Michael T. Strickland Honored by Academy of Country Music Bandit Lites founder and chair Michael T. Strickland was bestowed the ACM Gene Weed Milestone Award at Wednesday night's Academy of Country Music (ACM) Honors. This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group, or industry leader for a specific, unprecedented, or outstanding achievement in the field of country music during the preceding calendar year. Strickland was voted as the winner by members of the ACM in a rare unanimous vote. "I'm humbled and honored and flattered," said Strickland as he accepted the award Wednesday night. "I cannot believe the ACM has done this. It's a long way from touring with Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn in the early seventies to stadiums with Garth Brooks." Past recipients of the Gene Weed Milestone Award include Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Loretta Lynn, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Sam Hunt, Carrie Underwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Jeff Foxworthy, Merle Haggard, George Burns, Gayle Holcomb, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Jennifer Nettles, and Blake Shelton. Strickland's tireless efforts on behalf of country music and the entirety of live events, mobilizing millions into action, breaking down applications and forms that entire companies and individuals hinged their survival on, and on raising awareness to the public with appearances on MSNBC, CNBC, NBC, WGN America, and others to keep the focus on the entertainment industry. He testified before the United States Senate on December 15 about the effect of COVID-19 on the Live Event Industry, leading to the passage of the COVID Relief bill providing Save Our Stages, additional PPP and additional PUA to the industry. Strickland also worked with others to create COV-AID, which tied live entertainment, The NFL, NASCAR, and the White House COVID vaccine effort together. COV- AID allowed the delivery of vaccines across the US in all of the entertainment's largest venues. He is now working on passing The MUSIC Act (Music Under Sever Income Crisis) (Senate Amendment 2412), an amendment from Senator Bill Hagerty and Senator Marsha Blackburn, who was in attendance with Strickland, that would utilize 4 billion dollars already allocated from Shuttered Venues Operators Grant and disperse it among a wider net of live event professionals. Strickland spoke about The MUSIC Act as he accepted the ACM Award. "One of the things SOS failed to do was take care of the service and support people," he said. "That's all the guys and gals that load and unload the trucks and make the shows go. This bill will take care of the service and support people. There is 5 billion dollars left in SOS and it shut last week. The CBO has scored our bill as 4 billion dollars, so what we all have to do, and managers, artists, agents, I challenge you tonight: please contact Senator Chuck Schumer. He was the champion and reason SOS passed. We must all reach out to him and ask him to please pass The MUSIC Act with unanimous consent as soon as the Senate reconvenes so that there will be funding coming to the service and support guys and gals in this industry. That will complete the picture." 
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