ACM Honors Celebrate Country Musics Biggest Names and Unsung Heroes: Top Moments

The evening's accolades continued with three rising women artists honoring country music powerhouse Ella Langley, whose songs “Choosin' Texas,†“Be Her†and the Morgan Wallen collab “I Can't Love You Anymore†have become massive hits.

Langley was not in attendance that evening, but was honored with the ACM artist-songwriter of the year trophy. Avery Anna, Kaitlin Butts and Gabriella Rose shared words on Langley's behalf, saying, “Thank you so much to the ACM team for this incredible honor. Being recognized as both an artist and a songwriter means so much to me. Songwriting has always been at the heart of who I am, and getting to take those songs from the writing room to the stage every night is something I'll never take for granted. I'm thankful for all of my co-writers who have shared their stories and talents with me, for my family and my team who have supported me through each year, and above all, to God for continuing to guide my steps and lead me down this path.â€

The three women also honored Langley in song; Butts performed “Weren't for the Wind,†Rose performed “Choosin' Texas†and Anna performed “Be Her.â€

Bill Anderson's songwriting prowess was honored as the 65-year Opry member was celebrated with the ACM Icon Award. Anderson's songwriting credits include “Whiskey Lullaby,†“A Lot of Things Different,†“Give It Away†and “City Lights.†He was also the inaugural recipient of the ACM Poet's Award in 2008.

Pearce honored Anderson by performing a gorgeous rendition of “Whiskey Lullaby.â€

Anderson told the crowd in accepting his honor, “There's an old gospel song called, ‘I Wouldn't Take Nothin' for My Journey Now,' and that's pretty much how I'm feeling standing here tonight. I wouldn't take anything for these 65-plus years, journeying through the world of country music among you and alongside you. You've been awfully good to me, and I'll never be able to tell you how much I appreciate it. And this is the cherry on top of the sundae. Thank you again and God bless.â€

Music luminary Brenda Lee, as well as Margo Price and Logan Ledger, helped honor the “First Family of Country Music,†The Carter Family, with the ACM Poet's Award. A.P. Carter, Sara Carter and Maybelle Carter were an essential part of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and recorded songs including “Wildwood Flower†and “Keep on the Sunny Side,†songs that were become foundational to country music. They were also the first group be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Price and Ledger teamed up to perform songs like “Coal Miner's Blues†and “Ring of Fire.†Meanwhile, Lee joined John Carter Cash, Carlene Carter and more Carter family members in performing a rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.†In accepting the honor on behalf of The Carter Family, John Carter Cash honored not only the musical works of A.P., Sara and Maybelle Carter, but also that of Lesley Riddle, who traveled with A.P. across the region, memorizing melodies as Carter collected lyrics.

Trisha Yearwood honored music exec Leslie Fram, recipient of this year's Lift Every Voice award, which honors someone who has worked to elevate marginalized voices in country music. Before introducing Fram, Yearwood performed a rendition of “Every Girl in This Town.â€

“It's her passion and legacy,†Yearwood said of Fram's work, which has spanned initiatives including spearheading CMT's Next Women of Country franchise, and work as part of the organizations Change the Conversation, Nashville Music Equality and Equal Access, as well as her work at her current company, FEMco. Calling the exec “a chick singer's best friend,†Yearwood introduced Fram, who gave a powerful speech that encouraged every female artist, and celebrated artists like Ella Langley and Megan Moroney who are having a huge year.

“Can we just take a moment for what's happening right now for female artists in this industry, in country music?†Fram said. “Breaking records, selling out shows, dispelling those myths that women can't sell tickets, women don't want to hear women, you can't play two women back to back — none of that is true. We've been fighting that for so long. So we want to dedicate this award tonight to every girl in this town.â€

Several artists took the stage to honor Dolly Parton, who was celebrated with the ACM Poet's Award for her songwriting contributions to country music. Pearce and McCollum honored Parton with a rendition of “Islands in the Stream,†followed by Pearce joining Kaitlin Butts and Carter Faith for a rendition of “9 to 5.â€

Parton accepted the honor via video, saying, “I've been able to do many things throughout my life, but at my core, songwriting has always been the most important part of who I am creatively.â€

Megan Moroney, who has been bringing her Cloud 9 headlining arena tour to fans across the country, took time to honor her frequent co-writer, Jessie Jo Dillon, who was honored as the ACM songwriter of the year. Dillon also makes history this year, winning the accolade for the third consecutive year and becoming the first songwriter to win the trophy three times.

Moroney called herself “the president of the Jessie Jo Dillon fanclub,†and honored Dillon by performing a rendition of “Beautiful Things.â€

The late songwriter Brett James, who passed away in September, was honored for his songwriting talents with the ACM Poet's Award. James' songs have been recorded by Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride and more big-name artists. The Underwood-recorded “Jesus, Take The Wheel†earned a Grammy for best country song, while James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.

Dierks Bentley took the stage to honor James by performing a song they wrote together, “I Hold On.â€

Bentley recalled beginning to work on the song after his father passed away, and then meeting with James for a writing session soon after. “I wasn't sure if I wanted to present this song to him, and we had never written together. We were meant to write this together… the whole chorus about ‘faith, love and freedom,' that was all him…â€

Sheryl Crow was on hand to help honor Eric Church with the ACM Lifting Lives award, recognizing his many philanthropic efforts, including his work in helping communities rebuild following Hurricane Helene.

Crow performed a swaggering rendition of Church's “Drink in My Hand.†Church said in his acceptance speech, “I believe that God made music the universal language… It is because of music that this [his efforts through Chief Cares] happened, it's changing people's lives, it's changing their kid's lives.â€