Chris Stapleton will be presented with the Vanguard Award at the 2016 ASCAP Country Music Awards in late October.

Awarded by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (aka ASCAP), the Vanguard Award "recognizes the impact of outstanding ASCAP members on musical genres that will help shape the future of American music," a press release explains. Previous recipients include Walk the Moon, the Civil Wars, Sara Bareilles and more.

"Every so often, someone comes along with songwriting so masterful, a voice so powerful and a presence so captivating that it stops you in your tracks. Chris Stapleton does just that,” says ASCAP President Paul Williams in the release. “By distilling Southern sounds and themes into potent songs, he has brought raw soul back to the country charts and established himself as one of the most respected and original artists in American music today."

Stapleton will receive the Vanguard Award during the 2016 ASCAP Country Music Awards on Oct. 31 in Nashville, Tenn. The awards ceremony is set to take place two days before the 2016 CMA Awards (Nov. 2), at which Stapleton is nominated in six categories: Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year (as both artist and producer of his song “Nobody to Blame”), Musical Event of the Year (for “You Are My Sunshine” with his wife Morgane) and Music Video of the Year.

As previously revealed, Ricky Skaggs will receive ASCAP’s most prestigious award, the Founders Award, at the 54th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards. That honor is presented to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring, influencing and enriching music creators for generations to come. Previous recipients include George Strait, Alan Jackson, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Melissa Etheridge and Neil Young.

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