Editor’s Note: An oversight by CMA has been resolved, resulting in Paisley’s nomination count rising to seven, and Urban’s rising to four. They were inadvertently left off the original list of nominees in the Musical Event category.
Nominees for the 43rd Annual CMA Awards were revealed yesterday (9/9) morning, with Brad Paisley leading the pack with seven nods. Paisley was nominated for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for American Saturday Night (produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois); Single and Song for “Then” (songwriters DuBois and Ashley Gorley); Music Video for “Start a Band” with Keith Urban, which was directed by Jim Shea; and Musical Event with Urban for the same song.
Urban follows closely with five nominations. Jamey Johnson, George Strait, Taylor Swift, and Zac Brown, each received four nominations.
Among the other highlights:
Strait now has 79 career total CMA Awards nominations, which ties him with Alan Jackson for the most nominations to date. He leads the trophy count with 22.
Swift’s four nominations include her first for Entertainer of the Year. The last time a solo female artist was nominated for Entertainer of the Year was Faith Hill in 2000. Shania Twain was the last female artist to claim the award in 1999.
A powerhouse in the Entertainer of the Year category, Kenny Chesney has won the trophy four times. If he takes it home again this year, it will tie him with Garth Brooks for the most wins in the category.
If Carrie Underwood wins Female Vocalist again, it will tie her with Martina McBride and Reba McEntire for most wins in the category. McBride and McEntire are nominated as well. In fact, McEntire is the female artist with the highest number of nominations in the 43-year history of the CMA Awards with 48.
Brooks & Dunn are nominated for Vocal Duo, a category they have won a record 14 times. They have 19 trophies total.
Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban
Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Darius Rucker
George Strait
Keith Urban
New Artist
Randy Houser
Jamey Johnson
Jake Owen
Darius Rucker
Zac Brown Band
Musical Event of the Year
“Cowgirls Don’t Cry” Brooks & Dunn ft. Reba McEntire
“Down The Road” Kenny Chesney (with Mac McAnally)
“Everything But Quits” Lee Ann Womack (duet with George Strait)
“I Told You So” Carrie Underwood ft. Randy Travis
“Old Enough” The Raconteurs ft. Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe
“Start A Band,” Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban), Arista Nashville
Vocal Group of the Year
Eagles
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland
Single of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Producer)
“Chicken Fried,” Zac Brown Band
Produced by Keith Stegall, Atlantic Records
“I Run To You,” Lady Antebellum
Produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley, Capitol Records Nashville
“In Color” Jamey Johnson
Produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys, Mercury Nashville
“People Are Crazy,” Billy Currington
Produced by Carson Chamberlain and Billy Currington, Mercury Nashville
“Then,” Brad Paisley
Produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois, Arista Nashville
Album of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Producer)
American Saturday Night, Brad Paisley
Produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois, Arista Nashville
Defying Gravity, Keith Urban
Produced by Dann Huff and Keith Urban, Capitol Records Nashville
Fearless, Taylor Swift
Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift, Big Machine Records
Love On The Inside, Sugarland
Produced by Byron Gallimore, Kristian Bush, and Jennifer Nettles, Mercury Nashville
That Lonesome Song, Jamey Johnson
Produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys, Mercury Records
Song of the Year (Award goes to Songwriter(s))
“Chicken Fried,” Zac Brown/Wyatt Durrette
“I Told You So,” Randy Travis
“In Color,” Jamey Johnson/Lee Thomas Miller/James Otto
“People Are Crazy,” Bobby Braddock/Troy Jones
“Then,” Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois/Ashley Gorley
Music Video of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Director)
“Boots On,” Randy Houser, Directed by Eric Welch
“Love Story,” Taylor Swift, Directed by Trey Fanjoy
“People Are Crazy,” Billy Currington, Directed by The Brads
“Start A Band,” Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban), Directed by Jim Shea
“Troubadour,” George Strait, Directed by Trey Fanjoy
Musician of the Year
Eddie Bayers- Drums
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dann Huff – Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar
Mac McAnally – Guitar
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Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.View Author Profile
