Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe NASHVILLE, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Nashville's finest shone brightly at the 29th Annual American Music Awards held Wednesday in Los Angeles. Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Brooks & Dunn were top winners in the country music-specific categories, with Garth Brooks given the Award of Merit for outstanding contributions to the music industry. Advertisement The American Music Awards, produced by Dick Clark, is the only popular music award show based solely on record sales as reported by the industry publication Radio and Records and SoundScan, a technology that tallies sales. Because of the fact-based criteria behind the award winners, few surprises showed up in the winners list. McGraw, who is the reigning Country Music Association entertainer of the year, won for favorite male artist in the country category, as well as for favorite country album for "Set This Circus Down." McGraw was on stage three times, however, as he accepted for his absentee wife, Faith Hill, who took honors for favorite country female. "I'd love for her to be here," McGraw told the audience. "She sends her love, and I know she'd thank you from the bottom of her heart." Advertisement Hill, who gave birth Dec. 6 to the couple's third daughter, was at home in Nashville, McGraw said. McGraw received a total of three nominations, losing out only in the Internet Artist of the Year category to veteran rock band U2. Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson, Shaggy and Alicia Keys were the other competitors in that new category. The surprise win of the night was in the favorite new artist category. The Warner Bros. trio called Trick Pony beat out Jamie O'Neal and Blake Shelton. O'Neal ("There Is No Arizona" and "I Think About Angels") and Shelton ("This Is Austin") have both had No. 1 songs during 2001, while Trick Pony's "Night Like This" and "Poor Me" did not reach the top of the chart. Veteran duo Brooks & Dunn took home its third career American Music Award, for its third win in the country duo, group, band category. Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks, who competed against SHeDAISY and Lonestar, performed the Radio and Records No. 1 country single of 2001, "Nothin' 'Bout You." Reba McEntire presided over the Garth Brooks' Award of Merit presentation, with video congratulations by James Taylor. Advertisement "Your contribution to American music is undeniable," Taylor said. Upon receiving the trophy from McEntire, Brooks gave a lengthy acceptance, thanking many people who have figured in his career, including his ex-wife, Sandy Brooks. Their divorce was final in late 2001. "You can't talk about Garth Brooks without mentioning Sandy Brooks," he said. Her contributions to his career, he said, extend "even beyond marriage." The artist who has 25 No. 1 singles and more than 100 million record sales to his name also added his musical heroes to his list. "James Taylor is why I play music," Brooks said. "The reason I play country music is because of George Strait and George Jones." Brooks and Jones recorded their first duet together in 2001, an uptempo party song titled "Beer Run."
