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Kenny Chesney won the Academy of Country Music's entertainer of the year award for the fourth year in a row last night in Las Vegas. Garth Brooks is the only other artist who's nabbed that many consecutive nods.

"This one is really extra special because long before I had a hit record, the fans came to the shows," Chesney said at the ceremony, which was hosted by Reba McEntire. "I'm honored to be up here for the fourth year in a row."

He changed his tune backstage, however, referring to the people's choice award as a "sweepstakes … it shouldn't be about pushing people's buttons on the Internet. We need to be careful about how we give this award away in the future. I think the fans should be a part of [the ACM show], but not the one award every artist sacrifices to achieve."

One of the night's surprise winners was Miranda Lambert, who won album of the year for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. While it's been a major critical favorite, the record's only generated two Top 20 singles: "Famous in a Small Town" and "Gunpowder & Lead."

"I've never had a Top 10 hit," she said backstage. "I'm a little left of center. I'm completely surprised."

For a complete list of award winners and what each of them thought about the evening, head here.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
05.19.08