John Rich News

A tip of the ten-gallon hat to Brad Paisley and Lee Ann Womack.

The country crooners wrangled themselves six nominations apiece to lead this year's contenders for the 39th Annual Country Music Association Awards.

Paisley was nominated for the top prize, Entertainer of the Year, and Male Vocalist; his hit tune "Alcohol" is up for Single, Song and Music Video of the Year; and his duet with Sara Evans on "New Again" is in the running for Musical Event of the Year.

Womack, on hand in New York City to help announce the nominations with Keith Urban, scored nods for Female Vocalist; Single and Music Video for "I May Hate Myself in the Morning"; Album for There's More Where That Came From; and is competing with herself in the Musical Event category with her duets "Good News, Bad News" with George Strait and "I'll Never Be Free" with Willie Nelson. The last female performer to garner a half-dozen nominations was Faith Hill in 2000.

Womack is up for so many awards that when Urban read the list of contenders for Vocal Group, he quipped: "You were not available for this one, apparently."

He's one to talk. The singer scored four nods, including Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist.

For the first time in the history of country music's most prestigious awards, the CMAs will be relocated from Nashville to the Big Apple in an attempt to broaden viewership--or, as Womack puts it, "shake things up a little bit." (Organizers say the move is a one-year experiment and the awards will be back in their traditional home base next year.)

Brooks & Dunn, up for their umpteenth nomination in the Vocal Duo category (which, by now should just be called Brooks & Dunn Award), will serve as emcees for the 2005 CMAs. The ceremony will air live from Madison Square Garden Nov. 15 on CBS.

Aside from Paisley and Urban, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith will vie for Entertainer of the Year. Keith tied Urban with four nods, including Song and Single of the Year for "As Good as I Once Was."

Other top nominees were Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Gretchen Wilson and red hot trio Sugarland, each of whom earned three nods. Sugarland made a splash with its first CMA bids, including Single of the Year for "Baby Girl"--the longest running single on the Billboard Country Singles Chart since recordkeeping began--Vocal Group and the Horizon Award, which honors rising stars and was one last year by Wilson. Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Miranda Lambert and Julie Roberts round out that category.

Here's the complete list of nominees:

Entertainer:

• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• Brad Paisley
• Keith Urban

Male Vocalist:

• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

Female Vocalist:

• Sara Evans
• Alison Krauss
• Martina McBride
• Gretchen Wilson
• Lee Ann Womack

Single (for singer):

• "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

Album:

• Be Here, Keith Urban
• Feels Like Today, Rascal Flatts
• Live Like You Were Dying, Tim McGraw
• Somewhere Down in Texas, George Strait
• There's More Where That Came From, Lee Ann Womack

Song (for songwriter):

• "Alcohol," Brad Paisley
• "As Good As I Once Was," Toby Keith/Scotty Emerick
• "Bless the Broken Road," Marcus Hummon/Bobby Boyd/Jeff Ganna
• "I Hate Myself in the Morning," Lee Ann Womack
• "Redneck Woman," Gretchen Wilson/John Rich
• "Whiskey Lullaby," Bill Anderson/Jon Randall

Music Video:

• "Alcohol," Brad Paisley
• "As Good As I Once Was," Toby Keith
• "Days Go By," Keith Urban
• "I May Hate Myself in the Morning," Lee Ann Womack
• "When I Think About Cheatin'," Gretchen Wilson

Vocal Group:

• Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
• Diamond Rio
• Lonestar
• Rascal Flatts
• Sugarland

Vocal Duo:

• Big & Rich
• Brooks & Dunn
• Montgomery Gentry
• Van Zant
• The Warren Brothers

Musical Event:

• "Good News, Bad News," George Strait with Lee Ann Womack
• "I'll Never Be Free," Willie Nelson with Lee Ann Womack
• "New Again," Brad Paisley/Sara Evans
• "Party for Two," Shania Twain with Billy Currington
• "Trip Around the Sun," Jimmy Buffet with Martina McBride.

Musician:

• Jerry Douglas
• Paul Franklin
• Dann Huff
• Brent Mason
• Randy Scruggs

Horizon Award (for emerging performer):

• Dierks Bentley
• Big & Rich
• Miranda Lambert
• Julie Roberts
• Sugarland