Country Takes New York : CMA Awards Tonight

Brad Paisley, Lee Ann Womack, Toby Keith, Keith Urban, and Sugarland lead nominations for The 39th Annual CMA Awards, broadcast live tonight (November 15) from New York City's Madison Square Garden (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network.

News Update: 2005 CMA Awards winners

Garth Brooks will perform "Good Ride Cowboy," as a special tribute to Chris LeDoux. Additional performers include Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Bon Jovi with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, 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, and Willie Nelson and Paul Simon, who will perform and then present CMA Song of the Year. Presenters will include Trace Adkins, James Gandolfini, Vince Gill, Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix.

Here's what some of tonight's nominees are saying about the big show:

Kenny Chesney talks about being the Entertainer of the Year...and about recording "The Road and The Radio": "There is a certain responsibility with being Entertainer of the Year. But if you let that dictate what you do in the studio, then that's wrong, I think. I mean, you have to be honest with yourself, and I think you have to record the album that you as an artist want to record. But still, there is an obligation to being Entertainer of the Year. But I didn't bring the Entertainer of the Year into the studio. I brought great songs into the studio."

Kristian Bush, of Sugarland, on the magnitude of tonight's show: "We are playing Madison Square Garden, and it's blowing my mind. I'm just living in my own little safe place of denial. If we don't win, we still get to play Madison Square Garden." ("The Murfreesboro Daily News Journal")

Randy Owen, lead singer of Alabama-2005 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees-reflects on the group's career: "We've done a lot of things, I think, in our career, by pure accident, by following our hearts and just our simple feelings that...that worked out for us. And I don't think there were any real huge game plans put together, although we plan on being successful in the music and we did record songs and music that we liked a lot. There's been a lot of luck involved. We've been very lucky to stay healthy and just [to] do the music that we like and have fans respond and identify with it."

Alan Jackson talks about being an Entertainer of the Year nominee: "I think there are different kinds of entertainers. I'm not a high-energy act or...I don't have a lot of blow-up toys, you know, flying over me or anything. And there's nothing wrong with that. Or fireworks. It works great for certain acts. You know, I loved Hank [Williams] Jr., and he was crazy. He'd be up on his piano with his shirt off shooting a gun in the air, and I thought that was kinda crazy, but that was just part of his thing, you know! It works for certain people but, you know, I've never been that type of entertainer. I'm a singer-songwriter, and that's a form of entertainment."

Brad Paisley, on the awards' shift to New York: "They don't understand country musicians in the least in that city. But really, our form of music is a reflection of contemporary life. There's a lot in it that New Yorkers would appreciate." ("Entertainment Weekly")

Martina McBride talks about being a CMA Award nominee: "It's still just as thrilling as the first time I was ever nominated. I mean, I don't think the 'new' ever wears off of that, you know? It's just great to see your name on that list of five female vocalists, and so I was really...I'm grateful every year that I get nominated."

Diamond Rio's Marty Roe notes that the band has now received 15 consecutive Vocal Group nominations: "We won't say how many years it took to get those 15 consecutive ones-you do the math. I was surprised to hear that that was the most of any group, at least in a row. Alabama, I guess, took a break one year. But we try to concentrate on the music and make great records and stay passionate about what we do, and hope that passion shines through in the music."

Sara Evans is excited about tonight's CMA Awards: "I love the clothes. I love the red carpet. I love seeing all my friends. You know, it's so exciting to be able to perform on the CMAs. I'm a CMA board member now, and so I feel much more connected to it now than I ever have."

Lonestar's Dean Sams says there's a bond between New York and the country music community: "I think having the CMA Awards show in New York this year is really gonna be cool for a lot of country music artists-and I think also for the fans of country music-mainly because I know the country music community really got behind New York after September 11th. 9/11 was obviously one of the darkest days we've ever had in our history. And I remember exactly one week after 9/11, we actually went to New York. And we visited Ground Zero. And it was still smoldering and...it was just horrific. I mean, television didn't do justice to just how horrific it was there. So I really feel like the country music community got behind New York-just like all Americans. But we really tried to step it up to show them that we did care about them and [that] we would try and help them get back on their feet, so I think the CMA Awards being in New York this year is kind of their way of giving back to us."

The final nominees for the 2005 CMA Awards are:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban


SINGLE OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)
"Alcohol"
Brad Paisley
Produced by Frank Rogers
Arista Nashville

"As Good As I Once Was"
Toby Keith
Produced by James Stroud/Toby Keith
DreamWorks Records Nashville

"Baby Girl"
Sugarland
Produced by Garth Fundis
Mercury Records Nashville

"Bless the Broken Road"
Rascal Flatts
Produced by Mark Bright/Marty Williams/Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street Records

"I May Hate Myself In The Morning"
Lee Ann Womack
Produced by Byron Gallimore
MCA Nashville


ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)
Be Here
Keith Urban
Produced by Dann Huff/Keith Urban
Capitol Records Nashville

Feels Like Today
Rascal Flatts
Produced by Mark Bright/Marty Williams/Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street Records

Live Like You Were Dying
Tim McGraw
Produced by Tim McGraw/Byron Gallimore/Darran Smith
Curb Records

Somewhere Down In Texas
George Strait
Produced by Tony Brown/George Strait
MCA Nashville

There"s More Where That Came From
Lee Ann Womack
Produced by Byron Gallimore/Greg Droman
MCA Nashville


SONG OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to songwriter and primary publisher)
"Alcohol"
Brad Paisley
EMI April/Sea Gayle Music

"As Good As I Once Was"
Toby Keith/Scotty Emerick
Tokeco Tunes/Sony/ATV Songs/Big Yellow Dog Music/Florida Cracker Music

"Bless The Broken Road"
Marcus Hummon/Bobby Boyd/Jeff Hanna
Careers-BMG Music/Floyd"s Dream Music/Jeff Diggs Music

"I May Hate Myself In The Morning"
Odie Blackmon
Cal IV Songs

"Redneck Woman"
Gretchen Wilson/John Rich
Sony/ATV Cross Keys/Hoosiermama Music/WB Music Corp

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Bill Anderson/Jon Randall
Sony/ATV/Mr. Bubba Music/Reynsong/Wha Ya Say Music


FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Sara Evans
Alison Krauss
Martina McBride
Gretchen Wilson
Lee Ann Womack


MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban


VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
Diamond Rio
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland


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


MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
George Strait (Duet with Lee Ann Womack)
"Good News, Bad News"
MCA Nashville

Willie Nelson with Lee Ann Womack
"I'll Never Be Free"
Lost Highway Records

Brad Paisley/Sara Evans
"New Again"
Wind Up Records

Shania Twain (with Billy Currington)
"Party For Two"
Mercury Records Nashville

Jimmy Buffett with Martina McBride
Trip Around The Sun
RCA Records


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


MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and director)
"Alcohol"
Brad Paisley
Directed by Jim Shea

"As Good As I Once Was"
Toby Keith
Directed by Michael Salomon

"Days Go By"
Keith Urban
Directed by Wayne Isham

"I May Hate Myself In The Morning"
Lee Ann Womack
Directed by Trey Fanjoy

"When I Think About Cheatin'"
Gretchen Wilson
Directed by Robert Deaton/George J. Flanigen IV


HORIZON AWARD
Dierks Bentley
Big & Rich
Miranda Lambert
Julie Roberts
Sugarland

updated November 15, 2005