The Academy of Country Music (ACM) announced Wednesday it will honour Morgan Wallen this summer – a little more than a year after he was caught on video uttering a racist slur.
The 29-year-old singer will receive the ACM Milestone Award, which recognizes “a specific, unprecedented or outstanding achievement in the field of Country Music during the preceding calendar year,” according to a release.
Wallen is being honoured for the success of Dangerous: The Double Album, which was named Album of the Year at the ACM Awards in March. (In 2021, Wallen was deemed ineligible for ACM Awards consideration due to the controversy over his use of the n-word.)
Past recipients of the award include Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
Also receiving special awards at the ACM Honors show on Aug. 24 in Nashville are Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton and Canada’s Shania Twain.
Lambert will receive the Triple Crown Award in recognition of collecting ACM Awards for Top New Female Vocalist, Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. She is only the eighth artist to earn the Triple Crown.
Stapleton will be presented with the ACM Spirit Award, which recognizes a singer-songwriter “who is continuing the legacy of Country Music legend Merle Haggard by following his/her own path, crafting great songs, and epitomizing Haggard’s spirit through genuine performances and great storytelling.”
Twain, along with Sonny Throckmorton, will receive the ACM Poet’s Award “for outstanding and longstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their career, with special consideration given to a song or songs’ impact on the culture of Country Music.”
The Ontario native joins past recipients like Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams.
Also being fêted at the ACM Honors are Hardy (ACM Songwriter of the Year) and Yellowstone (ACM Film Award).