DUE TO OVERWHELMING RESPONSE, A SPECIAL ENCORE AIRING OF
“ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY” SPECIAL TO REBROADCAST ON
SATURDAY, APRIL 11 AT 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT ON CBS
OFFICIAL PRE-SHOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM NOW
ON ACM FACEBOOK PAGE AND ACMOURCOUNTRY.COM
LOS ANGELES, CA – ACM Lifting Lives®, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music® announced today the ACM Lifting Lives® COVID-19 Response Fund allocated $1 million in less than a week following the ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY special that aired Sunday, April 5 on CBS. Nearly 8 million music fans around the country united for an evening of music and togetherness on Sunday, featuring at-home acoustic performances by Country Music’s biggest stars, along with clips from past ACM Awards® moments and an introduction of the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund.
The ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund was created to assist individuals working in the Country Music industry who are suffering a financial crisis as a result of the pandemic. Since the announcement, $1 million was raised thanks to ACM Lifting Lives sponsors FirstNet, Built with AT&T and Amazon Music, and donors, including The Bobby Bones Show, City National Bank, and other individuals. The ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund began with an initial endowment of $250,000, matched $250,000 in outside support, and is now contributing another $250,000 due to the need of applicants. To date, more than $500,000 has been distributed to Country Music industry professionals who demonstrate immediate financial needs due to COVID-19 and meet the outlined criteria. For more information about the Fund including corporate partnerships, visit ACMLiftingLives.org.
“In less than 48 hours, ACM Lifting Lives was able to send financial support to hundreds of applicants with the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund at an expedited pace,” said Lyndsay Cruz, Executive Director of ACM Lifting Lives. “A huge thank you to our generous private corporate donors, partners, and many individual industry leaders for their contributions. Because of them, ACM Lifting Lives matched donations to aid those in the County Music community during these extraordinary times. We are hopeful to continue supporting future applicants with this fund and thank you to all for the support.”
Due to overwhelming response, it was also announced that ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY will be rebroadcast Saturday, April 11 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT, 7:00-9:00 PM CT) on the CBS Television Network and on CBS All Access. ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY features performances from Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown & John Legend, Luke Bryan, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Old Dominion, Brad Paisley & Darius Rucker, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Additionally, the special will honor 10-time ACM Award winner Kenny Rogers with performances by Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker.
“The Academy thanks the artists that participated in the special as they brought comfort and music to nearly 8 million people in this time of uncertainty,” said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “The show also spread the message about the good work of ACM Lifting Lives through the generosity of our artists and partners, and directed viewers to our ACMOurCountry.com website where they can apply or discover how to support this important cause.”
Fans that missed the official ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY Pre-Show, can watch the full Pre-Show via the ACM Facebook, YouTube and the newly launched ACMOurCountry.com website. Lauren Alaina, Ingrid Andress, Gabby Barrett, Lee Brice, Blanco Brown, Lindsay Ell, Riley Green, Mickey Guyton, Caylee Hammack, Ashley McBryde, Jake Owen, Carly Pearce, and Tenille Townes appear from their homes sharing heartfelt messages with their fans and perform acoustic versions of their hits. The Pre-Show also pays tribute to 6-time ACM Award nominee Joe Diffie with a special performance by Chris Young. Fans can also gear up for the main event with the ACM Presents: Our Country Playlist on Amazon Music.
For more information on ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY, visit ACMOurCountry.com. You can also like Academy of Country Music on Facebook or follow on Twitter at @ACMawards, follow on Instagram at @ACMawards and sign up for the FREE ACM A-List for more immediate updates.