1967
 |
The
first CMA Awards Banquet and Show was not a televised event. |
|
Sonny
James and Bobbie Gentry host the inaugural gala. |
|
Eddy
Arnold is named first Entertainer of the Year. |
1968
|
CMA
Awards are taped by NBC-TV for re-broadcast on the Kraft Music
Hall. |
|
This
begins a 19-year consecutive sponsorship by Kraft. |
|
Roy
Rogers and Dale Evans hosted from the Ryman Auditorium. |
|
Awards
to "Honey" and "Harper Valley PTA." |
1969
|
First
live broadcast of the CMA Awards. |
|
Johnny
Cash won five awards -- a record that stands for 24 years. |
1970
|
Merle
Haggard was nominated for nine awards --the most ever -- and wins
four. |
|
Vocal
Duo of the Year Award was presented for the first time. |
|
Comedian
of the Year Award was given for the last time. |
|
Burl
Ives inducted Bill Monroe and The Carter Family into the Country
Music Hall of Fame. |
|
Walter
Miller began his 28-year director/producer association with the
CMA Awards. |
1971
|
Telecast
on NBC-TV, the Awards merited its own hour and for the first time
was not a part of the Kraft Music Hall |
|
Charley
Pride won both Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year Awards. |
1972
|
CBS-TV
began telecasting the CMA Awards - an association which continues. |
|
Loretta
Lynn became the first female to be named Entertainer of the Year. |
1973
|
Charlie
Rich won awards for Male Vocalist, Single and Album of the Year
for "Behind Closed Doors." The song, written by Kenny
O'Dell, wins Song of the Year honors. |
|
Tanya
Tucker made her first appearance on a CMA Awards special. |
1974
|
Conway
Twitty and Loretta Lynn won the third of their four Vocal Duo of
the Year awards. |
1975
|
Entertainer
of the Year John Denver accepted his award via satellite from
Australia. |
1976
|
The
Year of "The Outlaws" was marked by Willie Nelson,
Waylon Jennings, Tompall Glaser and Jessi Colter capturing Album
of the Year accolades. |
|
The
CMA Awards telecast expanded from 60 to 90 minutes. |
1977
|
Ronnie
Milsap captured three awards: Entertainer of the Year, Male
Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year for RONNIE MILSAP
LIVE. |
|
Kenny
Rogers performed his CMA award-winning (Single of the Year)
classic, "Lucille." |
1978
|
The
CMA Awards were simulcast on radio for the first time. |
|
Dolly
Parton was named Entertainer of the Year. |
1979
|
Kenny
Rogers hosted the telecast and took home the Male Vocalist trophy.
His album, THE GAMBLER, is named Album of the Year. |
|
Charlie
Daniels won three awards: Instrumental Group for the Charlie
Daniels Band, Instrumentalist and Single of the Year for "The
Devil Went Down to Georgia." |
|
Willie
Nelson was named Entertainer of the Year. |
1980
|
Barbara
Mandrell and Mac Davis began a three-year run as hosts. |
|
Mandrell
was named Entertainer of the Year. |
|
Burt
Reynolds joined Jerry Reed in announcing the Male Vocalist Award. |
1981
|
The
Horizon Award was presented for the first time to Terri Gibbs. |
|
Barbara
Mandrell became the first performer to repeat as Entertainer of
the Year. |
|
Alabama
made the group's first appearance on the CMA Awards. |
|
Willie
Nelson's "Always On My Mind" captured Single, Song, and
Album of the Year. |
1982
|
Alabama
became the first group to win Entertainer of the Year. |
1983
|
The
17th Annual CMA Awards introduced a technological first -- a
synchronized stereo radio simulcast distributed by satellite. |
|
Kris
Kristofferson was honored by his friends with a medley of his
self-penned songs. |
|
Two
duet performances still stand as memorable CMA Awards highlights:
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton sing "Islands in the
Stream," while Willie Nelson is joined by Julio Iglesias to
perform "To All the Girls I've Loved Before." |
|
The
Irving Waugh Award of Excellence was presented for the first time
to the man for whom it is named. Waugh served as executive
producer of the CMA Awards for more than 25 years. |
1984
|
Alabama
was named Entertainer of the Year an unprecedented third time. |
|
Lionel
Richie was a surprise duet partner with Kenny Rogers on
"Lady." |
|
Ray
Charles, who was nominated for the Horizon Award, performed a
medley from his FRIENDSHIP album. |
1985
|
Anne
Murray and Kris Kristofferson hosted the l9th Anniversary gala. |
|
The
Video of the Year was presented for the first time to Hank
Williams Jr. for "All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin' Over
Tonight." |
|
Johnny
Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Ray
Price and Juice Newton paid tribute to Willie Nelson, the
songwriter. |
|
New
traditionalist Ricky Skaggs won Entertainer of the Year. |
1986
|
Willie
Nelson and Kris Kristofferson hosted the 2Oth Anniversary gala. |
|
Collaborations
made for a memorable show: |
Amy Grant joined Ricky
Skaggs for "Walking in Jerusalem."
Alabama and Lionel
Richie joined forces on "Deep River Woman."
Anita Pointer and
Earl Thomas Conley reprised their "Too Many Times."
The Trio (Linda
Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris) performed.
|
|
Songwriters
Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet earned Song of the Year honors for
Randy Travis' "On the Other Hand." |
1987
|
Kenny
Rogers hosted the 21" Annual telecast. |
|
Don
Schlitz and Paul Overstreet repeated as winners of Song of the
Year, for yet another Randy Travis classic, "Forever and
Ever, Amen." |
|
The
CMA Awards were first broadcast in Canada. |
|
Hank
Williams Jr.'s anthem "Young Country" spotlighted
emerging talents Lyle Lovett, Nancy Griffith, K.T. Oslin and
others. |
|
Williams
won his first of two consecutive Entertainer of the Year awards. |
|
Reba
McEntire won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Female Vocalist
of the Year award. |
1988
|
The
22nd Annual CMA Awards marked the first two-hour telecast. |
|
Dolly
Parton hosted the gala for the first time. |
|
Vocal
Event of the Year Award was introduced for the first time to
recognize the collaboration of two or more individual acts. It was
presented to The Trio of Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou
Harris. k.d. Lang was joined by Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee and
Loretta Lynn to reprise their "Honky Tonk Angels." |
|
K.T.
Oslin ended Reba's four-year reign as Female Vocalist of the Year.
Her self-penned anthem "80's Ladies" also won Song of
the Year. |
1989
|
Anne
Murray and Kenny Rogers hosted the gala event. |
|
Dolly
Parton electrified the audience with "He's Alive,"
backed by a 100-voice choir. |
|
WILL
THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN, VOL. II captured Album of the Year honors,
and many of the participants, including Roy Acuff and John Hiatt,
joined The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in the performance. |
|
George
Strait won the first of two consecutive Entertainer of the Year
awards. |
1990
|
Reba
McEntire and Randy Travis hosted the CMA Awards. |
|
A
then-unknown Mary Chapin Carpenter received a standing ovation for
her tongue-in-cheek "Opening Act." |
|
Roy
Rogers joined Randy Travis, George Jones and Tammy Wynette for
"Heroes." |
|
A
tearful Tennessee Ernie Ford was inducted into the Hall of Fame. |
1991
|
President
and Mrs. George Bush attend the telecast. |
|
The
telecast won the night in ratings and was the second highest-rated
special of the 1991-1992 television season. |
1992
|
Reba
McEntire and Vince Gill hosted the CMA Awards, which again places
first in the ratings. |
|
Don
Henley was a surprise addition to Trisha Yearwood's performance of
"Walkaway Joe." |
|
George
Jones and BMI's Frances Preston were inducted into the Hall of
Fame. |
1993
|
Vince
Gill and Clint Black hosted the 27th Annual CMA Awards. Gill takes
home five awards, including Entertainer of the Year. |
|
Reba
McEntire received headlines around the world for her infamous red
dress. |
|
Liza
Minnelli led a standing ovation for Reba's performance with Linda
Davis of "Does He Love You." |
|
Loretta
Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette performed "Silver
Threads and Golden Needles." |
|
Willie
Nelson became the 54th inductee into the Hall of Fame. |
1994
|
Two
collaborative efforts RHYTHM, COUNTRY, AND BLUES and COMMON
THREAD: SONGS OF THE EAGLES -- were featured in nominations and
performances. |
|
Little
Richard honors Mary Chapin Carpenter's request to "Shut Up
and Kiss Me." He also performed with Tanya Tucker. |
|
Lyle
Lovett and his then wife, Julia Roberts, attended. He performed
with Asleep At The Wheel. |
|
Country
Music Hall of Fame inductee Merle Haggard was saluted with a
star-studded performance of "Working Man Blues". |
|
The
CMA Awards gala was the highest-rated entertainment special on
CBS, ranking seventh out of the 107 entertainment specials
overall. |
1995
|
First-time
CMA Award nominee Alison Krauss won all four awards for which she
was nominated, including the Horizon Award and Female Vocalist of
the Year. |
|
Vince
Gill, who hosted the live telecast from the Grand Ole Opry House,
took home a record fifth consecutive Male Vocalist of the Year
award. With 15 CMA Awards to his credit, the MCA singer retained
his title as the leading CMA Award winner of all time. |
|
The
late Roger Miller and former CMA executive director Jo
Walker-Meador were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. |
|
Once
again the CMA Awards won the night in the ratings. The special
garnered higher ratings than the Grammy Awards and the Academy of
Country Music Awards and tied the American Music Awards. |
1996
|
"The
30th Annual CMA Awards" was the second highest rated special
out of 212 aired during the 1996-1997 television season, ranking
only behind the Oscars. |
|
The
telecast earned CBS Television its highest-rated Wednesday night
in two years, propelling CBS to a first-place rating for the night
and for the week. |
|
Brooks
& Dunn become the first duo in history to win Entertainer of
the Year. |
|
George
Strait won Male Vocalist of the Year, an honor he last received 10
years prior. He also took home awards for Album and Single of the
Year. |
|
Patsy
Montana, Buck Owens and Ray Price were inducted into the Country
Music Hall of Fame. |
|
Once
again hosted by Vince Gill, the telecast was opened by newcomer
LeAnn Rimes with her hit "Blue", and Wynonna was joined
on stage by pop star Michael Bolton for a duet. |
1997
|
"The
31st Annual CMA Awards" marked the sixth consecutive
time that Vince Gill has charmed the audience as host. |
|
Going
head-to-head against premiere night on NBC and ABC, "The 31st
Annual CMA Awards", placed first for the night in households,
viewers and all adult demographics. |
|
Harlan
Howard, Brenda Lee and Cindy Walker were inducted into the Hall of
Fame. |
|
Shania
Twain made her first public performance this year with her new
single "Love Gets Me Everytime". Clint Black and Martina
McBride came together for their first television performance of
"Still Holdin' On", and rock star Sting and Toby Keith
teamed for Sting-penned "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop
Crying". |
|
For
the first time, a CMA Awards Collection CD was offered to readers
of RADIO TIMES, the UK's largest TV/radio and entertainment
listings magazine with a circulation of 1.4 million. |
1998
|
"The
32nd Annual CMA Awards" gave CBS its best Wednesday ratings
in households and demographics since the Grammy Awards last
February taking the night's honors in all categories. |
|
George
Morgan, Elvis Presley, E.W. "Bud" Wendell and Tammy
Wynette became the newest members of the Country Music Hall of
Fame. |
|
The
Dixie Chicks not only made their debut performance on the
telecast, but also took home their first two CMA Awards - Horizon
and Vocal Group of the Year- making history as the first all
female group that has ever won in the Vocal Group category. Reba
McEntire gave her first television performance of "Forever
Love". |
|
The
program was televised via tape around the world, including the UK
by BBC 2 and Australia by the NINE NETWORK. |
1999
|
An
estimated 37 million persons viewed "The 33"' Annual CMA
Awards" on CBS Television during the 1999-2000 season
premiere week, winning in households, viewers and all key
demographics. The telecast also struck a chord with younger
viewers, delivering the highest adult 18-34 demos (6.4119) since
October 2, 1996, up +16% from a year ago. |
|
Johnny
Bond, Dolly Parton and Conway Twitty became the newest members of
the Country Music Hall of Fame. |
|
For
the eighth consecutive year, Vince Gill hosted the telecast which
featured over 40 Country luminaries from a broad spectrum of the
industry including Alabama teaming up with pop-sensation 'N Sync
for Alabama's hit "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On
You," and multi-platinum pop artist Jewel singing with living
legend and Hall of Famer Merle Haggard on his classic "That's
The Way Love Goes." |
|
Shania
Twain took home the evening's highest honor, winning the
Entertainer of the Year Award. It marks the first time a female
artist has won in that category in the past 13 years. She also was
honored with the CMA International Artist Achievement Award. The
award recognizes outstanding achievement by an artist which
contributes to the awareness and development of Country Music
outside North America. |
|