American Idol winner Carrie Underwood took two prizes at the Country Music Television Awards on Monday, taking the gongs in the Best Breakthrough and Best Female categories. She was the only multiple award winner at the event, staged by MTV owned country music channel CMT, which gives prizes for the best videos in the genre in the last twelve months.
Other winners included Kenny Chesney who won the Best Male category, Rascal Flatt who took Best Group, and Bon Jovi who took Best Collaborative Video for their collaboration with Jennifer Nettles, 'Who Says You Can't Go Home'. Keith Urban took the overall Video Of The Year prize, while Dolly Parton won the Most Inspiring Video Of The Year award for the pop promo for her duet with Brad Paisley, 'When I Get Where I'm Going'.
Urban also performed at the awards show, in a set involving a choir from New Orleans which, the singer said, aimed to highlight the plight still facing those affected by Hurricane Katrina. He explained: "I had been down to New Orleans and was struck by a combination of things - how much has been done and how little has been done. We just wanted to bring a little more awareness back to the cause down there."