Snubs for days.
With the 60th annual CMA Awards airing live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville in just over a month on Wednesday, November 18th, the buzz surrounding the show keeps growing with each passing day. With Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves leading the way with the most nominations across the 12 major categories, Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson and Stephen Wilson Jr. are also among the night’s top-nominated artists.
Following the trend set by the past two CMA Awards, women absolutely dominate this year’s set of nominees. To absolutely no one’s surprise, Ella Langley is riding the highs of her record-shattering success with “Choosin’ Texas” to a staggering nine nominations. These nominations include her first-ever Entertainer of the Year nod, Album of the Year for Dandelion, Single and Song of the Year for both “Be Her” and “Choosin’ Texas,” Female Vocalist of the Year, Music Event of the Year (“I Can’t Love You Anymore” with Morgan Wallen) and Music Video of the Year (“Choosin’ Texas”).
Right behind her with seven is “Choosin’ Texas” co-writer and superstar, Miranda Lambert, who snagged seven nominations. These include her work on both Langley’s Dandelion and “Choosin’ Texas” as well as Female Vocalist of the Year, and two Musical Event of the Year nods for “A Song to Sing” with Chris Stapleton and “Horses and Divorces” with Kacey Musgraves.
Leading the charge for the men are the likes of Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson and Stephen Wilson Jr with four nominations. In particular, Wilson Jr. is primed to have a huge night. As a fan-favorite amongst many alt. country fans and us here at Whiskey Riff, the “I’m a Song” singer snagged four nods, including his first-ever Male Vocalist of the Year mention, New Artist of the Year and Song and Music Video of the Year for “Gary.”
And as the anticipation for this year’s awards continues to grow in the days leading up to the show, there’s bound to be a ton of discussions around which artists deserve to win each award, who continues to get robbed and everything in between.
Yesterday, we took a look at 10 country artists who shockingly never took home a single CMA Award. Today, we will be looking at some of the biggest acts that have never brought home a Male Vocalist of the Year trophy, despite taking home bigger ones throughout their career.
Willie Nelson
Simply put, there’s a real argument that Willie Nelson is country music’s greatest artist of all time. As one of the greatest songwriters in any genre, penning country standards such as Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” “On The Road Again,” “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” “Funny How Time Slips Away” and countless more classics throughout his career, his discography is second to none
It’s not like Willie is without his recognition from the CMAs throughout his career. In fact, he’s tied for eighth all-time with 10 wins on 47 total nominations. With that being said, however, a Male Vocalist award is surprisingly not included on his shelf of CMA trophies. After losing his first-ever nod in 1976, the “Whiskey River” singer would then go on to drop six straight from 1979 to 1983, despite scoring his first and only Entertainer of the Year win in 1979.
Years Nominated – 7
- 1976
- 1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
- 1983
Eric Church
In many ways, Eric Church is a bit of an enigma in country music. Oftentimes, he strays away from what many would consider to be classic hallmarks of the genre, including but not limited to rare uses of fiddle in many of his songs and the outright refusal to use steel guitar on many of his songs post Sinners Like Me. Despite this constant urge to push the limits and reinvent his sound, Church has remained not only one of the best artists in the genre over the two decades but also one of the most important, influencing megastars like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs as well as alternative country standouts such as Carter Faith, Charles Wesley Godwin, Colby Acuff and more.
When you actually take a look at his career accolades, it’s not quite as robust as you might think. Sure, he finally won his long-awaited CMA Entertainer of the Year Award in 2020, along with a double-up Album of the Year win at the ACMs and CMAs for Chief years before. With that being said, however, he’s never been an awards show darling like Chris Stapleton, Lainey Wilson or Miranda Lambert.
That’s highlighted here by the fact that the Chief has gone a truly baffling 0/9 in the Male Vocalist of the Year category in a decade stretch from 2012-2022.
Years Nominated – 9
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
Kenny Chesney
Though you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who says he’s one of the quintessential country acts of all time, there’s simply no denying the career Kenny Chesney has had over the past four decades. Beyond his recent induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year, the Tennessee native has additionally been named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 21st Century and the seventh-most popular touring act of the millennium by Pollstar.
Of course, this fails to mention the fact that Chesney has additionally scored 33 #1 hits throughout his career, sold over 100 million units in the U.S. alone, won a combined 23 CMA and ACM Awards and curated one of the most successful live shows in country music thanks to the dedication of his fanbase, No Shoes Nation.
Despite all the CMA Awards, which include 12 overall wins (tied for 7th all time) and an incredible four Entertainer of the Year trophies, Chesney has been shut out of the Male Vocalist category all nine times he’s been nominated.
Years Nominated – 9
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2009
- 2011
Garth Brooks
Outside of Morgan Wallen, there’s no debate that Garth Brooks is the most commercially successful artist in country music history. Of course, this is highlighted by the fact that he is the second-highest-selling artist in the genre (8th all-genre) with a staggering 200.5 million units sold in the U.S.
He’s also the fifth-most-awarded artist in the history of the CMAs, with 14 wins on 37 different nominations. Despite all the awards, which include a historic seven Entertainer of the Year trophies, Brooks has somehow never captured a Male Vocalist win. The “Friends in Low Places” singer would lose four straight years during the height of his career from 1990 to 1993 and an additional one in 1998.
Years Nominated – 5
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
- 1998
Hank Williams Jr.
It’s no stretch to say that Hank Williams Jr. is one of the most influential and important country singers in the genre’s history. From his key role in the outlaw movement to his mile-long list of classic hits such as “A Country Boy Can Survive,” “Family Tradition” and “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound,” Hank Jr. is, without a doubt, a living legend.
Throughout his career, Bocephus was well-received by the CMAs, scoring seven awards, which includes two Entertainer of the Year wins, throughout his career. Despite the back-to-back EOTYs in 1987 and 1988, he was surprisingly shut out of the Male Vocalist category, dropping four straight from 1985 to 1988.
Years Nominated – 4
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
Dierks Bentley
There’s no doubt that Dierks Bentley has been one of the most important and ultimately intriguing artists in the mainstream. From his longtime relationship with Cross Canadian Ragweed’s Cody Canada to his unabashed love for bluegrass, namely working with the likes of Billy Strings and recently The Band Loula, the “Sideways” singer has always been an interesting figure in the genre.
Of course, he’s never been one of “it” stars in country music at any point, but it would be negligent to say that Bentley has not had massive success throughout his career. This is highlighted by his 22 #1 hits, 12 Grammy nominations, four ACM Awards and other accolades. Despite this, he hasn’t gotten a lot of love at the CMAs, only winning three throughout his career.
He could have had plenty more when taking a look at his Male Vocalist nominations. As of today, the “What Was I Thinkin'” singer has received nine nominations, being shut out every single time from 2006 to 2021.
Years Nominated – 9
- 2006
- 2010
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2021
Morgan Wallen
Before you get your pitchforks out, Wallen being included on the list isn’t a defense of his artistry. Instead, it’s more of an observation on the clear bias the CMAs have displayed throughout the year. Despite Wallen being, for all intents and purposes, the biggest country artist (male or female) over the past half-decade, he’s gone 0/4 so far in the Male Vocalist category — not even receiving a nomination this year.
Of course, you can attribute all of his losses to being lined up against the legendary Chris Stapleton (and most recently, reigning winner, Cody Johnson) for all four. Considering just how popular the “Last Night” singer is among fans, you’d think that he would have secured at least one win in the past five years. That, however, is simply not the case here.
Years Nominated – 4
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
