# 31st Academy of Country Music Awards

The 31st Academy of Country Music Awards was held on April 24, 1996, at the Universal Amphitheatre, in Los Angeles, California . The ceremony was hosted by Faith Hill and Brooks & Dunn.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are shown in bold.
| Entertainer of the Year | Album of the Year |
| Brooks & Dunn Garth Brooks Alan Jackson Reba McEntire Tim McGraw | The Woman in Me — Shania Twain All I Want — Tim McGraw Lead On — George Strait Waitin' on Sundown — Brooks & Dunn When Fallen Angels Fly — Patty Loveless |
| Top Female Vocalist of the Year | Top Male Vocalist of the Year |
| Patty Loveless Faith Hill Reba McEntire Pam Tillis Shania Twain | Alan Jackson John Berry Vince Gill Tim McGraw George Strait |
| Top Vocal Group of the Year | Top Vocal Duo of the Year |
| The Mavericks Alabama BlackHawk Diamond Rio Sawyer Brown | Brooks & Dunn Baker & Myers George Jones and Tammy Wynette Shelby Lynne and Faith Hill Dolly Parton and Vince Gill |
| Single Record of the Year | Song of the Year |
| "Check Yes or No" — George Strait "Any Man of Mine" — Shania Twain "I Like It, I Love It" — Tim McGraw "It Matters to Me" — Faith Hill "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" — Brooks & Dunn | "The Keeper of the Stars" — Dickey Lee, Karen Staley, Danny Mayo "I Like It, I Love It" — Jeb Stuart Anderson, Mark Hall, Steve Dukes "Standing on the Edge of Goodbye" — John Berry, Stewart Harris "You Don't Even Know Who I Am" — Gretchen Peters "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" — Don Cook, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn |
| Top New Male Vocalist | Top New Female Vocalist |
| Bryan White Wade Hayes David Lee Murphy | Shania Twain Terri Clark Alison Krauss |
| Top New Vocal Duo or Group | Video of the Year |
| Lonestar 4 Runner Perfect Stranger | "The Car" — Jeff Carson "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" — Junior Brown "Not That Different" — Collin Raye "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" — John Michael Montgomery "Tell Me I Was Dreaming" — Travis Tritt |
| Pioneer Award ||
| Merle Haggard ||
| Special Achievement Award ||
| Jeff Foxworthy ||

## Performers

| Performer(s) | Song(s) |
| Joe Diffie Aaron Tippin John Anderson Lee Roy Parnell | "C-O-U-N-T-R-Y" |
| Martina McBride | "Phones Are Ringin' All Over Town" |
| Terri Clark Shania Twain | Top New Female Vocalist Medley "If I Were You" "Home Ain't Where His Heart Is (Anymore)" |
| Alabama | "Say I" |
| Garth Brooks | Tony Arata Medley "The Dance" "Face to Face" "The Change" |
| Tim McGraw | "All I Want Is a Life" |
| Lonestar Perfect Stranger 4 Runner | Top New Vocal Duo or Group Medley "No News" "You Have the Right to Remain Silent" "Cain's Blood" |
| Shania Twain | "No One Needs to Know" |
| Brooks & Dunn | "My Maria" |
| Reba McEntire | "Starting Over Again" |
| Clint Black | "A Bad Goodbye" |
| David Lee Murphy Bryan White Wade Hayes | Top New Male Vocalist Medley "Every Time I Get Around You" "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore" "Old Enough to Know Better" |
| Alan Jackson | "Home" |
| Faith Hill | "It Matters to Me" |
| Marty Stuart Travis Tritt | "Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best" |
| Collin Raye | "Not That Different" |
| Tracy Lawrence | "Time Marches On" |
| Collin Raye Chely Wright Tim McGraw Trisha Yearwood Michelle Wright Marty Stuart Little Texas Tracy Lawrence Terri Clark Neal McCoy Travis Tritt John Berry Steve Wariner Rhett Akins Jo Dee Messina | "Hope" |

## Presenters

| Presenter(s) | Notes |
| Billy Dean Loni Anderson Steve Wariner | Top Vocal Group of the Year |
| Tracy Byrd Chely Wright Clay Walker | Top New Female Vocalist |
| Brooks & Dunn Faith Hill | Presented Special Achievement Award to Jeff Foxworthy |
| Mark Chesnutt Crystal Bernard Doug Supernaw | Video of the Year |
| Neal McCoy Linda Davis Emilio Navaira | Top New Vocal Duo or Group |
| Trisha Yearwood The Mavericks | Song of the Year |
| Sawyer Brown Pam Tillis | Album of the Year |
| Diamond Rio Naomi Judd | Top Vocal Duo of the Year |
| Shelby Lynne Little Texas | Top New Male Vocalist |
| Clint Black | Presented Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award to Merle Haggard |
| BlackHawk Patty Loveless | Single Record of the Year |
| John Berry Leeza Gibbons Shawntel Smith | Top Female Vocalist of the Year |
| Michelle Wright Janine Turner | Top Male Vocalist of the Year |
| Jay Leno | Entertainer of the Year |