Academy of Country Music Honors Garth

5/7/2008 Webb   Country Music superstar Garth Brooks will be the first artist ever to be presented with the Academy of Country Music’s Crystal Milestone Award. Garth will receive the award during a live broadcast of the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, May 18th.   Garth is also scheduled to perform a medley of his greatest Country Music hits during the 8 PM, ET broadcast.   The Academy of Country Music Crystal Milestone Award is given to a Country artist or industry leader to commemorate a specific, remarkable achievement.  This award was originally acknowledged during a presentation in Hollywood last fall celebrating the Record Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) special recognition of Brooks’ 123 million in unit sales. As the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million sales mark, Brooks has been certified the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history.  His most recent release, The Ultimate Hits, has been certified 5 times platinum.   “The Academy wanted to more formally recognize Garth’s career achievements and success,” said Bob Romeo, Executive Director of the Academy of Country Music. “We felt the only way to underline his unmatched contribution to the genre of country music was to recognize him on our Awards show.”   “The ACM has always taken care of me and my music,” said Garth Brooks. “From Gene Weed to Bill and Fran Boyd, the ACM family has been a frontrunner in my career. I am flattered and humbled by what this award means. The fact that they have never awarded it before makes me feel the respect and the faith they have in me as an artist, and I will continue to work my butt off to make sure they are happy with their choice.”   Garth Brooks has won a total of eighteen Academy of Country Music Awards throughout his career, including Artist of The Decade in 1998. He has received every accolade the industry can bestow on an artist, including 2 Grammys, 17 American Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 5 World Music Awards, 12 People’s Choice Awards and 36 Billboard Music Awards, among many others.