ACM’s Special Awards Honorees To Include Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves

The Academy of Country Music has named this year’s recipients of the Special Awards for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards. Honorees will be celebrated during the 13^th Annual ACM Honors, an evening dedicated to recognizing the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 54^th Academy of Country Music Awards.

Additional off-camera categories to be feted at ACM Honors include already announced Industry Awards and Studio Recording Awards winners, along with previously announced Songwriter of the Year Award winner, Shane McAnally.

The ACM Cliffie Stone Icon Award will go to Brooks & Dunn and Martina McBride. This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader who throughout their career has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions and other goodwill efforts.

The ACM Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award will go to WME Partner (and Director at Large on the ACM Board) Gayle Holcomb. This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry professional who is devoted to improving lives through the power of music, has a generosity of spirit, and is committed to serving others. Holcomb helped launch ACM Lifting Lives in 2009, and made the initial endowment to form ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, in honor of her late mother. Holcomb remains actively involved in the fund’s charitable events, and is the former Academy of Country Music board chairman.

Miranda Lambert is the recipient of this year’s ACM Gene Weed Milestone Award, which is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader for a specific, unprecedented or outstanding achievement in the field of country music during the preceding calendar year.

Kacey Musgraves is this year’s honoree for the ACM Jim Reeves International Award, which is presented to an artist or industry leader for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world.

Meanwhile there is a three-way tie for the ACM Poet’s Award this year, with the honor going to Rodney Crowell, Kye Fleming and Billy Joe Shaver. This award is presented to a country music songwriter for outstanding and longstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their career, with special consideration given to a song or songs’ impact on the culture of country music.

A Star Is Born, featuring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, has been named the recipient of the Tex Ritter Film Award, which recognizes an outstanding television movie, series or feature film released during the preceding calendar year which prominently features country music. Past recipients of the Tex Ritter Film Award include Beer For My Horses, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Country Strong, Crazy Heart, Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors, Nashville,O Brother, Where Art Thou, Sweet Dreams and Walk the Line, among others.

As previously announced, Shane McAnally has been chosen as the recipient of the Songwriter of the Year award. This award is presented to an individual known predominately as a songwriter, selected by a Professional Panel of judges composed of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization representatives.  This is McAnally’s second ACM Songwriter of the Year award. Past recipients of the ACM Songwriter of the Year Award include Ross Copperman, Dallas Davidson, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna and Roger Miller.

This year’s ACM Honors will take place Aug. 21 at the Ryman Auditorium. The awards are voted on by the ACM Board of Directors.