By Bill Trott WASHINGTON (Reuters) - George Jones, a classic country singer with a voice full of raw honky-tonk emotion and a life full of honky-tonk turmoil, died on Friday at age 81, his spokesman said. Jones, whose career spanned more than six decades and included hits such as "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and "Window Up Above," died at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, in Nashville. He had been hospitalized since April 18 with fever and irregular blood pressure, spokesman Kirt Webster said.

Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert won big Sunday as Nashville's biggest names took over Las Vegas for the 48th Academy of Country Music awards. Bryan, 36, was overcome with emotion as Shania Twain presented him with the fan-voted entertainer of the year award at the climax of a three-hour nationally televised gala that he co-hosted with Blake Shelton. "This is the defining moment of my life ... and I will never take it for granted," said the Georgia native, who's just come off his first-ever headlining tour in support of his platinum-selling album "Tailgates and Tanlines."

By Piya Sinha-Roy (Reuters) - Singers Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan led the winners at the Academy of Country Music awards on Sunday, while leading nominees Taylor Swift and Hunter Hayes came away empty-handed in a night honouring top achievers in country music. Swift, 23, lost out on all five categories she was nominated in including Female Vocalist of the Year and the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year, a surprise for the country music favourite who won the award for the last two years.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb 13 (Reuters) - American country music singer-songwriter Eric Church emerged in the lead for the annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Wednesday with seven nominations in one of the biggest events in country music. Church, 35, was nominated as Male Vocalist of the Year and received his second consecutive nod for Album of the Year, this time for his 2011 No. 1 album "Chief", in the 48th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.