Winners of inaugural Arkansas Country Music Awards announced

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Erin Enderlin and Bonnie Montgomery photo illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Erin Enderlin and Bonnie Montgomery photo illustration.

The Zac Dunlap Band was among the big winners of the inaugural Arkansas Country Music Awards, taking home four awards, including Entertainer of the Year.

The ceremony, which was held Monday night at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, was hosted by De Queen native Collin Raye and country music journalist Charles Haymes of Little Rock.

The show featured honors for musicians in 27 categories. Winners were chosen by fans in online polling.

Lifetime achievement awards were given to honor the legacies of Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell and singer-harmonica player Wayne Raney. Singing trio The Browns — siblings Jim Ed, Bonnie and Maxine — whose 1959 single "The Three Bells" topped the charts and sold more than a million copies, was also honored, along with Ed Bruce, the Keiser native who wrote, among many others, "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys."

Singer-songwriter Erin Enderlin, who grew up in Conway and led the field with nominations in seven categories, won the Songwriter of the Year and Album of the Year categories.

Full list of 2018 Arkansas CMA recipients, according to the organization's Facebook page:

ENTERTAINER of the Year

The Zac Dunlap Band

AMERICANA / ROOTS Artist of the Year

Bonnie Montgomery

BLUEGRASS Artist of the Year

The Keisler Brothers Band

COUNTRY ARTIST of the Year

Cory Jackson

INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST of the Year

Heaven's Echoes

FEMALE VOCALIST of the Year

Bonnie Montgomery

MALE VOCALIST of the Year

Blane Howard

ACOUSTIC ACT of the Year

Caleb Ryan Martin

VOCAL GROUP of the Year

The Zac Dunlap Band

ALBUM of the Year

Whiskeytown Crier by Erin Enderlin

SONG of the Year

"Arkansas' Mine" written by Zac Dunlap,

performed by The Zac Dunlap Band.

SONGWRITER of the Year

Erin Enderlin

MUSIC PRODUCER of the Year

Randy Loyd

SOUND ENGINEER of the Year

Jon Raney

PROMOTER of the Year

J.R. Rogers

VIDEO of the Year

"Arkansas' Mine" by The Zac Dunlap Band

RADIO STATION of the Year

KSSN of Little Rock

RADIO DJ of the Year

Bob Robbins of KMJX in Little Rock

MAGAZINE of the Year

Arkansas Living

VENUE of the Year

Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View

YOUNG ARTIST of the Year

Cam Shelton

BASSIST of the Year

Jimmy Young

DRUMMER of the Year

Doobie Bowie

FIDDLER of the Year

Melody Hart

GUITARIST of the Year

Randall George

STEEL/DOBRO PLAYER of the Year

Steve Matlock

Upcoming Events