Miranda Lambert is the toast of the Academy of Country Music Awards
Miranda Lambert was the queen of the 2013 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday (07Apr13) after scooping three top trophies.
The singer fought off competition from Martina McBride, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood to be crowned Female Vocalist of the Year at the 48th annual ceremony, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Miranda Lambert picked up another two prizes for her ballad Over
You - Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Accepting the latter with her husband Blake Shelton, who co-wrote
the track, she thanked her fellow country stars, insisting, "As a
songwriter, having your song and your lyrics recognized by your
peers is pretty much as good as it gets. And I'm so thankful for
being in this genre of country music, every single time someone's
nominated, I just cheer, because I love everybody to death."
Eric Church, who led the charge with seven nominations, landed the
prestigious Album of the Year win for Chief, as well as Vocal Event
of the Year for The Only Way I Know, which he shared with Luke
Bryan and Jason Aldean.
It was a good night for Eric Church's collaborators too - Jason
Aldean was voted Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the
Year went to Luke Bryan.
Florida Georgia Line walked away happy after scooping New Vocal Duo
of the Year as well as New Artist of the Year, while Little Big
Town had two wins under their belt for Vocal Group of the Year and
Video of the Year.
The event, co-hosted by Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan, was
jam-packed with show-stopping performances from acts such as Kenny
Chesney, Church and George Strait, who belted out Give It All We
Got Tonight.
Lady Antebellum debuted their new song Downtown, while Strait and
Brooks also teamed up for the first time to sing a tribute to late
TV legend Dick Clark, the ceremony's longtime producer.
The Academy is to name its Artist of the Decade award in memory of
Dick Clark, who died last year (12). The next such title will next
be handed out in 2019.