Entertainer of the Year - Taylor Swift

Top Male Vocalist - Brad Paisley

Top Female Vocalist - Miranda Lambert Top Vocal Duo - Sugarland 

Top Vocal Group - Lady Antebellum

Album of the Year - Need You Now, Lady Antebellum 

Single Record of the Year - 'The House That Built Me', Miranda Lambert

Top New Artist - The Band Perry

Song of the Year - 'The House That Built Me', Miranda Lambert

Vocal Event of the Year As She's Walking Away', Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson 

Due to severe upper respiratory infection, Miranda Lambert is unable to join country superstar, Alan Jackson, on his Australian Tour, beginning this week. Lambert performed this weekend in the States, but her condition worsened and by Sunday, her physician ordered complete rest. 

“I was very much looking forward to Australia with Alan Jackson and performing for all the music lovers down under”, said Lambert. 

For Alan Jackson’s five Arena shows (in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane), Jasmine Rae will now perform the second spot on each night, with country music’s hottest duo, McAlister Kemp, added as the opening artists. 

At CMC Rocks the Hunter this weekend, John Williamson is now confirmed to step in for Miranda Lambert and is excited about being added to the Festival line-up.

Just three weeks before their first ever visit to Australia, US country superstars Alan Jackson and Miranda Lambert have triumphed at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles yesterday.  

Jackson, already a 2002 Grammy winner for his song, 'Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)', was awarded Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for his duet with Zac Brown Band on their #1 hit, “As She’s Walking Away”. Lambert took home Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her #1 song, 'The House That Built Me'. 

Jackson is one of the most awarded artists in country music history, with a swag including 14 ACM Awards and 13 CMA Awards. 

Lambert has been blazing a trail through awards ceremonies since the release of Revolution in late 2009. She was named Top Female Vocalist of the Year and won ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Video of the Year’ at last year’s Academy of Country Music Awards. This was followed by wins at the MusicRow Awards, CMT Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards and even the French Country Music Awards, before taking out Female Vocalist of the Year, Video of the Year and Album of the Year at the recent Country Music Association Awards (CMA Awards) in Nashville. 

Things are continuing to heat up around these two platinum-selling singer-songwriters, who will headline the CMC Rocks the Hunter 2011 festival, being held on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th March weekend. At CMC Rocks the Hunter, they are headlining the biggest international country lineup ever seen in Australia. 

The bill also features hit-makers Joe Nichols (US), Kasey Chambers, Jack Ingram (US), Troy Cassar-Daley, Emerson Drive (Canada), The McClymonts, Jasmine Rae, Russell Morris, Buxton Hughes (US), O’Shea (US), Dean Brody (Canada), McAlister Kemp and many more.

With prime time country music television specials and events proving so popular in the US, the FOX network introduced their very own American Country Awards this year and they were held today in Las Vegas. While unlikely to updtage the CMA Awards anytime soon, the event provided country music in the US with another opportunity to showcase their artists across the nation. The event was hosted by Trace Adkins.

The big winners on the night were Carrie Underwood with six wins (including "Artist of the Year") and new-comer Easton Corbin with three wins.

CMC will air the event in Australia on December 10. Check out some red carpet shots!

And the winners were...

Artist of the Year: Carrie Underwood
Artist of the Year: Male: Brad Paisley
Artist of the Year: Female: Carrie Underwood
Artist of the Year - Duo or Group: Lady Antebellum 
Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist: Easton Corbin 
Album of the Year: Play On, Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year: 'Need You Now,' Lady Antebellum
Single of the Year: Male: “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Josh Turner
Single of the Year: Female: 'Cowboy Casanova,' Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year: Duo or Group: 'Need You Now,' Lady Antebellum
Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist: 'Little More Country Than That,' Easton Corbin
Touring Headline Package of the Year: Carrie Underwood
Music Video of the Year: 'Hillbilly Bone,' Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins
Music Video: Male: 'Hillbilly Bone,' Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins
Music Video: Female: 'Cowboy Casanova,' Carrie Underwood
Music Video: Duo or Group: 'Need You Now,' Lady Antebellum
Music Video: Breakthrough Artist: 'A Little More Country Than That,' Easton Corbin
Greatest Hits Award: Alan Jackson
Decade Award: Rascal Flatts Video Visionary Award: Toby Keith

The line-up for the 2011 CMC Rocks The Hunter festival, being held at Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales over the weekend of Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th March, has been announced. 

An unprecedented roster of international and local country music stars is headlined by the legendary Alan Jackson, who already has five sold out arena shows locked in for March next year in Australia. 

Alan will be joined by Miranda Lambert, Joe Nichols, Jack Ingram, Troy Cassar-Daley, Emerson Drive , The McClymonts, Buxton Hughes, Jasmine Rae, Russell Morris, O’Shea, Dean Brody, Jonah’s Road and many more.

Also appearing at the festival will be local artists McAlister Kemp, Peter McWhirter, Dianna Corcoran, Mike Carr & Springfield, Victoria Baillie, Busby Marou, The Wilson Pickers, Mark Wells, Harmony James, Liam Brew, Markus Meier, Jayne Denham and Stephanie Brownlee.

Storme Warren and Steve Forde will be the event hosts.

Alan Jackson's first ever Australian tour next year is shaping up as being the biggest country music tour of the past fifteen years  with a third third Brisbane concert added for Saturday March 12, on-sale this Thursday October 14.

Jackson, sold-out his four east coast concerts this morning as fast as a speeding freight train. Concerts in Melbourne and Sydney and two in Brisbane were all but gone in the three price categories – platinum, gold and silver – by 10am eastern standard time.

The phenomenal demand, obvious within minutes of general sales opening at 9am, prompted promoters’ Chugg Entertainment and Rob Potts Entertainment Edge to consider additional shows.

Potts himself, on-ground in Nashville with Jackson’s U.S management, watched speeding reports as fans burned through ticket sales.  Negotiations were immediate and it was a quick decision to add a third Brisbane concert.

Regarding adding another date to the Australian tour, when reached on his boat, Jackson said, “I‘m a Southern man, and that‘s about as far South as we can go. Let‘s do it!”

“We’re over the moon,” said Rob Potts.

“Alan and his team over here are excited too.  And humbled.  I guess no matter how famous you are it’s hard to imagine just how big you are in a country so far away. We told Alan Aussie fans would go crazy for him, now he knows it’s true.”

Alan Jackson will tour Australia with the hottest name in country right now, the CMA female record-breaking nominated Miranda Lambert, and arguably Australia’s hottest up-and-comer Jasmine Rae.

“This is an amazing line-up, certainly the biggest-name country music tour we’ve done,” said Potts.

Alan Jackson’s forthcoming album 34 Number Ones will be released on 26 November through Sony Music Entertainment

It was one for the record books when the final list of nominees for The 44^th Annual CMA Awards were announced today with fresh faces layered throughout the field of finalists vying for a coveted crystal trophy on what they call "Country Music's Biggest Night." 

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and broadcast live in Australia on CMC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at midday on Thurdsay November 11.  When the final nominations were tallied, Miranda Lambert led the list of finalists with nine nominations - the most for any female artist in the history of the CMA Awards. Alan Jackson received 10 nominations in 2002. Prior to that, Merle Haggard held the record with nine in 1970. 

Lambert received nominations for Entertainer; Female Vocalist; Album for Revolution; two for Single, 'The House That Built Me' and 'White Liar' Song for 'White Liar,' which she wrote with Natalie Hemby; Musical Event, for 'Bad Angel' with Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson; and two for Music Video of the Year for 'The House That Built Me' directed by Trey Fanjoy, and 'White Liar' directed by Chris Hicky. Lady Antebellum garnered the second highest number of CMA Awards nominations with five including Entertainer of the Year. Third on the list of nominees was Zac Brown Band and Blake Shelton with four nominations. 

In a major surprise, 2009 Entertainer of the Year and 2010 Grammy Album of the Year winner Taylor Swift was not nominated for the Entertainer of the Year award this time around.

Australia's Keith Urban received two nominations for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. Urban won Entertainer in 2005 and Male Vocalist of the Year three times (2004, 2005, and 2006).  The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA. They include international voters. 

Click Here To See The Full List of 2010 CMA Awards Nominees

Despite awful flooding in Nashville less than a month ago, the CMA Music Festival kicked off in Music City today with over 40,000 people filling LP Field for the first night of stadium performances.

Tim McGraw gave Australian fans in attendance a sneak peak of what's to come when he tours Australia in September while Alan Jackson, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum (pictured above), Danny Gokey and The Oakridge Boys also performed.

Carrie Underwood completed the night with a blazing stadium set which included a performance of the classic song 'Paradise City' with Aldean.

Photo provided by the Country Music Association (USA).