Thursday, October 2, 2014

CMA + Country Superstars Almost Ready For (Sold Out!) Awards And Then Christmas Shows

The star-studded lineup for Country Music’s Biggest Night™ continues to grow with today’s announcement of additional performers for “The 48th Annual CMA Awards.”

Not only are they hosting for the seventh consecutive year, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will each perform during the three-hour live broadcast Wednesday, Nov. 5 (8:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Strike up the bands, because joining the superstar lineup are three of the hottest groups in County Music – Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, and The Band Perry. Previously announced performers include Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and Keith Urban.

Paisley is among the top CMA Award winners of all time, with 14 trophies. He is a former CMA Entertainer of the Year (2010) and three-time CMA Male Vocalist of the Year (2007-2009), with multiple wins in the Music Video and Musical Event of the Year categories. Paisley’s first CMA Award came in 2000 when he won the Horizon Award, now known as New Artist of the Year.

A three-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year (2006-2008), Underwood is again nominated in that category in 2014, as well as Music Video and Musical Event of the Year with Lambert for “Somethin’ Bad.” Underwood is a five-time CMA Awards winner with 21 career CMA Awards nominations. She has been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year every year since her first nomination in 2006 (2006-2014).

Lady Antebellum has 16 career CMA Awards nominations and six wins including three for Vocal Group of the Year (2009-2011), two for Single of the Year (“I Run to You” in 2009 and “Need You Now” in 2010), and a win for New Artist of the Year in 2008. In 2014, they are nominated for Vocal Group of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Bartender.”

Little Big Town has 16 career CMA Awards nominations and has been nominated for CMA Vocal Group of the Year every year since 2006 – and 2014 is no exception. The group has won three CMA Awards including Vocal Group of the Year (2012, 2013), and Single of the Year in 2012 for “Pontoon.”

The Band Perry has eight career CMA Awards nominations and two wins including New Artist of the Year (2011) and Single of the Year for “If I Die Young” (2011). The sibling trio is nominated for Vocal Group of the Year in 2014 (they have been nominated in this category each year since 2010).

Tickets for “The 48th Annual CMA Awards” are officially sold out, marking the sixth year in a row the ceremony has sold out in advance.

Winners of “The 48th Annual CMA Awards” will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. The third and final ballot will be emailed to CMA members emailed to CMA members Thursday, Oct. 9. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends Monday, Oct. 27 (5:00 PM/CT).

Jennifer Nettles returns to host CMA Country Christmas for the fifth year in a row. The special, which tapes in front of a live audience November 7th, will air during the holiday season on ABC.

“After being the host of ‘CMA Country Christmas,’ for five years now, it is hard to pick one thing I love about it. There are so many fun moments,” Nettles said. “Whether it is the performances or duets, getting to perform Christmas songs with great artists is really fun for me.  It’s really a fun show all around.”

Artists scheduled to perform and celebrate the season include Little Big Town, Jennifer, Michael W. Smith, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Sara Evans, Lucy Hale, Hunter Hayes, Broadway star Idina Menzel, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood.

For the third year, audience members are being encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the taping to help make the holidays brighter for Nashville area children. The Nashville-based non-profit group Generosity will have volunteers on site with specially marked bins to collect toys beginning at 5:00 PM/CT on Nov. 7. In 2013, the group collected more than 5,000 toys.

“Our artist community is extremely generous and so are our fans,” Trahern said. “It is our goal to make sure no child goes without a present this Christmas and we are grateful to our partners at Generosity for helping to make this a dream come true for children in Nashville.”

Tickets for “CMA Country Christmas” are on sale now and can be purchased at CMAChristmas.com; by calling (800) 745-3000; or in person at the Bridgestone Arena Box Office, located at 501 Broadway (corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, Nashville). Tickets for “CMA Country Christmas” are $25 for Upper-Level seating and $50 for Lower- and Club-Level seating. Ticket prices include tax, but exclude applicable service fees.

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