News & Publications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sep. 24, 2002
MORE OF COUNTRY MUSIC’S HOTTEST SUPERSTARS SCHEDULED TO PERFORM ON “THE 36TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS”
Faith Hill, Alan Jackson and George Strait Join List of Artists Slated To Perform
NASHVILLE – CMA added to a stellar list of the biggest stars in Country Music today with the announcement of additional performers for “The 36th Annual CMA Awards.” Faith Hill, Alan Jackson and George Strait are all slated to perform at the CMA Awards, broadcast live Wednesday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/EST) on the CBS Television Network from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. They join the already impressive list of talent for the CMA Awards, including Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain, making her first network television performance since 1999.
After taking time off to give birth to her third daughter, Hill is back with a new album, Cry, and a much-anticipated performance on the 2002 CMA Awards. Cry will be released Oct. 15 and following a U.S. promotional tour, Hill is heading to Japan and Australia to support the album before jetting stateside two days before the Awards for her CMA performance. Hill’s last album, Breathe, has sold nearly six million copies and she has sold more than 25 million records in her eight-year career.
Jackson set a record this year when he received 10 CMA Award nominations. The previous record was held by Merle Haggard, who received nine CMA Award nominations in 1970. Jackson received nominations for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for Drive; Vocal Event with George Strait for “Designated Drinker;” and Single, Song and Video of the Year for both “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” and “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning),” which he dramatically debuted on the 2001 CMA Awards. Jackson’s album Drive debuted at No. 1 in the Nielsen SoundScan charts Jan. 15 and is currently the fourth, best-selling album, year-to-date, across all genres for the year.
George Strait still leads all artists with 70 career CMA Award nominations. This year, he is nominated in four categories Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for The Road Less Traveled; and Vocal Event of the Year for his duet with Jackson on “Designated Drinker.” Strait is currently headlining a 21-city arena tour that kicked off Sept. 12. In his career, Strait has collected an amazing 49 No. 1 hits and has sold 57 million albums.
The industry professional members of the Country Music Association vote to determine CMA Award winners. The CMA Awards are produced by Walter C. Miller and directed by Paul Miller. Veteran television writer and Rolling Stone Senior Contributing Editor David Wild will script this year’s show. MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks, is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards including a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event.