Early winners of 2012 ACM Awards announced – Alan, Kenny, Vince, Dwight get props

The Academy of Country Music has announced the 2012 winners of awards that will not be broadcast on the April 1 broadcast. The winners include some of the most influential country artists of the last 50 years including Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Kenny Chesney, and Ricky Skaggs.

Four-time Entertainer of the Year, Kenny Chesney, is being honoured with the Crystal Milestone Award. The country superstar is one of the biggest touring acts in the world, having sold more than 10,500,000 tickets on his 11 national tours. His successful shows have promoted the entire genre to delighted fans while helping other country acts and cross-over artists gain exposure worldwide. The Academy is honoring Kenny for this remarkable achievement.

Past recipients of the Crystal Milestone Award include Garth Brooks and Jennifer Nettles.

One of the most honored country artists ever, Vince Gill, has picked up yet another trophy.  This time Vince is the recipient of the 2012 ACM Career Achievement Award.  The trophy is presented to an artist who “advanced the popularity and acceptance of country music through their endeavors in the entertainment industry in multiple areas during the preceding calendar year.”

Vince Gill returned to the country scene in 2011 with an great new album, Guitar Slinger, and the enthusiastic response proved that he had been missed. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean proclaimed an official Vince Gill Week in conjunction with the album’s release. Gill also served as Grand Marshal of Nashville’s Christmas parade. In addition, Gill and wife, singer Amy Grant graced the cover of Good Housekeeping, while Sting shared the stage with him on an acclaimed CMT Crossroads. Meanwhile, the Country Music Hall of Fame member appeared on multiple talk shows and earned a Grammy nod for ‘Threaten Me With Heaven.’

Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include John Anderson, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Johnny Paycheck, Carl Perkins, Reba and Kenny Rogers.

Emmylou Harris, Billy Sherrill, Ricky Skaggs and Dwight Yoakam have been chosen to receive the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award honoring individuals who are pioneers in the country music genre.

Emmylou Harris brought a graceful delivery, beautiful harmonies, and a wealth of exceptional material to her career in country music. Harris was discovered at a nightclub in Washington D.C., then provided her signature vocals to Gram Parsons’ seminal recordings. On her own, she arrived on the country charts in 1975. Over the next decade, she racked up 21 Top 10 singles, including five No. 1 hits. The Trio album with talented friends Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt earned the 1987 ACM Award for Album of the Year. Harris was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

Billy Sherrill produced many of country’s most famous names and wrote numerous classics throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The Alabama native joined Epic Records in 1964, where his credits as both a producer and songwriter included David Houston’s “Almost Persuaded,” Charlie Rich’s ‘The Most Beautiful Girl’ and Tammy Wynette’s ‘Stand By Your Man.’ He also served as a producer on George Jones’ ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ (which earned Sherrill an ACM Award for Producer of the Year), as well as Johnny Paycheck’s ‘She’s All I Got’ and Tanya Tucker’s ‘Delta Dawn.’ He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010.

Ricky Skaggs energized country music in the 1980s by taking his traditional sound in a lively new direction. Over that decade, the Kentucky native charted 19 Top 10 singles, including 11 No. 1 hits. Rather than writing his material, he gathered first-rate songs by the likes of Guy Clark, Bill Monroe, Webb Pierce, and Cindy Walker. He was named the ACM’s 1981 Top New Male Vocalist and received five ACM Awards for Touring Band of the Year. Since that time, Skaggs has focused on bluegrass music and now leads one of the most respected ensembles in the genre.

Dwight Yoakam captured the imagination of traditionalists and new listeners alike by giving hillbilly music a modern twist. Born in Kentucky but based in Los Angeles, Yoakam debuted with a twangy cover of Johnny Horton’s ‘Honky Tonk Man,’ which led him to the ACM’s 1986 Top New Male Vocalist trophy. In all, Yoakam landed 14 Top 10 hits – some he wrote (‘I Sang Dixie’) and others he revived (Elvis Presley’s ‘Little Sister’). Along with acclaimed albums and music videos, Yoakam proudly partnered with Buck Owens on the endearing 1988 duet, ‘Streets of Bakersfield.’ He remains active in music and film.

Past recipients of the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award include Alabama, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Jerry Reed, Tex Ritter, Marty Robbins, Kenny Rogers, Mel Tillis, Randy Travis, Conway Twitty, Porter Wagoner, Hank Williams, Sr., and Bob Wills, among others.

Alan Jackson has been chosen to receive the Jim Reeves International Award, which is presented to an individual for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world.

Alan Jackson’s down-home music and laid back personality have translated well internationally. He played for eager audiences in Sweden and Norway in August 2011, brought back by popular demand following his 2009 shows. Jackson’s album, Good Time, has also earned platinum sales in Norway. Jackson also toured Australia for the first time in March 2011. He’ll play four arena shows in Canada in April 2012, as well as a summer concert, July 14, at the Craven Country Jamboree in Craven, Saskatchewan.  Check out Alan’s Canadian tour dates on our tour page here. Jackson won his first ACM Award as 1990’s Top New Male Vocalist, an honor that coincided with career-building tour dates in the UK and Germany.

Past recipients of the Jim Reeves International Award include Garth Brooks, Dick Clark, Roy Clark, Merv Griffin, Charlie Nagatani, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban, among others.