2018 ACM Awards Update
Country superstar Reba McEntire will host the awards show and BAM has everything you need to know about Sunday’s telecast.
Oklahomans will abound on Sunday night’s ACM Awards. Country Music Hall of Famer and native Oklahoman Reba McEntire is returning to host the Academy of Country Music’s long-running awards show for the 15th time — and the 16-time ACM Awards winner even earned a nod in a familiar category.
The 53rd ACM Awards will air live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday on the CBS Television Network.
Among the nominees with Oklahoma ties, Garth Brooks, who was born in Tulsa and grew up in Yukon, is nominated for the top award, Entertainer of the Year.
The reigning Entertainer of the Year for the rival Country Music Association, Brooks has won the Academy of Country Music’s top award six times, although not since he started his career comeback in 2014 with his recently wrapped three-year world tour.
Reigning Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert, a former Tishomingo resident, received four nominations. She is nominated twice, both as artist and songwriter, in the Song of the Year category for her heartbroken ballad “Tin Man,” and for Video of the Year for her playful anthem “We Should Be Friends.”
The Texas native has won 29 ACM Awards throughout her career and goes into this year’s ceremony tied with Brooks & Dunn for the title of the winningest artist in ACM history.
Lambert’s 2018 nominations also include her 12th nod for female vocalist.
If she wins, it will be her ninth consecutive win in this category; she is the current record holder for most consecutive wins in the Female Vocalist of the Year category.
Female vocalist contenders
As usual, the Female Vocalist of the Year contest is crowded with Sooner State favorites. Carrie Underwood also is nominated for the 13th time in the category, which she won in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In addition, the Checotah native this year is nominated with Keith Urban for Vocal Event of the Year for their bouncy duet “The Fighter.”
And, Reba received her 16th nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year. If she wins, it would be the Chockie native’s eighth victory in the category.
Ada native Blake Shelton earned a nomination for Single Record of the Year for his buoyant ballad “I’ll Name the Dogs.” The track’s producer, Scott Hendricks, also is an Oklahoma native.
Vince Gill, who was born in Norman and grew up in Oklahoma City, also is nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for “Dear Hate,” his moving collaboration with Maren Morris. Morris earned two nods in the vocal event category, as she is also nominated for “Craving You,” her duet with Thomas Rhett.
Superstar performers
A 13-time ACM Award winner, Underwood will perform the world television premiere of her new single “Cry Pretty” on Sunday’s show.
The lineup also includes solo performances by Shelton, Lambert, Morris, Rhett, Dan + Shay, Darius Rucker, Chris Young, Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Midland and Brett Young.
The Academy of Country Music Awards will debut “ACM Flashbacks” to honor classic country music hits and the artists whose music continues to influence musicians and fans alike.
With this new feature, this year’s awards telecast will recognize three of country music’s hit songs from 1993, with Shelton teaming with fellow Oklahoman Toby Keith to perform Keith’s celebrated No. 1 debut single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” Alan Jackson and Jon Pardi performing Jackson’s ACM Award-winning hit “Chattahoochee,” and Reba and Kelly Clarkson performing Reba’s Grammy Award-winning hit “Does He Love You.”
Additional collaborations include Kane Brown and Alaina performing the multiplatinum hit “What Ifs,” Urban and Julia Michaels doing a duet on Urban’s new single “Coming Home,” and Bebe Rexha with Florida Georgia Line rolling out their chart-topper “Meant to Be.”
Presenters for the show include Sam Elliott (who will be in Oklahoma City to emcee the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's Western Heritage Awards with his wife, Katharine Ross), David Boreanaz, Drew Brees, AJ Buckley, Cam, Eve, Ashton Kutcher, Dustin Lynch, Nancy O’Dell, Rebecca Romijn, Max Thieriot and Lindsey Vonn.