ENCINO, CA (February 27, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® announced today the nominations for the 55^TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, Country Music’s Party of the Year®, honoring the biggest names and emerging talent in the Country Music industry. Reigning ACM® Entertainer of the Year and 15-time ACM Award®-winner Keith Urban will host the show for the first time. The 55^th ACM Awards® will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Sunday, April 5 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on-demand across digital platforms on the CBS All Access subscription service.

The Academy of Country Music® will announce this year’s host and full list of nominees for the 55^th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, Country Music’s Party of the Year®, on Thursday, February 27. The host will be announced via Academy of Country Music’s social media accounts at 8:00 AM ET, followed by the 55^th ACM Awards® Nominations Digital Press Conference at 8:30 AM ET.

ENCINO, CA (February 19, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® revealed today the full list of Radio Awards winners for the 55TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, including National On-Air Personality of the Year winner, The Bobby Bones Show. 

ENCINO, CA (February 3, 2020) – The Academy of Country Music® is announcing today Radio Awards nominees for the 55^th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, including triple nominations for KUZZ-AM/FM in Bakersfield, CA; and double nominations for WIL-FM in St. Louis, MO, WNSH-FM in New York, NY, CKRY-FM in Calgary, AB, WUBE-FM in Cincinnati, OH, KXKT-FM in Omaha, NE and WUSY-FM in Chattanooga, TN.

ENCINO, CA (December 18, 2019) – ACM Lifting Lives® announced its 2020 grant cycle beneficiaries today with grants for a selection of organizations including Camp Sunshine Inc., CreatiVets, California State University Northridge Foundation, GRAMMY Museum Foundation Inc., The KEYS Program, The Miracle Project, Multiple Sclerosis Achievement Center at Kansas University, Operation Song, Personal Counseling Services, Project C.A.M.P., and Save The Music Foundation. Partnerships with artists and generous giving from fans and the Nashville community enable ACM Lifting Lives to provide funding to organizations that share the same mission, and strive to improve lives through the power of music.

Encino, CA (December 9, 2019) – The Academy of Country Music® announced today that Damon Whiteside has been selected as the Academy’s new Chief Executive Officer which marks the Academy’s third CEO in its 55-year history. He will take the helm beginning Monday, January 6, 2020 splitting time between Nashville, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California.

Encino, CA (December 3, 2019) – ACM Lifting Lives® announced today, in the spirit of Giving Tuesday, a string of nationwide ACM Lifting Lives® Club Shows during the 2020 winter season. Participating artists include Jordan Davis, Ryan Hurd and Midland, and venues such as Billy Bob’s (Fort Worth, TX), Joe’s Live (Rosemont, IL), and Joe’s on Weed Street (Chicago, IL) have agreed to donate a portion of each ticket sold at these performances to ACM Lifting Lives, with the money raised earmarked to help fund organizations that are improving lives through the power of music.