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Kenny Chesney Tops ACM Nominees

The Academy of Country Music announced the nominees for its award show Tuesday, more than two months before its broadcast on May 18 in Las Vegas. Kenny Chesney—the entertainer of the year for the past three years—received the most nods with 11 nominations, including top male vocalist, song/video of the year ("Don't Blink"), and album of the year (Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates). While Rodney Atkins came in second with six nominations, Brad Paisley, Big & Rich and Sugarland each earned four mentions.

And now for a complete list of this year's ACM nominees:

Entertainer of the Year

1. Kenny Chesney
2. Brad Paisley
3. Rascal Flatts
4. George Strait
5. Keith Urban

Top Male Vocalist

1. Rodney Atkins
2. Kenny Chesney
3. Brad Paisley
4. George Strait
5. Keith Urban

Top Female Vocalist

1. Miranda Lambert
2. Martina McBride
3. LeAnn Rimes
4. Taylor Swift
5. Carrie Underwood

Top Vocal Group

1. Diamond Rio
2. The Eagles
3. Emerson Drive
4. Little Big Town
5. Rascal Flatts

Top Vocal Duo

1. Big & Rich
2. Brooks & Dunn
3. Halfway To Hazard
4. Montgomery Gentry
5. Sugarland

Top New Male Vocalist

1. Luke Bryan
2. Jack Ingram
3. Jake Owen

Top New Female Vocalist

1. Sarah Buxton
2. Kellie Pickler
3. Taylor Swift

Top New Duo or Vocal Group

1. Carolina Rain
2. Lady Antebellum
3. The Wreckers

Album of the Year

1. 5th Gear, Brad Paisley
2. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Miranda Lambert
3. Producers: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke
4. Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates, Kenny Chesney
5. If You're Going Through Hell, Rodney Atkins
6. Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift

Single Record of the Year

1. "Don't Blink," Kenny Chesney
2. "Famous in a Small Town," Miranda Lambert
3. "Lost in This Moment," Big & Rich
4. "Stay," Sugarland
5. "Watching Airplanes," Gary Allan

Song of the Year

1. "Don't Blink," Kenny Chesney
2. "Lost in This Moment," Big & Rich
3. "Moments," Emerson Drive
4. "Watching You," Rodney Atkins
5. "Stay," Sugarland

Video of the Year

1. "Don't Blink," Kenny Chesney
2. "Lost in This Moment," Big & Rich
3. "Online," Brad Paisley
4. "Stay," Sugarland
5. "Watching You," Rodney Atkins

Vocal Event

1. "Because of You," Reba McEntire Duet With Kelly Clarkson
2. "Find Out Who Your Friends Are," Tracy Lawrence With Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney
3. "Shiftwork," Kenny Chesney Duet With George Strait
4. "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore," Bon Jovi Featuring LeAnn Rimes
5. "What You Give Away," Vince Gill With Sheryl Crow

Paisley and Carrie Underwood announced all of the nominations at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Underwood, for one, said the ACM awards hold a special place in her heart because they were the "first major awards that I started winning. And they're in Vegas, so they always stand out as being a good time … just getting together and celebrating country music."

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
03.04.08