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LUKE BRYAN, KELLY CLARKSON, HUNTER HAYES, MIRANDA LAMBERT, BLAKE SHELTON, GEORGE STRAIT AND THE BAND PERRY ARE SCHEDULED TO PERFORM AT THE “48th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS,” TO BE BROADCAST LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS SUNDAY, APRIL 7 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Editor’s note: This release has been updated.

These Artists Mark the First Round of Performers Announced for This Year’s Broadcast

Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, George Strait and The Band Perry are scheduled to perform on the 48th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, co-hosted byBlake Shelton and Luke Bryan.This is the first round of artists announced as performers on this year’s broadcast. The ceremony, which honors country music’s top talent as well as the industry’s hottest emerging artists, will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7 (8:00 PM-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.  

Luke Bryanwill co-host the Awards telecast for the first time and is one of the fastest rising stars in country music.  He is nominated for four awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for tailgates & tanlines, and Vocal Event of the Year for “The Only Way I Know” with Jason Aldean and Eric Church.  Currently, he is headlining his first major tour, the “Dirt Road Diaries Tour,” and has earned five platinum singles.  

Kelly Clarkson is nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for “Don’t Rush” with Vince Gill, her third nomination in that category.  Last year, she took home two ACM Awards, including Vocal Event of the Year and Single Record of the Year for “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean.  To date, Clarkson has released five studio albums, sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, 10 million albums in the U.S. and has had 10 singles in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.  Recently, Clarkson won a GRAMMY® for Best Pop Vocal Album for her latest studio album, Stronger. Last November, she released her Greatest Hits – Chapter 1 album which features three new tracks, as well as a compilation of some of her greatest hits to date.

Hunter Hayes has six ACM nominations, including two in the Song of the Year category as the artist and composer as well as in the Single Record of the Year category as the artist and producer for “Wanted.”  He rounds out his nominations with New Male Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year for “Wanted.”  Hunter’s GRAMMY® nominated self-titled debut album has garnered three smash hits, including his current single, “Somebody’s Heartbreak,” which has already entered the Top Five and is certified gold, as well as his near-triple-platinum-selling #1 single, “Wanted.”  Hayes is a celebrated musician, songwriter and performer who is currently on the “Blown Away Tour” with Carrie Underwood.

Miranda Lambert,reigning ACM Female Vocalist of the Year, has earned five nominations including her seventh consecutive nod for Female Vocalist of the Year and second nomination for Entertainer of the Year.  In addition, Lambert was nominated for Single Record of the Year and twice nominated for Song of the Year as artist and composer for “Over You.”  Currently, Lambert is on the Locked & Reloaded Tour with longtime friend Dierks Bentley. 

Blake Shelton, ACM reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, returns to co-host the Awards telecast for the third consecutive year.   He is nominated for three awards - Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year as composer for “Over You” with Miranda Lambert and Entertainer of the Year, the Academy’s most prestigious honor.  His current single, “Sure Be Cool If You Did,” is his fastest #1 record, topping the charts in only eight weeks on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart.  “Sure Be Cool If You Did” is off his new album, Based On A True Story which will be available everywhere on March 26. Shelton kicks off his “Ten Times Crazier” tour on July 19 in Virginia Beach. 

George Strait has won 20 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Artist of the Decade Award, an award that has only been given to four other acts in the Academy’s history.  Also, he holds the record for the most #1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.  He has sold more than 68 million records, garnering him 32 different platinum or multi-platinum albums, resulting in the most RIAA platinum certifications in country music and the third in all genres, behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Recently, Strait released his newest single, “Give It All We’ve Got Tonight,” the first release from his forthcoming 2013 album.  Strait placed #1 on Pollstar’s Concert Pulse chart in March after the first leg of his ongoing two-year final U.S. tour “The Cowboy Rides Away Tour,” with special guest Martina McBride.

The Band Perry returns to the ACM Awards this year with their third Vocal Group of the Year nomination, just two short years after they were honored with the New Artist of the Year award in 2011. The sibling trio’s sophomore album, PIONEER, will be released on April 2 and has already spawned the RIAA Certified Platinum single, “Better Dig Two,” whichquickly became the #1 Billboard Hot Country Song, making it the fastest-rising song of the band's career.  It is their third chart-topping single landing at #1 on the Country Radio Charts for two consecutive weeks. Currently, The Band Perry is on Rascal Flatts’ “Changed Tour.” They will appear on THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN on April 1.

The 48th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced for television by dick clark productions.  Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers.  Barry Adelman is producer, and Bob Bardo is the executive in charge of production. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.  

 

CHEAT TWEET:  .@LukeBryanOnline @kelly_clarkson @HunterHayes @mirandalambert @blakeshelton @GeorgeStrait @thebandperry 2 perform on 48th #ACMs April 7 http://bit.ly/12uaLyJ

 

RATING:  To Be Announced

 

Photos will be available on www.cbspressexpress.com

Official CBS Website:  http://www.cbs.com/shows/acma/   

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/AcademyOfCountryMusic

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/ACMawards

 

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CBS Press Contacts:

Andrea Ballas               818-655-1581             andrea.ballas@cbs.com

Kim Izzo-Emmet           212-975-3820             krizzo-emmet@cbs.com

CBS Photo Contacts:

Francis Cavanaugh       818-655-1540             francis.cavanaugh@cbs.com

Gaye Ann Bruno          818-655-1542             gayeann.bruno@cbs.com

 

ACM Contacts:

Brooke Primero           818-788-8000             brooke@acmcountry.com

Jenelle Scott               818-788-8000             jenelle@acmcountry.com

 

dick clark productions Contact:

Brian Rubin                 310-854-4836            brian.rubin@pmkbnc.com  

 

Press credential applications to cover the awards in Las Vegas are available from the Media Center at www.ACMCountry.com.

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