He bested heavy competition from such country mega-stars as Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton.
Brooks was presented the award by Taylor Swift.
In his gracious acceptance speech, Brooks raised his hat and saluted the genre of country music. “Very sweet. Wow. It’s cool,” he said, prior to thanking his entire team, road family and crew. He went on to thank his touring-mate and “love of his life” Trisha Yearwood, and is proud of the fact that he is able to take her home.