LUKE COMBS AND FORD PARTNER FOR SECOND YEAR IN SUPPORT OF ‘GUITARS 4 VETS’ FOR THE “56TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™”
Donations for ‘Guitars 4 Vets’ can be made online at guitars4vets.org
LOS ANGELES, CA (April 09, 2021) – The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions announced today their partnership with Ford for the second consecutive year in support of Guitars 4 Vets, an organization that helps veterans cope with PTSD through the healing power of music. ACM® Entertainer of the Year nominee Luke Combs will appear in a special tribute featuring the all-new Ford F-150 leading up to his performance in the “56THACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS” (ACM Awards) at the Grand Ole Opry House.
This year, Ford is partnering with Combs through its Proud to Honor program and recently donated $500,000 to Guitars 4 Vets’ chapters around the country to help expand the program and provide more veterans the opportunity to experience the healing power of music. In the special tribute, Combs and a group of military veterans including Damon Williams, who participated in last year’s Ford Guitars 4 Vets initiative, will sing Williams’ original composition “It’s Alright”.
Proud to Honor is the military initiative by Ford Motor Company to raise awareness, strengthen existing programs and create an even more meaningful connection with our service members. For more information, please visit ford.com/proud-to-honor. To make a donation to Guitars 4 Vets visit guitars4vets.org.
Hosted by 15-time ACM Award winner Keith Urban and New Female Artist of the Year nominee Mickey Guyton, the 56th ACM Awards® will be broadcast live from three iconic Country Music venues: the Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe Sunday, April 18 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
As previously announced, the 56th ACM Awards will feature performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Mickey Guyton, Ryan Hurd, Alan Jackson, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, Carly Pearce, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, The War and Treaty, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, CeCe Winans, and Chris Young.
For more information, visit ACMcountry.com. You can also like Academy of Country Music on Facebook, follow on Twitter at @ACMawards, follow on Instagram at @ACMawards and sign up for the FREE ACM A-List for more immediate updates.
About Luke Combs
Luke Combs, who The New York Times calls, “the most promising and influential new country star of the last five years," is a multi-platinum, ACM, CMA, CMT and Billboard Music Award-winning artist from Asheville, NC. His new deluxe album, What You See Ain't Always What You Get, is out now on River House Artists/Columbia Nashville and debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart as well as Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. The deluxe edition features all 18 tracks from Combs’ double Platinum-certified, global #1 album, What You See Is What You Get, as well as five new songs including his current single, “Forever After All.” The song debuted at #2 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart—the highest entrance ever for a male country solo artist—and was recently shipped to country radio already certified RIAA Platinum. With the deluxe album, Combs also reached #1 on Rolling Stone’s Top 200 Albums chart, Top 100 Songs chart and Artists 500 chart—the first country artist ever to lead all three charts in the same week and first to top the Artists 500. Adding to a series of groundbreaking and historic years, Combs is nominated for three awards at the 56th annual ACM Awards: Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Music Event of the Year (“Does To Me” feat. Eric Church). Moreover, his last single, “Better Together,” recently spent multiple weeks at #1 on both the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart and the Billboard Country Airplay chart. This is Combs' tenth-consecutive #1 single—a first on the Billboard Country Airplay chart—and continues his triumphant run at country radio. Combs also made history as the first artist ever to have their first two studio albums spend 25 weeks or more at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart—breaking Taylor Swift’s previously held record at 24 weeks. The achievement comes as What You See Is What You Get topped the chart for the 25th time, while his 2017 debut, This One’s For You, has spent 50 non-consecutive weeks at #1—tying the record for the longest reign atop the chart.
About the Academy of Country Music Awards™
The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards™ is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the Country Music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will broadcast LIVE on Sunday, April 18, 2021 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+, ViacomCBS’ global streaming service. R.A. Clark, Barry Adelman and Linda Gierahn are executive producers. Damon Whiteside is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.