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.

31st Academy of Country Music Awards
Date	April 24, 1996
Location	Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, California
Hosted by	Brooks & Dunn Faith Hill
Most wins	Brooks & Dunn Shania Twain (2 each)
Most nominations	Brooks & Dunn Tim McGraw (5 each)
Television/radio coverage
Network	NBC
← 30th · ACM · 32nd →

Winners and nominees

Winners are shown in bold.^[1]

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