ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AND THE HOME DEPOT(R) SELECT COUNTRY MUSIC ARTISTS MONTGOMERY GENTRY TO RECEIVE HUMANITARIAN AWARD

ENCINO, Calif., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Country Music and The Home Depot® announced today that Columbia Nashville duo MONTGOMERY GENTRY will be the 2010 recipient of the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award, to be presented during the 45th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS. The show will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sun., April 18, 2010, at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

In its ninth year, the Humanitarian Award recognizes country music artists who serve others, have a generous spirit and help build the dreams of those in need. Iconic country music duo MONTGOMERY GENTRY have been selected for their ongoing community service and charitable giving of their time and talent.

Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry devote their time and energy into making the needs of others a priority. They are active participants in any charitable organizations they support giving their time, talent and treasure. Together, they have strongly served and supported the U.S. military and numerous charitable organizations including the TJ Martell Foundation, which Troy serves as a board member. They also provide their individual time to two deserving philanthropies. Eddie gives his support to Camp Horsin' Around in Lexington, Ky., which provides a camp facility equipped for children with serious, chronic illnesses and physical difficulties. Troy bolsters the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

A visit with Montgomery Gentry has long been the object of many children's wishes at Make-A-Wish of Middle Tennessee which grants the wishes of children who are between two and a half and 18 years old, and have life-threatening medical conditions. The duo puts as much energy and heart into making these experiences as magical and unforgettable for each child as possible. During the last few years, Montgomery Gentry has participated in many fundraising events to benefit the organization and Eddie and Troy together have made many children's wishes come true whether it be a visit, a photo opportunity, a hug or the chance to sing on stage with the duo.

Montgomery Gentry helps raise monies and bring awareness to the needs of several organizations, including:

• St. Jude's Research Hospital
• Academy of Country Music's Chairman's Ride benefiting ACM Lifting Lives since 2004
• USO Tours to the Persian Gulf
• Hospice of the Bluegrass and Multiple Myeloma Foundation
• David Dickens Melanoma Research Foundation
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• Patient Advocate Foundation

"We can't begin to express how honored we are to learn that we are receiving this award from The Home Depot and the Academy of Country Music," said Troy Gentry. "This isn't something that we ever expected when we started out 10 years ago. We just set out to entertain people and getting the opportunity to help such deserving organizations is just a real honor for us."

"Thanks to everyone out there who has helped us to get where we are today," said Eddie Montgomery. "We just want to make sure we do our part in making the world a little better. It's been awesome to work with organizations like Camp Horsin' Around, the TJ Martell Foundation, Make-A-Wish and especially to all of our American heroes that we've met along the way."

As recipients of the Humanitarian Award, MONTGOMERY GENTRY will receive a KaBOOM! playground built in their honor by The Home Depot and a beautiful crystal trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. during the live CBS telecast. Past recipients of the Humanitarian Award include LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Neal McCoy, Martina McBride, Lonestar and Reba McEntire.

"Giving back to the communities in which our associates and customers live and work is a core value of The Home Depot," said Frank Bifulco, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at The Home Depot. "We're proud to recognize Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry for their tireless community service and philanthropy efforts. They put the same soulful energy heard in their songs into their humanitarian activities. They are a living example of the values of charitable giving and community service shared by both The Home Depot and the Academy of Country Music."

THE RECIPIENT

Montgomery Gentry's current album, Back When I Knew It All, has also yielded the No. 1 hit single "Back When I Knew It All" and the multi-week No. 1, "Roll With Me." An exclusive Cracker Barrel album project, For Our Heroes, released in 2009, broke all of the company's previous sales records. The duo received two 2009 Academy of Country Music Award nominations including Album of the Year for Back When I Knew It All and Top Vocal Duo. The duo has also been nominated for a 2010 Academy of Country Music Award for Top Vocal Duo. The Kentucky natives joined Kenny Chesney on tour last summer, performing as part of an all-star lineup at stadium shows on Chesney's Sun City Carnival Tour, and will headline the Country Throwdown Tour this summer. Fans can check out www.montgomerygentry.com for the latest information.

THE HOME DEPOT

The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,245 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China. In fiscal 2009, The Home Depot had sales of $66.2 billion and earnings from continuing operations of $2.6 billion. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates. 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.

About the Academy of Country Music Awards

The 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers, Barry Adelman is producer and Bob Bardo is executive in charge of production. For more information, please visit www.acmcountry.com.

SOURCE Academy of Country Music