3 ACM Winners From 1986 We Still Can’t Get Enough of Now

Those who follow awards shows know—sometimes you get a year when every winner is an all-timer. Some years, sure, there are people who take home important trophies who you know even in real-time you might not see again at a pageant soon.

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But then there are years when everyone’s a true-blue Hall of Famer. And it’s that type of phenomenon we wanted to highlight here below. Indeed, these are three ACM winners from 1986 we still can’t get enough of now.

Alabama

Alabama walked into the night as the country act with the most ACM nominations (4, tied with Hank Williams Jr.) and the group left the prestigious awards show with the most wins (2, tied with George Strait). But Alabama took home the most coveted award of the night—Entertainer of the Year—beating out big-name acts like Lee Greenwood, Ricky Skaggs, Strait, and Williams Jr. In fact, it was an award Alabama won a whopping five years in a row in the 80s, from 1982 to 1986. Also in 1986, Alabama won Top Vocal Group of the Year.

George Strait

Like Alabama, George Strait also won two ACM awards in 1986. The country star garnered both Top Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for his LP, Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind. For the latter category, Strait was able to fend off a number of renowned artists and albums, including records from Alabama, Williams Jr., The Highwaymen, and The Judds. Indeed, just about every category at the 1986 show was stacked.

Randy Travis

It can be a fun exercise to go through the awards shows from years and decades past to see who won the coveted trophies. That task is made even more fun when you look at the ACM new artist award winners. Just think… There was a moment in time when people were discovering artists like Randy Travis. Indeed, Travis won Top New Male Vocalist at the 1986 ACMs thanks to his debut LP, Storms of Life. All in all, it was a night of big names, as The Highwaymen won Single Record of the Year, The Judds won Top Vocal Duo of the Year, and Reba McEntire won Top Female Vocalist of the Year. What an evening!

Photo by Beth Gwinn/Redferns