Three Oklahoma women to vie for CMA female vocalist title
Miranda Lambert (Associated Press photos)
Carrie Underwood
Reba McEntire
The female vocalist of the year category at the 2009 CMA Awards may turn out to be the toughest to pick a favorite, particularly for Oklahomans.
When the CMA Awards nominees were announced this morning, three Oklahoma women were listed as candidates in the category: Carrie Underwood, who was raised in Checotah; Reba McEntire, who grew up in Chockie; and Miranda Lambert, who lives in Tishomingo.
The other nominees in the category are Taylor Swift, who earned three other CMA nominations, and Martina McBride.
Underwood has won the female vocalist title the last three years. If she wins the female vocalist award again, it will tie her with McEntire and McBride for most wins in the category. McEntire won the award from 1984-87, while McBride was named female vocalist in 1999 and from 2000-04.
McEntire continues to dominate her competition in one area: With her two nominations for this year (she also is nominated with Brooks & Dunn in musical event of the year), she has a career total to 48. That continues her reign as the female artist with the highest number of nominations in CMA Awards history.
The CMA Awards will air live Nov. 11 from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., on ABC. Underwood and Paisley, who received a leading six nominations, will co-host the show for the second year.
-BAM
Bonus Wednesday Video Spotlight: Brooks & Dunn on “Today”
Brooks & Dunn (Associated Press)
Brooks & Dunn performed the duo’s new song “Believe” with members of the Boys and Girls Choir of Harlem Alumni Ensemble Tuesday on the “Today” show.
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks released Tuesday what will be their last album as a duo, #1’s … And Then Some.”
The pair announced last month that they are planning to split up after their 2010 “The Last Rodeo Tour.”
Brooks & Dunn received two CMA Awards this morning: for vocal duo of the year and musical event of the year for “Cowgirls Don’t Cry,” a duet with Oklahoma star Reba McEntire.
In addition, Brooks, the host of “American Country Countdown,” is nominated for a CMA Broadcast Awards trophy for National Broadcast Personality of the Year.
Watch Brooks & Dunn chat briefly with Matt Lauer about their breakup and then perform the new song in this video:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
-BAM
Brad Paisley receives leading six CMA Awards nominations
Brad Paisley won the top male vocalist prize at the 2008 CMA Awards. (Associated Press photo)
The final list of nominees for “The 43rd Annual CMA Awards” features fresh faces in 10 of the 12 CMA Awards categories with new artists layered throughout the finalist field, the continued dominance of the established superstars, and crossover favorites making huge gains in 2009.
“The 43rd Annual CMA Awards” will be broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov.11 on ABC. Reigning CMA Male and Female Vocalists Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood return for a second year to host the show.
For the fourth year, the announcement of the final nominees in five of the 12 CMA Awards categories was made on ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” Darius Rucker and Lee Ann Womack delivered the news from the “Good Morning America” studios in the heart of New York City’s Times Square. The remaining categories were announced by Randy Houser on “Insider Special Edition: 2009 CMA Awards Nominations” live from CMT’s network studios in Nashville, hosted by CMT personalities Cody Alan and Alecia Davis.
At the conclusion of the announcements, Brad Paisley led the list of finalists with six nominations. Paisley was nominated for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for American Saturday Night, which was produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois; Single and Song for “Then” (DuBois and Ashley Gorley are also nominated as songwriters); and Music Video for “Start a Band” with Keith Urban, which was directed by Jim Shea.
Urban, along with Jamey Johnson, George Strait, Taylor Swift, and Zac Brown (frontman of the Zac Brown Band), each received four nominations.
George Strait received nominations for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Music Video for “Troubadour” directed by Trey Fanjoy; and Musical Event with Lee Ann Womack for “Everything But Quits” (a category they won in 2005 with “Good News, Bad News”). Strait now has 79 career CMA Awards nominations, which ties him with Alan Jackson for the most nominations to date. He leads the trophy count with 22.
Taylor Swift has four nominations including her first for Entertainer of the Year. The last time a solo female artist was nominated for Entertainer of the Year was Faith Hill in 2000. Shania Twain was the last female artist to claim the trophy in 1999. Swift, who won the Horizon Award in 2007, is also nominated for Female Vocalist (she received her first nomination in the category in 2008); and Music Video for “Love Story,” which was directed by Trey Fanjoy. In another first for the 19-year-old artist, she is nominated for Album of the Year for Fearless. Swift may also receive a second trophy for producing Fearless with Nathan Chapman.
Keith Urban’s nominations include Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Music Video for “Start a Band” with Paisley; and Album of the Year for Defying Gravity. Urban is eligible to win a second trophy in the Album category for producing Defying Gravity with Dann Huff. Huff is also a nominee for Musician of the Year.
Jamey Johnson’s list of nominations includes New Artist; Single and Song for “In Color” (which Johnson 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. These are Johnson’s first artist nominations. In 2007, as a songwriter he won Song of the Year for George Strait’s “Give It Away,” which he co-wrote with Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon.
Zac Brown claims his first CMA Awards nominations in 2009 – three with his self-named group and one for penning their hit “Chicken Fried.” The Zac Brown Band received nominations for New Artist; Vocal Group; and Single of the Year for “Chicken Fried,” which was produced by Keith Stegall. Zac Brown picked up the additional nomination for Song of the Year for writing “Chicken Fried” with Wyatt Durrette.
A powerhouse in the Entertainer of the Year category, Kenny Chesney has won the trophy in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008, which ties him with Garth Brooks for the most wins in the category. Chesney is nominated again in 2009, in addition to nods for Male Vocalist and Musical Event with Mac McAnally for “Down the Road.” McAnally is also nominated for Musician of the Year along with Eddie Bayers, Paul Franklin, and Brent Mason.
Darius Rucker wasn’t only handing out the good news today, he was a recipient. The lead vocalist and songwriter for the pop group Hootie & The Blowfish, received his first CMA Awards nominations as a solo Country artist in 2009 for New Artist and Male Vocalist of the Year. He performed on the 2008 CMA Awards.
“It feels great. It feels like I’m part of the family now. It’s an awesome feeling. I couldn’t be happier right now,” he said on “Good Morning America.”
After winning Female Vocalist of the Year in 2006, 2007, and 2008, Carrie Underwood is back in 2009 with two nominations for Female Vocalist and Musical Event for “I Told You So,” featuring Randy Travis. Travis picked up a second nomination for Song of the Year, for writing “I Told You So.” Travis’ version of the hit song was nominated for Single and Song of the Year in 1988.
If Underwood wins the Female Vocalist trophy again, it will tie her with Martina McBride (1999, 2002-2004) and Reba McEntire (1984-1987) for most wins in this category. McBride and McEntire are each nominated in the Female Vocalist category in 2009. Miranda Lambert is also a Female Vocalist nominee.
McEntire scored a second nomination for her performance with Brooks & Dunn on “Cowgirl’s Don’t Cry” for Musical Event of the Year. In doing so, she retains her position as the female artist with the highest number of nominations in the 43-year history of the CMA Awards with 48.
Brooks & Dunn have been presented 19 trophies during their career. In 2009, Brooks & Dunn have nomination for Musical Event with McEntire for “Cowgirls Don’t Cry” and are nominated for Vocal Duo, a category they have won a record 14 times.
The reigning Vocal Duo crown is in Sugarland’s hands. The duo was nominated in the category again in 2009 and also picked up a nomination for Album of the Year for Love on the Inside. Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles may also win an additional trophy each for producing the album with Byron Gallimore.
A new entry in the Vocal Duo of the Year category this year is Joey + Rory. Also nominated are Big & Rich and Montgomery Gentry.
Until 2008, there was a long dry spell for the Eagles between nominations for Vocal Group of the Year (1976, 1977, 2008) but they are back in 2009. The Zac Brown Band is the new addition to the category along with returning nominees Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, and Rascal Flatts, who have swept the Vocal Group of the Year category the past six years.
Reigning New Artist of the Year Lady Antebellum received a second nomination for Single of the Year for “I Run To You,” which was produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley.
Artists making their debut in the New Artist of the Year category (formerly the Horizon Award) include Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, Darius Rucker, and the Zac Brown Band. Artists can only be included in this category two times.
Houser received a second nomination for Music Video of the Year for “Boots On,” which was directed by Eric Welch. Rounding out the Music Video category is Billy Currington’s “People Are Crazy,” which was directed by The Brads. The song hit a chord with CMA Awards voters and picked up additional nominations for Single and Song of the Year for writers Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones. Currington, who has two nominations, can receive an additional trophy for producing the Single of the Year with Carson Chamberlain. Currington’s last nomination was in 2005 for Musical Event with Shania Twain for “Party for Two.”
Making their debut in the Musical Event category are The Raconteurs with Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe for “Old Enough.” Raconteurs’ frontman Jack White, of The White Stripes and The Dead Weather, is no stranger to the format as the producer of Loretta Lynn’s critically hailed album “Van Lear Rose.” Skaggs received his last nomination in this category in 1999 for “Same Old Train,” which included a veritable who’s who of Country stars.
The 2008 CMA Awards, held in Nashville during November Sweeps (Nov. 12), ranked behind only the Academy Awards and Grammy Awards during the 2008-2009 season for awards shows among total viewers. With “The 42nd Annual CMA Awards,” ABC won Wednesday evening in both total viewers (15.9 million) and adults 18-49 (5.0/13). According to Nielsen research, 34.6 million unique viewers 2+ watched six minutes or more of the program.
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 plus industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958. The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards were broadcast on NBC television for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The show aired on NBC through 1971 and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005 before moving to ABC in 2006.
-BAM
2009 CMA Awards nominees
Rascal Flatts earned the top vocal group prize at the 2008 CMA Awards. (Associated Press photo)
Here are the 2009 CMA Awards nominees:
(Nominees with Oklahoma ties are marked with an asterisk)
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
*Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
*Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
*Carrie Underwood
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Darius Rucker
George Strait
Keith Urban
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Randy Houser
Jamey Johnson
Jake Owen
Darius Rucker
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Eagles
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
*Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich
*Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)
“Chicken Fried”
Zac Brown Band
Produced by Keith Stegall
Atlantic Records
“I Run To You”
Lady Antebellum
Produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley
Capitol Records Nashville
“In Color”
Jamey Johnson
Produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys
Mercury Nashville
“People Are Crazy”
Billy Currington
Produced by Carson Chamberlain and Billy Currington
Mercury Nashville
“Then”
Brad Paisley
Produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois
Arista Nashville
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)
“American Saturday Night”
Brad Paisley
Produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois
Arista Nashville
“Defying Gravity”
Keith Urban
Produced by Dann Huff and Keith Urban
Capitol Records Nashville
“Fearless”
Taylor Swift
Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
Big Machine Records
“Love on the Inside”
Sugarland
Produced by Byron Gallimore, Kristian Bush, and Jennifer Nettles
Mercury Nashville
“That Lonesome Song”
Jamey Johnson
Produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys
Mercury Records
SONG OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to the songwriters)
“Chicken Fried”
Zac Brown/Wyatt Durrette
“I Told You So”
Randy Travis
“In Color”
Jamey Johnson/Lee Thomas Miller/James Otto
“People Are Crazy”
Bobby Braddock/Troy Jones
“Then”
Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois/Ashley Gorley
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to each artist)
*“Cowgirls Don’t Cry”
Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire
Arista Nashville
“Down The Road”
Kenny Chesney (with Mac McAnally)
Blue Chair Records, LLC & BNA Records
“Everything But Quits”
Lee Ann Womack (duet with George Strait)
MCA Nashville
*“I Told You So”
Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis
19 Recordings/Arista Nashville
“Old Enough”
The Raconteurs featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe
Third Man Records/Warner Bros. Records
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Artist and Director)
“Boots On”
Randy Houser
Directed by Eric Welch
“Love Story”
Taylor Swift
Directed by Trey Fanjoy
“People Are Crazy”
Billy Currington
Directed by The Brads
“Start a Band”
Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)
Directed by Jim Shea
“Troubadour”
George Strait
Directed by Trey Fanjoy
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Eddie Bayers- Drums
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dann Huff – Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar
Mac McAnally – Guitar
-BAM
Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn among Oklahoma CMA Awards nominees
Carrie Underwood smiles on the red carpet at the 2008 CMA Awards. (Associated Press photo)
Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert and Rascal Flatts will represent Oklahoma at this fall’s 43rd Annual CMA Awards.
The nominees for the Country Music Association’s awards show were announced live Tuesday morning on “Good Morning America” and “CMT Insider.”
Checotah native Underwood earned two nominations, for female vocalist of the year, an award she has won the past three years, and for musical event of the year for her version of “I Told You So” featuring Randy Travis. Travis picked up a second nomination for song of the year, for writing “I Told You So,” which was a chart-topper for him in 1988 and a hit this year for Underwood.
If Underwood wins the female vocalist award again, it will tie her with fellow nominees McEntire and Martina McBride for most wins in the category.
But Underwood was shut out of the top category, entertainer of the year, though she became just the seventh woman to win the title at the spring Academy of Country Music Awards.
The CMA entertainer of the year nominees are Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban and Taylor Swift. Swift becomes the first solo female artist since Faith Hill in 2000 to be nominated for the CMA’s top award; the last solo woman to win it was Shania Twain in 1999.
Along with her female vocalist nomination, McEntire, who was raised in Chockie, also will compete for the musical event prize for “Cowgirls Don’t Cry,” her duet with Brooks & Dunn. With her two nominations, McEntire brings her career total to 48, continuing her reign as the female artist with the highest number of nominations in CMA Awards history.
Brooks & Dunn, which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, also was nominated for vocal duo of the year, a category they have won a record 14 times. The hitmaking team of Dunn and Kix Brooks announced last month that they are splitting up after next year’s “The Last Rodeo Tour.” They released their last album as a duo, “#1’s … And Then Some,” on Tuesday.
Lambert, who lives in Tishomingo, joins Underwood and McEntire in competing for the female vocalist award.
Rascal Flatts, which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher, was nominated for vocal group of the year, an award the band has won for the past six years.
The CMA Awards will air live Nov. 11 from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., on ABC. Underwood and Paisley, who received a leading six nominations, will co-host the show for the second year.
-BAM
New releases for Sept. 8, 2009
Brooks & Dunn (Associated Press photo)
Hitmaking country duo Brooks & Dunn, which includes Kix Brooks and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, will release the final album of their musical partnership today. The greatest hits compilation is titled “#1s… And Then Some.”
Brooks & Dunn announced Aug, 10 that they would be parting ways after 20 years of making music together. They will make their break after “The Last Rodeo Tour” in 2010.
In other music news, remastered versions of the entire Beatles catalog are due out Wednesday.
The special re-release of all the Fab Four’s albums coincides with the big release Wednesday of the hotly anticipated game “The Beatles: Rock Band.”
Here is a list of this week’s new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com:
CDs
Brooks & Dunn, “#1’s…And Then Some.”
A Fine Frenzy, “Bomb in a Birdcage.”
Phish, “Joy.”
Howie Day, “Sound the Alarm.”
Boys Like Girls, “Love Drunk.”
Peter White, “Good Day.”
DVDs
Dance Flick
Crank 2: High Voltage
Valentino: The Last Emperor
The Office – Season Five
Criminal Minds: The Complete Fourth Season
Fringe: The Complete First Season
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails
Harper’s Island: The DVD Edition
Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Enchanted Musical Edition
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Adventures in Wonderland
Books
“The Last Song” by Nicholas Sparks.
“The Conversation: How Black Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships” by Hill Harper.
“Dark Visions: The Strange Power; The Possessed; The Passion” by L.J. Smith.
“Day after Night” by Anita Diamant.
“Dexter by Design” by Jeff Lindsay.
“A Gate at the Stairs” by Lorrie Moore.
“The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment” by A. J. Jacobs.
“Level 26: Dark Origins” by Anthony E. Zuiker.
“The Magician’s Elephant” by Kate DiCamillo.
“The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” by Dayton Duncan.
“Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to” by Kathy Griffin.
“A Quiet Belief in Angels” by R.J. Ellory.
“Shooting Stars” by LeBron James.
“Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears” by Pema Chodron.
“Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother/Daughter Memoir” by Sue Monk Kidd.
“You Were Always Mom’s Favorite: Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives” by Deborah Tannen.
-BAM
CMA Music Fest special airing tonight; stars to Tweet along
Reba McEntire performs with Brooks & Dunn at the CMA Music Festival this summer in Nashville, Tenn. The TV special “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” will air tonight on ABC. McEntire and other stars will be Tweeting along with the special. (Associated Press photo)
The Country Music Association will host its first-ever live Twitter feed on www.ABC.com, from 7 to 10 tonight during the ”CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” television special airing on the ABC Television Network.
Fans can log on to see Tweets from artists including Reba McEntire (@Reba), Trace Adkins (@traceadkins), Dierks Bentley (@dierksbentley), Lady Antebellum (@ladyantebellum), Martina McBride (@martinamcbride), Kellie Pickler (@therealpickler), and the Zac Brown Band (@zacbrownband). Each artist will be posting their observations about the show as well as behind-the-scenes tidbits, anecdotes about other artists performing on the show, as well as memories from past music festivals.
“Twitter is one of the best ways right now to directly connect with fans – especially ones on the cutting edge of technology,” said Dan Bowen, CMA VP of Strategic Marketing and Communications, in a news release. “We’re excited to work with ABC.com to be able to bring a great group of Country Music artists together with their current fans and hopefully some new ones.”
The “Tweet ‘N’ Greet” will create an interactive feed between the fans and artists. Fans will have a direct connection to some of their favorite performers, not only allowing them the opportunity to ask questions, but also providing them with behind-the-scenes access. In addition, CMA (@CountryMusic) will be updating fans with information on the participating artists’ upcoming album releases, tour dates, and appearances.
“CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock,” expanding to three hours for the first time this year, will feature high-voltage stage performances by chart-topping superstars, along with revealing special segments about fan favorites.
Among the Oklahomans scheduled to perform are Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert and McEntire.
Others performing include Adkins, Jason Aldean, Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Julianne Hough, Jamey Johnson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, McBride, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Pickler, John Rich, Darius Rucker, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, and Zac Brown Band.
In addition, Kid Rock is to perform his smash hit “Picture” with McBride, while Wynonna and Naomi Judd reunite as The Judds to perform together for the first time at the CMA Music Festival in six years.
-BAM
Brooks & Dunn break up after running out of ideas
Brooks & Dunn (Associated Press photo)
Star country duo Brooks & Dunn decided to break up their 20-year musical partnership after realizing they had run out of ideas, according to the Associated Press.
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks talked about their planned split Wednesday during a taping of the Country Music Television show ”Invitation Only.” The episode will air Oct. 30.
On Monday, the duo announced on their Web site that they will go their separate ways after releasing the greatest hits album ”#1s … and then some” on Sept. 8 and taking their finale tour, dubbed “The Last Rodeo Tour,” in 2010.
Here is the duo’s message from www.brooks-dunn.com:
To Our Fans:
After 20 years of making music and riding this trail together, we have
agreed as a duo that it’s time to call it a day. This ride has been
everything and more than we could ever have dreamed…. We owe it all
to you, the fans. If you hear rumors, don’t believe them, it’s just
time.
We will release our “#1’s and then some” on September 8th and bid
you farewell one last time in 2010, with The Last Rodeo Tour…(dates to be
announced).
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks told a questioning audience member that while working on the new album, they looked at each other and said, “You know what? I think we’ve just kind of exhausted it.”
“We’ve managed year after year to come up with material for albums, gear up for another tour, ideas and all these things,” Brooks said. “We’ve explored everything we could think of musically.”
He said he and Dunn remain good friends and have never had a “good fight” or even yelled at each other.
“I don’t known how to say it any different than it was just time,” he said.
Dunn told the audience the duo began as a “contrived act” in 1990, with the two “thrown together” by their record label. They began as co-workers “then ended up more like brothers than anything,” he said.
The duo has sold more than 30 million albums and had 23 No. 1 hits.
To be honest, this news still hasn’t quite sunk in with me. Country music just won’t be the same without Brooks & Dunn.
- BAM
Brooks & Dunn to split up
Brooks & Dunn (from left, former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks) perform a 2008 concert at Oklahoma City’s Ford Center. (Photo by Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman Archives)
Star country duo Brooks & Dunn is calling it quits.
The best-selling country duo, which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, posted a message on its Web site today saying they’ve agreed to “call it a day” after 20 years of making music together, according to the Associated Press.
“This ride has been everything and more than we could ever have dreamed … We owe it all to you, the fans,” Kix Brooks and Dunn said in the message. “If you hear rumors, don’t believe them, it’s just time.”
Brooks & Dunn will release a greatest-hits album on Sept. 8 and tour one last time in 2010, according to the AP.
The duo has cranked out numerous hits in the past two decades, including “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” ”My Maria,” ”Red Dirt Road” and recent chart-topper “Cowgirls Don’t Cry” with Oklahoma native Reba McEntire.
They’ve recorded 10 studio albums; the latest was 2007’s “Cowboy Town.”
The duo has sold more than 30 million albums, according to label Arista Nashville.
Brooks, 54, and Dunn, 56, were struggling solo artists when Arista’s Tim DuBois urged them to join forces in 1990. As a duo, they’ve notched 23 No. 1 hits.
Brooks & Dunn won the Country Music Association’s vocal duo of the year award every year between 1992 and 2006, except for 2000, according to the AP.
The CMA also named the pair entertainer of the year in 1996.
-BAM
Oklahoma country stars to be featured in CMA Music Festival TV special
Brooks & Dunn (The Oklahoman Archives photo)
Miranda Lambert (Associated Press photo)
Reba McEntire (AP photo)
ABC will air performances from the 2009 CMA Music Festival, along with ”revealing” segments with country music stars, Aug. 31.
The TV special “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” will broadcast from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31 on ABC. The annual music special, expanding to three hours for the first time, will air in HD with 5.1-channel surround sound.
The show will include performances by Oklahomans Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn and Miranda Lambert, along with Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Julianne Hough, Jamey Johnson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, John Rich, Darius Rucker, Sugarland, Taylor Swif, and Zac Brown Band.
In addition, Kid Rock will perform his smash hit “Picture” with McBride, while Wynonna and Naomi Judd reunite as The Judds to perform together for the first time at the CMA Music Festival in six years.
The special will show highlights from the CMA Music Festival, which was June 11-14 in Nashville, Tenn. On- and off-stage segments and day-in-the-life vignettes showcasing the personalities and lifestyles of fan favorites will be presented, including:
- Aldean declares it “Ladies Night at the CMA Music Festival” during a nightclub concert. He treats everyone to a performance of his hit, “She’s Country” that segues to his performance at LP field.
- Viewers encounter Paisley during a quiet moment alone on his tour bus speaking about his fans then encountering hundreds of them as they greet him outside his bus. His personal recollections then segue to Paisley and his band electrifying a standing-room-only crowd at Fuel club with his hit song, “Then” to LP Field where he sings “American Saturday Night.”
- Pickler’s off-stage persona is captured as she spends the day with fans, charming them with her quick wit and sweet disposition. Pickler’s admirers join her for some shopping at famous Nashville stores such as Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop, where she autographs and gives some lucky fans her own CD’s and stops by Mike’s Soda Shop to taste “Kellie Pickler” ice cream. Later that night Pickler performs “Best Days of Your Life” at Fuel.
- The special takes a candid look at the hectic and fun day-in-the-life of Hough from getting ready at home to the convention center to a slew of press interviews such as “Good Morning America” with “All My Children’s” Cameron Mathison. She then heads to sound check and wardrobe changes all the while meeting fans all along the way.
Throughout the special, Pickler introduces interviews with some of the Festival’s biggest performers in this multi-star segment. Brooks & Dunn (which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn), Chesney, McBride, McEntire, Rucker, and Sugarland offer celebrity insight and share their personal stories from the road, home and tours with viewers. Then Swift answers submitted questions from her six biggest fans and later she surprises them in a meet and greet.
The annual CMA Music Festival runs for four days filled with more than 100 hours of live music, 30 hours of autograph signings, hundreds of artists and celebrities, and a party list of thousands of avid fans. This is the fifth time ABC will broadcast a post-fest special, which invites the whole country to America’s biggest country music bash. This year an average of 56,000 fans attended each day of CMA Music Festival, its biggest turnout yet.
-BAM
