Hempstead Hall, Mae Estes, Trey Johnson Nominated for Arkansas Country Music Awards
By Mark Keith, 02/7/22 2:37 PMHope figures prominently in this years Arkansas Country Music Award nominations. Hempstead Hall has been nominated as “Venue of the Year” and Mae Estes has been nominated for “Female Vocalist of the Year”. Trey Johnson has been nominated for “Acoustic Act of the Year’. In addition, Magnolia figures prominently in three nominations with radio station KZHE nominated at “Radio Station of the Year”, Johnny Sprayberry of the Columbia County Hayride has been nominated as “Promoter of the Year”, and Josh Matheny nominated for “Dobro Player of the Year”. The awards will be given June 6th at the Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus in Conway.
*** OFFICIAL NOMINEES FOR 2022 ***
Lance Carpenter leads the list of the 2022 Arkansas Country Music Awards nominees with five nominations. Erin Enderlin and Grace Stormont received four nominations each.
The annual event will be held on Monday, June 6 at the Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus in Conway.
Here is the full list of this year’s nominees:
ENTERTAINER of the Year
David Adam Byrnes
Erin Enderlin
Lance Carpenter
Sylamore Special
Tyler Kinch
AMERICANA ARTIST of the Year
Grace Stomont
Maybe April
Melissa Carper
Posey Hill
Ten Penny Gypsy
BLUEGRASS ARTIST of the Year
Arkansauce
The Gravel Yard
Spillwater Drive
Sylamore Special
Tacie and the Sunshine Band
COUNTRY ARTIST of the Year
Blane Howard
David Adam Byrnes
Erin Enderlin
Lance Carpenter
Pamela Hopkins
INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST of the Year
The FlatLand Gospel Band
Grace Stormont
Marybeth Byrd
Tacie and the Sunshine Band
The Villines Trio
FEMALE VOCALIST of the Year
Abby Lindsey
Kelsey Lamb
Mae Estes
Mary Heather Hickman
Pamela Hopkins
MALE VOCALIST of the Year
David Adam Byrnes
Jabe Burgess
Jocko Deal
Lance Carpenter
Zach Davis
ACOUSTIC ACT of the Year
Anna Brinker
Apple & Setser
Grace Stormont
Ryan Harmon
Trey Johnson
VOCAL DUO / GROUP of the Year
Huckleberry Jam
Kelsey Lamb / Taylor Goyette
Mary Heather Hickman / Stefanie Joyce
Nik & Sam
The Roads Below
ALBUM of the Year
“Givin’ a Damn (Don’t Go with My Outfit)” by Pamela Hopkins. Produced by P.T. Houston, Lonnie Abbott and Andy Wallis.
“I Play Country Music, Volume 1 and Volume 2” by Phil McGarrah. Produced by Phil McGarrah, Mark Capps and Randy Kohrs.
“I’m Not Broken” by Sarah Jane Nelson. Produced by Brian Irwin.
“On Your Own” by Grace Stormont. Produced by Jon Raney and Grace Stormont.
“Phoenix” by Huckleberry Jam. Produced by Ty Sims and Huckleberry Jam.
SONG of the Year
“Bullet or a Bible” Written by Tyler Kinch, Drew Glover, Jackson Hagerman, Nathan Jeffers, Avery Snyder and Ryan Cotroneo. Performed by Tyler Kinch.
“God Wears Boots” Written by Lance Carpenter and Joey Ebach. Performed by Lance Carpenter.
“Jesus and Janis” Written by S.J. McDonald, Brittany Moore and Aaron Clafton. Performed by Brittany Moore.
“Ouachita River” Written and performed by Mary Heather Hickman and Stefanie Joyce.
“Yours” Written by Jeannie Seely. Performed by Diane Berry and Joe Wade Smith.
SONGWRITER of the Year
Billy Don Burns
Erin Enderlin
Kenny Drain
Lance Carpenter
Rodger King
MUSIC PRODUCER of the Year
Andy Wallis
Jon Raney
Mike Bailey
Travis Mobley
Tyler Bell
SOUND ENGINEER of the Year
Bryce Roberts
Jon Raney
Mark Malone
Mike Bailey
Ryan Ceola
PROMOTER of the Year
Alice Walker
Beth Brumley
Johnny Sprayberry
Jon Walker
Marty Scarbrough
VIDEO of the Year
“The Crown (For Mama)” by Rockey Don Jones. Directed by Drake McGuire.
“If I’m Not in Hell” by Erin Enderlin. Directed by Ryan Nolan
“Put Some Country in Your Country” by Cory Jackson. Directed by Kenny Jackson.
“Small Spaces” by The Render Sisters. Directed by Pam Tillis.
“Water Me Down” by Huckleberry Jam. Directed by Sharpe Dunaway.
RADIO STATION of the Year
KDXY, 104.9 The Fox, Jonesboro
KHPQ, Hot Country Q-92.1, Clinton
KMJX, 105.1 The Wolf, Little Rock
KXRD, Red Dirt 96.7, Fayetteville
KZHE, KZ-100, Magnolia
RADIO DJ of the Year
Christie Matthews, KDXY, Jonesboro
Jim & Lisa, KKYR, Texarkana
Larry & Angel Cross, KABF, Little Rock
Tom Duke, KQUS, Hot Springs
Western Red, KISR, Fort Smith
PUBLICATION / BLOG / PODCAST of the Year
AY Magazine
Acoustic Music Talk with Brad Apple
Arkansongs
The CMBeat
Raise Your Spirits Music Series
VENUE of the Year
The Collins Theater (Paragould)
George’s Majestic Lounge (Fayetteville)
The Hall (Little Rock)
Hempstead Hall (Hope)
Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down Music Theater (Eureka Springs)
YOUNG ARTIST of the Year
Dillon Massengale
The Render Sisters
Sarah Cecil
Sierra Carson
Sylamore Special
BASS PLAYER of the Year
Charles Barnes
Dennis Crouch
Doug DeForest
Jeremy Huddleston
Michael Rinne
DRUMMER of the Year
David O’Neal
Evan Hutchings
Quinn Hill
Ryan Cotroneo
Scott Gibson
FIDDLE PLAYER of the Year
Garry Murray
Jenee Fleenor
Ritchie Varnell
Tim Crouch
Wayne Massengale
GUITAR Player of the Year
Casey Paraday
Charlie White
Jon Conley
Luke Williams
Randall George
STEEL / DOBRO PLAYER of the Year
Cody Russell
Josh Matheny
Larry Hight
Randy Terry
Robert Jones
Final voting of the Arkansas Country Music Awards is determined by the special awards committee and a collective tally of fan online voting. The fan portion of final voting will begin March 1st at www.ArkansasMusic.org, and conclude at the end of day, March 14th.
