Nominations Announced For The 49th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC® AWARDS Country Music's Party Of The Year®

ENCINO, Calif., Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominations were announced today for the 49^th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, Country Music's Party of the Year®, honoring country music's superstars and hottest emerging talent. Hosted by four-time ACM Award winner Blake Shelton and reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, the ACM Awards are produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.   

Nominees were revealed online via the third annual ACM digital press conference this morning. Fox Sports broadcaster Erin Andrews, 2 Broke Girls star Beth Behrs, reigning ACM Songwriter of the Year Dallas Davidson, The Insider co-anchor Kevin Frazier, singer and Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale, CBS This Morning co-anchor Gayle King, Jerrod Niemann, Entertainment Tonight co-anchor Nancy O'Dell, Duck Dynasty stars Willie and Korie Robertson, Darius Rucker, The Talk hosts Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler & Sheryl Underwood and surprise guest pop superstar Katy Perry, all announced nominations in video postings to the Academy's Facebook and Twitter sites during the approximately 45 minute online event.

Fans will again help select the winner of both the Academy's most prestigious honor, Entertainer of the Year, and the New Artist of the Year Presented By Kohl's. As previously announced, Lee Brice, Brett Eldredge, Tyler Farr, Justin Moore, Kip Moore, Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett and Parmalee are the semi-finalists for this year's ACM New Artist of the Year.  These top eight (8) artists from the first round of ACM professional voting will compete via the Great American Country fan vote at GACtv.com, combined with the ACM professional membership vote, to determine the 3 nominees for the award. An additional combined fan and professional membership vote will determine the winner. The winners of Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year will be announced live during the 49^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. 

Miranda Lambert earned seven nominations, including her third nomination for Entertainer of the Year and eighth consecutive nod for Female Vocalist of the Year. Additionally, Lambert was nominated for Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Video of the Year for "Mama's Broken Heart," and twice for Vocal Event of the Year for both "We Were Us" with Keith Urban and "Boys 'Round Here" as part of the Pistol Annies. Lambert is the reigning ACM Female Vocalist of the Year.

Tim McGraw received seven nominations, including Video of the Year for "Highway Don't Care" featuring Taylor Swift & Keith Urban. He is also nominated twice for Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year awards as both the artist and producer.

Keith Urban received six nominations, including Male Vocalist of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Video of the Year. In the category for Vocal Event of the Year he is nominated for "Highway Don't Care" with Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift, as well as nominated twice for "We Were Us" with Miranda Lambert as the artist and producer.

Lee Brice is nominated for five awards, including his first ever Male Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year nominations and fourth consecutive nod for Song of the Year. He is also nominated twice in the Single Record of the Year category as the artist and producer for "I Drive Your Truck."

Kacey Musgraves earned five nominations, including her second consecutive nods for Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year. She is also nominated for Song of the Year and nominated twice in the Album of the Year category, as the artist and producer, for Same Trailer Different Park.

Blake Shelton is nominated for five awards, including his third consecutive nomination for Entertainer of the Year and fourth nod for Male Vocalist of the Year. Shelton also received a nomination for Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year.

Taylor Swift received five nominations, including her fifth consecutive nod for Entertainer of the Year and seventh consecutive nod for Female Vocalist of the Year. She also received a nomination for Single Record of the Year, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for "Highway Don't Care" with Tim McGraw and Keith Urban.

Reigning New Artist of the Year, Florida Georgia Line earned four nominations, including their second consecutive nod for Vocal Duo of the Year. They also earned nominations for Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year.

Lady Antebellum is nominated for four awards, including their sixth nod for Vocal Group of the Year. They are also nominated for Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for "Wagon Wheel" with Darius Rucker.

Luke Bryan received three nominations, including his second consecutive nomination for both Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. He also earned an Album of the Year nomination for Crash My Party. 

Darius Rucker is nominated for three awards, including Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for "Wagon Wheel" featuring Lady Antebellum.

The Academy of Country Music's professional membership selects the nominees and winners of the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, and selects the final top five nominees of the Entertainer of the Year category. New Artist of the Year final nominees will be selected by a combined vote of the fans and professional members.

Fan voting for Entertainer of the Year begins on Monday, March 24 at 3:00 PM ET/12noon PT at VoteACM.com and will close during the third hour of the LIVE broadcast. First round fan voting for New Artist of the Year Presented by Kohl's is now open at www.VoteACM.comand www.GACTV.com/ACMand will close on Tuesday, February 4 at 3:00 PM ET/12noon PT. The final three nominees will be announced in the coming weeks and will move on to compete in the final round of voting for the New Artist category at VoteACM.com. Final round fan voting for the New Artist of the Year category begins on Monday, March 24 at 3:00 PM ET/12noon PT and will close at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on Sunday, April 6 (before the LIVE telecast begins).

Following is the list of final nominees. Winners in each of the categories, except where noted, will be presented with an ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD during the live television broadcast:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Luke Bryan
• Miranda Lambert
• Blake Shelton
• George Strait
• Taylor Swift

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Jason Aldean
• Lee Brice
• Luke Bryan
• Blake Shelton
• Keith Urban

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Sheryl Crow
• Miranda Lambert
• Kacey Musgraves
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

• Big & Rich
• Dan + Shay
• Florida Georgia Line
• Love and Theft
• Thompson Square

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Eli Young Band
• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• The Band Perry
• Zac Brown Band

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

• Based On A True Story… – Blake Shelton
  Producer: Scott Hendricks
  Record Label: Warner Bros. Records

• Crash My Party – Luke Bryan
  Producer: Jeff Stevens
  Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

• Here's To The Good Times – Florida Georgia Line
  Producer: Joey Moi
  Record Label: Republic Nashville

• Same Trailer Different Park – Kacey Musgraves
  Producers: Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves
  Record Label: Mercury Records

• Two Lanes Of Freedom – Tim McGraw
  Producers: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw
  Record Label: Big Machine Records

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

• Cruise – Florida Georgia Line
  Producer: Joey Moi
  Record Label: Republic Nashville

• Highway Don't Care – Tim McGraw Featuring Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
  Producers: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw
  Record Label: Big Machine Records

• I Drive Your Truck – Lee Brice
  Producers: Lee Brice, Kyle Jacobs, Matt McClure
  Record Label: Curb Records

• Mama's Broken Heart – Miranda Lambert
  Producers: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
  Record Label: RCA Nashville

• Wagon Wheel – Darius Rucker Featuring Lady Antebellum
  Producer: Frank Rogers
  Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

• Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain) – Gary Allan
  Songwriters: Gary Allan, Hillary Lindsey, Matthew Warren
  Publishers: Always Alone Songs (ASCAP), Crystal Beach Music (BMI), Raylene Music (ASCAP)
  
  
• I Drive Your Truck – Lee Brice
  Songwriters: Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, Jimmy Yeary
  Publishers: Beattyville Music (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI), Great Day At This Music (BMI), Happy Tears Music (ASCAP), Vistaville Music (ASCAP), Watch This Girl Publishing (BMI)
  
  
• Mama's Broken Heart – Miranda Lambert
  Songwriters: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves
  Publishers: 351 Music (BMI), Crazy Water Music (ASCAP), Little Blue Egg (ASCAP), Songs of Parallel (ASCAP), Vista Loma Music (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)
  
  
• Mine Would Be You – Blake Shelton
  Songwriters: Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, Deric Ruttan
  Publishers: Doc and Maggie Music (ASCAP), EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI), Get A Load Of This Music (ASCAP), Great Day At This Music (BMI), Hopeless Rose Music (ASCAP), Vistaville Music (ASCAP), Watch This Girl Publishing (BMI), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)
  
  
• Wagon Wheel – Darius Rucker Featuring Lady Antebellum
  Songwriters: Bob Dylan, Ketch Secor
  Publishers: Blood Donor Music (BMI), Special Rider Music (SESAC)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award) (TIE)

• Better Dig Two – The Band Perry
  Producer: Eric Williams
  Director: Declan Whitebloom

• Blowin' Smoke – Kacey Musgraves
  Producer: Josh Goldstein
  Director: Honey

• Highway Don't Care – Tim McGraw Featuring Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
  Producers: Tameron Hedge, Chandra LaPlume
  Director: Shane Drake

• I Drive Your Truck – Lee Brice
  Producer: Karen Martin
  Director: Eric Welch

• Mama's Broken Heart – Miranda Lambert
  Producer: Reagan Rosson
  Director: Trey Fanjoy

• Two Black Cadillacs – Carrie Underwood
  Producer: Steve Lamar
  Director: P.R. Brown

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]*(Off Camera Award)

• Boys 'Round Here – Blake Shelton Featuring Pistol Annies & Friends
  Producer: Scott Hendricks
  Record Label: Warner Bros. Records

• Cruise (Remix) – Florida Georgia Line Featuring Nelly
  Producers: Joey Moi, Jason Nevins
  Record Label: Republic Nashville

• Highway Don't Care – Tim McGraw Featuring Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
  Producers: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw
  Record Label: Big Machine Records

• Wagon Wheel – Darius Rucker Featuring Lady Antebellum
  Producer: Frank Rogers
  Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

• We Were Us – Keith Urban And Miranda Lambert
  Producers: Nathan Chapman, Keith Urban
  Record Labels: Capitol Records Nashville, Hit Red Records, RCA Nashville

OFF CAMERA AWARDS - The following off-camera awards will be presented during the 8^th Annual ACM Honors event on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 in Nashville.

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR *(Off Camera Award)

• Rhett Akins
• Rodney Clawson
• Ashley Gorley
• Luke Laird
• Shane McAnally

INDUSTRY AWARDS:

DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR

• Billy Brill – Billy Alan Productions
• Brock Jones – Global Spectrum
• Nicole More – Neste Event Marketing
• Fran Romeo – Romeo Entertainment Group
• R.J. Romeo – Romeo Entertainment Group

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

• Brent Fedrizzi – AEG Live
• Brad Garrett – Police Productions
• Billy Minick – Billy Bob's Texas
• Brian O'Connell – Live Nation
• Ron Sakamoto – Gold & Gold Productions

STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS:
(FORMERLY KNOWN AS MUSICIAN/BANDLEADER/INSTRUMENTALIST (MBI) AWARDS)

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Mike Brignardello
• Kevin "Swine" Grantt
• Mark Hill
• Michael Rhodes
• Glenn Worf

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR

• Chad Cromwell
• Fred Eltringham
• Shannon Forrest
• Greg Morrow
• Lonnie Wilson

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Jeff King
• Troy Lancaster
• Brent Mason
• Rob McNelley
• Jerry McPherson

PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Tony Harrell
• John Jarvis
• Charlie Judge
• Tim Lauer
• Gordon Mote

SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Glen Duncan
• Larry Franklin
• Jim Hoke
• Danny Rader
• Bryan Sutton

STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Dan Dugmore
• Paul Franklin
• Steve Hinson
• Russ Pahl
• Scotty Sanders

AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

• Derek Bason
• Ben Fowler
• Mills Logan
• Steve Marcantonio
• Justin Niebank

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

• Mark Bright
• Dann Huff
• Michael Knox
• Frank Liddell
• Paul Worley

RADIO AWARDS  - The following radio awards will be presented during the annual Radio Winners Reception held the day prior to the ACM Awards telecast, on Saturday, April 5 in Las Vegas.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Awards counts for artists reflect categories in which they have been recognized as individuals or as part of their duo or group. In some cases, an artist may receive more than one nomination which factors into their official count. For example, Tim McGraw received two nominations in the Album of the Year category--one each as artist and producer--because that category recognizes both.

Award recipients in each category are noted above parenthetically in the Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year.

About the Academy of Country Music Awards
The 49^th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry.  The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.  Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan and R.A. Clark are executive producers.  Barry Adelman is producer. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music. 

Press credential applications to cover the awards in Las Vegas are available from the Media Center at www.ACMcountry.com. 

SOURCE Academy of Country Music