NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Country Music Association Awards continued to show its love for Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton on Wednesday night while giving a nod to new duo Florida Georgia Line and doling out a few more awards to Taylor Swift.
Lambert won her fourth straight female vocalist of the year award while her husband, Shelton, won album of the year and male vocalist — a category he also won for the fourth year in a row. Florida Georgia Line took too early awards to join Swift, Keith Urban and Tim McGraw atop the early winners list.
"I really didn't think this was going to happen this year," Lambert said before thanking each of the other nominees.
The husband and wife have been favorites of the CMA's 6,000 voters for the last three years and Wednesday as no different. Shelton's album of the year win for "Based on a True Story ..." was a bit of a surprise, a year after taking entertainer of the year.
"I had mentioned earlier today that if there was an award that would mean the most to me tonight, it would be album of the year," said Shelton, getting serious after jokingly snatching his trophy from presenter Sheryl Crow.
Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley scored single and vocal duo of the year. Their quick tally was more proof the so-called bro country movement is the sound of the moment in mainstream country. FGL kicked off the show performing a fist-pumping medley with Luke Bryan, and very quickly returned to the stage to take the trophy for single of the year for their "Cruise" remix featuring Nelly. They also played the new song "Round Here."
"It's been a constant thing all year — we've been trying to wrap our minds around what's going on," Hubbard said backstage. "It's been a dream come true for us and a huge blessing for us and something we could have never imagined."
Kacey Musgraves — who, along with Taylor Swift, led all nominees with six — won the new artist trophy, besting a field that included Florida Georgia Line. With smart songwriting, a progressive bent and a strong sense of self like country's other top women, Musgraves made an auspicious mainstream country debut this year with her album "Same Trailer Different Park." She attended
"This first year for me has just been undescribable," said Musgraves, who set a record for nominations for a woman in her first year on the show.
Swift tied Florida Georgia Line with two trophies after her "Highway Don't Care" collaboration with Tim McGraw and Keith Urban won musical event and music video of the year before the show began. Lee Brice's "I'd Drive Your Truck," about a fallen soldier whose father still drives his truck, won song of the year, and Little Big Town took its second straight vocal group of the year.
Swift later performed a somber, acoustic version of her hit "Red" with Vince Gill, Alison Krauss and Sam Bush and was given the CMA's Pinnacle Award. The award goes to artists who take country music to a worldwide audience. Garth Brooks is the only previous winner. He won in 2005.
The CMA brought a star-studded welcoming group out of stage for Swift that included George Strait, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Keith Urban and Brad Paisley — all of whom gave Swift a chance to open for them on the road a teenager. A video salute followed with appearances by Justin Timberlake, Julia Roberts, Carly Simon, Ethel Kennedy and Mick Jagger — whose appearance made Swift shout.
Swift recounted a call she got out of the blue from her Big Machine Records head Scott Borchetta when she was 16.
"He said, 'Can you be on the road in two days to open for Rascal Flatts,' and I immediately started screaming and said, 'This must be a miracle,'" she said. "He said, 'No, it's not a miracle. Eric Church got fired for playing too long."
She added: "You've made me feel so special right now, thank you."
Swift also is nominated for her third entertainer of the year award, the night's top honor.
Bryan and FGL weren't the only acts teaming up. Collaboration was the theme of the night as Strait and Alan Jackson joined together to salute the late George Jones with a rendition of "She Stopped Loving Him Today." Hunter Hayes and Jason Mraz took a tour of the Bridgestone Arena while performing "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me." And Brown and his band joined in on a growing hard-rock trend in country as Foo Fighter Dave Grohl joined the band on drums for new song high-powered "Day for the Dead." Church earlier turned things up to 11 with his new song "The Outsiders."
Hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley got the show going on a jovial note as they took the stage with their opening skit, first joking about feuds in music. They got Bryan and Zac Brown to hug it out after their mild feud over song trends in Nashville. They joked about Julianne Hough's misguided blackface Halloween costume, urging Darius Rucker to start his own feud with the singer. They skewered Obamacare to a Nashville audience that roared with approval.
Then, they brought out the guys from the hit show "Duck Dynasty" and parodied Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," with Willie Robertson doing a little twerk for Underwood.
And in one of the night's most anticipated moments, Kenny Rogers received the CMA's Willie Nelson lifetime achievement award and was saluted by Jennifer Nettles, Rucker and Rascal Flatts. Rogers sat on stage and mouthed along as Rascal Flatts sang "Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Is In)," the crowd helped Rucker sing "The Gambler" and Nettles and Rogers finished the tribute by singing "Islands in the Stream."
"It's been a hell of a month," Rogers said. "The (Country Music) Hall of Fame last week, this this week. I can't wait to see what's coming next week."
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http://www.cmaawards.com
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- Arts & Entertainment
- Music
- Blake Shelton
- Taylor Swift
- Miranda Lambert
- Florida Georgia Line
- Keith Urban
- Rascal Flatts
- Kacey Musgraves
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