Country music stars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will preside over "Country Music's Biggest Night" for the eighth time as they host the 2015 Country Music Associations Awards ceremony tonight. Some of the biggest names in country will grace the stage with performances and accept awards in categories like New Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.
The ceremony kicks off on Wednesday, Nov. 4 with a red carpet event at 7 p.m. ET on Audience (DIRECTV Channel 239/AT&T U-verse Channel 1114), with a live stream available at 6 p.m. ET. here. The event will be hosted by Cam, Craig Morgan and Michael Ray and will feature exclusive performances by Hunter Hayes and Jana Kramer.
Eric Church and Kenny Chesney are tied for most nominations with five each, and they'll go head-to-head in the Entertainer of the Year and Single of the Year categories. Rising star Kelsea Ballerini is up for the New Artist of the Year award, and she's up against country music vets Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood and Lee Ann Womack for the Female Vocalist of the Year award.
Pop star and Memphis-native Justin Timberlake will join Chris Stapleton for a live performance, and Thomas Rhett will be joined by rock band Fall Out Boy. Other performances include Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Maddie & Tae. Presenters include Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell, U.S. Women's Soccer Team players Heather O'Reilly and Megan Rapinoe, and Sports Illustrated cover model Hannah Davis.
The 49th Annual CMA Awards ceremony will be broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at 8/7c on ABC, and a live stream will be available on ABC Go.
See the full list of performers, presenters and nominees below.
PERFORMERS
Jason Aldean
Kelsea Ballerini
Dierks Bentley (with Lindsey Stirling)
Brooks & Dunn (with Reba)
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Eric Church
Fall Out Boy (with Thomas Rhett)
Florida Georgia Line
Sam Hunt
Miranda Lambert
Little Big Town
Maddie & Tae
John Mellencamp (with Keith Urban)
Kacey Musgraves
Brad Paisley
Reba (with Brooks & Dunn)
Thomas Rhett (with Fall Out Boy)
Blake Shelton
Chris Stapleton (with Justin Timberlake)
Lindsey Stirling (with Dierks Bentley)
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban (with John Mellencamp)
Hank Williams, Jr. (with Eric Church)
Zac Brown Band
PRESENTERS
Edie Brickell and Steve Martin
Betty Cantrell (Miss America 2016)
Erika Christensen (ABC's "Wicked City")
Lee Corso (ESPN's College GameDay)
Hannah Davis (Sports Illustrated Cover Model)
Brett Eldredge
Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN's College GameDay)
Charles Kelley
Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
Jennifer Nettles ("CMA Country Christmas" Host)
Heather O'Reilly (U.S. Women's Soccer Team)
Pentatonix
Megan Rapinoe (U.S. Women's Soccer Team)
Reba
Darius Rucker
Kiefer Sutherland
Cole Swindell
Lee Ann Womack
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Garth Brooks
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Eric Church
Miranda Lambert
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood
Lee Ann Womack
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dierks Bentley
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Blake Shelton
Chris Stapleton
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
Thompson Square
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Sam Hunt
Maddie & Tae
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
"Old Boots, New Dirt"
Produced by Michael Knox
Broken Bow
Kacey Musgraves
"Pageant Material"
Produced by Kacey Musgraves, Luke Laird, and Shane McAnally
Mercury Nashville
Little Big Town
"Pain Killer"
Produced by Jay Joyce
Capitol Records Nashville
Kenny Chesney
"The Big Revival"
Produced by Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney
Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville
Chris Stapleton
"Traveller"
Produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton
Mercury Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
"American Kids"
Produced by Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney
Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville
Little Big Town
"Girl Crush"
Produced by Jay Joyce
Capitol Records Nashville
Lee Brice
"I Don't Dance"
Produced by Lee Brice
Curb Records
Sam Hunt
"Take Your Time"
Produced by Zach Crowell and Shane McAnally
MCA Nashville
Eric Church
"Talladega"
Produced by Jay Joyce and Arturo Buenahora, Jr.
EMI Records Nashville
SONG OF THE YEAR
"American Kids"
Written by Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, and Shane McAnally
"Girl Crush"
Written by Liz Rose, Lori McKenna, and Hillary Lindsey
"Like A Cowboy"
Written by Randy Houser and Brice Long
"Like A Wrecking Ball"
Written by Eric Church and Casey Beathard
"Take Your Time"
Written by Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
"Django and Jimmie"
Legacy Recordings
Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe
"Lonely Tonight"
Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville
Keith Urban featuring Eric Church
"Raise 'Em Up"
Hit Red Records/Capitol Records Nashville
Miranda Lambert featuring Little Big Town
"Smokin' and Drinkin'"
RCA Nashville
Kenny Chesney with Grace Potter
"Wild Child"
Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Kacey Musgraves
"Biscuits"
Directed by Marc Klasfeld
Little Big Town
"Girl Crush"
Directed by Karla Welch and Matthew Welch
Maddie & Tae
"Girl In A Country Song"
Directed by TK McKamy
Miranda Lambert
"Little Red Wagon"
Directed by Trey Fanjoy
Carrie Underwood
"Something In The Water"
Directed by Raj Kapoor
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Sam Bush (Mandolin)
Jerry Douglas (Dobro)
Paul Franklin (Steel Guitar)
Dann Huff (Guitar)
Mac McAnally (Guitar)
