During an appearance on CBS This Morning on Friday, February 26, Kelsea Ballerini and the Brothers Osborne announced the nominees for the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards, the annual celebration “honoring the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry.”
The list of nominees include names such as Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBride and Dierks Bentley, as well as country music legends Brooks and Dunn.
Also appearing on the list of nominees for this year’s awards is Greenbrier County’s very own Steve Mackey. Mackey has been nominated as “bass player of the year.”
Mackey, a graduate of Greenbrier East High School, was a member of the school’s band under the guidance of then director, now Superintendent Jeff Bryant.
“Steve is one of the most amazing talents I have ever had the privilege of teaching,” Bryant told the West Virginia Daily News. “He’s just fantastic.”
Bryant further stated that Mackey is a graduate of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, an alma mater that the two men now share.
“I’ll leave it to him to share the rest of his incredible music career,” Bryant said.
In the coming days, the West Virginia Daily News will offer a deeper look into Mackey’s journey from the peacefulness of Greenbrier County, to the bright lights of Nashville, as we join together to celebrate the accomplishments of this talented young man.
The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from Nashville, on Sunday, April 18, at 8 p.m. on the CBS network.
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