It’s almost that time of year again!
On Friday, Feb. 26, the Academy of Country Music Awards announced the nominees for its 56th annual award show, with Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert leading the very talented pack.
The ceremony, which will be broadcast live on CBS April 18, is known for its signature hat trophy—not to be confused with the hat Pharrell Williams famously wore to the 2014 Grammy Awards. Think Taylor Swift pre-1989 or Dolly Parton during her “Jolene” era.
Needless to say, the world is an entirely different place since the ACM’s first started handing hats out in 1968. Looking back even to 2009, the country music community has come a long way. Back then, Carrie Underwood had taken home the ACM’s biggest prize of Entertainer of the Year to secure country music’s prestigious Triple-Crown Award.
In comparison, Swift had won Album of the Year for her chart-topping second studio album Fearless while Luke Bryan wouldn’t win Top New Artist until a year later.
