Country superstars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will be returning to host “Country Music’s Biggest Night™” for the sixth consecutive time in 2013. “The 47
th Annual CMA Awards” airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on
Wednesday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.
The
popular hosts used “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” to
make the announcement when the concert special aired tonight on ABC.
“Carrie and Brad are the consummate hosts,” said
Ed Hardy,
President of the CMA Board of Directors. “They have the respect of our
industry, artistic credibility, critical acclaim, and a quick-witted,
genuine rapport that makes them popular with our audience and the
viewers at home. We are delighted to have them back as hosts for the
sixth year.”
Paisley has won 14 CMA Awards since receiving the
Horizon Award (now the New Artist Award) in 2000, including Entertainer
of the Year (2010), Male Vocalist (2007, 2008, 2009) and Album (2006 for
Time Well Wasted). He won Musical Event of the Year three
times, first in 2004 with Alison Krauss for “Whiskey Lullaby,” second in
2006 for “When I Get Where I’m Going” with Dolly Parton, and a third
time in 2009 for “Start a Band” with Keith Urban. He claimed the Vocal
Event of the Year trophy in 2001 for “Too Country” with Bill Anderson,
George Jones, and Buck Owens; and won Music Video of the Year four
times, first in 2002 for “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” second
in 2004 for “Whiskey Lullaby” (with Krauss), third in 2007 for
“Online,” and fourth in 2008 for "Waitin' on a Woman" (featuring Andy
Griffith). He is No. 5 on the list of top CMA Awards winners of all
time.
Paisley is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter,
guitarist and entertainer, who has earned numerous awards and accolades,
as well as being a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry. Since his first
No. 1 single in 1999 he has placed 22 singles at the top of the charts,
his most recent from his acclaimed new album,
Wheelhouse, which
features his new single, “I Can’t Change the World,” as well as the
back-to-back No. 1 hits, “Southern Comfort Zone” and “Beat This
Summer.” This is Paisley’s first self-produced project and he wrote or
co-wrote all tracks on the album. Paisley’s 2012 “Virtual Reality World
Tour”
played to more than one million fans in the U.S. and
Europe. Paisley’s 2013 tour, “Beat This Summer Tour presented by Cracker
Barrel Old Country Store®,” has played to more than 423,000 fans to
date.
Underwood has received five CMA Awards in her career – only
six other female solo artists have received more including Dolly Parton
(nine), Loretta Lynn (eight), and Allison Krauss (eight). Like Tammy
Wynette (1968-1970), Underwood has won three consecutive Female Vocalist
of the Year trophies (2006-2008), as well as Single of the Year (2007
for “Before He Cheats”), and the Horizon Award (2006). Her 15 career CMA
Awards nominations include two for Album of the Year for
Carnival Ride (2008) and
Play On
(2010); two nominations for Music Video of the Year for “Jesus Take the
Wheel” (2006) and “Before He Cheats” (2007); and Musical Event of the
Year for “I Told You So” featuring Randy Travis (2009). She has been
nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year every year since winning in
2006 (2006-2012).
Since releasing her debut album in 2005,
Underwood has sold more than 15 million albums and placed 17 No. 1
singles on the charts, eight of which she co-wrote. Her current album,
Blown Away, made history by debuting at No. 1 on
Billboard’s
Top Country Albums chart, making Underwood only the second Country
artist in the 47-year history of the chart to have each of their first
four albums debut at No. 1. The Platinum-selling
Blown Away also debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre
Billboard
200 chart, making her only the second Country artist in history to have
three consecutive albums debut at No. 1. Underwood’s recently wrapped
“Blown Away Tour” launched in the spring of 2012 and continued through
May 2013, for a total of 112 dates in 110 cities, 6 countries, and 3
continents, playing for more than 1 million fans and selling out every
concert this year.
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are
determined by more than 7,000 industry professional members of CMA,
which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual
genre of music in 1958.
Winners of “The 47
th Annual
CMA Awards” will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible
voting members of CMA. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the
international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. The
eligibility period for the 2013 CMA Awards is
July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.
The second ballot will be emailed to CMA members
Tuesday, Aug. 20. Voting for the second ballot closes at
Friday, Aug. 30 (5:00 PM/CT). The final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced in September.
Winners of “The 47
th
Annual CMA Awards” will be determined in a final round of voting by
eligible CMA members. The third and final ballot will be emailed on
Thursday, Oct. 10. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends
Monday, Oct. 28 (5:00 PM/CT).
Ticket information for the CMA Awards will be announced later this summer with information available at
CMAawards.com. Or follow the conversation on Twitter at #CMAawards.
Clean water leads to healthy people, which leads to less time trying to survive and more time trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives." - Brad Paisley
Billboard Magazine notes that Independence Day is a holiday for much of America, but not everyone. "Among the folks who still have to work: newspaper carriers, convenience-store clerks and a bunch of country artists. Given the all-American image country acts are so careful to cultivate, working the Fourth is a no-brainer, and the genre will be in full force around the nation when festivities gear up on July 4. Here’s a partial rundown of country’s red, white and blue plans:" 
Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley are part of E!'s new music competition series Opening Act, premiering July 9.
