PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Tony Brown

Tony Brown is a well-known and widely respected name in the music industry. An executive that started out as a performer, Brown grew up listening to gospel music and eventually landed a touring gig with the Oak Ridge Boys in the 1970s. He went on to play with the likes of Elvis and Emmylou Harris, who turned the musician on to country music. Brown began working in A&R for the RCA label, garnering his first project as a producer in 1983 with gospel singer Shirley Caesar. After switching over to MCA, Brown gradually became one of the most successful producers in the industry and has worked with a long A-list of talent including Steve Earle, Reba McEntire, Heidi Newfield, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood and Wynonna Judd. With six ACM awards already under his belt for various projects he produced, Brown earned his first ACM Producer of the Year title this year.

AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Chuck Ainlay

Like so many in the music business, Chuck Ainlay began his career working gigs at various studios up and down Music Row until he scored a job as chief engineer at Castle Recording Studio. After meeting famed producer Jimmy Bowen, Ainlay launched into his career as an independent engineer and has worked with numerous top artists, musicians and producers in many genres. Ainlay has been recognized for his superior work in country music with multiple nominations and awards from the Grammys, Mix Magazine, Music Row magazine, the Nashville Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. Also known in the audio industry for using cutting edge technology, Ainlay produced the first all-digital recording out of Nashville and pioneered the surround sound that can be heard albums such as Vince Gill's critically acclaimed High Lonesome Sound, Dire Straits' 20^th anniversary remix of Brothers in Arms and Peter Frampton's 25^th anniversary remix of Frampton Comes Alive. The exemplary engineer entered into a partnership with Sound Stage Studios in 1999 to create BackStage Studio, a state-of-the-art studio located in Nashville.

TOP BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Glenn Worf

Twelve-time ACM award winner Glenn Worf began playing guitar at the age of 12 and started playing bass at the age of 13. Having earned his degree in music from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Worf played with local bands for a while before hiring himself out individually as a bassist. He eventually moved to Nashville to perform freelance work, and his bass playing can be heard on thousands of records by artists such as Bryan Adams, Toby Keith, Marty Robbins, Bob Seger and Tammy Wynette. As part of a band called The BlueBloods, Worf co-wrote a number of songs with fellow band member Mike Henderson and the group recorded two albums, First Blood and Thicker Than Water. Worf also makes regular appearances with famed rock guitarist Mark Knopfler, who tapped the bassist to record on several works including his Golden Heart, Sailing to Philadelphia, The Ragpicker's Dream and Shangri-La albums as well as the Metroland and Wag The Dog soundtracks.

TOP PERCUSSIONIST/DRUMMER OF THE YEAR

Greg Morrow

Whether it was on the family furniture or a tin and paper dime store drum set, Memphis native Greg Morrow's earliest memories involve drumming. Obsessed with the albums of Elvis, Little Richard, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, Morrow's interests expanded to include everything from the British Invasion to Northwestern and Memphis garage and classic Memphis soul. Morrow played his first paying gigs in sixth grade as a member of The Solid Sounds. He began playing with Memphis legend Larry Raspberry as a member of his Highsteppers in 1979, touring with the band after they signed with Mercury. Following that, Morrow also toured with pioneering Christian rock band Degarmo and Key and did two stints with Amy Grant. His first exposure to the Nashville session scene was in the early 90s, when Morrow recorded various projects including albums by Webb Wilder, Billy Joe and Eddy Shaver, Sonny Landreth and Darrell Scott. An early gig with an emerging Faith Hill combined with encouragement from producer Scott Hendricks led Morrow to make a permanent move to Franklin in 1996 with his wife Pam and daughter Keely. Morrow's first performance on a chart record was Deana Carter's hit, "Strawberry Wine" and he has since worked with a wide range of artists including Trace Adkins, Dixie Chicks, LeAnn Rimes, Hank III, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lee Ann Womack, Gretchen Wilson, Montgomery Gentry, Brooks and Dunn, Trisha Yearwood, Darius Rucker and more. This is Morrow's first ACM win.

TOP FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Aubrey Haynie

A prolific fiddle and mandolin player known widely for his work in the bluegrass and country formats, Aubrey Haynie earned his third ACM title this year. Haynie's work has appeared on releases by legendary acts like Brooks & Dunn, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Darius Rucker, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Porter Wagoner, Bryan White and Trisha Yearwood to name only a few, and the fiddler has toured with the bands of many A-list artists including Clint Black and Aaron Tippin. Showing his prowess to play a variety of styles, from country and bluegrass to swing and jazz, Haynie's own compilations have earned him much critical acclaim. His first release Doin' My Time (1997) blended traditional music and cover songs with instrumentals and even some vocals, earning Haynie a nod for Instrumental Album of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association. Signed to Sugar Hill Records, Haynie also released his similarly dynamic A Man Must Carry On in 2000 and The Bluegrass Fiddle Album in 2003.

TOP GUITARIST OF THE YEAR

Tom Bukovac

Guitarist Tom Bukovac grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and moved to Music City in 1992. Working as a full-time session player for the past 10 years, Bukovac has built an impressive resume that includes projects with all-star artists such as Chicago, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, Rob Thomas, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. He has toured with several major acts including John Fogerty, Faith Hill and Wynonna Judd. In 2008, Bukovac played on the top-selling records of Brooks & Dunn (Cowboy Town), Kellie Pickler (Kellie Pickler) and Dolly Parton (Backwoods Barbie), to name a few. He has been named Guitarist of the Year by Music Row magazine the last four years in a row and nominated four times for the ACM Top Guitarist of the Year award, which he won for the first time this year.

TOP PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Gordon Mote

Gordon Mote is one of the most distinguishable session players in Nashville, who has also established himself as a recording artist in his own right.  A passionate musician and songwriter who has been blind since birth, Mote started playing the piano at age three in his home state of Alabama. He attended Jacksonville State University on a full scholarship, where a meeting with famed Muscle Shoals producer Jimmy Johnson inspired Mote to take his talent to Music City and complete his education at Belmont University. Upon graduating, Mote went on the road with Lee Greenwood and afterward returned to Nashville to work primarily as a session player and record some of his own work. Mote's key strokes are heard on the records of numerous top country and gospel artists including the Gaither Vocal Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brad Paisley, Dottie Rambo and Porter Wagoner. He has also toured with gospel quartet Ernie Haase & Signature Sound and his latest release, Don't Let Me Miss the Glory, showcases Mote's prowess on the keyboard as well as his songwriting, producing and singing abilities. With a Dove Award nod and five ACM nominations to his credit, Mote scored his first ACM title this year.

TOP SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jelly Roll Johnson

Kirk Johnson - more commonly known as "Jelly Roll" - has earned a reputation of being one of the most sought-after session players in Nashville playing a small but key instrument to many country songs: the harmonica. A Louisiana native, Jelly Roll began honing his harmonica skills at the age of 19 in Cleveland, Tennessee. He toured with several rock, blues and country artists including the Tommy Cole Band and Con Hunley, moving to Nashville in 1984 to record. Since then, Johnson has recorded with an extensive list of artists from Alabama and Etta James to Tim McGraw and Trisha Yearwood; his sound heard on more than 50 gold and platinum albums. Johnson has also made several television appearances, accompanying Faith Hill on The Late Show with David Letterman, Alan Jackson on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Hunley on Austin City Limits, to name a few. With two ACM awards now under his belt and many accolades for his musicianship, Johnson continues to play regularly at some of Nashville's finest venues and add to his expansive body of recorded work.

TOP SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Eric Darken

A well-rounded percussionist, composer and producer, Eric Darken won his second ACM award this year for his instrumental work on multiple top-selling records including Trace Adkins' X, Jeremy Camp's Speaking Louder Than Before, Toby Keith's That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy, Lady Antebellum's smashing self-titled debut and Brad Paisley's critically acclaimed Play: The Guitar Album. He has worked with an impressive slate of artists throughout his career, including the Bellamy Brothers, Bon Jovi, Art Garfunkel, Willie Nelson, Bob Seger and Keith Urban. When he's not in the studio, Darken also composes and produces music for television and film. His music has been featured on shows such as Access Hollywood, Dateline, 20/20, The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Darken has made appearances with artists on Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Late Show, The Today Show and The Tonight Show.

TOP STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dan Dugmore

Dan Dugmore is a southern California native who broke onto the fast-paced Los Angeles music scene in the 1970s during the heyday of the country-rock movement. Playing steel guitar for the likes of Linda Ronstadt, J.D. Souther and James Taylor, Dugmore established himself as a choice band and session player and continued to work with an eclectic group of artists throughout the '70s and 80s including David Crosby, Engelbert Humperdinck, Juice Newton, Stevie Nicks and Bernadette Peters. In 1991, Dugmore and his family relocated to Nashville where he continued to work as a studio musician for pop and country artists, adding to his roster names like Alabama, Neil Diamond, Loretta Lynn, Kathy Mattea, Olivia Newton-John, Charley Pride and Tanya Tucker. Dugmore recorded his own disc in 2003, a collection of Beatles songs on the steel guitar entitled Off White Album, and in 2008 he played on some of the year's hottest records including Montgomery Gentry's chart-topping Back When I Knew It All, Heidi Newfield's What Am I Waiting For and Sugarland's smash hit Love On The Inside. This marks Dugmore's second ACM win to date.