Sunday, 2 November, 2008 2:16 PM

Chevy and CMA Celebrate Cars and Country in Annual Calender

Photo by Ron Strong

Rodney Atkins and the Chevy Silverado in the 2009 Chevy and CMA Country Music Calendar.

Whether you're talking about your favorite music or your favorite ride, the look is an important part of the equation. Chevy, in collaboration with CMA, has made this clear throughout the five years it has issued its "Year in Country Music" calendar, and with its 2009 edition the point is made more vividly than ever.

As with the previous versions, this year's Chevy and CMA Country Music calendar matches an array of Chevy's popular cars, trucks and SUVs with some of the hottest stars in Country Music, along with comments from each artist about the ways in which Chevy vehicles have become a part of their families' lives.

Four CMA Awards nominees are included in the calendar alongside 2009 Chevy vehicles: Jason Aldean, shown on a country road with a Dark Gray Corvette ZR1; Rodney Atkins, with his son Elijah near a neighborhood baseball diamond and a Dark Blue Half-Ton Crew Cab Silverado; Lady Antebellum, hanging with a Victory Red HHR SS Turbocharged beneath a vast blue sky and a somewhat smaller green umbrella; and James Otto, parked outside of a nightclub on Beale Street in Memphis, strumming his guitar while leaning against the grille of a Greystone Metallic Avalanche LTZ.

"Silverado is built for American families," said Atkins. "The same people I'm singing songs to. These are my people. Chevy is constantly working on things that cater to an American way of life."

"Chevys have always been like an Otto family tradition," Otto added.

Other participants include Jypsi with a Summer Yellow Aveo5 and a Red Cobalt SS Turbo Coupe; Heidi Newfield, who first learned to drive in a Chevy truck, with a Gray Metallic Traverse LT, one of Chevy's most anticipated vehicles of the year; Joe Nichols with a White Diamond Tahoe LTZ; Rissi Palmer with a Dark Gray Malibu LTZ; Phil Stacey with a Black Impala SS; Chuck Wicks, who was surrounded by Chevy trucks during his childhood on a potato farm, with a Silver Camaro; and NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a Black Camaro.

As in previous Chevy calendars, there's a lot of Nashville in these images, but for the first time photographer Ron Strong widens the frame by going on location as well in Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Grand Junction, Colo.; and Memphis, Tenn.

In another new twist, Chevy is previewing a digital version of the calendar at www.CMT.com and will follow by allowing visitors to check out product information, download screen savers, see additional images, watch videos and behind-the-scenes footage from calendar photo shoots, with updates offered each month, at www.Chevy.CMT.com. Physical versions of the calendar will be distributed to more than two million subscribers as inserts in issues of CMA Close Up, Country Weekly, NASCAR Illustrated, People and Progressive Farmer, as well as at auto shows, NASCAR races, radio stations that cover the CMA Awards through Premiere Radio Networks and various Chevy events.

"Chevy is pleased to partner with CMA and great Country Music artists to create the fifth annual Chevy Country Music Calendar," said Kim Kosak, Chevrolet General Director, Advertising, Sales Promotion. "This year, for the first time, we're extremely excited to offer the calendar in a digital format, with the help of CMT.com. We know that Country Music fans will love the opportunity to interact digitally with their favorite calendar artists and go behind-the-scenes and hear everyday life stories from them. We're especially excited to feature four of the five artists nominated for New Artist of the Year at this year's CMA Awards. It's sure to be an entertaining night."

"CMA has enjoyed a very successful and widespread relationship with Chevrolet for more than two decades and the release of the fifth annual Chevy Country Music Calendar proves that our relationship remains strong," said CMA CEO Tammy Genovese. "Chevy is a perfect partner to help CMA as we continue to connect our industry with our fans. The 2009 calendar features many of today's hottest Country stars including several current CMA Awards nominees. The calendar's distribution is close to 3 million outlets and the new digital interactive format on CMT.com is exciting and a great way to reach beyond our core market."

"The addition of Chevy's digital calendar is a great opportunity to make the calendar interactive and really bring the fans into the mix with more content than ever before," added Martin Clayton, VP and GM, CMT.com. "We're thrilled that CMT.com is the calendar's exclusive digital home, and is readily accessible to the hundreds of thousands of fans that visit our site daily for their Country Music fix."

"The 42nd Annual CMA Awards" will be held Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn. The three-hour gala will be carried live by the ABC Television Network from 8-11 PM/EST, 7-10PM/CST.

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will co-host the CMA Awards and perform. Trace Adkins, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, the Eagles, Alan Jackson Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, The Wailers and others will perform on Country Music's Biggest Night. Visit www.CMAawards.com for updates.

Tickets for the CMA Awards are on sale now and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com; (615) 255-9600; or at the Sommet Center box office, 501 Broadway (corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway in Nashville). Ticket prices begin at $110 for Upper-level; $327.75 for Club-level; and $382.50 for Lower-level. Prices include sales tax but exclude applicable service/handling fees.

Fans can order the official CMA Awards Program book and merchandise including long and short sleeved T-shirts, hats, a vest, a mug and a commemorative Hatch Show Print Poster on the www.CMAawards.com online store.

"The 42nd Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer. Paul Miller is the Director. David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, including a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2008 CMA Awards. Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music. Mary Kay is the Official Beauty Sponsor of the 2008 CMA Awards.

Photo by Ron Strong

Heidi Newfield with the Chevy Traverse in the 2009 Chevy and CMA Country Music Calendar.

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