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The 2011 CMA Awards

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Carrie and Brad have some fun with Miss Piggy.

The 2011 CMA Awards aired Wednesday night LIVE on ABC from the Country Music capital of the world. The CMA Awards are a long-lasting tradition to honor and celebrate the men and women who enhance the lives of millions of global fans. These artists yield the songs that become the soundtracks to our lives and the anthems we pass along, swearing our musical taste is superior to those of subsequent generations. With catching harmonies, heart pounding bass lines, electrifying drum solos, and synergistic musical accompaniments, upholding the value and virtue of Country Music is always the common goal.

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” was a showcase of musical talent and countless industry feats. From the exhilarating pyrotechnics of Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim” to the breathtaking acrobatics of Sara Evans’ “A Little Bit Stronger,” the performances further demonstrated the power of Country Music and the propensity of its stars go above and beyond in support of the genre…and each other.

Little Big Town pose with music icon Lionel Richie on the Macy's Walk of Stars Red Carpet.

Sure there were actual families among the night’s lineup including sibling trio The Band Perry (who earned Single of the Year for “If I Die Young” and New Artist of the Year, plus Song of the Year for writer Kimberly Perry), and a slew of industry marriages like Tim McGraw and performer Faith Hill, reigning Male/Female Vocalist victors Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, and the couples of Thompson Square, Steel Magnolia, and Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town. But performances like Jimmy Webb, Vince Gill, Keith Urban, and Brad Paisley’s touching tribute to Country Music icon Glen Campbell, who silently mouthed the words from the crowd, left fans and artists alike with a true understanding of the indelible camaraderie permeating the Country community. Backstage, that sense of southern hospitality even superseded genre distinctions as Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum raved about rocker Grace Potter and her undeniable talent as she performed “You and Tequila” with four-time Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney. Chesney himself echoed this reverence and explained, “’You and Tequila’ is such a tortured soul song about being addicted to a person who is not very good for you…The chemistry [between him and Potter] was evident from the moment we walked into the studio.”

Jason Aldean accepts Album of the Year honors for MY KINDA PARTY.

It’s this sense of amity that allows four-time hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood to poke fun at fellow industry members, even inciting Hank Williams Jr. to join them on stage after Paisley lampooned  controversies surrounding the Country legend. Barbie Doll effigies of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, a surprise guest appearance Little Jimmy Dickens as a less-than-accurate depiction of sensation Justin Bieber, and some recent social commentary by comedic actor Eric Stonestreet further illustrate Carrie’s claim that Brad is “the single biggest and most shameless wiseacre on either side of the Mason-Dixon line.” With Awards doled out, entertainment appetites satiated, and an impossibly stronger appreciation for Country Music, we congratulate and thank the nominees, performers, presenters, volunteers, technicians, media members, fans, and viewers for supporting Country Music’s Biggest Night!

Did you know…

The 45th CMA Awards were the first time that…

  • Jason Aldean claimed a CMA Awards? In fact he earned two: Album of the Year (My Kinda Party) and Musical Event of the Year (“Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Kelly Clarkson)
  • The Band Perry received 3 Awards for New Artist, Single, and Song of the Year
  • Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter win Music Video of the Year for “You and Tequila”
  • Faith Hill has performed on the CMA Awards stage in 5 years
  • Miss Piggy attended as a presenter

The 45th CMA Awards were the second time that…

  • Taylor Swift won Entertainer of the Year (she joins Barbara Mandrell as the only female artists in CMA history to be names EOTY twice)
  • Miranda Lambert won Female Vocalist of the Year
  • Blake Shelton won Male Vocalist of the Year
  • Lionel Richie performed (first time was with Alabama in 1986)

The 45th CMA Awards were the third time that…

  • Lady Antebellum has scored consecutive wins for Vocal Group of the Year

The 45th CMA Awards were the fourth time that…

  • Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood were hosts
  • Mac McAnally has taken home consecutive wins for Musician of the Year

The 45th CMA Awards were the fifth time that…

  • Sugarland has won Vocal Duo of the year

The 45th CMA Awards were the forty-fifth time that…

  • CMA has hosted Country Music’s Biggest Night as the pinnacle of achievement in the Country Music industry

Win VIP Tickets to Be on the Red Carpet!

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The Macy’s Walk of Stars kicks off next Wednesday’s CMA Awards, and you can be on the red carpet with all the stars!  That’s right!  Macy’s is giving (40) lucky winners the experience of a lifetime with (2) VIP seats to the Macy’s Walk of Stars. Experience the glitz and glamour as Country’s top stars arrive for “Country Music’s Biggest Night™!”

How do you win?  For your chance to win, attend the special CMA AWARDS EVENT in Nashville this Saturday, Nov. 5th, at the Macy’s Green Hills (Main Floor 2-4PM) in Nashville (at The Mall at Green Hills, 2126 Abbott Martin Road, Nashville, TN).  Look for the designated register-to-win location, complete your form and drop it in.  At 4:00 PM, (40) names will be drawn for a pair of tickets.  Must be present to win, and must be at least 18 years old to win.

While you’re at Macy’s CMA AWARDS EVENT, try your hand at the live karaoke contest for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the CMA Awards!  Plus all contestants take home a copy of their song recording.

CMA Awards Artist Spotlight: CHRIS YOUNG

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Chris Young hits the Black Carpet at the 2010 CMA Awards in Nashville.

Like a handful of the other 2011 CMA Awards nominees (Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Steel Magnolia, Kelly Clarkson) Chris Young made his start on television. In 2006, he won the fourth season of the popular Country competition series, Nashville Star (USA), earning Young a deal with RCA Records in Nashville. While it’s easy to group him with so many budding artists who have broken out from reality TV, the past five years have set Chris Young apart as one of Country’s shining new talents. Young joins The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Thompson Square as a New Artist of the Year nominee – his second consecutive nomination in the category.

More about Chris Young

Growing up in Murfreesboro, Tenn. just 35 miles from the Country Music capital of the world, it seemed destined for Chris Young to wind up in Music City.  So it came as no surprise to friends and family when Young was declared the winner of Nashville Star in May 2006 and released his self-titled debut album shortly after. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and produced the Top-50 singles, “Drinkin’ Me Lonely” and “You’re Gonna Love Me.”

Chris Young’s sophomore album, The Man I Want to Be, was the start of many “firsts” for the Country newcomer.  It became Young’s first Gold-certified release and generated his first No. 1 single with “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song),” which also earned Young his first GRAMMY nomination in 2010.  The album also produced the hit singles “The Man I Want to Be” and “Voices” which both claimed the top spot on the Country Songs chart.

On July 12, 2011 Young released his third studio album on RCA Nashville, titled Neon. It sold over 70,000 units in its first week, peaking at No. 2 on the Country Albums chart and No. 4 on the Top 200 all-genre chart. The album showcased Young’s clear talent as a songwriter, co-writing seven of the 10 tracks, including the No. 1 hit “Tomorrow” and the current single, “You.” Young has opened for Country superstars like Alan Jackson, Rascal Flatts and Blake Shelton, as well as opening dates for fellow CMA Awards nominee, Jason Aldean, in October.

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CMA Awards Artist Spotlight: ERIC CHURCH

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Eric Church on the Black Carpet at the 44th Annual CMA Awards in 2010.

As one of Country Music’s most capable artists, Eric Church earns his first CMA Awards nomination for New Artist of the Year in 2011. With the momentum of a No. 1 album, countless television appearances, an Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Solo Vocalist and a slot opening for Country star, Toby Keith, Nov. 9 finds Eric Church poised for greatness.

More about Eric Church

On the path to success, sometimes the road less traveled yields the best results.  Throughout Eric Church’s nearly seven year career in Music City, he’s proven that following your gut and blazing your own trail can lead to achieving your dreams.  Starting out as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Publishing in 2005, Church had moderate success, co-writing the Terri Clark single “The World Needs a Drink.” Later that year Church was signed to Capitol Nashville and soon released his debut album, Sinners Like Me, in April 2006. The album peaked at No. 7 on the Top Country Albums chart and produced the singles, “How ‘Bout You” and “Guys Like Me,” both of which entered the Country Top 20.

His sophomore album, Carolina, brought Church to new levels of success, selling over 500,000 copies and becoming his first Gold-certified release.  The album also gave Church his first Top 10 singles in “Love Your Love the Most” and “Hell on the Heart.” The third single from Carolina, titled “Smoke a Little Smoke,” peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Country Songs chart, showcasing Church as a new breed of outlaw Country singer/songwriter.

Church’s latest release, Chief (July 26, 2011), might be his most ambitious yet.  Full of gritty guitars and sharp lyrics, Chief recalls the honest twang of a distant Country era and brings some of Church’s best songwriting to the table.  The album debuted at No. 1 on both the Top Country and Top 200 Albums charts – two firsts for Church. The lead-off single, “Homeboy,” went to No. 13 on the Country Songs chart and showcased the album’s raw sound and bold direction.  Church’s second single, “Drink In My Hand,” continues to climb the Country charts, already reaching No. 17 in October.

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CMA Awards Artist Spotlight: KEITH URBAN

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Keith Urban performs "Put You In A Song" at the 44th Annual CMA Awards in 2010.

New Zealand-born Australian Keith Urban is no stranger to receiving prestigious honors from some of the most prominent music institutions, but that didn’t lessen his excitement upon hearing “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” nominations last week. With five well-deserved CMA Award wins already under his belt — including the Country Music industry’s top prize, CMA Entertainer of the Year, in 2005 – Urban received two nods in 2011: Male Vocalist of the Year and, once more, Entertainer of the Year. The ever grateful musician tweeted:

“@KeithUrban: Crazy cool CMA noms this morning!!!! It blows my mind how sweet they are when we get them. I’m euphoric and moved!!! Thank you. Thank you.”

He shares the honors with fellow industry titans Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift.

More about Keith Urban

Urban has continually developed his unique brand of Country-rock since he began guitar lessons at just six years old. Before moving to Nashville in 1992, Urban helped to revolutionize Country Music in Australia, scoring several number one hits which revealed his novel blend of Country and rock-and-roll inspired sounds. Urban’s early aspirations to emulate Country idols like Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton, Don Williams, and Jimmy Webb paired with an intense admiration for British rocker Mark Knopfler of the Dire Straits helps shed some light on what makes him stand out from so many other talented musicians. Underpinning Urban’s Country twang lays an inextricable passion for rock-and-roll. Urban’s ability to successfully fuse these two musical genres has led to numerous accolades including Grammys, CMA Awards, People’s Choice Awards, and Australia’s prestigious Aria Award to name a few. To date, Urban has amassed nearly a dozen No. 1 singles in the US.

Urban’s climb to the top has not come without its trials and tribulations. However, Urban has not allowed a highly publicized private life interfere with his creative ambition and passion for music. Not even the destruction of his prized personal guitar collection in the May 2010 middle Tennessee flood could deter him from recording his sixth studio album Get Closer. Released in November 2010, Get Closer has since yielded three hit singles “Put You in a Song,” “Without You,” and “Long Hot Summer.” The album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chat. Get Closer is a testament to Urban’s own life as he continues to openly explore his own experiences with love and relationships. Urban challenged himself and boldly confronted his strengths and weaknesses in this album.

“I loved making this record. I felt a tremendous sense of balance in my life, as a husband and a father and a musician who gets to go and try to capture all that and harness it and create something.”

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CMA Awards Artist Spotlight: KENNY CHESNEY

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Kenny Chesney takes home Entertainer of the Year in 2007.

After nearly two decades in the Country Music spotlight, Kenny Chesney is no stranger to the CMA Awards stage.  He has collected a total of six CMA Awards throughout his career, including winning the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, four times – a feat only he and Garth Brooks share. Chesney will return to the Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8|7c on ABC) with three CMA Awards Nominations – Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for his Grace Potter-duet “You and Tequlia.”

More about Kenny Chesney

Throughout the course of Kenny Chesney’s seventeen-year career, he has accumulated a long list of successes and highlights, making him one of the biggest acts in Country Music. Twelve studio albums, two Greatest Hits compilations and a whopping 44 singles are just an introduction to Kenny Chesney’s record of achievements.  He’s become one of the most popular Country Music performers of his time, selling out venues across the country.

2011 has been no different for Chesney. With the success of his Platinum-certified release, Hemingway’s Whiskey (Sept. 2010), Kenny Chesney again finds himself on the top.  The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, selling over 180,000 copies in its first week. The lead-off single, “The Boys of Fall,” earned Chesney his 18th No. 1 single and became a stepping stone for several side projects, including an ESPN-TV film of the same title, which Chesney produced and co-directed.

The album’s second and third singles, “Somewhere with You” and “Live a Little,” each earned the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, respectively.  Chesney’s fourth single, “You and Tequila,” features guest vocals from rocker, Grace Potter (of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals), and continues to climb the Country charts.  Written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter, the song is up for a total of three CMA Awards this year: Song of the Year (for Berg and Carter), Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year.

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CMA Awards Artist Spotlight: CARRIE UNDERWOOD

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Carrie performs "Before He Cheats" at the 2006 CMA Awards.

As a five-time CMA Award winner, Carrie Underwood returns on Wednesday, Nov. 9, not only as a nominee, but as a host.  She joins Brad Paisley for the fourth consecutive year to co-host the “45th Annual CMA Awards” (8|7c on ABC.) Recently the pair’s duet single, “Remind Me,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and continues to climb the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Underwood is nominated for CMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year, an Award she’s previously taken home three times (2006, 2007, and 2008.)

More about Carrie Underwood

Although Carrie Underwood earned her claim to fame as a contestant on the fourth season of FOX-TV’s talent competition series, American Idol, in 2005, she has since become one of the top-selling Country Music acts of the last decade, an impressive accomplishment having recorded only three studio albums.

Her debut, Some Hearts, is certified 7X-Platinum by the RIAA and remains the best selling debut album by a solo female Country Music artist in Billboard history. The album’s success was facilitated by Underwood’s hit singles “Jesus Take the Wheel,” “Before He Cheats,” and “Wasted,” all of which reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Underwood’s following releases, Carnival Ride and Play On, also claimed the top spot on both the Country and Pop album charts, solidifying her as one of Country’s most successful cross-over artists. Both albums produced a combined seven No. 1 singles and sold over 5 million copies in the US alone.

Recently, Carrie Underwood has pursued other entertainment ventures, proving her acting chops as a guest star on CBS-TV’s How I Met Your Mother in 2010 and starring alongside Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid in 2011’s feature film, Soul Surfer. Carrie Underwood headlined the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Sept. 23-24, along with fellow CMA Award nominees, Kenny Chesney, Kelly Clarkson and Rascal Flatts.

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CMA Awards Artist Spotlight: MARTINA MCBRIDE

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Martina McBride wins Female Vocalist of the Year at the CMA Awards in 2002.

It’s no surprise that Martina McBride is nominated again this year for CMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year. Having earned the title a total of four times, she ties Reba McEntire for the most Award wins in the category. With a new album out and a 2012 tour lined up with the “King of Country” himself, George Strait, Martina McBride has a lot to look forward to. The “45th Annual CMA Awards” which air Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8|7c on ABC) earn McBride her 21st CMA Award nomination.

More about Martina McBride

It’s not just award wins and albums sales that distinguish a true “leading lady” of Country Music. It’s also character and longevity.  Good thing for Martina McBride, she has all of these qualities and then some.  Since the release of her first album in 1992, McBride has continuously wowed audiences with her impressive vocal range, positive attitude, charitable generosity and long list of awards and recognitions.

As a well-respected member of the music community, Martina McBride has participated in a number of charity and music events, including the “Stand Up 2 Cancer” telethon in 2010 and the Academy of Country Music’s Girls’ Night Out Benefit Concert in 2011, which featured fellow CMA Award nominees Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland.) She is the current spokeswoman for the “National Domestic Violence Hotline” and has hosted the Middle Tennessee’s YWCA Celebrity Auction every year since 1995.  In Feb. 2011, McBride took the stage with Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch and Yolanda Adams at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards to pay tribute to vocal legend, Aretha Franklin.

Over the course of her nearly twenty-year career, McBride has released ten studio albums, as well as a Greatest Hits, Christmas and Live compilation. She has sold over 18 Million albums worldwide and released fifty singles.  On Oct. 11 2011, McBride released her long-awaited eleventh studio album, appropriately titled, Eleven.

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CMA Awards Artist Spotlight: MIRANDA LAMBERT

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Miranda Lambert's Revolution wins Album of the Year in 2010.

Miranda Lambert will return to defend her reigning Female Vocalist of the Year title at “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” (Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 8|7c on ABC) alongside fellow nominees Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood. A collaboration with Sheryl Crow and Loretta Lynn on Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” also netted Lambert a 2011 nomination for Musical Event of the Year. Lambert’s husband, Country star Blake Shelton, is one of this year’s top nominees with an impressive five nominations. The power couple took to Twitter to share each other’s excitement and to acknowledge their own honors:

“@blakeshelton:  Wow!!! Five CMA nominations?!!!!! No way… So this is what it’s like to be Miranda Lambert….”

“@Miranda_Lambert: Yay!!!! Noms Female and collaboration with 2 of my heroes!!!! Thanks CMA. And congrats to my hubby for dominating!!!!:)”

More about Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert performs "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" at the 2006 CMA Awards.

Miranda Lambert has never been one to sit back and wait for things to happen. The Lindale, Texas, native has always had unstoppable determination and admirable initiative when it comes to her career. Her big break came when she was 21 years old and took third place in the television talent competition “Nashville Star.” Soon after, Lambert hit the studio to record her 2005 Platinum debut album Kerosene. Kerosene put her in a league of seven exceptional artists who debuted at No.1 on a freshmen album. Two years later, Lambert continued her winning streak with the release of her second album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which also debuted at No.1 on the Country chart and produced her first top 10 hit, “Gunpowder and Lead,” in July 2008.

Any doubts about the infallibility of Country’s newest bad girl were shattered with her third platinum album Revolution which was released in 2009 to universal acclaim from the industry’s mainstream critics. The album features five singles including “White Liar” which became Lambert’s first No. 1 hit, the follow-up No. 1 “The House That Build Me” which also earned her a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and “Heart Like Mine.” The unequivocal success of the album earned Lambert nine CMA Awards nominations in 2010, earning her a record for the most nominations in a single year by a female artist.

Lambert’s May 2011 marriage to Blake Shelton has hardly curbed this artist’s ambitions. Shortly before the wedding, Lambert revealed a new project: a promising musical collaboration with singer/songwriters Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. The Pistol Annies’ introductory album Hell On Heels debuted at No.1 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and sold more than 44,000 units its first week. On top of all that, Lambert’s fourth album Four The Record releases November 1. The first single from the album, “Baggage Claim” features Josh Kelley on background vocals and legendary Steve Winwood on the B-3 organ. With similar collaborations throughout the album’s 14 tracks, Four The Record guarantees to thrill Lambert fans.

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CMA Awards Arist Spotlight: SARA EVANS

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With the announcement of “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” nominations for 2011, one Country star celebrates a new chapter in a long and successful career. Sara Evans returned to the music scene in 2011 with her first all-new album in five years and two impressive nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year and Single of the Year for “A Little Bit Stronger.”

Sara Evans takes home the Music Video of the Year for her single, "Born to Fly," at the 2001 CMA Awards.

The nominations arrive on the tails of Evans’ sixth studio album Stronger, which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and topped 55,000 sales its first week. Stronger is also Evans’ second album to score a top-ten debut on the multi-genre Billboard 200 chart. The first single off the album “A Little Bit Stronger,” co-written by Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum, Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and was certified Platinum in June. The album’s second single “My Heart Can’t Tell You No,” a cover of Rod Stewart’s 1988 hit, is climbing the charts now.

More about Sara Evans

Growing up in New Franklin, Missouri, Evans began to sing at age five in her family’s band. Her natural aptitude for music and traditional style caught the attention of Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter Harlan Howard and with his help, Evans signed with RCA Records in 1996. Since her emergence, Evans has garnered numerous prestigious accolades, scored five No. 1 singles, and sold more than 5 Million copies of her six studio albums, four of which have been certified “Gold” or higher by the RIAA.

Stronger marks the end of Evans’ six-year hiatus, a time during which she overcame the fallout from a high profile divorce, remarried, and moved to Birmingham with husband Jay Barker and their newly-blended family of seven children. Along with caring for her family and home, Evans embraced a number of new endeavors including signing a three-book deal, releasing her 2007 Greatest Hits collection, and guest appearing on several television shows, including “Dancing With the Stars.”

Evans joined Rascal Flatts on their 2011 tour and delivered an impressive performance at the 2011 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, proving that she is back and truly stronger from her experiences. She is ready for anything that may come her way, explaining “I feel like I’m just starting my life, my career, and there’s nothing that I can’t do. I’m definitely more confident now than I’ve ever been in my life.”

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