Country Music Herald

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood got up with the birds to help announce this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards nominees, and both of their names were called more than once. Kenny Chesney led all country music stars with a whopping 11 nominations, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year award. He’s up against some stiff competition from Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, and George Strait. They are all worthy of the award, so it will be a great competition.

There were few surprises in the nominees this year, in my opinion, but there were a couple worth mentioning. First of all, I’m thrilled Sarah Buxton got a nod in the Best New Female Vocalist category, although Taylor Swift surely has that category all wrapped up. I’m also excited for Miranda Lambert and her 3 total nominations, including single record of the year for “Famous in a Small Town”. Finally, I’m not sure how this will work, but The Wreckers are up for Best New Duo or Group and they’ve already split up. That should mean they should not win, but it could be interesting if they do.

If you want to see all nominees in all of the categories, keep reading after the jump and leave your thoughts on who was nominated (and who wasn’t) in the comments section below.

country music, 2008 ACM Award Nominees

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

- Kenny Chesney
- Brad Paisley
- Rascal Flatts
- George Strait
- Keith Urban

TOP MALE VOCALIST

- Rodney Atkins
- Kenny Chesney
- Brad Paisley
- George Strait
- Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST

- Miranda Lambert
- Martina McBride
- LeAnn Rimes
- Taylor Swift
- Carrie Underwood

TOP VOCAL GROUP

- Diamond Rio
- Eagles
- Emerson Drive
- Little Big Town
- Rascal Flatts

TOP VOCAL DUO

- Big & Rich
- Brooks & Dunn
- Halfway To Hazard
- Montgomery Gentry
- Sugarland

TOP NEW MALE VOCALIST

- Luke Bryan
- Jack Ingram
- Jake Owen

TOP NEW FEMALE VOCALIST

- Sarah Buxton
- Kellie Pickler
- Taylor Swift

TOP NEW DUO OR VOCAL GROUP

- Carolina Rain
- Lady Antebellum
- The Wreckers

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]

- 5th Gear - Brad Paisley (Arista Nashville)
Produced by Chris DuBois, Frank Rogers
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Miranda Lambert (Columbia)
Produced by Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke
- Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates - Kenny Chesney (BNA)
Produced by Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
- If You’re Going Through Hell - Rodney Atkins (Curb)
Produced by Rodney Atkins, Ted Hewitt
- Taylor Swift -Taylor Swift (Big Machine)
Produced by Scott Borchetta, Nathan Chapman
# 6 Produced by Robert Ellis Orrall

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

- Don’t Blink
Kenny Chesney, Produced by Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
BNA
- Famous In A Small Town
Miranda Lambert, Produced by Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke
Columbia
- Lost In This Moment
Big & Rich, Produced by Big Kenny, John Rich Warner Bros/WRN
- Stay
Sugarland, Produced by Kristian Bush, Byron Gallimore, Jennifer Nettles
Mercury
- Watching Airplanes
Gary Allan, Produced by Gary Allan , Mark Wright
MCA Nashville

SONG OF THE YEAR [Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

- Don’t Blink
Kenny Chesney
Writers: Casey Beathard, Chris Wallin
Publishers: Lavender Zoo Music (BMI), Mama’s Dream Music (ASCAP), Sony/ATV Acuff Rose (BMI), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)
- Lost In This Moment
Big & Rich
Writers: Keith Anderson, Rodney Clawson, John Rich
Publishers: EMI April Music, Inc. (ASCAP), Romeo Cowboy Music (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Writer’s Extreme Music (BMI)
- Moments
Emerson Drive
Writers: Dave Berg, Annie Tate, Sam Tate
Publishers: Gravitron (SESAC), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)
- Watching You
Rodney Atkins
Writers: Rodney Atkins, Steve Dean, Brian White
Publishers: Bethar Music (BMI), Mike Curb Music (BMI), Multisongs (SESAC), Songs From The White House (SESAC)
- Stay
Sugarland
Writer: Jennifer Nettles
Publishers: Jennifer Nettles Publishing (ASCAP)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

- Don’t Blink - Kenny Chesney
Producer: Tacklebox Films
Director: Shaun Silva
- Lost In This Moment - Big & Rich
Producer: Big Kenny, Steve Lamar, Marc Oswald
Director: Robert Deaton and George Flanigen
- Online - Brad Paisley
Producer: Mark Kalbfeld and Peter Tilden
Director: Jason Alexander
- Stay - Sugarland
Producer: Kristian Bush, Byron Gallimore, Jennifer Nettles
Director: Shaun Silva
- Watching You - Rodney Atkins
Producer: Broken Poet Production
Director: Eric Welch

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]

- Because Of You - Reba McEntire Duet With Kelly Clarkson
Produced by Tony Brown, Reba McEntire
MCA Nashville
- Find Out Who Your Friends Are - Tracy Lawrence With Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney
Produced by Julian King, Tracy Lawrence
Rocky Comfort/CO5
- Shiftwork - Kenny Chesney Duet With George Strait
Produced by Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
BNA
- Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore - Bon Jovi Featuring LeAnn Rimes
Produced by Dann Huff
Mecury
- What You Give Away - Vince Gill With Sheryl Crow
Produced by Vince Gill, John Hobbs, Justin Niebank
MCA Nashville