Every major country music star will be in attendance of the 43rd annual Country Music Awards. This year’s CMAs will be hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, and will air on ABC. Will you be watching?

This year’s nominees and performers are even bigger than last year’s. I always feel a little out of the loop when I look at these stars and their sales because country music isn’t all that popular in northern California, but the genre is far from dead. In fact, with artists like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood crossing genre lines between pop and country, I would argue that country music is getting even more popular.

The performers lined up for the awards show are sure to bring in good ratings, too: Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and others. Sounds like a good lineup!

And, with hosts like Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, you can’t really go wrong. They’re both charismatic, talented people who have crossed over into the mainstream media. Smart move.

Here is the full list of nominees for this year’s CMAs:

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

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Eagles
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Randy Houser
Jamey Johnson
Jake Owen
Darius Rucker
Zac Brown Band

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Artist and Producer)
“Chicken Fried” – Zac Brown Band, Produced by Keith Stegall
“I Run To You” – Lady Antebellum, Produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley
“In Color” – Jamey Johnson, Produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys
“People Are Crazy” – Billy Currington, Produced by Carson Chamberlain and Billy Currington
“Then” – Brad Paisley, Produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Artist and Producer)
American Saturday Night – Brad Paisley, Produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois
Defying Gravity – Keith Urban, Produced by Dann Huff and Keith Urban
Fearless – Taylor Swift, Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
Love On The Inside – Sugarland, Produced by Byron Gallimore, Kristian Bush, and Jennifer Nettles
That Lonesome Song – Jamey Johnson, Produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys

SONG OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Songwriter(s))
“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
“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
“Start A Band” – Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)

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

Now, don’t get me wrong, but aren’t singers “musicians,” too? Oh well, at least the instrumentalists are getting recognition, too!


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