Updated November 11, 2009
Taylor Swift Wins CMA Entertainer of the Year
FOXNews.com
The 19-year-old makes history as the youngest person to win CMA entertainer of the year.
Taylor Swift is the youngest person ever to win the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year award.
Plus she won all four awards for which she was nominated on Wednesday night.
Not bad for a teenager.
"I'll never forget this moment because in this moment everything that I have ever wanted has just happened to me," Swift said through tears at the Sommet Center in Nashville.
SLIDESHOW: Taylor Swift's winning country style.
SLIDESHOW: The Best and Worst Dressed at the CMA Awards.
SLIDESHOW: The night's biggest - and strangest - cowboy hats.
VIDEO: Exclusive interview with Taylor Swift and more stars at the CMA Awards
The 19-year-old crossover sensation snapped Kenny Chesney's stranglehold on the category (he won three straight, and four of the last five) and also ended Carrie Underwood's three-year reign over the female vocalist category.
Chesney presented Swift her trophy, and Swift called her band on stage as fans cheered wildly. Her proud father cried.
"Every single person in that category let me open up for them this year," Swift said. "Thank you all so much. I love you."
Now, they will be opening for her.
LIVESHOTS: Behind the scenes at country music's biggest night.
ON THE SCENE: Hanging out with 'Idol' star Danny Gokey in Nashville.
But Swift was not the only history-making star on display Wednesday night. Darius Rucker became the second African American to win a major individual CMA. The Hootie and the Blowfish frontman won the newcomer award after he sold 1 million copies of his first country album, "Learn to Live." He joins African-American singer Charley Pride, who won entertainer of the year in 1971 and male vocalist in 1971-72.
"First of all, to the fans, thank y'all for accepting me," the jubilant Rucker said. "And I think most importantly, to country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, S.C. Thank you so much for that!"
Swift also won album of the year for "Fearless," the top-selling CD of the year, and video of the year for "Love Story."
"You guys, this album is my diary and so to all the people who voted for me for this is a thank you for saying you love my diary because that's the nicest compliment," Swift said.
Brad Paisley, who led all nominees with seven, won two awards, including his third straight male vocalist of the year.
"This was the best time I've ever had at an awards show," said Paisley.
Lady Antebellum also won two awards, for vocal group and single of the year. The win in the vocal group category ended Rascal Flatts' six-year dominance.
"Rascal Flatts, you've inspired us for such a long time," Lady Antebellum singer Charles Kelly said. "Thank you so much for letting us be up here."
Jamey Johnson, along with James Otto and Lee Thomas Miller, won song of the year for "In Color."
"I never thought you guys would even let me come to things like this," Johnson, the country outlaw with the scruffy beard, joked as the audience laughed.
Swift kicked off the show with a playful version of her song, "Forever & Again," throwing a chair off a raised podium, sliding down a pole and dropping to her knees to the delighted cheers of the crowd.
It was the Zac Brown Band that set the room on fire, though, with its high-rev version of Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."
Co-hosts Paisley and Underwood opened the show with a few new songs of their own, skewering Kanye West for his interruption of Swift's MTV Video Music Awards win -- "Mama don't let your babies grow up to be Kanye" -- and lamenting the break up of Brooks & Dunn.
Later in the show, telecast on ABC, country novelty singer Little Jimmy Dickens interrupted Paisley after Underwood told him that "Welcome to the Future" was one her favorite videos.
"Excuse me sir, excuse me. I'll let you finish later. Now, Brad Paisley, I know you had a nice video, but ... Taylor Swift made the best video in her time. You go girl," the diminutive Dickens said, goofing on West, who famously took the stage during Swift's acceptance speech to say that Beyonce deserved Swift's prize.
Brooks & Dunn, the best-selling duo who announced their split earlier this year, teamed with ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons on a scorching version of "Honky Tonk Stomp" in what was billed as their last performance at show.
But CMA voters weren't moved by sentiment in the vocal duo of the year category, awarding Sugarland the honor for the third straight year.
"We don't usually expect this but we obviously didn't this year," said Jennifer Nettles, half of the duo that extended an invitation to Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn to come up and speak to their fans, but they declined.
"Well, I will say thank you for what you've done for us, thank you for what you've done for country music," Nettles said before leaving the stage.
Several tributes were paid to veterans with the show falling on Veterans Day. Underwood saluted service members and Randy Houser wore a POW/MIA hat among other nods.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fox Nation
-
NYT Execs Get Bonuses to Hire People Besides White Guys
March 12, 2010 29 comments
-
McCain Links Hayworth to 'Extreme Groups'
March 12, 2010 53 comments
-
Is Lady Gaga Video Too Hot for TV?
March 12, 2010 67 comments
-
Tom Brady Pushes Climate Change Weirdness
March 12, 2010 100 comments
-
Sean Penn Kicks Reporter Out of Press Conference
March 12, 2010 89 comments
-
Mexican Military Chopper Violates U.S. Airspace
March 12, 2010 82 comments
-
Forbes: 'Out of Control' Prius Was a Hoax
March 12, 2010 70 comments
-
Disgraced NYT Editor Blames Fox News for Obamacare Troubles
March 12, 2010 160 comments
-
Andrea to Elijah Cummings on Obamacare: 'You've Got to Get This for Him'
March 12, 2010 195 comments
-
DOJ: Holder Omissions Wider Than Thought
March 12, 2010 15 comments
Most Commented
-
Did Health Care Summit Accomplish Anything?
February 25, 2010 1,450 comments
-
Health Care Summit: How’s It Going?
February 24, 2010 1,269 comments
-
Was Tiger's Apology Good Enough for You?
February 19, 2010 1,250 comments
-
Does the 'Reconciliation' Gambit Make You Angry?
March 03, 2010 1,240 comments
-
Is Democrats' Health Care Reform Legislation Doomed?
March 10, 2010 1,130 comments

-
The Cost-Control Illusion
March 12, 2010
-
The Easy Way
March 12, 2010
-
Student Loan Chutzpah
March 12, 2010

-
Hardly a charitable response from Bob the bludgeoner
March 13, 2010
-
What women want is an end to hectoring by feminists
March 13, 2010
-
Order, let the honourable mistress of porn speak
March 13, 2010
-
Prison works – when we keep criminals in
March 13, 2010
-
Welcome to life under Nick Clegg
March 13, 2010

-
Chump Change
March 14, 2010
-
Free Trade Watch
March 12, 2010 15 comments
-
Fiscal Responsibility is No Fun
March 12, 2010 10 comments
-
Pigs at the Trough
March 12, 2010 9 comments
-
Tonight's Show: More Licensing Madness
March 11, 2010 45 comments

-
Greece's Problem? The New York Times
March 09, 2010 3 comments
-
Tired of Bailout Nation?
March 05, 2010 46 comments
-
The Case for Medical Malpractice Reform
March 03, 2010 32 comments
-
Another AIG Magical Mystery Tour
March 01, 2010 3 comments
-
New York Times Whiffs on Greece, Again
February 26, 2010 12 comments

-
Run! It's Zombie James Brown!
March 14, 2010
-
Free speech vs. gay rights
March 14, 2010
-
And now...iStations
March 14, 2010
-
Ruling: "under God" is constitutional
March 14, 2010
-
Prayer for the Week
March 13, 2010



recommend

Subscribe to Comments

