Grammy-winning country artist Brad Paisley came out with seven CMA Award nominations in the 2009 contest—more nods than any other artist, according to the Sept. 9, 2009, finalists announcements from the Country Music Association.
For the fourth year in a row, the CMA Award finalists were delivered via live television on the nationally syndicated Good Morning America TV show, and this year, country singers Darius Rucker and Lee Ann Womack were on the GMA set in New York City to share the nominee news with viewers.
Reigning CMA Male Vocalist Paisley Leads 2009 CMA Award Nominations
This year, favorite-finalist Paisley was nominated for the 2009 CMA’s Entertainer of the Year; Male Vocalist of the Year; Album of the Year (for American Saturday Night); Single and Song of the Year for Then; and Music Video and Musical Event of the Year for Start a Band, which also features country’s Keith Urban.
Urban, meanwhile, collected five nominations this go around, while country artists Jamey Johnson, George Strait, Taylor Swift and Zac Brown each collected four.
In the 2009 CMA competition, which will air live on ABC-TV on Nov. 11, 2009, from Nashville’s Sommet Center, there were new faces as well as established stars in 10 of the competition’s dozen categories. And notably, crossover favorites continued to make gains in the genre’s most prestigious awards event.
"It is great for the format and speaks to the strength of our music and talent of our artists that there are so many new faces on the list of nominees this year," said Tammy Genovese, chief executive officer for the CMA—in a Sept. 9 press statement.
"With more than a quarter of the nominees making their debut in 2009, representing a variety of major and independent labels, there will be a heightened level of excitement and anticipation for the CMA Awards in November," she added.
Country Star George Strait Leaps into the 2009 CMA Awards Contest
As for the final-nominee breakdown, tried ‘n’ true Texan Strait received nominations for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Music Video for Troubadour; and Musical Event with vocalist and fellow Texan Womack for Everything But Quits.
With these new nominations to his credit, Strait now has 79 career CMA Awards nods, which ties him with Alan Jackson for the most nominations to date. Moreover, he leads the trophy count with 22.
Crossover-Country Starlet Taylor Swift Lands in CMA Entertainer of the Year Category
Teen-superstar Swift, meanwhile, was the lone female artist to collect four nominations this go around, including her first nod for Entertainer of the Year. Per the CMA’s records, the last time a solo female artist was nominated for Entertainer of the Year was Faith Hill in 2000, with Canadian Shania Twain listed as the last female artist to claim the trophy in 1999.
As the winner of the CMA’s 2007 Horizon Award, the blond country-pop princess also scored nods for Female Vocalist (she received her first nomination in the category in 2008) and Music Video for Love Story, as well as Album of the Year for Fearless. (Swift may also receive a second trophy for producing Fearless with Nathan Chapman.)
Country Singer Keith Urban Collects Quartet of CMA Nominations
Hit-maker Urban's latest nominations include Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Music Video for Start a Band with Paisley; and Album of the Year for Defying Gravity. (The singer also is eligible to win a second trophy in the Album category for producing Defying Gravity with Dann Huff, who’s coincidentally a nominee for Musician of the Year.)
One of the new faces in 2009, songwriter-turned-artist Johnson, landed on the list of finalists competing for New Artist; Single and Song for In Color, a tune he co-wrote with Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto; and Album of the Year for That Lonesome Song, which was produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys.
Although the aforementioned are Johnson's first artist nods, he’s no stranger to the CMA contest. As a tunesmith, he took home 2007’s Song of the Year for Strait's huge hit, Give It Away, which he co-wrote with Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon.
Country Music Newcomers Land Multiple CMA Nominations
Another newcomer, Zac Brown, scored his inaugural CMA Awards nominations in '09; namely, three with his self-named group and one for penning the act’s hit, Chicken Fried. Overall, the Zac Brown Band received nominations for New Artist; Vocal Group; and Single of the Year for Chicken Fried, with Brown landing an additional nod for Song of the Year for writing Chicken Fried with Wyatt Durrette.
The 43rd Annual CMA Awards will air 8-11 p.m. (ET) on ABC-TV this year, with Paisley and Carrie Underwood, the 2008 Female Vocalist of the Year, returning as co-hosts for the second consecutive year.
Readers who enjoyed this article may also find favor with A Look at the 2009 CMA Awards Artist Categories.
Lisa L. Rollins - Texas native Lisa L. Rollins, Ph.D., is an award-winning feature writer, interviewer and journalism educator.
