NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CMA Awards/Top40 Charts) - Toby Keith�s seven nominations translated into zero wins as he was shut out by CMA voters at the 37th annual CMA Awards held in Nashville on Wednesday (November 5). Leading the nominations Toby Keith, the singer behind the patriotic post-11
September country standard Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American). He had seven nominations, but he failed to win any awards.
The late Johnny Cash and Alan Jackson took three awards each, including Jackson�s entertainer of the year trophy, for which Keith had been heavily favored.
With four nominations, Cash won for album, single and music video of the year and led a traditional country resurgence. The lone pop-leaning award winners, Rascal Flatts, gave their award to the more traditional group Alabama.
Johnny Cash, who died in September, was honoured with three prizes at the 37th Annual Country Music Awards in Nashville on Wednesday night. Cash won best album, best single and best video at the awards.
The best single and best video prizes were won for his cover of the song Hurt by rock group Nine Inch Nails.
The other major winner was singer Alan Jackson, who tied with Cash with three awards. He won vocal event of the year for his hit duet with Jimmy Buffett, It's Five O'Clock Somewhere. Jackson also won male vocalist of the year and entertainer of the year. The three awards gave Jackson a tally of 16 awards in his career.
The argument can be easily made that the group of the year award would have been a lock for the traditional-sounding Dixie Chicks until the Chicks� "incident," which guaranteed them a backlash from CMA voters. Instead, pop-leaning Rascal Flatts took the honor. Flatts offered their award to the veteran group Alabama, who are retiring this year.
Alabama�s Randy Owen and Mark Herndon climbed the steps to the stage to accept the trophy but appeared reluctant and uncertain and made no remarks to the crowd. Perhaps Rascal Flatts should have done the Garth thing and just left the award on the podium.
The hotly-contested award for male vocalist of the year - voting was so close there were six instead of the usual five nominees - went to Jackson. It was his second year in a row for the award.
The very popular Martina McBride repeated as female vocalist of the year and very diplomatically - and honestly - praised the other nominees in this also tight field (Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless and Terri Clark).
The Horizon Award went to the heavily favored, strongly traditional singer Joe Nichols (who had also been nominated for album of the year - a rarity for a rookie artist).
Vocal duo honors, to no one�s surprise, went to Brooks & Dunn. The award was announced before the show although Gill hauled it out onstage to give to Brooks & Dunn after they performed �You Can�t Take the Honky Tonky Out of the Girl.� It marked the third win in a row in that category for Brooks & Dunn and was also their 13th career award. Randy Scruggs was named musician of the year in ceremonies before the telecast.
The ceremony included a duet between country singer Dolly Parton and jazz sensation Norah Jones. Vince Gill carried off his hosting duties for the 12th year in a row with his usual aplomb and wit and diet jokes. And with "ass" jokes about Rascal Flatts� nude video.
After Norah Jones and Parton dueted and drew a deserved ovation, Gill was beside himself with enthusiasm.
"Wow!" he said. "Brittany and Madonna can kiss all they want. I wanta hear �em sing!"
The Dixie Chicks, the all-female vocal group who caused controversy in country circles for comments against the Iraq war earlier in the year, were also nominated unsuccessfully.
They did not attend the event.
2003 complete list of winners (37th CMA Awards):
Entertainer of the Year: Alan Jackson
Horizon Award: Joe Nichols
Female Vocalist of the Year: Martina McBride
Vocal Group of the Year: Rascal Flatts
Country Music Hall of Fame: Carl Smith
Country Music Hall of Fame: Floyd Cramer
Male Vocalist of the Year: Alan Jackson
Album of the Year: American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
Song of the Year: "Three Wooden Crosses" - Randy Travis
Single of the Year: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
Vocal Event of the Year: Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
Music Video of the Year: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
Vocal Duo of the Year: Brooks & Dunn
Musician of the Year: Randy Scruggs
