The sixth annual Arkansas Country Music Awards recently took place for the third year in a row at the Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas Campus in Conway, Arkansas on June 5th. 

This award show is a great event as it focuses a spotlight on all those from Arkansas including upcoming country music artists, musicians and individuals in the country music industry. It was hosted once again by country music historian, Charles Haymes and Miss Arkansas 2014, Ashton Gill. 

Tyler Kinch at the 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards

The 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards gave out a variety of awards in twenty-seven different categories. Some winners include Entertainer of the Year, Tyler Kinch, Female Vocalist of the Year, Mae Estes, Male Vocalist of the Year, Blane Howard, Vocal Duo/Group of the Year, Midnight South, Country Artist of the Year, David Adam Byrnes, followed by Jenee Fleenor for Fiddle Player of the Year, Luke Williams for Guitar Player of the Year and Erin Enderlin for Songwriter of the Year.

One of the most prestigious categories at the Arkansas Country Music Awards is the Songwriter of the Year award and Conway, Arkansas native, Erin Enderlin won the award for the sixth consecutive year in a row. The songwriter was surprised and grateful for the award! “I keep thinking every year is going to be the end of this streak but I’m loving it while it’s continuing. Thank y’all so much for voting, thanks to my family for being out here and supporting me tonight,” said Enderlin accepting the award. “I’d like to thank the artists that have made my songs come to life this past year including my buddy, Sunny Sweeney, Julie Roberts and the great, Gene Watson.”

Enderlin continued, “All I ever wanted to do was get to play music for the rest of my life and I want to thank y’all for being apart of that. I’m just a kid in a country music candy store.”

A fellow Arkansas native, Tyler Kinch who was the recipient of the Entertainer of the Year award was also thrilled to win in his category and highlighted the fans in his acceptance speech. “Thank y’all so much, thanks to the fans, if it wasn’t for the fans, this night wouldn’t even be possible.” said Kinch. 

If you’d like to see a full list of winners from the 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards, you can click the link HERE. 

While waiting for the show to begin during the VIP hour, the 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards showcased some fantastic upcoming country music artists including Huckleberry Jam, Blane Howard, Casey Penn, Common Roots, Lane Long and Jake Stodgill!

Linda Davis, Barbara Fairchild & Sharon White at the 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards

The 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards featured several outstanding performances including from Lance Carpenter, Mae Estes, Erin Enderlin, Louise Mandrell, Linda Davis, Lang Scott, Sharon White from The Whites, Adam Hambrick, Midnight South, The Blackwood Brothers, Barbara Fairchild, David Adam Byrnes, Tyler Kinch and many more!

Along with that, the 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards honored four recipients with the Lifetime Achievement award including country artist, Barbara Fairchild, session guitarist, Reggie Young, songwriter, Albert E. Brumley and music manager, Irby Mandrell. All four performances in honor of the recipients were wonderful! Radio and television personality, Bobby Bones received the Millennial Award as well.

The 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards was a remarkable country music event in the natural state! It’s always amazing to see the talent and the community that the Arkansas Country Music scene has all in one place. This year’s award show was great with all the award presentations and performances! If you haven’t, be sure to learn more about the Arkansas Country Music Awards!

Be sure to follow the Arkansas Country Music Awards on their social media including on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can learn more about the Arkansas Country Music Awards by visiting their website HERE.

Did you attend the 2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards? What did you think of the show? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment below or on social media!