All the Country Music Awards Winners You Need to Know

The 2018 Country Music Awards were last night, and some of our favorite country artists took home the big wins. Here are all the winners you need to know!

Entertainer of the Year

This is one of the top awards of the evening and is given to the artist who has displayed excellence in all areas of the music industry throughout the eligibility period. The Academy looks at an artist’s touring, recording, songwriting, impact on radio, and more when choosing the winner of this prestigious award.

This year’s nominees for Entertainer of the Year are:

Garth Brooks
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Eric Church
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood
The winner of this year’s Entertainer of the Year award is Garth Brooks!

Male Vocalist of the Year

The Male Vocalist of the Year is a Country Music Association award. The award was first presented in 1967 and has been awarded annually since then. The award goes to “recognize outstanding vocal achievement by male vocalists in the field of country music.” The original award was presented to Jack Greene and since then, numerous other artists have received the honor.

Here are all the Male Vocalist of the Year winners:
-Jack Greene (1967)
– Merle Haggard (1968)
– Glen Campbell (1969)
– Johnny Cash (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974)
– Kris Kristofferson (1973)
– Charlie Rich (1975)
– Willie Nelson (1976, 1978)
– Waylon Jennings (1977, 1979)
– Ronnie Milsap (1980, 1981)
– George Strait (1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992)
– Hank Williams Jr. (1985)
– Dwight Yoakam (1986 , 1988)
– Vince Gill (1993 , 1994 , 1995 , 1996 , 1997 , 1998 )

Female Vocalist of the Year

This award goes to the female artist with the most outstanding vocal performance in a country song.

The nominees for 2019 were: Ashley McBryde, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, and Kacey Musgraves.

The winner of the 2019 Female Vocalist of the Year award was Miranda Lambert!

Vocal Duo of the Year

The Vocal Duo of the Year is a country music award that was first presented by the Country Music Association in 1968. The award is given to the year’s best male/female vocal duo.

The nominees for Vocal Duo of the Year are:

-Brooks & Dunn
-Florida Georgia Line
-Maddie & Tae
-Sugarland
-The Swon Brothers

Vocal Group of the Year

The Vocal Group of the Year Award is an annual award given to country music’s best vocal group. The award was first presented in 1970, and has been given out every year since then. This year, the nominees are:

-The Zac Brown Band
-Little Big Town
-Midland
-Old Dominion
-Rascal Flatts

The winner of this year’s Vocal Group of the Year Award is Old Dominion!

New Artist of the Year

The New Artist of the Year award is one of the most prestigious awards given out at the Country Music Awards. This year, the award went to Luke Combs, who beat out some stiff competition from the likes of Ashley McBryde, Brett Young, Midland, and Mitchell Tenpenny. Combs is a relative newcomer to the country music scene, but he’s already made a big impact with his debut album, This One’s for You.

Album of the Year

“ Torn between two kinds of love, one a sweet surrender to something good and right and the other wild and free like the wind blows. I’m pulled apart by two strong emotions. I’m trying to be patient but these feelings are taking over me.” These are the opening lyrics of Kacey Musgraves’ hit single, “Slow Burn.” The song is an ode to being patient in relationships and taking the time to let things happen naturally. It’s a perfect example of the type of introspective songwriting that has made Musgraves one of the most respected artists in country music.

Musgraves’ album, Golden Hour, won Album of the Year at the 2019 Country Music Association Awards. The album is a collection of songs about love, loss, and self-discovery. Golden Hour was praised for its innovative production and Musgraves’ vulnerable songwriting.

This is Musgraves’ second Album of the Year award from the Country Music Association. She won her first award in 2013 for her debut album, Same Trailer Different Park.

Single of the Year

This is the top award of the night, and it goes to … “God’s Country” by Blake Shelton!

Song of the Year

This award goes to the songwriter (s) of the year’s winning song.
-“Broken Halos” by Mike Henderson and Chris Stapleton
-“Drinkin’ Problem” by Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Mark Wystrach
-Dierks Bentley, Jon Randall and Ward Davis for “Hold the Light”
-Midlandfor “Make a Little”
-Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Linefor “Meant to Be”

Musical Event of the Year

The Brothers Osborne won musical event of the year for their collaboration with Dierks Bentley on “Burning Man.”

Music Video of the Year

The “Music Video of the Year” category at the Country Music Awards is all about honoring the best and brightest in video production for country artists. The award has been around since the early days of the CMA Awards, and the nominees are often some of the biggest names in country music. This year’s nominees are:

-Eric Church, “Why Not Me”
-Miranda Lambert, “Mama’s Broken Heart”
-Blake Shelton, “Sure Be Cool If You Did”
-George Strait, “I Saw God Today”
-Keith Urban, “Little Bit of Everything”

The winner of this year’s award was Keith Urban for his video “Little Bit of Everything.” The video was directed by Jason Koening and features Urban performing in various locations around Nashville.

Musical Event of the Year

This award is presented to the artist (s) and/or producer (s) of an album or track of the year that contains at least 51% playing time of newly recorded live material.
-“Mason Ramsey and Friends” – Mason Ramsey
-“African Giant Returns” – Burna Boy
-“Supernova” – Chris Stapleton
-“Celia” – Celia Cruz