It took five years, but Brad Paisley is finally the CMA's Entertainer of the Year.
Paisley won the coveted trophy at the Country Music Association Awards show Wednesday night. He had been nominated every year for the award since 2005 but come away empty handed. Reports CBS News.
A tearful Paisley compared himself to a turtle on a fence post when he accepted the award.
Paisley won in a category that featured two of the night's big winners. Miranda Lambert won three trophies while Lady Antebellum won two. Keith Urban and the Zac Brown Band, the nights New Artist of the Year, were also up for the award.
Lambert celebrated her 27th birthday by winning Album of the Year for "Revolution," and Female Vocalist of the Year. Her hit song "The House That Built Me" also won Video of the Year and Song of the Year (which went to songwriters Tom Douglas and Allan Shamblin). She earned nine nominations overall.
Lady A was another big winner, riding their hit "Need You Now" to wins for Single of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year. The hit song about late-night hookups helped the trio sell 3 million albums so far this year.
Sugarland won Vocal Duo of the Year, while Lambert's fiance, Blake Shelton, won Male Vocalist of the Year.
Hosts Paisley and Carrie Underwood joined Keith Urban to kick off the show with "Songs Like This" before the hosts returned to poke lighthearted fun at the stars and current events.
"Nashville had a flood and it barely made news," they sang. "While up through the gulf came a bubbling crude."
They also poked fun at Tiger Woods and Brett Favre, singing, "She caught Tiger with some tail it's plain to see, and Brett Favre has taken up photography."
Lady A, Lambert and Paisley were among the performers at the awards show, which aired live on ABC. The show also marked the debut singing performance of Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow, who stars with Tim McGraw in the upcoming movie "Country Strong."
