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Mike Dungan has been a Country Music champion for decades, all the while developing top artists and delivering countless hits as a label executive. A Cincinnati native, Dungan got his start in the industry as a teenager working in a record store. In 1979, a label representative noticed Dungan’s potential and helped him land a job with RCA Records promoting pop records in the Midwest. In 1990, Dungan moved to Nashville as head of sales and marketing for Arista Nashville, which quickly evolved from a fledgling label into a multiplatinum powerhouse. Alongside label president Tim DuBois, Dungan nurtured new artists like Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio, Alan Jackson, Pam Tillis, and others. He also signed Brad Paisley to the label in 1998.

Upon being appointed president at Capitol Nashville in 2000, Dungan again tapped into a promising group of new artists and guided them into Country stardom. He elevated the careers of Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, and Keith Urban, and brought Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, and Lady Antebellum to the label. In 2012, Dungan joined UMG Nashville as Chairman and CEO, ushering in another lucrative decade with artists like Brothers Osborne, Kacey Musgraves, and Chris Stapleton. The label group continues to thrive with rising stars like Priscilla Block, Jordan Davis, and Parker McCollum. Dungan’s philanthropic efforts have supported entities such as Music Health Alliance, Wounded Warrior Project, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and Second Harvest Food Bank.

Troy Vollhoffer has been chosen to receive the Lifting Lives Award, honoring the contributions of Gary Haber, known as a business manager and past president of ACM Lifting Lives. This award is presented to a Country Music artist, duo/group, or industry professional who is devoted to improving lives through the power of music, has a generosity of spirit, and is committed to serving others. It is voted on by the ACM Lifting Lives Board of Directors.

ACM Lifting Lives Executive Director Lyndsay Cruz congratulates this year’s recipient and says, “This recognition for Troy is so well deserved and is a testament of his generosity and commitment to helping others. As a longtime board member and former Chair, his support has had a huge impact on the work of ACM Lifting Lives, and I’m so delighted we get to celebrate his contributions to making the industry a better place at ACM Honors in August. Troy's efforts have made a difference in people’s lives whether they know it or not, as he doesn’t seek the spotlight and has always been a selfless leader and a beacon of support to so many.”

Troy Vollhoffer has been successfully involved in the music industry for more than 30 years, and during that time, he has placed an emphasis on giving back to support the Country community. He joined the Board of ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic partner of the Academy of Country Music, in 2016 and rose quickly to Officer positions, including Vice President, President, and ultimately Chair in 2022. Additionally, he’s served on the advisory boards of the T.J. Martell Foundation and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, among other causes.

His company, Premier Global Production, has grown into one of the foremost staging and lighting companies in the world, having provided touring lights and outdoor staging to some of the biggest artists in the industry including Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence and the Machine, Tim McGraw, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, Lee Brice, and many more. The company has also serviced some of the largest events in North America including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Electric Forest Festival, Bonnaroo Music Festival, Music Midtown, Tortuga Music Festival, and Hangout Music Festival, among others.

Vollhoffer, a former professional hockey player, is also well-known for music festivals, including six Country Thunder events across North America and a seventh event called Big Valley Jamboree. The Country Music festivals have been recognized for excellence in the music industry, receiving numerous award nominations and taking home the award for ACM Festival of the Year for Country Thunder Wisconsin at the 50th ACM Awards, Country Thunder Arizona at the 53rd ACM Awards, and Country Thunder Bristol, which was announced as the winner for ACM Festival of the Year for the 58th ACM Awards earlier this week.

It’s one of the most storied careers in modern music. With a traditional Country voice and a charismatic smile, Clint Black surged to superstardom as part of the fabled Class of ‘89. Raised in Katy, Texas, Black came up in the bars and nightclubs around Galveston and Houston. With road-tested material and an RCA contract, Black achieved immediate success at radio and especially with fans. He reached No. 1 with five consecutive singles from his triple-platinum debut, Killin’ Time. He received 1989 ACM Awards for Top New Male Vocalist and Top Male Vocalist, while “Better Man” picked up Single of the Year and Killin’ Time collected Album of the Year. He followed that with the triple-platinum Put Yourself in My Shoes, and then a string of platinum and gold albums throughout the ‘90s. Perhaps most impressively, Black wrote or co-wrote every one of his more than three dozen chart hits, including “A Better Man,” “Killin’ Time,” “When My Ship Comes In,” “A Good Run of Bad Luck,” “Summer’s Comin’,” “Like the Rain,” and “Nothin’ But the Taillights,” part of a catalog that produced 22 No. 1 singles and 30 top 10’s that made him one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the modern era.

Along the way, Black accepted an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1991, has sold over 20 million records, earned more than a dozen gold and platinum awards in the U.S. and Canada, including a GRAMMY, landed nearly two dozen major awards and nominations, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

K.T. Oslin surprised almost everyone when she became a Country Music sensation in her 40s with the career-defining 1987 hit, “80’s Ladies.” But for mature Country listeners who recognized their own lives in her lyrics, it was clear that she arrived right on time. Born in Arkansas, Oslin grew up in Houston and eventually moved to New York City. Although she landed a dancing role on Broadway and toured colleges as a solo performer, Oslin felt drawn to songwriting. Gradually making inroads in Nashville, she placed songs with Dottie West and Gil Davies before landing a last-chance contract with RCA Records.

At 44 years old, Oslin released “80’s Ladies” to critical acclaim. Although it peaked at No. 7 at Country radio, her recording won a GRAMMY and prompted her to be named the 1987 ACM New Female Vocalist. Known for telling stories in her innovative, cinematic videos, Oslin also picked up an ACM Award for the “80’s Ladies” music video. Her other beloved originals include “Do Ya’,” “I’ll Always Come Back,” and “Old Pictures,” the latter recorded by the Judds.

A year later, Oslin collected 1988 ACM trophies for Top Female Vocalist and Album of the Year for This Woman. She also won two GRAMMYs for the bittersweet ballad, “Hold Me.” Before bowing out of the spotlight in the early 1990s, she placed “Come Next Monday” at the top of the Country chart for two weeks. A 2018 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Oslin passed away in 2020.

Bill Mayne devoted his career to Country radio, along with dedicating more than 35 years of service to the Academy of Country Music’s Board of Directors. Mayne studied radio, TV, and film at the University of Houston, and his interest in radio carried him to Austin, Texas, where he worked as a disc jockey and a program director for KNOW. Subsequent stops included KASE in Austin, KSCS/WBAP in Dallas, and KZLA/KLAC in Los Angeles. In 1988, he accepted a position at Warner Bros. Nashville working in promotion, then rose to become Senior Vice President and General Manager of the label. During this time Mayne worked with artists such as Holly Dunn, Faith Hill, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt, and Dwight Yoakam. After that, he held an executive role at 903 Music, the label launched by Neal McCoy, prior to establishing his own firm, Mayne Street Consulting.

In early 2010, Mayne’s company provided consultation to Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc., during a sensitive time for the Country Radio Seminar. Through Mayne’s leadership, CRS experienced a growth in attendance, sponsorship, and engagement. He had been part of the CRB’s Board of Directors when he accepted the role of Executive Director, a position he held from 2011 until his retirement in 2019. That same year, he marked his 50th anniversary of working in the music industry. Mayne has served as Chairman of the Board for the Academy of Country Music as well as ACM Lifting Lives, the Academy’s charitable partner, in addition to every other officer role.

Charlie Cook is an award-winning disc jockey, an accomplished Country radio executive, and a former Chairman, President, and Radio Committee Chair of the Academy of Country Music’s Board of Directors, where he still serves as the longest-serving ACM Board Member in Academy history. Cook started his career at WMBN in Petoskey, Michigan, and built his résumé with stops in KLAK/Denver, WWVA/Wheeling, West Virginia, and WHN/New York City. In 1977, he was named “DJ of the Year” by Billboard. After a short time in Miami, Cook relocated to Los Angeles in 1980 to flip KHJ-AM to Country, then accepted a job offer at another L.A. Country station, KLAC. After a management change, Cook found an opportunity to join McVay Media, a position he held for 13 years. However, exhausted from the traveling it required, Cook opted for a role at Westwood One, where he stayed from 1996 to 2006.

Cook brought those diverse experiences to Cumulus from 2006 to 2008 as Vice President of Programming. His career path then led him back to Los Angeles as Senior Manager of Programming at KKGO for two years, followed by three years at West Virginia Radio Corporation, where he served as Director of Programming. Regarded for his leadership and mentoring, Cook received the CRB’s President’s Award in 2010 and was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2011. Cook returned to Cumulus in 2014. He currently serves as Vice President of Country Music, Programming Operations Manager for Cumulus Nashville’s five-station cluster, and Program Director for WSM-FM and WKDF-FM.

Charlie Daniels has been chosen for the ACM Spirit Award, honoring the contributions of Merle Haggard, who received 20 ACM Awards in his career, including the Triple Crown Award. This award is presented to a singer-songwriter who is continuing the legacy of Country Music legend Merle Haggard by following his/her own path, crafting great songs, and epitomizing Haggard’s spirit through genuine performances and great storytelling.

Charlie Daniels freely shared his thoughts and viewpoints throughout his career, but his legacy may be his deep love for children, his fans, and his country. He devoted countless hours of his time and recruited several of his favorite artists to join him on the annual Christmas 4 Kids Tour Bus Shows. His many Volunteer Jams appealed to Country listeners who embraced Daniels’ outsized personality, while veterans and military families could not have found a more enthusiastic or patriotic advocate.

Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Daniels taught himself to play guitar at 15, started touring with a rock band after high school, and emerged in the 1960s as a promising songwriter and studio musician. Evis Presley cut one of Daniels’ compositions, “It Hurts Me,” in 1964. Daniels co-wrote the song with producer Bob Johnston, who would later hire Daniels to play guitar and/or bass guitar on three albums by Bob Dylan: Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning.

In 1973, “Uneasy Rider” carried the Charlie Daniels Band into the Top 10 at pop radio. A year later, Fire on the Mountain proved to be the band’s platinum breakout album, offering essential CDB tracks like “Long Haired Country Boy,” “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” and “Trudy.” Although Daniels charted 34 singles at Country radio across five consecutive decades, his signature song will always be 1979’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” A recipient of the 1997 ACM Pioneer Award, Daniels was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016 and passed away in 2020.