First Performers Unveiled For 47th Annual CMA Awards

Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban are the first performers announced for the upcoming 47th Annual Country Music Association awards.

Aldean and Bryan have three nominations each, while Lambert is the reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. Little Big Town is the reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year and Blake Shelton is the reigning Male Vocalist of the Year. Swift has taken home the Entertainer of the Year trophy twice, while McGraw and Urban have both previously taken home CMA Entertainer of the Year honors.

Aldean is nominated this year for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Musical Event of the Year for “The Only Way I Know” with Bryan and Eric Church. Aldean is a two-time CMA Award winner with 13 career CMA Awards nominations.

Nominated this year for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year for “The Only Way I Know” with Aldean and Church, Bryan has seven career CMA Awards nominations. He was first nominated in 2010 for New Artist of the Year and has been a presence at the CMA Awards every year since. This marks his first nomination for the night’s highest honor, CMA Entertainer of the Year.

Lambert has three individual nominations (Female Vocalist of the Year, and Single and Music Video of the Year for “Mama’s Broken Heart”) and two with Pistol Annies (Music Video and Musical Event of the Year for “Boys ‘Round Here” with Shelton). Lambert is a six-time CMA winner with 25 career CMA Awards nominations.

Reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town is nominated in that category again, as well as for Album of the Year for Tornado, and Music Video of the Year for the album’s title track. In addition to their win last year for Vocal Group of the Year, their song “Pontoon” was named Single of the Year.

McGraw has won 12 CMA trophies throughout his career, including two for Male Vocalist of the Year and one for Entertainer of the Year. He is a three-time nominee this year, with nods for Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with Swift and Urban. He has 33 career CMA Awards nominations.

Shelton finds himself tied with Lambert this year with five nominations, including Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Based On A True Story, and Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for “Boys ‘Round Here” with Pistol Annies. Shelton has taken home the Male Vocalist of the Year trophy for the past three years (2010-2012), and is a six-time CMA Award winner.

Swift, a seven-time CMA Award winner, is a top nominee this year with six nominations, including Entertainer and Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for RED, and Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with McGraw and Urban, bringing her total career CMA Awards nominations to 21.

Male Vocalist of the Year nominee Urban is also nominated for Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with McGraw and Swift. Urban has been named Male Vocalist of the Year three times (2004-2006) and is a six-time CMA Award winner with 29 career CMA Awards nominations.

Hosted for the sixth consecutive year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.