SOURCE Academy of Country Music

Winners have been announced for the 50^th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, a star-studded ceremony broadcast LIVE tonight on the CBS Television Network from AT&T Stadium, Home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX. The Awards show moved to Texas for the first time ever in celebration of its 50^th Anniversary. Fans named Luke Bryan as Entertainer of the Year, the evening’s biggest honor and his second win in this category. The 50^th ACM Awards broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the Highest Attendance at an Awards Show Broadcast with a total of 70,252 fans in attendance.

Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Reba, George Strait, Taylor Swift, and Brooks & Dunnwere honored with the 50^th Anniversary Milestone Award and presented with an exclusive trophy designed by America’s premier jewelry and timepiece designer, David Yurman. Like the jewelry designs of David Yurman, this ACM trophy is a timeless piece of craftsmanship that will be treasured for a lifetime.

Jason Aldean won Male Vocalist of the Year for the third consecutive year. Aldean has won an overall total of eight ACM Awards.

Miranda Lambert won Female Vocalist of the Year for the sixth consecutive year, setting a new record for the most consecutive wins in that category.  Lambert also won Album of the Year for Platinum, and Song of the Year for “Automatic” as artist and songwriter, that made her the leading winner of the night with a total of four awards.

Little Big Town won Vocal Group of the Year award for the second time, making this their fourth overall ACM win.

Florida Georgia Line won Vocal Duo of the Year, marking their second win of the night after previously accepting the award for Vocal Event of the Year. They have won an overall total of five ACM Awards since 2012.

Cole Swindell won New Artist of the Year Presented by Kohl’s Department Stores, a fan-voted category. This award marks his first-ever ACM Award win.

Prior to the show, Florida Georgia Line won Vocal Event of the Year for “This Is How We Roll” featuring Luke Bryan, and Dierks Bentley won Video of the Year for “Drunk on a Plane.” The artists were surprised with the award on the red carpet during the LIVE ACM pre-show.

Additionally, GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ made several surprise presentations throughout the evening.Alabama has set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the Most Consecutive Wins as ACM Entertainer of the Year. Alabama was honored with the Academy’s most prestigious honor five years in a row between 1981 and 1985. Brooks & Dunn set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ titles for the Most Wins for ACM Vocal Duo of the Year, which they won 16 times, and Most Consecutive Wins for ACM Vocal Duo of the Year which they won eight times. Rascal Flatts has set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ titles for the Most Consecutive Wins for ACM Vocal Group of the Year and Most Wins for Vocal Group of the Year. The band won the award for both of these categories seven times in a row from 2002-2008.

Next year’s ACM Party for a Cause® Festival® will be bigger than ever. Extended to a three-night musical event on April 1^st-3^rd, the festival will take place in the heart of Las Vegas at the MGM Resorts Festival Grounds and feature two-time ACM Entertainer of the Year Carrie Underwood, two-time ACM award winner Dierks Bentley, and four-time ACM Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney. For more information go to ACMPartyforaCause.com. Tickets go on sale on April 27^th on Ticketmaster.com.

Following is the list of winners in the 11 categories voted on by the membership (excluding the Entertainer of the Year and New Artist categories, which were voted on by a combination of professional ACM members and fans):

Entertainer of the Year
Luke Bryan

Male Vocalist of the year
Jason Aldean

Female Vocalist of the year
Miranda Lambert

Vocal Duo of the year
Florida Georgia Line

Vocal Group OF THE YEAR
Little Big Town

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Cole Swindell

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Platinum – Miranda Lambert
Producers: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
Record Label: RCA Nashville

Single Record of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
I Don’t Dance – Lee Brice
Producer: Lee Brice
Record Label: Curb Records

Song of the Year [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
Automatic – Miranda Lambert
Songwriters: Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert
Publishers: EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI), Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Wruckestrike (BMI)

Video of the Year [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award)
Drunk On A Plane – Dierks Bentley
Director: Wes Edwards
Producer: Clarke Gallivan

Vocal Event of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]*(Off Camera Award)
This Is How We Roll – Florida Georgia Line Featuring Luke Bryan
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Label: Republic Nashville