Reba McEntire is virtually synonymous with the Academy of Country Music Awards, having won 16 ACM Awards since 1986 and hosted or co-hosted the show 16 times. The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco will host the 59th Annual Awards Ceremony for the second consecutive year at the venue.
But she wonders if she would get a nomination if she started today.
“I doubt I’ll ever make it out of Oklahoma,” she said in a phone interview from Los Angeles, where she was preparing to tape the show sound, NBC series where she coaches.
“The level of confidence they have is astounding,” she said of today’s young singers. “It’s like they’ve been doing this their whole lives.”
Like fellow legend Dolly Parton, who co-hosted last year’s ACM A by-product of humble upbringing.
“I’m glad I started slow,” the 69-year-old singer said of her initial move to Nashville. “I had my No. 1 record from ’76 to ’83. I knew nothing about the industry, and I was taught and mentored by people around me. I wasn’t thrown into the deep end of the pool.
Slowly but surely, Reba became the country’s royalty and showbiz star.She has appeared in dozens of television shows and movies and has starred on Broadway Annie pick up your gun.
More than 40 years later, she still has fond memories of receiving her first trophies from the ACM and Country Music Awards (CMA).
“My mom and I have been waiting for this day for so long, hoping and praying that it would come true. I’m beyond excited!
Suffice to say, she disagrees with skeptics who think there are too many awards — ACMs, CMAs, CMTs, AMAs, Grammys, etc. — or those who dismiss the concept of competition in subjective art forms like music.
“I have always believed that award ceremonies are the best promotion and publicity,” she said. “Being nominated and being able to sing your own songs on TV is very good for one’s career, no matter what level you’re at.”
McEntire will debut an unreleased new song, “I Can’t,” which she describes as “a strong woman’s song” at the ACMs. Other performers announced so far include Texans Post Malone, Miranda Lambert, Cody Johnson and Parker McCollum, as well as Chris Stapleton, Jason Alden, Jay Leigh Roll and Kane Brown.
Brown, who is biracial, is one of the few artists of color to be nominated. (The other is country-gospel duo War & Treaty.) McEntire said she would be happy if country music could be more color-blind, echoing a growing number of voices since Beyoncé was released voice Cowboy Carter And said she “didn’t feel welcomed by country music tastemakers” in the past.
“You know what? I don’t care who’s singing or what color you are. Are they good? If they’re not, we’re not playing. But if it’s a good song and it’s a great singer, they’re Should be on the radio.
She noted that in 2022, she hired up-and-coming Black country singer Brittney Spencer to open for her show.
“I learned a lot from Reba, but she didn’t say anything,” Spencer told Washington post in January. “Even the etiquette of learning how to handle yourself or how to handle other people — artists like her play a big role.” Spencer said McEntire’s boyfriend, actor Rex Lynne, asked Reba to treat her interested in music.
The Nashville-based ACM has held its awards shows in Los Angeles or Las Vegas for most of its history. Thursday’s show brings the ACM back to the 12,000-seat Ford Center inside The Star, the headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys.
McEntire is no stranger to stars in blue and white. In 1997, she sang at the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving halftime show, and in 2009, she performed at the opening concert of the new Cowboys Stadium (now known as AT&T Stadium or “Jerryworld”).
She said her ACM opening monologue on The Star “is going to be fun” — just don’t expect her to make any quips about the Cowboys’ powerful owner.
“It’s not good. Jerry Jones and I are good friends,” she said. “I didn’t want to hurt his feelings at all.”
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The 59th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be held on Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at the Ford Center at The Star, 9 Stampede Road, Frisco. Tickets are at www.seatgeek.com. The show will be streamed exclusively on Prime Video (no membership is required to view the live stream.) Preview events include a benefit concert hosted by Parker Collum on May 15 at Topgolf (3760 Blair Oaks Dr., The Colony); 5 The free ACM Country Kickoff will be held at The Star on May 14th and 15th; and the ACM “Songs and Stories” concert will be held at The Star on May 15th. www.acmcountry.com
