C O N T A C T: Lauren McGee / Alicia Mohr 310-854-4800 [email protected] / [email protected] N O M IN A T I O NS A NN O UN C E D F O R T H E 46th A NNU A L A C A D E M Y O F C O UN T R Y M USI C® A W A RDS &28175<086,&¶63$57<2)7+(<($5 * * * * F A NS W I L L V O T E A G A IN F O R E N T E R T A IN E R O F T H E Y E A R; T OP N E W A R T IST C A T E G O R Y F A N V O T E D F O R T H IRD Y E A R IN A R O W T E L E CAST TO AIR LIV E F ROM MGM GRAND IN LAS VE GAS Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network Miranda Lambert leads with 7 nominations; Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band each receive 5 nominations, with Zac Brown receiving 4 additional nods; The Band Perry and Taylor Swift each receive 4 nominations; Lady Antebellum, Lee Brice, Easton Corbin, Alan Jackson and Keith Urban each receive 3 nominations NASHVILLE, TN (February 1, 2011) ± Nominations were announced today for the 46th A NNU A L A C A D E M Y O F C O UN T R Y M USI C A W A RDS, a star-studded event produced for television by dick clark productions broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Nominees were announced at a press conference this morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum in Nashville. Country superstars Miranda Lambert and Ronnie Dunn read the nominations live GXULQJ &%6¶ The Early Show broadcast. As previously announced, Blake Shelton will join forces with country music star Reba to host the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. )RUWKHWKLUG\HDUIDQVZLOOVHOHFWWKHZLQQHURIWKH$FDGHP\¶VPRVWSUHVWLJLRXVKRQRU Entertainer of the Year and for the third year, the two newcomer categories for the annual Academy of Country Music Awards ²Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Duo or G roup² will also be opened up to fan voting. The winner in each of the two newcomer categories will then move on to compete for Top New A rtist, which is also a fan voted category. Online voting for all fan voted categories will be available at www.voteACM.com. The winners of Entertainer of the Year and Top New A rtist will be announced live during the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. This morning Miranda Lambert led with seven nominations, including Top Female Vocalist and her first ever nomination for Entertainer of the Year. In addition, Lambert was nominated for Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year IRU³7KH+RXVH7KDW%XLOW0H´and received two nominations for Video of the Year for ³2QO\3UHWWLHU´DQG³7KH+RXVH7KDW%XLOW0H´ She is nominated for Vocal Event of the Year with Sheryl Crow DQG /RUHWWD /\QQ IRU ³&RDO 0LQHU¶V 'DXJKWHU´ Lambert is the reigning ACM Top Female Vocalist. K enny Chesney is nominated for five awards, including Album of the Year for +HPLQJZD\¶V:KLVNH\ and Single Record of the Year for ³7KH %R\V 2I )DOO,´ both of which he is nominated for as an artist and producer. He is also nominated for VLGHRRIWKH<HDUIRU³7KH%R\V2I)DOO´ Zac Brown Band is nominated for five awards including Top Vocal Group and Album of the Year. Zac Brown Band is also nominated for Song of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year IRU³$V6KH¶V:DONLQJ$ZD\´featuring Alan Jackson. Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band also received four additional individual nominations as the producer for Album of the Year contender You Get What You Give, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the <HDU IRU ³$V 6KH¶V :DONLQJ $ZD\´ DQG DGGLWLRQDOO\ DV D FRPSRVHU IRU 6RQJ RI WKH <HDU IRU ³$V 6KH¶V :DONLQJ$ZD\´ The Band Perry is nominated for four awards, including Top Vocal Group and Top New Vocal Duo or Group. They are also nominated for Single Record of the Year DQG6RQJRIWKH<HDUIRU³,I,'LH<RXQJ´ Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry also received an additional individual nomination as a composer for Song of the Year conteQGHU³,I,'LH<RXQJ´ Taylor Swift is nominated for four awards, including her second nod for Entertainer of the Year. If Swift wins Entertainer of the Year, this will be her first Entertainer of the Year win. Swift is nominated as an artist and producer for Album of the Year for Speak Now and she also received a nomination for Top Female Vocalist. Lady Antebellum is nominated for three awards including Top Vocal Group. They are also nominated for Album of the Year as artists and producers for Need You Now. They are the reigning Top Vocal Group. Lee Brice is nominated for three awards for Song of the Year and as both an artist and producer for Single 5HFRUGRIWKH\HDUIRU³/RYH/LNH&UD]\´ 7KLVLV%ULFH¶VILUVW\HDUWREHQRPLQDWHG Easton Corbin is nominated for three awards for Top New Solo Vocalist and for Song of the Year and Single Record of the Year foU ³$ /LWWOH 0RUH &RXQWU\ 7KDQ 7KDW´ 7KLV LV &RUELQ¶V ILUVW \HDU WR EH nominated. Alan Jackson is nominated for three awards for Song of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal (YHQWRIWKH<HDUIRU³$V6KH¶V:DONLQJ$ZD\,´ZLWKWKH=DF%URZQ%DQG K eith Urban is nominated for three awards including Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist. Urban is also nominated for Vocal EvenWRIWKH<HDUIRU³%OXH6N\´ZLWK(PLO\:HVW Members of the Academy of Country Music select the nominees and winners of the A C A D E M Y O F C O UN T R Y M USI C A W A RDS, and select the final top six nominees of the Entertainer of the Year category and the top three nominees in newcomer categories, Top New Solo Vocalist and Top New Vocal Duo or Group. Presenters and performers who will appear at the ceremony will be announced at a later date. Following is the list of final nominees. Winners in each of the following categories, except where noted, will be presented with an A C A D E M Y O F C O UN T R Y M USI C A W A RD during the live television broadcast: E N T E R T A IN E R O F T H E Y E A R x Jason Aldean x Toby Keith x Miranda Lambert x Brad Paisley x Taylor Swift x Keith Urban T OP M A L E V O C A L IST O F T H E Y E A R x Jason Aldean x Brad Paisley x Blake Shelton x George Strait x Keith Urban T OP F E M A L E V O C A L IST O F T H E Y E A R x Miranda Lambert x Reba McEntire x Taylor Swift x Carrie Underwood x Lee Ann Womack T OP V O C A L DU O O F T H E Y E A R x the JaneDear girls x Joey + Rory x Montgomery Gentry x Steel Magnolia x Sugarland T OP V O C A L G R O UP O F T H E Y E A R x Lady Antebellum x Little Big Town x Randy Rogers Band x The Band Perry x Zac Brown Band T OP N E W SO L O V O C A L IST O F T H E Y E A R (Previously Announced) x Eric Church x Easton Corbin x Randy Houser T OP N E W V O C A L DU O or G R O UP O F T H E Y E A R (Previously Announced) x the JaneDear girls x Steel Magnolia x The Band Perry A L BU M O F T H E Y E A R [Award to A rtist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] (T I E) x +HPLQJZD\¶V:KLVNH\± Kenny Chesney (BNA) Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney x Need You Now - Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville) Produced by: Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley x The Guitar Song ± Jamey Johnson (Mercury) Produced by: Arlis Albritton, Dave Cobb, The Kent Hardly Playboys x Speak Now ± Taylor Swift (Big Machine Records) Produced by: Nathan Chapman, Taylor Swift x Up On The Ridge ± Dierks Bentley (Capitol Records Nashville) Produced by: Jon Randall Stewart x You Get What You Give - Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground / Roar / Bigger Picture / Atlantic) Produced by: Zac Brown, Keith Stegall SIN G L E R E C O RD O F T H E Y E A R [Award to A rtist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] (T I E) x A Little More Country Than That ± Easton Corbin (Mercury) Produced by: Carson Chamberlain x $V6KH¶V:DONLQJ$ZD\- Zac Brown Band Featuring Alan Jackson (Southern Ground / Roar / Bigger Picture / Atlantic) Produced by: Zac Brown, Keith Stegall x If I Die Young ± The Band Perry (Republic Nashville) Produced by: Paul Worley x Love Like C razy ± Lee Brice (Curb Records) Produced by: Lee Brice, Doug Johnson x The Boys Of Fall ± Kenny Chesney (BNA) Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney x The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert (Columbia Nashville) Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke SO N G O F T H E Y E A R [Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/A rtist(s)] x A Little More Country Than That ± Easton Corbin Composers: Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress, Wynn Varble Publishers: A Sling And A Prayer Music (ASCAP), Chrysalis One Music (ASCAP), Don Poythress Songs (ASCAP), Precious Flour Music (BMI), Universal Music-MGB Songs (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.