# 20th Academy of Country Music Awards

The 20th Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony was held on May 6, 1985, at Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California. It was hosted by Glen Campbell, Janie Fricke and Loretta Lynn.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are shown in bold.
| Entertainer of the Year | Album of the Year |
| Alabama Willie Nelson Oak Ridge Boys Ricky Skaggs Hank Williams Jr. | Roll On — Alabama Don't Cheat in Our Hometown — Ricky Skaggs Don't Make It Easy for Me — Earl Thomas Conley Man of Steel — Hank Williams Jr. Right or Wrong — George Strait |
| Top Female Vocalist of the Year | Top Male Vocalist of the Year |
| Reba McEntire Janie Fricke Emmylou Harris Anne Murray Dolly Parton | George Strait Lee Greenwood Gary Morris Kenny Rogers Ricky Skaggs |
| Top Vocal Group of the Year | Top Vocal Duo of the Year |
| Alabama Exile Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Oak Ridge Boys Statler Brothers | The Judds David Frizzell and Shelly West Lee Greenwood and Barbara Mandrell Anne Murray and Dave Loggins Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias |
| Single Record of the Year | Song of the Year |
| "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" — Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias "I Don't Know a Thing About Love" — Conway Twitty "I've Been Around Enough to Know" — John Schneider "When We Make Love" — Alabama "Why Not Me" — The Judds | "Why Not Me" — Harlan Howard, Brent Maher, Sonny Throckmorton "I've Been Around Enough to Know" — Bob McDill, Dickey Lee "Second Hand Heart" — Mark Gray, Harold Tipton, Craig Karp "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" — Albert Hammond, Hal David "When We Make Love" — Troy Seals, Mentor Williams |
| Top New Male Vocalist | Top New Female Vocalist |
| Vince Gill Lloyd David Foster Bill Medley Dan Seals Keith Stegall | Nicolette Larson Becky Hobbs Hilary Kanter Katy Moffatt Karen Taylor-Good |
| Video of the Year | Tex Ritter Award |
| "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" — Hank Williams Jr. "America" — Waylon Jennings "Left Side of the Bed" — Mark Gray "Mama He's Crazy" — The Judds "Second Hand Heart" — Gary Morris "What She Wants" — Michael Martin Murphy | Songwriter The Baron and the Kid The Bear Rhinestone The River Rat |
| Pioneer Award ||
| Roy Acuff ||

## Performers

| Performer(s) | Song(s) |
| Exile | "Take Me to the Party" |
| The Judds | "Girls Night Out" |
| Lloyd David Foster Bill Medley Vince Gill Dan Seals Keith Stegall | Top New Male Vocalist Medley "I Can Feel the Fire Goin' Out" "Women in Love" "True Love" "My Old Yellow Car" "California" |
| Loretta Lynn | "Coal Miner's Daughter" |
| Ronnie Milsap | "She Keeps the Home Fires Burning" |
| Hank Williams Jr. | "I'm for Love" |
| Alabama | "40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" |
| Janie Fricke | "Somebody Else's Fire" |
| Glen Campbell | 20th Anniversary Country Medley "King of the Road" "Gentle on My Mind" "Okie From Muskogee" "Rhinestone Cowboy" "Lucille" "All the Gold in California" "Always on My Mind" "Wind Beneath My Wings" |
| Karen Taylor-Good Becky Hobbs Katy Moffatt Hilary Kanter Nicolette Larson | Top New Female Vocalist Medley "Starlite" "Hottest Ex in Texas" "This Ain't Tennessee And He Ain't You" "We Work" "When You Get a Little Lonely" |
| Gary Morris | "Anything Goes" |

## Presenters

| Presenter(s) | Notes |
| Roy Clark Morgan Brittany Mel Tillis | Top Vocal Duo of the Year |
| Mr. T | Reads the Rules of the ACM Awards |
| Catherine Bach Jim Stafford | Video of the Year |
| Marie Osmond Sylvia | Top New Male Vocalist |
| Jameson Parker Shelly West Charley Pride | Top Vocal Group of the Year |
| John Ritter Tom Ritter | Tex Ritter Award |
| Victor French Reba McEntire Mark Gray | Album of the Year |
| Earl Thomas Conley T.G. Sheppard Heather Thomas | Song of the Year |
| Lee Greenwood Lee Horsley | Top Female Vocalist of the Year |
| Joan Van Ark Lynn Anderson | Top Male Vocalist of the Year |
| Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Juice Newton | Top New Female Vocalist |
| Minnie Pearl Charlie Daniels | Presented Pioneer Award to Roy Acuff |
| Jennifer O'Neill Patrick Duffy | Single Record of the Year |
| Eddie Dean Roger Miller | Entertainer of the Year |