In a sense, Maren Morris and Jon Pardi are both competing against themselves in the album of the year category at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards. In addition to being nominated for their own albums, they are featured on other albums that are nominated.
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In addition to being nominated for her second major-label album, GIRL, Morris is featured on Miranda Lambert‘s Wildcard (on the track “Way Too Pretty for Prison”).
In addition to being nominated for his third studio album, Heartache Medication, Pardi is featured on Thomas Rhett‘s Center Point Road (on “Beer Can’t Fix”).
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Morris has been in this position before. Three years ago, the Texan was nominated for album of the year for her major-label debut album, Hero. She was also featured on fellow nominee Dierks Bentley‘s Black (on “I’ll Be the Moon”).
Little Big Town has also been in this position twice. The quartet was nominated for album of the year five years ago for Pain Killer. They lost to Lambert’s Platinum, on which they were featured (on the track “Smokin’ and Drinkin'”). Two years ago, Little Big Town was back in the running for album of the year for The Breaker. They were also featured on Old Dominion‘s Happy Endings (on “Stars in the City”).
In the past 20 years, this has happened at least two other times.
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Thirteen years ago, Vince Gill won album of the year for his four-disc set, These Days. He was also featured on Brooks & Dunn‘s Hillbilly Deluxe (on “Building Bridges”).
Nine years ago, Jamey Johnson was nominated for his two-disc set The Guitar Song. He was also featured on Bentley’s Up on the Ridge (on “Bad Angel”).
Alas, featured artists don’t win awards when an album is voted album of the year at the ACM Awards. The award goes to the artist(s), producer(s) and record label(s). So when an artist who is nominated for album of the year helps another artist win the award, as Little Big Town did five years ago, they truly know the meaning of the biblical beatitude “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.”
The 55th ACM Awards will be broadcast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 5.