Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney to Open 'The 39th Annual CMA Awards'

Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney to Open 'The 39th Annual CMA Awards'

Current "American Idol" Carrie Underwood to Perform and Present Award; Additional Presenters Include Cowboy Troy, Montgomery Gentry, Olivia Newton- John, Joe Nichols and Wynonna

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney has been tapped to open "Country Music's Biggest Night," CMA announced today.

"It makes sense the biggest touring artist in the format should be the one who opens the CMA Awards on this historic occasion," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "This is a night of firsts and big events and this will be one of them. Kenny's energy alone with his ability to connect with the audience and our viewers will set the tone for the night."

"The 39th Annual CMA Awards," which is hosted for the second year by Brooks & Dunn, airs live Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Chesney will open the three-hour gala with the scorching "Living In Fast Forward," from his eagerly anticipated BNA Records release The Road & The Radio (Nov. 8). Having sold in excess of 1 million concert tickets in America for the third year in a row -- beating U2 by more than 200,000 tickets for the first half of 2005 alone, Chesney understands how to hit it hard and plug directly into the kind of high energy New York feeds on.

2005 "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood showed Americans that her heart was in Country Music, and they responded enthusiastically, voting her their season four Idol and making Underwood one of the most in-demand new talents to emerge this year. The Oklahoma native recently made chart history with "Jesus, Take The Wheel" the first release from her forthcoming 19 Recordings/Arista debut album, Some Hearts (Nov. 15). The song became the first single by a new artist to debut inside the Top 40 since the start of BDS audience monitoring in 1990.

Added to the list of presenters are Cowboy Troy; Vocal Duo of the Year nominee Montgomery Gentry; former CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Olivia Newton-John; 2003 Horizon Award winner Joe Nichols; and Wynonna, who has received 25 career CMA Awards nominations, including 20 with mother Naomi as The Judds, and five as a solo artist.

Performers already announced for the 2005 CMA Awards include Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Bon Jovi with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, CMA hosts Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Julie Roberts, George Strait, Sugarland, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, collaborations with Dolly Parton and Sir Elton John, performing together for the first time ever, and Willie Nelson and Paul Simon, who will perform and then present CMA Song of the Year.

Previously announced presenters include Trace Adkins, James Gandolfini, Vince Gill, Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix.

For the first time ever, tickets for the 2005 CMA Awards are available to the general public. Tickets can be purchased by logging on to http://www.ticketmaster.com/; calling (212) 307-7171 (or any local Ticketmaster outlet phone number); or in-person at the Madison Square Garden box office. Tickets to the 2005 CMA Awards can also be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets across the nation. The ticket price is $250 (not including tax and service charges).

The CMA Awards are produced by Walter C. Miller and directed by Paul Miller. David Wild will script the ceremonies. MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks, is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, which includes Red Carpet coverage and a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official automotive sponsor of the 2005 CMA Awards. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2005 CMA Awards. Additional promotional sponsors include Prilosec OTC(R), aolmusic.com, BMG Columbia House, Inc., Chase, Country Weekly, Creme Savers(R) Candy, Crisco(R), Gibson Guitars, Jack Daniel's, Kellogg's(R), Kmart(sm), Kodak, Lever 2000(R) and XM Satellite Radio(R). Charles Fazzino is the official artist of the 2005 CMA Awards.

For CMA Awards information, history and high-resolution images visit http://www.cmapress.com/. This is a protected site for media only and is not intended for public use. The public should be directed to http://www.cmaawards.com/.

Source: Country Music Association

CONTACT: Wendy Pearl or Scott Stem of CMA, +1-615-244-2840; or Holly
Gleason of Joe's Garage, +1-615-269-3238, for Kenny Chesney; or Beth Stoller-
Feldman of CBS-NY, +1-212-975-3183

Web site: http://www.cmaworld.com/
http://www.cmapress.com/
http://www.cmaawards.com/

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