Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year
| Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year | |
|---|---|
 Current winner of the award Morgan Wallen | |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Country Music Association |
| First award | 1967 |
| Currently held by | Morgan Wallen (2024) |
The Country Music Association Awards is a major awards show in country music, with the highest honor being the award for Entertainer of the Year. It is the final award presented at the ceremony and recognizes the artist "displaying the greatest competence in all aspects of the entertainment field", with consideration to not only recorded performance but also "in-person performance, public acceptance, leadership, and overall contribution to country music" they have exhibited throughout the eligibility period.[1] It is generally considered the highest competitive honor presented at the CMA Awards.
The inaugural recipient of the award was Eddy Arnold in 1967, with Loretta Lynn becoming the first female winner in 1972, and Alabama being the first group awarded in 1982. Garth Brooks holds the record for most wins in the category, with seven, while three-time recipient George Strait has a leading nineteen nominations. To date, Barbara Mandrell and Taylor Swift are the only women to have won twice. Chris Stapleton holds the record for most nominations without a win, with eight. The current holder of the award is Morgan Wallen, who won in 2024.
Recipients
[edit]In the following tables, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony. Artists are eligible based on their work of the previous calendar year. Entries with a blue ribbon next to the artist's name have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list.
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Artists with multiple wins
[edit]| Awards | Artist |
|---|---|
| 7 | Garth Brooks |
| 4 | Kenny Chesney |
| 3 | Alabama |
| Alan Jackson | |
| George Strait | |
| 2 | Barbara Mandrell |
| Hank Williams Jr. | |
| Keith Urban | |
| Luke Bryan | |
| Luke Combs | |
| Taylor Swift | |
| Vince Gill |
Artists with multiple nominations
[edit]- 19 nominations
- 13 nominations
- 12 nominations
- 11 nominations
- 10 nominations
- 9 nominations
- 8 nominations
- 6 nominations
- 5 nominations
- 4 nominations
- 3 nominations
- 2 nominations
Won on First nomination
[edit]- Eddy Arnold (1967)
- Glen Campbell (1968)
- Charlie Rich (1974)
- John Denver (1975)
- Mel Tillis (1976)
- Hank Williams Jr. (1987)
- Garth Brooks (1991)
- Shania Twain (1999)
- Keith Urban (2005)
- Taylor Swift (2009)
- Lainey Wilson (2023)