The 45th Annual CMA Awards Nominees were announced yesterday, here is the official word along with the list of nominees: Topping the list of final nominees are four artists with five nominations each for "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" including Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift. Right on their heels are The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band, who each received four nominations as a group while individual members Kimberly Perry (of The Band Perry), Coy Bowles and Zac Brown (of Zac Brown Band) each earned a solo nod as a songwriter.
"'Country Music's Biggest Night' is shaping up to be a tight race with an outstanding group of new and established nominees topping the list," said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. "With no clear frontrunner there will be a heightened level of excitement and anticipation for the CMA Awards in November."
"The 45th Annual CMA Awards" will be hosted for the fourth time by Paisley and Carrie Underwood and broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.
For the sixth year, the announcement of the final nominees in five of the 12 CMA Awards categories was made live on ABC News' "Good Morning America" with The Band Perry and Jake Owen delivering the news from the heart of New York City's Times Square. Finalists in the other seven categories were announced by Jerrod Niemann and CMA Vocal Duo and New Artist of the Year nominees Thompson Square from the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, which was home to the first broadcast of the CMA Awards in 1968.
Aldean received first-time nominations in five categories in 2011 including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for My Kinda Party, produced by Michael Knox; and Single and Musical Event of the Year for "Don't You Wanna Stay" with Kelly Clarkson, also produced by Knox. Aldean has two prior nominations including the Horizon Award in 2007 and in 2008 when the category changed names to CMA New Artist of the Year. Clarkson was last nominated in 2007 for Musical Event of the Year with Reba McEntire for "Because of You."
Aldean's golden touch in 2011 extended to songwriters Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford, who penned Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem," nominated for Song of the Year.
CMA's reigning Entertainer of the Year, Paisley received five nominations for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for This is Country Music, which was produced by Frank Rogers; Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for "Old Alabama," featuring Alabama and directed by Jim Shea. Paisley's nominations keep him in the No. 3 spot for the most career nominations in CMA Awards history. He has been nominated every year since 2000 and has amassed an incredible 57 career nominations to date. Only George Strait (81) and Alan Jackson (80) have more. With their two nominations Alabama has 41 career nods. The supergroup has won nine CMA Awards including three for Entertainer of the Year. The group received its last nomination in 2004 in the Vocal Group of the Year category.
CMA's current Male Vocalist, Shelton also received five nominations including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for All About Tonight, produced by Scott Hendricks; and Single (produced by Hendricks) and Music Video of the Year for "Honey Bee," directed by Trey Fanjoy.
Swift also received five nominations including Entertainer; Female Vocalist; Album for Speak Now, which was produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman; Music Video for "Mean," which was directed by Declan Whitebloom; and Song of the Year for "Mean," written by Swift, her first nomination as a songwriter. Swift received five nominations, but can receive an additional trophy as producer of her album. Swift won the Horizon Award in 2007 and two years later was named Entertainer of the Year (2009).
The Band Perry received their first nomination in 2010 and they are back in 2011 with four nominations including Vocal Group; New Artist; Single for "If I Die Young," produced by Paul Worley; and Music Video of the Year for "If I Die Young," directed by David McClister. In addition, lead singer Kimberly Perry received one solo nomination for penning "If I Die Young," nominated for Song of the Year.
Zac Brown Band garnered four nominations for Vocal Group; Album for You Get What You Give, produced by Keith Stegall and Zac Brown; Musical Event for "As She's Walking Away" with Alan Jackson; and Single of the Year for "Colder Weather," produced by Stegall and Brown. Additionally, bandmates Brown and Coy Bowles each received a nomination for Song of the Year for writing "Colder Weather" with Wyatt Durrette and Levi Lowrey. Brown could also pick up an additional two trophies for producing the nominated Album and Single of the Year.
Rounding out the Entertainer of the Year category with Aldean, Paisley, Shelton, and Swift is Keith Urban, who won the trophy in 2005. Urban is also nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, which he has won three times (2004, 2005, and 2006).
Four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney received three nominations including Male Vocalist; Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for "You and Tequila" featuring Grace Potter and directed by Shaun Silva. Matraca Berg and Deana Carter each received a nomination for Song of the Year for penning the No. 1 hit. These are Potter's first CMA Awards nominations.
Sara Evans, who received her last CMA Awards nomination in 2006, was nominated for Female Vocalist and Single of the Year for "A Little Bit Stronger," produced by Tony Brown. Brown leads the list of nominees among non-performers with 39 career nominations.
CMA Awards co-host Carrie Underwood received her sixth nomination for Female Vocalist in 2011. Underwood won Female Vocalist of the Year in 2006, 2007, and 2008. If Underwood wins the Female Vocalist of the Year trophy again, it will tie her with Martina McBride (1999, 2002-2004) and Reba McEntire (1984-1987) for most wins in this category. McBride is nominated in the category again in 2011, with Evans, reigning Female Vocalist Miranda Lambert, and Swift.
The Final Nominees for "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" (by ballot category order):
Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban
Single of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
"A Little Bit Stronger"
Sara Evans
Produced by Tony Brown
RCA Nashville
"Colder Weather"
Zac Brown Band
Produced by Keith Stegall and Zac Brown
Southern Ground Artists/Atlantic Records
"Don't You Wanna Stay"
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
Produced by Michael Knox
Broken Bow Records
"Honey Bee"
Blake Shelton
Produced by Scott Hendricks
Warner Bros. Nashville
"If I Die Young"
The Band Perry
Produced by Paul Worley
Republic Nashville
Album of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
All About Tonight
Blake Shelton
Produced by Scott Hendricks
Warner Bros. Nashville
My Kinda Party
Jason Aldean
Produced by Michael Knox
Broken Bow Records
Speak Now
Taylor Swift
Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
Big Machine Records
This Is Country Music
Brad Paisley
Produced by Frank Rogers
Arista Nashville
You Get What You Give
Zac Brown Band
Produced by Keith Stegall and Zac Brown
Southern Ground Artists/Atlantic Records
Song of the Year
(Award goes to Songwriter(s))
"Colder Weather"
Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Levi Lowrey, and Coy Bowles
"Dirt Road Anthem"
Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford
"If I Die Young"
Kimberly Perry
"Mean"
Taylor Swift
"You and Tequila"
Matraca Berg and Deana Carter
Female Vocalist of the Year
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Vocal Group of the Year
The Band Perry
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
Vocal Duo of the Year
The Civil Wars
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland
Thompson Square
Musical Event of the Year
(Award goes to each Artist)
"As She's Walking Away"
Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
Southern Ground Artists/Atlantic Records
"Coal Miner's Daughter"
Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow, and Miranda Lambert
Columbia Records Nashville
"Don't You Wanna Stay"
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
Broken Bow Records
"Old Alabama"
Brad Paisley featuring Alabama
Arista Nashville
"You and Tequila"
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter
BNA Records
Musician of the Year
Sam Bush � Mandolin
Jerry Douglas � Dobro
Paul Franklin � Steel Guitar
Dann Huff � Guitar
Mac McAnally � Guitar
Music Video of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Director)
"Honey Bee"
Blake Shelton
Directed by Trey Fanjoy
"If I Die Young"
The Band Perry
Directed by David McClister
"Mean"
Taylor Swift
Directed by Declan Whitebloom
"Old Alabama"
Brad Paisley featuring Alabama
Directed by Jim Shea
"You and Tequila"
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter
Directed by Shaun Silva
New Artist of the Year
The Band Perry
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Thompson Square
Chris Young
