Music awards with a country flavour for you now.
First up, it was the annual US Country Music Association Awards in Nashville last night, and Brooks & Dunn are the duo about which the phrase "they done well" might be used. Like Justin Timberlake at the MTV Europe awards last week, not only did the duo host and perform at the awards show, they took three of the prizes themselves, Single Of The Year and Music Video Of The Year for their track 'Believe' and, for the 75th year running (more or less), the title of Vocal Duo Of The Year. 'Believe' was also named Song Of The Year, although that technically goes to the song's writers rather than its performers, though Ronnie Dunn co-wrote it, so he got half of that award too.
Elsewhere, awards went to former American Idol Carrie Underwood - Best Female Vocalist and Horizon Award; Brad Paisley - Album Of The Year; Rascal Flatts - Best Vocal Group; and Kenny Chesney - Entertainer Of The Year.
The latter made a vague reference to his previously reported short lived marriage to actress Renee Zellweger in his acceptance speech, telling the awards audience: "This year has in ways been the most emotionally satisfying year and also the most emotionally draining year of my life. There have been so many ups and downs, it's been like a huge emotional roller coaster ride".
Talking of emotional ups and downs, Aussie country star Keith Urban, who also got hitched to an actress recently, of course, won Male Vocalist Of The Year. As expected, he was not in attendance to pick up the gong, given that recent admission into rehab. But he sent a message read out by Ronnie Dunn which thanked his friends and family, concluding: "To my wife, Nicole [Kidman, of course], I love you. I'm looking forward to coming home and seeing you all soon".
Like London buses, country awards tend to come along in threes, mainly because US royalty bodies SESAC and BMI both stage their country awards in the run up to the CMA event. At the former husband and wife songwriting team Sam and Annie Tate were named Country Songwriters Of The Year for their song 'If You're Going Through Hell'. The track was also named Country Song Of The Year, and its publisher, Carnival Music, was Country Publisher Of The Year. At BMI's country awards Toby Keith's 'As Good As I Once Was' was named Song Of The Year, while Keith himself was named co-Songwriter Of The Year, alongside Ed Hill and Vicky McGehee.