Chesney happy with nominations

"You never know how these things are going to go," Chesney said. "We work so hard on this music, the tours, the videos... It's so much the focus of what I do, how I live, it's always a thrill to see that people are not just noticing, but recognize what we're all trying to do."

"Every year, it amazes me the places we go and the things we get to do," Chesney muses. "I'm blessed with some great songs, some of the best musicians in the studio and on the road. And fans just really inspire us, wanting to do more, hit it harder and give them at least as good they give to us."

Chesney has a new CD, "Lucky Old Sun," coming out Oct. 14. The lead single, Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven, raced up the charts in three weeks. Chesney duets with Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and Mac McAnally.

"Mornings like this is where you know the music that means so much to you means something to other people, too," said Chesney. "Obviously, I'm trying to capture my own life in these songs, to share what I've seen and what I've learned, but you still want to touch people...to believe that your life is something other people can see their own lives in. The stories you hear, the way people respond, it lets you know you're doing okay."

Chesney's 2008 Poets & Pirates Tour closes Sept. 13 in Indianapolis. He will play Farm Aid on Sept. 20 and then again at the CMAs on Nov. 12.

Strait said, "I'm sitting down here in south Texas bracing for hurricane Ike. This really brightens my day. I look forward to a great celebration of our great music. Thanks to all involved."