The nominees for the 2005 CMA Awards are:
News on Awards

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban (winner)

 

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

'Alcohol,' Brad Paisley
'As Good As I Once Was,' Toby Keith
'Baby Girl,' Sugarland
'Bless the Broken Road,' Rascal Flatts
'I May Hate Myself In The Morning,' Lee Ann Womack (winner)

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 (winner)

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 E. Boyd/Jeff Hanna
Careers-BMG 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 (winner)

 

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Sara Evans
Alison Krauss
Martina McBride
Gretchen Wilson (winner)
Lee Ann Womack
 

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban (winner)
 

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
Diamond Rio
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts (winner)
Sugarland
 

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn (winner)
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 (winner)

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(winner)
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 (winner)

'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
Big & Rich
Miranda Lambert
Julie Roberts
Sugarland
Dierks Bentley (winner)
 

On the Awards

Keith Urban pulled an upset Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden, where he was named entertainer of the year over expected winner Kenny Chesney at the 39th annual Country Music Association Awards – which brought the traditional Nashville ceremony to the Big Apple for the first time.

"This is good for all of us," the Australian-born Urban, who also was named male vocalist of the year for the second time running, said backstage about holding the event in the media capital of the world. "This is good for a lot of New Yorkers that are starved for their country music."

Bettering Urban with three awards was Lee Ann Womack, who took the album of the year prize for There's More Where That Came From, which marked her return to country roots after years of recording pop songs. Her "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" was named single of the year, and her "Good News, Bad News" duet with George Strait was musical event of the year.

"Oh my God, I love country music!" Womack shouted during her acceptance for "I May Hate Myself In the Morning." Backstage, she said of the bittersweet ballad: "Sometimes I think we are scared of real country music but a message like what was in that song, that transcends any boundaries, and a great song is a great song."

Womack and Brad Paisley went into the event with the most nominations – six each – though Paisley ultimately was shut out of the winners' circle. As for those who scored trophies: Toby Keith, for music video ("As Good As I Once Was"); Gretchen Wilson, best female vocalist; Brooks & Dunn, vocal duo (for a lucky 13th time); Rascal Flatts, vocal group; Dierks Bentley, the Horizon Award for emerging artists; and Jon Randall and Bill Anderson, song of the year ("Whiskey Lullaby," sung by Alison Krauss and Paisley).

"I've probably been writing songs in Nashville longer than anybody. My first co-writer was Andrew Jackson," Anderson joked.

Big & Rich kicked off the show (broadcast on CBS) with "Comin' to Your City," featuring such place-appropriate lyrics as: "We're comin' to New York City, we're gonna play our guitar and sing you a country song."

Garth Brooks stopped the show – and traffic – in Times Square, singing "Good Ride Cowboy," a tribute to his friend and fellow country singer Chris LeDoux, who died of liver cancer this year.

Though the ceremony's producers have announced that the CMAs will return to Nashville for next year's 40th anniversary, Tuesday's event included such Noo Yawk touches as a cameo by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Vince Gill's attempting a Bronx accent. Joked Gill: "There's like a rule here in New York, that you can't do a show without a guy named Vinnie."

Even so, the night's country roots kept showing. Willie Nelson sang "Still Crazy After All These Years" with Norah Jones on piano – and were then joined by Paul Simon, on "Crazy." Another city-country hybrid: Elton John and Dolly Parton's singing "Turn the Lights Out When You Leave," as well as John Lennon's "Imagine."
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