Band Perry, Swift win CMA honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A giddy Taylor Swift won her second entertainer of the year award and rising sibling act The Band Perry was the night’s top winner as the Country Music Association Awards celebrated the young women of country music on Wednesday night.
Swift was rewarded for an amazing year during which she took country music to the Far East, scored hits all around the world and continued a run that’s made her country’s hottest young star for several years.
Swift is just the second woman to win the award twice, joining Barbara Mandrell.
“This is thanks to all the fans who filled the stadiums and arenas all over the world this year,” said Swift, who leaped from her seat with her hands in the air and jumped for joy. “I am so happy we had so many to play for this year. You have made my year.”
It was a melancholy song about dying young that ran hard against the tried-and-true country radio formula that had everyone’s attention most of the night, though. “If I Die Young,” written by Kimberly Perry, won song and single of the year and the band picked up new artist of the year as well.
Technically the band, which includes Perry’s brothers Neil and Reid, won two awards since song of the year goes to the writer, who was Kimberly Perry alone. But the message was the same nonetheless.
“If I Die Young” is one of the few country songs that managed to cross over into the pop world.
“We sort of feel like we are part of the country evangelism scene and we love to hear country songs on pop radio,” Kimberly Perry said. “It proved to be a song with really long legs.”
Crossover appeal proved to be the theme of the night. Jason Aldean, who won his first major CMA award when his platinum-selling “My Kinda Party” won album of the year, also won musical event of the year for his duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Kelly Clarkson. And Kenny Chesney won music video of the year for his duet “You and Tequila” with Grace Potter.
That theme also carried over to the stage where stars from different genres came together for some of the CMA’s strongest performances. The show also featured plenty of sexy dancing, belching smoke special effects and, at one point, acrobats spinning down from the ceiling on lengths of unspooling fabric.
Glen Campbell, one of country’s biggest crossover pioneers who is now battling Alzheimer’s disease, was given a musical tribute when Vince Gill, Keith Urban and Brad Paisley sang three of his songs.