THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC
Every year since 1965, the Academy of Country Music Awards have honored the industry's most notable talent. In 1972 the awards show was broadcast for the first time on national television. Since then, the gala ACM Awards broadcast has been among the most popular programs in its time slot.

The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 by people passionate about supporting, promoting and enhancing the advancement of country music throughout the world. The organization's original name was the Country & Western Music Academy; as it grew, the name was changed and the ACM Awards were established to honor outstanding country performers.

Over the years, the Academy of Country Music has been active in or has sponsored such community events as the Country Music Caravan (1970) and the 1971 benefit Concern for Prisoners of War. More recently, the Academy presented a seminar entitled "What's This Country All About?" to provide a portrait of country music and its position in today's dynamic global market.

In 1983, the Academy of Country Music found a creative way to support its favorite charities by establishing a celebrity golf tournament in which business people mingle with stars and business people from the country music community. The tournament, which in 1996 was renamed the Bill Boyd Celebrity Golf Classic, raises money for such charities as the Shriners Children's Hospital, the M.D. Anderson Cancer Hospital, the T.J. Martell Foundation/Neil Bogart Memorial Laboratory for Cancer, Leukemia and AIDS Research and the American Heart Association.