CMA Awards Sets First Performers

Top nominee Miranda Lambert is one of the performers scheduled for the CMA Awards.

The star-packed lineup for “The 44th Annual CMA Awards” launches with today’s announcement that Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and the pairing of Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson are the first group of performers confirmed for “Country Music’s Biggest Night.”

“The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 10 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

All of the just-announced performers will vie for awards that night. Lambert, the top nominee for 2010, goes into the show with nine nominations. She will compete for Entertainer of the Year with five-time nominee Lady Antebellum and four-time nominee ZBB. Shelton is up in four categories, Bentley is nominated in three, and Chesney and Jackson will go for one each.