George Jones Pulls Out Of CMA Awards

Upset that he was asked to perform an abbreviated version of his hit single "Choices" for this year's CMA Awards show, country legend George Jones has decided to stay home.

Meanwhile, Curb Records President Mike Curb announced that he will step down as a member of the Country Music Association's television committee after this year, and has asked others with ''conflicts of interest'' to resign as well.

According to a report in Tuesday's (9/14) Nashville Tennesseean, the two events relate to a controversy surrounding the make-up of the board that selects the awards show's performers. A CMA Awards performance is considered to be one of country music's prime gigs because exposure to a network TV audience of millions can often result in a significant spike in album sales.

Six of the 15 members of the CMA television committee -- who decide which acts are invited to perform by majority-vote -- have ties to the Bertelsmann Music Group and the Universal Music Group, according to the newspaper. Of the 20 available performance slots for this year's show, 15 were allotted to BMG and Universal acts.

Jones' current album, ''Cold Hard Truth'' (Asylum), is distributed by WEA, as is Curb's label. Curb was the only member of the TV committee with ties to WEA, which he reportedly feels is a major reason that Jones wasn't asked to perform a full song. ''Choices'' is a finalist for CMA's Single Record Of The Year award.

''George believes that the fans and the public get frustrated over these very abbreviated songs,'' Asylum Records President Evelyn Shriver told USA Today. Rightly or wrongly, he doesn't believe he's like a baby act that has to do this.''

The two other finalists in the Single Record Of The Year Category, Mark Wills and Lonestar, accepted invitations to perform abbreviated versions of their hits.

CMA Executive Director Ed Benson and others have speculated that, rather than shady label politics, Curb's resignation had to do with the fact that Curb Records' LeAnn Rimes wasn't invited to perform this year. She reportedly was asked to be a presenter, but declined the invitation.

In other CMA news, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Lonestar and Mark Wills were added to the list of performers for this year's ceremony, which takes place Sept. 22 at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House. Other performers are George Strait, Alan Jackson, Jo Dee Messina, Dwight Yoakam, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Dixie Chicks, Sara Evans, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, The Wilkinsons, Shania Twain, Steve Wariner, and Chely Wright.

The ceremony will be broadcast on CBS. The day before the ceremonies, a BMG Music Service-sponsored pay-per-view event titled ''CMA Awards Backstage Pass'' will air. Bill Engvall and Terri Clark will host the show, which will feature behind-the-scenes rehearsals, celebrity preparation for the big night, a look at past CMA Awards, and live performances by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Deana Carter from Nashville's 328 Performance Hall.