Luke Bryan is the lead nominee for this year’s American Country Awards (ACAs) with seven, including the night’s top honor, Artist of the Year. Lady Antebellum (along with the Zac Brown Band) are next with six nominations apiece, while Eric Church (and Taylor Swift) took five nods each.
Luke’s nominations include Male Artist, Album (tailgates & tanlines), Single and Video of the Year for “I Don’t Want This Night to End.”
Joining Luke on Album of the Year are Eric Church’s Chief, Lady A’s Own the Night, Dierks Bentley’s Home and Blake Shelton’s Red River Blue. Church is also nominated for Male and Touring Artist of the Year. “Drink in My Hand” gets nominated as Single of the Year, while “Springsteen” gets a nomination for Song of the Year. Lady A’s categories also include overall Artist of the Year, Group, Music Video and Touring Artist of the Year, among others. Keith Urban picks up a pair of nominations for Video of the Year for his poignant “For You,” while Little Big Town gets a nod for Group Video of the Year for their first chart-topper, “Pontoon.”
The third annual ACA Awards will air live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas December 10th at 8pm ET (PT delayed) on FOX. Voting is open now on the show’s website here.
Artist of the Year:
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Lady Antebellum
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band
Artist of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Eric Church
Toby Keith
Artist of the Year: Female
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Artist of the Year: Group
The Band Perry
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Lee Brice
Colt Ford
Gloriana
Justin Moore
Jake Owen
Artist of the Year: New Artist
Lauren Alaina
Hunter Hayes
Jana Kramer
Kip Moore
Pistol Annies
Album of the Year
Dierks Bentley – Home
Luke Bryan – tailgates & tanlines
Eric Church – Chief
Lady Antebellum – Own the Night
Blake Shelton – Red River Blue
Single of the Year
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town”
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Eric Church, “Drink In My Hand”
Chris Young, “You”
Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me In Mind”
Single of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town”
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Kenny Chesney, “Reality”
Eric Church, “Drink In My Hand”
Chris Young, “You”
Single of the Year: Female
Sara Evans, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”
Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
Taylor Swift, “Ours”
Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl”
Single of the Year: Group
Eli Young Band, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”
Lady Antebellum, “We Owned The Night”
Rascal Flatts, “Banjo”
The Band Perry, “All Your Life”
Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me In Mind”
Single of the Year: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”
Jana Kramer, “Why Ya Wanna”
Dustin Lynch, “Cowboys and Angels”
Kip Moore, “Somethin’ ’Bout A Truck”
The Farm, “Home Sweet Home”
Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Lee Brice, “A Woman Like You”
Brantley Gilbert, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do”
Gloriana, “(Kissed You) Good Night”
David Nail, “Let It Rain”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”
Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
Kix Brooks featuring Joe Walsh, “New To This Town”
Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, “Feel Like A Rock Star”
Brad Paisley featuring Carrie Underwood, “Remind Me”
Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield, “Easy”
Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffett, “Knee Deep”
Touring Artist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
Eric Church
Toby Keith
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band
Jason Aldean
Music Video of the Year
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”
Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You”
Keith Urban, “For You”
Chris Young, “You”
Music Video: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”
Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You”
Keith Urban, “For You”
Chris Young, “You”
Music Video: Female
Sara Evans, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”
Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
Taylor Swift, “Ours”
Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl”
Music Video: Group or Collaboration
Gloriana, “(Kissed You) Good Night”
Lady Antebellum, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”
Little Big Town, “Pontoon”
Love and Theft, “Angel Eyes”
The Band Perry, “All Your Life”
Music Video: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”
Casey James, “Let’s Don’t Call It A Night”
Jana Kramer, “Why You Wanna”
Dustin Lynch, “Cowboys and Angels”
Kip Moore, “Somethin’ ’Bout A Truck”
Song of the Year
Trace Adkins, “Just Fishin’” (Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell and Ed Hill)
Jason Aldean, “Fly Over States,” (Michael Dulaney and Neil Thrasher)
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town” (Michael Dulaney, Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher)
Lee Brice, “A Woman Like You” (Phil Barton, Johnny Bulford and Jon Stone)
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You And Tequila” (Matraca Berg and Deana Carter)
Ronnie Dunn, “Cost of Livin’” (Phillip Coleman and Ronnie Dunn)
Eli Young Band, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” (Will Hoge and Eric Paslay)
Toby Keith, “Red Solo Cup” (Brett Beavers, Jim Beavers, Brad Warren and Brett Warren)
Eric Church, “Springsteen” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell)
Tim McGraw, “Better Than I Used to Be” (Ashley Gorley& Bryan Simpson)
AUDIO: Luke Bryan says his ACA-nominated album, tailgates & tanlines, is more than just a collection of party songs.
Luke Bryan (more than a party) OC: …live shows. :26
“I think it has serious stuff too. It’s a deeper deal too than just a party. I mean, I think what’s important to be able to do those fun songs but then to hit fans with a big thought song that really gets ‘em. People want to come and have a good time and I think that what you need to do with your albums. You can’t overload your album with it but you certainly need it for the live show and want it to happen in the live shows.”
AUDIO: Eric Church explains what his ACA-nominated song, “Springsteen,” means to him.
Eric Church (Springsteen) OC: …my favorites. :44
“The interesting thing about this song is it has probably less to do with [Bruce] Springsteen than it is about what’s happening at this amphitheater up on the lawn. I had this experience. If you’ve had this experience, no matter whether you stay together or don’t stay together, when you hear that person’s music whether it’s Springsteen or anybody else, you always think of the person you were with at that show. And I have that. I just thought it was an interesting story about two people falling in love at a concert, and for the rest of their life that’s the soundtrack. That artist is the soundtrack to their love, to that time. I just love that. It makes me feel 17 again every time I hear it, and I think that other people feel the same way. It’s just a track that I’m very, very proud of. It might be my favorite on the record. I mean, I go back and forth between a couple, but that’s one of my favorites.”
AUDIO: Lady A’s Hillary Scott talks about their song “Dancin’ Away With My Heart,” which is up for Group Music Video of the Year for this year’s ACA Awards.
Lady A (Dancin’ Away With My Heart-Hillary) OC: …song’s about. :31
“The first dance I ever went to, I was in second grade in elementary school. It was like for an hour after school or whatever. I can see what my seventh grade boyfriend, you know, I can still picture him and what his name was, and all these things; then I think about prom and homecomings and all of that. I think everyone has that person whether they were technically in a relationship with them or not, or just if they had a secret huge crush on them, that they remember in high school, and wonder what they look like, what they’re doing, how they are, and that’s what that song’s about.”
