Chris Stapleton

2016 Academy of Country Music Awards: Newcomer Chris Stapleton Cleans Up

Sunday night, country music stars Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan stood in front of the (other) biggest names in the genre and hosted the annual Academy of Country Music Awards, one of the biggest prizes in the country music world. The duo did a perfectly fine job, bringing a new air of fun and brotherly camaraderie to the show.

It should come as no surprise to anybody who has been watching the country space for a while now that Chris Stapleton went home with the most hardware, as he is not only the biggest new act in the genre, but also a critical favorite. He ended up collecting four out of his five nominations, taking all but the Vocal Event of the Year. In fact, besides Stapleton, only Miranda Lambert was able to win more than one trophy last night.

This year, the Academy of Country Music Awards stepped out of just the country sphere when it came to performances, and there were some shockingly great showings during the ceremony. Sure, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, and Billy Gibbons did a great job with their rendition of “Tush”, but there was a lot more experimentation with new genres and artists that typically exist outside of country than the show has featured in the past. Dolly Parton performed with Katy Perry, Eric Church had everybody from David Bowie to Lemmy playing in the background for his set, and winners Little Big Town brought out jazz favorite Trombone Shorty to bring some swing to their staging of “Stay All Night”, all of which made for a spectacular program.

Here is the full list of winners from the 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards:

Entertainer of the Year – Jason Aldean

Male Vocalist of the Year – Chris Stapleton

Female Vocalist of the Year - Miranda Lambert

Vocal Duo of the Year – Florida Georgia Line

Vocal Group of the Year - Little Big Town

Album of the Year - Chris Stapleton – Traveller

Song of the Year – Chris Stapleton – “Nobody To Blame” – Chris Stapleton, Barry Bales, Ronnie Bowman

Songwriter of the Year - Ross Copperman

New Male Vocalist of the Year - Chris Stapleton

New Female Vocalist of the Year – Kelsea Ballerini

New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year – Old Dominion

Video of the Year – Eric Church – “Mr. Misunderstood”

Single Record of the Year - Thomas Rhett – “Die a Happy Man”

Vocal Event of the Year – Miranda Lambert – “Smokin’ and Drinkin’ (ft. Little Big Town)”