In 1971, the Academy of Country Music Awards honored Merle Haggard with the first-ever Entertainer of the Year award. Since then, the coveted trophy has been bestowed on some of country music's best and brightest.
The biggest question for the ACM, according to CEO Damon Whiteside, is: How can the Academy shift the country music genre into one that is representative of this country as a whole?
Jackson has been a fan-favorite singer for quite some time. But he isn't afraid to risk his popularity and take a stand for what he believes in -- even if it means going against what "the man" says.