2011 CMA Awards nominations were announced today (September 6). Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban are nominated for Entertainer of the Year. Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift lead the pack with five nominations, followed by The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band, who each received four nominations. The 45th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM ET) on ABC.
2011 CMA Awards Nominations
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban
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
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Band Perry
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Thompson Square
Chris Young
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
“A Little Bit Stronger” – Sara Evans
Produced by Tony Brown
“Colder Weather” – Zac Brown Band
Produced by Keith Stegall and Zac Brown
“Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
Produced by Michael Knox
“Honey Bee” – Blake Shelton
Produced by Scott Hendricks
“If I Die Young” – The Band Perry
Produced by Paul Worley
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
All About Tonight – Blake Shelton
Produced by Scott Hendricks
My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean
Produced by Michael Knox
Speak Now – Taylor Swift
Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
This Is Country Music – Brad Paisley
Produced by Frank Rogers
You Get What You Give – Zac Brown Band
Produced by Keith Stegall and Zac Brown
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
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to each Artist)
“As She’s Walking Away” – Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
“Coal Miner’s Daughter” – Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow, and Miranda Lambert
“Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
“Old Alabama” – Brad Paisley featuring Alabama
“You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter
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
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Sam Bush – Mandolin
Jerry Douglas – Dobro
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dann Huff – Guitar
Mac McAnally – Guitar
Jason 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.
Brad 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.
Blake Shelton 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.
Taylor Swift 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 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 received 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).
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 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 caree
r nominations.
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.
Miranda Lambert received a second nomination along with Sheryl Crow and Country royalty, Loretta Lynn for Musical Event of the Year for their performance of the classic “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” The song, which tells the story of Lynn’s humble beginnings, was nominated for Song of the Year in 1971. The subsequent soundtrack for the movie by the same title won CMA Album of the Year honors in 1980. Lynn, who was CMA’s first Female Vocalist of the Year in 1967 and first female Entertainer of the Year in 1972, received her last CMA Awards nomination in 1994 for Musical Event of the Year with Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette for “Silver Thread and Golden Needles.”
Thompson Square received their first nominations in 2011 for Vocal Duo and New Artist of the Year. In all, there were new names among the nominees in 10 of the 12 CMA Awards categories including Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Album, Vocal Duo, Single, Song, Music Video, Musical Event, Musician, and New Artist.
Another duo making their CMA debut in the Vocal Duo of the Year category is The Civil Wars. Joining them are Montgomery Gentry, who won the Award in 2000, Steel Magnolia, Thompson Square, and Sugarland, who has won the trophy four times (2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010).
In addition to The Band Perry and Thompson Square, the New Artist category also includes Luke Bryan, Eric Church, and Chris Young. Bryan and Young were nominated in the category in 2010. This is Church’s first CMA Awards nomination. Artists can only be included in this category two times.
The Musician of the Year category included first-time nominee Sam Bush (mandolin) along with Jerry Douglas (dobro), Paul Franklin (steel guitar), Dann Huff (guitar), and Mac McAnally (guitar).
Winners of “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP.
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,400 industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958. The first CMA Awards Banquet and Show was held in 1967 at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. The following year, the CMA Awards moved to the Ryman Auditorium and was broadcast on NBC television for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television.
source: Country Music Association
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