Our CMA Flashback series begins with the Male Vocalist of the Year category.
For a look back at the other major categories, visit our CMA Awards page.
2022
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Chris Stapleton made CMA history in 2022, becoming the first artist to ever win Male Vocalist of the Year six times.
2021
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton returned to the winner’s circle for the fifth time, matching the all-time record previously achieved by Vince Gill, George Strait, and Blake Shelton. The flip side: Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, and Thomas Rhett all moved up the list of most nominated artists who haven’t won the award.
2020
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
Luke Combs repeated his 2019 win, keeping the category’s streaky trend going: there hasn’t been a winner who didn’t repeat at least once since Toby Keith in 2001.
2019
Dierks Bentley
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
No changes in the lineup this year, as last year’s winner Chris Stapleton looks to become only the fourth male artist to win this award five times, alongside Vince Gill, Blake Shelton, and George Strait for most overall wins. Dierks Bentley, meanwhile, has moved into second place among artists with the most nominations without a win, with his eight bids trailing only nine-time never winner Kenny Chesney. Thomas Rhett is nominated for the third time, while Keith Urban enjoys his fifteenth shot at the trophy.
2018
Dierks Bentley
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
Chris Stapleton became only the fourth male vocalist in history to win this award at least four times, and moved into second place overall, behind five time winners Vince Gill, Blake Shelton, and George Strait.
2017
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
Chris Stapleton became the seventh artist in CMA history to win at least three Male Vocalist trophies, a distinction also held by fellow nominee Keith Urban.
2016
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Tim McGraw
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
Chris Stapleton repeated in this category, along with winning Music Video of the Year. On a night where the CMA spread the wealth, his two victories made him the biggest winner of the evening.
2015
Dierks Bentley
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Blake Shelton
Chris Stapleton
First time was a charm for Chris Stapleton, who ended Blake Shelton’s historic run in this category while also defeating three veterans of this race who were hoping for their first win.
2014
Dierks Bentley
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Blake Shelton became the third man in history to win this category five times, and only the second – after Vince Gill – to win it five years in a row.
2013
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Shelton won his fourth victory in a row this year, again defeating three nominees who still hadn’t won the award.
2012
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Shelton’s third consecutive victory continued the recent trend of this category, as he was the third artist in a row to win the award for three years running.
2011
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Shelton won again, while Kenny Chesney extended his record of the most nominations for Male Vocalist without a win, losing for the ninth time.
2010
Dierks Bentley
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban
Blake Shelton triumphed over three veteran winners of this category, including George Strait, who received his 25th (and apparently final) nomination this year.
2009
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Darius Rucker
George Strait
Keith Urban
Just like in the Entertainer category, 80% of this race for the past three years had been Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, and Keith Urban. This year, Darius Rucker took the fifth slot that was occupied by Alan Jackson in 2008 and Josh Turner in 2007. Brad Paisley went on to win his third Male Vocalist prize.
2008
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban
After so many years on the sidelines, Paisley began to dominate the category, scoring his second consecutive Male Vocalist award. Meanwhile, Kenny Chesney tied Willie Nelson for most nominations without a win, though his seventh loss was accompanied by his fourth win for Entertainer.
2007
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Josh Turner
Keith Urban
This was the year that Brad Paisley finally won, with his seventh nomination in eight years. The stars aligned for him, with a very successful tour, a new album that is selling strongly, and a continued hot streak at radio.
2006
Dierks Bentley
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
Urban became the first artist to win Male Vocalist three years in a row since George Strait did it in 1996-1998, right after Vince Gill’s 1991-1995 run. His acceptance letter, read by Ronnie Dunn, was the emotional highlight of the evening’s show.
2005
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban
No surprises here, as another multi-platinum year full of radio hits and a high-profile appearance at Live 8 kept Urban fresh on voter’s minds. The big shock was him walking away with Entertainer of the Year later that night.
2004
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
George Strait
Keith Urban
Urban hadn’t even been nominated for any CMA Awards in 2002 and 2003, after winning Horizon in 2001, but he came back with a bang, taking home Male Vocalist of the Year over the four other superstars in the category. He joined Chesney as the only other man in the running who had never won before; Chesney got the wonderful consolation prizes of Entertainer and Album of the Year the same night.
2003
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Things were getting tight in this category in 2003, with so many worthy contenders that ties resulted in six nominees, instead of the usual five. Still, voters chose to stick with last year’s winner, Alan Jackson, a sure indicator of his enduring popularity among CMA voters.
2002
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
George Strait
The other four men were merely placeholders, there to create a list around the obvious winner, Alan Jackson. As he swept the awards on the strength of his post-9/11 “Where Were You” and autobiographical “Drive”, the only real shock was that he was winning Male Vocalist for the first time, a result of the slow turnover in this category during the 1990s.
2001
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Toby Keith has been a vocal critic of the CMA because he feels they’ve overlooked him, but he’s been up against some tough competition, with his popularity peaking at the same time that Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban were making a huge impact on the charts and at the CMAs. Thankfully, he’s at least won in this category, so he won’t go down in history with Willie Nelson and Conway Twitty as one of the best male singers to never win it.
2000
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
George Strait
On the same evening that his wife, Faith Hill, was crowned Female Vocalist, McGraw walked away with his second consecutive Male Vocalist award.
1999
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
Tim McGraw
George Strait
Steve Wariner
Early on in his career, when McGraw was selling tons of records but being excluded from this category, he humbly said that he didn’t think he was a good enough singer to be nominated. His talents grew over the years, and he finally won in 1999.
1998
Garth Brooks
Vince Gill
Tim McGraw
Collin Raye
George Strait
Strait matched Vince Gill’s record of five wins in this category, defeating Gill and three other nominees who had yet to win in the category.
1997
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
Collin Raye
George Strait
Bryan White
With no turnover in the category from the previous year, Strait won for the fourth time, again defeating his fellow mega-winner Gill, and three other stars who had never won before.
1996
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
Collin Raye
George Strait
Bryan White
Jackson was already long overdue, and Collin Raye and Bryan White broke into the category for the first time. Nobody expected Gill to win for the sixth year in a row, but many were surprised to see former two-time winner George Strait collect a Male Vocalist award for the first time in ten years.
1995
John Berry
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
John Michael Montgomery
George Strait
Even Gill was expecting to lose, so when his name was called out for the fifth year in a row, he was gamely applauding backstage for the winner, before suddenly realizing it was him and rushing out to the stage.
1994
John Anderson
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
George Strait
Dwight Yoakam
Vince won for the fourth year in a row, even though fellow nominees John Anderson, Alan Jackson and Dwight Yoakam were seen as likely spoilers.
1993
John Anderson
Garth Brooks
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
George Strait
Vince not only won his third Male Vocalist award this year, he also took home four other awards: Entertainer, Album, Song, and Vocal Event.
1992
Garth Brooks
Joe Diffie
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
Travis Tritt
A bunch of hot young stars dominated the ballot this year, with Gill emerging triumphant for the second time. Though they would continue to score hits for many years, Joe Diffie and Travis Tritt received their only nominations to date in this category.
1991
Clint Black
Garth Brooks
Vince Gill
Alan Jackson
George Strait
After Garth swept the ACM’s earlier that year, he was expected to do the same at the CMA’s, and he came close, winning Entertainer, Single and Album. But industry favorite Vince Gill took home Male Vocalist, an award that Garth Brooks would never receive, though he would win Entertainer a record seven times.
1990
Clint Black
Garth Brooks
Rodney Crowell
Ricky Van Shelton
George Strait
For the second year in a row, the previous year’s Horizon winner took home Male Vocalist. Clint Black won easily over very distinguished competition.
1989
Rodney Crowell
Ricky Van Shelton
George Strait
Randy Travis
Keith Whitley
After winning Horizon in 1988, platinum-selling Ricky Van Shelton graduated into a Male Vocalist winner only one year later. Keith Whitley received a posthumous nomination; he won Single of the Year that same evening.
1988
Vern Gosdin
Ricky Van Shelton
George Strait
Randy Travis
Hank Williams, Jr.
It’s hard not to wince at the knowledge that the peerless Vern Gosdin only received one nomination in this category, but there was no stopping Travis from collecting his second win.
1987
George Jones
Ricky Skaggs
George Strait
Randy Travis
Hank Williams, Jr.
In a lineup that was a traditionalist’s dream, new star Randy Travis took home the trophy. At the time, he was breaking sales records, enjoying a quadruple-platinum studio album in Always & Forever.
1986
George Jones
Gary Morris
George Strait
Randy Travis
Hank Williams, Jr.
Strait won his second consecutive Male Vocalist award on the strength of another huge year at radio and retail.
1985
Lee Greenwood
Gary Morris
Ricky Skaggs
George Strait
Hank Williams, Jr.
George Strait won the first of a record-matching five Male Vocalist awards, also taking home Album of the Year that same evening.
1984
Lee Greenwood
Merle Haggard
Gary Morris
Ricky Skaggs
George Strait
Greenwood’s Vegas vocals dominated at radio and retail this year, earning him the award for the second time.
1983
John Anderson
Lee Greenwood
Merle Haggard
Willie Nelson
Ricky Skaggs
Greenwood’s win was consistent with the pop-dominated flavor of the time. Janie Fricke won that night for Female Vocalist, and it was the final year that both races would be won by pre-New Traditionalist artists.
1982
Merle Haggard
George Jones
Ronnie Milsap
Willie Nelson
Ricky Skaggs
Pulling off the astonishing feat of winning both Male Vocalist and Horizon award, Emmylou Harris’ former bandmate was hugely rewarded for bringing bluegrass to the masses.
1981
George Jones
Ronnie Milsap
Willie Nelson
Kenny Rogers
Don Williams
It’s taken for granted that Jones is one of the greatest vocalists to ever grace country music; few would dare to argue otherwise. No surprise, then, that he won this award for the second year in a row.
1980
John Conlee
George Jones
Willie Nelson
Kenny Rogers
Don Williams
Nominated for the first time in his career, George Jones walked away with Male Vocalist of the Year, along with Single of the Year for “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
1979
John Conlee
Larry Gatlin
Willie Nelson
Kenny Rogers
Don Williams
It’s hard to believe that the legendary showman never won Entertainer of the Year, but he did take home a much-deserved Male Vocalist award, at least. Unfortunately, fellow nominee John Conlee would never be recognized at all, losing his first of two shots at this award.
1978
Larry Gatlin
Ronnie Milsap
Willie Nelson
Kenny Rogers
Don Williams
One of the most underrated artists in country music history got a well-deserved pat on the back, winning over four larger personalities in 1978.
1977
Larry Gatlin
Waylon Jennings
Ronnie Milsap
Kenny Rogers
Don Williams
Milsap set a record when he won for the third time in this category, which would stand until 1994, when Vince Gill won his fourth trophy.
1976
Waylon Jennings
Ronnie Milsap
Willie Nelson
Conway Twitty
Don Williams
After losing to Jennings the previous year, Milsap returned to collect his second Male Vocalist trophy in 1976. Conway Twitty lost again in his final appearance in the category.
1975
John Denver
Freddy Fender
Waylon Jennings
Ronnie Milsap
Conway Twitty
There was no love lost between Waylon Jennings and the CMA – he loathed the organization so much, he didn’t even show up at his Hall of Fame induction. This was the first of several CMA wins for Jennings, though the only one in this category that he would receive.
1974
Merle Haggard
Waylon Jennings
Ronnie Milsap
Charlie Rich
Cal Smith
Blind singer-songwriter and pianist Ronnie Milsap won for the first time; with Olivia Newton-John winning Female Vocalist the same night, pop was the flavor of the evening.
1973
Merle Haggard
Tom T. Hall
Charlie Rich
Johnny Rodriguez
Conway Twitty
The Silver Fox won on the strength of a great year at radio. He’s still considered one of the era’s finest and most underappreciated vocalists.
1972
Merle Haggard
Freddie Hart
Johnny Paycheck
Charley Pride
Jerry Wallace
Charley Pride became the first artist to repeat in the category, winning for the second year in a row.
1971
Merle Haggard
Ray Price
Charley Pride
Jerry Reed
Conway Twitty
The CMA had a wealth of great male vocalists to choose from in the early years of the awards, and they finally got around to acknowledging Pride, who had been nominated four times already.
1970
Johnny Cash
Merle Haggard
Charley Pride
Marty Robbins
Conway Twitty
Merle Haggard dominated the show in 1970, winning Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single and Album of the Year.
1969
Glen Campbell
Johnny Cash
Merle Haggard
Sonny James
Charley Pride
Cash was a huge winner in 1969, taking home five awards: Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single, Album and Vocal Group (with wife June Carter Cash). He wouldn’t win again until after his death in 2003, when he took home another three awards.
1968
Eddy Arnold
Glen Campbell
Johnny Cash
Merle Haggard
Charley Pride
Crossover star Glen Campbell won in a year that is so impressive, all five nominees are now in the Hall of Fame. He also took home Male Vocalist the same evening.
1967
Eddy Arnold
Jack Greene
Merle Haggard
Sonny James
Buck Owens
Few casual country fans would recognize him today, but Jack Greene will forever go down in history as the first Male Vocalist winner at the CMAs. He won on the strength of his signature hit “There Goes My Everything,” which also won Single of the Year and was the title track of his Album of the Year winner that same night.
Facts & Feats
Multiple Wins:
- (6) – Chris Stapleton
- (5) – Vince Gill, Blake Shelton, George Strait
- (3) – Ronnie Milsap, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban
- (2) – Luke Combs, Lee Greenwood, Alan Jackson, George Jones, Tim McGraw, Charley Pride, Chris Stapleton, Randy Travis
Most Consecutive Wins:
- (5) – Vince Gill (1991-1995), Blake Shelton (2010-2014)
- (4) – Chris Stapleton (2015-2018)
- (3) – Brad Paisley (2007-2009), George Strait (1996-1998), Keith Urban (2004-2006)
Most Nominations:
- (25) – George Strait
- (16) – Alan Jackson, Keith Urban
- (11) – Merle Haggard, Brad Paisley
- (10) – Vince Gill
- (9) – Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church
- (7) – Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton
- (6) – Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Don Williams
- (5) – Garth Brooks, Luke Combs, George Jones, Charley Pride, Thomas Rhett, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Skaggs, Conway Twitty
Most Nominations Without a Win:
- (9) – Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church
- (7) – Willie Nelson
- (5) – Garth Brooks, Thomas Rhett, Conway Twitty
- (4) – Hank Williams, Jr.
- (3) – Jason Aldean, John Anderson, Larry Gatlin, Gary Morris, Collin Raye
Winners in First Year of Nomination:
Clint Black (1990), Glen Campbell (1968), Vince Gill (1991), Jack Greene (1967), Lee Greenwood (1983), George Jones (1980), Toby Keith (2001), Ronnie Milsap (1974), Charlie Rich (1973), Ricky Skaggs (1982), Blake Shelton (2010), Chris Stapleton (2015), Randy Travis (1987), Keith Urban (2004)
CMA Male Vocalists of the Year Who Have Never Won the ACM Award:
Johnny Cash, Jack Greene, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Ricky Van Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Randy Travis, Don Williams
ACM Male Vocalists of the Year Who Have Never Won the CMA Award:
Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Larry Gatlin, Mickey Gilley, Freddie Hart, Thomas Rhett
CMA Male Vocalists Who Have Also Won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male/Solo:
Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Lee Greenwood, George Jones, Tim McGraw, Ronnie Milsap, Brad Paisley, Charley Pride, Charlie Rich, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Keith Urban
Winners of the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male/Best Country Solo Performance Who Have Never Won the CMA Male Vocalist Award:
Garth Brooks, David Houston, Lyle Lovett, Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Jerry Reed, Darius Rucker, Ralph Stanley, Dwight Yoakam
I object to the 1983 comment “Greenwood looks pretty shabby against these other four nominees, taking home Male Vocalist … ”
While Greenwood was not a new traditionalist, he was an effective singer, who released a string of pretty good albums. He was one of the first to “Wind Beneath My Wings” and his was easily the best version of the song – it was set to be the second single from his IOU album, but Gary Morris raced to the studio to get it recorded and released before “IOU” finished its chart run (“IOU” was much the better song). Qualitatively, Lee Greenwood had a pretty good run of singles from 1981-1986
David Houston’s Grammy occurred the year before the first CMA awards so that’s a bit of a red herring
Jack Greene and Freddie Hart probably should have picked up a few more nominations but the late 60s/early 70s were a fiercely competitive period for male vocalist
I just changed the “shabby” line. Thanks for flagging it. I’ve been removing the editorializing from these Flashback Posts as I’ve been revising them this year, and I missed that one.
Love that Don Williams, Kenny Rogers, and Ricky Scaggs all won in this category. So glad that Clint Black also won before Vince Gill began dominating in this category.
Some head-scratchers:
– amazed that the great Conway Twitty never won this award
– shocked that Alan Jackson had to wait until the 2000s to win
– cannot believe that Earl Thomas Conley was never even nominated in this category
For as much as I like Chris Stapleton, I really hope Eric Church gets Male Vocalist somehow.
Anyone but Thomas Rhett.
I always thought it was pretty neat how George Strait made a big comeback in this category from 1996-1998. Especially, since it was a pretty solid group of artists to choose from during those years, and Strait had already been around for nearly two decades. I really miss seeing his name in the nominations and getting to see him perform at the show.
I also thought it was surprising that Alan never won this award in the 90’s, and had to wait until the next decade to get it. What’s also interesting is that Steve Wariner was a solid hit maker throughout the 80’s and early 90’s, but never got a nomination until 1999. He really did make quite an impressive comeback in the late 90’s.
Shocking and shameful that Conway Twitty never won this award
Minor oversight to correct: Randy Travis’ name should be removed from the list of CMA winners who have never won the ACM equivalent (from Wikipedia, though, so I may be wrong).
Another head scratcher:
Obviously, the year 1969 was a big year for Mr. Cash, arguably the biggest of his career, what with his TV show going over like gangbusters; Live At San Quentin being a #1 album on both the country and pop charts; and “A Boy Named Sue” almost going #1 on the Hot 100. But that he didn’t win any other CMA awards after that until he was no longer here is weird, in my opinion. The Man In Black didn’t stop making great music after that.
That said, though, it is enough to remember him as one of the great ambassadors of country music across multiple generations of fans and peers (IMHO).
It is not really a head scratcher Erik – the awards for televised award shows such as the ACMs and CMAs tended to be rationed and spread around until the late 70s, but which time Cash’s career had cooled off. After “Flesh & Blood” in 1970, there were no more Cash #1 singles except the novelty “One Piece at A Time” in 1976. After 1972 very few of his singles made the top ten (many missed the top twenty) and while Cash made many interesting albums, Album of the Year nominations tend to feature hit singles (even if the rest of the album is garbage) and the mega-hits were escaping Cash’s grasp
Cash could have gotten nominations in this category in 1971 or 1972 (but the CMA was still playing “catch up”) but after that, not a chance
Co-signing Paul’s comment here, but I want to use it as an opportunity to point out how much better the Grammys were at recognizing Cash’s renaissance. While the CMA waited until he died and only acknowledged the fourth American Recordings album, each of the first three albums in the series won a Grammy, and he was alive to enjoy the recognition.
I still consider American IV to be the weakest entry of the first four, so I’m happy he was acknowledged for the superior sets that came before it.