The Academy of Country Music named “Forever Country” Video of the Year
The epic video created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the CMAs was named Video of the Year at the ACM Awards on Sunday, April 2. The win is a testament to the mutual respect and admiration within the country music community.
“Forever Country” produced by Shane McAnally and directed by Joseph Kahn was the first production of it’s kind. It features 29 artists from different eras. The song is a mashup of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson and “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by the late John Denver.
After accepting the award, producer Shane McAnally reflected on the recording experience. He recalled the morning Dolly visited the studio to record her “I Will Always Love You” parts. He said,
“I can tell you that the vocal that’s on it is the first thing that came out of her mouth. It is completely untuned and it is exactly the way she sang it the first time. There are no words for that moment.”
Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan hosted the 52nd Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas, NV.
Forever Country was nominated along with the following:
- “Fire Away” - Chris Stapleton, Tim Mattia, Jennifer Rothlein
- “Humble and Kind” - Tim McGraw, Wes Edwards, Jennifer Rothlein
- “Peter Pan” - Kelsea Ballerini, Michelle Abnet, Kristin Barlowe
- “Vice” - Miranda Lambert, Trey Fanjoy, Ashley Bergeron Ford
