The Arkansas Country Music Awards will return for its third year in 2020.
The now annual event will be held Monday, June 1 at the performing arts center on the Maumelle High School campus and nominations are being requested from the public.
Nominate your choice at www.arkansasmusic.org starting on Jan. 1, 2020 with the nominating period continuing for three weeks and ending on Jan. 21.
There’s 27 categories to choose from and among those are awards like Entertainer of the Year to a Print or Online outlet. AY Magazine was the 2019 winner in this category and unlikely to win again as rules stipulate that back-to-back year winners aren’t allowed.
There’s also rules to be eligible and they include:
>> Being born in Arkansas
>> Resided in Arkansas for an ample period of time
>> A solid, regular basis in Arkansas through live performances with those artists currently touring.
Among those honored in the previous two years include: Arkansas natives Collin Raye, Barbara Fairchild and Shawn Camp.
Lifetime achievement awards went to Conway Twitty, Patsy Montana, The Wilburn Brothers, Jimmy Driftwood and Kye Fleming in 2019. While 2018 honorees were Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, The Browns, Ed Bruce and Wayne Raney.
The event in 2019 was a star-studded affair as Ozark’s Lance Carpenter, who now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, was among those honored. Carpenter, a singer and songwriter, is signed to Toby Keith’s Show Dog Nashville label.
Carpenter’s first No. 1 song came in 2015 when he was co-writer for Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It.”
Carpenter’s latest song is, “Last Night in Memphis” and which he described as being about a cancer patient at St. Jude’s spending their last night there as, “they have won their battle with cancer.”
Carpenter was 2019’s Arkansas Country Artist of the Year and he said then, “I am honored and promise to do my very best to represent country music in my home state.”
For more on the event, go online to www.ArkansasMusic.org, while they also maintain a social media presence at:
Instagram.com/arkansascma
Facebook.com/arkansascma
Twitter.com/arkansascma
Linkedin.com/company/
Previous honorees
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
2019: Conway Twitty, Jimmy Driftwood, Kye Fleming, Patsy Montana, The Wilburn Brothers
2018: Ed Bruce, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, The Browns, Wayne Raney
ENTERTAINER
2019: Phil McGarrah & Runnin’ on Empty
2018: The Zac Dunlap Band
AMERICANA / ROOTS
2019: Bonnie Montgomery
2018: Bonnie Montgomery
BLUEGRASS
2019: Runaway Planet
2018: The Keisler Brothers Band
COUNTRY ARTIST
2019: Lance Carpenter
2018: Cory Jackson
INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST
2019: Joanne Cash
2018: Heaven’s Echoes
FEMALE VOCALIST
2019: Erin Enderlin
2018: Bonnie Montgomery
MALE VOCALIST
2019: Blane Howard
2018: Blane Howard
ACOUSTIC ACT
2019: Heath Sanders
2018: Caleb Ryan Martin
VOCAL GROUP
2019: The Reeves Brothers
2018: The Zac Dunlap Band
ALBUM
2019: “Unbroken” by Joanne Cash; produced by Chad Randall Crow
2018: “Whiskeytown Crier” by Erin Enderlin
SONG
2019: “World Without Willie” written by Erin Endlerin, Alex Kline, Leslie Satcher and Tara Thompson. performed by Erin Enderlin
2018: “Arkansas’ Mine” written by Zac Dunlap, performed by The Zac Dunlap Band
SONGWRITER
2019: Erin Enderlin
2018: Erin Enderlin
MUSIC PRODUCER
2019: Jon Raney
2018: Randy Loyd
SOUND ENGINEER
2019: Bryce Roberts
2018: Jon Raney
PROMOTER
2019: Keith Symanowitz
2018: J.R. Rogers
VIDEO
2019: “Back Home in Arkansas” by Joanne Cash. directed by Chad Randall Crow
2018: “Arkansas’ Mine” by The Zac Dunlap Band
RADIO STATION
2019: KDXY “The Fox” Jonesboro
2018: KSSN of Little Rock
RADIO DJ
2019: Del Hughes of KWCK, Searcy
2018: Bob Robbins of KMJX, Little Rock
PUBLICATION
2019: AY Magazine
2018: Arkansas Living
VENUE
2019: Jimmy Doyle Country, Little Rock
2018: Ozark Folk Center, Mountain View
YOUNG ARTIST
2019: Bree Ogden
2018: Cam Shelton
BASSIST
2019: Doug DeForest
2018: Jimmy Young
DRUMMER
2019: David O’Neal
2018: Doobie Bowie
FIDDLER
2019: Tim Crouch
2018: Melody Hart
GUITARIST
2019: Steve Davison
2018: Randall George
STEEL/DOBRO PLAYER
2019: Garland Harris
2018: Steve Matlock
Image courtesy of Erin Enderlin