Entertainer of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw

Male Vocalist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
George Strait

Female Vocalist of the Year
Terri Clark
Alison Krauss
Patty Loveless
Martina McBride
Dolly Parton

Vocal Group of the Year
Alabama
Diamond Rio
Dixie Chicks
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts

Vocal Duo of the Year
Bellamy Brothers
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
Sons of the Desert
The Warren Brothers

Horizon Award
Gary Allan
Buddy Jewell
Joe Nichols
Blake Shelton
Darryl Worley

Vocal Event of the Year (Awards presented to artists and producer(s))

• "Beer for My Horses"
Artists: Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"
Artists: Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
Record Label: Arista Nashville

• "Picture"
Artists: Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow
Record Label: Lava/Atlantic

• "Tears in the Holston River"
Artists: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band featuring Johnny Cash
Record Label: Capitol Nashville

• "The Truth About Men"
Artists: Tracy Byrd (with Andy Griggs, Montgomery Gentry and Blake Shelton)
Record Label: RCA

Album of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s) and producer(s))

• American IV: The Man Comes Around -- Johnny Cash
Producer: Rick Rubin
Record Label: Lost Highway

• Home -- Dixie Chicks
Producers: Dixie Chicks and Lloyd Maines
Record Label: Open Wide/Monument/Columbia

• Man With a Memory -- Joe Nichols
Producer: Brent Rowan
Record Label: Universal South

• Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors -- Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors
Producers: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw and Darran Smith
Record Label: Curb

• Unleashed -- Toby Keith
Producers: James Stroud and Toby Keith
Record Label: DreamWorks

Song of the Year (Awards presented to the songwriter(s) and publisher(s))

• "Beer for My Horses" -- Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Writers: Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick
Publishers: Tokeco Tunes and Big Yellow Dog Music

• "Celebrity" -- Brad Paisley
Writer: Brad Paisley
Publishers: EMI April Music and Sea Gayle Music

• "Have You Forgotten?" -- Darryl Worley
Writers: Darryl Worley and Wynn Varble
Publishers: EMI April Music, Pittsburg Landing Songs and Warner-Tamerlane Pub.

• "Red Dirt Road" -- Brooks & Dunn
Writers: Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn
Publishers: Sony and ATV

• "Three Wooden Crosses" -- Randy Travis
Writers: Doug Johnson and Kim Williams
Publishers: Mike Curb Music, Sweet Radical Music, Sony and ATV Tunes

Single of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s)and producer(s))

• Beer for My Horses" -- Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Producers: James Stroud andToby Keith
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "Celebrity" -- Brad Paisley
Producer: Frank Rogers
Record Label: Arista Nashville

• "Have You Forgotten?" -- Darryl Worley
Producers: Frank Rogers and James Stroud
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "Hurt" -- Johnny Cash
Producer: Rick Rubin
Record Label: Lost Highway

• "Three Wooden Crosses" -- Randy Travis
Producer: Kyle Lehning
Record Labels: Word, Curb and Warner Bros.

Music Video of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s) and director)

• "Beer for My Horses"
Artists: Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Director: Michael Salomon

• "Celebrity"
Artist: Brad Paisley
Director: Peter Zavadil

• "Concrete Angel"
Artist: Martina McBride
Directors: Robert Deaton and George J. Flanigen IV

• "Hurt"
Artist: Johnny Cash
Director: Mark Romanek

• "Red Dirt Road"
Artist: Brooks & Dunn
Director: Steven Goldmann

Musician of the Year
Jerry Douglas -- Dobro
Paul Franklin -- steel guitar
Aubrie Haynie -- fiddle/mandolin
Brent Mason -- guitar
Randy Scruggs -- guitar

• Brooks & Dunn
• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• Tim McGraw

Brooks & Dunn
Photo: BMG

Brooks & Dunn have recorded "Everyday Heroes," a song written by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, for the movie "Joshua." "This is a song about regular people making a difference on a daily basis in the world we all really live in," said Ronnie Dunn in a statement. "Right now, I think empowering each other is a pretty good thing to do." As of now, there are no plans to include the song on any upcoming Brooks & Dunn project. Another Hatch song, "America Rocks," appeared in the movie "Rat Race." Hatch attended a recent fund raiser and jam session at Dunn's barn outside Nashville. ...

Release of Caught in the Webb, a 21-track tribute album to Webb Pierce, is set for January 8 on Audium Records. Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, George Jones, Charley Pride and Willie Nelson are among the contributors. BR549 do "There Stands the Glass" and the Del McCoury Band contributes "Walking the Dog." ...

The WB has extended Reba McEntire's sitcom, "Reba," for a full season of 22 episodes. The show airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fridays. ...

Texas honky tonk phenomenon Pat Green sees his first national release chart respectably. Three Days debuts at #7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Green has sold over 200,000 independently made CDs at his shows in Texas ...

A TV movie inspired by Brad Paisley's 1999 #1 hit, "He Didn't Have To Be," is in the works for the TBS Superstation cable channel. Paisley will have a supporting role in the movie, and all the music in the program will be composed by the country star. Paisley also is one of three executive producers for the project. The song is a tribute to stepfathers from the perspective of a stepchild. "He Didn't Have To Be" recently spawned a book of the same name by Paisley and the song's co-writer, Kelley Lovelace ...

The Country Freedom Concert raised over $5 million for the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund. The all-star benefit concert was the highest-rated program in CMT history. Six million CMT viewers watched the live concert and its encore presentation on Sunday night. The concert was also broadcast on over 700 radio stations worldwide. The Country Freedom Concert included performances by George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn and others. (MTVi parent company, Viacom, also owns CMT) ...

Delbert McClinton will sail to the Bahamas with the Del McCoury Band, the Derailers, Jeffrey Steele, ex-NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson, Marcia Ball, Bonnie Bramlett and other roots artists on his eighth annual cruise, January 12-19. The floating music festival sets sail on the Regal Empress from Port Manatee in Tampa, Florida, and stops in Nassau, Eleuthera and San Salvador. Passengers will be treated to up to 10 hours of live music a day ...

Although they were announced as being on the lineup for Sunday's Country Freedom Concert benefiting the Salvation Army, the Charlie Daniels Band did not appear at the Nashville event. Daniels dropped out several days before the concert because producers asked him not to sing "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag," an original song inspired by the September 11 attacks. "There was a creative difference of opinion," said CMT, which aired the concert live. "Charlie Daniels is an icon of country music and remains a fixture on CMT." ...

The Down From the Mountain tour, featuring many of the musicians on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album, is set to begin January 25 in Lexington, Kentucky, and will wrap up February 20 in Berkeley, California. Alison Krauss and Union Station, Patty Loveless, Ralph Stanley, Emmylou Harris, the Whites and Norman Blake comprise the 14-date tour's nucleus. …

Capitol Records has mined its vaults to compile United We Stand, a 14-track collection of inspirational and patriotic tunes. Chris LeDoux's "I Believe in America," Glen Campbell's "God Must Have Blessed America" and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" are featured alongside recordings by John Lennon, the Beach Boys, Al Green and others. Proceeds benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The set will be released November 6. ...

Merle Haggard has been added to the concert lineup for Swampstock 2001, happening October 28 in Tim McGraw's hometown of Rayville, Louisiana. "I'm thrilled to welcome Merle Haggard to Swampstock 2001," McGraw said in a statement. "I've been singing his songs for many years, and there's not a better artist in country music. I'm especially honored to have a Country Music Hall of Fame member on the Swampstock stage for the very first time." The eighth annual concert will also feature McGraw, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and the Warren Brothers. Proceeds from the concert and celebrity softball game will benefit New York fire and police funds as well as Rayville's little league baseball program and various other charities. ...

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack producer T Bone Burnett is working on an album with old-time mountain music patriarch Ralph Stanley. The album is being recorded in Nashville and will be released on Burnett's own new label, DMZ Records, which he is forming with the Coen Brothers, the "O Brother" movie producers. ...

Garth Brooks will launch his new album, Scarecrow, with a series of live radio specials on the album's release date, November 13. Brooks will guide listeners through the album and take caller questions live on the air. The specials will air during morning and afternoon drive times in all time zones, and will be offered to all country radio stations on a non-exclusive basis. "Wrapped Up in You," the album's first single, debuted at #22 this week on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. ...

Following his performance on Sunday's Country Freedom Concert in Nashville, Clint Black will board a military jet to begin a tour of U.S. bases abroad. He'll join the Citizen Patriot Tour, which was organized by former Defense Secretary William Cohen's wife Janet Langhart Cohen. Taylor Dayne and others will be on the tour, details of which were not being released. ...

George Jones will perform at Sunday's Country Freedom Concert as well as at his own concert. The Freedom Concert is at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center, just down the street from the Ryman Auditorium, where Jones' own concert will be held. Opening for Jones there will be Jim Lauderdale, who portrays Jones in the current musical "Stand By Your Man." ...

Suzy Bogguss is fulfilling a longtime ambition by finally putting out a Christmas album. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas will be released on November 1 on her Web site, at Amazon.com and at select record stores. The album includes collaborations with the late Chet Atkins, Ricky Skaggs and Delbert McClinton. ...

Country Music Hall of Fame member Earl Scruggs, Diamond Rio and Montgomery Gentry have been added to Sunday's Country Freedom Concert, bringing the total of confirmed live acts to 16. As the list of performers has grown, so has the length of the telecast. CMT will air the commercial-free concert from 8-11 p.m. ET. The benefit for the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund originally was slated for two hours (MTVi's parent company, Viacom, also owns CMT). ...

Toby Keith will guest star on the CBS TV series "Touched By an Angel" on November 10. The country star plays a performer at a 10-year high school reunion where a wealthy businessman and a famous football player revisit their past. ...

Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn have a pair of nominations each for the 2001 Radio Music Awards, October 26 at the Aladdin in Las Vegas. They contend with Alan Jackson, the Dixie Chicks and George Strait for Country Artist of the Year. Country Song of the Year nominees include Brooks & Dunn's "Ain't Nothing 'Bout You," Travis Tritt's "It's a Great Day to Be Alive," Diamond Rio's "One More Day," Jessica Andrews' "Who I Am" and McGraw's "My Next Thirty Years." Martina McBride will perform on the show, and Rascal Flatts will be presenters. The show will be telecast live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET. ...

The Dixie Chicks, who haven't played in public since their last tour ended in December 2000, plan to open the 2002 Houston Rodeo on February 12. George Strait will close the rodeo on March 3. It will be the last year for the rodeo in the Astrodome, which will be razed and replaced. ...

Sara Evans' husband's political ambitions are drawing scrutiny in his native Oregon. Craig Schelske announced on Monday that he will seek the Republican nomination for the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives now held by Democratic Rep. Darlene Hooley, who will seek a fourth term in the 2002 election. Democrats in the district have filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging that Schelske has been violating federal law by raising campaign funds from his wife's concerts, before he was an announced candidate. Schelske answered that his lawyers advised him that he was in the clear. Evans and Schelske maintain homes in Nashville and Aumsville, Oregon. ...

Buck Owens, 72, has placed a personal ad in several southern California newspapers in search of a fan he briefly met in September while taping an episode of "Family Feud," the Associated Press reports. The Country Music Hall of Fame member lost the woman's phone number and has placed ads that partly read: "Buck has lost contact, would like for you to call Mel Owens at (661) 326-1011. Please call, extremely important." The telephone number is for his offices in Bakersfield, California. The country legend, who is divorcing his wife of 22 years, admits his pursuit is a little unusual. "I know it sounds silly to some people, me looking for her this way," Owens told the AP. "But what if it works?" ...

Willie Nelson will sing with Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks will come out of hibernation to perform on the 35th annual CMA Awards, scheduled for November 7 in Nashville. Crow and Nelson team up on "I'll Be There for You," a duet from Nelson's next album, The Great Divide, due in January. The Dixie Chicks, reigning Entertainer of the Year, have not revealed their plans for the show. Also, Martina McBride performs "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues"; Jessica Andrews sings "Who I Am"; Phil Vassar chooses "Just Another Day in Paradise"; Blake Shelton croons "Austin"; and Cyndi Thomson sings "What I Really Meant to Say." The awards will be broadcast live from the Grand Ole Opry House from 8-11 p.m. ET. ...

The Grand Ole Opry will stage a Veterans Day (November 11) show at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville to raise money for the families of terrorist victims. Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Little Jimmy Dickens, Steve Wariner, Bill Anderson and Porter Wagoner are set to perform. More acts will be announced. In addition to the special Sunday show, regular Opry programs will be held at the Ryman — its former home — from November through February. ...

Martina McBride will put her brainpower to the test as a celebrity contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," taping this week in New York City. McBride's winnings, guaranteed to be at least $32,000, will be donated to a charity of her choice. An air date has not been announced. ...

• Brooks & Dunn
• Webb Pierce
• Reba McEntire

Brooks & Dunn
Photo: BMG

NASHVILLE — Tapping into the spirit of CMT's "Country Freedom Concert," Brooks & Dunn will team up with a surprise guest on the 1960s pop hit "Get Together" during Sunday night's star-studded benefit show.

Originally released by the Youngbloods in 1967 — when both the Vietnam War and the Summer of Love were in full swing — "Get Together" includes the familiar chorus "Come on, people now/ Smile on your brother/ Everybody get together/ Try to love one another right now."

Ronnie Dunn said the duo were thinking about cutting the song for their next album even before the terrorist attacks on September 11. "I initially thought it was a cool song, though maybe a little too peacenik by nature," he said. "But you can really apply it to our domestic situation — coming together under these kinds of circumstances."

Brooks & Dunn will get together with many of the biggest names in country music for the "Country Freedom Concert," a benefit for the Salvation Army's Disaster Relief Fund. The lineup includes George Strait, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Clint Black, Vince Gill, George Jones, Trisha Yearwood, Lonestar, Lee Ann Womack, Sara Evans, Hank Williams Jr., Earl Scruggs, Diamond Rio and Montgomery Gentry.

Presented by CMT and Clear Channel Entertainment, the concert will air live and commercial-free from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on CMT, CMT Canada and VH1 Country from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville. Westwood One will provide the concert's audio feed to radio stations worldwide, while Country.com will webcast the event.

Although country artists frequently turn out in force for awards shows or festival concerts, such a gathering of star power in support of a single cause may be unprecedented.

"This show is a unified statement from these artists who are looking for a [forum] to let the rest of the world know that the country-music community has a point of view and has the power to make good happen out of all this," said Brian Philips, CMT senior vice president/general manager.

The Country Freedom Concert will have a different feel than "America: A Tribute to Heroes," the telethon featuring a wide variety of actors and singers that aired on dozens of networks on September 21. Whereas that program was somber and reverent throughout, Sunday's concert will be more varied in tone.

"We are further down the road from the date of the 'Heroes' concert," Philips said. "I thought the tone of the 'Heroes' show was completely appropriate for the timing. Gradually, we're all sort of awakening from the terrific shock of the events of September 11 and realizing that it's now our obligation as Americans to make the most of the situation and galvanize the national spirit.

Toby Keith and Travis Tritt have taped segments for the program. Keith visited the World Trade Center site on October 12 and spoke with firefighters and Salvation Army workers about their recovery efforts. On Tuesday, Tritt talked with members of the military at Dobbins Air Force Base near his hometown of Marietta, Georgia.

Tritt had an engagement booked on the same day as the concert, so he looked for another way to be involved with the program. "I want to let people know that I'm going to be there in spirit," he said.

He went on to say that he hopes his piece will make a meaningful contribution by offering the perspective of enlisted men and women. "I've had a lot of experience working with veterans and people in the military," he said. "I think I understand their feelings and hopes and dreams and fears. … I feel very comfortable interviewing those folks because I've had an opportunity to really spend a lot of time with them."

Gill said he believes entertainers are uniquely capable of providing solace during the crisis. "In tragic times," he said, "[listeners] want to hear familiarity. They want to hear the people they love sing. That brings a lot of comfort to folks. And for us, speaking as an artist, we want to do our part."

Dunn couldn't agree more. "During any trying era in history, people just naturally have turned to entertainment for stress relief, for brief moments, if nothing else," Dunn said. "It feels good to be able to contribute in that small capacity. It doesn't seem as strong a statement as putting your life on the line, like a lot of these soldiers are doing now. But it's necessary for morale."

Brooks & Dunn know this from firsthand experience. The duo played a fair in York, Pennsylvania, four days after one of the hijacked planes crashed in the state.

"It was a very eerie mood going in," Dunn admitted. "The first thing that came to my mind was that we would cancel the show. I initially thought there's no way we could go up onstage and jump around and sing songs in a situation like this. We spoke with the promoter, and he told us no one was canceling their tickets, that everyone was still coming and wanted to see the show.

"Just before we went onstage I realized that the first song we sing is 'Only in America.' The first line in the show is 'Sun coming up over New York City.' At first I wanted to pull that song. Then I started thinking there's a positive note to it — it focuses on hope and the American spirit."

Brooks & Dunn opened the show like they had throughout their tour, with their guitarist playing the national anthem. Then, from backstage where the crowd couldn't see him, Dunn addressed the audience over the PA system. Reading a short note he wrote earlier in the day, the singer explained the duo's doubts about performing and their reason for going on with the show. He told the concertgoers, "It's not time to let the cowards' act of terrorism affect us the way they intended."

"The crowd started cheering," Dunn recalled. "I had to stop reading twice. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. After I read it, the band immediately went into the downbeat on 'Only in America,' and the crowd was so loud you could hardly hear the band. When I was finally able to see the crowd, I just saw a sea of American flags. It was unbelievable."

MTVi's parent company, Viacom, also owns CMT

• Brooks & Dunn
• George Strait
• Alan Jackson

Sunshine Anderson
Photo: MTV News

The hits compilation Now That's What I Call Music — Vol. 6 continued its reign over the nation's record stores last week, even as Macy Gray protégé Sunshine Anderson and country duo Brooks & Dunn stormed their way into the top five of Billboard's 200 albums chart.

Now 6 sold almost 250,000 copies last week, while late rapper Tupac Shakur's Until the End of Time maintains its hold on the #2 slot with 128,412 copies sold, according to SoundScan data released Wednesday (April 25).

Propelled by the success of the hit single "Heard It All Before," Anderson's first album, Your Woman, debuts at #5, while Brooks & Dunn land at #4 with Steers & Stripes. The two acts had the week's highest chart debuts.

Meanwhile, 10 months after its release, Uncle Kracker's Double Wide finally cracks the top 10 this week, squeaking in at #9.

The rest of the top 10 includes: Shaggy's Hotshot at #3, Lifehouse's No Name Face at #6, Nelly's Country Grammar at #7, Dido's No Angel at #8 and Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water at #10.

After jumping into the top 10 last week, Aaron Carter and Dream have each fallen right out, leaving the top 10 bereft of teen pop acts.

Carter's Aaron's Party (Come Get It) plummeted from #4 to #20, while Dream's It Was All a Dream slipped from #7 to #18.

Other notable debuts include radio-DJ-turned-rapper Angie Martinez's Up Close and Personal at #32, David Gray's Lost Songs at #153, and the cast album of the new Broadway smash "The Producers" at #159.

The "Bridget Jones's Diary" soundtrack — with new music from Sheryl Crow and Geri Halliwell — leapt from #111 last week to #38 this week, nearly doubling its sales.

Eighties rocker Billy Idol's Greatest Hits also made a formidable leap this week, moving from #120 to #74.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Live in New York City, which debuted in the top five three weeks ago, is moving in the opposite direction, dropping from #24 to #52.

For more on Sunshine Anderson, check out "Sunshine Anderson: Ray Of Light."

• Sunshine Anderson
• Brooks & Dunn