Taylor Swift becomes youngest to win premier award at CMAs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Taylor Swift made history at the Country Music Awards, becoming the youngest person to win entertainer of the year and the first solo female to win it in a decade.

The tearful 19-year-old — who also was the evening’s top winner with four total awards — cried as she accepted her trophy and said: “I will never forget this moment.”

No woman had won the award since Shane Twain did in 1999.

Darius Rucker became the first black singer to win new artist of the year, joining Charley Pride as the only African-American to win a major individual award

Rucker, whose first country album, “Learn to Live,” sold more than 1 million copies, took the stage Wednesday night to wild cheers from the crowd and shouted, “What a year!”

“First of all, to the fans, thank y’all for accepting me,” the jubilant Rucker said. “And I think most importantly, to country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, S.C. Thank you so much for that!”

Swift’s thanked the fans for their support of “Fearless,” the top-selling album of the year. She also won video of the year for “Love Story.”

“You guys, this album is my diary and so to all the people who voted for me for this is a thank you for saying you love my diary because that’s the nicest compliment,” Swift said.

Lady Antebellum won two awards, for vocal group and single of the year. The win in vocal group ended Rascal Flatts’ six-year dominance in that category.

“Rascal Flatts, you’ve inspired us for such a long time,” Lady Antebellum singer Charles Kelly said. “Thank you so much for letting us be up here.”

Jamey Johnson, along with James Otto and Lee Thomas Miller, won song of the year for “In Color.”

“I never thought you guys would even let me come to things like this,” Johnson, the country outlaw with the scruffy beard, said jokingly as the audience at the Sommet Center laughed.

Swift was up for four CMA awards with Zac Brown, George Strait and Johnson. Brad Paisley, up for a leading seven awards, took male vocalist for the third straight year and won event of the year for the duet “Start a Band” with Keith Urban, nominated for five awards.

Brooks & Dunn, who announced their split earlier this year, teamed with ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons on a scorching version of “Honky Tonk Stomp” in their last performance as a duo at the awards.

Co-hosts Paisley and Carrie Underwood opened the show with a few new songs of their own.