Will Coyote Joe’s finally win an ACM Award? If so, would the club’s owner really care?
On the one hand, Coyote Joe’s co-owner Alan Presley isn’t overly excited about his venerable country-music hot spot recently earning another nomination for Club of the Year from the Academy of Country Music Awards.
“Our satisfaction is derived from the fact that we bring good artists to this market ... and from the satisfaction of our customers,” says Presley, who opened Coyote Joe’s at 4621 Wilkinson Blvd. with his brother Larry and the late Norman Kent Robinson in February of 1991.
“Artists are comfortable playing our venue, and they love playing our venue. ... Obviously there’s a reason why we’ve been around as long as we have been. Accolades are great, they’re wonderful, but knowing that we put a good product out and a good safe place for people to go to, I think that’s a huge reward right there.”
At the same time? After being nominated in 1998, 2003, 2008, 2009 and 2011, it’d be nice — for once, he says — to be a bride instead of a bridesmaid. “Don’t get me wrong,” Presley adds, laughing. “I’d love to win that award. I would so love to win it.”
The ACM Studio Recording, Industry and Special Awards — which includes the Club of the Year category — will be presented at the 14th Annual ACM Honors in late August at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. (This is not to be confused with the related but distinctly separate 55th ACM Awards, which will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 5 on CBS. That ceremony is the one Keith Urban will host, and for which Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett are among the top nominees.)
Last year’s winner was Joe’s on Weed Street of Chicago. This year, Coyote Joe’s was nominated for the ACM award along with Billy Bob’s Texas of Fort Worth, Tex.; Grizzly Rose of Denver, Colo.; Joe’s Live of Rosemont, Ill.; and Losers Bar & Grill of Nashville, Tenn.
“I’ve been in all of those clubs, every one of them,” Presley says. “We’re just delighted to be in the running.”
Over the years, Coyote Joe’s has hosted concerts by a who’s who of country superstars, including Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Merle Haggard, Old Dominion and Travis Tritt. A month ago, Kane Brown headlined a show there, and just this past weekend, Scotty McCreery sold out the club.
Though national concert promoter Live Nation routinely books country acts at its various venues in Charlotte, Coyote Joe’s is the only club of its size (its capacity is about 3,000) that specializes in country music.
The first year Coyote Joe’s was nominated — in 1998 — five bars from around the country were originally selected by the 3,000-member academy for what was then called the “Nightclub of the Year” category. The competition was narrowed to two before the show.
Presley isn’t sure whether that’s how the process goes anymore.
“I think they pre-pick it before the show ... and then they email you. I mean, I’d like to give you a definitive answer on that, but since I’ve never won it,” he says, laughing, “I don’t really know.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 4:04 PM.
