– Press Release

The final list of nominees for “The 39th Annual CMA Awards” is an across-the-board collection of hard-core traditionalists, Country Music hitmakers, mainstream innovators with a healthy dose of up-and-comers added to the mix.

“Country Music is thriving on the talent and creativity of an outstanding
group of artists and they are well represented with our nominees,” said CMA
Executive Director Ed Benson. “These talented performers, musicians,
songwriters and producers demonstrate the artistic depth and creativity
driving the burgeoning growth of our format. It is an exciting time for
Country Music and the 2005 CMA Awards will definitely reflect that in
November.”

“The 39th Annual CMA Awards” will be hosted for the second year by Arista
Nashville super duo Brooks & Dunn and broadcast live from New York City’s
Madison Square Garden, Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS
Television Network.

For the first time in the history of the CMA Awards, the announcement of
the final nominees was made in New York City, which is hosting the CMA Awards
for the first time in 2005. CMA chose to move the Awards for this year from
its traditional home in Nashville, Tenn., as a platform to reach a broader
consumer base, placing Country Music in the heart of the media and marketing
capital of the world.

“New York City has long established itself as the premiere destination for
the biggest events in entertainment,” Benson said. “With the city as the
backdrop of this year’s CMA Awards, we will add even more excitement, energy
and glamour to what is already one of the most anticipated events of the
year.”

Announcing the finalists in the 12 Award categories were reigning Male
Vocalist of the Year Keith Urban and three-time CMA Awards winner Lee Ann
Womack. It was a good day for both of them.

Womack received six nominations for the 2005 CMA Awards including Female
Vocalist of the Year (which she won in 2001); Album of the Year for her MCA
Nashville release, There’s More Where That Came From; Single and Music Video
of the Year for “I May Hate Myself In The Morning;” and two nominations for
Musical Event of the Year, one with George Strait for “Good News, Bad News,”
and one with Willie Nelson for “I’ll Never Be Free.” “I May Hate Myself In The
Morning,” was also nominated for Song of the Year, which goes to the
songwriter Odie Blackmon. The last time a female received six nominations was
Faith Hill in 2000.

Nelson is a proven winner with Womack. In 2002, they won Vocal Event (now
Musical Event) of the Year with “Mendocino County Line.” She claimed the
Single of the Year trophy in 2000 with her smash “I Hope You Dance.”

Womack tied for the most nominations with Brad Paisley. Paisley has won
five CMA Awards since he received one of his first nominations in 2000 for the
Horizon Award. In 2005, Paisley is nominated for Entertainer of the Year (his
first nomination in the category); Male Vocalist of the Year; Single, Song and
Music Video of the Year for “Alcohol;” and Musical Event of the Year with Sara
Evans for “New Again.” In 2004, Paisley won Musical Event and Music Video of
the Year for “Whiskey Lullaby” with Alison Krauss. And songwriters Bill
Anderson and Jon Randall are nominated for “Whiskey Lullaby” for 2005 Song of
the Year.

Keith Urban and Toby Keith each had four nominations. Urban was nominated
for Entertainer of the Year (his first nomination in the category); Male
Vocalist of the Year; Album of the Year for Be Here; and Music Video of the
Year for “Days Go By.” Urban is two-for-two with CMA Award nominations and
wins. He won his first CMA Award in 2001, when he picked up the Horizon Award.
In 2004, he received his first nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year and
won that, too. He can win an additional trophy as co-producer of his album in
2005.

Keith, who won his first CMA Award in 2001 for Male Vocalist, received
four nominations for Entertainer of the Year; Single, Song and Music Video of
the Year for “As Good As I Once Was.” Keith is eligible for an added trophy as
co-producer of “As Good As I Once Was.”

Several artists had three nominations each including Rascal Flatts, George
Strait, Sugarland and Gretchen Wilson.

Reigning Vocal Group of the Year Rascal Flatts is nominated again in that
category as well as Album of the Year for Feels Like Today and Single of the
Year for “Bless The Broken Road.” The song is also nominated for Song of the
Year, with songwriters Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna. Rascal Flatts
is also eligible for additional trophies as co-producers of their album and
single.

In 2005, George Strait added Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year
for Somewhere Down in Texas; and Musical Event of the Year for his duet with
Lee Ann Womack to his outstanding list of career nominations. He is also
eligible for an additional Award as co-producer of his album.

Red hot trio Sugarland have hit it big in 2005 with their first, second
and third CMA Award nominations including Single of the Year for “Baby Girl,”
the longest running single on the Billboard Country Singles Chart in the
history of the monitored chart era; Vocal Group of the Year and the coveted
Horizon Award.

Wilson won the Horizon trophy in 2004, and she is nominated again in 2005
for Female Vocalist of the Year; Song of the Year for “Redneck Woman,” which
she co-wrote with John Rich of Big & Rich; and Music Video of the Year for
“When I Think About Cheatin’.”

Artists picking up nominations in multiple categories and incarnations are
not uncommon this year. Rich picks up two more nominations with Big & Rich duo
partner Big Kenny Alphin for Vocal Duo of the Year and the Horizon Award.
Alison Krauss is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year (her fourth
consecutive year in the category) and in the Vocal Group of the Year category
for Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas. And speaking of
Douglas, he picks up an additional Musician of the Year nod.

Completing the list of artists with two nominations each were reigning
Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney and Alan Jackson, who were both
nominated for Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year; and Sara
Evans and Martina McBride, who were both nominated in the Female Vocalist of
the Year category with Krauss, Wilson and Womack.

McBride has won the Female Vocalist of the Year trophy four times in 1999,
2002, 2003 and 2004 – surpassing Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette’s record and
tying her with Reba McEntire for the most wins in the Female Vocalist
category.

In the Male Vocalist of the Year category, four of the five nominees were
nominated in 2004 including Chesney, Jackson, Strait and Urban. Paisley makes
his return to the list in 2005, after being nominated in 2000, 2001, 2002 and
2003.

Jimmy Buffett continues his love affair with the format in 2005 nominated
for Musical Event of the Year with Martina McBride. In 2003, Buffett won his
first-ever music award when he and Alan Jackson won Vocal Event (now Musical
Event) for their party-ode “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.” Buffett received his
first CMA Award nomination in 1977 when he was nominated for Single of the
Year for “Margaritaville.”

CMA Awards hosts Brooks & Dunn scored a nomination in the increasingly
competitive Vocal Duo of the Year category, which they have won a record
setting 12 times. Making a run at the impressive Brooks & Dunn winning
juggernaut are Big & Rich, Montgomery Gentry, The Warren Brothers and Van
Zant, made up of Southern rock royalty brothers Donnie Van Zant (.38 Special)
and Johnny Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd).

In addition to Van Zant and Sugarland, Country artists receiving their
first CMA Award nominations in 2005 include Billy Currington for Musical Event
of the Year with Shania Twain for “Party For Two,” and Miranda Lambert for the
Horizon Award.

The final nominees for the 2005 CMA Awards are:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)
“Alcohol”
Brad Paisley
Produced by Frank Rogers
Arista Nashville

“As Good As I Once Was”
Toby Keith
Produced by James Stroud/Toby Keith
DreamWorks Records Nashville

“Baby Girl”
Sugarland
Produced by Garth Fundis
Mercury Records Nashville

“Bless The Broken Road”
Rascal Flatts
Produced by Mark Bright/Marty Williams/Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street Records

“I May Hate Myself In The Morning”
Lee Ann Womack
Produced by Byron Gallimore
MCA Nashville

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)
Be Here
Keith Urban
Produced by Dann Huff/Keith Urban
Capitol Records Nashville

Feels Like Today
Rascal Flatts
Produced by Mark Bright/Marty Williams/Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street Records

Live Like You Were Dying
Tim McGraw
Produced by Tim McGraw/Byron Gallimore/Darran Smith
Curb Records

Somewhere Down In Texas
George Strait
Produced by Tony Brown/George Strait
MCA Nashville

There’s More Where That Came From
Lee Ann Womack
Produced by Byron Gallimore/Greg Droman
MCA Nashville

SONG OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to songwriter and primary publisher)
“Alcohol”
Brad Paisley
EMI April/Sea Gayle Music

“As Good As I Once Was”
Toby Keith/Scotty Emerick
Tokeco Tunes/Sony/ATV Songs/Big Yellow Dog Music/Florida Cracker Music

“Bless The Broken Road”
Marcus Hummon/Bobby Boyd/Jeff Hanna
Careers-BMG Music/Floyd’s Dream Music/Jeff Diggs Music

“I May Hate Myself In The Morning”
Odie Blackmon
Cal IV Songs

“Redneck Woman”
Gretchen Wilson/John Rich
Sony/ATV Cross Keys/Hoosiermama Music/WB Music Corp

“Whiskey Lullaby”
Bill Anderson/Jon Randall
Sony/ATV/Mr. Bubba Music/Reynsong/Wha Ya Say Music

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Sara Evans
Alison Krauss
Martina McBride
Gretchen Wilson
Lee Ann Womack

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
Diamond Rio
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
Van Zant
The Warren Brothers

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
George Strait (Duet with Lee Ann Womack)
“Good News, Bad News”
MCA Nashville

Willie Nelson with Lee Ann Womack
“I’ll Never Be Free”
Lost Highway Records

Brad Paisley/Sara Evans
“New Again”
Wind Up Records

Shania Twain (with Billy Currington)
“Party For Two”
Mercury Records Nashville

Jimmy Buffett with Martina McBride
“Trip Around The Sun”
RCA Records

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Jerry Douglas – Dobro
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dann Huff – Electric Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar/Electric Guitar
Randy Scruggs – Guitar/Mandolin

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and director)
“Alcohol”
Brad Paisley
Directed by Jim Shea

“As Good As I Once Was”
Toby Keith
Directed by Michael Salomon

“Days Go By”
Keith Urban
Directed by Wayne Isham

“I May Hate Myself In The Morning”
Lee Ann Womack
Directed by Trey Fanjoy

“When I Think About Cheatin'”
Gretchen Wilson
Directed by Robert Deaton/George J. Flanigen IV

HORIZON AWARD
Dierks Bentley
Big & Rich
Miranda Lambert
Julie Roberts
Sugarland

Websites:

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