Arkansas country duo Cliff & Susan have added another honor to their growing list of accolades, winning Duo of the Year – Country (Alumni) at the 2026 Josie Music Awards on Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
The win marks the married duo’s second consecutive Josie Music Awards win. They were named Duo of the Year – Country in 2025 before moving into the Alumni category for this year’s awards.
The award comes just days before Cliff & Susan release their new single, “Hill Country Swing,” on Friday, Sept. 25. The song is the second single from their upcoming sophomore album, “Come On In,” which is set for release Oct. 23.
The high-energy traditional country song was created around line dancing, a longtime staple of country music and a natural fit for the duo’s dance-focused live performances. The song follows a woman who comes out every Friday simply to dance, eventually getting the entire room to follow her lead.
The chorus incorporates the dance instructions directly into the song, including the grapevine, heel kick, pivot, turn, cross, rock step, back step and shimmy.
“Hill Country Swing” follows the Sept. 13 release of the album’s title track, “Come On In.” The new album draws heavily from the music and energy Cliff & Susan have experienced while performing more than 200 shows a year across the United States and internationally.
Susan plays piano and keys while Cliff performs fiddle, guitar and harmonica, with both sharing vocals. Cliff also performs much of the instrumentation on the duo’s original recordings.
The Josie Music Awards win adds to a list of recent honors for the independent Arkansas artists. Cliff & Susan were named Entertainer of the Year and Vocal Duo/Group of the Year at the Arkansas Country Music Awards in both 2025 and 2026. Their debut album, “Fiddle & Keys,” also won Album of the Year at the 2025 Arkansas Country Music Awards.
Their song “Fiddle & Keys” also led to a national television performance on “Huckabee,” and the duo has shared stages with ZZ Top, Sawyer Brown and Niko Moon.
Cliff & Susan will celebrate the release of “Come On In” with a full-band performance at The Ranch Gala at Pine Hill Ranch in Little Rock on Saturday, Oct. 24. The event will benefit Healing Hooves and feature live music, dancing and VIP experiences. Tickets and event information are available at TheRanchGala.com. AY Media Group is proud to serve as the presenting media sponsor for The Ranch Gala.
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