Current "American Idol" Carrie Underwood to Perform and Present Award;
Additional Presenters Include Cowboy Troy, Montgomery Gentry, Olivia Newton-
John, Joe Nichols and Wynonna
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Reigning CMA Entertainer of the
Year Kenny Chesney has been tapped to open "Country Music's Biggest Night,"
CMA announced today.
"It makes sense the biggest touring artist in the format should be the one
who opens the CMA Awards on this historic occasion," said CMA Executive
Director Ed Benson. "This is a night of firsts and big events and this will be
one of them. Kenny's energy alone with his ability to connect with the
audience and our viewers will set the tone for the night."
"The 39th Annual CMA Awards," which is hosted for the second year by
Brooks & Dunn, airs live Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS
Television Network from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Chesney will open the three-hour gala with the scorching "Living In Fast
Forward," from his eagerly anticipated BNA Records release The Road & The
Radio (Nov. 8). Having sold in excess of 1 million concert tickets in America
for the third year in a row -- beating U2 by more than 200,000 tickets for the
first half of 2005 alone, Chesney understands how to hit it hard and plug
directly into the kind of high energy New York feeds on.
2005 "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood showed Americans that her
heart was in Country Music, and they responded enthusiastically, voting her
their season four Idol and making Underwood one of the most in-demand new
talents to emerge this year. The Oklahoma native recently made chart history
with "Jesus, Take The Wheel" the first release from her forthcoming 19
Recordings/Arista debut album, Some Hearts (Nov. 15). The song became the
first single by a new artist to debut inside the Top 40 since the start of BDS
audience monitoring in 1990.
Added to the list of presenters are Cowboy Troy; Vocal Duo of the Year
nominee Montgomery Gentry; former CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Olivia
Newton-John; 2003 Horizon Award winner Joe Nichols; and Wynonna, who has
received 25 career CMA Awards nominations, including 20 with mother Naomi as
The Judds, and five as a solo artist.
Performers already announced for the 2005 CMA Awards include Dierks
Bentley, Big & Rich, Bon Jovi with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, CMA hosts
Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Alison
Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas, Miranda Lambert, Martina
McBride, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Julie Roberts, George Strait, Sugarland,
Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, collaborations with Dolly Parton
and Sir Elton John, performing together for the first time ever, and Willie
Nelson and Paul Simon, who will perform and then present CMA Song of the Year.
Previously announced presenters include Trace Adkins, James Gandolfini,
Vince Gill, Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain, Trisha
Yearwood, Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix.
For the first time ever, tickets for the 2005 CMA Awards are available to
the general public. Tickets can be purchased by logging on to
http://www.ticketmaster.com; calling (212) 307-7171 (or any local Ticketmaster
outlet phone number); or in-person at the Madison Square Garden box office.
Tickets to the 2005 CMA Awards can also be purchased at all Ticketmaster
outlets across the nation. The ticket price is $250 (not including tax and
service charges).
The CMA Awards are produced by Walter C. Miller and directed by Paul
Miller. David Wild will script the ceremonies. MJI Programming, a division of
Premiere Radio Networks, is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards,
which includes Red Carpet coverage and a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala
event. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official automotive sponsor of
the 2005 CMA Awards. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2005 CMA
Awards. Additional promotional sponsors include Prilosec OTC(R), aolmusic.com,
BMG Columbia House, Inc., Chase, Country Weekly, Creme Savers(R) Candy,
Crisco(R), Gibson Guitars, Jack Daniel's, Kellogg's(R), Kmart(sm), Kodak,
Lever 2000(R) and XM Satellite Radio(R). Charles Fazzino is the official
artist of the 2005 CMA Awards.
For CMA Awards information, history and high-resolution images visit
http://www.CMApress.com. This is a protected site for media only and is not
intended for public use. The public should be directed to
http://www.CMAawards.com.
SOURCE Country Music Association
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Related links:
http://www.cmaworld.com
http://www.CMApress.com http://www.CMAawards.com
CONTACT:
Wendy Pearl or Scott Stem of CMA,
+1-615-244-2840; or Holly Gleason of Joe's Garage,
+1-615-269-3238, for Kenny Chesney; or Beth Stoller- Feldman of
CBS-NY, +1-212-975-3183
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