Country Crooners Some Unexpected Names Have Popped Up As Academy Of Country Music Nominees
The hat trophies go up for grabs tonight.
In the running for the 30th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, televised at 8 p.m. on NBC (KHQ-Channel 6 in Spokane), is the usual batch of stars: Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Brooks & Dunn.
But what’s interesting about this year’s field is the array of new or unexpected names included among the veteran nominees. Alabama, still a viable radio and sales act but way past its ‘80s artistic peak, nabbed an entertainer of the year nomination that ultimately shut out the much-hotter Gill from the competition.
Nashville’s perennial good guy Gill will undoubtedly reprise his 1994 win in the male vocalist category. No surprise there. But Joe Diffie, long overlooked for most of these industry awards, ended up on the list with every-year nominees Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and Gill. George Strait, who snags a nomination only every so often, also got lucky this year.
The female vocalist race is even more eye-opening: Faith Hill is nominated after the platinum success of her debut album and last year’s new female vocalist win; and Patty Loveless finally gets some respect with a nod that celebrates her last two stellar albums, 1993’s “Only How I Feel” and 1994’s “When Fallen Angels Fly.”
Who will win? Who knows? These things can be as unpredictable as they are predictable. But given the ACM’s track record, here are the most likely winners, with the other nominees in parentheses:
Entertainer of the Year: Reba McEntire (Alabama, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson).
Male Vocalist: Vince Gill (Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, Alan Jackson, George Strait).
Female Vocalist: Pam Tillis (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Faith Hill, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire).
Vocal Group: Little Texas (Alabama, Diamond Rio, the Mavericks, Sawyer Brown).
Vocal Duet: Brooks & Dunn (John Anderson, Tracy Lawrence; George Jones, Alan Jackson; Conway Twitty, Sam Moore; Trisha Yearwood, Aaron Neville).
New Male Vocalist: Tim McGraw (David Ball, John Berry).
New Female Vocalist: Lisa Brokop (Victoria Shaw, Chely Wright).
New Vocal Group or Duet: The Tractors (the Mavericks, John & Audrey Wiggins).
Single of the Year: “Don’t Take the Girl,” Tim McGraw (“I Swear,” John Michael Montgomery; “Livin’ on Love,” Alan Jackson; “Third Rock From the Sun,” Joe Diffie; “Tryin’ to Get Over You,” Vince Gill).
Song of the Year: “I Swear,” John Michael Montgomery (“Don’t Take the Girl,” Tim McGraw; “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye,” Patty Loveless; “Livin’ on Love,” Alan Jackson; “When Love Finds You,” Vince Gill).
Album of the Year: “Stones in the Road,” Mary Chapin Carpenter (“In Pieces,” Garth Brooks; “Not a Moment Too Soon,” Tim McGraw; “When Love Finds You,” Vince Gill; “Who I Am,” Alan Jackson)