The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music in the western 13 states with the support of artists based on the West Coast. Artists such as Johnny Bond, Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Roger Miller and others influenced them. A board of directors was formed to govern the academy in 1965.
History and mission
The Country Music Academy (Academy of Country Music) was founded in 1964 on the west coast of USA. The Academy sought to promote country/western music in the western states; this was in contrast to the Country Music Association, based in Nashville, Tennessee (then the center of the pop-oriented Nashville sound). During the early 1970s, the organization changed its name to the Academy of Country and Western Music and finally to the Academy of Country Music to avoid confusion about whether the organization was a school.