Dean Brody leads race for country awards

Dean Brody, seen at the 2011 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, is a lead contender for the 2012 edition. (Dave Chidley/Canadian Press)

Article from: www.cbc.ca

Dean Brody, Johnny Reid and Gord Bamford dominate the field of contenders vying for the Canadian Country Music Association Awards, announced in Toronto on Wednesday.

Leading the list with eight nominations is Scottish-born artist Reid, whose album Fire It Up and its titular track are nominated for best single, album and video. He also earned nods for fans’ choice, songwriting and male artist of the year, and will vie in several industry categories.

Rising star Brody, who picked up three CCMA trophies in 2011, also earned a raft of nominations, with his track Canadian Girls vying for single of the year and best video. His release DIRT is up for album of the year and the Nova Scotia-based, B.C.-raised artist also in contention for the fans’ choice honour, songwriter and male artist of the year.

Others earning multiple nominations include Gord Bamford, Terri Clark, Jason Blaine and Paul Brandt.

Nominees include:

Album of the year: 16 & 1, Doc Walker; DIRT, Dean Brody; Fire It Up, Johnny Reid; Give It Away, Paul Brandt; Roots And Wings, Terri Clark.
Single: Canadian Girls, Dean Brody; Fire It Up, Johnny Reid; Is It Friday Yet?, Gord Bamford; Somebody Somewhere, Dallas Smith; They Don’t Make Em’ Like That Anymore, Jason Blaine.
Video: Canadian Girls, Dean Brody; Fire It Up, Johnny Reid; Give It Away, Paul Brandt; I’m Your Man, Ryan Laird In This House, The Stellas.
Female artist: Victoria Banks; Terri Clark; Carolyn Dawn Johnson; Tara Oram; Michelle Wright.
Male artist: Gord Bamford; Jason Blaine; Dean Brody; Chad Brownlee; Johnny Reid.
Group or duo: Doc Walker; Emerson Drive; Hey Romeo; High Valley; The Stellas.
Roots artist or group: Ridley Bent; Shane Chisholm; Sean Hogan; Corb Lund; Jimmy Rankin.
Rising star: Kira Isabella; Ryan Laird; Codie Prevost; Dallas Smith; The Stellas.
Fans’ choice: Gord Bamford; Dean Brody; Terri Clark; Hey Romeo; Johnny Reid.

“All of today’s nominees deserve ample recognition for their excellence as well as their tremendous contribution to Canadian country music,” CCMA executive director Don Green said in a statement.

“This year’s nominees reflect the depth of musical talent in Canada, and we’sre so proud to be able to recognize those artists — both established and emerging — who have impacted Canadians with their music.”

Along with the main prizes, nominees were also announced for individual instrument, industry and broadcast categories.

Performers at the upcoming CCMA awards gala will include top nominees Brody, Brandt, Bamford and Reid, along with George Canyon, Chad Brownlee, Terri Clark, Deric Ruttan and American stars Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert with her supergroup Pistol Annies.

The 2012 CCMA Awards, broadcast by CBC-TV, will take place Sept. 9 in Saskatoon.