Tonight, The 44th Annual CMA Awards will air live on ABC before a sold-out crowd at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena beginning at 8 PM, ET. Miranda Lambert leads the list of finalists with nine nominations - the most for any female artist in the history of the CMA Awards. Lady Antebellum has the second highest number of CMA award nominations with five. Zac Brown Band and Blake Shelton are tied with four nods each, followed byTrace Adkins, Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley who are up for three apiece.
Artists scheduled to perform during this year's CMA Awards include third-time co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood,along with Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.In addition, special performances will feature a duet from Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson; Gwyneth Paltrow in her live country music singing debut performing with Vince Gill; top nominee Lambert with Sheryl Crow in a tribute to Loretta Lynn's 50th Anniversary as a recording artist; and Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson.
Here is the final list of CMA nominees:
Entertainer Of The Year
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
Zac Brown Band
Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban
Dierks Bentley
Album Of The Year
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
Play On - Carrie Underwood
Revolution - Miranda Lambert
Twang - George Strait
Up On The Ridge - Dierks Bentley
Vocal Event of The Year
"Bad Angel" - Dierks Bentley featuring Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
"Can't You See" - Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock
"Hillbilly Bone" - Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
"I'm Alive" - Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews
"Till The End" - Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack
Video of the Year
"Hillbilly Bone" - Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
"Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum
"The House That Built Me" - Miranda Lambert
"Water" - Brad Paisley
"White Liar" - Miranda Lambert
Single of the Year
"A Little More Country Than That" - Easton Corbin
"Hillbilly Bone" - Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
"Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum
"The House That Built Me" - Miranda Lambert
"White Liar" - Miranda Lambert
Song of the Year (A songwriter award)
"A Little More Country Than That" - Easton Corbin/written by Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress and Wynn Varble
"Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum/written by Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Josh Kear
"The House That Built Me" - Miranda Lambert/written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
"Toes" - Zac Brown Band/written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins and Shawn Mullins
"White Liar" - Miranda Lambert/written by Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby
New Artist of the Year
Luke Bryan
Easton Corbin
Jerrod Niemann
Chris Young
Zac Brown Band
Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band
Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Joey Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland
Musician of the Year
Paul Franklin
Dann Huff
Brent Mason
Mac McAnally
Randy Scruggs
CMT starts red (actually black) carpet coverage at 7 PM, ET. ABC will air their CMA Award Red Carpet special at 7:30 PM, ET. Immediately following the awards, stay tuned to ABC for the CMA Awards After Show special.