Shania Named Country's Finest

Country music showcased its finest at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville Wednesday night, reports CBS News Correspondent Terisa Estacio.

Shania Twain was named Entertainer of the Year, an award that's eluded female artists for the past 13 years. Reba McEntire, who won the award in 1986, presented Twain with this year's trophy. Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks of Dallas, Tim McGraw, and George Strait were also vying for the award.

The Dixie Chicks kicked off the show with an amazing performance. Right off the top, they took home best music video for Wide Open Spaces. Later in the show, they also took the Vocal Group of the Year category.

Martina McBride and Tim McGraw took home the top prizes for Female and Male Vocalist; McGraw -- who was up for 7 awards -- also won best album for A Place in the Sun. Vince Gill and Patty Loveless captured the Vocal Event of the Year honor for My Kind of Woman/My Kind of Man.

Brooks and Dunn also claimed another CMA honor: best vocal duo -- this makes number 8 --- tying the Judds' record.

About 6,000 members of the country music industry nominate and select the winners for the CMA Awards, which were hosted by singer Vince Gill and broadcast live by CBS.

Tradition was honored when Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty and the late Johnny Bond were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But another living legend, George Jones, provoked controversy when he declined to perform his song, Choices, a nominee for single of the year, in an abbreviated form on the broadcast.

Further argument was sparked when both USA Today and The Tennessean suggested that music industry giants BMG and the Universal Music Group wield undue influence in the choice of performers for the show. Thirteen of the 20 scheduled artists record for one of these two labels.

But there is no controversy about the fact that women in country music are a force to be reckoned with, as evidenced by the Dixie Chicks' and Twain's wins. Twain's Come on Over album has sold 13 million copies and the Chicks, whose second album Fly has just been released, are currently the hottest group in the country, regardless of genre.

Reflecting country music's international appeal, the CMA Awards were seen in many international markets, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, Thailand, Sweden and Ireland.

For more about this story, see Paying Tribute To Dolly Parton

Click here for more information about the CMA Awards.