'American Idol 4' winner Carrie Underwood wins two ACM Awards

Superstar duo Brooks & Dunn won their 21st Academy of Country Music Award -- setting a record during Tuesday night's ceremony in Las Vegas.

Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks were named top vocal duo and "Believe," written by Dunn and Craig Wiseman, won song of the year during the ceremony broadcast live on CBS from the MGM Grand Hotel. Brooks & Dunn have won more trophies than any other artists in the 41-year history of the ACM Awards.

Kenny Chesney won entertainer of the year, Australian Keith Urban was named male vocalist of the year, Sara Evans took female vocalist of the year honors and Rascal Flatts was named the top vocal group.

Brad Paisley's "Time Well Wasted" won the ACM album of the year award and "American Idol" fourth season winner Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel" was named single of the year.

Underwood also took the top new female vocalist award, Jason Aldean was named best new male vocalist and Sugarland won the best newcomer award for a duo or vocal group.

Paisley took a total three trophies home, two shared with Dolly Parton for their duet "When I Get Where I'm Going," which won vocal event and video of the year awards.

Carrie Underwood not picking anyone in "Idol" finale

NASHVILLE Carrie Underwood says she knows how it feels, and she's not going to do it to anybody else.

Underwood says she's excited to be singing on tonight's "American Idol' finale, and she's keeping her promise not to pick a favorite in advance.

Underwood says she felt sad last year when people on the red carpet would predict Bo as the winner so she says she swore she'd pick one because they don't need to hear that.

LHS grad shares award with Carrie Underwood

Longview High School graduate Mark Bright shared an award Tuesday night with Carrie Underwood when the song he produced, "Jesus, Take the Wheel," won Single Record of the Year at the American Country Music Awards.

Bright, who also was nominated for Producer of the Year and Album of the Year, recognized his family and his hometown.

"I just want to thank my mom and dad back in Longview, Texas, my beautiful wife, my kids," Bright said onstage at the awards.

Bright's parents, Jean and Delbert Bright, moved to Longview in 1964. He attended Bramlette Elementary School and Judson Middle School.

In a phone interview, Bright said he has always loved music. He plays the drums, guitar and the piano.

"I was in several rock bands as a kid, probably to my parents' chagrin," he said.

After graduating from high school, Bright briefly attended Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. He moved to Nashville in 1981 to attend Belmont University.

"Like thousands of others, I dreamed of becoming a record producer," he said.

A record producer's many roles include coaching performers, supervising recording sessions and overseeing the mixing and mastering of albums.

Bright worked for a while in music publishing and as a sound engineer, doing what he described as "getting to know the business."

He got his "break" in producing with the country band BlackHawk. From BlackHawk, Bright began producing Rascal Flatts.

He produced the first three albums with Rascal Flatts. Even though he is no longer their producer, Bright noted they are probably the "biggest name" in today's country music.

His success led Arista New York to contact him about producing for Carrie Underwood, the first country singer to win American Idol. He said he produced seven songs on her debut CD "Some Hearts." They plan to begin work on a new album late this fall.

Bright also produces for Sara Evans, who won the Top Female Vocalist award last night.

Bright said he and his wife, Anna, try to come to Longview with their children, Onaly and David, as often as they can. He said that his entire family lives here.

"I love Longview," he said in a telephone interview. "It always comes down to the basics, like where you are from."

His parents watched the award show as it aired. "We were thrilled to death when they called the winner," Delbert Bright said.

Carrie Underwood's big year continues at 41st ACM Awards

"I'm not starting out where new artists start out."

Carrie Underwood clearly recognizes her good fortune: One year to the week she was named the fourth "American Idol," she could win four Academy of Country Music Awards.

Up for top female vocalist and top new female vocalist - as well as single record of the year and song of the year for "Jesus, Take the Wheel," for which she earned two CMT Music Awards last month - the young newcomer to Nashville will be a featured performer as CBS televises the 41st annual ACM Awards on Tuesday. Reba McEntire will mark her eighth stint as host of the show, originating from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Kelly Clarkson and Miranda Lambert also are scheduled to entertain during the three-hour broadcast.

Brad Paisley leads the nominees with six bids. Brooks & Dunn and Sugarland each have five, while Rascal Flatts is tied with Underwood with four nominations each. Big & Rich, Dolly Parton and Lee Ann Womack are all in the running for three of the honors.

"I feel so honored that people actually like the album," the soft-spoken Underwood says of "Some Hearts," her debut release. "I'm just so glad that people bought it, and that they're looking at what I'm doing."

She considers her ACM nominations "affirmation that we're doing the right thing. I needed that, and I think everyone who works with me needed that, too."

Nevertheless, Underwood still finds performing before other country artists a little unnerving.

"It's just so strange," she says, "because these are people I looked up to and still look up to, and I have to sing in front of them. It's difficult, because I'm afraid they're all looking at me like, 'Who's this chick?'

"I feel like I'm going to be the new kid on the block for a while, like people will still be making sure I deserve to be here. Everybody's been so nice, though, I have no reason to feel that way."

Getting a grip on her new fame has taken a while for Underwood, and she still isn't sure she's fully grasped it. She recalls that immediately after she won the Fox talent competition, "I had the 'American Idol' tour and did different specials, and of course, we were getting the album together. Then the album was released on the day of the CMAs (the Country Music Association Awards), so there was press everywhere. It was just a big, good, wonderful mess.

"It's basically a process of, 'Just hold on and get through it.' I realize how lucky I am that I get to do all these things, so it's just a matter of keeping everything in perspective."

Underwood intends to maintain that stance while touring as Chesney's opening act in coming months, but she still returns home as much as she can to Checotah, Okla. Even there, the trappings of sudden stardom are evident to her.

"You know, 99 out of 100 people are great about it, then there's that one person who kind of steps over the line a little bit," she says. "One lady tried to follow me home, and we tried to lose her, and it just became a mess. We don't even live in town, so it just became stalkerish. It really upset me."

If that's a price of fame, Underwood is generally willing to pay it.

"A lot of people might struggle for years before they actually get a record deal," she says. "I felt like I cheated a little bit, but everybody was like, 'I would never want to go through what you went through on "Idol."' I guess I just went a different way. I'm not doing any less. I just shoved all the stress into a few months. Everything is working out good."

'Academy of Country Music Awards'

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: CBS (Channel 4)

American Idol fans

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