The 51st Annual ACM Awards: Who SHOULD Win And Who WILL Win

     Tonight is the 51st showing of the Academy of Country Music Awards.  The Academy was originally started to give recognition to non-Nashville artists like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, but has since evolved into to the same boot-licking parade that the CMA Awards seem to be.  There is already an overcrowded amount of award shows in country music, so the weight of these accomplishments is significantly diminished.  The CMA Awards will always be the most prestigious and most meaningful, and the ACM Awards have settled into their number two spot.  This year, Luke Bryan returns to co-host. However, his former co-host Blake Shelton has been replaced with Dierks Bentley.  In all honesty, Luke was the one who needed replaced.  He lacks the charisma for a live event that came natural for Blake.  It will be interesting to see how Dierks handles the challenge.  There are a slew of performances this year, even more than usual.  The usual suspects such as Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Florida-Georgia Line will perform.  New artists such as Chris Stapelton, Kelsea Ballerini, and Cam will also perform.  Nick Jonas, Katy Perry, and Billy Gibbons of ZZTop will perform as well, because screw country music, that's why.  Although Katy Perry will be with Dolly Parton, so there is some hope there.  And ZZTop is awesome... but this is a country music award show.  Let's get to the picks for the night!

The 49th Annual CMA Awards: Who SHOULD Win And Who WILL Win

   The 49th Annual CMA Awards will be held on Wednesday, November 4th at 8:00 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Once again, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will team up to take care of the hosting duties.  A CMA Award is the among the highest honors in country music.  The CMA Awards have always carried more relevance and weight than the ACM Awards or any of the other five hundred country award shows these days.  This year will once again feature many performances from artists outside of the genre, as country music continues to apologize for being country.  John Mellencamp, Fall Out Boy, Justin Timberlake, and Sam Hunt will all grace the stage, despite not actually being country artists.  Meanwhile real country talent like Sturgill Simpson, Courtney Patton, and The Turnpike Troubadours will watch (or not) from home.  Despite the carpetbagging performances and some questionable nominees, there are a lot of positives about this show.  Chris Stapleton is performing with Timberlake, so it may not be half bad.  He also saw a slew of well deserved nominations go his way.  Willie and Merle were nominated.  Hank Williams Jr will take the stage.  Maddie & Tae continue to surge towards the top.  It has potential to still be a decent show.  Below you will find a complete list of who is nominated for each category, who I think SHOULD win, and who I think WILL win.  Happy watching, folks!

The 50th Annual ACM Awards: Who SHOULD Win and Who WILL Win

     The 50th Annual ACM Awards will be taking place on Sunday, April 19 in Dallas, Texas. The ACM Awards have been under intense scrutiny the past few years, as the legitimacy of the awards has been called into question due to inconsistent criteria for awards and the implementation of fan voting for major awards. Frankly, the ACM Awards are the little brother to the CMA Awards, so they are trying to pump life and excitement into the show. Look no farther than the eyebrow raising performers list that includes Christina Aguilera and Nick Jonas. Bringing in pop stars to apologize for being country is nothing new, but it seems to be more and more egregious each year. I feel shortly we will see Wiz Khalifa debut his new single on the ACM or CMA Awards. Fortunately, while we will have to put up with out of place pop stars and country wannabes like Sam Hunt and Cole Swindell, we will get some good performances from Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and a Brooks & Dunn reunion. It is also possible that Garth Brooks will be lip-syncing his performance. So, there’s a decent chance the ACM Awards will be a train wreck. However, we will still all probably rubberneck to see the disaster. Without further ado, here are my picks for who SHOULD win and who WILL win at the 50th Annual ACM Awards.

The 48th Annual CMA Awards: Who SHOULD Win and Who WILL Win

     This Wednesday, November 5th, the 48th annual CMA Awards will take place. The Country Music Association is widely recognized as the biggest honor among country music awards. While many debate the merit of the awarding process, few will deny that a CMA Award is one of the crowning achievements of a country music career. This year’s show will be once again hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, and will once again be broadcast on ABC. There are many performances scheduled, including some head-scratching pop guests, Ariana Grande and Megan Trainor. For the third straight year, Keep It Country Kids has your complete nominees and predictions guide. Keep It Country Kids proudly presents: The 48th Annual CMA Awards: Who SHOULD Win and Who WILL Win.

Garth Brooks is Back! Now What?

     On September 4, 2014, Garth Brooks will play the first date of his highly anticipated comeback tour in Chicago, Illinois.  Garth Brooks stepped away from the music industry a number of years ago, and, apart from a few flare-ups here and there, he has kept to his word of staying off the radar until his daughter graduated high school.  Garth has been playing it smart: first with a series of shows in Las Vegas that culminated in a live national television event to get his name back in the headlines.  He then released Blame It All On My Roots, a box set of albums that focused on all of Garth's musical influences, and also featured his greatest hits and a concert DVD of his Wynn Las Vegas production.  Yes, Garth is coming back full swing, but what can we expect from the former leading male in country music?  The country music world has changed so much in the years since Garth left that its hard to believe this is the same genre he once reigned over.  But, I have faith that Garth will not only keep his music grounded, he will right some wrongs with traditional fans and bring some real country music back to the spotlight.

The 49th Annual ACM Awards: Who SHOULD Win and Who WILL Win

     The 49th edition of the Academy of Country Music Awards will take place tonight from Las Vegas.  Vegas is as fitting as a venue as any for this show, as the ACMs typically are all flash and lack substance compared to the CMAs.  While the this particular awards show always wreaked of corruption and politics, it has boiled to a head this year.  The leader in the New Artist of The Year category is clearly not eligible by the ACMs own rules, one of the nominees for Duo of the Year has barely even made a dent on radio, and one of the nominees for song of the year is over 2 years old.  Tack on performances by many outside of country music such as Shakira, Sheryl Crow, and Stevie Nicks, the lackluster country list of performers, and the fact that nobody is clear on how the voting process of some awards even works (do fan votes actually get counted? Nobody knows) and this has the potential to be a stinker of a show.  But, Merle Haggard is getting a tribute, and Kacey Musgraves and George Strait have a chance to let traditional country be well represented if they pull off a few wins, so it has potential to be a decent night as well.  Now, on to the predictions!

The 47th Annual CMA Awards: Who WILL Win and Who SHOULD Win

      The 47th Annual CMA Awards will take place on Wednesday, November 6, 2014.  The CMAs are the highest honor in country music, winning places you along the likes of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, George Strait, and many other legends of country music. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood return to host.  Brad and Carrie usually do a solid job of picking on artists through their entertaining monologues, and keeping up with fresh topics and touching on some country music history as well.  It is surprising that Brad is hosting despite not gaining a single nomination.  Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves lead the pack of  nominees.  There will always be shocks, surprises, and unforgettable moments.... Now, on to the predictions!

Old Crow Medicine Show Invited To Join The Grand Ole Opry

      Old Crow Medicine Show played a concert in Cleveland, Ohio at the State Theater on Friday, August 16, 2013.  Yours truly was in attendance in the front row dead center.  The boy put on a rip-roaring bluegrass, country, and folk spectacle that was well worth the price of admission.  Near the end of the show, however, we learned that this night would be a very special one for the Old Crow boys and everyone in the audience.

2013 ACM Awards: Who SHOULD Win and Who WILL Win

     This Sunday, the Academy of Country Music will hand out their awards for 2013.  Eric Church leads the way with 7 nominees, followed by Hunter Hayes with 6, and Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift with 5 a piece.  Blake Shelton returns to host, with Luke Bryan taking over the female co-host role for Reba.  How fitting.  All kidding aside, it does say something about the current state of country music that two males are co-hosting.  Despite recent pushes from the ladies like Miranda, Carrie, and Taylor, and huge albums this year from Holly Williams, Kacey Musgraves, and Ashley Monroe, it's still a male dominated world.  Anyway, I always have considered the ACMs important, but not as legit as the CMAs.  An award is an award, but this show is always second fiddle in my book.  On with the nominees!!!

A Reaction to Blake Shelton's "Old Farts and Jackasses" Comment

     Unless you are living under a rock, by now you have heard of Blake Shelton discussing his role as Male Vocalist of the Year that has offended many classic and traditional country music fans. If you haven't, I will summarize below. What do these comments mean? A slip of the tongue? A bad choice of words? A giant mistake? A completely false and stupid statement? Yes.

The 46th Annual CMA Awards: Who Will Win, and Who SHOULD Win

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the 46th Annual CMA awards on Thursday, November 1.  The CMAs are the cream of the crop in an overloaded country music award circle.  CMAs hold more weight than an ACM, and certainly hold more weight than the gimmicky ACAs and CMT awards.  Every year there are shocks and snubs, and I'm sure this year will be no different.  Without further ado, here is your official Keep It Country Kids CMA preview.