#18: Deana Carter
Single of the Year, “Strawberry Wine”
1997
Deana Carter entered the 1997 CMA Awards with a leading five nominations, and when “Strawberry Wine” won Single of the Year over the widely predicted Tim McGraw & Faith Hill hit “It’s Your Love,” she shared her excitement with fellow CMA winner Ricky Skaggs.
Carter literally jumped for joy when she picked up the Single of the Year honor for the country waltz, a classic that earned the Song of the Year award for writers Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison. When Ricky Skaggs announced “Strawberry Wine” as the winner, she sprung barefoot to the podium in exuberant leaps which ended with a leg-wrapping jump into Skaggs’ arms.
“I was just floored,” she admitted afterwards. “Somebody said to me, ‘Deana, it was just for Single of the Year!’ And I said, ‘You know what? It’s still a CMA award.’ I almost did a handspring. It’s been a while, but I was going to give it a shot, and I apologize to Ricky Skaggs too. I certainly didn’t mean to insult his wife like that,” she explained, “I was just excited about it.”
Despite critically-acclaimed releases since her first album, Did I Shave My Legs for This? (an album that spawned four Top Ten singles, including “Strawberry Wine”), Carter has yet to snag another CMA award or nomination.
Deana Carter, “Strawberry Wine” video:
…just the car key, dear…just the car key.
It was certainly different, a well crafted song reaching the right singer at the right time. I’ve heard others sing the song and none have really reached its essense the way Ms Carter did