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TWO MUSICAL FORCES ALIGN FOR CMA AWARDS PEFORMANCE: DOLLY PARTON AND SIR ELTON JOHN PERFORM TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME ON "THE 39th ANNUAL CMA AWARDS".

NASHVILLE - Two of music's most respected, performer/songwriters Dolly Parton and Sir Elton John are joining forces for a musical first on "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" when they perform together during "Country Music's Biggest Night." "I've always admired Sir Elton's songwriting, musicianship and singing and I'm thrilled to be working with him," Parton said. "It should be a very passionate performance." "The audience and our viewers are in for a magical experience when two of the most flamboyant and best-loved entertainers in the world take the stage," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" airs live Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Dolly Parton has adroitly navigated Country and pop record charts as well as successful forays into television and film ("9 to 5," "Steel Magnolias"). She has authored more than 3,000 songs including the hits "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," "Tennessee Mountain Home" and "I Will Always Love You." She has been nominated for 35 CMA Awards and won Entertainer of the Year (1978), Female Vocalist of the Year (1975), and Musical Event of the Year twice, once with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt (1988) and then Vince Gill (1996). Parton's latest musical project, Those Were the Days (Sugar Hill Records, Oct. 8), is a heartfelt effort on which this single-minded artist locates renewed relevance in a dozen era-defining songs from the 1960s and '70s, including the John Lennon penned anthem "Imagine," which she is performing on the CMA Awards, backed by Elton John's band with him at the piano.  "I was inspired to record 'Imagine,'" she said. "It is a song of hope and inspiration and perfect for the times."

Elton John's monumental career has spanned more than three decades making him one of the top-selling solo artists of all time with more than 200 million records sold worldwide. He has won a wide array of industry awards including GRAMMYs, Tony's and an Oscar as he continues to add innovative work to his personal catalog of 35 Gold and 25 Platinum albums (certified by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA). He continues to perform his critically acclaimed "Red Piano" show exclusively at Caesars Palace. John has continued his new millennium critical renaissance with the Gold certified, Top-20 charting album Peachtree Road, which will be re-released as a special CD+DVD package on November 15. The new package features three previously un-released bonus tracks from the hit British musical "Billy Elliot" as well as the new single and video for 'Turn The Lights Out When You Leave," the video of which stars Teri Hatcher of "Desperate Housewives." Parton will join John in a performance of "Turn the Lights Out When You Leave" on the CMA Awards.  

Performers already announced for the 2005 CMA Awards include Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Bon Jovi with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, CMA hosts Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Julie Roberts, George Strait, Sugarland, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, and Willie Nelson and Paul Simon, who will perform and then present CMA Song of the Year. Presenters previously announced include Trace Adkins, James Gandolfini, Vince Gill, Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. (02.11.2005)

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CROSS-GENRE MUSIC ELITE ADDED TO PERFORMERS ON "THE 39th ANNUAL CMA AWARDS" AS NEW YORK CONNECTIONS CONTINUE TO BUILD FOR "COUNTRY MUSIC'S BIGGEST NIGHT".

Added to the star-packed line up for the 2005 CMA Awards are performances by Bon Jovi with Sugarland front woman Jennifer Nettles; by two American musical icons Willie Nelson and Paul Simon, who will also present the Song of the Year Award; by nominees Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas; and by Horizon Award nominees Miranda Lambert and Julie Roberts. Popular New York actor James Gandolfini will be an Award presenter. (27.10.2005)

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CMA PRESENTS CHAIRMAN'S AWARD OF MERIT TO CHRIS LeDOUX
Kix Brooks Enlists Garth Brooks To Honor LeDoux During "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" By Performing "Good Ride Cowboy".

NASHVILLE - CMA Board Chairman and host of "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" Kix Brooks, of duo Brooks & Dunn, announced today that he will present the CMA Chairman's Award of Merit to late singer/rodeo champion Chris LeDoux, in honor of his outstanding career and contributions to Country Music. "Chris embodies everything that's great about Country Music," Brooks said. "He lived with passion, integrity and a commitment to big dreams. It's how he rodeoed and it was how he made his music. Chris wasn't larger than life, he was life - and that's what the very best of Country Music is made of. It is my pleasure, and my honor, to present the inaugural Chairman's award to someone I respect so much." To further honor his fallen friend, Brooks enlisted the help of Garth Brooks to perform his personal tribute to LeDoux, "Good Ride Cowboy," during "The 39th Annual CMA Awards." "Good Ride Cowboy" is "up-beat, fun, sincere and everything you want music to be," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "Anytime Garth throws his energy, passion and talent behind a project it is a special event, and his performance in tribute to Chris is destined to be a highlight for our viewers."

Garth will perform "Good Ride Cowboy" with LeDoux's band, Western Underground. LeDoux, a former world champion bronc rider, passed away in March following a lengthy battle with cancer. LeDoux started playing music in his teens while competing in rodeos. His life on the circuit provided fodder for his songs and he quickly developed a devoted fan base - including Garth, who mentioned LeDoux by name in his 1989 hit "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)." LeDoux's music reached a broader audience when he was signed to Capitol Records in 1990. And in 1992, Garth and LeDoux partnered on the duet "Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy" from LeDoux's album of the same name. LeDoux's 20 Greatest Hits has just been certified Platinum by RIAA. "Good Ride Cowboy," the Chris LeDoux tribute single from Garth Brooks has rocketed up the Country radio charts to No. 11 (Radio & Records) and No. 12 (Billboard) in just three short weeks. The mega-hit broke Garth's own record for high debuts among all artists in the Billboard monitored era, when it debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard Country Singles chart, surpassing the No. 19 opening of "The Thunder Rolls" in 1991. This debut is the latest accomplishment in a distinguished career that includes 25 No. 1 hits, 11 album projects and more than 105 million copies sold, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Garth has received a total of 30 CMA Awards nominations with 11 wins, including four CMA Entertainer of the Year trophies (1991, 1992, 1997 and 1998). "Since Garth's retired, we appreciate his doing this for us and for Chris," said Charlie Anderson, President/CEO of Anderson Merchandisers and a former Chairman of the CMA Board of Directors.

The CMA Awards, which are hosted for the second year by Brooks & Dunn, will be broadcast live Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Performers already announced for the CMA Awards include Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Bon Jovi with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Julie Roberts, George Strait, Sugarland, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, and Willie Nelson and Paul Simon, who will perform and then present CMA Song of the Year. Presenters will include Trace Adkins, James Gandolfini, Vince Gill, Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. (27.10.2005)

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MORE PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED FOR "THE 39th ANNUAL CMA AWARDS"
Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Sara Evans and Rascal Flatts to Perform During "Country Music's Biggest Night"
Trace Adkins and LeAnn Rimes to Present Trophies During Gala
 
NASHVILLE - "Country Music's Biggest NightT" continues to grow with the announcement today that nominees Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Sara Evans and reigning Vocal Group of the Year Rascal Flatts will perform on "The 39th Annual CMA Awards," which airs at live Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Trace Adkins and LeAnn Rimes have been added to the impressive list of presenters during the three-hour gala.

"This list of performers covers the range of categories represented by the CMA Awards," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "Collectively, we have the Horizon, Vocal Duo, Female Vocalist and Vocal Group represented by this outstanding group of performers. They are among the best our format has to offer and this is going to be an amazing night of music."

Reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Rascal Flatts has received the Vocal Group of the Year trophy for the last two years, and they are nominated again in 2005. The trio (Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney) won their first CMA Award in 2002 with the Horizon Award. Since 2000, they have sold 8 million records. The group's current album, Feels Like Today, is currently the best-selling Country album of 2005, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As a duo, Big & Rich (Kenny Alphin and John Rich), received two nominations for Horizon and Vocal Duo of the Year in 2005, but Rich also scored another nomination as a songwriter with Gretchen Wilson for their Song of the Year contender "Redneck Woman." Their Warner Bros. Records album Horse of A Different Color has sold more than 2.5 million copies.

Evans has received 12 nominations since 1999 including four for Female Vocalist of the Year. This year, she is also nominated for Musical Event of the Year with Brad Paisley for "New Again." Evans won the CMA Music Video of the Year Award in 2001 for "Born To Fly." Her latest RCA album, Real Fine Place, was released Oct. 4.  The title single spent two weeks at No. 1 on both the Billboard and Radio & Records Country singles charts

Celebrating his second CMA Awards Horizon nomination with a performance this year is Bentley, who was recently inducted in to the Grand Ole Opry. His recently released second Capitol Records album Modern Day Drifter has been certified Gold, according to RIAA, and has spent more than 20 weeks on Billboard's Top 20 Country Albums chart. His self-titled first album was certified Platinum. 

The 2005 CMA Awards will be hosted by Brooks & Dunn. Performers previously announced include Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack. Additional names will be announced soon.

Trace Adkins and LeAnn Rimes have been added to the list of presenters, which include Vince Gill, Kris Kristofferson, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood along with Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. (13.10.2005)

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NASHVILLE - CMA announced an eclectic mix of presenters today for "Country Music's Biggest Night™" including a business-mogul-turned-media-icon, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Country superstars and two actors who play Country royalty in the upcoming movie about the life of Johnny Cash.

Announcing categories and presenting trophies on "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" will be Vince Gill, Kris Kristofferson, Donald Trump, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, and actors Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. The CMA Awards are hosted by Brooks & Dunn and will be broadcast live Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Gill hosted the CMA Awards for a record 12 years, before stepping down from the host podium after the 2003 event. But, he's back in 2005 to present. Gill has a career total of 48 CMA Award nominations, with a total of 18 wins - more than any other artist including a record five consecutive wins in the Male Vocalist of the Year category (1991-1995).

An actor, musical innovator and songwriter, Kristofferson was formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during the 2004 CMA Awards. Kristofferson has received seven CMA Award nominations and one win for Song of the Year in 1970 for "Sunday Morning Coming Down." Kristofferson also hosted the Awards gala two times - with Anne Murray in 1985 and again in 1986 with Willie Nelson.

Twain, who was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1999, was Brooks & Dunn's special guest in 2004 and she is back in 2005 to present. Her current Mercury Nashville album, Shania Twain Greatest Hits, has been certified 3X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. She is the only artist in history to have three consecutive Diamond (10X Platinum) certified albums: The Woman in Me (12X Platinum), Come On Over (19X Platinum) and Up! (10X Platinum).

Yearwood has a career total of 19 CMA Award nominations with three wins including Album of the Year (1994) and two wins for Female Vocalist (1997 and 1998). There is obviously more where that came from; Yearwood's first-week sales for her current MCA Records release Jasper County were the best of her career with more than 117,000 units sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Current Country Albums chart and No. 4 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.
 
Nashville native Witherspoon plays June Carter Cash and Phoenix plays Johnny Cash in the feature film "Walk The Line," which releases November 18 to theaters.
 
Performers already announced include CMA Awards hosts Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack. (27.09.2005)

FIRST ROUND OF PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED FOR "THE 39TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS" IN NEW YORK CITY
Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney and Country Superstars Faith Hill, Alan Jackson and George Strait to Perform on "Country Music's Biggest Night"

NASHVILLE - The star-packed lineup for "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" is taking shape with the announcement today that reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney, former Female Vocalist of the Year Faith Hill, the superstar artist who holds the record for most career CMA Award nominations Alan Jackson, and the legendary George Strait will perform when the CMA Awards airs live from Madison Square Garden in New York City, Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of superduo Brooks & Dunn return in 2005 to host the CMA Awards. 

 "The CMA Awards is the industry's biggest single event for expanding the format and reaching a broad audience," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "And we have a strong slate of nominees and an incredible pool of music to draw from. The move to New York City for this one year is not about changing the CMA Awards program, but taking our best show and our most compelling performers to the media and marketing capital of the world and changing minds about the viability and popularity of the format there. We are dedicated to delivering the best-of-the-best and this is a great start."

 Two-time CMA Award winner Chesney is nominated for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year this year bringing his career nominations to 14. Three-time CMA Award winner Hill has 17 career nominations to date. Jackson, who has received 16 CMA Awards, currently holds the title of most career nominations with 72. Jackson is nominated for 2005 Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. Strait, who has received 15 CMA Awards and 65 nominations during his career, is nominated for three Awards this year, including Male, Album for Somewhere Down in Texas, and Musical Event (with Lee Ann Womack) for "Good News, Bad News."