Dean Brody, Johnny Reid lead race for country awards

Dean Brody, Johnny Reid and Gord Bamford dominate the field of contenders vying for the Canadian Country Music Association Awards, announced in Toronto on Wednesday.

Leading the list with eight nominations is Scottish-born artistReid, whose album Fire It Up and its titular track are nominated for best single, album andvideo.He also earned nods for fans' choice, songwriting and male artist of the year, and will vie in several industry categories.

Rising star Brody, who picked up three CCMA trophies in 2011, also earned a raft of nominations, with his trackCanadian Girls vying for single of the year andbest video. His release DIRT is up for album of the year and the Nova Scotia-based, B.C.-raised artist also in contention for the fans' choice honour, songwriter and male artist of the year.

Alberta artists Gord Bamford, Terri Clark and Paul Brandt and Ontario's Jason Blaine also earned multiple nominations.

Nominees include:

• Album of the year: 16 & 1, Doc Walker; DIRT, Dean Brody; Fire It Up, Johnny Reid; Give It Away, Paul Brandt; Roots And Wings, Terri Clark.
• Single: Canadian Girls, Dean Brody; Fire It Up, Johnny Reid; Is It Friday Yet?, Gord Bamford; Somebody Somewhere, Dallas Smith; They Don't Make Em' Like That Anymore, Jason Blaine.
• Video: Canadian Girls, Dean Brody; Fire It Up, Johnny Reid; Give It Away, Paul Brandt; I'm Your Man, Ryan Laird In This House, The Stellas.
• Female artist: Victoria Banks; Terri Clark; Carolyn Dawn Johnson; Tara Oram; Michelle Wright.
• Male artist: Gord Bamford; Jason Blaine; Dean Brody; Chad Brownlee; Johnny Reid.
• Group or duo: Doc Walker; Emerson Drive; Hey Romeo; High Valley; The Stellas.
• Roots artist or group: Ridley Bent; Shane Chisholm; Sean Hogan; Corb Lund; Jimmy Rankin.
• Rising star: Kira Isabella; Ryan Laird; Codie Prevost; Dallas Smith; The Stellas.
• Fans' choice: Gord Bamford; Dean Brody; Terri Clark; Hey Romeo; Johnny Reid.

"All of today's nominees deserve ample recognition for their excellence as well as their tremendous contribution to Canadian country music," CCMA executive director Don Green said in a statement.

"This year's nominees reflect the depth of musical talent in Canada, and we'sre so proud to be able to recognize those artistsboth established and emerging who have impacted Canadians with their music."

Along with the main prizes, nominees were also announced for individual instrument, industry and broadcast categories.

Performers at the upcoming CCMA awards gala will include top nominees Brody, Brandt, Bamford and Reid, along with George Canyon, Chad Brownlee, Terri Clark, Deric Ruttan and American stars Jason Aldeanand Miranda Lambert with her supergroup Pistol Annies.

The 2012 CCMA Awards, broadcast by CBC-TV, will take place Sept. 9 in Saskatoon.