BLAKE SHELTON INVITES KENNY LOGGINS TO JOIN HIS PERFORMANCE OF "FOOTLOOSE" AS THE OPENING SONG ON "THE 45th ANNUAL CMA AWARDS"

Reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Blake Shelton has invited legendary singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins to join him during a performance of the classic hit "Footloose" as the opening song for "The 45th Annual CMA Awards."

"The 45th Annual CMA Awards," hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers for "Country Music's Biggest Night(TM)" include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Thompson Square, Keith Urban, Chris Young and Zac Brown Band, plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration, "You and Tequila;" Vince Gill, Paisley, and Urban performing a tribute to Glen Campbell; Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet, "Easy"; Lionel Richie performing select duets with Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker; and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song. "Remind Me."

Written by Loggins and Dean Pitchford as the title song for the motion picture of the same name, "Footloose" was a No. 1 smash hit for Loggins for three weeks in 1984. With the remake of the movie currently in theaters, Shelton is dancing up the charts with his version of the song.

Loggins has built a successful, decades-spanning career on the foundation of his songs. He first received national attention as part of the duo Loggins & Messina with Jim Messina, achieving hits such as "Your Mama Don't Dance" and selling more than 16 million albums. As a songwriter, he wrote or co-wrote such classics as "Danny's Song" (a Top 10 hit on both the Billboard Country and Hot 100 charts for Anne Murray in 1972), "A Love Song" (also a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Country Singles chart for Murray in 1974), and "What A Fool Believes" (which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979 for co-writer Michael McDonald's band The Doobie Brothers). As a solo artist, Loggins wrote and/or recorded such favorites as "Whenever I Call You �Friend'" (a duet with Stevie Nicks), "This is It," "I'm Alright," "Heart to Heart," "Meet Me Halfway," "Danger Zone," "Conviction of the Heart," "For the First Time," "House at Pooh Corner," and more.

Shelton received five CMA Awards nominations this year, including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for All About Tonight; and Single and Music Video of the Year, both for "Honey Bee." This feat tied him with Aldean, Paisley and Swift as the artists who received the most CMA Awards nominations in 2011. This is the first year that Shelton has been nominated in the Entertainer and Album of the Year categories. He has won two CMA Awards thus far in his career. In addition to Male Vocalist, he also won Musical Event of the Year in 2010 for his performance of "Hillbilly Bone" with Trace Adkins. Shelton's current album is "Red River Blue," featuring the Platinum-certified digital single "Honey Bee" and his fifth consecutive No. 1 hit, "God Gave Me You." In total, Shelton has racked up 10 No. 1 hits.

"The 45th Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer, Paul Miller is the director, and 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. This program carries a TV-PG,L parental guideline.

For more information on the "CMA Awards," visit http://abc.go.com/shows/cma-awards.

LAUREN ALAINA, DIERKS BENTLEY, BILLY CURRINGTON, JAKE OWEN, KELLIE PICKLER, REBA, AND LEANN RIMES WILL PRESENT AWARDS ON "THE 45th ANNUAL CMA AWARDS"

Matt Nathanson to Perform with Sugarland; Laura Bell Bundy to Host and Present Awards During Pre-Telecast Ceremony

"American Idol" runner-up Lauren Alaina, 2005 CMA Horizon Award winner Dierks Bentley, Billy Currington, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, 2011 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee and six-time CMA Award winner Reba, and 1997 CMA Horizon Award winner LeAnn Rimes are the first artists and celebrities to be announced as presenters on "The 45th Annual CMA Awards."

Singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson will perform his new single "Run" with Sugarland. Nathanson and Sugarland co-wrote "Run" and toured together earlier this year. The song is from his "Modern Love" album, which also features his Billboard Hot AC Top 15 single, "Faster."

Singer/actress Laura Bell Bundy will host the Pre-Telecast Award Ceremony, presenting awards to the winners in three CMA Awards categories, as well as to all of the recipients of the CMA Broadcast Awards. The winners of these Awards will be acknowledged during the television broadcast.

"The 45th Annual CMA Awards," hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers for "Country Music's Biggest Night(TM)" include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Thompson Square, Keith Urban, Chris Young and Zac Brown Band, plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration, "You and Tequila"; Vince Gill, Paisley, and Urban performing a tribute to Glen Campbell; Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet, "Easy"; Lionel Richie performing select duets with Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker; Blake Shelton joined by Kenny Loggins on "Footloose"; and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song, "Remind Me."

"The 45th Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer, Paul Miller is the director, and 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. This program carries a TV-PG,L parental guideline.

For more information on the "CMA Awards," visit http://abc.go.com/shows/cma-awards.