On Wednesday (June 3), Billboard honored this year’s Country Power Players honorees during a ceremony held at The Eye Rooftop at Category 10 in downtown Nashville, celebrating many of the genre’s top artists and music executives.
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Billboard co-chief content officers Leila Cobo and Jason Lipshutz ushered in the evening by recognizing the current and enduring power of country music.
“It is an artform that is constantly expanding … new superstars, new smashes, setting new records, innovating while valuing longstanding traditions,” Lipshutz said. “Billboard‘s charts tell us that country is enormous right now, but everybody on this rooftop knows that country music is, was and always will be timeless.”
Melinda Newman, Billboard’s executive editor of West Coast/country hosted the ceremony, and joined in celebrating the executives highlighted on Billboard‘s Country Power Players list and the artists being honored. She also praised executive and artist honorees for the “unprecedented success that country music is experiencing as it continues to surge both domestically and internationally because of your efforts.”
Billboard Country Power Players cover artist Green was honored with the Hitmaker award. “His music is pure country,” Clint Black said when presenting Green with the recognition, later adding, “I’m impressed with his songwriting.”
Green, a four-time Country Airplay topper, noted that the honor meant a lot to him as an artist who is the sole writer behind some of his hits, such as “Worst Way” and “Don’t Mind If I Do” — and it was fitting that Black, who is also known for writing the bulk of his own hits, presented the award to Green.
“For me, this kind of recognition is a pat on the back that gives me the confidence to go out and write more songs and play more shows,” Green said, acknowledging many of the members of his team. He also dedicated the award to his late “granddaddy Buford” who “loved country music.” “I had a lot of great role models growing up,” said Green, who recalled his grandmother Lola Jean recently attending one of his sold-out shows in Atlanta. “She said, ‘Man, I just wish Buford could see this.’ It’s moments like this that make me very certain he’s sittin’ in a recliner somewhere watching down on this.”
HARDY presented the Rising Star award to Tucker Wetmore, who has been piling up hits including “Brunette” and “3, 2, 1” and taking his engaging live shows to fans around the world this year.
“One thing I do know about him is he works extremely hard and what comes from hard work is success, and hopefully what comes from success is being recognized for that,” HARDY said. “I know for a fact that this guy has been working his ass off … he’s a really good guy … you’ve taken Nashville by storm.”
Accepting his honor, Wetmore said, “First and foremost, I am nothing without God. He has moved mountains in my life that I never thought would be possible and I just want to thank everybody. I look around this room and there are so many people that have made an impact not just on my life, but on my family’s life and my friends life.” He thanked many of his industry colleagues, including those at MCA, Mercury, WME and OH Creative, before adding, “It’s a crazy life that we are able to live as musicians and as artists, and I’m thankful that I get to wake up and do that thing that God put on my heart every single day.”
Comedian Matt Rife presented group The Red Clay Strays with the Groundbreaker award, and blended humor and heart in his presentation. “It is my honor to present this award today to my very good friends and my favorite band in music today, The Red Clay Strays,” he said, calling the group’s music “a timeless sound that sends us back to music’s golden age.”
“Thank you guys for giving this to us,” frontman Brandon Coleman said when accepting the honor. “We don’t really feel like we’ve broken any ground, we just try to make art that is true to us and is something we’d be happy to leave behind once we’re gone … the fact that we’ve been given an award that is named groundbreaker is pretty awesome cause all we’ve been doing is working and trusting God and just trying to tell the truth. We certainly appreciate you guys.”
Seven-time Country Airplay topper Miranda Lambert was recognized with the Icon award. Songwriter Tom Douglas, co-writer of one of Lambert’s signature hits, “The House That Built Me,” presented the honor, calling Lambert “the kind of tough that teaches” and “rugged enough to weather whatever this town brings, and generous enough to let the young ones stand on her shoulders.”
“I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be in this community,” Lambert said. “I’m trying to lift up the next generation. Country music is my life, it’s what I’ve dedicated my entire adulthood to and I still feel that even though I’ve been doing this for 23 years … thank you for all the support all these years.”
Billboard’s Country Power Players Executive of the Year honor was awarded to The Neal Agency’s Austin Neal, who helps guide the touring careers of artists including Riley Green, Morgan Wallen, Ella Langley, Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith.
Neal’s father, retired WME partner Kevin Neal, presented the honor, saying, “I’m so proud of my son, Austin, for receiving this award … Austin has succeeded beyond belief, and he’s such a good person.” He also noted that although The Neal Agency began as a boutique agency, “it is no longer a boutique agency,” thanks to its powerhouse roster.
Taking the stage, Neal grew emotional when discussing the full-circle moment of his father being the one to present the accolade, and also recalled his own early belief in Green’s music. “There are so many people here who have touched my career and I can’t thank each of you enough,” Neal said.
As CMA Fest week kicks off in Nashville, Billboard will Billboard Country Live, a two-day event headlined by The Red Clay Strays (June 4) and Tucker Wetmore (June 5). Other performers at the event, which begins at 3 p.m. each day, include Carly Pearce, The Band Perry, Chase Rice, Lanie Gardner, Ty Myers, Kaitlin Butts, Stella Lefty, Braxton Keith and Alana Springsteen.
