Second Round of Performers Set for the 40th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, Country's Night to Shine(TM)

Second Round of Performers Set for the 40th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, Country's Night to Shine(TM)

Telecast to Air Live From Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas Tuesday, May 17th at 8:00 PM ET/PT on CBS Television Network

Big & Rich, Sara Evans and Tim McGraw Set to Perform Along With Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and George Strait

BURBANK, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Academy of Country Music is announcing that country music superstars Big & Rich, Sara Evans and Tim McGraw will perform as part of the 40TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS. The ceremony, which honors country music's top talent as well as the industry's hottest emerging talent, will be broadcast LIVE from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 17th, 2005 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.

Multi-platinum Big & Rich, first-time nominees, are up for three awards including Top New Artist, Top Vocal Duo and Video of the Year (for "Save A Horse, Ride a Cowboy"). John Rich has also received two additional nominations as associate producer of Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" (nominated for Single Record of the Year) and "Here for the Party" (nominated for Album of the Year). Sara Evans has been nominated for nine Academy of Country Music Awards, including current nominations in the Top Female Vocalist and Album of the Year (for "Restless" which she co-produced) categories. Evans has had four past nominations for Top Female Vocalist and two nominations for Vocal Event of the Year.

Tim McGraw leads this year's nominations with six nods in the Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist categories along with four nominations for "Live Like You Were Dying," including Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Video of the Year. He is also nominated in two of these categories as producer. McGraw's ten past wins include two for Top Male Vocalist, two for Vocal Event of the Year, two for Single Record of the Year, and one each for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Top New Male Vocalist. If McGraw wins Entertainer of the Year, he will be honored with the Merle Haggard Award, which recognizes the Academy's triple-crown winners of Entertainer of the Year, Top New Male and Top Male.

These artists join previously announced 40th annual Academy of Country Music Awards performers Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and George Strait.

The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 with a mission to support, promote, and enhance the advancement of the country music industry worldwide. The Academy, which is comprised of 3,800+ professional members and a newly established Associate Membership, is headquartered in Burbank, CA. For more information on the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and the Academy of Country Music, please visit www.acmcountry.com.

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS is produced for television by dick clark productions. The show is executive produced by Dick Clark and R.A. Clark, and produced by Barry Adelman. The executive in charge of production is Bob Bardo, and the executive in charge is Fran LaMaina.

Southwest Airlines is the official airline of the Academy of Country Music Awards.

The ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS will be broadcast LIVE from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 17th, 2005 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on CBS Television Network.

Source: Academy of Country Music

CONTACT: Brooke Primero or Melissa Armstrong, both of BNC, +1-310-854-4800, for Academy of Country Music

Web site: http://www.acmcountry.com/

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