Some artists didn’t just win at the 59th annual CMA Awards, which were held on Wednesday (Nov. 19) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. They made history.
Of course, acts have been making history at the CMA Awards for years.
In 1971, Charley Pride became the first (and is still the only) Black artist to win entertainer of the year. The following year, Loretta Lynn became the first woman to win the award.
In 2016, Garth Brooks became the first person to win entertainer of the year five times. He won two more times before he graciously removed himself from further consideration for the award.
In 2014, Miranda Lambert became the first woman to win female vocalist of the year five times. In 2022, Chris Stapleton became the first man to win male vocalist of the year six times. (Both artists have since added more wins to their tallies.)
In 1984, The Statler Brothers became the first group to win vocal group of the year nine times. (That’s still the record in that category.) In 1999, Brooks & Dunn became the first duo to win vocal duo of the year eight times. They are still the leaders in that category, though their win tally in the category currently stands at 16.
In 2008, with Troubadour, George Strait became the first artist to win album of the year five times. In 2024, with “White Horse,” Stapleton became the first artist to win single of the year three times. Both of these records still stand.
That’s enough looking back. Here are six artists who made CMA history this year.