NBC (1968–1971) CBS (1972–2005) ABC (2006–present)
TheCountry Music Association Awards, also known as theCMA Awards orCMAs, are presented tocountry music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry.[1][2] The televised annual presentation ceremony features performances and award presentations by popular country music artists, with occasional appearances from pop and rock artists.[1] The CMA Awards were first presented in 1967, and televised for the first time the following year.
The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony at theNashville Municipal Auditorium on October 20, 1967; the Entertainer of the Year award went toEddy Arnold that night. The second annual CMA awards were presented in October 1968;NBC taped the ceremony and televised it a few weeks later. Since then, the awards have been televised live, usually in October or November, byNBC from 1969 through 1971, byCBS from 1972 through 2005, and byABC beginning in 2006. Starting in 1968 they were held atNashville'sGrand Ole Opry (initially atRyman Auditorium, and from 1974 through 2004 at the newGrand Ole Opry House).
Since 2024, the ceremony has been held on the third Wednesday of November. From 2017-2023, it was held on the second Wednesday of November. Prior to 2017, the awards were generally held on the first Wednesday of November. However, since then the awards have been rescheduled for later in the month to avoid conflict with a possible game seven ofMajor League Baseball'sWorld Series, since the 2016 ceremony aired the same night asFox's eventual telecast of game seven of the2016 Series, which beat the CMA Awards in the ratings.
In June 2021, the Country Music Association announced that they would extend its broadcast contract with ABC through 2026.[5]
Following the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Country Music Association announced that the55th CMA Awards on November 10, 2021, would require ticketed audience members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and to wear appropriate face coverings.[6]
Albums and songs released between July 1 of the previous calendar year and June 30 of the award show's year are eligible for consideration.[7] More than 7,300 individuals from the Country Music Association trade group vote for the nominees and winners through three rounds of balloting.[7]
Annual awards are given in the following twelve categories: Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, New Artist (previously known as the Horizon Award until 2008), Vocal Group, Vocal Duo (introduced in 1970), Single, Album, Song, Musical Event (split off from the Vocal Duo award in 1988 as Vocal Event), Music Video (introduced in 1985), and Musician.[1] The distinction between the Duo and Event awards is that the former is presented to two artists who normally perform together, while the latter was specifically created to honor one-off collaborations. Nine awards are also given to radio broadcasters for Station of the Year and Personality of the Year (divided into four categories each, based on market size), as well as National Personality of the Year to the host of a nationally syndicated show.[1] Since 2012, the ceremony features aLifetime Achievement Award.[8] Vince Gill, and Alan Jackson are the only individuals to win Entertainer of the Year, Male/Female Vocalist of the Year or Group/Duo of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year all in the same year.
Formerly presented as the International Touring Artist Award, this award recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who has demonstrated the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the country music industry outside of the United States during the eligibility period. TheDixie Chicks were the first artists to receive the award twice. 2008 is the only year in which there were multiple winners.[9]
Named in honor ofJeff Walker, this award recognizes outstanding achievements by a country music artist signed outside of the United States. The artist must have furthered the popularity of country music as well as brought attention to the country music format in their territory. This award was first presented in 2003 and has been presented annually since, with the exception of 2015. The Global Country Achievement Award has been most frequently won by Australian artists.
This award recognizes outstanding achievement by a radio broadcaster outside the United States who has made important contributions for the development of country music in their country. Up to three recipients may be named in any year. Each recipient must represent a different territory.
Only one artist has won the top five awards (Entertainer, Album, Male Vocalist/Female Vocalist/Group/Duo, Single and Song of the Year) in a single ceremony — Alan Jackson, in 2002.[33]
When presenting theEntertainer of the Year award at the 1975 ceremony,Charlie Rich, who appeared to be intoxicated after drinking backstage and was allegedly taking pain medication for a broken foot, opened the envelope to reveal the winner. When he saw thatJohn Denver had been chosen, Rich pulled out his lighter and burned the envelope, sarcastically declaring that the winner was "my friend, Mr. John Denver". Many saw Rich's actions as a protest towards pop artists crossing over into country music and it remains one of the most discussed moments in CMA history.[34]
During a time when the rest of the entertainment industry were wearing red ribbons to signify solidarity and promote awareness of theAIDS epidemic, in an attempt to steer clear of controversy, the CMA instead encouraged guests to wear green ribbons to signify environmental awareness. This did not sit well withKathy Mattea, who had lost several friends to the disease, and she requested the CMA's help in drafting a short speech on the issue, but they ignored her request and she took matters into her own hands. At the 1992 ceremony while presenting an award, Mattea wore three red ribbons and one green ribbon and announced the names of her friends who had succumbed to AIDS and delivered an impassioned speech that created a discussion and elevated AIDS awareness among the Nashville community. Mattea went on to become a staunch advocate for the cause, releasing the albumRed Hot + Country two years later to raise funds for AIDS charities.[35][36]
On May 8, 1999,George Jones released "Choices", a song written by Mike Curtis andBilly Yates, that featured an accompanying music video which depicted his struggles with substance abuse. The song subsequently became a Top 30 hit for Jones and was nominated forSingle of the Year at the 1999 CMA Awards, with the CMA inviting him to perform a shortened version at the ceremony. Jones felt insulted that the CMA requested he remove part of the song and declined the invitation.Alan Jackson, who was slated to perform his current single "Pop a Top", was offended that the CMA had denied Jones the opportunity to sing the full song, and so during his performance, he stopped his own band mid-song and proceeded to sing the chorus of "Choices", which went on to earn a standing ovation from the audience.[37]
At the50th CMA Awards in 2016,Beyoncé, along withThe Chicks, performed a medley of "Daddy Lessons" from her 2016Lemonade album and The Chicks' 2002 hit "Long Time Gone". While many viewers and critics praised the performance, it garnered criticism from some country traditionalists, who stated that Beyoncé, a pop/R&B artist, had no place at a country music awards show. The comments polarized opinions, with some noting that they could be seen as a racist attack, as previous collaborations with non-country artists had not received the same amount of criticism and some suggesting that old grudges against the Chicks had fueled the extreme responses to their performance, after their first performance since theircomments about George Bush resulted in them being blacklisted from the industry. Many artists includingDierks Bentley andKaren Fairchild defended the performance while others did not, includingAlan Jackson who reportedly left the arena.[38][39][40][41]
Over the years numerous publications, websites, and magazine on country music have accused the association of discriminating African-American country artists, and particularly black female artists in the selection of nominations and award winners.[42][43][44][45][46][47] Through the years US nonprofit civil rights organizationColor of Change president Rashad Robinson has accused the ceremony of not recognizing African American country musicians and the history of the genre.[48][49][50] At the58th CMA Awards, the nominating committee was accused of purposefully snubbingBeyoncé's eighthstudio album,Cowboy Carter, as well as thelead single, "Texas Hold 'Em", even though it's not clear if any of her works were submitted to the nominating committee that year.[51][52][53]
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