THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR ACM COUNTRY KICKOFF AT THE STAR
THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR ACM COUNTRY KICKOFF AT THE STAR
ACM Award Nominees MacKenzie Porter, Dylan Scott, Caitlyn Smith, Nate Smith, and Hailey Whitters to Perform Live
ACM Country Kickoff Features Free Fan Festival with Live Music, Food Trucks, a Beer Garden, Exclusive Merch, and Much More at The Star in Days Leading Up to the ACM Awards
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NASHVILLE, TN (May 1, 2023) -- The Academy of Country Music announced today the lineup for the ACM Country Kickoff at The Star, including numerous ACM Award nominees. Artists performing live include ACM New Male Artist of the Year nominees Dylan Scott and Nate Smith; ACM New Female Artist of the Year nominees Caitlyn Smith and Hailey Whitters; ACM Music Event of the Year nominee MacKenzie Porter; as well as exciting up-and-coming artists Chayce Beckham, Chapel Hart, Hannah Ellis, Tiera Kennedy, Corey Kent, Randall King, Erin Kinsey, Chase Matthew, Neon Union, Catie Offerman, Frank Ray, Josh Ross, and MaRynn Taylor. There will also be special performances on Tuesday night starting at 8:00 p.m. CT for Live From the ACMs: ACM New Artist Winners Celebration, where the New Female and Male Artist of the Year winners for the 58th ACM Awards will be revealed and celebrated. Country Heat Weekly Podcast hosts Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson will kick off that celebration show, which will air live on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
The ACM Country Kickoff at The Star is a free, open-to-the-public, two-day festival for fans to get up close and personal with some of their favorite Country Music acts and celebrate the ACM Awards’ return to North Texas. A beer garden presented by Coors Light will be on hand, in addition to a VIP space presented by Lucas Oil with a prime view of the stage. The ACM Country Kickoff will also feature food trucks, photo opportunities, ACM Awards show merchandise, and activations by a host of partners, including ACM Lifting Lives, Amazon Music, Ashley HomeStore, Kendra Scott, Lucchese, North Texas Ford, and Visit Frisco. The ACM Kickoff at The Star will be held from 3:00 - 10:00 p.m. CT on both Tuesday, May 9 and Wednesday, May 10. For more information, visit ACMCountryKickoff.com.
It all leads up to the 58th ACM Awards, co-hosted by global superstars Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, which will take place at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 11 at Ford Center at The Star and will be free to stream live for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The full rebroadcast will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee. Dubbed “Country Music’s Party of the Year,” the 2023 edition will mark Parton’s second consecutive appearance as host, with Brooks taking the stage to host a major Awards show for the first time.
The events of ACM Awards Week include the ACM Country Kickoff at The Star, which is open to the public, free to all fans, and does not require tickets; ACM Songs & Stories Powered by The Bluebird Cafe + NSAI, a private industry celebration of the top songwriters of the past year; Topgolf Tee-Off & Rock On presented by VGT by Aristocrat Gaming followed by ACM Lifting Lives LIVE: Morgan Wallen & Friends, a live concert on the green at Topgolf The Colony, which is sold out; and the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards live from Ford Center at The Star and streaming live all over the globe exclusively on Prime Video. Limited tickets to the ACM Awards show have just been released and are available through SeatGeek.
In addition to the events throughout the week of the ACM Awards, Dolly Parton will have an exclusive, limited-run pop-up store, Dolly! All Access, during ACM Awards Week (May 9-14, 2023) at The Star in Frisco, Texas. For the first time, global superstar Dolly Parton is bringing her brand partners together for a custom, curated shopping experience. Parton joins Garth Brooks as they host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards streaming around the world LIVE on Prime Video May 11th at 7pm CT from The Ford Center in Frisco, TX.
Dolly! All Access will feature the following partners & products:
- Dolly Parton Rockstar album pre-order opportunity featuring red carpet step & repeat entry, never-before-seen photos from the Rockstar album photoshoot, exclusive merchandise, and custom display items from the shoot
- Dolly Parton Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones (Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House) book pre-order opportunity, photo experience & costume exhibit
- Dolly: Scent From Above, Dolly: Smoky Mountain and Dolly’s Front Porch Collection portfolio of fragrances by Scent Beauty, with debut of new commercial running in-store and fragrance testing opportunities
- Doggy Parton dog clothes, toys & accessories by SportPet and Dolly Parton’s Billy The Kid Makes It Big (Penguin Random House) children’s book
- American Greetings Dolly Parton SmashUp virtual card experience & free limited-window subscription
- Duncan Hines spotlights its Dolly Parton Baking Collection of cakes, cornbread, muffins & brownies
- A live DJ spinning all-Dolly, all-the-time courtesy of Vinyl Me, Please as their first-ever artist specific album of the month program Vinyl Me, Parton launches with subscription opportunities
- Dolly Parton Funko Pop! Rocks dolls
- Celebrate With Dolly, by Creative Converting, premieres their line of Dolly-inspired and Dolly-branded eco-friendly disposable party supplies
- Dolly Parton classic merchandise
The address for Dolly! All Access is 3620 The Star Boulevard, Suite 1205, Frisco, Texas 75034. The operating dates and hours are as follows:
- Tuesday, May 9: 3pm-10pm CT
- Wednesday, May 10: 3pm-10pm CT
- Thursday, May 11: 3pm-10pm CT
- Friday, May 12: 12pm-8pm CT
- Saturday, May 13: 12pm-8pm CT
- Sunday, May 14: 12pm-6pm CT
Dolly Parton merchandise will also be available during ACM Awards Week on Tuesday May 9th and Wednesday, May 10th via a merchandise trailer on The Star complex and on Thursday, May 11th inside The Ford Center during the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards.
About the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards
The world’s biggest Country Music show is set for Thursday, May 11, as legends Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco at 7 p.m. CT. Back in Texas for the first time since the record-breaking 50th anniversary celebration in 2015, “Country Music’s Party of the Year” will livestream in more than 240 countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video. Limited tickets have just been released and are available on SeatGeek, while the full rebroadcast will stream for free on Friday, May 12 on Freevee.
The ACM’s made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, partnering with Prime Video. For the 2023 event, the show is again partnering with Prime Video on an exclusive global live stream.
About the Academy of Country Music
Founded in Southern California in 1964 as a regional trade organization, the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC (ACM) has grown in the almost-60 years since into a leading association for the country music industry. Now headquartered in Nashville, TN and boasting record-high membership of nearly 5,000 nationwide, the Academy serves as a powerhouse advocate for country fans, artists, and all facets of the business, as well as a supporter of philanthropic work through charitable partner ACM LIFTING LIVES, dedicated to improving lives through the power of music and providing aid in times of need, with a focus on health initiatives. 2023 looks to be another monumental year for the Academy, with the ACM Awards returning to Texas on May 11 and streaming live for a global audience on Prime Video, still the only major awards show to livestream. The Academy also remains relentlessly committed to creating a more inclusive environment for underrepresented groups in country music, from the boardroom to the stage, and over the last year has launched both ACM LEVel Up, a two-year professional development and enrichment curriculum for rising leaders, and OnRamp, a guaranteed income program for Black members of the Nashville music community, in partnership with the Black Music Action Coalition. For more information, log onto ACMcountry.com or ACMLiftingLives.org.
About The Star
The Star is the 91-acre campus of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and training facility in Frisco, Texas. Developed as a first-of-its-kind partnership between the City of Frisco, Frisco ISD and the Dallas Cowboys, The Star features Ford Center, a 12,000-seat stadium that hosts Frisco ISD football games, concerts and other events; Cowboys Fit, a 60,000 square-foot gym developed in partnership with leading fitness developer, Mark Mastrov; Cowboys Club, a members-only club where the country club meets the NFL; the Omni Frisco Hotel, a 16-floor, 300-room luxury hotel; Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star, a 300,000 square-foot center of excellence for sports medicine; Twelve Cowboys Way, a 17-story, luxury residential tower in partnership between Pro Football Hall-of-Fame Quarterback #12 Roger Staubach, and Dallas-based developer and former Dallas Cowboys center, Robert Shaw; Formation, a dynamic coworking experience offering a collaborative work environment of open workspace, dedicated desks and private offices; as well as a variety of shopping, dining and nightlife options throughout The Star District. For more information on The Star, visit www.TheStarInFrisco.com.
About Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is the most honored and revered female country singer-songwriter of all time and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Achieving 27 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach #1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. Parton is the first artist to have topped the Billboard's Adult Contemporary, Christian AC Songs, Hot Country Songs, Christian Airplay, Country Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay radio charts. Parton became the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year given out by NARAS. She has 48 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over the past 50+ years.
In 2014 the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide. She has garnered eleven Grammy Awards and 51 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including a nod for Entertainer of the Year; four People's Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted as a member of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 2020, she released the Christmas album "A Holly Dolly Christmas" which went #1 on the Billboard Country and Holiday charts, as well released the bestselling coffee table book "Songteller: My Life in Lyrics." In 2021, she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for the film "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square" and in December 2022, she released on NBC an all-new original holiday movie called "Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas" with her starring as well as producing; it was the most watched film of that year and the two years prior.
To date, Parton has donated over 205 million books to children around the world with her Imagination Library. Her children's book, Coat of Many Colors, was dedicated to the Library of Congress to honor the Imagination Library's 100 millionth book donation. In March of 2022, Parton released the book Run Rose Run which she co-authored with James Patterson which sat at # 1 on the New York Times Bestseller's List for 5 weeks, a record for this decade. She also released an accompanying album of the same name with original songs inspired by the book which reached #1 on three charts simultaneously --- Country, Americana/Folk and Bluegrass Albums. From her "Coat of Many Colors" while working "9 to 5," no dream is too and no mountain too high for the country girl who turned the world into her stage.
Media Contacts
Academy of Country Music: Jesse Knutson, [email protected]
Dolly Parton: Marcel Pariseau, [email protected]