Miranda Lambert Leads Academy Of Country Music Award Nominations

The ceremony will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Nominees were announced at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. Country superstars Miranda Lambert and Ronnie Dunn read the nominations live during CBS' The Early Show broadcast. As previously announced, Blake Shelton will join forces with country music star Reba to host the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

For the third year, fans will select the winner of the Academy's most prestigious honor, Entertainer of the Year and for the third year, the two newcomer categories for the annual Academy of Country Music Awards �Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo or Group� will also be opened up to fan voting. The winner in each of the two newcomer categories will then move on to compete for Top New Artist, which is also a fan voted category. Online voting for all fan voted categories will be available at www.voteACM.com. The winners of Entertainer of the Year and Top New Artist will be announced live during the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Miranda Lambert led with seven nominations, including Top Female Vocalist and her first ever nomination for Entertainer of the Year. In addition, Lambert was nominated for Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "The House That Built Me" and received two nominations for Video of the Year for "Only Prettier" and "The House That Built Me." She is nominated for Vocal Event of the Year with Sheryl Crow and Loretta Lynn for "Coal Miner's Daughter." Lambert is the reigning ACM Top Female Vocalist.

Kenny Chesney is nominated for five awards, including Album of the Year for Hemingway's Whiskey and Single Record of the Year for "The Boys Of Fall," both of which he is nominated for as an artist and producer. He is also nominated for Video of the Year for "The Boys Of Fall."

Zac Brown Band is nominated for five awards including Top Vocal Group and Album of the Year. Zac Brown Band is also nominated for Song of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for "As She's Walking Away" featuring Alan Jackson.

Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band also received four additional individual nominations as the producer for Album of the Year contender You Get What You Give, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for "As She's Walking Away" and additionally as a composer for Song of the Year for "As She's Walking Away."

The Band Perry is nominated for four awards, including Top Vocal Group and Top New Vocal Duo or Group. They are also nominated for Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "If I Die Young." Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry also received an additional individual nomination as a composer for Song of the Year contender "If I Die Young."

Taylor Swift is nominated for four awards, including her second nod for Entertainer of the Year. If Swift wins Entertainer of the Year, this will be her first Entertainer of the Year win. Swift is nominated as an artist and producer for Album of the Year for Speak Now and she also received a nomination for Top Female Vocalist.

Lady Antebellum is nominated for three awards including Top Vocal Group. They are also nominated for Album of the Year as artists and producers for Need You Now. They are the reigning Top Vocal Group.

Lee Brice is nominated for three awards for Song of the Year and as both an artist and producer for Single Record of the year for "Love Like Crazy." This is Brice's first year to be nominated.

Easton Corbin is nominated for three awards for Top New Solo Vocalist and for Song of the Year and Single Record of the Year for "A Little More Country Than That." This is Corbin's first year to be nominated.

Alan Jackson is nominated for three awards for Song of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for "As She's Walking Away," with the Zac Brown Band.

Keith Urban is nominated for three awards including Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist. Urban is also nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for "Blue Sky" with Emily West.

Members of the Academy of Country Music select the nominees and winners of the Academy Of Country Music Awards, and select the final top six nominees of the Entertainer of the Year category and the top three nominees in newcomer categories, Top New Solo Vocalist and Top New Vocal Duo or Group. Presenters and performers who will appear at the ceremony will be announced at a later date.

Following is the list of final nominees. Winners in each of the following categories, except where noted, will be presented with an Academy Of Country Music Award during the live television broadcast:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Toby Keith
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban

TOP MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Lee Ann Womack

TOP VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
the JaneDear girls
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland

TOP VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Randy Rogers Band
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

TOP NEW SOLO VOCALIST OF THE YEAR (Previously Announced)
Eric Church
Easton Corbin
Randy Houser

TOP NEW VOCAL DUO or GROUP OF THE YEAR (Previously Announced)
the JaneDear girls
Steel Magnolia
The Band Perry

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] (TIE)
� Hemingway's Whiskey � Kenny Chesney (BNA)
Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
� Need You Now - Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville)
Produced by: Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley
� The Guitar Song � Jamey Johnson (Mercury)
Produced by: Arlis Albritton, Dave Cobb, The Kent Hardly Playboys
� Speak Now � Taylor Swift (Big Machine Records)
Produced by: Nathan Chapman, Taylor Swift
� Up On The Ridge � Dierks Bentley (Capitol Records Nashville)
Produced by: Jon Randall Stewart
� You Get What You Give - Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground / Roar / Bigger Picture / Atlantic)
Produced by: Zac Brown, Keith Stegall

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] (TIE)
� A Little More Country Than That � Easton Corbin (Mercury)
Produced by: Carson Chamberlain
� As She's Walking Away - Zac Brown Band Featuring Alan Jackson (Southern Ground / Roar Bigger Picture / Atlantic)
Produced by: Zac Brown, Keith Stegall
� If I Die Young � The Band Perry (Republic Nashville)
Produced by: Paul Worley
� Love Like Crazy � Lee Brice (Curb Records)
Produced by: Lee Brice, Doug Johnson
� The Boys Of Fall � Kenny Chesney (BNA)
Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
� The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert (Columbia Nashville)
Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke