Brooks & Dunn and Brad Paisley Lead Nominees with Six Nominations Each for 'The 40th Annual CMA Awards,' Country Music's Biggest Night

Brooks & Dunn and Brad Paisley Lead Nominees with Six Nominations Each for 'The 40th Annual CMA Awards,' Country Music's Biggest Night

Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and Newcomer Carrie Underwood Receive Four Nominations; Rascal Flatts and Dolly Parton Score Three Nominations Each

Brooks & Dunn Host 2006 CMA Awards From Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center Monday, Nov. 6 on the ABC Television Network

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The final list of nominees for "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" is an across-the-board collection of hard-core traditionalists, Country Music hit makers, mainstream innovators, with a healthy dose of up-and-comers added to the mix.

"Country Music is thriving on the talent and creativity of an outstanding group of artists and they are well represented with our nominees," said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese. "These talented performers, musicians, songwriters, producers, and directors demonstrate the artistic depth and creativity driving the growth of our format this year. It is an exciting time for Country Music and the 2006 CMA Awards will definitely reflect that in November." "Today is one of the most exciting days of the year, not just for Country Music but for ABC as we plan our inaugural broadcast of the CMA Awards," said Andrea Wong, Executive Vice President, Alternative Series, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment. "We congratulate the incredible lineup of nominees whose talent reflects all the best and brightest in all of music today and we look forward to celebrating with them and our partners in Country Music this November."

"The 40th Annual CMA Awards" will be hosted for the third time by Arista Nashville super duo Brooks & Dunn and broadcast live from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Monday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

For the first time, the announcement of the final nominees in five of the 12 CMA Awards categories was made on ABC News' "Good Morning America" with Brad Paisley and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, from the "Good Morning America" studios in New York City's Times Square. The remaining categories were announced by Jason Aldean and Little Big Town on a special edition of CMT's "CMT Insider" live from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.

"Having both 'Good Morning America' and 'CMT Insider' broadcast our CMA Awards final nominees live brings a whole new level of excitement to these highly-anticipated announcements and allows fans across the country to experience the same excitement our artists and the industry feel as the names are announced," Genovese said.

Paisley didn't simply deliver the good news; he was one of the major stories of the day with six nominations for the 2006 CMA Awards including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for Time Well Wasted; and Single, Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for "When I Get Where I'm Going" (featuring Dolly Parton).

Paisley, who has won five CMA Awards since he won the Horizon Award in 2000, tied for the most nominations with CMA Awards hosts Brooks & Dunn. But Ronnie Dunn slipped ahead in the overall tally with an added nomination as songwriter on the duo's hit "Believe," which Dunn co-wrote with Craig Wiseman, marking Dunn's first individual nomination.

Brooks & Dunn were nominated for Entertainer, which they won in 1996; Vocal Duo, which they have won a record 13 times; Album for Hillbilly Deluxe; Single and Music Video for "Believe;" and Musical Event of the Year for "Building Bridges," with guest vocals by Sheryl Crow and the man who hosted the CMA Awards for 12 consecutive years before Brooks & Dunn took over in 2004, Vince Gill. This is Crow's second CMA Awards nomination. Only one nomination is counted per category, per project, but the duo could pick up additional trophies at this year's ceremony for co-producing their nominated Single with Tony Brown, and Album with Mark Wright, Tom Shapiro, Bob DiPiero and Brown.

With six nominations bringing his career total nominations to 33, Paisley moves ahead of music legends Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Conway Twitty in the nominations count. With three nominations this year for her work with Paisley on "When I Get Where I'm Going," Parton moves ahead of Reba McEntire as the female artist with the most CMA Awards nominations (43) in the 40-year history of the CMA Awards.

Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and newcomer Carrie Underwood each had four nominations. Chesney was nominated for Entertainer, which he won in 2004; Male Vocalist; Album for The Road And The Radio; and Single of the Year for "Summertime." Chesney could win two additional Awards for co-producing his nominated Album and Single of the Year with Buddy Cannon.

Urban was nominated for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Single for "Better Life," produced by Urban and Dann Huff; and Song of the Year for "Tonight I Wanna Cry," which Urban co-wrote with Monty Powell. Urban won his first CMA Award in 2001 with the Horizon Award. In 2004, he won Male Vocalist and last year Urban won Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year.

One of the breakout artists of the past year, Underwood definitely didn't miss the attention of CMA's voting members. She her first CMA Awards nominations including Female Vocalist; the Horizon Award; and Single and Music Video of the Year for "Jesus Take The Wheel," which was also nominated for Song of the Year for songwriters, Hillary Lindsey, Brett James, and Gordie Sampson.

After winning three consecutive Vocal Group of the Year Awards (2003, 2004, 2005), Rascal Flatts received their first nomination for Entertainer of the Year. The Entertainer of the Year Award has only been won four times by a group including Dixie Chicks (2000) and Alabama (1982, 1983, 1984). Rascal Flatts also received nominations for Vocal Group and Album of the Year for Me And My Gang. Rascal Flatts co-produced the album with Huff.

Several artists received two nominations each this year including Big & Rich, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Sugarland and Gretchen Wilson.

A song that resonated with CMA Awards voters was Big & Rich's poignant "8th of November," about a physically and emotionally scarred Vietnam Veteran. The anthem was nominated for Song of the Year, giving Big Kenny Alphin and John Rich individual nominations as songwriters. They received two nominations as Big & Rich for Vocal Duo and Music Video of the Year for "8th of November," which was directed by Robert Deaton, George Flanigen IV, and Marc Oswald.

Hill won Female Vocalist of the Year in 2000 and she is nominated in the category again in 2006. She is also nominated in the Musical Event of the Year category with husband Tim McGraw for "Like We Never Loved At All." Hill and McGraw have a string of nominations in the musical collaboration category including "Let's Make Love" (2000); "Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me" (1998); and "It's Your Love," which won the CMA Award in 1997.

Jackson maintains his perch atop of the list of artists with the most career CMA Awards nominations in 2006 with 74. He is nominated for Male Vocalist and Album of the Year for Precious Memories. The album is a pared down collection of church standards Jackson recorded for his mother as a Christmas present in 2005. Initially, there were only 100 copies recorded.

Lambert received her first CMA Awards nomination in 2005 for the Horizon Award and in 2006 she has two nominations -- Horizon and Music Video of the Year for "Kerosene," which was directed by Trey Fanjoy. An artist can only receive two nominations for the Horizon category in their career. Little Big Town received their first CMA Awards nominations in 2006 including Horizon and Vocal Group of the Year.

Like Little Big Town, Sugarland also received nominations for Horizon and Vocal Group of the Year, but Jennifer Nettles also picked up a solo nod for Musical Event of the Year with Bon Jovi for their duet "Who Says You Can't Go Home." This is Bon Jovi's first CMA Awards nomination.

Wilson won the Horizon trophy in 2004 and last year she was named CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. She is nominated in that category again in 2006 and picked up an additional nomination for Musical Event of the Year with Merle Haggard for "Politically Uncorrect."

As the CMA Awards celebrates its 40th Anniversary, it is interesting to note that Haggard was nominated for Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year in 1967 at the first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show," and has received a nomination in every decade since for a career total of 45 CMA Awards nominations.

Completing the Female Vocalist of the Year category with Hill, Underwood and Wilson are Sara Evans and Martina McBride. McBride has won the Female Vocalist of the Year trophy four times (1999, 2002, 2003, 2004), surpassing Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette's record and tying her with Reba McEntire for the most wins in the Female Vocalist category.

In 2005, Dierks Bentley won the Horizon Award and in 2006 he joins the ranks of the Male Vocalist of the Year category for the first time, rounding out the list with Chesney, Jackson, Paisley, and Urban.

Joining Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Sugarland in the Vocal Group of the Year category are Lonestar and Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas, which received its first Vocal Group of the Year nomination in 2005. And speaking of Douglas, CMA's reigning Musician of the Year picks up an additional nod in the Musician category this year.

Brooks & Dunn's domination on the Vocal Duo of the Year category is being challenged in 2006 by Big & Rich; Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, who won the Award in 2000; Van Zant, made up of Southern rock royalty brothers Donnie Van Zant (.38 Special) and Johnny Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd); and a new entry in the category, Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp of The Wreckers.

Rounding out the Horizon Award category with Lambert, Little Big Town, Sugarland and Underwood is Josh Turner. Turner received his first CMA Awards nomination in the category in 2004.

"The depth and diversity of the Horizon nominees this year really speaks to the strength and future of the format," Genovese said.

The 2005 CMA Awards, held Nov. 15 for the first time in New York City at Madison Square Garden, won the night in viewers and key demographics, according to final national Nielsen ratings. The CMA Awards were first in households (11.1/17), viewers (17.73m), adults 18-49 (5.4/13), and adults 25-54 (6.7/15). The Awards were Tuesday's No. 1 program in households, viewers and adults 25-54. According to Nielsen, the CMA Awards was the No. 10 program of the week. Research estimates that more than 36 million viewers watched all of part of the ceremony. The 2005 broadcast ranked behind only the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Emmy Awards during the 2005-06 television season for award shows among total viewers, making the CMA Awards the top-rated music awards program of the television season.

The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 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. The following year, the CMA Awards were broadcast on NBC television for the first time -- making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The show aired on NBC through 1971 and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005.

Winners of "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" will be determined in the third and 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.

In addition to live coverage of today's events, the special edition of CMT's "CMT Insider" will re-air immediately following the live broadcast at 10:30 AM/ET; and again at 4:00 and 11:00 PM/ET; and Thursday, Aug. 31 at 1:30, 6:30, and 11:30 PM/ET. Additionally, a video news release including footage of the CMA Awards nominee and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee announcements, exclusive interview content, performance footage from the 2005 CMA Awards, music video clips, and more will be serviced today, Wednesday, Aug. 30 (4:00- 6:00 PM/EDT). The VNR package will be available by IA5/Transponder C-23, Sub Carriers: 6.2/6.8, downlink frequency 4160MHz (V). For information about picking up the VNR feed, please contact Kris White, ABC Communications at (818) 460-6638; or Ryan Noreikas in the CMA Communications Department at (615) 664-1647, or by e-mail at Rnoreikas@CMAworld.com.

"The 40th Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Walter C. Miller is the Executive Producer; Robert Deaton is the Consulting Producer. Premiere Radio Network is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, including a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2006 CMA Awards. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official ride of the 2006 CMA Awards. Additional promotional partners include aolmusic.com, Greased Lightning Cleaning Products(R), and Hallmark Cards(R). Charles Fazzino is the official artist of the 2006 CMA Awards.

The final nominees for the 2006 CMA Awards are:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
Keith Urban

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)
"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn
Produced by Tony Brown/Kix Brooks/Ronnie Dunn
Arista Nashville

"Better Life"
Keith Urban
Produced by Dann Huff/Keith Urban
Capitol Records Nashville

"Jesus Take The Wheel"
Carrie Underwood
Produced by Mark Bright
Arista Nashville

"Summertime"
Kenny Chesney
Produced by Buddy Cannon/Kenny Chesney
BNA Records

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)
Produced by Frank Rogers/Chris DuBois
Arista Nashville

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)
Hillbilly Deluxe
Brooks & Dunn
Produced by Ronnie Dunn/Kix Brooks/Mark Wright/Tom Shapiro/Tony Brown/Bob
DiPiero
Arista Nashville

Me And My Gang
Rascal Flatts
Produced by Dann Huff/Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street Records

Precious Memories
Alan Jackson
Produced by Keith Stegall
Arista Nashville

The Road And The RadioKenny Chesney
Produced by Buddy Cannon/Kenny Chesney
BNA Records

Time Well Wasted
Brad Paisley
Produced by Chris DuBois/Frank Rogers
Arista Nashville

SONG OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to songwriter and primary publisher)
"8th of November"
Big Kenny/John Rich
Big Love Music/WB Music/Rich Texan Music

"Believe"
Craig Wiseman/Ronnie Dunn
Sony/ATV Tree/Showbilly Music/Big Loud Shirt

"Jesus Take The Wheel"
Hillary Lindsey/Brett James/Gordie Sampson
Dimensional Music of 1091/Raylene Music/No Such Music/Passing Stranger

"Tonight I Wanna Cry"
Keith Urban/Monty Powell
Universal Music/Lanark Village Tunes/Guitar Monkey Music/Coburn Music

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Rivers Rutherford/George Teren
Universal Music/Memphersfield Music/House of Full Circle Music

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Sara Evans
Faith Hill
Martina McBride
Carrie Underwood
Gretchen Wilson

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dierks Bentley
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
Little Big Town
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
Van Zant
The Wreckers

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn (Guest vocals by Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill)
"Building Bridges"
Arista Nashville

Faith Hill Featuring Tim McGraw
"Like We Never Loved At All"
Warner Bros. Records

Gretchen Wilson (Featuring Merle Haggard)
"Politically Uncorrect"
Epic Records

Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)
"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Arista Nashville

Bon Jovi (Duet with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland)
"Who Says You Can't Go Home"
Island Records

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Eddie Bayers -- Drums
Jerry Douglas -- Dobro
Paul Franklin -- Steel Guitar
Dann Huff -- Guitar
Brent Mason -- Guitar/Electric Guitar
Randy Scruggs -- Guitar

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and director)
"8th of November"
Big & Rich
Directed by Robert Deaton/George J. Flanigen IV/Marc Oswald

"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn
Directed by Robert Deaton/George J. Flanigen IV

"Jesus Take The Wheel"
Carrie Underwood
Directed by Roman White

"Kerosene"
Miranda Lambert
Directed by Trey Fanjoy

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)
Directed by Jim Shea

HORIZON AWARD
Miranda Lambert
Little Big Town
Sugarland
Josh Turner
Carrie Underwood

Source: Country Music Association

CONTACT: Wendy Pearl, +1-615-244-2840 or Scott Stem, +1-615-244-2840,
both of CMA; or Bridget Klein, +1-212-704-4453 or Stephanie Figura,
+1-212-704-4533, both of Edelman for CMA; or Mozell Miley of ABC/NYC,
+1-212-456-6444

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

NOTE TO EDITORS: For downloadable, high-resolution images from today's press announcements visit http://www.CMApress.com . You can also visit the site for online media credential registration for the 2006 CMA Awards. This site is for media use only. The public should be directed to http://www.CMAawards.com .

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