Kenny Chesney leads Academy of Country Music nominees

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - Kenny Chesney grabbed the lead with nine award nominations on Thursday from the Academy of Country Music, which hands out its prizes on April 1 in Las Vegas.

Jason Aldean was the runner-up with six nods and trio Lady Antebellum had five.

Chesney will have plenty of competition for the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year trophy from nominees Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and last year's winner Taylor Swift.

Fans can vote for entertainer of the year and new artist of the year beginning on March 19. Voting for the top prize continues through the third hour of the live broadcast of the 47th edition of the awards show.

One of the veteran performers on the list of nominees, Chesney also received his 10th nomination for top male vocalist.

Aldean, whose career has taken off in the past few years, received his second nominations for entertainer of the year and top male vocalist.

The trio of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, collectively known as Lady Antebellum, is up for vocal group of the year, an award they have won for two consecutive years.

Brad Paisley was nominated again for top male vocalist, which he has won every year since 2006.

Toby Keith's runaway hit "Red Solo Cup" brought him three nominations, including video and single of the year. He took home the top video award in 2003 for "Beer For My Horses," which featured Willie Nelson.

Swift received her third nomination for the top prize of entertainer of the year and for the fifth time for top female vocalist. She received her third nod for best video.

Newcomer Grace Potter will be up for three awards, based on her performance with Chesney on their hit, "You and Tequila."

A relatively new group, the Eli Young Band, was nominated in three categories including vocal group of the year and top single and song for "Crazy Girl."

YOUNGER GENERATION

Most of this year's nominees are from the crop of country performers who have come along in the past 10 to 15 years. Swift, 22, is the youngest nominee.

The band Alabama, nominated with Paisley for vocal event of the year, has not toured together since 2004.

Other veteran nominees include Vince Gill, who began his solo career in 1983; and Martina McBride, who worked behind the scenes for Garth Brooks until she signed her first label deal in 1991.

Reba McEntire, one of the most successful country singers of the 1980s and 1990s, acted as master of ceremonies for the announcement, with the nominations revealed for the first time via a digital format on the Academy of Country Music's Facebook page.

That gave fans a chance to lodge comments, including one bleat that Gill should not have been left off the list of nominees for top guitarist.

Fan voting will determine the finalists for new artist of the year, to be announced at the end of the month. Voting for the winner of that award will begin on March 19 and close before the show begins on April 1.

McEntire and Blake Shelton will co-host the live CBS broadcast for the second consecutive year from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Last Vegas.

(Reporting By Vernell Hackett; Editing by Andrew Stern and Vicki Allen)

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Country star Chesney chugs to touring milestone (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Already secure as country music's king of the road, Kenny Chesney is really flexing his muscle now.

Chesney is poised to reach a milestone — and perhaps clear a path — as he readies for an Aug. 13 visit to New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. Chesney has already sold more than 44,000 tickets, making it the hottest single paid country show in the New York City-New Jersey area since Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Linda Ronstadt drew more than 51,000 in 1983.

"I don't know if taking a chance is the right word, but to be honest with you it was a little bit of a risk to play Meadowlands Stadium," Chesney said. "But my whole touring life has been a risk. ... One day I said, `You know, I want to be able to say I played the New York-New Jersey area and I did it in a football stadium.' We almost did it two years ago, and so now I felt like the time was right. I'm glad I was right."

Playing against the odds is paying off. The greater New York metropolitan area has traditionally been a no-fly zone for country artists. But Chesney is matching artists like Jon Bon Jovi stride for stride in his home state and with other artists like Taylor Swift — who recently played in front of 52,000 fans in four sold-out arena shows in Newark, N.J. — is helping show there's room for a little twang in the shadow of the Big Apple.

Meadowlands CEO Mark Lamping expects Chesney's show with Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker to sell out at around 50,000 and notes the show could clear the way for more major country acts to play a market they once wrote off.

"We've always believed in the show," Lamping said. "We were perhaps a little anxious in the beginning because there hasn't been a big (country) show here in a long time. But we were confident this would be a success and it's been a success beyond what our original expectations were. It certainly gives us a lot of confidence to bring other shows to this market."

Chesney's rise in the New York area coincides with a resurgence in the music touring business. After a rough 2010 thanks to the weakened economy, musicians are seeing an increase in gross revenue — if not ticket sales.

Trade magazine Pollstar's editor in chief, Gary Bongiovanni, says while ticket sales are still lagging behind, overall gross revenue is up both worldwide and in North America. The cumulative gross of $1.65 billion by the world's top 50 tours is up $166 million or 11.2 percent. Ticket sales are down by about 2 percent, Bongiovanni says, but artists have made up for that drop with increased prices.

While U2 continues to dominate with gross revenues of $85.8 billion, Chesney's Goin' Coastal Tour is helping drive that resurgence as well with more than 1.1 million tickets sold so far. Chesney is the top country act and fourth overall on Pollstar's list of gross revenue for the top 100 North American tours at $46.7 million. He has sold out 27 shows this year, including five stadium shows (with the sixth at 96 percent capacity).

"The only other (country) artist who could draw in the same realm is Garth Brooks," Bongiovanni said. " ... And then Taylor Swift has been so red hot that in some markets with proper packaging she's been able to fill stadiums as well, but not with the frequency and consistency that Kenny has in the past."

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Chesney to donate concert fees to tornado relief (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country superstar Kenny Chesney is turning his May 25th tour stop in Tuscaloosa, Ala., into a benefit concert.

Chesney, along with his management and booking agents, are donating all of their fees to the tornado-ravaged town that is home to the University of Alabama.

The massive storm system that swept through the South two weeks ago killed more than 300 people in seven states. At least 41 were in Tuscaloosa. The April 27 tornado outbreak destroyed entire neighborhoods and left the city struggling to recover.

Chesney considered postponing the concert, but the mayor convinced him that the show would be a positive step forward for the community.

The funds will go to GiveTuscaloosa.com and will be funneled to local charities and social services.

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Chesney to donate concert fees to tornado relief (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country superstar Kenny Chesney is turning his May 25th tour stop in Tuscaloosa, Ala., into a benefit concert.

Chesney, along with his management and booking agents, are donating all of their fees to the tornado-ravaged town that is home to the University of Alabama.

The massive storm system that swept through the South two weeks ago killed more than 300 people in seven states. At least 41 were in Tuscaloosa. The April 27 tornado outbreak destroyed entire neighborhoods and left the city struggling to recover.

Chesney considered postponing the concert, but the mayor convinced him that the show would be a positive step forward for the community.

The funds will go to GiveTuscaloosa.com and will be funneled to local charities and social services.

__

Online:

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_people_kenny_chesney/41450590/SIG=110tut2t0/*http://www.givetuscaloosa.com/

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_people_kenny_chesney/41450590/SIG=10qj151g9/*http://kennychesney.com/

Join the conversation at: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_people_kenny_chesney/41450590/SIG=1133qhv33/*http://www.twitter.com/AP_Country

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