Couples a Hit at Country Awards

Jeff Wilson

Saturday, May 6, 2000 | 8:34 a.m.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- With Shania Twain and Garth Brooks no-shows at the Academy of Country Music Awards, attention turned to two pairs of country sweethearts.

Tim McGraw won the top male vocalist prize while his wife Faith Hill won top female vocalist and the video trophy for "Breathe." Twain beat out both for the top entertainer honor.

"I think Tim deserves that award and I am hopeful he will get it sometime," Hill said backstage Wednesday night.

"You can't take anything away from Shania," she added. "But it's now time for my husband to win that award."

It was also a big night for another couple: Clint Black and actress-wife Lisa Hartman Black, whose duet "When I Said I Do" won the vocal event of the year.

"I've been telling her for a month it's not going to be us so don't worry," Black said, adding it "was a true awards show moment" for him to see his wife's face when their names were called.

The Dixie Chicks repeated their Grammy feat earlier this year and won the country album award for "Fly" as well as the best group prize. It was their second consecutive album award.

"We're ready to cook again," said Martie Seidel, one-third of the popular trio that includes Natalie Maines and Emily Robison. Their "Wide Open Spaces" won last year.

Lonestar's riveting love song "Amazed" was voted best song and single by the 3,000-member academy.

The 35th annual awards show was hosted by Dolly Parton, who kept up a patter of bawdy jokes on the Universal Amphitheatre stage.

"We're both 35 years old. Well, parts of me are anyway," said Parton, decked out in a sequined gown. She later cracked that she would never "graduate from collagen."

Taking a major country music controversy head on, George Strait and Alan Jackson led off the night's performances with "Murder on Music Row," the "someone killed country music" ditty that asserts traditional country sound has been drowned out by money-grubbing pop leanings.

The show's performances had a traditional flair that included songs by George Jones, Asleep at the Wheel and a banjo-picking blue grass tune by Parton.

The new male vocalist winner was Brad Paisley and top new female singer was Jessica Andrews. The new duo or group trophy went to Montgomery Gentry.

Perennial country favorite Brooks was not a factor for the first time in recent memory. Declared the country music artist of the decade last year, he didn't get any nominations this year.

The show also featured presentation of the Pioneer Award to Tammy Wynette, the first time the academy has given the award posthumously. Trisha Yearwood called Wynette "the original country music diva."

Parton, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride and Naomi Judd and daughter Wynonna sang Wynette's signature song "Stand By Your Man."