CMA Awards Festivities In Full Swing

Brad Paisley and CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore at this morning's performance on "Good Morning America."

Festivities surrounding tomorrow night’s (11/9) CMA Awards are in full-swing. Show co-host Brad Paisley kicked things off this morning (11/8) with a performance on ABC’s Good Morning America. The segment hosted by ABC News’ Sam Champion also included an appearance by Kenny Chesney. During the show, Paisley signed the hood of a Chevrolet Camaro to be auctioned off to benefit CMA’s music education campaign Keep the Music Playing.

Two CMA honors were handed out at yesterday’s (11/7) CMA International Reception. Ralph Murphy, songwriter, producer and VP of ASCAP Nashville, was given the 2011 Jo Walker-Meador International Award. The honor recognizes outstanding achievement in advocating and supporting Country Music’s marketing development in territories outside the United States.

Born in England and raised in Canada, Murphy scored his first No. 1 song with “Call My Name,” released in 1966 by James Royal. He moved to New York City in 1969 and in 1971 had his first Country hit in Nashville with Jeannie C. Riley’s “Good Enough to Be Your Wife.” By 1976, Murphy and Roger Cook opened Picalic Music in Nashville, which published more of his hits, including Crystal Gayle’s “Half the Way” and Ronnie Milsap’s “He Got You.” His book Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting has been used in curricula by colleges, universities and songwriter organizations, where he is a frequent speaker. An advocate for songwriters’ rights, Murphy is a former President of NSAI, and President of the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy.

Ralph Murphy and CMA CEO Steve Moore. Photo: Christian Bottoroff/CMA

The McClymonts received the 2011 CMA Global Country Artist Award for outstanding achievements by a Country Music artist originally signed outside of the United States. The Australian sisters, Brooke, Samantha, and Mollie McClymont, were born in the small town of Grafton in New South Wales. They have enjoyed great success in Australia. They won Best Group honors at the Country Music Awards of Australia in four of the past five years, and they earned Best Country Album honors from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2008 and 2010. Their second album, Wrapped Up Good, made the 2010 Top Five in national sales. The McClymonts expanded their territory to the United States by opening for Jason Aldean on his Fall 2010 tour, and in 2011 they released Wrapped Up Good in the U.S. On Nov. 23, they will perform at Tootsie’s 51st Birthday Bash at the legendary Nashville venue.

(L-R): Mollie and Sam McClymont, Moore, and Brooke McClymont. Photo: Christian Bottoroff/CMA