NASHVILLE, TN. (Country
Music Association/ www.CMAawards.com) - Reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year
Keith Urban and three-time CMA Award winner
Lee Ann Womack will announce the final nominees for "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" during a press conference Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Time Warner Center in New York City.
"Since the CMA Awards are being held in New York City this year, it is the perfect opportunity to bring these important and highly anticipated announcements to the media capital of the world," said CMA Executive
Director Ed Benson. "And we are pleased to have two of the most talented acts in the format with Keith and Lee Ann to deliver this exciting news."
Urban won his first CMA Award in 2001, when the multi-Platinum Capitol Nashville artist picked up the Horizon Award. It was a harbinger of things to come, and in 2004, Urban won the competitive Male Vocalist of the Year category. He's had six No. 1 singles and his current album, "Be Here," is already double Platinum in the U.S. and Gold in Canada and his native Australia. This fall he will appear in a Gap advertising campaign.
MCA Nashville artist Womack has been nominated for 11 CMA Awards including Female Vocalist of the Year, which she won in 2001. The Platinum-selling Womack has also picked up Awards for CMA Single of the Year ("I Hope You Dance" 2000) and CMA Vocal Event of the Year with Willie Nelson ("Mendocino County Line" 2002). Her sixth album is "There's More Where That Came From" and she is currently touring with Toby Keith and Shooter Jennings.
The CMA Awards, "Country Music's Biggest Night(TM)," will be hosted for the second year in a row by Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of Arista Nashville super duo Brooks & Dunn and broadcast live Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) from Madison Square Garden on the CBS Television Network.
Since blasting onto the scene with their No. 1 debut single "Brand New Man" in 1991, Brooks & Dunn have had 21 No. 1 singles, sold more than 27 million albums and picked up 14 CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 1996. They hold 12 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Awards - a record for the category.
"The announcement of the final nominees launches a full slate of events and activities leading up to the CMA Awards in November that is certain to bring an enormous amount of attention to our format and our entire artistic community," Benson said.
The announcement of the finalists in the 12 categories for the CMA Awards is one of the most anticipated events of the year. But the artists aren't the only ones celebrating. CMA will also announce the finalists for the 2005 CMA Broadcast Awards at the press conference. Miranda Lambert and duo Blue County will be announcing the finalists for Broadcast Personality and Radio Station of the Year in four categories (Small, Medium, Large and Major Markets) as well as the finalists for National Broadcast Personality of the Year.
Lambert is the top selling Country debut artist of 2005 with her Epic Records release "Kerosene," which debuted as the No. 1 Country album in the nation. In September, Lambert will hit the road on Urban's "Alive in '05" tour. An accomplished and prolific songwriter (she wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 12 cuts on her album), Lambert first gained national attention with her successful run on the debut season of "Nashville Star."
Blue County (Aaron Benward and Scott Reeves) released their self-titled debut Curb Records album and received their first CMA Award nomination for Vocal Duo of the Year in 2004. Their first single, "Good Little Girls," was a Top 10 and they have been busy on the road as Ambassadors of New York for the 2005 CMA Awards. The audio announcement of the broadcast finalists will be available live via StarGuide from CMA's official radio partner MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks. MJI has provided live radio coverage of the CMA Awards nominations for more than 10 years. As part of their comprehensive CMA Awards radio package, MJI will be producing a 90-minute nominations radio special available later in the evening on Sept. 7. The special, hosted by Womack, will feature the nomination announcements, reaction from the nominees, music and more. Any Country radio station interested in receiving the radio package, including the live nominations feed and the CMA Awards nominations radio special, may contact Premiere Affiliate Relations at (818) 377-5300.
In addition, CMA will unveil the official artwork commemorating the 2005 CMA Awards by famous 3-D pop artist Charles Fazzino. Fazzino is the first artist ever to be selected as an official artist of the CMA Awards. He is best known for his detailed renderings of New York City's most famous streets and attractions, his passion for bold color and his unique, hand-assembled layering technique that virtually brings his images to life. The artwork will grace the cover of the official CMA Awards Program Book and be adapted into an official limited edition 3-D Giclee Art Print and Open Edition Fine Art Poster.
The announcement of the final CMA Award nominees coincides with the "Chevy All Access Music Tour," which takes over Union Square Park in New York City, Sept. 6-8. Kim Kosak Chevrolet General Director, Advertising and Sales Promotion, will be on hand to talk about the tour and the groundbreaking partnership between the auto manufacturer, CMA and the City of New York. The 2004 CMA Awards, which aired on a Tuesday night for the first time, posted an 11.5 rating with an 18 share. CBS estimates that more than 37 million viewers watched all or part of the gala event. CBS was first in households, viewers and key demographics during the three-hour broadcast (8:00-11:00 PM/ET). CBS won every half-hour in households, viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. This marked CBS' best delivery in households, viewers and adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 since November 2001. To put the success of the CMA Awards rating in perspective, during the 2004-2005 television season, the CMA Awards trailed only the Academy Awards and in a statistical tie with the GRAMMY Awards.
The CMA Awards were first broadcast on network television in 1968 - making it the longest running music awards program on network television. The industry professional members of the Country Music Association determine the CMA Awards nominees and winners.
The CMA Awards are produced by Walter C. Miller and directed by Paul Miller. MJI Programming is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, which includes Red Carpet coverage and a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official automotive sponsor of the 2005 CMA Awards. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2005 CMA Awards. Additional promotional sponsors include Prilosec OTC and Creme Savers.
