Tulsa World: CMA preshow roundup: Awards show is Wednesday night

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CMA preshow roundup: Awards show is Wednesday night

Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley wave to fans before performing at an outdoor show in Nashville on Tuesday. The pair will host the Country Music Association Awards show Wednesday. MARK HUMPHREY/Associated Press file

By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer
Published: 11/11/2009
Last Modified: 11/12/2009 9:53 AM

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Checotah native Carrie Underwood will co-host Wednesday night's Country Music Association Awards with multiplatinum selling performer Brad Paisley.

Here's our rundown of tomorrow night's events, which also will be covered by the Tulsa World for online and print editions.

The awards show airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday on ABC, Tulsa channel 8.

Nominees

Three Oklahoma women snagged CMA nominations for female vocalist of the year.

Oklahomans Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire are up against 19-year-old Taylor Swift and Kansas-born Martina McBride for the award.

Underwood grew up in Checotah. McEntire is from the Kiowa and Oklahoma City area. Lambert has lived for years on a ranch near Tishomingo with boyfriend Blake Shelton.

Swift is also up for the CMA's highest honor, entertainer of the year.

It is the first time since 2000 that solo female artists have been nominated in the top category, the Associated Press reports. McEntire won the honor in 1986.

Brad Paisley leads the CMA nominations with six. Underwood picked up two nominations.

Swift joins Keith Urban, George Strait, Jamey Johnson and Zac

Brown with four nominations each.

Rascal Flatts, featuring Picher native Joe Don Rooney, was nominated for vocal group of the year. (They won the prize in this category last year.)

Nominated for the first time in 2008, Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, host of "American Country Countdown," is nominated again in 2009 and if he wins it would be the first time that a country artist would claim a CMA broadcast awards trophy. Brooks' longtime music partner, Ronnie Dunn, lived in Tulsa for many years.

The duo was also nominated for vocal duo of the year and vocal event of the year, the latter for their work with McEntire on "I Told You So." The two announced recently they would "call it a day" after 20 years of making music together. They will tour one last time in 2010.

Brooks & Dunn won the Country Music Association's vocal duo of the year award every year between 1992 and 2006, except for 2000.

For a full list of nominees, visit the official CMA Web site, CMAawards.com

Performances

As for live performances during the 43rd annual country music awards show, Norman native Vince Gill will team up with rock band Daughtry for a duet.

It is Daughtry's first performance at the CMAs. His band and Gill will perform “Tennessee Line,” which the superstars recorded together for Daughtry’s new album, “Leave This Town.”

Other scheduled performers include: Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews, Billy Currington, Kid Rock and Jamey Johnson, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and the Zac Brown Band.

Presenters

Presenters for Wednesday night's show include Dale Earnhardt Jr., Neil Flynn, Patricia Heaton, Julianne Hough, Randy Houser, The Judds, Kid Rock, Kris Kristofferson, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes, Robin Roberts and and Lee Ann Womack.

Love And Theft will host the Pre-Telecast Awards.

See photos from pre-CMA Award-show rehearsals at the CMT official Web site, cma-awards-rehearsals.

In Oklahoma-related concert news, Daughtry performs Dec. 15 at the BOK Center. Reba McEntire and George Strait will perform a Feb. 20 show at Tulsa's BOK Center.

Martina McBride and Trace Adkins will perform Dec. 5 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert will perform Jan. 8 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.

By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer

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Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Taylor-made CMAs," which was published on 11/12/2009. So far, 61 comments have been made.