ACM LAUNCHES COVID-19 RESPONSE FUND

Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and Thomas Rhett are among the two dozen stars participating in the TV special ACM Presents: Our Country.

The Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions’ two-hour special, airing 4/5 at 8pm on CBS, will feature conversations and at-home acoustic performances. Gayle King will be the host.

Bobby Bones will introduce the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund in a special package during the show.

The ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund will begin with an initial endowment of $250,000, with an additional matching fund against Academy of Country Music partners, sponsors and third-party donors of up to $250,000. Partners, sponsors, and donors include The Bobby Bones Show, FirstNet, Built with AT&T and Amazon Music.

This fund will be available to Country Music industry professionals who demonstrate immediate financial needs due to COVID-19 and meet the outlined criteria.

Lyndsay Cruz, Executive Director of ACM Lifting Lives, said, “With this new ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund, we hope to help alleviate some of the burden our music community faces; including the musicians, bus drivers, tour crews, songwriters, the list goes on and on during these unprecedented times.”

Also appearing will be Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown & John Legend, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, Old Dominion, Brad Paisley & Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban.

The special will also honor Kenny Rogers with performances by Bryan, Paisley and Rucker. Video clips from previous ACM Award broadcasts will highlight favorite ACM moments from the past.