The singer will receive the first ever award at the ACM Honors

The Academy of Country Music (ACM) has announced that Miranda Lambert will receive the inaugural ACM Merle Haggard Spirit Award at the 10th Annual ACM Honors. Approved by the ACM Special Awards Panel and voted on by the ACM Board, this new award will honor uncompromising artists in the spirit of Merle Haggard, while acknowledging a man who has figured prominently in ACM history.

“Merle was an integral part of the Academy’s history, and it was important to us that we honor his legacy. We couldn’t imagine anyone better suited to receive the first ever ACM Merle Haggard Spirit Award than Miranda,” said ACM EVP/Managing Director Tiffany Moon.

The 10th Annual ACM Honors is an evening dedicated to celebrating the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards and will feature performances by Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cam, Toby Keith, Alicia Keys, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell, Keith Urban, Chris Young, Dan + Shay, The Band Perry and hosts Lady Antebellum.

The two-hour special will tape on Tuesday, August 30th at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, and make its television debut on Friday, September 9th from 9-11 pm ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.

Author: Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites.