There are so many great new artists in country music. It seems like every week I hear a new song from a new act that I just love. We have a great new crop of stars but who is shining the brightest?

This Sunday night the ACM Awards will celebrate 50 years of honoring the best in our format. There are a lot of big trophies handed out that night but one of the most competitive will be the New Artist of the Year Award. We could name 15-20 great new acts but only three are nominated. We have Thomas Rhett who has had the big hits "Make Me Wanna", "It Goes Like This", "Get Me Some of That" and more. Cole Swindell who has had all three of his singles "Ain't Worth the Whiskey", "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" and "Chillin' It", go to number one and Sam Hunt who hit number one with his debut "Leave the Night On" and his follow up "Take Your Time" is about to hit the top. These three are all worthy of the honor but who will win?

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