Swift, Lady A and Jason Aldean honored again (AP)

NEW YORK – CMT's second annual Artists of the Year event will look a bit familiar: Three of last year's honorees will be feted once again.

Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean will be celebrated for a second time, along with new honorees Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney. CMT picks the five top artists in country music based on sales of albums and single downloads, country radio airplay, concert grosses and popularity on CMT.

The 90-minute taped special, which features performances during a dinner setting, will air Dec. 13 on CMT. "Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard will prepare the food for the event, which tapes Nov. 29 in Nashville, Tenn.

Izard said she plans to talk to the honorees to get a feel for what they like to eat, and that will guide her food preparations.

"I think bringing their favorites ... something that's going to make them happy, that's what it's going to be all about," Izard said in an interview Tuesday.

Izard said music is a big inspiration for her in the kitchen, so she's excited about catering the event.

"I'm hoping that we can just celebrate food and celebrate music, and things that inspire people," she said.

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Rising stars Aldean, Shelton shake up CMA noms (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After a decade toiling away at the microphone without much recognition, Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton are breaking through in a big way.

Two of country's leading men nabbed their first Country Music Association Awards entertainer of the year nominations Tuesday, upsetting recent trends and leading a popular pack with five nominations apiece. They join previous entertainer winners Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban in the CMA's most prestigious category. Paisley and Swift also are up for five awards.

"To be honest, I secretly hoped that I'd get this nomination one day, but I never thought I actually would," Shelton said in a statement. "After 10 years of watching my friends receive this incredible honor, I got pretty used to being a cheerleader for them, ya know?"

He began receiving more nominations last year, winning two awards at the 2010 CMAs. But his move into television as a coach on NBC's "The Voice," an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry and the success of his single "Honey Bee" — not to mention his marriage to Miranda Lambert — has helped bring him to the forefront of country music.

Like Shelton, Aldean has been slowly gaining awards show attention the last few years after hitting the trifecta of arena tours, platinum albums and radio airplay. But his previous nominations pale compared to the ones he earned Tuesday morning. Along with entertainer of the year, he took nominations in three coveted categories — album of the year for "My Kinda Party," single of the year for "Don't You Wanna Stay," featuring Kelly Clarkson, and male vocalist of the year.

"That's kind of the cool thing about this whole deal for us," Aldean said in a phone interview. "A lot of this stuff is first-time stuff for us. I think the general consensus whenever we get nominations, especially the big ones, is that's pretty special. Not only for me but my whole camp, for everyone involved. We're all kind of experiencing this stuff for the first time, so I think everybody's genuinely excited and sometimes surprised. It's a good feeling to know when you've been working all this time and people are taking notice."

The Band Perry and Jake Owen made the initial announcement of five categories Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." Jerrod Niemann and two-time nominee Thompson Square announced the remainder of the nominees later at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Zac Brown Band and The Band Perry were next with four nominations apiece. Kenny Chesney was nominated for three awards, including male vocalist of the year, but country music's top touring draw was left out of an entertainer of the year category he won four straight times before essentially taking a year off.

Swift, who won entertainer of the year in 2009, is also up for female vocalist of the year with Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Sara Evans and Lambert, who won the honor last year on her 27th birthday.

Lambert's husband, Shelton, will defend his male vocalist of the year award this year against Paisley, Urban, Aldean and Chesney.

The Band Perry will compete with Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band and Little Big Town in the vocal group category. And the sibling trio is nominated with Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Thompson Square and Chris Young in the new artist of the year category.

Coveted album of the year nominations went to Shelton for "All About Tonight," Aldean for "My Kinda Party," Swift's "Speak Now," Paisley's "This is Country Music" and "You Get What You Give" by Zac Brown Band.

Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the award show for a fourth time live Nov. 9 from Nashville on ABC.

"I definitely think over the last couple of years you've seen some artists get in there that aren't the typical ones you're used to seeing in there," Aldean said. "That kind of tends to happen every few years. It seems like over the last couple of years you're starting to see some of that. But it's still a little surprising."

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AP writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report from New York.

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Aldean nominated for country music's top entertainer (Reuters)

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) – Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift led with five nominations each for the Country Music Association awards on Tuesday, and will compete for the genre's top prize.

Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the annual CMA Awards for the fourth time on November 9, with the show to be broadcast live on ABC from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

Keith Urban was the fifth nominee for the top prize of Entertainer of the Year announced in Nashville and New York on ABC's "Good Morning America" show.

Aldean said he was sleeping when the nominations were announced, but his wife, Jessica, made sure he got the news.

"She just about gave me a heart attack," Aldean told Reuters. "She was so excited that I was up for (top) entertainer and male vocalist."

"Once I understood what she was saying I was like, 'Okay, cool.' I didn't realize that I had been nominated for the other awards until I started getting text messages congratulating me on the five nominations," he said.

Overall, the nominations were evenly spread among established artists such as Paisley and Swift and newcomers The Band Perry and Zac Brown.

In contrast to past years when the CMA seemed to heap nominations on breakout artists a year late, this year's nods to Aldean and Shelton appeared timely.

Aldean headlined his own tour for the first time, selling out venues across the United States while performing such hits as "Dirt Road Anthem," which was nominated for Song of the Year. Shelton has been celebrating his No. 1 single, Single of the Year nominee "Honey Bee," and is co-hosting NBC's talent show "The Voice."

Aldean grabbed his first nomination for CMA Male Vocalist of the Year and will vie with Paisley, Shelton, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney for that award.

Aldean was also nominated for Album of the Year ("My Kinda Party"), Single of the Year ("Don't You Wanna Stay," with Kelly Clarkson), and Musical Event of the Year.

"Obviously I felt like we had a great year with the success of the album and the singles and the tour," Aldean said.

"I felt like we had as good a shot as anybody, so you just hope for one or two nominations. But to get five or six, that was definitely beyond what I thought might happen, so we're pretty excited about it," he said.

Swift, Underwood, Sara Evans, Miranda Lambert, and Martina McBride were the nominees for top Female Vocalist.

Newcomers The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band each earned four nominations each, including top songwriter nods for Kimberly Perry, and for Zac Brown and Coy Bowles.

The nominees for top vocal group were The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Zac Brown Band, the CMA announced.

New Artist of the Year nominees were The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Thompson Square and Chris Young.

Shawna Thompson of Thompson Square, nominated with husband Keifer Thompson for Duo of the Year and New Artist awards, recalled how excited she got watching the show as a child.

"I would pretend that I had won, and I would grab a Mason (glass) jar and use it as my award," she said. "After I had proclaimed myself a winner, I would go in the kitchen and give my acceptance speech."

(Editing by Andrew Stern and Jackie Frank)

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Alabama, Paisley, Aldean light up CMA fest opening night (Reuters)

NASHVILLE (Billboard) – "Old Alabama" helped the CMA Music Festival turn 40 as country's most-successful group of all time, Alabama, showed the strength of its influence during a June 9 stadium concert at Nashville's LP Field on the festival's opening day.

Brad Paisley brought out the band's three founding members-Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook-as unannounced guests for a romp through "Old Alabama," a recent No. 1 single that incorporates the group's classic "Mountain Music."

In fact, the reach of the band's artistic tentacles was demonstrated subtly by the wildly divergent sounds of the night's two primary headliners, recent Billboard cover stars Paisley and Jason Aldean, who was also the focus of a panel about his independent success at this week's Billboard Country Music Summit.

Paisley, who covered Alabama frequently during performances in his formative years, has made a point throughout his career of paying homage to country's history. The simple, stomping-style bass that was a hallmark of Gentry's playing was echoed in two of Paisley's own songs, "Water" and "This Is Country Music." The latter cements Paisley's respect for historic sounds by namechecking songs by the such acts as George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Conway Twitty.

Aldean was likewise influenced by Alabama-"Mountain Music" is the first album he says he remembers owning-but his set had head-banging elements in it, particularly through the crunchy chords of "She's Country" and "Hicktown."

Aldean's hard-rocking sound, Paisley's traditionalism and Alabama all earned big responses from more than 40,000 fans, who are at the heart of the entire festival. The four-day event features hundreds of acts performing for free across multiple stages in downtown Nashville, the mini-concerts augmented by multiple activities, including fan-club parties and autograph-signing sessions. Dolly Parton and Shania Twain are among the acts set to meet fans in those autograph lines, while Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner and Chris Young are just a few of the artists scheduled to play the stadium during the run.

Many of those acts command five- or six-figure nightly concert fees. But they forego the paychecks for the festival for several reasons: half of the net income is donated annually by the CMA to music education, the festival provides larger acts with a means of saying thanks to their fans, the LP Field shows have the lure of landing many performers on a fall ABC television special, and developing acts-whether they appear at the stadium or smaller side venues-have an instant means of making an impression on their target audience.

"You get out to a lot more ears out there," Easton Corbin says. "There's going to be people out there that's probably not as familiar as some people, so hopefully getting out there in front of that kind of crowd, you build a fan base."

The opening-day stadium concert offered plenty of music to entice that base. Grand Ole Opry members Steve Wariner and Bill Anderson, who attended the first edition of the festival in 1972, hosted the 2011 opener. Aldean trotted out Kelly Clarkson for a searing version of their duet, "Don't You Wanna Stay"; Ricky Skaggs and former "American Idol" contestant Casey James offered two-song acoustic sets; Corbin played a breezy quintet of traditionally-minded songs; and Sara Evans offered an exuberant return to the event after two years away. "It's a big deal," she says of coming back to the festival. "It's a really big deal."

The Zac Brown Band punctuated the opening slot with a rollicking version of the Charlie Daniels Band's "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" while parading a stream of guests: Alan Jackson, Amos Lee, new artist Sonia Leigh and Randy Travis, who teamed up with the band on "Forever And Ever, Amen."

The June setting brings high temperatures and high humidity, and artists grumbled 10-15 years ago about working every year without a check. But over time, they have come to regard the festival as an important step in maintaining their image and their connection with the audience.

"The fans are the reasons we have the job. Period," Aldean notes. "I think it's important to be here and kind of make ourselves approachable for them."

The influence of Alabama and other acts will certainly be felt as the festival continues through June 12 as the side stages continue to mix both veteran acts and the next wave of talent. The lineup blends such new acts as HER & Kings County, Mark Cooke and Brother Trouble with Country Music Hall of Famers Mel Tillis and Roy Clark, plus current acts David Nail, Steel Magnolia and Craig Morgan.

All of them will be there among the hordes of performers to build or maintain their careers and their connection to those all-important fans.

"They're the ones," Morgan quips, "that pay the bills."

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

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Alabama, Paisley, Aldean light up CMA fest opening night (Reuters)

NASHVILLE (Billboard) – "Old Alabama" helped the CMA Music Festival turn 40 as country's most-successful group of all time, Alabama, showed the strength of its influence during a June 9 stadium concert at Nashville's LP Field on the festival's opening day.

Brad Paisley brought out the band's three founding members-Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook-as unannounced guests for a romp through "Old Alabama," a recent No. 1 single that incorporates the group's classic "Mountain Music."

In fact, the reach of the band's artistic tentacles was demonstrated subtly by the wildly divergent sounds of the night's two primary headliners, recent Billboard cover stars Paisley and Jason Aldean, who was also the focus of a panel about his independent success at this week's Billboard Country Music Summit.

Paisley, who covered Alabama frequently during performances in his formative years, has made a point throughout his career of paying homage to country's history. The simple, stomping-style bass that was a hallmark of Gentry's playing was echoed in two of Paisley's own songs, "Water" and "This Is Country Music." The latter cements Paisley's respect for historic sounds by namechecking songs by the such acts as George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Conway Twitty.

Aldean was likewise influenced by Alabama-"Mountain Music" is the first album he says he remembers owning-but his set had head-banging elements in it, particularly through the crunchy chords of "She's Country" and "Hicktown."

Aldean's hard-rocking sound, Paisley's traditionalism and Alabama all earned big responses from more than 40,000 fans, who are at the heart of the entire festival. The four-day event features hundreds of acts performing for free across multiple stages in downtown Nashville, the mini-concerts augmented by multiple activities, including fan-club parties and autograph-signing sessions. Dolly Parton and Shania Twain are among the acts set to meet fans in those autograph lines, while Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner and Chris Young are just a few of the artists scheduled to play the stadium during the run.

Many of those acts command five- or six-figure nightly concert fees. But they forego the paychecks for the festival for several reasons: half of the net income is donated annually by the CMA to music education, the festival provides larger acts with a means of saying thanks to their fans, the LP Field shows have the lure of landing many performers on a fall ABC television special, and developing acts-whether they appear at the stadium or smaller side venues-have an instant means of making an impression on their target audience.

"You get out to a lot more ears out there," Easton Corbin says. "There's going to be people out there that's probably not as familiar as some people, so hopefully getting out there in front of that kind of crowd, you build a fan base."

The opening-day stadium concert offered plenty of music to entice that base. Grand Ole Opry members Steve Wariner and Bill Anderson, who attended the first edition of the festival in 1972, hosted the 2011 opener. Aldean trotted out Kelly Clarkson for a searing version of their duet, "Don't You Wanna Stay"; Ricky Skaggs and former "American Idol" contestant Casey James offered two-song acoustic sets; Corbin played a breezy quintet of traditionally-minded songs; and Sara Evans offered an exuberant return to the event after two years away. "It's a big deal," she says of coming back to the festival. "It's a really big deal."

The Zac Brown Band punctuated the opening slot with a rollicking version of the Charlie Daniels Band's "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" while parading a stream of guests: Alan Jackson, Amos Lee, new artist Sonia Leigh and Randy Travis, who teamed up with the band on "Forever And Ever, Amen."

The June setting brings high temperatures and high humidity, and artists grumbled 10-15 years ago about working every year without a check. But over time, they have come to regard the festival as an important step in maintaining their image and their connection with the audience.

"The fans are the reasons we have the job. Period," Aldean notes. "I think it's important to be here and kind of make ourselves approachable for them."

The influence of Alabama and other acts will certainly be felt as the festival continues through June 12 as the side stages continue to mix both veteran acts and the next wave of talent. The lineup blends such new acts as HER & Kings County, Mark Cooke and Brother Trouble with Country Music Hall of Famers Mel Tillis and Roy Clark, plus current acts David Nail, Steel Magnolia and Craig Morgan.

All of them will be there among the hordes of performers to build or maintain their careers and their connection to those all-important fans.

"They're the ones," Morgan quips, "that pay the bills."

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

Yahoo! News

Paisley, Aldean help kick off CMA Music Fest (AP)

By CAITLIN R. KING, Associated Press Caitlin R. King, Associated Press – 2 hrs 50 mins ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Forget email or a handwritten note. Country stars thank their fans with an entire festival.

Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean and the Zac Brown Band are some of the artists who helped kick off the Country Music Association Music Festival in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday night with performances at LP Field.

"It's a unique festival. It doesn't happen in any other style of music. We're talking about something where people come out of the woodwork, drive to this mecca of Nashville and sort of assemble in a stadium to hear all their favorite artists who put on this exhibition of what they're about," said Paisley.

One reason it's so unique? The artists play for free, and the proceeds are donated to charity.

"None of us are getting paid," said Paisley. "We're here to say thanks."

Since 2006, CMA has donated nearly $4.8 million from CMA Fest proceeds to Metro Nashville schools through its "Keep the Music Playing" campaign.

There are countless events and activities downtown that are part of the four-day festival, but the nightly concerts at LP Field provide the biggest star power in one place. The artists like it because it provides them with a massive audience usually reserved for only a handful of top country acts.

"I love playing the stadium here. I tell people all the time, it's like it gives me a taste of what (Kenny) Chesney gets to deal with every night," said Aldean. "He gets to play stadiums every night, but we don't. So doing this is cool. It gives us a chance to get up close and personal with the fans. It's just a cool night for them, I think, and also for us."

Pop singer Kelly Clarkson joined Aldean on stage to sing their crossover hit "Don't You Wanna Stay." The Zac Brown Band also had a little help from their friends during their LP Field performance Thursday night. Country legend Randy Travis sang his song "Forever and Ever Amen" with Brown. Alan Jackson showed up to perform his part in the hit collaboration "As She's Walking Away," and Amos Lee helped with vocals on "Colder Weather."

The CMA Music Festival runs through Sunday.

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Lady A, Aldean among first CMT Awards performers (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country star Jason Aldean is not only the top nominee at this year's CMT Music Awards, he'll also be performing.

Fellow nominees Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland are also among the first performers announced for the show.

This marks the 10th anniversary of the fan-voted awards show. It will air live on Wednesday, June 8, from Nashville. Until then, fans can pick their favorites on CMT.com through June 7.

Aldean has four nominations, including a nod for video of the year. Lady A, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland have three nominations each and are competing against Aldean for the top prize. Urban is up for two awards, including male video of the year and CMT performance of the year.

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Lady A, Aldean among first CMT Awards performers (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country star Jason Aldean is not only the top nominee at this year's CMT Music Awards, he'll also be performing.

Fellow nominees Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland are also among the first performers announced for the show.

This marks the 10th anniversary of the fan-voted awards show. It will air live on Wednesday, June 8, from Nashville. Until then, fans can pick their favorites on CMT.com through June 7.

Aldean has four nominations, including a nod for video of the year. Lady A, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland have three nominations each and are competing against Aldean for the top prize. Urban is up for two awards, including male video of the year and CMT performance of the year.

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