JASON ALDEAN, THE WRECKERS, PLUS VINCE GILL WITH SHERYL CROW, JENNY GILL AND AMY GRANT TO PERFORM AT CMA AWARDS

CMA Awards Will Open with Performance by Hosts and Top Nominees Brooks & Dunn Gary Allan, Billy Currington, Montgomery Gentry, Lee Ann Womack and Trisha Yearwood Will Present "Country Music's Biggest Night" keeps getting bigger with the additional performances of Jason Aldean, The Wreckers and a second appearance by Vince Gill, who will be joined by Sheryl Crow, daughter Jenny Gill and wife Amy Grant on "The 40th Annual CMA Awards," to be telecast MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Opening the 2006 CMA Awards will be the most awarded duo in CMA Awards history, Brooks & Dunn, who are hosting the Awards for the third year. The pair will perform "Building Bridges," which is nominated for Musical Event of the Year, along with fellow nominees Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill. Additional Country stars presenting trophies will be Gary Allan, Billy Currington, Montgomery Gentry, Lee Ann Womack and Trisha Yearwood. Broken Bow Records artist Aldean will be making his first performance on the 2006 CMA Awards.

His self-titled debut is fast approaching Platinum certification by the RIAA. On the heels of his smash "Hicktown," Aldean recently landed his first No. 1 single on both Billboard and Radio & Records charts with "Why," and his latest release, "Amarillo Sky," is in the Top 20 and rising. Garnering their first CMA Awards nomination and performing for the first time on the CMA Awards are The Wreckers, Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp. The Warner Bros. Record's duo debut single, "Leave the Pieces," enjoyed multiple weeks atop the charts, and they were recently selected as one of Country Music's Top 25 acts by People magazine.

A few short months after its release, their debut album, "Stand Still," was certified Gold by the RIAA. Gill, who hosted the CMA Awards a record 12 consecutive years (1992-2003), is nominated for Musical Event of the Year with Sheryl Crow on the Brooks & Dunn song, "Building Bridges." Crow and Gill will perform the song with Brooks & Dunn on the Awards, but Gill has a collaboration of his own up his sleeve: He will perform "What You Give Away" from his MCA Nashville release, "These Days," with guest vocals from Crow, Jenny Gill and Grant. Other performers already announced for the CMA Awards include Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Sugarland, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, and John Rich of Big & Rich performing with Gretchen Wilson. Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristofferson will introduce the 2006 Hall of Fame inductees. Other presenters announced include Country Music star/actor Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus ("Hannah Montana"), James Denton, Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewives"), Cameron Mathison ("All My Children"), and Kimberly Williams-Paisley ("According to Jim"), Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora of CMA Awards nominated group Bon Jovi, "American Idol" alum Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes, and two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Barbara Mandrell.

"The 40th Annual CMA Awards" airs live from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville. It is a production of the Country Music Association. Walter C. Miller is the executive producer and Robert Deaton is the consulting producer. "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning.