McGraw Wins Country Song of the Year

Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” won song of the year and single of the year, and Kenny Chesney took entertainer of the year and album of the year honors at the Country Music Assn. awards Tuesday night.

“Of course the song is special to me, but I think it is special to a lot of people,” McGraw said. “The song to me is not about death; it’s an affirmation about life.”

Chesney, whose album “When the Sun Goes Down” took top honors, noted that he’s “been making records and been on the road 12 years now, and this is my first CMA award.... I’m very proud of it.”

Other winners included Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride and Rascal Flatts.

Written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman, “Live Like You Were Dying” spent eight weeks this summer at No. 1.

The song, about living life to its fullest, was special to McGraw, who lost his father, former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Tug McGraw, to cancer in January.

The lyrics tell of a man in his early 40s who learned he didn’t have long to live and then is asked how he handled the news. McGraw sings, “Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.”

It was chosen over Wilson’s “Redneck Woman,” Josh Turner’s “Long Black Train,” Alan Jackson’s “Remember When” and the Paisley-Alison Krauss duet “Whiskey Lullaby.”

“Whiskey Lullaby,” written by Bill Anderson and Jon Randall, won for musical event of the year and music video of the year. It’s a dark tale about a woman who breaks a man’s heart, watches him drink himself to death, and then is so guilt-stricken that she too -- as the songs says -- “put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger.”

“I want to thank country radio for playing this,” Paisley said. “It says a lot about the great people in our format who will take a chance on a double suicide in a drinking song.”

In one of the evening’s surprises, Urban won the male vocalist award. He was up against veterans Jackson, George Strait, Toby Keith and Chesney.

“I thought I was just rounding out the category,” Urban said.

During the show, Keith and his daughter, Krystal, performed “Mockingbird,” and Kix Brooks of the duo Brooks & Dunn paid tribute to the late Ray Charles.

“He really was one soulful country singer. Bless you, Ray Charles,” Brooks said.

Keith had six CMA nominations, but was shut out for the second straight year.

Jackson, who led all nominees for the ceremony with seven, also left empty-handed.