CMA Awards nominees announced

Eric Church, Chris Stapleton lead with 5 noms apiece

By Preshias Harris

Mark your calendar and set your DVR for the 55th Annual CMA Awards set to air live from Nashville, Wednesday, November 10, 8:00 pm EST (7:00 CST) on ABC.

Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton and Eric Church lead the pack with five nominations each; Gabby Barrett, Jason Hall (mix engineer) and Jay Joyce (producer) each have four nominations. With three noms each: Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris and Chris Young.

Among the first-time CMA nominees: Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, Ryan Hurd, Jordan Davis and more.

Eric Church

Here are the nominations in each category. Make your predictions now and keep this list handy during the broadcast on November 10 to see how often your picks match the votes of the eligible CMA members! If you are like most country fans, you’ll have some ideas about who should win and who probably will win!

Entertainer of the Year
  • Eric Church 
  • Luke Combs  
  • Miranda Lambert   
  • Chris Stapleton 
  • Carrie Underwood  
Female Vocalist of the Year
  • Gabby Barrett
  • Miranda Lambert   
  • Ashley McBryde  
  • Maren Morris  
  • Carly Pearce 
Male Vocalist of the Year
  • Dierks Bentley
  • Eric Church   
  • Luke Combs  
  • Thomas Rhett  
  • Chris Stapleton
Vocal Group of the Year 
  • Lady A 
  • Little Big Town  
  • Midland  
  • Old Dominion   
  • Zac Brown Band
Vocal Duo of the Year
  • Brooks & Dunn  
  • Brothers Osborne  
  • Dan + Shay   
  • Florida Georgia Line  
  • Maddie & Tae
Single of the Year (award presented to artist, producer[s] and mix engineer[s])
  • “Famous Friends,” Chris Young with Kane Brown; Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young; Mix Engineer: Sean Moffitt
  • “The Good Ones,” Gabby Barrett; Producers: Ross Copperman, Zach Kale; Mix Engineers: Chris Galland, Manny Marroquin
  • “Hell Of A View,” Eric Church; Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce  
  • “One Night Standards,” Ashley McBryde; Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce  
  • “Starting Over,” Chris Stapleton; Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton; Mix Engineer: Vance Powell
Album of the Year (award presented to artist, producer[s] and mix engineer[s])
  • 29, Carly Pearce; Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Jimmy Robbins; Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore 
  • Dangerous: The Double Album, Morgan Wallen; Producers: Dave Cohen, Matt Dragstrem, Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi; Mix Engineer: Joey Moi 
  • Heart, Eric Church; Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
  • Skeletons, Brothers Osborne; Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
  • Starting Over, Chris Stapleton; Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton; Mix Engineer: Vance Powell
Song of the Year (award presented to songwriter[s])
  • “Forever After All,” Songwriters: Luke Combs, Drew Parker, Robert Williford 
  • “The Good Ones,” Songwriters: Gabby Barrett, Zach Kale, Emily Landis, Jim McCormick
  • “Hell Of A View,” Songwriters: Casey Beathard, Eric Church, Monty Criswell 
  • “One Night Standards,” Songwriters: Nicolette Hayford, Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde
  • “Starting Over,” Songwriters: Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton 
Musical Event of the Year (award presented to artist[s] and producer[s])
  • “Buy Dirt,” Jordan Davis, Luke Bryan; Producer: Paul DiGiovanni 
  • “Chasing After You,” Ryan Hurd, Maren Morris; Producers: Aaron Eshuis, Teddy Reimer
  • “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” Elle King, Miranda Lambert; Producer: Martin Johnson 
  • “Famous Friends,” Chris Young, Kane Brown; Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young
  • “Half Of My Hometown,” Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney; Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins
Musician of the Year
  • Jenee Fleenor, Fiddle 
  • Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar 
  • Aaron Sterling, Drums 
  • Ilya Toshinskiy, Banjo 
  • Derek Wells, Guitar 
Music Video of the Year (award presented to artist[s] and video director[s])
  • “Chasing After You,” Ryan Hurd, Maren Morris; Director: TK McKamy 
  • “Famous Friends,” Chris Young, Kane Brown; Director: Peter Zavadil 
  • “Gone,” Dierks Bentley; Directors: Wes Edwards, Travis Nicholson, Ed Pryor, Running Bear, Sam Siske
  • “Half Of My Hometown,” Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney; Director: Patrick Tracy 
  • “Younger Me,” Brothers Osborne; Director: Reid Long 
New Artist of the Year
  • Jimmie Allen  
  • Ingrid Andress  
  • Gabby Barrett  
  • Mickey Guyton
  • Hardy

The CMA will also announce awards in radio categories including Broadcast Personality of the Year and Radio Station of the Year (both by market size).

Preshias Harris  is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at   www.collegeofsongology.com   Follow her blog at  www.nashvillemusicline.com