# 40th Academy of Country Music Awards

The 40th Academy of Country Music Awards were held on May 17, 2005, at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Paradise, Nevada.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are shown in bold.
| Entertainer of the Year | Album of the Year |
| Kenny Chesney Brooks & Dunn Toby Keith Tim McGraw Keith Urban | Be Here — Keith Urban Here For The Party — Gretchen Wilson Live Like You Were Dying — Tim McGraw Restless — Sara Evans When The Sun Goes Down — Kenny Chesney |
| Top Female Vocalist of the Year | Top Male Vocalist of the Year |
| Gretchen Wilson Terri Clark Sara Evans Martina McBride Lee Ann Womack | Keith Urban Kenny Chesney Alan Jackson Toby Keith Tim McGraw |
| Top Vocal Group of the Year | Top Vocal Duo of the Year |
| Rascal Flatts Alison Krauss & Union Station Diamond Rio Lonestar The Notorious Cherry Bombs | Brooks & Dunn Big & Rich Blue County Montgomery Gentry The Warren Brothers |
| Single Record of the Year | Song of the Year |
| "Live Like You Were Dying" — Tim McGraw "Bless The Broken Road" — Rascal Flatts "Days Go By" — Keith Urban "I May Hate Myself In The Morning" — Lee Ann Womack "Redneck Woman" — Gretchen Wilson "Whiskey Lullaby" — Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss | "Live Like You Were Dying" — Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols "American Soldier" — Toby Keith and Chuck Cannon "Bless The Broken Road" — Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna "I May Hate Myself In The Morning" — Odie Blackmon "Whiskey Lullaby" — Bill Anderson and Jon Randall |
| Top New Artist of the Year | Video of the Year |
| Gretchen Wilson Big & Rich Josh Gracin Julie Roberts Josh Turner | "Whiskey Lullaby" — Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss "Girls Lie Too" — Terri Clark "Live Like You Were Dying" — Tim McGraw "Redneck Woman" — Gretchen Wilson "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)" — Big & Rich |
| Vocal Event of the Year ||
| "Whiskey Lullaby" — Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss "Creepin' In" — Norah Jones And Dolly Parton "Hey Good Lookin'" — Jimmy Buffett, Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, and George Strait "Party For Two" — Shania Twain and Billy Currington "When The Sun Goes Down" — Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker ||

## Performers

| Performer(s) | Song(s) |
| Gretchen Wilson | "Here for the Party" |
| Keith Urban | "Days Go By" |
| Montgomery Gentry | "Gone" |
| Reba McEntire | "My Sister" |
| Big & Rich | "Big Time" |
| Lee Ann Womack | "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" |
| Kenny Chesney | "Anything but Mine" |
| Rascal Flatts | "Fast Cars and Freedom" |
| Dierks Bentley | "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do" |
| Sara Evans | "A Real Fine Place to Start" |
| Brad Paisley | "Alcohol" |
| Brooks & Dunn | "Play Something Country" |
| Toby Keith | "As Good as I Once Was" |
| Alan Jackson | "The Talkin' Song Repair Blues" |
| Faith Hill | "Mississippi Girl" |
| Tim McGraw | "Drugs or Jesus" |
| Miranda Lambert | "Kerosene" |
| Sugarland | "Baby Girl" |

## Presenters

| Presenter(s) | Notes |
| Phil McGraw Robin McGraw | Video of the Year |
| Reba McEntire | Keith Urban performance |
| Van Zant | Montgomery Gentry performance |
| Michelle Stafford Josh Gracin | Single Record of the Year |
| Cowboy Troy | Big & Rich performance |
| Josh Turner Buddy Jewell | Album of the Year |
| Darryl Worley | Lee Ann Womack performance |
| Mark Miller | Kenny Chesney performance |
| Julie Roberts Joe Nichols | Song of the Year |
| Sterling Marlin | Rascal Flatts performance |
| Deana Carter | Vocal Event of the Year |
| Tracy Lawrence | Dierks Bentley performance |
| Jamie O'Neal Marty Roe Dana Williams | Top New Artist of the Year |
| Garth Brooks | Pioneer Award to Chris LeDoux |
| Blaine Larsen | Brad Paisley performance |
| Neal McCoy Bob Schneider | Top Vocal Group of the Year |
| Craig Morgan Emily Procter | Toby Keith performance |
| Trick Pony | Top Vocal Duo of the Year |
| Lonestar | Present Home Depot Humanitarian Award for Neal McCoy |
| Brett Warren | Tim McGraw performance |
| Rick Schroder | Top Female Vocalist of the Year |
| Terri Clark Phil Vassar | Top Male Vocalist of the Year |
| Barbara Mandrell | Entertainer of the Year |