The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, held Sunday at
the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, were a mixture of expected winners
sprinkled with a couple of surprises.
Taylor
Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Lady Antebellum repeated wins in the
Entertainer, Female Vocalist, and Vocal Group of the Year
categories. In her acceptance speech, Swift thanked her fellow
nominees, as well as the fans who voted for her in the category. She
also acknowledged Kevin McGuire, a 18-year old New Jersey cancer
patient who was slated to be Swift’s date for the awards, but was
hospitalized and had to miss out on the evening.
Lambert
took home Album of the Year for her “Four The Record” disc, while
her husband Blake Shelton earned the Male Vocalist nod. Jason Aldean
and Kelly Clarkson scored a double win in the Single Record and
Vocal Event of the Year categories for “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” and
Toby Keith for Video of the Year for “Red Solo Cup,” The biggest
surprises were Thompson Square’s win for Vocal Duo of the Year —
just a year after topping the chart with their debut hit “Are You
Gonna Kiss Me Or Not,” and the Eli Young Band’s Song of the Year
prize for “Crazy Girl” (co-writers: Liz Rose and Lee Brice).
“American Idol” winner and fan favorite Scotty McCreery took home the New Artist of the Year prize.
