(MENAFN- Arab Times) LOS ANGELES Dec 16 (Agencies): The inaugural American Country Countdown Awards (ACCA) were held Monday night (Dec 15) at Nashville's Music City Center and as producers hoped the night was akin to a Christmas office party to celebrate the most popular acts in the business. Standing alone at the top of the winners' list was Broken Bow's Jason Aldean who was voted as Artist of the Year. Aldean received the trophy from NASCAR great Jimmie Johnson and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw before reveling in the honor with a performance of 'Just I' Started.' In his speech he recalled listening to the syndicated countdown show while growing up in Georgia.
Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line took home three awards each sharing trophies for Collaboration of the Year and Digital Song of the Year for their energetic anthem 'This Is How We Roll.' Bryan took home the award for Male Vocalist of the Year and Florida Georgia Line walked away with the prize for Duo or Group of the Year. The Republic Nashville duo made quite the impression with their latest single 'Sun Daze.' As is the case with most industry awards shows Miranda Lambert staked her ground in the Female Vocalist of the Year category before performing the title track from her latest RCA disc. The other categories seemed to mix things up just a little bit. Hunter Hayes presented Capitol Nashville's Eric Church the Album of the Year award for The Outsiders while Kip Moore won the fan-voted Breakthrough Artist of the Year award prior to performing his chart-topping 'Hey Pretty Girl.' Brett Eldredge claimed the prize for Song of the Year for 'Beat of the Music' which also was the No. 1 single of 2014 on the Country Airplay Songs chart. 'This is the best feeling in the world' he said after performing his hit. A pair of the industry's biggest stars were recognized with special achievement awards. Kenny Chesney performed his current single 'When It's Gone' after being introduced by actor Vince Vaughn who praised Chesney's success as a live act and a recording artist. The Groundbreaker Award recognizes an artist who has consistently pushed the boundaries and is a trailblazer in the realm of concerts musical accomplishment creative innovation and connecting with fans across the United States. 'God gave me a wonderful gift and I have been able to take that gift all over. Music and songs are the most powerful things we have in our lives' he told the audience. In addition Country Music Hall of Fame member Reba McEntire was given the first-ever NASH Icon Award presented by longtime friend and American Country Countdown radio host Kix Brooks. Kelly Clarkson and Lambert paid tribute to Reba by performing 'How Blue' 'Take It Back' and 'Fancy' on which McEntire joined in to a standing ovation. The NASH Icon Award celebrates an iconic artist whose extraordinary talent has influenced generations of musicians. The evening was kicked off with a powerhouse performance by Carrie Underwood that tied in with her decade in the business and recent release of Greatest Hits: Decade #1 her first such compilation. Some of the songs she revisited included 'Blown Away' 'All American Girl' and her current single 'Something in the Water.' After it was announced that Bryan had taken the award for Male Vocalist he paired up with Cole Swindell for a rare performance of the No. 1 hit 'Roller Coaster' which Swindell co-wrote. In his acceptance speech Bryan thanked his fans for their support during the passing of his brother-in-law Ben in November. It was one of the most emotional moments of the night. All throughout the show American Country Countdown host Kix Brooks jammed with various artists heading into commercial breaks including Jerrod Niemann. Lady Antebellum also turned out in the audience to perform their chart-topping 'Bartender' just a few moments before taking to the big stage to play 'Freestyle.' The night ended with a rowdy performance from the legendary Hank Williams Jr. who sent the crowd into the night with a performance that included his 1984 anthem 'All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight.' List of winners of the American Country Countdown Awards * Artist of The Year: Jason Aldean * Male Vocalist of The Year: Luke Bryan * Female Vocalist of The Year: Miranda Lambert * Group/Duo of The Year: Florida Georgia Line * Song of The Year: 'Beat Of The Music' Brett Eldredge * Collaboration of The Year: 'This Is How We Roll' Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan 'Small Town Throwdown' Brantley Gilbert featuring Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett 'Meanwhile Back At Mama's' Tim McGraw featuring Faith Hill 'My Eyes' Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Sebastian 'We Were Us' Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert * Album of The Year: The Outsiders Eric Church * Digital Song of The Year: 'This Is How We Roll' Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan 'Burnin' It Down' Jason Aldean 'Drink A Beer' Luke Bryan 'Play It Again' Luke Bryan 'Dirt' Florida Georgia Line * Breakthrough Artist of the Year presented by Samsung Galaxy: Kip Moore Also: NEW YORK: The Grammys will pay tribute to Stevie Wonder with a special performance after the music industry's annual award night. Grammy organizers announced a two-hour show in the Motown legend's honor to be recorded on February 10 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles two days after the awards. An executive at CBS television which will broadcast the tribute on February 16 said the show will 'give everyone he's inspired a chance to show our esteem.' 'His music is as poignant as it is appealing and his songs have the ability to illustrate our world in every note' Jack Sussman an executive vice president at CBS Entertainment said in a statement Monday. Organizers did not immediately announce performers. The 64-year-old visually impaired artist has won 25 Grammys including the prestigious Album of the Year in 1974 1975 and 1977. The 1977 Grammy was for his seminal double-album 'Songs in the Key of Life' which featured hits such as 'Isn't She Lovely' and 'I Wish.' Wonder embarked on a short tour last month in which he is playing the double album. The Grammy show follows the model of a special that accompanied the awards in February 2014 to celebrate 50 years since the Beatles arrived in the United States. The event produced a Beatles reunion of sorts with the Fab Four's two living members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr joined by John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and their son Sean Lennon.
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