This ain’t Reba McEntire’s first rodeo.
As Reba saddles up to host the ACM Awards for the 15th time on April 15, she knows the biggest award of the night is Entertainer of the Year. It’s an award she won in 1994 after previous nominations in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Five artists are nominated for the 2018 ACM Entertainer of the Year, including Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban. Jason will be vying for his third consecutive trophy, while Garth, who hasn’t won the award since 1998, is seeking his seventh, and Luke is going for his third. Chris and Keith have never won the award.
Leave it to Reba, a former barrel racer, to put the significance of the award into rodeo parlance.
“Entertainer of the Year means that they’re good onstage, they’re good with their fans, they put out records on the radio, an album that was a really good seller that the fans really enjoyed,” says Reba to Nash FM’s Jesse Addy. “They’re kinda like the All-Around Cowboy,” which is a professional rodeo title that designates the cowboy who has been the most successful throughout the year.
The ACM Awards will air from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
photo by Tammie Arroyo
