What a night for the Lone Star state.
The modern Texas country scene has been nothing short of phenomenal over the past decade in particular. Whether it’s names like Koe Wetzel, Flatland Cavalry, Whiskey Myers, Charley Crockett, Dylan Gossett or Treaty Oak Revival (among many others), Texas has been producing some of the hottest names in the alternative country sphere lately. Throw in names like Cody Johnson, Parker McCollum, Miranda Lambert and more, and you have yourself a batch of artists who are truly carrying the torch of the legends that came before them over the years.
While we all know that Texas (throughout most of country music history) has been producing some of the greatest country artists of all time… George Strait, Willie Nelson, George Jones, even Miranda Lambert… the list goes on. But it seems like it’s been quite awhile since we’ve seen the Lone Star state get represented in a way quite like it did last night at the 61st annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas. The Texas country music scene is quite distinct from the mainstream Nashville scene, although in recent years we have seen artists like Parker and CoJo cross over to partner with Nashville labels. And others have signed major label deals in the past as well… Josh Abbott, Pat Green, to name a few. But after last night, it feels like the Texas country scene has officially achieved mainstream country success at the highest level.
Ironically, the big winner of the night, Ella Langley, wasn’t from Texas but rather Alabama. With that being said, however, she still represented the state thanks to her record-breaking single, “Choosin’ Texas” sweeping the Single and Song of the Year category en route to becoming the artist with the most ACM Award wins in a single night with a staggering seven. It also doesn’t hurt that Lambert, who is a Texan her self, co-wrote and produced the track and was rewarded by doing so.
These, of course, include Single and Song of the Year for “Choosin’ Texas,” Artist-Songwriter of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Music Event of the Year for her second collaboration with Riley Green, “Don’t Mind If I Do.”
The biggest success stories for Texas came late in the evening after Langley had locked up all seven of her wins.
Despite the buzz surrounding Zach Top’s Ain’t In It For My Health, which won the first-ever Best Traditional Country Album at the Grammys and Album of the Year at the CMA Awards, and Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem, which shattered multiple Billboard records upon its release, it was none other than the Limestone Kid himself, Parker McCollum, who took home Album of the Year last night with his stellar self-titled album.
For McCollum, it truly felt like a full-circle moment. Despite all the success he’s experienced over the years after transitioning from Texas to Nashville, complete with four #1s and 10 gold and platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the “Pretty Heart” singer would admit recently that he was debating about quitting music all together before recording the self-titled record, citing burnout and a prolonged block from a creative perspective.
Accepting the award, McCollum would hold back tears after thanking both his producers, Frank Liddell and Eric Massem, as well as his wife, Hallie Rae, before giving a shoutout to the state of Texas and all the aforementioned artists occupying the talented Red Dirt/Texas scene. In particular, he’d thank Johnson for “talking him off an edge” while creating the album.
“[I’d like to thank] all my Texas and Red Dirt family, Koe Wetzel, Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen, Pat Green, Miranda Lambert — I love you girl. Cody Johnson, thank you for talking me off the edge 18 months ago.”
Texas’ biggest win of the night, however, came from none other than Johnson, who not only won his first Male Artist of the Year award but also took home the most coveted prize of the night, his first-career Entertainer of the Year. En route to his win, the “The Fall” singer beat out the likes of Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson.
Reflecting on winning two of the night’s most highly-coveted awards, Johnson would take time to thank all of his fans for their support over the years, adding that he feels blessed to use his God-given gifts to reach so many people. He acknowledged that he would have never made it close to that stage “without the grace and mercy of Jesus.”
“This gold buckle means more than I could ever put into words. Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year… what a night. ‘The ride has been worth the fall.’ I wouldn’t even be standing on this stage without the grace and mercy of Jesus. Thank you to every country music fan that’s spent your hard-earned money on a ticket, sang these songs back to me and let me live this dream every night.
They say music is the sound of emotion. Every time I step on that stage, all I’m looking for is that connection with y’all out in the crowd. Thank you for letting me use this gift God gave me to share those moments together. Love y’all. See you out there.”
While there were still quite a few Texans snubbed at the ACMs once again this year — where were the likes of Whiskey Myers, Shane Smith & the Saints or Treaty Oak Revival for Group of the Year? — it’s great to see Johnson and McCollum represent the great state Texas represented by two of its biggest break-through stars over the past decade.
2026 ACM Awards Winners
Entertainer of the Year
Cody Johnson
Female Artist of the Year
Ella Langley
Male Artist of the Year
Cody Johnson
Group of the Year
The Red Clay Strays
Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Album of the Year
Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum
Song of the Year
“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley
Single of the Year
“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley
Visual Media of the Year
“Cuckoo” -Stephen Wilson, Jr.
Music Event of the Year
“Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley
Songwriter of the Year
Jessie Jo Dillon
Artist-Songwriter of the Year
Ella Langley
New Male Artist of the Year
Tucker Wetmore
New Female Artist of the Year
Avery Anna
