A few facts about the nominations from the Academy of Country Music:
Kenny Chesney
• First time Academy of Country Music Award nominees include: Grace Potter (3 nominations), Aaron Lewis (2 nominations), Thompson Square (1 nomination) and Love and Theft (1 nomination). (NOTE: Thompson Square is a semi-finalist for New Artist of the Year, so they could end up with 2 noms after those nominees are announced in Feb.)
• If Kenny Chesney wins Entertainer of the Year, it will be his fifth win in this category. He will be tied with Alabama, who has also won the trophy five times.
• If Brad Paisley wins Male Vocalist of the Year, it will be his sixth win in this category.
• Reigning Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert receives her sixth nod for Female Vocalist of the Year. If she wins, it will be her third consecutive trophy in that category.
• This is co-host Blake Shelton’s first Entertainer of the Year nomination.
Kenny Chesney received nine ACM nominations including:
Entertainer of the Year
Male Vocalist of the Year
Album of the Year (Artist) – ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA)
Album of the Year (Producer) – ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA)
Single Record of the Year (Artist) – “You And Tequila”
Singe Record of the Year (Producer) – “You And Tequila”
Song of the Year – “You and Tequila”
Vocal Event of the Year (Artist) – “You And Tequila”
Vocal Event of the Year (Producer) – “You And Tequila”
When he heard the news he said, “It’s an honor to receive so much love from the Academy of Country Music after all they’ve done to support my music over the years. I can’t wait to get back on the road with my good friend Tim and throw one big spring break party all summer long.”
Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton received his first nomination for ACM Entertainer of the Year and a second nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year and he said, “The support I have felt this week is overwhelming. Thank you everyone for this honor”.
Jason Aldean grabbed a video camera to record his reaction to his six ACM Award nominations and to ask his fans to “help a brother out” and vote for him for Entertainer of the Year at www.voteACM.com.
Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” earned him three nominations for Video of the Year and as the artist and producer in the Single of the Year category. He responded by saying, “I’m nominated for Single and Video? Cool! Proceed to party!”
Eric Church
Eric Church is nominated for Album of the Year for Chief and Video of The Year for “Homeboy” and he said, “I’ve never minced words about the fact that my passion is making great records for the sake of the music. The fact that the ACM’s have nominated us for the album category is quite the honor and frankly the one I revere the most. “Homeboy,” both musically and visually, is a song that tells a compelling story. I have a very special place in my heart for the video, and I’m very grateful that it is getting recognized. It’s been one hell of a year.”
Chris Young’s “Tomorrow” is up for Single of the Year and he is nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and when he heard the news he said, “Starting the day with two ACM nominations is a really nice thing to wake up to on the tour bus. Regarding the Single of the Year nomination, ‘Tomorrow’ co-writers Frank Myers and Anthony Smith were with me on the bus when I found out because we’re supposed to write together this weekend. So, we were having coffee in our sweatpants and high-fiving each other.”
Lee Brice
Lee Brice received an ACM nomination for Song of the Year as a co-writer of the Eli Young Band’s #1 song, “Crazy Girl,” which was also Billboard’s #1 song of 2011. Lee said, “I’m so honored to be acknowledged along with these other amazing writers.” He added, “I’m so happy for the Eli Young Band. They’ve worked so hard for so long, and they deserve all the success that’s coming to them.”
Montgomery Gentry received their 14th ACM nomination for Duo of the Year and Eddie Montgomery said, “This last year has been just unbelievable. We have a new album that T and I are so proud of, a new label that is rockin’ and the support we’ve had from our friends at radio and on the road is just awesome.” Troy Gentry added, “We are really proud to be nominated and blessed to be living our dream for as long as we have been. As always, we are truly humbled to be included in this category once again.”