The 43rd Annual Country Music Association Awards were held on Wednesday, November 11, and the list of Taylor-slinging nominees and award recipients was long.

Sweeping the night was longtime friend of Taylor and crossover superstar Taylor Swift (PSGA, GS8, 615ce, PS-LTD, T5-S, K65ce, SolidBody Classic). Swift opened the show with her hit “Forever and Always” off her CMA-nominated album Fearless and later performed amongst a sea of sign-waving fans who sang along to “Fifteen.” Swift ended the night taking home the award in each category she was nominated in, including Female Vocalist, Album of the Year (Fearless), Music Video (“Love Story”), and Entertainer of the Year. Swift, who was visibly overcome with emotion, became the youngest winner in history at age 19 to win the coveted Entertainer of the Year award, an honor considered country music’s most prestigious. She joins country music luminaries among the likes of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, George Strait, and is only its sixth female recipient as Entertainer of the Year.

Midway through the show, legendary country crooner George Strait (custom cocobolo 910) performed the title track off his recently released album, “Twang.” Strait also had his hat in the ring for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Music Video of the Year (“Troubadour”), and was nominated with Lee Ann Womack in the category of Musical Event of the Year for their duet “Everything But Quits.”

Newcomer Zac Brown and the Zac Brown Band* (NS74ce, 910, 614ce, 612ce, Baby Taylor, SolidBody Classic, SolidBody Custom, T3) were nominated in four categories for Best New Artist and Vocal Group, as well as Single of the Year and Song of the Year for their country radio hit “Chicken Fried,” off their album The Foundation. The band had a rousing performance of the Charlie Daniels ’70s hit, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” with Zac slinging his NS74ce.

Congratulations to the all the CMA winners and nominees.

*Photo by C. Taylor Crothers