Veteran's Day In The Country

The 45th Annual CMA Awards gave ABC its highest-rated Wednesday in two years. The CMAs were also ABC’s “best performance” of any night this season and lead the network to win the most viewers during its time slot over the other major networks. An estimated 35-million viewers tuned in to at least some portion of the CMA Awards on Wednesday night.

Fresh off another CMA win for Vocal Duo of the Year, Sugarland says it’s time to take some time off! After a whirlwind ride on the Incredible Machine Tour, and a tumultuous 2011, the duo’s Jennifer Nettles says it’s time to settle down and regroup before making any further career decisions. Jennifer said, "Actually, we’re in the resting process, let me just be real frank. We just got off tour two weeks ago after two years of being on the Incredible Machine Tour and, obviously, after quite a tumultuous year to say the least. And we are taking a few months just to chill and relax, and sleep in our own beds, and contemplate how we want to approach what’s next.” Jennifer will have one more professional duty to fulfill before she can truly take a vacation. She’ll be hosting and performing on the CMA Country Christmas special, which is set to air December 1st on ABC.

Some of the biggest stars in country music came together to celebrate the holidays for Thursday night’s taping of the CMA Country Christmas special in Nashville. The evening was hosted by Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, and included performances from Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Lauren Alaina, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban and more. Vince Gill was even joined by Muppets star Miss Piggy for a special song. The special is scheduled to air Thursday, December 1st on ABC.

Seen And Heard At The CMA Awards

Joshua Scott Jones of Steel Magnolia made his first public appearance since announcing his entrance to rehab.

Miranda Lambert’s fourth studio album, Four the Record, debuted at #1 on the country charts. Miranda said, “I actually found out yesterday that I made history having all four albums go #1.”

Lionel Richie told CMT’s Evan Farmer that the CMAs are the country Oscars, and that he would “maybe” consider getting The Commodores back together.

The Band Perry said the CMAs are “the equivalent of making it to the Super Bowl.”

Lionel Richie gave Lady A’s Hillary Scott wedding advice, urging her, “It’s your day, that’s all you’ve got to remember.” Miranda Lambert added, “I’d say eat! I forgot to eat, I was starving.”
In regards to children, Miranda Lambert said that she and husband Blake Shelton don’t want to raise a baby on the bus, so kids aren’t in the plans for a few more years.

Miranda Lambert celebrates her 28th birthday today and said that Blake Shelton got her diamond earrings, which she asked for.

Thompson Square’s Shawna told CMT’s Katie Cook, “This is our first real CMA experience.” Kiefer followed up by saying, “We’re on cloud nine right now.”

Jason Aldean admitted to CMT’s Evan Farmer, “Being nominated and performing is a completely different experience for me, all the awards are great but Entertainer is the big daddy.”

Chris Young said, “It feels good to be nominated for New Artist,” this was also Chris’ first time performing at the awards.

Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott told CMT’s Katie Cook that she found her wedding dress while she was in New York City for Saturday Night Live.

Reba McEntire revealed that she and her tour-mates – The Band Perry, Edens Edge, Steel Magnolia, James Otto – have a party every Friday night on the All the Women I Am Tour.

CMA Award Winners

Entertainer of the Year
Taylor Swift

Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert

Male Vocalist of the Year
Blake Shelton

Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum

Vocal Duo of the Year
Sugarland

New Artist of the Year
The Band Perry

Single of the Year
“If I Die Young” – The Band Perry / Produced by Paul Worley

Album of the Year
My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean / Produced by Michael Knox

Song of the Year
“If I Die Young” – Kimberly Perry

Musical Event of the Year
“Don’t You Wanna Stay” - Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson

Music Video of the Year
“You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter / Director: Shaun Silva

Musician of the Year
Mac McAnally – Guitar

Grandpa Strait

George Strait and Billy Ray Cyrus have something to share cigars over. Yesterday we heard the happy news from Billy Ray; today we hear the same news that George Strait will be a grandfather. George's son, Bubba, and his wife Tamara, who were married last December, are expecting their first child in February. George and his wife, Norma, are thrilled. By the way, Bubba helped co-write seven of the new songs on George's upcoming album.

The pair of shoes Shania Twain was wearing when she tripped and fell at this year’s CMT Music Awards went up for auction on eBay recently. The auction ended this week and the final bid was $9,000! Shania autographed the shoes, which are size 6, black satin BCBG Max Azria heels. The money will benefit Shania’s charity, Kids Can.

Taylor Swift has been rocking the crowds in Los Angeles this week as part of her Speak Now Tour. On Tuesday night, Taylor shocked fans by bringing Justin Bieber on stage. Then on Wednesday night, Jason Mraz came out on stage and sang “I’m Yours.” After the show, Taylor tweeted, “I couldn't love LA crowds more. I can't believe how awesome tonight was. And thank you [Jason Mraz] for singing "I'm Yours" with me!!” Makes you wonder who she's going to surprise the crowd with during this weekend's shows. Are Lady Gaga and Katie Perry busy?

Probably. The MTV VMA's are this weekend. Taylor Swift’s “Mean” is nominated for Best Video with a Message. The VMA's will air live from Los Angeles on MTV on Sunday. Taylor’s video will compete against “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem featuring Rihanna, “Firework” by Katy Perry, “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, "F****** Perfect" by Pink and “Make It Stop (September’s Children)” by Rise Against.

And speaking of awards, The Band Perry and Jake Owen will reveal the CMA Awards finalists in five categories on Good Morning America on September 6th. Jake will also perform “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” on the show. Later in the morning, Jerrod Niemann and Thompson Square will announce the remaining finalists during a press conference at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

CMA Awards Winners and Highlights

So who won?
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Brad Paisley

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Miranda Lambert

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Zac Brown Band

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Sugarland

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Need You Now,” by Lady Antebellum
Songwriters: Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Josh Kear

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Revolution by Miranda Lambert
Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke

SONG OF THE YEAR
“The House That Built Me,” by Miranda Lambert
Songwriters: Allen Shamblin and Tom Douglas

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
"Hillbilly Bone," by Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“The House That Built Me,” by Miranda Lambert
Director: Trey Fanjoy

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Mac McAnally — Guitar

Highlights of the 2010 CMA Awards
Hollywood came to Nashville. In attendance for various reasons were Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban’s wife; Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Brad Paisley’s wife; Katherine Heigl, Charles Kelly’s wife; Sissy Spacek; paying tribute to Loretta Lynn; Gwyneth Paltrow, performing and promoting her upcoming movie with Tim McGraw; Leighton Meester of Gossip Girls, also starring in Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie; Sheryl Crow, paying tribute to Loretta Lynn; Joanna Garcia from the new ABC show "Better With You", presenting; and finally, Ty Pennington, presenting and promoting an upcoming Nashville-based episode of his show.

Blake and Miranda are the new power couple. Between the two of them Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton won six CMA Awards last night. They each took home Female and Male vocalists of the year making them one of a short list of power couples to accomplish just that: Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Lorrie Morgan and Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill took home the honors in 2000. Backstage they took pictures holding their six CMA Awards and Miranda joked, "We have as many awards as we do dogs!"

Following the lead of the ACM Awards, the CMA gave Miranda Lambert the Album of the Year award. That makes her one of six female country artists to achieve that honor.
1984 - Anne Murray - A Little Good News
1995 - Patty Loveless -When Fallen Angels Fly
2000 - Dixie Chicks - Fly
2005 - Lee Ann Womack -There's More Where That Came From
2009 - Taylor Swift- Fearless

Tidbits about the CMA Awards
- Blake Shelton joked to CMT host Katie Cook he is retiring after this year because it doesn’t get better than a year like this.
- Kellie Pickler was covering the black carpet for The Ellen Degeneres Show and caught up with fellow American Idol alum Carrie Underwood.
- Martina McBride and Gretchen Wilson had more than one date last night. Both walked the black carpet with their two daughters.
- Dierks Bentley told CMT host Evan Farmer he wasn’t wearing boots because it’s the biggest night of country music.
- Lady Antebellum told CMT host Evan Farmer they were rooting for Keith Urban to win in the Entertainer of the Year. Last night was also the first time the trio performed their new single, “Hello World” on television.
- Miranda Lambert only had five hours of sleep the night before because she was so excited about the night.
- Martina McBride also came up to wish Miranda Lambert a “Happy Birthday” while she was blowing out the candle on a cupcake with CMT host Katie Cook.
- Taylor Swift first arrived and posed for pictures on the carpet then went back to the entrance to sign autographs for fans. She brought her friend and fiddle player Caitlin Evanson.

It's Country's Biggest Night

The 44th Annual CMA Awards will be presented in Nashville tonight. Viewers will enjoy performances by Dierks Bentley, Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, Reba, George Strait, Sugarland, and others. Gwyneth Paltrow will make her debut on the CMA Awards performing with Vince Gill. Plus, Sheryl Crow and the night’s top nominee Miranda Lambert will perform together in a tribute to Loretta Lynn’s 50th anniversary as a recording artist. Presenters this year include Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes, NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, and ABC television stars JoAnna Garcia (Better With You) and Ty Pennington (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition). You can catch the show live on ABC tonight.

What can you expect to see?
- The rumored opening act is Brad Paisley and Keith Urban backing Carrie Underwood while she sings "Songs Like This."
- Dierks Bentley will be using a fog machine during his performance.
- Brad Paisley will debut a new song called "This Is Country Music."
- Multiple costume changes from Carrie Underwood. Last year she had nine dresses, plus an outfit for her performance.
- A visually exciting performance from Sugarland.
- A lot of a slimmed-down Miranda Lambert. She’s performing twice and has nine nominations. (And it’s her birthday. She’s throwing a pizza party after the show.)

And now, some fun facts about the CMA Awards….
- The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. It was not a televised event. Eddy Arnold was named the first Entertainer of the Year.
- The first CMA Award trophy was designed in 1967 by Frank Waggoner. It was crafted in walnut and designed to resemble a “chart bullet.” Today, the trophy is a fine Italian crystal obelisk that is 15 inches tall and 7.5 pounds.
- The first live telecast of the CMA Awards aired in 1969.
- In 1978, the CMA Awards were simulcast on radio for the first time.
- In 1981, the Horizon Award was presented for the first time to Terri Gibbs.
- In 1985, the Music Video of the Year Award was presented for the first time to Hank Williams Jr. for “All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin’ Over Tonight.”
- In 1991, President and Mrs. George Bush attend the broadcast, hosted by Reba McEntire.
- Sonny James, Bobbie Gentry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrell, Mac Davis, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Anne Murray, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, and Carrie Underwood have all served as hosts for the CMA Awards.
- This year is Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood’s third time hosting the CMA Awards.
- There are 12 categories at the CMA Awards.
- CMA Awards winners are chosen in three rounds of voting.

Big Day Around The Country

Last night, Keith Urban and friends held the second annual We’re All for the Hall concert in Nashville. Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Billy Currington, Miranda Lambert, Charlie Pride, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, John Mayer, and Dolly Parton took the stage. Each artists sang two songs, one of their own and one made famous by one of their heroes. We’re All For the Hall raises money for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

After being invited by his 6th-grade nephew, Jace Jewell, Tim McGraw made a surprise visit to Grassland Middle School in Tennessee to speak out against bullying. Tim admitted the subject was not really his forte, but after a long conversation with Jace, he had his talking points together. Tim told a significant story about a 13-year-old in Texas who committed suicide last month after being bullied. Tim closed with a statement saying, “Speak up if they see bullying behavior, walk away from bad situations and, above all, not to fall into the trap of becoming a bully.”

Taylor Swift made an appearance on the MTV show The Buried Life on Monday night. If you missed it, we’ll recap. The show centers around a list of 100 things four guys want to do before they die. Ben, Jonnie, and Dave supported their friend Duncan who tried to cross out #59 on the list – ask out the girl of your dreams (Taylor Swift). Their first attempt to meet Taylor failed after they disguised themselves as a country act to get on the red carpet at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. Later, Duncan and his crew scored passes to the show where they posed as production guys. Duncan maneuvered his was to Taylor’s seat, explains his story, and gave her a note with his number attached. Two days later, Duncan received a text from Taylor saying, “Yes, and you’re pretty hardcore for doing that.” The episode ended without revealing if Taylor and Duncan have yet to go on a date.

News From Around The Country
Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and the Zac Brown Band will be honored as the first CMT Artists of the Year. They were chosen based on music sales, country radio airplay, concert grosses as a headliner or co-headliner and video streams, searches and page views on CMT.com. The special will air in December. ….. The three major music channels, CMT, MTV, and BET, will air a one-hour, commercial-free town hall event, A Conversation With President Obama, on October 14th at 2PM Mountain. The President will answer questions on a wide range of topics from the studio audience, as well as from viewers who submit questions via Twitter. ….. Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban have been added to the list of performers at the 44th Annual CMA Awards show happening November 10th in Nashville. ….. Carrie Underwood: A Biography has been released. The book follows Carrie from her hometown in Oklahoma to competing on American Idol. It will also cover Carrie’s charity work and will highlight her successful career. The book is available at your favorite bookseller. …. And finally, if you want to catch up with Taylor Swift and get some inside scoop on her upcoming CD, check out the November issue of Glamour magazine. Inside, Taylor talks about her relationship with Taylor Lautner. She said, “He’s one of my best friends. He’s wonderful, and we’ll always be close. I’m so thankful for that.”

Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire

No sooner does one relationship end, than Ronnie Dunn is at it again. A month after playing the final show of Brooks & Dunn’s Last Rodeo Tour, Ronnie has started work on a solo album. Ronnie’s manager says that Ronnie has recorded two or three things; He’s mixing them and playing them for people and making the determination of when he’s ready to go. When complete, the album will be released on Arista Nashville, the longtime label of Brooks & Dunn.

News From Around The Country
With 154,000 copies out the door, Zac Brown Band’s sophomore album, You Get What You Give, debuted as the number one album on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and Billboard’s Top 200 chart. Zac and the band knew they had something good on their hands and are very pleased with how well fans have embraced their new music. …..
The first round of performers for the 44th Annual CMA Awards have been announced. Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, and Blake Shelton will all take the stage at the Bridgestone Arena. The Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson will perform together as well. The CMA Awards which will be hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will take place November 10th in Nashville and will air live on ABC. ….. And finally, Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus and his wife, Allison, have announced the name for their daughter who is due to be born in January. The couple decided on the name Madeline Leigh. Jay said, "Leigh is Ally's middle name and we finally settled on a [first] name that we both liked together." They plan to call her Maddy. The baby will join the Flatts’ family that includes Gary LeVox and wife, Tara, their two daughters, Brittany and Brooklyn, and Joe Don Rooney and wife, Tiffany, who have a son, Jagger, and recently had their daughter, Raquel.

CMA Nominations Part III

This morning, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley announced the rest of the CMA Award Nominations. Miranda must have been ecstatic to read her own name four more times, adding to her person-to-beat total of nine nominatins. Here is the rest of the list:

Entertainer of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
Zac Brown Band

Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist
Dierks Bentley
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban

Album of the Year
Need You Now / Lady Antebellum
Play On / Carrie Underwood
Revolution / Miranda Lambert
Twang / George Strait
Up on the Ridge / Dierks Bentley

Musical Event
"Bad Angel"
Dierks Bentley featuring Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
"Can't You See"
Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock
"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
"I'm Alive"
Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews
"Till the End"
Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack

CMA Nominations Part II

This morning, Chris Young and Justin Moore read the first round of nominations for the CMA Awards. More will be announced tomorrow.

New Artist
Luke Bryan
Easton Corbin
Jerrod Niemann
Chris Young
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Group
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo
Brooks & Dunn
Joey & Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland

Single of the Year
"A Little More Country Than That"
Easton Corbin

"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins

"Need You Now"
Lady Antebellum

"The House That Built Me"
Miranda Lambert

"White Liar"
Miranda Lambert

Song of the Year
(Award goes to songwriter.)
"A Little More Country Than That"
Songwriters: Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress and Wynn Varble

"Need You Now"
Songwriters: Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Josh Kear

"The House That Built Me"
Songwriters: Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin

"Toes"
Songwriters: Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins and Shawn Mullins

"White Liar"
Songwriters: Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby

Music Video
"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Director: Roman White

"Need You Now"
Lady Antebellum
Director: David McClister

"The House That Built Me"
Miranda Lambert
Director: Trey Fanjoy

"Water"
Brad Paisley
Director: Jim Shea

"White Liar"
Miranda Lambert
Director: Chris Hickey

Musician
Paul Franklin -- Steel Guitar
Dann Huff -- Guitar
Brent Mason -- Guitar
Mac McAnally -- Guitar
Randy Scruggs -- Guitar

CMA Award Nominations

The first round of CMA Award nominees are being announced today. Stay tuned for the list.

Meanwhile, Twitter followers will want to take note that the CMA will host the second live Twitter feed on ABC.com during tomorrow night’s broadcast of the CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock. Fans can log on to see tweets from participating artists, ask questions, and get behind-the-scenes access of the show. The CMA will also be sharing information regarding artists’ tour dates, upcoming album releases, and appearances.

And finally, if you enjoyed last year’s spotlight reports from Robin Roberts, co-anchor on Good Morning America, you’ll be happy to know that she will be back in Nashville to host another episode of, In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts: All Access Nashville. The one-hour exclusive will explore the lives of country music’s biggest stars including Brad Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood, and will also share footage inside the private homes of other country artists. The special will air the night before the 44th Annual CMA Awards, November 9th, on ABC.

Country Music Week on ABC

If you’ve been getting anxious for the announcement of the CMA Award nominees, the suspense is coming to an end this week. The final nominees for the 44th Annual CMA Awards will be announced tomorrow and Wednesday. Justin Moore and Chris Young will announce the final nominees in seven of the categories tomorrow from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert will announce the final nominees in the remaining five categories on ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday at 8:30 AM in all time zones. This year’s CMA Awards will take place November 10th from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and air live on ABC.

Also on TV this week, you can see The CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock. Tim McGraw will serve as host and performer, with additional performances by Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and the Zac Brown Band. The show will also feature behind the scenes footage with Lady Antebellum, and Taylor Swift previewing her new single, “Mine," during a secret taping during this past June’s CMA Music Fest. Set the DVRs for Wednesday on ABC.

Kenny Chesney paid a special visit to his old stomping grounds last week as he visited the Gibbs High School football team in East Tennessee for a screening of his new documentary, The Boys of Fall. Kenny used to play for the team in the ‘80’s. Kenny told the football team, “You all grew up just like us. You drive the same road we drove, you obviously play on the same football field we played and walked through the same halls. It’s really a special time for me to come here and play you guys this. A game we all love.” Kenny’s football documentary premiered on ESPN on Sunday, and will re-air on September 12th.

Words For Wednesday

Taylor Swift will premiere the music video for her new single, “Mine,” in a live special event, August 27th on CMT. Taylor will sit down with CMT Insider host Katie Cook to discuss the music video locations, and share behind-the-scenes footage from making the video. ….. Kenny Chesney has broken his own record for the largest number of opening week downloads by a male country artist with his new single “The Boys of Fall.” The song sold over 82,000 downloads within the first week, beating his 2009 hit “Out Last Night,” which held the record with 71,000 downloads. ….. Lady Antebellum has released a seven song EP on iTunes featuring fan-favorite songs and a cover of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers song, “Learning To Fly.” The performance was recorded during a studio session in Nashville in the Spring. ….. The final nominees for this year's CMA Awards will be announced on August 31st and September 1st. Justin Moore and Chris Young will read nominees in seven CMA categories at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on August 31st. Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert will be on Good Morning America on September 1st to reveal the nominees in five additional categories. ….. Similarly, the nominees for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards will be revealed during a live concert from past winners and nominees on CBS on December 1st. The award show itself will take place in Los Angeles on February 13th, 2011......Darius Rucker is featured in the latest issue of Golf Digest discussing the annual “Monday After The Masters Celebrity Pro-Am,” an event begun 17 years ago by Darius and his former Hootie & The Blowfish bandmates. The event is hosted in Myrtle Beach in April for golf-obsessed musicians like Darius, who, himself, plays more than 200 rounds a year. It’s his only hobby. Darius’ Pro-Am has raised over five-million dollars for various charities over the years

And finally, speaking of awards, a couple of country’s greats are to be receiving prestigious awards. Coming up on Saturday, George Jones will be inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Al Dexter and Ray Winkler. George is being honored as one of the most influential singers in country music history, and he is also being recognized for his influence on Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell. Meanwhile, Dolly Parton will receive the 2010 James D. Vaughan Impact Award from the Southern Gospel Music Association for her significant impact on the Southern gospel music industry. The Executive Director of the Association said, “Dolly is the most honored female country performer of all time. Her efforts on behalf of our music at Dollywood have been instrumental in the establishment of our museum and Hall of Fame.” Dolly will appear in person to accept the award on September 29th at Dollywood.

CMA 3 Kanye 0

Country Music stood up for their own at the CMA Awards, embracing Taylor Swift with a couple of digs at Kanye West. That set the tone for an entertaining night of 9 televised awards and 21 performances. Taylor Swift was the 15th performance, by the way. Hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood took a cue from Taylor’s SNL performance and sung some of the opening dialogue. Parody renditions of Brooks and Dunn’s impending “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” and “Blue” turned into “Swine Flu” were pretty topical, with the latter creeping to the line of respect for those affected by H1N1 virus. As the heart of American music, country artists showed plenty of respect to the US Military throughout the Veteran’s Day broadcast.

Lyrics were the running theme of the night’s performances. After all, county songs are just so hard to understand, you know. For those tuning in at the beginning, the wild freak out number about boys who do bad things provided little clue that you were about to watch a country award show. But if you looked close enough, past the tight black outfit, and the girl sliding down a dance pole, you saw country’s reining princess, Taylor Swift. Next came a former pop singer. Too bad most of the audience shown around Darius Rucker didn’t seem to know the words to his number one country hit. By the time Miranda Lambert performed “White Liar,” the ‘bad girl’ of country music seemed down-home compared to the princess’ earlier performance. Host Brad Paisley got a slot to sing “Welcome To The Future,” as did Carrie Underwood. She came out to sing the current #1 song “Cowboy Casanova” in an outfit that Brad joked, “gave Little Jimmy Dickens a real good view.” Carrie’s performance with the dance troupe was quite a production number; although it would have seemed to make more sense had she had a troupe of male dancers dressed as hot cowboys around her. But to each their own. With that outfit, it’s doubtful that many eyes even saw that there were dancers around her.

Other performances included Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now;” Daughtry with Vince Gill, “Tennessee Life” (don’t be surprised if Daughtry hits country radio next); Keith Urban, “Til Summer Comes Around;” Sugarland; Brooks and Dunn with Billy Gibbons; Jamey Johnson and Kid Rock, “Somewhere Between Jennings and Jones;” George Strait; Jason Aldean; Reba; Billy Currington’s glitzed-down performance of “People Are Crazy;” and Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews. Tim McGraw (and Faith Hill) finally made up with the CMA so they could attend, present an award, and let Tim sing his latest single, “Southern Voice.” Martina McBride got a special performance slot for the annual acknowledgement of the Country Music Hall of Fame inductees. She sang a very traditional arrangement of “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” and when it came time for the famous “George line,” none other than the “other George,” as in Strait, appeared to sing with Martina! What a performance to honor a thrilled Barbara Mandrell, Charlie McCoy, and Roy Clark. In her acceptance speech, Barbara alluded to her former TV show - which raises the question – “When is the Barbara Mandrell Show going to on DVD?” I digress. The performance of the night belonged to Zac Brown Band. It takes guts to cover a signature tune from the Charlie Daniels Band. But Zac and his talented pickers pulled off a rockin’ version of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.” If that isn’t a single, the decision makers in Nashville should lose a merit badge.

So who won the awards? What a concept! Awards, on an award show! Overall, it’s nice to see variety that indicates a changing of the guard for the next decade. Here’s the list:

Single of the Year
Lady Antebellum “I Run To You”
Song of the Year
“In Color”
Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
New Artist of the Year
Darius Rucker
Album of the Year
“Fearless” by Taylor Swift
Vocal Duo of the Year
Sugarland
Male Vocalist of the Year
Brad Paisley
Female Vocalist of the Year
Taylor Swift
Entertainer of the Year
Taylor Swift
Non-televised awards
Musician of the Year
Mac McAnally
Video of the Year
Taylor Swift “Love Story”
Musical Event of the Year
Brad Paisley with Keith Urban “Start A Band”

Makes you wonder what Kenny Chesney whispered in Taylor’s ear when he congratulated her for winning his Entertainer award? With a new decade approaching, the Taylor tornado will only grown stronger.

CMA Awards Tonight

The CMA Awards are on tonight. CMT has red carpet coverage beginning at 5pm (mountain) and the awards will be on ABC at 7pm. Will the Nashsville establishment prevail? Or will we see a few surprises? Check back here tonight. Let’s review the nominees:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR - Kenny Chesney won in 2008
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR- Carrie Underwood won last year
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR- Brad Paisley reigns
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Darius Rucker
George Strait
Keith Urban
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR- Lady Antebellum won in ‘08
Randy Houser
Jamey Johnson
Jake Owen
Darius Rucker
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR – Rascal Flatts has ruled this category
Eagles
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR- Sugarland has had the award for two years
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland
SINGLE OF THE YEAR – George Strait’s “I Saw God Today” won in 2008
"Chicken Fried" Zac Brown Band
"I Run To You" Lady Antebellum
"In Color" Jamey Johnson
"People Are Crazy" Billy Currington
"Then" Brad Paisley
ALBUM OF THE YEAR – George Strait’s Troubadour won last year
American Saturday Night Brad Paisley
Defying Gravity Keith Urban
Fearless Taylor Swift
Love On The Inside Sugarland
That Lonesome Song Jamey Johnson
SONG OF THE YEAR- Sugarland’s “Stay” won in 2008
"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- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss “Gone, Gone, Gone” was last year’s winner
"Start A Band" Brad Paisley and Keith Urban
"Cowgirls Don't Cry" Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire
"Down The Road" Kenny Chesney (with Mac McAnally)
"Everything But Quits" Lee Ann Womack (duet with George Strait)
"I Told You So" Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis
"Old Enough" The Raconteurs featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR- Brad Paisley’s “Waitin’ On A Woman”won in 2008
"Boots On" Randy Houser
"Love Story" Taylor Swift
"People Are Crazy"Billy Currington
"Start A Band" Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)
"Troubadour" George Strait


FUN FACTS ABOUT THE CMA AWARDS
The first CMA Award was designed in 1967 by Frank Waggoner, was crafted in walnut and resembled a “chart bullet.” …. The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was not a televised event and took place in 1967. …. Eddy Arnold earned the first Entertainer of the Year award in 1967. ….. The first live telecast of the CMA Awards aired in 1969. …. In 1978, the CMA Awards were simulcast on radio for the first time. …. In 1981, the Horizon Award was presented for the first time with Terri Gibbs taking the honor. …. In 1985, the Music Video of the Year Award was presented for the first time to Hank Williams Jr. for “All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin’ Over Tonight.” …. In 1991, President and Mrs. George Bush attend the broadcast, hosted by Reba McEntire.

And the Nominees Are....

The nominees have been announced for the 43rd Annual CMA Awards. The awards will be presented November 11th, on ABC, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban

Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Darius Rucker
George Strait
Keith Urban

New Artist
Randy Houser
Jamey Johnson
Jake Owen
Darius Rucker
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Group
Eagles
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Joey & Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland

Single of the Year (Award goes to artist and producer)
"Chicken Fried" Zac Brown Band
Producer: Keith Stegall / Atlantic

"I Run to You" Lady Antebellum
Producers: Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley /Capitol

"In Color" Jamey Johnson
Producers: The Kent Hardly Playboys / Mercury

"People Are Crazy" Billy Currington
Producers: Carson Chamberlain and Billy Currington / Mercury

"Then" Brad Paisley
Producers: Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois / Arista

Album of the Year (Award goes to artist and producer.)
American Saturday Night Brad Paisley
Producers: Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois / Arista

Defying Gravity Keith Urban
Producers: Dann Huff and Keith Urban / Capitol

Fearless Taylor Swift
Producers: Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift / Big Machine

Love on the Inside Sugarland
Producers: Byron Gallimore, Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles / Mercury

That Lonesome Song Jamey Johnson
Producers: The Kent Hardly Playboys / Mercury

Song of the Year (Award goes to songwriters.)
"Chicken Fried"
Songwriters: Zac Brown and Wyatt Durette

"I Told You So"
Songwriter: Randy Travis

"In Color"
Songwriters: Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto

"People Are Crazy"
Songwriters: Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones

"Then"
Songwriters: Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois and Ashley Gorley

Musical Event (Award goes to each artist.)
Brad Paisley featuring Keith Urban
“Start A Band”

Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire
"Cowgirls Don't Cry"

Kenny Chesney (with Mac McAnally)
"Down The Road"

Lee Ann Womack (duet with George Strait)
"Everything But Quits"

Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis
"I Told You So"

The Raconteurs featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe
"Old Enough"

Music Video (Award goes to artist and director.)
"Boots On" Randy Houser
Director: Eric Welch

"Love Story" Taylor Swift
Director: Trey Fanjoy

"People Are Crazy" Billy Currington
Directors: The Brads

"Start a Band" Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)
Directors: Jim Shea

"Troubadour" George Strait
Director: Trey Fanjoy

Musician of the Year
Eddie Bayers -- drums
Paul Franklin -- steel guitar
Dann Huff -- guitar
Brent Mason -- guitar
Mac McAnally -- guitar

The Morning After

All the news that is the news revolves around the great CMA Awards ... if you missed it, the live blogging recap was going on last night.

CMT researched the history:
On a CMA Awards night drenched in history, George Strait emerged as the all-time CMA Award winner. King George took home two awards, one for Album of the Year and another for Single of the Year. The two wins gave him a lifetime total of 21, pushing him past Ronnie Dunn on the all-time CMA list. Kenny Chesney became only the second performer to win four Entertainer of the Year Awards. Only Garth Brooks has ever done that before, and even he didn’t match Kenny’s feat of winning three in a row. Up until last night, Only Alabama, from 1982-to-1984, had managed to do that. Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum joined a short list of parents and children who have won CMA Awards when Lady Antebellum won the New Artist of the Year trophy. The list includes Mel and Pam Tillis; Hank Williams, Senior and Hank Williams, Junior; Shellie and Dottie West; The Judds; and The Kendalls. Hillary’s mother, Linda Davis, scored a CMA Award in 1994 for a duet with Reba McEntire called “Does He Love You.” Carrie Underwood’s third Female Vocalist of the Year Award made her one the fifth woman in country music history to win that category three times, joining Reba, Martina McBride, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn. And Rascal Flatts joined Brooks & Dunn and The Statler Brothers as the only act to win six consecutive awards in one category as they took home another Vocal Group of the Year award.

It's Country's Biggest Night

The CMA Awards will be on in just a few minutes. Throughout the night, we will be here following awards as they happen. So keep refreshing and Thanks for reading.

Blog readers are predicting that The Entertainer of the Year will go to either Kenny Chesney or Keith Urban. It would be Kenny's 3rd consecutive win, and with a previous win added in, it would be his 4th, which would tie him with Garth Brooks.

The Red Carpet arrivals: Your co-hostess Carrie Underwood.

Carrie's costume change tally: I I I I I I I+ the red carpet.

Co-host Brad Paisley's wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley arrives with her red carpet date, sister Ashley, since her other half was inside preparing to open the show:
Nominee Keith Urban and his wife / presenter Nicole Kidman: Country Couple #2: Julianne Hough and Chucks Wicks appear as a public couple. Co-Host Brad Paisley finishes dressing as he opens the show. See how long it takes to get dressed Brad? Now you know why you have to wait on a woman. PERFORMANCES:
Brad Paisley / Keith Urban "Start A Band" Those two should just tour together. Great guitarists. First time performance together.Kelli Pickler "The Best Days of Your Life" new single co-written with Taylor Swift. Black leather mini-dress and stiletto boots should be as memorable as last year's red dress. Alan Jackson "Good Time" The man has 79 CMA Award nominations to his credit. Nice touch to follow the theme of the video and have all the line dancers in the aisles.

Miranda Lambert "More Like Her" Sweet acoustic performance from the girl who's lit up the stage at past shows.

Lady Antebellum "Love Don't Live Here" Nominated for the New Artist Award.

Martina McBride "Ride" Always fun to have an upbeat new single from Martina. She also went shopping at the stiletto boot store. Like all the ladies, bedazzled in lovely jewels.

Rodney Atkins "It's America" New single from another "new artist" nominee who's been paying his dues with hits that date back to "Honesty (Write Me a List)"

Taylor Swift "Love Story" Theatrics come to the CMA stage as Taylor recreates her fairy tale video with dancers and her band dressed in period costumes, then pulls a quick change from a purple gown to a white dress at the bridge. Justin Gaston, the video romeo, made a cameo at the end.

Kid Rock "All Summer Long" During the intro Carrie Underwood wondered if he'd wear a shirt. Yes. A Tennessee Titans jersey. Guitarist's "Joe the Strummer" shirt was a cute touch. First standing ovation of the night.

George Strait "River of Love" Pure class from a CMA favorite. The stage was just barely big enough for the talent of the Ace in the Hole Band.

Jason Aldean "She's Country" Energetic introductory performance of new single from upcoming 3rd album - nominated as "new artist".

Brad Paisley - acoustic tribute to Jerry Reed.

Brooks and Dunn with Reba McEntire "Cowgirls Don't Cry" Classic performance from the trio of old friends who always sound great together.

Darius Rucker "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" Late-added performance put Darius in front of his industry and peers for largely the first time.

Brad Paisley "Waitin' On A Woman" Reigning Male Vocalist, co-host, and Entertainer of the Year nominee deserves two performances.

Keith Urban "Sweet Thing" New single from upcoming album played in front of his real life sweet thing, Nicole Kidman. 2nd standing ovation of the night.

Carrie Underwood "Just A Dream" Now that was a surprise special guest: an introduction by Leslie Ponder, an average American woman who had lost her husband during the war in Afghanistan. That took guts to get up there and talk about her husband who has only been gone three years. She did a great job and touched the audience who rewarded her with a standing ovation for an introduction. Carrie wore the giant emerald - the $60,000,000 necklace. She was rewarded with nothing less than a standing ovation.

Sugarland "I Say It's Love" Keeping with the night's theme of introducing new music, the lighted umbrellas sure added an artistic touch to the stage for the already double CMA winner.

James Otto "Just Got Started Loving You" First CMA performance for the man with his first #1 hit this year. Also a new artist nominee, an award conceded to Lady Antebellum earlier in the show.

Kenny Chesney with the Wailers "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven" Heavenly performance that transported the audience right into the tropics, punctuated by Brad Paisley's joke about vacuuming up sand in the dressing room. Fun to have The Wailers blend in "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing, Every Little Thing Is Gonna Be Alright." Gotta have a standing ovation for that fun number.

Trace Adkins "You're Gonna Miss This" Trace always thought it was odd that performers would use the coveted performance slot on unfamiliar music rather than doing the song that they're nominate for. So Trace did the song that garnered the nominations over his current single. The audience is just spending its night on its feet now.

The Eagles "Too Busy Being Fabulous" Second year CMA performance equals the second single form earlier this year for the legendary group who blew up the country charts last year with the hit "How Long" and a top-selling album. It was a great year for the Eagles, and they earned the nomination for Group of the Year, but it wasn't enough to unseat Rascal Flatts who took the award earlier in the night. And yes, the audience is still not real fond of sitting down at the end of songs.

AWARDS:

Nicole Kidman / Hugh Jackman present Single of the Year: George Strait "I Saw God Today" George's 3rd win in the category.

Billy Ray Cyrus / Miley Cyrus present Song of the Year: "Stay" written by Jennifer Nettles for Sugarland.

Heidi Newfield / John Rich present Vocal Group of the Year: Rascal Flatts. 6th win in the category. Since Brooks and Dunn gave up their namesake award last year, this one will have to be renamed the "Rascal Flatts Award."

Taylor Swift passed the New Artist crown to Lady Antebellum. Charles Kelly, Dave Heywood, and Hillary Scott were thrilled for their first CMA performance and win, as were their moms in the audience.

Jake Owen, Jimmy Wayne, and Julianne Hough presented Vocal Duo of the Year: the former Brooks and Dunn award went to Sugarland for the second year in a row. The tides of country music have changed.

Off the air, Mac McAnally, Kenny Chesney's new duet partner, won the Musician of the Year award.

Josh Turner and Lee Ann Womack present Album of the Year: George Strait Troubadour. 8th win in the category.

Off the air, Brad Paisley won Video of the Year for co-starring in "Waitin' on a Woman" with Andy Griffith.

Off the air, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant won Vocal Event of the Year for "Gone, Gone, Gone."

Vince Gill introduced the year's Country Music Hall of fame inductees, Emmylou Harris, Tom T. Hall, The Statler Brothers, and Ernest "Pop" Stoneman. Presentation for Female Vocalist of the Year: Carrie Underwood. 3rd win in the category.

Reese Witherspoon presented the Male Vocalist of the Year to Brad Paisley. That makes a match set of repeat wins for the hosts. That had to be one of the cutest acceptance moments when Brad took the time to run into the audience to kiss his wife and unborn baby, yet he was intercepted by Keith Urban who surely believed that jog of exuberance was meant for him!

My, my, my ... Shania Twain was the special guest, in house to present the Entertainer of the Year. Let's see if you're right.....Shania is talking.... hinting that it's really good to see everyone again real soon ...... YES YOU ARE! ! Kenny Chesney! Seemingly distracted by Shania "you look really good" Twain, Kenny remained humble through his heartfelt acceptance speech thanking those close to him in his organization.

Not a lot of surprises in tonight's show. Apparently CMA voters were not looking for change. Aside from songs and albums which are new every year, the only new winner was in the artist based categories was Lady Antebellum, because Taylor Swift cannot have the New Artist award two years in row. Overall, a very traditional show, spiced up by some young music. Brad and Carrie served well as hosts, interjecting some humor with some realism while trying to keep up with the teleprompter. Good representation of country music. Highlights were surely the performances. But Shania Twain's back in town, huh? Could this be a sign that the status quo is about to shift to the next phase of country music? Historically, every time the pendulum swings, it knocks the longtime winners down a couple of notches.

Tonight, the 42nd Annual CMA Awards will air on ABC. Check out the widget from ABC to see videos, photos, news, and more. Cast your opinion in the Listener Poll and watch carefully. If the sparkle has you paying particular attention to the jewels Carrie Underwood is wearing when she co-hosts the show with Brad Paisley, you won’t be the only one. Security is sure to have a close eye because it is reported that Carrie will be wearing a Jonathon Arndt designed emerald set valued at $60-million! If that figure wasn't written out in words, one might believe too many digits was a typo. But there are no lesser valued words that you can mistake for MILLION! Last year she wore a mere Six-million worth of jewels; what will Sixty-million look like?

Reviewing a few more of the nomination categories:
Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Sugarland
Keith Urban

At post time, blog readers are split on Kenny Chesney or Keith Urban taking the crown. Watch this blog for the winners!

Headline news is hitting the press that Reba McEntire's 25-year association with the MCA Nashville label has come to an end. Reba has signed with the Valory Music Co., home of Jewel, Emerson Drive, and Jimmy Wayne. Valory’s sister label, Big Machine, boasts Taylor Swift, Trisha Yearwood and Jack Ingram on its roster. The move to Valory Music reunites Reba with Scott Borchetta, who is now president and CEO of Big Machine Records and the Valory Music Co. Borchetta was senior vice president of promotion at MCA Nashville during most of the 1990s. "I am thrilled to be joining the Valory team," Reba said. "Scott and I worked together on some of the biggest singles of my career, and I am excited to renew our partnership."

Hillary Scott, from Lady Antebellum, just received the SESAC Songwriter of the Year award at the performing rights organization's annual awards ceremony Monday night. Hillary is the co-writer of Lady A’s "Love Don't Live Here," and "Lookin' for a Good Time." In her acceptance speece, Hillary said, "We've been here for the past couple of years as guests, but to get a medal is amazing. We had no idea what 'Love Don't Live Here' was going to do 36 weeks from when we released it. We had no idea it was going to end up in the Top 5. (This medal) makes me feel a little like (Olympic swimmer) Michael Phelps."

Lee Greenwood has been appointed by President Bush to serve on the 14-member Council Of The Arts, which advises the $145-million-a-year National Endowment For The Arts. The appointment has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He will be sworn in Friday (11/14) and continue to serve through the Obama Administration.

Gearing Up For Country's Biggest Night

Tomorrow night, the 42nd Annual CMA Awards will air on ABC. Check out the widget from ABC to see videos, photos, news, and more. Cast your opinion in the Listener Poll.
Watch for co-host Brad Paisley performing tonight on the Dancing With The Stars Results Show. Former tour mate Julianne Hough is also expected to be back to perform, and should he be voted through to dance another week, Julianne will be dancing with Cody Linley in next week’s semi-finals.

Reviewing a few more of the nomination categories:
Female Vocalist
Alison Krauss
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban

New Artist
Jason Aldean
Rodney Atkins
Lady Antebellum
James Otto
Kellie Pickler

A couple of big releases today should stimulate the economy. Toby Keith is making the DVD of Beer For My Horses available to the masses. Taylor Swift will be competing with herself, as her debut album is still one of the top five on the Billboard Country Album chart, but today Taylor Swift releases her sophomore album Fearless. Taylor wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, so there are some recurring themes throughout the album. Taylor explains, “I’m fascinated by the theme of love, and kissing, and breaking up, and fairy tales, and boys and that’s what I love to write songs about. And it’s funny how you can mention one thing like kissing, and have it be completely different in each song. Have it mean a different thing.”

News From Around The Country
John Michael Montgomery has signed a partnership agreement with Sticks and Stones Outdoor Adventures Magazine & TV Show to co-host the televised adventures. The 52-week series will run for an entire year on stations across the country starting in January 2009. Keni Thomas will be a guest on the 700 Club today. In a special Veteran's Day tribute, Keni will share his story of military service and his musical career. Keni is a former Army Ranger and combat veteran, and is the recipient of the Bronze Star for Valor and Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his efforts in the Battle of Mogadishu.
A spokesperson for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Keni’s new album, Gunslinger, benefits the Hero Fund, a fund which provides for the college educations of children of fallen soldiers.

And finally, CMT has provided the story behind the song “You Look Good In My Shirt.” It was originally written in 2002 for Tim McGraw. Tim had requested a song with a “Tom Petty feel” to it, but he ultimately decided to pass on the tune. That’s when Keith Urban grabbed it for his Golden Road album. The song languished in obscurity, slowly gaining popularity at Keith’s live concerts. Keith included it on his Greatest Hits album, and released it as a single, where it went to number one. Keith didn’t feel too bad about taking the song from Tim, though. He points out that he sang the original demo for “I Like It, I Love It” – the song that catapulted Tim to superstar status in 1995.