As we previously told you, after the ACM Awards were postponed due to the coronavirus, ACM rescheduled the ceremony to September, and now we know exactly where and when they’ll take place.

The Academy of Country Music just announced that the 55th Annual ACM Awards will take place September 16th, and for the first time ever they’ll take place in Nashville. The show, which will air on CBS and still be hosted by Keith Urban, will broadcast from three of country music’s most iconic venues – the Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Café.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to host the rescheduled 55th ACM Awards in the home of Country Music for the first time in the Academy’s history,” Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music, shares. “First and foremost, we want to ensure the safety of our artists and industry, and to ease the burdens of traveling large teams; therefore, we decided to bring the ACM Awards to them this September in Nashville.”

Organizers add that to ensure the safety and health of everyone, guidelines set forth by national, state and local health officials will be followed and implemented during the production.

The 55th Annual ACM Awards was supposed to take place April 5th in Las Vegas.

ONE MORE THING! After the ACM announcement, some noticed that the Ryman Auditorium was actually double booked for September 16th, with the Americana Honors and Award show also scheduled to take place at the Ryman on that day. While the Americana Awards are still monitoring the COVID-19 situation, their show is scheduled to go on as planned as of now. The ACMs later clarified that while the Grand Ole Opry and Bluebird portions of the ACMs will be live, clips from the Ryman will be taped in advance.

Eric Church wants to make sure his fans feel conformable when they come back to see him in concert, which is why he isn’t likely to be rushing back on tour.

“When people come back, they have to feel that it’s okay to be there, that they can experience it the way they want to experience it,” Eric tells the Associated Press. “They should be able to go up and throw their arms around the person next to them. They should not be scared about being three feet away and not six.”

And for Eric, that may mean a wait for a vaccine. “For me, I think it’s summer or fall of ’21,” he shares. “I am going on the promise of a vaccine. I’m going on the possibility of a therapeutic that could change the game.”

Before the quarantine, Eric spent a month in a makeshift studio in North Carolina where he wrote and recorded 28 songs. “I don’t know if this is an album, if it’s two albums, if it’s three,” he says. “I feel confident enough with the material that people will get to hear all of these songs at some point.”

Source: Associated Press

Just how well do some country star couples know each other? Well, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown and Chuck Wicks and their wives set out to prove just that by participating in a game of “The Newlywed Challenge,” with the winner getting $1,000 for the charity of their choice.

All four did pretty well throughout the game, hosted by Shawn Johnson East and her hubby Andrew East. In the end, Jason beat the rest, donating his prize money to Nashville-based animal organization Proverbs 12:10 Rescue.

https://youtu.be/Ne1UuB-C1Kk

In honor of Earth Day, Kacey Musgraves has released a new version of her song “Oh What A World.” The singer dedicated the “Golden Hour” track to “our planet and all of the heroes on the front lines during the global pandemic.”

“There is a lot to feel downhearted about on this Earth Day,” Kacey shares. “Everyone and everything feels out of balance. People are suffering and the future is uncertain.”

But, she adds, “The earth is healing. Bluer skies hang over China and Los Angeles. Clearer water and a positive effect on wildlife is being seen,” noting, “In spite of all its troubles, it’s still a wild, beautiful world and if you need proof, it’s out there. You just might have to look in a different corner of the sky.”