Hank Williams Jr. won his third consecutive entertainer of the year award and said the "man of steel" almost broke down when they showed a video of him and his legendary father at the 24th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
"I'm not one of those who's going to get up there and blab and cry and tell you how happy I am, and thank everybody in the world, that's not me," Williams said following Monday night's awards ceremony. "But when I started talking about that video, I had to get off that stage because the man of steel just about lost it up there. That was the most special thing ever to me."Joining Williams in the race for entertainer of the year were The Judds, George Strait, Randy Travis and the group Alabama. Another Williams video, "Young Country," won best video.
K.T. Oslin, last year's top female newcomer, won top female vocalist and album of the year honors, and Strait was named top male vocalist at the Hat awards.
"Oh my goodness! I really didn't expect to win this one," said Oslin, an Arkansas native, after winning the album award for "This Woman."
Oslin, 46, a bluesy singer who had received five nominations - the most for any artist this year - dethroned Reba McEntire, voted top female vocalist the previous four years. She also bested fellow nominees, Roseanne Cash, Kathy Mattea and Tanya Tucker.
Mattea's ballad of the road "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" was named both top song and single of the year.
Highway 101 was named top vocal group for the second year in a row, beating out Alabama, Desert Rose Band, The Oak Ridge Boys and Restless Heart.
Alabama, which took home both entertainer of the year and top vocal group awards for five straight years, 1982-1986, and best album for three of those, was named entertainer of the decade by the academy.
Alabama's Randy Owens said the group does not take its success for granted.
"This is a real big surprise. I just sat there and said `is this really happenin'? That is our picture up there isn't it?' But I think that's one of the secrets of our success is that we feel we've never felt like we've really made it."
Previous recipients of the prestigious award were Sonny James for the 1960s and Loretta Lynn for the 1970s.
Suzy Bogguss was named top new female vocalist and Rodney Crowell top new male vocalist, and the Kentucky-born mother-daughter duo The Judds were chosen top duo for the fifth straight year.
Veteran star Buck Owens was given the pioneer award for his longtime contribution to country music.
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