American Country Awards

There is a new awards show for the country music lovers.  This show is called the American Country Awards (ACA) and it premiers on Fox, Monday, December 6.  This is the first year of this awards show and it is completely fan voted.  This means that a country music fan can vote for their favorite country musicians every day until the polls close, which most closed on November 8.  As of right now the only poll that is still open is the Artist of the Year (Overall), which will stay open until December 4.  The following are the different awards that there are and who the nominees are for each award.

First I will announce the awards and nominees that pertain to the artists.  The first award is Artist of the Year, which seems to be the most prestigious award of the night, with the nominees of:

Lady Antebellum

Miranda Lambert

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

Zac Brown Band

My pick for this category is Miranda Lambert, though there are many good candidates participating in this category. 

The next large award is Artist of the Year: Male and the nominees are

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

Keith Urban

My pick to win is Brad Paisley, but once again there are many good candidates to choose from. 

The other major award of the night is Artist of the Year: Female with the nominees of

Jewel

Miranda Lambert

Reba McEntire

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

Once more I pick Miranda Lambert to win, because her music and style has really grown on me in the past year. 

The next award is Artist of the Year: Duo or Group and the nominees are

Lady Antebellum

Rascal Flatts

Sugarland

The Band Perry

Zac Brown Band

My pick to win is Sugarland, because they have had some big hits in the past year.

Now we come to the Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist award with the nominees of

Easton Corbin

Danny Gokey

Jaron and the Long Road to Love

Jerrod Niemann

The Band Perry

I am looking for The Band Perry to win because I really enjoy their latest single. 

Now we come to the awards that are for the artist’s albums and touring.

 The first award is the Album of the Year with the nominees of

“Doin’ My Thing”

Luke Bryan

“Need You Now”

Lady Antebellum

“Revolution”

Miranda Lambert

“Haywire”

Josh Turner

“Play On”

Carrie Underwood

My pick to win is Lady Antebellum because I think that this album came out with a lot of good songs that will be very popular with the music fans.

The last award in this category is Touring Artist of the Year and the nominees are

Brooks & Dunn

Toby Keith

Martina McBride & Trace Adkins

Tim McGraw

Brad Paisley

Rascal Flatts

George Strait & Reba McEntire

Sugarland

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

My pick to win is Brooks & Dunn because I believe that it will be given to them since it is their last tour together. 

The next set of awards is for the artist’s singles that were released to radio.

The first award is for Single of the Year and the nominees are

“Do I”

Luke Bryan

“A Little More Country Than That”

Easton Corbin

“Need You Now”

Lady Antebellum

“Gimme That Girl”

Joe Nichols

“Why Don’t We Just Dance”

Josh Turner

My pick is Lady Antebellum for the fact that their song was very big and even made it to the pop radio stations. 

The next award is Single of the Year: Male with the nominees being

“Do I”

Luke Bryan

“A Little More Country Than That”

Easton Corbin

“That’s How Country Boys Roll”

Billy Currington

“Gimme That Girl”

Joe Nichols

“Why Don’t We Just Dance”

Josh Turner

My pick to win is Josh Turner because I love Turner’s voice and the way the song sounded.

Now we are on to the Single of the Year: Female award and the nominees are

“White Liar”

Miranda Lambert

“Wrong Baby Wrong”

Martina McBride

“Consider Me Gone”
Reba McEntire

“Didn’t Know How Much I Loved You”

Kellie Pickler

“Cowboy Casanova”

Carrie Underwodd

My pick is for Miranda Lambert to win because I do love “White Liar” for some reason that is beyond me.

The next award for this category is Single of the Year: Duo or Group with the nominations of

“Need You Now”

Lady Antebellum

“Little White Church”

Little Big Town

“Unstoppable”

Rascal Flatts

“Keep On Lovin’ You”
Steel Magnolia

“Toes”

Zac Brown Band

I think that Zac Brown Band will win this award because I absolutely love this song.

The last award for this category is Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist and the nominees are

“Little More Country Than That”

Easton Corbin

“Pray for You”

Jaron and the Long Road to Love

“Lover, Lover”

Jerrod Niemann

“Keep on Lovin’ You”

Steel Magnolia

“Beer on the Table”

Josh Thompson

I think for this category that I would have to pick Jaron and the Long Road to Love, because I think that this song is a little funny.

The last category is awards for the artist’s videos.  The first award is Music Video of the Year with the nominations of

“Little More Country Than That”

Easton Corbin

“Need You Now”

Lady Antebellum

“Hillbilly Bone”

Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins

“Why Don’t We Just Dance”

Josh Turner

“The Man I Want To Be”

Chris Young

My pick to win is Josh Turner because I really love that song and the video is awesome with going through the different time eras.

The next award is Music Video: Male and the nominees are

“Little More Country Than That”

Easton Corbin

“Southern Voice”

Tim McGraw

“Hillbilly Bone”

Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins

“Why Don’t We Just Dance”

Josh Turner

“The Man I Want To Be”

Chris Young

My pick to win is Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins because I think the combination of the song and video are awesome.

Now we come to the award for Music Video: Female with nominations of

“White Liar”

Miranda Lambert

“Consider Me Gone”
Reba McEntire

“Didn’t Know How Much I Loved You”

Kellie Pickler

“Cowboy Casanova”

Carrie Underwodd

“Work Hard, Play Harder”

Gretchen Wilson

My pick is Miranda Lambert again because this video is rather funny and combined with this song is dynamite.

The next award is Music Video: Duo or Group and the nominees are

“Need You Now”

Lady Antebellum

“Little White Church”

Little Big Town

“Unstoppable”

Rascal Flatts

“Keep On Lovin’ You”
Steel Magnolia

“Highway 20 Ride”

Zac Brown Band

My pick is for Lady Antebellum to win again because it is a very big song for the group.

The last award is for Music Video: Breakthrough Artist with the nominees of

“Giddy On Up”

Laura Bell Bundy

“Little More Country Than That”

Easton Corbin

“Lover, Lover”

Jerrod Niemann

“Keep on Lovin’ You”

Steel Magnolia

“If I Die Young”

The Band Perry

My pick to win this award is Laura Bell Bundy because the first time I saw the video I was in love with the song.  In my opinion, it is a true music video with the dancing. 

So now that you know the nominees, you can make your decisions who will win.  Then be sure to tune in on December the sixth to see who will win each award.

Sugarland

Sugarland is a country music duo.  The duo is composed of Jennifer Nettles, who sings led vocals, and Kristian Bush, who sings vocals and plays guitar.  The duo started out as a trio in 2002 with Nettles, Bush, and Kristen Hall.  Kristen Hall left the group in 2005 to stay home and write songs.  But she brought up a lawsuit in 2008 for $1.5 million against Bush and Nettles stating that she was being excluded from sharing profits as had been agreed upon after her departure in 2005 to pursue her solo career.  Hall claimed to have coined the name Sugarland and allowed Bush and Nettles to have equal co-ownership to the name.  The federal court case is to start November 15. 

Sugarland has released many albums in their career so far.  Their first album was Twice the Speed of Life released in 2004.  The album went 3 times Platinum.  Their next album was, Enjoy the Ride in 2006, was the first one as a duo.  The last album that Sugarland has released was The Incredible Machine was just released this October.  Sugarland’s first single released on radio was “Baby Girl” in 2004, which made it to number 2 in the Country Music Charts.  Their first single as a duo was “Want To” in 2006 and was their first single to go number 1 in the Country Music Chart.  Since then, they have had number one singles.  Sugarland’s latest single on the radio is “Stuck Like Glue” which is currently number 3 in the Country Music Charts. 

I have seen Sugarland in concert and loved it.  That concert is in my Top 10 of concerts that I have loved going to.  I also really enjoy their music and look forward to see them perform live again.

Chris LeDoux

Chris LeDoux is a country music singer-songwriter and a rodeo star.  LeDoux was born in Biloxi, MS on October 2, 1948.  He learned to ride horses while he visited his grandparents on their Texas farm.  When he was 13, he participated in his first rodeo and after a while started winning junior rodeo competitions.  He kept competing in rodeos throughout his high school years.  LeDoux earned a rodeo scholarship to Casper College.  In 1970, he began a professional career of a rodeo cowboy.  To help pay for his expenses for his career, he began writing songs about his lifestyle.  After he had enough songs for an album, Chris recorded the album in his friend’s basement and started selling them out of the back of his truck at rodeo events.  After wining the world bareback riding championship in 1976, his music credibility took off.  LeDoux was forced to retire from the rodeo life in 1980 because of injuries and to spend more time with his family. 

After retiring, LeDoux kept writing and recording songs, he also began playing concerts.  Chris did not want to sign a recording contract, after many offers, because he wanted to keep total control over his singing career.  After being mentioned in Garth Brooks’ debut song “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)”, LeDoux signed a contract with Capitol Records.  On his second album with Capitol Records, Chris released his first and only Top Ten country single “Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy”.  As he kept releasing albums, LeDoux started singing songs written by other country artists.  But his last album, he went back to rerecord some of his earlier songwriting creations. 

In 2000, Chris LeDoux suffered from an illness that required him to get a liver transplant.  Garth Brooks volunteered to donate his liver and was found incompatible; but LeDoux received a transplant from another donor.  In 2005, Chris died from complications from cholangiocarcinoma.  After his death, LeDoux was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs.  He was also awarded the Academy of Country Music’s Pioneer Award.  Garth Brooks came out of retirement to record “Good Ride Cowboy” as a tribute to LeDoux. 

Chris LeDoux has released many albums in his career.  His first album was Songs of Rodeo Life in 1971, which he sold to help his rodeo career out of the back of his truck.  His first album released with a recording company was Western Underground in 1991.  His last album released was Horsepower in 2003 with Capitol Nashville.  LeDoux’s first single released to radio was “Lean, Mean and Hungry” in 1979 and went to 99 on the Country Music Charts.  His only Top 10 single on the radio was “Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy” in 1992.  Chris’ last single to be released on radio was “Airborne Cowboy” in 2005 and did not make it to the country charts. 

Though I have not heard much of Chris LeDoux’s music, I think that he was a good country musician based on the opinions of my brothers’ who also love country music.  They know more about the older country singers, but I am learning and after researching Chris LeDoux, I plan to listen to his music and give him a chance to change my country music tastes. 

Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, TN.  The Grand Ole Opry (GOO) started as the WSM Barn Dance in November of 1925.  The WSM Barn Dance was a radio program that was broadcasted live where the country music performers of the day performed.  A variety of country performers performed on the show with there being some regulars, like the Fruit Jar Drinkers, the Crook Brothers, the Binkley Brothers’ Dixie Clodhoppers, and the Gully Jumpers.  The name Grand Ole Opry came known in 1927 after Judge Hay announced after DeFord Bailey played a classic train song that “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera.  From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry’”.  Since then, the name has stuck to the program.  The program broadcast’s live and it also has a live audience to play for too.  As the audiences increase, the GOO has had to find larger venues.  In June, 1943 the Opry moved to the Ryman Auditorium.  Then in 1974, the GOO moved to the Grand Ole Opry House where it remains today.  When Nashville took on flood waters in 2010, the Grand Ole Opry House was taken out of commission for awhile.  Many of the current country performers worked to restore the GOO House, and Brad Paisley and Jimmy Dickens in a special edition of the GOO in September 2010, put in the circle from the Ryman on the GOO House stage. 

The GOO has moved from broadcasting on the radio to also doing television broadcasts.  GOO has many different Opry broadcasts, like Friday Night Opry, Tuesday Night Opry, and of course on Sunday nights, Grand Ole Opry.  There were plans to start a Wednesday Night Opry but was abandoned after the flooding.  There is also a radio program called America’s Opry Weekend that is played on radio stations all over the United States.  PBS started televising the live performances in 1978.  GAC continues televising the live Grand Ole Opry performances on their cable network. 

A country performer can be a member of the Grand Ole Opry.  To be in the GOO is to be identified as a member of the elite of country music.  To be a member, a singer must earn it and it can be maintained throughout their career.  After a performer dies, they are no longer a member but can be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  To be a member of the Opry, a country performer must have a passion for country music’s fans, connection to the music’s history, and requires a commitment to country music. 

Steel Magnolia

Steel Magnolia is a country music duo that appeared on the scene in 2009.  The duo consists of Meghan Linsey and her boyfriend Joshua Scott Jones.  The group got their start after winning the second season of CMT’s Can You Duet.  Linsey started singing in a Nashville karaoke bar, where she met Jones.  They went on to form Steel Magnolia and winning Can You Duet. 

Steel Magnolia has released one album so far.  Their first album was Steel Magnolia – EP released in 2010.  The album has 5 tracks, including their first hit single, “Keep on Lovin’ You”.  This single became a hit after they were done with Can You Duet.  Their single got in the Top 5 on the Billboard Country Music Chart.  “Keep on Lovin’ You” was also a song in the movie Valentine’s Day and was included in the soundtrack.  Steel Magnolia is working on released another album, Steel Magnolia.  The album was suppose to be released in September 2010 but was pushed back until January 2011.  The album will include Steel Magnolia’s latest hit single “Just by Being You (Halo and Wings)”.  This single has made it to number 29 on the Billboard Country Music chart. 

The duo has made some head way in the Country Music field.  They have been nominated for four different country music awards so far.  They were nominated for the 2010 ACM’s Top New Vocal Duo, Top Vocal Duo of the Year, and Duo Video of the Year and CMT Music Awards’ Breakthrough Video of the Year.  They group has not won an award yet but I do have high hopes.  I saw them in concert this last summer before Brad Paisley’s Water Tour and enjoyed listening to their music.  They have a new sound and are really into the music that they sing.  I can’t wait to see what they will do. 

Buy Kenny Chesney's Hemingway Whiskey

Today I am going to recommend you an album.  The album that I recommend that you give a try is Kenny Chesney’s latest album, Hemingway’s Whiskey.  This album was released on September 28, 2010.  My roommate was so excited to get it, she had a countdown leading up to the release.  She was so excited she couldn’t sleep the night before and she ran through Target just to hold it in her hands.  This is Kenny’s 14^th studio album that he has released in his career.  When this album came out it was number 1 on the U.S. Billboard chart by selling 183,000 copies in the first week.  Through this release, it gave Chesney his sixth number 1 album, which put him right behind Garth Brooks as a country act with the most number ones.  After the first week, Kenny’s album dropped to number 2 on the charts and since then has been dropping on the charts.  Even though it has dropped on the charts, this album has sold 330,000 copies.  This album is working on selling even more.  This is part of my promotion.  I hope to get you to see how great of a talent Chesney is and buy his album. 

There are 11 singles on this album but if you purchase the deluxe, there are two bonus tracks.  I do believe that if you purchase this album and give it a chance, you will find that you like it.  In my opinion this is one of his better albums.  Before you go judging me, you need to realize a few things about how I form my opinion.  When I get an album, usually I just like to listen to the songs that I know and it takes me a while to grow to like some of the other songs.  But after listening to this album many times (thanks to my roommate), I have grown to like most of the songs on this album.  The first single on this album is “The Boys of Fall”, which was released to the radio before the album was released.  This is one of the singles that I do like because this song has a good feel to it and is a great song about football.  The next song that I enjoy and my roommate thinks it is hilarious is “Costal”.  This song is a great song about summer.  The last song that I am going to talk about that enjoyed listening to on the album is “Hemingway’s Whiskey”, which is that title track for the album.  This is a meaningful slow song that speaks good words about Hemingway’s life. 

Now you are probably wondering where you can purchase this album.  Well there are many different places.  First, if have an iTunes account, you can log on to iTunes and purchase the whole album from their store for $3.99 or if you prefer you can listen to a little of each song and purchase the songs individually.  Another option is to order the CD online from retailers like Amazon, Wal-Mart, or Target.  The last option is to go to a store that sells CDs and buy the CD for about $10.  I do recommend everyone goes out and buys the album.  I do hope that you will give it a chance to change the way that you listen to country music.  I do believe that this album will be the change to Kenny’s country career and that in years to come, he will gain even more steam.

Review Sugarland's Incredible Machine

Today I am going to review a new country album.  The album that I decided to review is Sugarland’s newest, The Incredible Machine, was released October 19, 2010.  On this album there are 11 singles, including their latest hit single “Stuck like Glue”.  When the album came out, my roommate just had to go and get it.  We went to Target to pick up the CD and came back to our room and listened to it.  After hearing it several times, I have grown to love many of the songs on the album.  Overall I would rate this album an 8 out of 10.  It is good for any country music lover.  It has upbeat songs and a great attitude. 

On this album there are some songs that I love and some that really do not speak to me. First I will talk about the songs that I liked.  I really like the song “Stuck like Glue’.  This song has been released to radio where it is becoming a big success.  I can remember when I first heard it on the radio.  I rushed into my friend’s house and told her about this awesome song I just heard.  We both agreed that it was a great song.  Another song on the album that I liked was “Stand Up”, because I like the way the music and words work together.  The combination makes you want to stand up and get started working on something.  “Find the Beat Again” is a great song because it has a good beat and makes you want to get up, jump, and dance around the room.  It is also a good song to get a person energized to do anything.  The last song that I really like on this album is “Wide Open”.  This is a good song because it has a good combination of instruments to make the background music intriguing.  It is also a good song for dancing.

Now it is time to talk about the songs that I am not too crazy about.  The first song is “Tonight”.  This song is not very good because the way that Nettles sings that song makes it hard to hear and understand the words.  The song is also a little too slow for the way that the rest of the album is going, but I do think that if I hear it a little more, I will grow to enjoy it.  The next song I did not like was “Incredible Machine” because this song just confused me because I was not sure what they were talking about and it was too short to really go anywhere. 

To compare this with Sugarland’s other albums is very hard.  This whole album has a different feel than their previously released albums.  The album has very upbeat songs that make you want to dance around the room and get busy.  You should buy this album, because it has great songs for working out.  Most of the songs are so upbeat that, which is what people working out are usually looking for. 

Now you are probably wondering where you can get this album.  Well, you have many options.  First you can purchase the whole album off of iTunes for $12.99.  Another option is to order it online from a place like Wal-Mart.com or Target.com for $10 plus shipping.  The last option is to go to the store where they sell CDs and buy the album for $10.  I hope that you decide to give this album a chance because it will probably change the way you listen to country music.

blog.cmt.com

Today we are going to talk about a top blog about country music, blog.cmt.com.  This is a blog that is put together by the cable channel, CMT (Country Music Television).  This blog talks about many different things that pertain to country music. 

The first thing that we will discuss is about the content of the blog. The broadest of topics that they cover is country music and the artists, with the more in depth topics being the artists, songs, albums, videos, and concerts.  That is not all that the blog talks about, but I have found that they do not really discuss the award shows.  The style that the blog is posted in changes depending on the blog they are writing.  It can be anywhere from in first person, to third person, or having the blog directed to the audience.  The blog has been posting pretty much everyday until this past August.  I am not sure why CMT has not been posting to their blog, but the blog is still rather popular without it.  CMT is pitching their blog to advance and beginner level of country music fans.  It informs that fans as to what is happening and to whom, but also is getting to some detail about what is happening for the real fans to add to their knowledge base. 

The next thing we will examine is the reader engagement of the blog.  The topics that are posted that generate the most conversation are about the country music singers.  Most people like to comment on how they think the country stars are doing.  The style of the posts that connect the best with the readers is when the blog writers write as if they are connected with the singers.  Most of the questions that the readers are asking are pertaining to what is in the blog.  Most of the times readers comment about how they feel about the blog and usually ask if the new songs that are out on the radio are available on iTunes.  There are very few complaints from this blog.  The complaints are about things that readers do not understand about what has happened.  There are different mediums that CMT uses on their main website that can be connected with the blog.  Those mediums are Facebook and Twitter.  This allows many people to know about the updated blogs and what is happening with country music.

Our next topic will be about the design of the blog.  The first impression that I get from stumbling onto the website is that it is a little boring, but as you look further, one can see that the blog actually covers many different topics pertaining to country music.  What I think that CMT has done well was writing their blogs about so many different topics.  I did not know that there were so many topics that pertained to country music.  They also give update about things to watch out for when listening to the artists live.  I think that CMT could have designed the blog a little better.  The thing I hate the most is the brown background.  The background turns me off from wanting to look at the website.  From looking at it, I could not see any options given to the readers that subscribe to it.  But I do think that through Facebook and Twitter, the country fans can see what CMT has posted as far as updates. 

The last thing that I will touch base on is monetization.  Monetization is how one can make money from their blog.  This means that they make money through advertising mostly.  There are advertisers that target this blog.  Those advertisers are Dodge, different movie premiers, Weight Watchers, Sprint, AT&T, and Calvin Klein jeans.  These advertisers have found that many country music fans are adept to like one of these ads and click to find out more information.  The CMT blog also tries to promote different things for their affiliates.  But what I have seen, their affiliates are the country artists and the products that they promote for the artists is their albums, videos, songs, concerts, and the occasional movie.  Overall, I do think that CMT’s blog is a rather good one and can see why it is a top blog for country music.

My Award Show Picks 2

Now I’m going to continue with my picks for the Country Music Association Awards Show.  The first award that I make a pick for is Musical Event of the Year, which the award goes to the artist.  To be nominated for this award, an event is defined as a collaboration of two or more people either or all of whom are known primarily as individual artists.  They must have performed together, as a unit, on a single or album released domestically within the eligibility period with each artist prominently featured and live performances are not eligible.  The nominees are

"Bad Angel"
Dierks Bentley featuring Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
Capitol Records Nashville

"Can't You See"
Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock
Southern Ground/Atlantic Records

"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Reprise Records

"I'm Alive"
Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews
BNA Records

"Till the End"
Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack
Arista Nashville

My pick to win is “Hillbilly Bone”, because I believe that this was a major event that happened in the country music world. 

The next award is Album of the Year, which the award goes to the artist and producer.  To be nominated for this award, the album should be judged on all aspects including, but not limited to, artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout, and liner notes.  At least 75% of the product in the album must have first achieved national prominence during the eligibility period.  The nominees are

Need You Now
Lady Antebellum
Produced by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum
Capital Records Nashville

Play On
Carrie Underwood
Produced by Mark Bright and Max Martin
19 Recordings Limited/Arista Nashville

Revolution
Miranda Lambert
Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke
Columbia Nashville

Twang
George Strait
Produced by Tony Brown and George Strait
MCA Nashville

Up On the Ridge
Dierks Bentley
Produced by Jon Randall Stewart
Capitol Records Nashville

My pick to win is Revolution, because I believe that this album had good music and was overall good to listen to. 

The award for Male Vocalist of the Year is next.  To be nominated for this award, the award is based on individual musical performance on a solo album release.  The nominees are

Dierks Bentley

Brad Paisley

Blake Shelton

George Strait

Keith Urban.

My pick is Brad Paisley, because I believe that Brad does a great job on performing Country Music. 

The next award is Female Vocalist of the Year.  To be nominated for this award, the award is based on individual performance on a solo career.  The nominees are

Miranda Lambert

Martina McBride

Reba McEntire

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood.

My pick is Miranda Lambert, because I have become to really enjoy her music and she has made some great strides in Country Music.

The last and big award is Entertainer of the Year.  To be nominated for this award, the award is for the act displaying the greatest competence in all aspects of the entertainment field.  To pick, you should give consideration not only to recorded performance, but also to the in-person performance, staging, public acceptance, attitude, leadership, and overall contribution to the country music image.  The nominees are

Lady Antebellum

Miranda Lambert

Brad Paisley

Keith Urban

Zac Brown Band

My pick is Miranda Lambert, because in the past year Miranda has had her first number one single and created her own headlining tour.

My Award Show Picks

It is time to pick my favorites to win the Country Music Association Awards Show.   There are twelve different categories that give out awards.  Before I tell you my picks for the show, I am going to give you some information about the award itself.  In 1967 the trophy was designed to resemble a chart bullet. It was constructed of a rich walnut and sturdy marble, which signified the strength, durability, and warmth of the genre.  There is a brass note in the center of the wood that read “Best Liked World Wide”.  In 1983, there was a limited supply of walnut wood, so the award was moved to be made out of crystal.  Today’s trophy is made of hand-blown crystal from Florence, Italy and assembled in Nashville, Tennessee with the base being marble.  The CMA logo appears on the award on a tri-level, die-struck medallion in polished bronze.  There is also a satin brass nameplate that states the winner’s name and the category for the award, which is not put on the award until the winner is announced.  The award stands 15 inches tall and weighs 7.5 pounds. 

 Now that we have talked about the award given at the CMAs, I will let you in on my picks of who will win.  To remind you, the nominations are based on the performance of performers and songs from July 1, 2009 till June 30, 2010 and are chosen professional members of the Country Music Association. 

My first award that I will pick for is New Artist of the Year.  To be nominated for the New Artist of the Year, the artist, whether individual or group, has to be known primarily as a County artist, who has for the first time demonstrated the most significant creative growth and development in overall chart or sales activity, live performance, professionalism and/or national media recognition related to the launch of their career.   If an artist has already won a CMA award, except Song of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, and Video of the Year, or who has twice been nominee for the Horizon Award or New Artist of the Year is ineligible for the nomination of New Artist of the Year.  The nominees are

Luke Bryan

Easton Corbin

Jerrod Niemann

Chris Young

Zac Brown Band.

My pick to win the award is the Zac Brown Band, because I have enjoyed all of their music that they have released to radio and enjoyed when I saw them in concert. 

The next category is Vocal Group of the Year.  To be nominated for this award, a group is defined as an act, composed of three or more people, all of whom normally perform together and none of whom is known primarily as individual performing artist.  The award is based on the musical performance of the group as a unit on an album.  The nominees are

Lady Antebellum

Little Big Town

Rascal Flatts

The Band Perry

Zac Brown Band.

My pick to win is Lady Antebellum because their single “Need You Now” has taken off in the last year and the group popular not only on country radio, but also on the pop stations. 

The next award is Vocal Duo of the Year.  To be nominated for this award, a duo is defined as an act composed of two people, both of whom normally perform together and neither of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist.  The award is based on the musical performance of the duo as a unit on an album.  The nominees are

Brooks and Dunn

Joey and Rory

Montgomery Gentry

Steel Magnolia

Sugarland.

 My pick is Brooks and Dunn, because I feel that since this was Brooks and Dunn’s last year together, there will be some sentimental people who feel that the duo deserves the award one more time. 

The next award is Single of the Year, which the award goes to the producer and the artist.  To be nominated for this award, the track must have reached the Top 50 of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles and Tracks Chart, Country Aircheck Chart, or Music Row Country Breakout Chart for the first time during the eligibility period.  If the single charted in the Top 50 on the above charts and was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest chart position during eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has previously appeared on a Final Ballot in this category.   The nominees are

"A Little More Country Than That"
Easton Corbin
Produced by Carson Chamberlain
Mercury Nashville

"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Produced by Scott Hendricks
Reprise Records

"Need You Now"
Lady Antebellum
Produced by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum
Capitol Records Nashville

"The House That Built Me"
Miranda Lambert
Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke
Columbia Nashville

"White Liar"
Miranda Lambert
Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke
Columbia Nashville

My pick is “White Liar”, because I really like this song and it was Miranda Lambert’s first number one single. 

The next award is Song of the Year which goes to the songwriter.  To be nominated for this award, any country music song with original words and music is eligible based upon the song’s Country singles chart activity during the eligibility period.  The nominees are

“A Little More Country Than That"
Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress, and Wynn Varble

"Need You Now"
Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Josh Kear

"The House That Built Me"
Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin

"Toes"
Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins, and Shawn Mullins

"White Liar"
Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby

My pick is “White Liar” again, because I feel that with this being Miranda’s first number one single will give precedent and I really love that song. 

The next award is Music Video of the Year, which the award goes to the artist and director.  To be nominated for this award, the original music video is not more than 10 minutes in length featuring the performance of not more than one song or medley.  The video must have been first nationally broadcast in its entirety during eligibility period.  The video should be judged on all audio and video elements including, but not limited to, the artist’s performance, video concept and production.  The nominees are

"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Directed by Roman White

"Need You Now"
Lady Antebellum
Directed by David McClister

"The House That Built Me"
Miranda Lambert
Directed by Trey Fanjoy

"Water"
Brad Paisley
Directed by Jim Shea

"White Liar"
Miranda Lambert
Directed by Chris Hicky

My pick is “Water” because I do like the whole concept that Brad Paisley came up with doing most of the song in a pool.  It was also fun to see the instruments floating in the water. 

The last award that I will pick in this post is Musician of the Year.  To be nominated for this award, the musician is known primarily as an instrumental performer.  In order to qualify, a musician must have played on at least one album or single that has appeared in the Top 10 of the Country album or singles charts from Billboard’s Hot Country Singles and Tracks Chart, Music Row Country Breakout Chart, or Country Aircheck Chart during the eligibility period.  The nominees are

Paul Franklin - Steel Guitar
Dann Huff - Guitar
Brent Mason - Guitar
Mac McAnally - Guitar
Randy Scruggs – Guitar

My pick is Mac McAnally because he has been known to work with Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith, which have produced some really great songs and concerts.

Jane Dear Girls

For this post, I am going to introduce you to a new country music duo.  The duo is made up of Danelle Leverett and Susie Brown.  Susie is from Alpine, Utah and plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, accordion, and bass.  Susie also does some vocals for the group.  She grew up in a family of seven children that really enjoyed music.  She started playing the violin at 4 and won her first fiddle contest at 10.  Growing up, Susie was part of her family’s band and in high school, she entered into many different musical events.  When Susie moved to Nashville, she was a backup singer for many major artists, like Trisha Yearwood.  Danelle is from Amarillo, Texas and plays the guitar, harmonica, mandolin, and gango.  She also sings vocals for the group along with Susie.  Growing up, Danelle was mostly into athletics.  She was a competitive gymnast, which she pursued all the way into high school.  In her down time from sports due to an injury, Danelle started to learn how to play the guitar and write music.  She won a songwriting competition and while in college, signed an independent record deal.  After she graduated college, she moved to Nashville, where she found Susie. 

The group came together after pursuing individual careers when a friend of Danelle’s suggested that she go and see Susie perform at a club in Nashville.  After getting to know each other, Danelle and Susie started writing music together and after recording their first song together, they knew they were destined to be a duo.  As they pushed forward, the Jane Dear Girls started to impress the country music industry people and gained the support of John Rich, who helped them make recording contracts.  The duo got its name because they wanted something that was feminine, All-American, and country, which took awhile to find the exact name. 

Jane Dear Girls’ first single out on the radio is “Wildflower”.  The first time I heard that song was on the back from Missouri with my brother.  We were listening to a weekly country countdown show and when my brother heard the opening music, told me to shut up.  As I listened to the song I was really enjoying the music.  I hope that the song will end up high in the charts and that I hear more from the Jane Dear Girls, even maybe see them in concert someday.