Four members of Diamond Rio are among nominees for instrumentalist awards announced Monday by the Academy of Country Music. Keyboardist Dan Truman, guitarist James Olander and bassist Dana Williams received nominations in their respective instrument fields. Rio mandolinist Gene Johnson is up for an award in the Specialty Instrument category.

Martie Seidel and Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks also are nominated in instrumentalist categories. Seidel is up for top fiddle honors, while banjoist Robison competes in the Specialty Instrument field. The Dixie Chicks already have five nominations for this year's ACM awards. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill also have five.

The 35th annual "Hat" Awards will be presented May 3 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Winners will be announced during a three-hour, prime time special on CBS TV, produced by dick clark productions. Winners in the instrumentalist categories will be announced about two weeks prior to the telecast.

Five of last year's winners are nominated again this year: Eddie Bayers (Drums), Stuart Duncan (Fiddle), Dobro player Jerry Douglas (Specialty Instrument), Brent Mason (Guitar) and Glenn Worf (Bass).

Though they have four instrumentalist nominations, Diamond Rio is not in the running for any other Hat awards.

The nominees in the Instrumentalist categories are:

Drums

Eddie Bayers

Randy Hardison

Paul Leim

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Keyboard

John Hobbs

Steve Nathan

Hargus Robbins

Dan Truman

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Fiddle

Stuart Duncan

Johnny Gimble

Martie Seidel

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Steel Guitar

Sonny Garrish

Paul Franklin

Jay Dee Maness

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Specialty Instrument

Jerry Douglas - Dobro

Gene Johnson - Mandolin

Robert Langford - Mandolin

Charlie McCoy - Harmonica

Emily Robison - Banjo

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Bass

Larry Paxton

Michael Rhodes

Dana Williams

Glenn Worf

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Guitar

Al Bruno

Pat Buchanan

Vince Gill

B. James Lowery

Brent Mason

James Olander

Brent Rowan

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