With the 60th Annual ACM Awards just a few days away, it’s always fun to take a walk down memory lane and look back at some of the most memorable moments from years past. To be honest, there’s really not all that many of them…
We recently took a look back at Miranda Lambert’s 2019 Oklahoma shade towards Blake Shelton during a performance of “Little Red Wagon,” Alan Jackson’s legendary drumstick protest, Rascal Flatts lip synching and many, many more.
And today, we’re taking it back to good ol’ 2009 and a longtime friend to the country music world. One of Texas’ finest… Mr. Matthew McConaughey. But first, let’s set the stage a little bit. If you remember that ol’ Kenny Chesney song “Out Last Night,” there’s a line in there that goes a little something like this:
“I was a doctor, a lawyer, a senator’s son, Brad Pitt’s brother, and a man on the run, anything I thought would get the job done.”
The truth is, we’ve probably have all been guilty of stretching the truth a time or two… hundred. I mean let’s be honest, saying “I’m an associate at a real estate firm” or “I sell insurance” isn’t exactly going to have the ladies lining up outside your bedroom door, but most of us live relatively boring, average lives. And thanks to the plots in movies or songs, we get a little… insecure at times, and aren’t exactly confident in just being ourselves. Sometimes you want to impress them, and sometimes… you’re just bored.
Guys do it, girls do it, we’ve all done it… even the great Matthew McConaughey did it way back in 1987.
At the 2009 ACM Awards, McConaughey told the story about how he and his brother met a couple ladies at a Dwight Yoakam concert in 1987. And when they asked the McConaughey brothers what they do for a living, they said without hesitation:
“We have an exclusive contract with George Strait, we custom make his boots. As a matter of fact, out in the parking lot in the trunk of our white Corvette, we have next year’s new edition, white Ostrich quill, George Strait signed series that he’s gonna wear on tour.”
Naturally, the ladies wanted to see those boots, and needless to say… they, as McConaughey put it, obliged.
“We got lucky that night, thank you George.”
To be fair, pulling a stunt like that was a lot easier in 1987, before the internet was readily available right there in your pocket, and the truth of any wild claims could be revealed with the quick press of a button. Hell, a lot of things were a lot easier in 1987… before the social media age. But even a stud like Matthew McConaughey proved that sometimes you just gotta embellish a little bit to close the deal.
It was a rather hilarious moment, especially with King George sitting right there in the crowd. Even Carrie Underwood, who took home the ACM Entertainer of the Year award later that night, wanted to see those boots…
“I don’t know what to say… I wanna see those boots Matthew.”
And even though Carrie said she was kidding… the crowd ROARED.
McConaughey also starred in Trisha Yearwood’s “Walkaway Joe” music video back in the early ’90s.
As well as Jamey Johnson’s “Playing The Part” video in 2010:
2025 ACM Awards Nominees
We have Ella Langley leading the pack with a whopping eight nominations and Morgan Wallen is sitting right behind her with seven nods, including a deserved Entertainer of the Year. Texas cowboy, Cody Johnson and powerhouse Lainey Wilson also come in with seven. Behind them, the great Chris Stapleton has six nominations, while Riley Green enjoys a breakout year with 5. Country music newcomer Post Malone also has 5.
Zach Top snuck in with two nominations, one for Album of the Year for Cold Beer & Country Music and a New Male Artist of the Year, which he has already won, and bands like the Red Clay Strays and Flatland Cavalry also received nominations, so it’s cool to see some genuinely great country bands and artists finally get the recognition they deserve.
Of course, country music awards shows always tend to lean pretty commercial, but we’re finally starting to see some indie bands get some love… baby steps.
And with all that being said, here are the nominees:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
Lainey Wilson
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
DUO OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Muscadine Bloodline
The War And Treaty
GROUP OF THE YEAR
Flatland Cavalry
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
The Red Clay Strays
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kassi Ashton
Ashley Cooke
Dasha
Ella Langley – Winner
Jessie Murph
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gavin Adcock
Shaboozey
Zach Top – Winner
Tucker Wetmore
Bailey Zimmerman
NEW DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Restless Road
The Red Clay Strays – Winner
Treaty Oak Revival
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
● Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) – Megan Moroney
Producer: Kristian Bush
Record Company-Label: Columbia Records / Sony Music Nashville
● Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll
Producers: BazeXX, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Devin Dawson, Charlie Handsome, Ben Johnson, mgk, The Monsters & Strangerz, Austin Nivarel, SlimXX, Ryan Tedder, Isaiah Tejada, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Republic Records
● Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top
Producer: Carson Chamberlain
Record Company-Label: Leo33
● F-1 Trillion – Post Malone
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
● Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
● A Bar Song (Tipsy) – Shaboozey
Producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry
Record Company-Label: American Dogwood / EMPIRE
● Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
● I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
● White Horse – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton
Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville
● you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
● 4x4xU – Lainey Wilson
Songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson
Publishers: Louisiana Lady; One Tooth Productions; Reservoir 416; Songs of One Riot Music; Sony/ATV Accent
● The Architect – Kacey Musgraves
Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne
Publishers: Songs for Indy and Owl; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing
● Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Songwriter: Josh Phillips
Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing; Write or Die Music; Write the Lightning Publishing
● I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters, Ryan Vojtesak
Publishers: Bell Ear Publishing; Master of my Domain Music; Poppy’s Picks; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Universal Music Corporation
● you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere
Publishers: Back 40 Publishing International; Langley Publishing; One Tooth Productions; Sony/ATV Tree; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
● Cowboys Cry Too – Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment
● I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
● I’m Gonna Love You – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
Producer: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
● we don’t fight anymore – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton
Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Carly Pearce
Record Company-Label: Big Machine Records
● you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
● 4x4xU – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jennifer Ansell
Director: Dano Cerny
● Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Producer: Dustin Haney
Director: Dustin Haney
● I’m Gonna Love You – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry
Director: Dustin Haney
● Think I’m In Love With You – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Wes Edwards, Angie Lorenz, Jamie Stratakis
Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
● You Look Like You Love Me – Ella Langley, Riley Green – Winner
Producer: Whale Tale Music
Directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Luke Combs
ERNEST
HARDY
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Jessi Alexander
Jessie Jo Dillon
Ashley Gorley
Chase McGill
Josh Osborne
