Blake Shelton big winner at country music awards

NASHVILLE -- George Strait won the coveted entertainer of the year prize at the Country Music Association awards on Wednesday, while Blake Shelton took home the album of the year and male vocalist of the year awards.

Strait, 61, won the top prize for the third time and for the first time since 1990. Strait, who has said he will retire from touring next year, has won 17 CMA awards.

"What? Oh my gosh, never in a million years," a surprised Strait said accepting the award. "This blows me away, I cannot believe it. ... This means the world to me I appreciate it."

Strait, who shot to prominence in 1981 with a back-to-roots sound, released his 27th album, "Love Is Everything," this year.

Shelton, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan were also nominated for entertainer of the year.

Shelton, who has become a crossover star since joining the judging panel on the TV singing contest "The Voice" in 2011, was honored as male vocalist of the year and album of the year for "Based on a True Story..."

"I mentioned earlier today that if there was one award that would mean the most to me tonight it would be album of the year," Shelton said in accepting the award.

Shelton, who won entertainer of the year last year, has taken home a total of eight CMA awards. His wife, Miranda Lambert, won the female vocalist of the year award.

Florida Georgia Line, a duo comprised of Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, won its first two CMA awards as up-tempo love song "Cruise" grabbed single of the year and the group won the best vocal duo award.

Florida Georgia Line, which has ridden the success of their 2012 album, "Here's to the Good Times," also helped kick off the awards show from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

George Jones remembered

The group emerged from the audience to help Bryan open the telecast, singing "Cruise" and Bryan's hit "That's My Kind of Night."

The awards ceremony also featured tributes to Kenny Rogers, who was given a lifetime achievement award, and George Jones, who died in April.

Strait and singer Alan Jackson took the stage and in tribute played Jones' 1980 song "He Stopped Loving Her Today," which many consider one of the greatest country songs.

Swift was given the Pinnacle Award for spreading country music to a wider audience.

She received a video tribute that included congratulations from singers Mick Jagger and Justin Timberlake and actress Julia Roberts.

"Thank you, thank you, I love you, you make me feel so special right now," Swift said, fighting back tears while addressing her family, fans and music colleagues.

Hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley gave the awards ceremony a tongue-in-cheek tenor with an introduction that poked fun at feuding artists. The two singers also played comedic renditions of the 1975 pop hit "Why Can't We Be Friends?" by War and pop singer Robin Thicke's 2013 hit "Blurred Lines."

Swift performed an acoustic version of her song "Red" with Alison Krauss and other musicians. Eric Church also played his hit "The Outsiders" while pyrotechnics blazed in the background.

The show also saw performances by trio Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, group Rascal Flatts and Darius Rucker, among others.

Newcomer Kacey Musgraves won new artist of the year.

"This first year has been just indescribable," Musgraves said. "I can't even begin to put into words how much I appreciate the love from not only country music but every other genre."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lambert, Bryan lead country music award winners

Singers Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan led the winners at the Academy of Country Music awards on Sunday, while leading nominees Taylor Swift and Hunter Hayes came away empty-handed in a night honoring top achievers in country music.

Swift, 23, lost out on all five categories she was nominated in including Female Vocalist of the Year and the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year, a surprise for the country music favorite who won the award for the last two years.

Newcomer Hayes, 21, who was nominated in six categories, also went home empty-handed.

The night's top award Entertainer of the Year went to the show's co-host Bryan, 36, a surprise to the charismatic host who said he had only just started headlining shows.

"What I always wanted to be is just a country singer who got to ride on a tour bus and perform every night. ... This is the defining moment of my life, it means the world to me and I'll never take it for granted," Bryan said tearfully.

Lambert, 29, picked up four awards in three categories, including Female Vocalist of the Year, beating Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves and Martina McBride.

Lambert also won Song of the Year for "Over You," written with husband Blake Shelton, who was co-hosting the ceremony, and thanked her peers for recognizing her song-writing talents.

"As a songwriter having your songs and your lyrics recognized by your peers is pretty much as good as it gets. ... Thank you for accepting me as a songwriter and not just as a singer, that means the world to me," Lambert said.

Shelton, who married Lambert in 2011, thanked his wife for making him a better song-writer.

"I used to think I was a decent songwriter until I started hanging out with her (Lambert) and she taught me so much," Shelton said in his acceptance speech, pulling his wife in for a big hug.

Jason Aldean bested Bryan, Shelton and one of the night's top nominees Eric Church for the Male Vocalist of the Year award, while Church picked up Album of the Year for his 2011 chart-topping record "Chief."

The Academy of Country Music is an organization of music industry professionals who aim to promote and preserve the tradition of country music, and they vote for the top country music achievers for their annual awards ceremony.

Lively performances

The three-hour show televised on CBS featured performances from old and new names in country music including Church, Dierks Bentley, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Lambert, who performed "Mama's Broken Heart."

"The Voice" judge Shelton joined co-host Luke Bryan to kick off with a rendition on Shelton's "Boys 'Round Here," on which they were also joined by Sheryl Crow.

Oklahoma native and former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, who was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, performed her single "Two Black Cadillacs" while fellow "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson sang "Don't Rush."

Following ACM awards tradition of pairing veteran and new artists together, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban sang with Swift on "Highway Don't Care," while Brad Paisley and John Mayer teamed up to perform "Beat This Summer," ending with a crowd-rousing guitar riff.

Hayes performed with Motown legend Stevie Wonder on Hayes' new single "I Want Crazy" and Wonder's song "Sir Duke." Wonder closed out the show with his classic track "Signed. Sealed. Delivered."

Singer Reba McEntire introduced a tribute to late television host and producer Dick Clark, with country music artists George Strait and Garth Brooks singing Brooks' "The Dance" and Strait's "Cowboy Rides Away."

Newcomer duo Florida Georgia Line, formed by Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, picked up the fan-voted award for New Artist of the Year and performed their hit single "Cruise" on the show.

Husband-wife duo Thompson Square won Vocal Duo of the Year, while Alabama group Little Big Town won Vocal Group of the Year.

source: abs-cbnnews.com