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Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley Lead CMA Nominations

Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban Also Among Top Nominees

Brooks & Dunn and Brad Paisley grabbed six nominations each Wednesday morning (Aug. 30) to emerge as the frontrunners at this year's CMA Awards. Additionally, newcomer Carrie Underwood received her first-ever CMA nominations -- four of them, to be exact -- to tie this year with Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

Paisley and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles were in New York to announce the nominees in five categories during the broadcast of ABC's Good Morning America. Jason Aldean and Little Big Town announced the remaining categories live from Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center during a special telecast of CMT Insider hosted by CMT's Katie Cook and Lance Smith.

If you count Ronnie Dunn's additional nomination in the song of the year category, Brooks & Dunn actually garnered nominations in seven categories. Dunn received his first individual nomination for co-writing the duo's hit, "I Believe," with Nashville songwriter Craig Wiseman.

(The CMA's song of the year award goes only to songwriters and publishers -- not artists.)

"Believe" resulted in two nominations for Brooks & Dunn in the single and music video categories. The duo also picked up an album of the year mention for Hillbilly Deluxe and a musical event of the year nomination for their collaboration with Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow on "Building Bridges." They're also up for entertainer of the year (which they won in 1996) and vocal duo (an almost compulsory inclusion after winning the category 13 times).

Paisley, who has five career wins at the CMAs, is nominated for entertainer of the year and male vocalist. With an album of the year nomination for Time Well Wasted, his collaboration with Dolly Parton on "When I Get Where I'm Going" is up for single, music video and musical event.

Since the November 2005 release of her triple-platinum debut album, Some Hearts, Underwood has demonstrated that her career was just getting started when she won the American Idol talent competition just a few months before. Her nomination in the Horizon category was a given, but she's also included in the female vocalist field with Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Martina McBride and Gretchen Wilson. Her chart-topping recording of "Jesus, Take the Wheel" is nominated in the single and music video categories. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" also resulted in song of the year nominations Hillary Lindsey, Brett James and Gordie Sampson.

Chesney and Urban are each up for male vocalist and entertainer of the year. Chesney also logged an album of the year mention for The Road and the Radio and a single of the year nod for "Summertime." Urban's "Better Life" is nominated for single of the year and "Tonight I Wanna Cry" for song of the year. Urban, who won male vocalist and entertainer of the year last year, co-wrote "Tonight I Wanna Cry" with Monty Powell.

Rascal Flatts enjoyed their first entertainer of the year nomination to join Brooks & Dunn, Paisley, Chesney and Urban in the category. Dierks Bentley and Alan Jackson are in the male vocalist running with Chesney, Paisley and Urban.

Rascal Flatts and Dolly Parton scored three nominations each. Artists receiving two nominations each include Big & Rich, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Sugarland and Gretchen Wilson.

Brooks & Dunn will host the 2006 CMA Awards live from Nashville on Nov. 6. This marks the first time the event has taken place at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

Here's a complete list of this year's CMA nominees:

Entertainer of the Year

Brooks & Dunn

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

Rascal Flatts

Keith Urban

Female Vocalist

Sara Evans

Faith Hill

Martina McBride

Carrie Underwood

Gretchen Wilson

Male Vocalist

Dierks Bentley

Kenny Chesney

Alan Jackson

Brad Paisley

Keith Urban

Vocal Group

Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas

Little Big Town

Lonestar

Rascal Flatts

Sugarland

Vocal Duo

Big & Rich

Brooks & Dunn

Montgomery Gentry

Van Zant

The Wreckers

Horizon Award

Miranda Lambert

Little Big Town

Sugarland

Josh Turner

Carrie Underwood

Album of the Year

(Award goes to artist and producer.)

Hillbilly Deluxe

Artist: Brooks & Dunn

Producers: Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks, Mark Wright, Tom Shapiro, Tony Brown and Bob DiPiero

Arista Nashville

Me and My Gang

Artist: Rascal Flatts

Producers: Dann Huff and Rascal Flatts

Lyric Street Records

Precious Memories

Artist: Alan Jackson

Producer: Keith Stegall

Arista Nashville

The Road and the Radio

Artist: Kenny Chesney

Producers: Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney

BNA Records

Time Well Wasted

Artist: Brad Paisley

Producers: Chris DuBois and Frank Rogers

Arista Nashville

Single of the Year

(Award goes to artist and producer.)

"Believe"

Artist: Brooks & Dunn

Producers: Tony Brown, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn

Arista Nashville

"Better Life"

Artist: Keith Urban

Producers: Dann Huff and Keith Urban

Capitol Records Nashville

"Jesus, Take the Wheel"

Artist: Carrie Underwood

Producer: Mark Bright

Arista Nashville

"Summertime"

Artist: Kenny Chesney

Producers: Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney

BNA Records

"When I Get Where I'm Going"

Artists: Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)

Producers: Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois

Arista Nashville

Song of the Year

(Award goes to songwriter and primary publisher.)

"8th of November"

Songwriters: Big Kenny and John Rich

Publishers: Big Love Music, WB Music and Rich Texan Music

"Believe"

Songwriters: Craig Wiseman and Ronnie Dunn

Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree, Showbilly Music and Big Loud Shirt

"Jesus, Take the Wheel"

Songwriters: Hillary Lindsey, Brett James and Gordie Sampson

Publishers: Dimensional Music of 1091, Raylene Music, No Such Music and Passing Stranger

"Tonight I Wanna Cry"

Songwriters: Keith Urban and Monty Powell

Publishers: Universal Music, Lanark Village Tunes, Guitar Monkey Music and Coburn Music

"When I Get Where I'm Going"

Songwriters: Rivers Rutherford and George Teren

Publishers: Universal Music, Memphersfield Music and House of Full Circle Music

Musical Event

"Building Bridges"

Artists: Brooks & Dunn (Guest vocals by Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill)

Arista Nashville

"Like We Never Loved at All"

Artists: Faith Hill (Featuring Tim McGraw)

Warner Bros. Records

"Politically Uncorrect"

Artists: Gretchen Wilson (Featuring Merle Haggard)

Epic Records

"When I Get Where I'm Going"

Artists: Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)

Arista Nashville

"Who Says You Can't Go Home"

Artists: Bon Jovi (Duet With Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland)

Island Records

Music Video of the Year

(Award goes to artist and director)

"8th of November"

Artist: Big & Rich

Directors: Robert Deaton, George J. Flanigen IV and Marc Oswald

"Believe"

Artist: Brooks & Dunn

Directors: Robert Deaton and George J. Flanigen IV

"Jesus, Take the Wheel"

Artist: Carrie Underwood

Director: Roman White

"Kerosene"

Artist: Miranda Lambert

Director: Trey Fanjoy

"When I Get Where I'm Going"

Artist: Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)

Director: Jim Shea

Musician

Eddie Bayers -- Drums

Jerry Douglas -- Dobro

Paul Franklin -- Steel Guitar

Dann Huff -- Guitar

Brent Mason -- Guitar, Electric Guitar

Randy Scruggs -- Guitar

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