VIDEO A Nashville native, Berg and co-writer Bobby Braddock scored a No. 1 hit in 1983 with “Faking Love” by T.G. Sheppard and Karen Brooks when Berg was just 18 years old. A second No. 1 followed after Reba McEntire recorded “The Last One to Know” as the title song for her 1987 album. Other hits in Berg’s extensive catalog include Trisha Yearwood’s “Wrong Side of Memphis,” “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl),” and “Everybody Knows;” Patty Loveless’ “I’m That Kind of Girl” and “You Can Feel Bad” and Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine.” Suzy Bogguss, Dixie Chicks, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Linda Ronstadt and Gretchen Wilson have also recorded her material.
Wilson worked in nearly every facet of the Nashville music industry, earning perhaps his greatest acclaim by composing classics for George Jones, Charlie Rich and Tammy Wynette. Wilson grew up in Kentucky and moved to Nashville as a teenager after joining a gospel group. He spent much of his first decade in town pursuing a performing career until a song he co-wrote, “Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady),” hit No. 1 for David Houston in 1970. Wilson’s songwriting catalog grew to include Jones signatures like “A Picture of Me (Without You),” “The Grand Tour” and “The Door.” Wilson co-wrote three of Rich’s No. 1 hits: “The Most Beautiful Girl,” “A Very Special Love Song,” and “I Love My Friend.” Wynette found success with Wilson compositions such as “I’ll See Him Through,” “He Loves Me All the Way,” “My Man” and “Another Lonely Song.” Additionally, Charley Pride secured No. 1 hits in the early 1980s with “Never Been So Loved (In All My Life)” and “Night Games.” In other roles, Wilson signed Keith Whitley to RCA and co-produced several Kenny Chesney albums. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1996. Wilson passed away in 2017.
The late Rob Potts will receive the Jim Reeves International Award, which is presented to an artist or industry leader for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world. Potts and his business partner Michael Chugg established the brand of CMC Rocks leading to festivals like CMC Rocks the Snowy, CMC Rocks the Hunter and CMC Rocks QLD. The latter became the first-ever sold-out country music festival in Australia, with 18,000 tickets sold for its 2018 lineup featuring Luke Bryan. Additionally, Potts managed rising artist Morgan Evans. In October 2017, Potts died following a motorcycle accident in Australia. He was 65.
The Mae Boren Axton Service Award will be presented posthumously to the late Mickey Christensen, Chris Christensen and Eddie Miller. The honor recognizes years of service and dedication to the ACM. In 1964, Mickey and Chris Christensen and performing songwriter Eddie Miller, along with performer Tommy Wiggins, co-founded the organization, the Country and Western Music Academy, to promote West Coast country artists. The entity went on to become the Academy of Country Music.
As previously announced, Rhett Akins is the recipient of the ACM’s Songwriter of the Year award. His more recent songwriting credits include Dustin Lynch’s “Small Town Boy,” Jon Pardi’s “Dirt on My Boots” and Blake Shelton’s “I Lived It,” as well as “Star of the Show” and “Life Changes” recorded by Akins’ son, Thomas Rhett. This is his third nomination for ACM Songwriter of the Year.