Country Music Superstars Brooks & Dunn Selected as Recipients of The Academy of Country Music(R)/The Home Depot(R) Humanitarian Award

Country Music Superstars Brooks & Dunn Selected as Recipients of The Academy of Country Music(R)/The Home Depot(R) Humanitarian Award

Award to Be Presented During the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards To Air Live From MGM Grand in Las Vegas Tuesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS

ENCINO, Calif., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Country Music(R) and The Home Depot(R) announced today that country music superstars Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of multi-platinum BROOKS & DUNN will be the 2007 recipients of the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award, to be presented during the 42nd ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS ceremony honoring country music's top talent as well as the industry's hottest emerging talent, will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

In its sixth year, the Humanitarian Award recognizes artists who serve others, have a generous spirit and help build the dreams of those in need. BROOKS & DUNN, the Academy of Country Music Awards all-time trophy leaders, were selected by a special blue-ribbon committee comprised of executives in the country music industry as well as local and national philanthropic leaders for their ongoing community service and charitable giving of their time and talent.

"Over the years, Kix and Ronnie have done so much to help others. But what strikes me about them is that they do it with joy and laughter," said Gayle Holcomb, chairman of the board of directors. "The Academy often uses the phrase 'Party for a Cause(TM)'. These two guys take a party wherever they go and others feel their burdens are lighter because of it."

As the recipient of the Humanitarian Award, BROOKS & DUNN will receive a beautiful crystal trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. during the live CBS telecast. They will also be honored with a playground donated by The Home Depot and the company's national nonprofit partner KaBOOM!, which envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. The playground will be built by The Home Depot volunteers and community members in the city of BROOKS & DUNN's choice. Past recipients of the Humanitarian Award include Vince Gill, Lonestar, Martina McBride, Neal McCoy and Reba McEntire.

"Philanthropy and giving back are embedded in The Home Depot culture and are at the core of the Humanitarian Award," said Roger Adams, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of The Home Depot. "Through their charitable giving and community service, Kix and Ronnie truly exemplify the values represented by both The Home Depot and the Academy of Country Music. We are proud to recognize them for their contributions and impact on improving our local communities."

"In our career, Ronnie and I have done things we could have only dreamed of, but the most rewarding has been when we've made a difference for someone else," said Brooks.

"We appreciate The Home Depot and the Academy giving us this award, but what makes it even better is that a bunch of kids will get a new playground," added Dunn.

THE RECIPIENTS

Brooks & Dunn have worked with so many charities, some of which have included Hurricane Katrina relief, Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House and Laughter for the Children that benefits a Nashville children's home. They also hold the distinction of being the top- selling country duo in history, selling 30 million albums that have yielded a whopping 23 #1 singles and 40 Top 10 songs. Their tours continually rank as some of the top grossing in any musical genre.

THE HOME DEPOT

The Home Depot(R) is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with more than 2,163 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China. Through its HD Supply(SM) businesses, The Home Depot is also one of the largest diversified wholesale distributors in the United States, with nearly 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada offering products and services for building, improving and maintaining homes, businesses and municipal infrastructures. In fiscal 2006, The Home Depot had sales of $90.8 billion and earnings of $5.8 billion. The Company employs approximately 355,000 associates and has been recognized by FORTUNE magazine as the No. 1 Most Admired Specialty Retailer and the No. 13 Most Admired Corporation in America for 2006. The Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index.

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC

The ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC, an artist and industry-driven organization, exists to produce a world-class network television awards show, and its associated events, to provide the financial resources to ensure the on-going philanthropic work of its Charitable Fund. Academy of Country Music Charitable Fund promotes and supports music education and humanitarian programs that transform the human spirit. Through its charitable donations, the ACMCF works towards two main goals: encouraging Learning Through Music and Healing Through Music. The Academy, which is comprised of more than 4,500 professional members and more than 40,000 associate members, was established in 1964 and is headquartered in Encino, Calif.

For more information on the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC, please visit www.acmcountry.com. For more information on the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC CHARITABLE FUND, please visit www.acmcf.org.

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

The ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS is produced for television by dick clark productions. The show is executive produced by Allen Shapiro and R.A. Clark, and produced by Barry Adelman. The executive in charge of production is Bob Bardo, and the executive in charge is Francis LaMaina.

Source: The Academy of Country Music

CONTACT: Brooke Primero of BNC, +1-310-854-4800, bprimero@bncpr.com, for
The Academy of Country Music; or Brooks & Dunn PR Contact, Michele Schweitzer
of M-Relations, LLC., +1-212-661-9411, ms@m-relations.com; or Home Depot PR
Contact, Caroline Counihan, +1-770-384-2944, or cell, +1-404-323-3767,
caroline_counihan@homedepot.com

Web site: http://www.acmcountry.com/
http://www.acmcf.org/

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