Remember that old Barbara Mandrell song, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool?" Yeah. Good times.
Mandrell made the single a huge country crossover hit way back in 1981 at the height of her popularity. I well remember her singing it on her NBC variety show, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters (1980-1982), in which she starred with younger siblings Louise and Irlene.
Mandrell, 66, retired from the music business in '97 to spend more time with her family. I'm betting that she's still cool.
What made me think of Mandrell? It's time for the annual CMA Awards and Mandrell was the first singer to twice win the Country Music Association's Vocalist of the Year award (1980-1981), and was the only female to have pulled that off until Taylor Swift equaled her in 2009 and 2011.
Then Swift went all pop star on us and isn't country cool anymore. It was a crafty career move, however. Swift is now one of the biggest stars on the planet.
Mandrell also won the CMA's Female Vocalist of the Year twice -- in 1979 and 1981. Swift only did that in 2009.
These days, the reigning CMA king and queen are Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. They have been the male and female Entertainer of the Year five years running (2010-2014).
Country fans are well aware that the once-celebrated power couple split up in July. Yup -- D-I-V-O-R-C-E. Shelton has said he and his ex are "still buddies," but I'm betting they won't be sitting anywhere near each other at Wednesday's awards.
The 49th Annual CMA Awards air on ABC live at 7 p.m. Wednesday from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood pull host duties for the eighth consecutive year. They must be doing something right, as more than 15 million viewers tuned in for the 2014 ceremony.
For the record, Paisley was Entertainer of the Year in 2010 (in between Swift's two years on top) and was Male Vocalist of the Year three years running, 2007-2009. Paisley is No. 5 on the list of all-time top CMA Award winners with 14 to date.
Although Underwood has never notched Entertainer of the Year, she was Female Vocalist three years in a row, 2006-2008. It's hard to believe that it has been a full decade since Underwood won our hearts by winning American Idol. She turned right around and won the CMA Horizon Award (now New Artist of the Year) in 2006.
NOMINATIONS
Eric Church and Little Big Town top the list this year with five nominations each. Kenny Chesney and Lambert follow with four, and Sam Hunt, Maddie & Tae, Kacey Musgraves and Chris Stapleton each received three nominations.
Here are the nominees for the big six "of the year" awards.
Entertainer: Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert.
Female Vocalist: Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood, Lee Ann Womack.
Male Vocalist: Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton.
Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry, Zac Brown Band.
Vocal Duo: Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Maddie & Tae, Thompson Square.
New Artist: Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt, Maddie & Tae, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton.
Expect most of the nominees to also perform during the three-hour show. In addition to those above, look for Jason Aldean, Fall Out Boy, John Mellencamp, Lindsey Stirling, Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire (who goes simply by Reba these days), Keith Urban and Hank Williams Jr.
Finally, here's a bit of trophy trivia.
From the beginning in 1967, the CMA trophy was designed to look like a chart bullet, as in "The song debuted at No. 23 with a bullet." (See accompanying photo.)
The original trophies were walnut on a marble base. The CMAs switched to crystal in 1983. Today's award is 15 inches tall, weighs 7 1/2 pounds and is made of hand-blown crystal in Florence, Italy. The CMA logo inside the award is a die-struck medallion of polished bronze.
Finally, once again, Jimmy Kimmel will have a special edition of his nightly talk show. Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the CMAs airs at 10:35 p.m.
• Wonders. A new series, Earth's Natural Wonders, debuts on PBS and AETN at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The first episode, "Extreme Wonders," takes viewers to Mount Everest's Khumbu Icefall with its dangers to sherpas; the Grand Canyon, where conservationists try to help a condor chick survive; and the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, where it's farmers vs. elephants.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 11/03/2015