Finalists for the 2016 American Country Countdown Awards were announced today. Luke Bryan leads the nominees with seven nods, including the night’s biggest honor, Artist of the Year. Sam Hunt has five, while Thomas Rhett and Zac Brown Band each have four.

The American Country Countdown Awards are based on country music’s longest-running radio countdown show, “American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks,” which has recognized the best in country radio for more than 40 years. This year’s host and additional performers and presenters will be announced soon.

The 2016 American Country Countdown Awards will air live from the Forum in Los Angeles, California May 1^st at 8pm ET/PT delayed on FOX. (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. Tickets for the American Country Countdown Awards at the Forum are on sale now atwww.ticketmaster.com.
ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Blake Shelton

Florida Georgia Line

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Sam Hunt 

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Blake Shelton

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Sam Hunt

Thomas Rhett

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Cam

Carrie Underwood

Jana Kramer

Kelsea Ballerini

Miranda Lambert
GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR

A Thousand Horses

Dan + Shay

Florida Georgia Line

Old Dominion

Zac Brown Band
BREAKTHROUGH MALE OF THE YEAR

Chris Janson

Michael Ray

Sam Hunt

BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE OF THE YEAR

Cam

Jana Kramer

Kelsea Ballerini

BREAKTHROUGH GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR

A Thousand Horses

Dan + Shay

Old Dominion

SONG OF THE YEAR

“Stay A Little Longer” – Brothers Osborne

“Home Alone Tonight” – Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild

“Strip It Down” – Luke Bryan

“Die A Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett

“Homegrown” – Zac Brown Band

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

“Storyteller” – Carrie Underwood

“Traveller” – Chris Stapleton

“Kill the Lights” – Luke Bryan

“Montevallo” – Sam Hunt

“Jekyll + Hyde” – Zac Brown Band

DIGITAL SONG OF THE YEAR

“Girl Crush” – Little Big Town

“Kick The Dust Up” – Luke Bryan

“Die A Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett

DIGITAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

“Anything Goes” – Florida Georgia Line

“Montevallo” – Sam Hunt

“Tangled Up” – Thomas Rhett

TOURING ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Garth Brooks

Kenny Chesney

Luke Bryan

Shania Twain

Zac Brown Band

AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS finalists and winners for all categories are based on radio airplay charts, sales and streaming data from April 1, 2015 to March 28, 2016 provided by BuzzAngle Music. Touring data is from Pollstar “The Concert Hotwire.” The NASH Icon Award is chosen by The American Country Countdown.

Chris Stapleton teamed up with Ram Trucks and the ACMs to journey back home in his Ram Truck to his high school in Paintsville, Kentucky. He performed a pair of concerts and left the students and community with something to build on…in the hometown that built him. Directed by rock-star photographer and director, Danny Clinch.

Chris, whose single “Nobody to Blame” won the ACM Song of the Year, left Las Vegas with six total awards, including Male Vocalist, New Male Vocalist and Album of the Year for Traveller.

Cabela’s and country music superstar and Cabela’s ambassador Luke Bryan announced the superstar’s 32 Bridge clothing line will expand to offer a new collection of apparel inspired by his new single, “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day.” The new apparel line, named HFE, will be available exclusively at Cabela’s and debuted this past Friday (April 1st).

The HFE collection will offer both men’s and women’s apparel, including short-sleeve T-shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts, caps and more. It will be offered online at www.cabelas.com, by phone at (800) 237-4444 and at select Cabela’s retail stores.

“I grew up hunting, fishing and loving the outdoors in Lee County, Georgia,” said Bryan. “No matter where you may be from, my hope is that living the HFE lifestyle will make you feel complete. My song ‘Huntin, Fishin and Lovin Every Day’ embodies who I am as a person and an artist and I want to share that with all my fans and those who share my love for the outdoors.”

Cabela’s and Bryan collaborated to design and create the 32 Bridge clothing line to appeal to country music fans and outdoor enthusiasts. Bryan drew inspiration for the collection from his childhood home near Route 32 Bridge in Lee County, Georgia and his passion for the outdoors. The new HFE assortment expands on that inspiration and passion for the outdoors.

For additional information about Cabela’s partnership with Luke Bryan, 32 Bridge products and Cabela’s locations offering 32 Bridge, visit www.cabelas.com/32bridge.

Little Big Town picked up a pair of ACM Awards, including Vocal Group of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for “Smokin’ and Drinkin’” with Miranda Lambert.

The group also performed “Stay All Night” from their album, Pain Killer.

Chris Stapleton ended up with SIX awards at this year’s ACM Awards as both artist, producer and songwriter. The truckload of awards include Album of the Year for Traveller (as both artist and producer), Song of the Year for “Nobody to Blame” (artist and songwriter), Male Vocalist of the Year and New Male Vocalist of the Year.

Luke Bryan premiered the video for his latest hit single, “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” on VEVO Sunday night (April 3rd). Many friends and family members, including his wife Caroline and his children as well as his Buck Commander friends, appear in the clip, which shows the superstar “lovin’ every day!” Check it out here or below.

UMG ACM Winners so far include Chris Stapleton, who picked up the Song of the Year honors for his current single, “Nobody to Blame,” along with his co-writers Barry Bales and Ronnie Bowman.

Congrats go to Little Big Town, who were surprised with the Vocal Event of the Year award for “Smokin’ and Drinkin’” with Miranda Lambert.

“LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 02: ACM board member Darin Murphy (L) and musician Darius Rucker attend the 2016 ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and Cocoa Crate at the TPC Summerlin on April 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp)”

“LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 02: Musician Darius Rucker attends the 2016 ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic presented by G. Debbas Chocolatier and Cocoa Crate at the TPC Summerlin on April 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp)”

Darius Rucker hosted the ACM Lifting Lives® Golf Classic at TPC Las Vegas for the fifth consecutive year on Saturday (April 2nd). The ACM Lifting Lives® Golf Classic—the tenth held since 2004—brought together country music artistsHudson Moore and Drake White as well as other members of the music community in a scramble tournament to raise funds and awareness for ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which provides immediate relief to those in need in the music industry.

The ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic took place in conjunction with “The Week Vegas Goes Country®,” leading up to the 51^ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS­, , co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, that will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Below please find links to download photos from the event, and the link to the ACM EPK. If you have any questions, or would like additional information/photos, please don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you in advance for considering coverage of this event!

ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Through partnerships with artists and strong ties in the music industry, ACM Lifting Lives develops and funds music-related therapy and education programs, and serves members of the community who face unexpected hardships through its Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. Through generous donations and the support of artists and fans, ACM Lifting Lives is able to fund everything from disaster relief and helping communities in need, to music education in schools and music camps for those with disabilities and supporting programs that use music therapy as a means to help our veterans and wounded warriors ease back into life.  For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.

David Nail was invited to perform the national anthem at the Arizona Diamondbacks 2016 Opening Day game at Chase Field on Monday (April 4TH) as part of a series of special pregame events. The Diamondbacks host the Colorado Rockies at 6:40pm (local time).

2016 Opening Day festivities, as released by the Diamondbacks today, include:

• Louisville Silver Slugger Award presentation to Paul Goldschmidt
• Wilson Defensive Player of the Year (First Base) award presentation to Goldschmidt
• Rawlings Gold Glove Award presentations to Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock
• Ceremonial first pitch by Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
• National anthem sung by Grammy-nominated recording artist David Nail
• Flyover by two F-35s from the 62nd Fighter Squadron’s “Spikes” from Luke Air Force Base at the conclusion of the anthem

  About David Nail: MCA Nashville and Grammy-nominated recording artist David Nail, considered to have one of the most distinct and powerful voices in country music today, landed on many BEST OF lists including Rolling Stone Country, NPR, iTunes and Billboard with his third album “I’m A Fire.” The album’s first single, “Whatever She’s Got,” was a No. 1 certified PLATINUM hit and was named one of the Top 3 country songs by Billboard. His current single “Night’s On Fire,” from the upcoming new album, “Fighter,” is already in Top 25 and climbing the country singles charts.

On Saturday Night (April 2nd), Dierks Bentley headlined the second night of the 4th ACM Party for a Cause® Festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The three-day event continued with an all-star lineup of performers on the Ram Trucks Main Stage including Chris Stapleton, Frankie Ballard, Lee Brice, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch and Chris Young.
Highlights from the second day and night included:

• Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelly and Eric Paslay joined headliner Dierks Bentley on stage to perform Kelley’s debut solo single, “The Driver.”
• Chris Stapleton performed a duet with his wife, Morgane, as the sunset over the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.
• ACM CEO Bob Romeo presented Chris Stapleton with his ACM Award for New Male Artist of the Year

The morning kicked off with the ACM & Cabela’s Celebrity Tic-Tac-Toe Archery Tournament. Cabela’s Ambassadors Luke Bryan and Justin Moore returned to host the fan-favorite event held at the Cabela’s Stage at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Country music stars Luke Bryan, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Justin Moore, Eric Paslay, Chris Rice, and Granger Smith, former MLB player Adam LaRoche, plus Cabela’s pro staff Wade Middleton and Kristy Titus participated in the archery tournament featuring Cabela’s state-of-the-art archery equipment.

“LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 02: Singers Justin Moore (L) and Luke Bryan attend Cabela’s & Academy of Country Music Celebrity Archery Tournament during the 4th ACM Party for a Cause Festival at at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on April 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for ACM)”

“LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 02: Singers Justin Moore (L) and Luke Bryan attend Cabela’s & Academy of Country Music Celebrity Archery Tournament during the 4th ACM Party for a Cause Festival at at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on April 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for ACM)”

o   HIGHLIGHTS:

• Team Luke and Team Justin competing head-to-head for the trophy:
• Team Luke included country music artists Chris Janson, Chase Rice, and Granger Smith plus Cabela’s pro staffer Wade Middleton.
• Team Justin included artists Dustin Lynch, Eric Paslay, former MLB player Adam LaRoche and Cabela’s Pro Staffer Kristy Titus. Country artist Lucas Hoge and bow hunting athlete Cameron Hanes also competed at the event during half-time.
• Team Luke was leading the competition when host Storme Warren suggested that Luke and Justin make a sudden death deal: the two artists shoot one last game of tic-tac-toe and whoever wins would take home the trophy. In spite of Team Luke’s commanding lead, Justin surprised the crowd with a victory!

On Sunday (April 3rd), Kenny Chesney will close out the festival with a full set after his performance on the 51st ACM Awards. Earlier in the evening, Brett Eldredge, Sam Hunt, Kip Moore, Chase Rice and Old Dominion will perform on the Ram Trucks Main Stage.

The Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena Sunday at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.