Brooks & Dunn were nominated for Entertainer, which they won in 1996; Vocal Duo, which they have won a record 13 times; Album for Hillbilly Deluxe; Single and Music Video for "Believe;" and Musical Event of the Year for "Building Bridges," with guest vocals by Sheryl Crow and the man who hosted the CMA Awards for 12 consecutive years before Brooks & Dunn took over in 2004, Vince Gill. This is Crow's second CMA Awards nomination. Only one nomination is counted per category, per project, but the duo could pick up additional trophies at this year's ceremony for co-producing their nominated Single with Tony Brown, and Album with Mark Wright, Tom Shapiro, Bob DiPiero and Brown.
With six nominations bringing his career total nominations to 33, Paisley moves ahead of music legends Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Conway Twitty in the nominations count. With three nominations this year for her work with Paisley on "When I Get Where I'm Going," Parton moves ahead of Reba McEntire as the female artist with the most CMA Awards nominations (43) in the 40-year history of the CMA Awards.
Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley Lead Nominees with Six Nominations Each for "The 40th Annual CMA Awards"
By Wendy Pearl
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
The final list of nominees for "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" is an across-the-board collection of hard-core traditionalists, Country Music hit makers, mainstream innovators, with a healthy dose of up-and-comers added to the mix.
"Country Music is thriving on the talent and creativity of an outstanding group of artists and they are well represented with our nominees," said CMA COO Tammy Genovese. "These talented performers, musicians, songwriters, producers and directors demonstrate the artistic depth and creativity driving the growth of our format this year. It is an exciting time for Country Music and the 2006 CMA Awards will definitely reflect that in November."
"Today is one of the most exciting days of the year, not just for Country Music but for ABC as we plan our inaugural broadcast of the CMA Awards," said Andrea Wong, Executive VP, Alternative Series, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment. "We congratulate the incredible lineup of nominees whose talent reflects all the best and brightest in all of music today and we look forward to celebrating with them and our partners in Country Music this November."
Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland and Brad Paisley announce some of the final nominees for "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" - "Country Music's Biggest Night" - live on ABC News' "Good Morning America" from the "Good Morning America" studios in New York City's Times Square on Aug. 30.
Photographer: Ida Mae Astute / ABC-TV
September 5, 2006
"The 40th Annual CMA Awards" will be hosted for the third time by Arista Nashville super duo Brooks & Dunn and broadcast live from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Monday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.
For the first time, the announcement of the final nominees in five of the 12 CMA Awards categories was made on ABC News' "Good Morning America" with Brad Paisley and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, from the "Good Morning America" studios in New York City's Times Square. The remaining categories were announced by Jason Aldean and Little Big Town on a special edition of CMT's "CMT Insider" live from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.
"This year the CMA Awards will come right from the heart of Downtown Nashville, here at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, right across the street from the mother church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium, on historic
Broadway, right across from the Country Music Hall of Fame, which preserves the treasures as well as the deep roots of Country Music," said Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell. "I have no question that the stars will shine in Downtown Nashville. It is incredibly important for all of us to come together in this way to celebrate 'Country Music's Biggest NightT.'"
"Having both 'Good Morning America' and 'CMT Insider' broadcast our CMA Awards final nominees live brings a whole new level of excitement to these highly-anticipated announcements and allows fans across the country to experience the same excitement our artists and the industry feel as the names are announced," Genovese said.
Paisley didn't simply deliver the good news; he was one of the major stories of the day with six nominations for the 2006 CMA Awards including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for Time Well Wasted; and Single, Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for "When I Get Where I'm Going" (featuring Dolly Parton).
Paisley, who has won five CMA Awards since he won the Horizon Award in 2000, tied for the most nominations with CMA Awards hosts Brooks & Dunn. But Ronnie Dunn slipped ahead in the overall tally with an added nomination as songwriter on the duo's hit "Believe," which Dunn co-wrote with Craig Wiseman, marking Dunn's first individual nomination.
Several artists received two nominations each this year including Big & Rich, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Sugarland and Gretchen Wilson.
A song that resonated with CMA Awards voters was Big & Rich's poignant "8th of November," about a physically and emotionally scarred Vietnam Veteran. The anthem was nominated for Song of the Year, giving Big Kenny Alphin and John Rich individual nominations as songwriters. They received two nominations as Big & Rich for Vocal Duo and Music Video of the Year for "8th of November," which was directed by Robert Deaton, George Flanigen IV and Marc Oswald.
Hill won Female Vocalist of the Year in 2000 and she is nominated in the category again in 2006. She is also nominated in the Musical Event of the Year category with husband Tim McGraw for "Like We Never Loved at All." Hill and McGraw have a string of nominations in the musical collaboration category including "Let's Make Love" (2000); "Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me" (1998); and "It's Your Love," which won the CMA Award in 1997.
Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and newcomer Carrie Underwood each had four nominations. Chesney was nominated for Entertainer, which he won in 2004; Male Vocalist; Album for The Road and the Radio; and Single of the Year for "Summertime." Chesney could win two additional Awards for co-producing his nominated Album and Single of the Year with Buddy Cannon.
Urban was nominated for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Single for "Better Life," produced by Urban and Dann Huff; and Song of the Year for "Tonight I Wanna Cry," which Urban co-wrote with Monty Powell. Urban won his first CMA Award in 2001 with the Horizon Award. In 2004, he won Male Vocalist and last year Urban won Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year.
One of the breakout artists of the past year, Underwood definitely didn't miss the attention of CMA's voting members. She her first CMA Awards nominations including Female Vocalist; the Horizon Award; and Single and Music Video of the Year for "Jesus Take the Wheel," which was also nominated for Song of the Year for songwriters, Hillary Lindsey, Brett James and Gordie Sampson.
After winning three consecutive Vocal Group of the Year Awards (2003, 2004, 2005), Rascal Flatts received their first nomination for Entertainer of the Year. The Entertainer of the Year Award has only been won four times by a group including Dixie Chicks (2000) and Alabama (1982, 1983, 1984). Rascal Flatts also received nominations for Vocal Group and Album of the Year for Me and My Gang. Rascal Flatts co-produced the album with Huff.
Jackson maintains his perch atop of the list of artists with the most career CMA Awards nominations in 2006 with 74. He is nominated for Male Vocalist and Album of the Year for Precious Memories. The album is a pared down collection of church standards Jackson recorded for his mother as a Christmas present in 2005. Initially, there were only 100 copies recorded.
Lambert received her first CMA Awards nomination in 2005 for the Horizon Award and in 2006 she has two nominations - Horizon and Music Video of the Year for "Kerosene," which was directed by Trey Fanjoy. An artist can only receive two nominations for the Horizon category in their career. Little Big Town received their first CMA Awards nominations in 2006 including Horizon and Vocal Group of the Year.
Like Little Big Town, Sugarland also received nominations for Horizon and Vocal Group of the Year, but Jennifer Nettles also picked up a solo nod for Musical Event of the Year with Bon Jovi for their duet "Who Says You Can't Go Home." This is Bon Jovi's first CMA Awards nomination.
Wilson won the Horizon trophy in 2004 and last year she was named CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. She is nominated in that category again in 2006 and picked up an additional nomination for Musical Event of the Year with Merle Haggard for "Politically Uncorrect."
As the CMA Awards celebrates its 40th Anniversary, it is interesting to note that Haggard was nominated for Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year in 1967 at the first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show," and has received a nomination in every decade since for a career total of 45 CMA Awards nominations.
Completing the Female Vocalist of the Year category with Hill, Underwood and Wilson are Sara Evans and Martina McBride. McBride has won the Female Vocalist of the Year trophy four times (1999, 2002, 2003, 2004), surpassing Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette's record and tying her with Reba McEntire for the most wins in the Female Vocalist category.
In 2005, Dierks Bentley won the Horizon Award and in 2006 he joins the ranks of the Male Vocalist of the Year category for the first time, rounding out the list with Chesney, Jackson, Paisley, and Urban.
Joining Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Sugarland in the Vocal Group of the Year category are Lonestar and Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas, which received its first Vocal Group of the Year nomination in 2005. And speaking of Douglas, CMA's reigning Musician of the Year picks up an additional nod in the Musician category this year.
Brooks & Dunn's domination on the Vocal Duo of the Year category is being challenged in 2006 by Big & Rich; Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, who won the Award in 2000; Van Zant, made up of Southern rock royalty brothers Donnie Van Zant (.38 Special) and Johnny Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd); and a new entry in the category, Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp of The Wreckers.
Rounding out the Horizon Award category with Lambert, Little Big Town, Sugarland and Underwood is Josh Turner. Turner received his first CMA Awards nomination in the category in 2004.
"The depth and diversity of the Horizon nominees this year really speaks to the strength and future of the format," Genovese said.
The 2005 CMA Awards, held Nov. 15 for the first time in New York City at Madison Square Garden, won the night in viewers and key demographics, according to final national Nielsen ratings. The CMA Awards were first in households (11.1/17), viewers (17.73m), adults 18-49 (5.4/13), and adults 25-54 (6.7/15). The Awards were Tuesday's No. 1 program in households, viewers and adults 25-54. According to Nielsen, the CMA Awards was the No. 10 program of the week. Research estimates that more than 36 million viewers watched all of part of the ceremony. The 2005 broadcast ranked behind only the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Emmy Awards during the 2005-06 television season for award shows among total viewers, making the CMA Awards the top-rated music awards program of the television season.
"When the CMA Board of Directors decided to make the move to New York for a one-time event, Nashville's city leaders at first were reluctant, but eventually everyone embraced the idea and saw it as an opportunity to show off our wares and to show off Nashville," said Mike Dungan, CMA Board President and President/CEO of Capitol Records Nashville. "Ultimately our New York show accomplished our goals and set a new bar for higher achievement. Throughout the process we made a total commitment to return the CMA Awards to Nashville and make the 40th anniversary a spectacular event that was bigger and better than it was before."
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958. The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards were broadcast on NBC television for the first time - making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The show aired on NBC through 1971 and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005.
Winners of "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" will be determined in the third and final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP.
In addition to live coverage of the CMA Awards nominees news conference events, the special edition of CMT's "CMT Insider" re-aired immediately following the live broadcast and a video news release including footage of the CMA Awards nominees and Country Music Hall of Fame inductees announcements, exclusive interview content, performance footage from the 2005 CMA Awards, music video clips, and more was serviced.
"The 40th Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Walter C. Miller is the Executive Producer; Robert Deaton is the Consulting Producer. Premiere Radio Network is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, including a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2006 CMA Awards. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official ride of the 2006 CMA Awards. Additional promotional partners include aolmusic.com, Greased Lightning Cleaning Products® and Hallmark Cards®. Charles Fazzino is the official artist of the 2006 CMA Awards.
REACTIONS FROM SOME OF THE CMA AWARDS NOMINEES
"I'm honored and humbled at the same time. There are heroes and friends in this category. A big thanks to everyone that voted for us."
- Dierks Bentley
Male Vocalist of the Year
"This is the most important piece of work we have ever done. This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for us as songwriters and artists to be able to pay a debt of respect and gratitude to all of our veterans, especially the Vietnam vets."
- Big & Rich
Vocal Duo, Music Video and Song of the Year
"Feel like we got some fresh wind in our sails - been a long time since we had this kind of fun - and a magic song like 'Believe' is the kind a career like ours can only dream of. Thanks Ron and Craig [songwriters Ronnie Dunn and Craig Wiseman] and the Man Upstairs for that one. Doesn't hurt to have Vince and Sheryl, two of the greatest talents on the planet, on our current single, either."
- Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn
Entertainer, Vocal Duo, Album, Single, Musical Event and Music Video of the Year
"It's good to feel 'the love' out there. I guess you might think that it would work the other way, but the longer that we're in this business, the more humbling it becomes. Kix and I realize how privileged that we are to be accepted by the fans and the people that surround us within the industry."
- Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn
Entertainer, Vocal Duo, Album, Single, Song, Musical Event and Music Video of the Year
"We work so hard on this music and it's always humbling when your peers hear something in your music that you were trying to get across. I make this music about who I am, for sure, but it's also a lot about the lives the people coming to our shows live . So, in a lot of ways, recognizing The Road and the Radio is telling the people who love this music, that their lives are the things that matter." - Kenny Chesney
Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Album and Single of the Year
"I think [Horizon Award] is even tougher than last year. I definitely gotta bring my 'A' Game. I have to say I am such a fan of the other nominees, it could be anyone's big night. I've been a fan of Little Big Town from the very beginning and Sugarland puts on such great live shows and great albums. It's going to be tough. Plus, it's such a big deal to me that I'm in a category (Music Video of the Year) with artists I have been a fan of for years. Trey Fanjoy did such a fabulous job with the 'Kerosene' video and I'm very proud of it."
- Miranda Lambert
Music Video of the Year and Horizon Award
"We were totally shocked when we saw our name during the Premiere [Radio Networks] broadcast. Kimberly was reading the nominations for Vocal Group of the Year and peeked ahead and saw our name on the card. Jimi was looking over her shoulder in shock while Phillip and I were dying for them to say something. After what seemed like an eternity, Kimberly laughed and read our name as a nominee. We are completely blown away by this ... what a great surprise."
- Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town
Vocal Group of the Year and Horizon Award
"It's been an amazing morning and an unbelievable year. We feel very blessed."
- Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town
Vocal Group of the Year and Horizon Award
"Man, it is always a great honor to be nominated for a CMA Award."
- Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry
Vocal Duo of the Year
"Sharing the honor with artists we'll soon tour with makes it even more exciting." - Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry
Vocal Duo of the Year
"This is great, I'm excited."
- Brad Paisley
Entertainer, Male, Album, Single, Musical Event and Music Video of the Year
"This is our first recognition from the CMA in the entertainer category, and it is such an honor. We have worked so hard the last few years to deliver great albums and to give back to our fans with our live shows. We appreciate that our industry of peers is patting us on the back with these acknowledgements."
- Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts
Entertainer, Vocal Group and Album of the Year
"This is my first time to be nominated for the CMA Awards, so to be recognized for four is a big surprise and an amazing honor. I'm extremely excited and can't wait until November."
- Carrie Underwood
Horizon Award, Female Vocalist, Single and Music Video of the Year
"Donnie and I are blown away by the embrace that Country Music has given us. It's great to see that people appreciate our music and what we do. We want to thank the fans, Country radio and the CMA for this recognition."
- Johnny Van Zant of Van Zant
Vocal Duo of the Year
"I'm always shocked and humbled to hear my name in a category alongside such talented women. I still can't believe I got to sing with Merle Haggard, and I'm so proud to have my name beside his in the event category."
- Gretchen Wilson
Female Vocalist and Musical Event of the Year
"This is a huge honor for us. We are so excited to be sharing the category with the other talented duos and even happier to represent the category from a female perspective."
- Michelle Branch of The Wreckers
Vocal Duo of the Year
"A No. 1 single and our first CMA nomination in one week? It's unbelievable. Michelle and I really set no expectations for this project, so when things like this start happening, it is so exciting. It's a blessing, and it makes all the blood, sweat and tears that went into everything worth it. And I also feel it's an affirmation that Michelle and I were supposed to work together."
- Jessica Harp of The Wreckers
Vocal Duo of the Year
Raul Malo; Ed Benson, CMA CSO; Jason Aldean; Robert Deaton, CMA Awards Consulting Producer; Sonny James; Tammy Genovese, CMA COO; Harold Bradley; Victor Sansone, President/GM, ABC Radio Atlanta; Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet and Karen Fairchild; Walter Miller, CMA Awards Executive Producer; and Little Big Town's Kimberly Roads and Jimi Westbrook at the final nominees news conference for "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" - "Country Music's Biggest NightT" - on Aug. 30 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, broadcast live on CMT's "CMT Insider" and on Country radio by Premiere Radio Networks, the official radio packager of the CMA Awards.
Photo: John Russell / CMA
Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland and Brad Paisley announce some of the final nominees for "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" - "Country Music's Biggest NightT" - live on ABC News' "Good Morning America" from the "Good Morning America" studios in New York City's Times Square on Au g. 30. (l-r) ABC News anchors Juju Chang, Bill Weir and Diane Sawyer; Jennifer Nettles; Brad Paisley and ABC News anchor Mike Barz.
Photographer: Ida Mae Astute / ABC-TV
Jason Aldean and Little Big Town (Jimi Westbrook, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Roads and Phillip Sweet) announce some of the final nominees for "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" - "Country Music's Biggest NightT" - and for the 2006 Broadcast Awards at a news conference on Aug. 30 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, broadcast live on CMT's "CMT Insider" and on Country radio by Premiere Radio Networks, the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. Photo: John Russell / CMA
