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		HOST VINCE GILL Vince Gill, who has hosted the annual CMA Awards 11 times, has won 18 CMA Awards--more than any other artist--and has received 14 Grammy Awards. For five consecutive years (1991-95), he won the CMA Male Vocalist Award, an unequaled achievement in the history of the CMA Awards. Gill has sold over 20 million albums and has performed on over 500 other artists' albums, recording duets with legendary female artists such as Barbra Streisand, Rosanne Cash, Reba McEntire, Gladys Knight, Patty Loveless and his wife, Amy Grant. Gill also recorded a duet with Dolly Parton and performed with her on the 33rd Annual CMA Awards. TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY CASH Performing in the Johnny Cash tribute will be Sheryl Crowe, who is nominated for Vocal Event of the Year with Kid Rock for their duet "Picture," remaining "Highwaymen" Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, who is nominated for three CMA Awards with Toby Keith for Single, Music Video and Vocal Event of the Year for "Beer For My Horses," Travis Tritt and Hank Williams Jr. Johnny Cash, who died September 12 at the age of 71, is nominated for four CMA Awards: Vocal Event of the Year with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on "Tears in the Holston River;" Single and Music Video of the Year for "Hurt" and Album of the Year for American IV: The Man Comes Around. Cash won Album of the Year twice in his career: in 1968 with Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and 1969 with Johnny Cash at San Quentin. The last nomination Cash received for Album of the Year was in 1970 for Hello, I'm Johnny Cash. During his career, Cash received six CMA Awards (including Entertainer of the Year in 1969). Johnny Cash was inducted him into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980. TOP PERFORMERS This year's CMA Awards features performances by two unique pairings of artists. Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett will open the show with the first televised performance of their hit duet "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere." Country music legend Dolly Parton will perform with Grammy Award-winning artist Norah Jones for the first time. Also scheduled to perform are Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney and Patty Loveless. Parton and Jones will perform "The Grass Is Blue," a Parton song recorded by Jones for the upcoming Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton tribute album. Alan Jackson, reigning CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, is nominated for three Awards this year: Vocal Event, Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. Jimmy Buffet will be performing on the CMA Awards for the first time. The nomination for Vocal Event of the Year is Buffett's second CMA Award nomination. Dolly Parton, nominated this year for Female Vocalist of the Year, has earned eight CMA Awards since receiving her first in 1968 for Vocal Group of the Year with duet partner Porter Wagoner. She won her most recent CMA Award in 1996 for Vocal Event of the Year for her duet with Vince Gill, "I Will Always Love You." Norah Jones' album Come Away with Me features her rendition of the classic Hank Williams song "Cold Cold Heart." She has also been a featured guest on two recent live Willie Nelson albums: Stars & Guitars and Live and Kickin'. Brooks & Dunn have won 12 CMA Awards since 1992, including Entertainer of the Year in 1996 and an unprecedented 10 wins as Vocal Duo of the Year (1992-1999; 2001-2002). They are nominated this year in four categories: Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Duo, and Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year for "Red Dirt Road." Kenny Chesney is nominated for two CMA Awards this year, including Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. Patty Loveless, nominated this year for Female Vocalist, has previously won five CMA Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year in 1996. Toby Keith is nominated this year for seven awards: Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for Unleashed; and Song, Single, Music Video and Vocal Event of the Year for "Beer For My Horses," a duet with Willie Nelson. Keith is also eligible to win two additional awards in the Single and Album of the Year categories as co-producer. Reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Martina McBride is nominated again this year in the same category. She won her first CMA Female Vocalist award in 1999. George Strait is nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year. Strait has received 71 CMA Award nominations--more than any other artist--and has won 15 times. TOP Shania Twain, who appeared on the 2002 CMA Awards for the first time after a three-year hiatus, will be performing on the special again this year. Tim McGraw is nominated for Entertainer, Male Vocalist and Album of the Year. Since his debut in 1992, McGraw has won eight CMA Awards during his career, including CMA Entertainer of the Year in 2001. McGraw will be performing "Red Rag Top" from his current album, Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors. Terri Clark, nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, will perform a single from her album Pain to Kill. She was previously nominated for a Horizon Award in 1996 and 1997. Rascal Flatts will be performing a single from their current platinum-selling album, Melt. The group is also headlining their first tour and recently released their first DVD, Rascal Flatts Live. Horizon Award nominee Gary Allan will perform a single from his recently released fifth album See If I Care. This is the first CMA Award nomination for Gary Allan. After winning the USA Network's "Nashville Star" televised talent competition, Horizon Award nominee Buddy Jewell earned his first CMA Award nomination for his debut album, Buddy Jewell. Joe Nichols received his first two CMA Award nominations this year in the Horizon Award and Album of the Year categories. Nichols will perform a single from his current album, Man with a Memory. Blake Shelton is nominated for both the Horizon Award and Vocal Event of the Year for his participation in the Tracy Byrd song "The Truth About Men," along with Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry. He will perform a song from his second album, The Dreamer. Darryl Worley is nominated for a Horizon Award as well as Single and Song of the Year for "Have You Forgotten?," which he co-wrote with Wynn Varble. Brad Paisley will perform his single, "Celebrity," with special guests including actors William Shatner, who appeared in the song's music video, and Anthony Clark and Mike O'Malley, country music fans and co-stars of the CBS comedy series YES, DEAR. Paisley has four CMA nominations in 2003, including Male Vocalist and Single, Song and Music Video of the Year for "Celebrity," from his latest album Mud On The Tires. Paisley earned his first CMA Award in 2000 when he won the Horizon Award. He won again in 2001 for CMA Vocal Event for "Too Country" with Bill Anderson, George Jones and Buck Owens. In 2002, Paisley won a CMA Award for Music Video of the Year for the single "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)." Alison Krauss and Union Station, featuring CMA Musician of the Year nominee Jerry Douglas, will perform "Every Time You Say Goodbye." Krauss is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she won in 1995. TOP PRESENTERS Faith Hill has received 19 career CMA Award nominations. In 2003, she will be presenting the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award, which she won in 2000, the same year her husband, Tim McGraw, took home the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year trophy. Additional presenters include Chris Cagle, Sara Evans, Jennifer Hanson, Rebecca Lynn Howard, George Jones, Wynonna Judd and LeeAnn Rimes, along with several of this year's CMA nominees: Tracy Byrd, nominated with Andy Griggs; Montgomery Gentry and Blake Shelton for Vocal Event of the Year for "The Truth About Men"; Lonestar, nominated for Vocal Group of the Year; Jo Dee Messina; Marty Roe of Diamond Rio, nominated for Vocal Group of the Year; Randy Travis, nominated for Single of the Year for "Three Wooden Crosses"; and Keith Urban. TOP