Spoiler Alert: Little Big Town, Thompson Square win CMA Awards

Little Big Town and Thompson Square scored the first televised wins at tonight’s CMA Awards, each scoring trophies in the show’s first 25 minutes. It was the first time either act had won a CMA Award.

Little Big Town (left) landed the single of the year prize for their recent No. 1 hit, “Pontoon.” Thompson Square took home the vocal duo award, beating last year’s winner, Sugarland, as well as Big & Rich, Love and Theft and The Civil Wars.

With their win, Little Big Town beat out singles from Jason Aldean (“Dirt Road Anthem”), Blake Shelton (“Got Gave Me You”), Dierks Bentley (“Home”) and Eric Church (“Springsteen”).

Little Big Town is also nominated tonight for vocal group of the year. “Pontoon” had also been nominated for music video of the year, but lost in that category (announced earlier today on “Good Morning America”) to Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup.”

With its win, Thompson Square (right) ended a five-year winning streak for Sugarland in the vocal duo category. They become the first married couple to win the award since 1987, when individual performing artists Ricky Skaggs and wife Sharon White (of The Whites) won the award when they collaborated on the hit single “Love Can’t Ever Get Better Than This.” Thompson Square is the first married duo that routinely performs together to win the prize in the CMA’s 46-year history.

Thompson Square is also nominated in the new artist category, which will be given out later in the telecast. They are also the reigning duo of the year from the Academy of Country Music.

Backstage in the media room, Keifer Thompson recalled how just three years ago the couple was bartending and singing for tips on Nashville’s Lower Broadway.

The couple also revealed that they plan to have their sophomore album finished up by Thanksgiving, and out next spring. Shawna Thompson called the project “a 2.0 version of Thompson Square.”

Added husband Keifer, “We wanted to say something a little big different on this album. It’s more diverse . . . The quality has to be better on the second album, and we’ve tried really hard to do that.”

In a presentation made before the broadcast, Mac McAnally earned his fifth musician of the year victory.