Chesney wins 4th straight entertainer-of-year award

Sugarland won for single record and song of the year.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kenny Chesney is country music’s entertainer of the year for a fourth year in a row.

Chesney took top honors at the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday. With the win, he ties Garth Brooks and trails only Alabama, which won five in a row.

Fans’ votes determined the award for the first time this year. All other categories are decided by ACM members.

“This one is really extra special because long before I had a hit record the fans always came to my show, and I want to thank you guys for voting and being there for me,” he said.

Chesney was the leading nominee with 11, and ended up winning two.

Miranda Lambert won album of the year, and Sugarland took single record and song of the year honors for their mellow hit “Stay.” Lambert won for her sophomore outing, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” The win was big for Lambert, who beat out superstars Chesney and Brad Paisley, as well as hot new acts Taylor Swift and Rodney Atkins.

Members of Sugarland acknowledged that “Stay” wasn’t exactly the kind of song that was created for commercial or awards success.

“Thanks everybody for believing in a song that’s almost a five-minute acoustic song,” Kristian Bush said. His partner is Jennifer Nettles.

Jack Ingram won top new male vocalist. The 37-year-old Texan released his first album in 1992 and bounced around a number of record labels before his career took off.

Lady Antebellum took home top new duo or vocal group. “Does this mean we get to hang out with Kenny Chesney now?” the trio’s Charles Kelley said, joking.

Swift won top new female vocalist. The 18-year-old thanked her mother for going on the road with her beginning when she was 16, leaving behind a comfortable life to sleep in rental cars and on airplanes so her teenage daughter could pursue her dream.

Earlier, Brad Paisley’s “Online” won video of the year. It was produced by former “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, who also co-starred and made an onstage appearance Sunday night, joking that he didn’t believe the stereotype of country stars and fans being religious — seeing as he hadn’t spotted any of them at synagogue.

Tracy Lawrence won vocal event of the year for “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” with Tim McGraw and Chesney.

“This is absolutely awesome,” Lawrence said. “We moved a big mountain pulling this off.”

Hosted by Reba McEntire, the awards are aired live from the MGM Grand.