25 Greatest Moments in CMA Awards History
Garth Brooks
The Country Music Association Awards isn’t the oldest awards show in country music, but it’s arguably the biggest, boasting many of the most memorable collaborations of the past 50-plus years. Since 1967, the ceremony has honored everyone from early trailblazers (Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn) to contemporary superstars (Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson).
When country stars talk about their childhood dreams, many of them talk about dreaming of winning a CMA Award the same way that actors dream of winning Oscars. When Trisha Yearwood won Female Vocalist of the Year in 1997, for example, she recalled watching Reba McEntire win the same award 13 years earlier—and said it was the moment that inspired her to keep pushing for her own success. “This is what I have wanted ever since I saw Reba McEntire win Female Vocalist of the Year and stand on this stage and say into the TV set, ‘If you have a dream you can make it come true,’” Yearwood told the crowd. “I believed you Miss Reba and I’m here.”
Ahead of the 57th Country Music Association Awards, take a look back at the most memorable moments in CMA Awards history.
Related: See Who's Nominated for CMA Awards in 2023
25 Greatest CMA Awards Moments
1. Charley Pride Gets His Flowers (1971)
Trailblazing artist Charley Pride became the first—and still only—Black artist to win Entertainer of the Year in 1971, after releasing 10 albums full of hits including “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’,” arguably his biggest song. He later won a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 but died one month later due to complications from COVID-19.
2. Loretta Lynn Makes History (1972)
Loretta Lynn became the first woman to win Entertainer of the Year in 1972 in the sixth year of the CMAs’ existence. The wildest part, however, is that she’d already released more than 20 albums, including Coal Miner’s Daughter. In 1973, she proudly honored her latest achievement by calling her new record Entertainer of the Year.
3. Reba McEntire’s 1st Big Win (1984)
Reba McEntire is such a delightful CMAs fixture that this list could be entirely Reba-focused, but for pure emotional value, her first big win, at the 1984 ceremony, takes the cake. McEntire had been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1983 but lost to Janie Fricke; this award marked Reba’s first major accolade at the CMAs. She was overcome with emotion as she took the stage to a standing ovation from the crowd. While accepting the trophy, McEntire admitted that she used to rehearse her own acceptance speech in the mirror at home as a kid—and then dedicated the award to her mother, who wanted to be a singer as well. (Other classic Reba moments include her infamous red dress in 1993, her rendition of “She Thinks His Name Was John” in 1994 and her scene-stealing take on the classic “Fancy” in 2019.)
Related: Everything There Is to Know About the Potential 'Reba' Reboot
4. Kenny Rogers and Lionel Richie Sing “Lady” (1984)
Lionel Richie wrote “Lady,” which was one of Kenny Rogers’ biggest hits. The duo teamed up for a memorable performance of the tune at the 1984 ceremony, which was also hosted by Rogers.
5. Dolly Parton Sings “He’s Alive” (1989)
Like Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton could single-handedly populate her own list of best CMAs moments, but this 1989 performance of White Limozeen track “He’s Alive” is in a class by itself. Just when you think Parton is going to finish out the song alone, an entire gospel choir appears to take it home. Dolly, you achieved your mission—we got a blessing out of it.
Related: Dolly Parton’s Net Worth In 2023 Is Fit for a Country Queen
6. Garth Brooks Crashes the Party (1991)
Garth Brooks began his decade of dominance with four wins—Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year—and a barnstorming performance of “Shameless,” a Billy Joel cover from Ropin’ the Wind. “This is cool. It’s funny how a chubby kid can just be having fun, and they call it entertaining," Brooks said in his Entertainer of the Year acceptance speech.
"I know this embarrasses these two guys every time I say this, but I don’t think any entertainer is anything without his heroes. I love my Georges—George Strait and George Jones—and I want to thank you guys for being so good to me,” Brooks continued, before realizing he forgot to mention another George in the audience: then-President George H.W. Bush, who was in attendance with his wife, Barbara Bush. “No offense, Mr. President, I didn’t think about that. Sorry!”
7. Kathy Mattea Causes a Righteous Stir (1992)
Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
While pop stars across the country were wearing red ribbons to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic, the CMA board voted to have its stars wear green ribbons to the 1992 show in support of the environment. Kathy Mattea, however, went her own way and wore a red one.
“I just searched my heart,” Mattea told the South Bend Tribune in 2014. “We have to make it OK to talk to each other about AIDS if we’re going to get any results.”
8. Dwight Yoakam Brings Back Bakersfield (1993)
Dwight Yoakam revived the Bakersfield sound with a rousing rendition of “Fast as You” at the 1993 ceremony. That fringe! Those hips! The ladies dancing in clocks! Few CMAs performances have ever been as cool.
9. Tanya Tucker Duets With Little Richard (1994)
Tanya Tucker and Little Richard teamed up for an unusually rock-forward performance of “Somethin’ Else” in 1994. Come for the once-in-a-lifetime pairing, stay for Tucker’s leather minidress trimmed with rhinestone fringe.
Related: Best Country Songs of All Time
10. Shania Twain’s CMAs Debut (1995)
Then a new artist on the cusp of superstardom, Shania Twain had the entire Grand Ole Opry House in the palm of her hand with her debut CMA performance of “Any Man of Mine.” Twain began her song in the audience, where she flirted with Marty Stuart and playfully tousled Johnny Cash’s hair before strutting on stage in her lacy black crop top.
Related: Man! She Feels Like a Wealthy Woman! Shania Twain's Net Worth In 2023
11. LeAnn Rimes Brings the House Down (1996)
Then just 14, LeAnn Rimes wowed the crowd with her performance of her smash single “Blue,” which was widely reported to have been written for Patsy Cline. (Its writer, Bill Mack, later disputed this.)
12. Alan Jackson’s Unauthorized Tribute to George Jones (1999)
Country legend George Jones had recently topped the charts with “Choices,” and the CMAs planned to let him sing it at the ceremony—so long as he would sing an abridged, one-minute version. Jones declined, but Alan Jackson shocked the audience by stopping his own performance of his song “Pop a Top” to sing “Choices” instead.
13. A Tribute to Johnny Cash (2003)
When country titan Johnny Cash died weeks before the ceremony, his friends and fellow Highwaymen Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson paid tribute with an emotional medley that also featured Sheryl Crow, Travis Tritt, Hank Williams Jr. and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Related: Willie Nelson Reflects on Turning 90 and Why He Loves Being 'On the Road Again'
14. Miranda Lambert Lights It Up (2005)
Miranda Lambert—who has been nominated for Entertainer of the Year six times but incredibly never won—burst onto the scene in 2005 with a flame-filled performance of “Kerosene” from her debut studio album of the same name. Maybe if she sets the stage on fire again she’ll finally get that well-deserved win.
Related: The Recipe Behind Miranda Lambert's Engagements (Both of Them)
15. Taylor Swift’s Big Win (2009)
It’s hard to remember now, but Taylor Swift was once a country artist—and a very successful one at that. In 2009, she became the youngest person ever to win Entertainer of the Year at just 19 years old. (Unbelievably, she is also the most recent woman to win the CMAs’ highest honor, taking it home again in 2011.)
16. Loretta Lynn, the Coal Miner’s Daughter (2010)
With an introduction by Sissy Spacek, Loretta Lynn hit the stage with Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow for a performance of “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” That same year, Lynn presented Lambert with her first Female Vocalist of the Year award. “I’m proud that I can now call her a friend,” Lambert said of Lynn during her acceptance speech. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
17. Luke Bryan Honors His Family (2013)
Luke Bryan didn’t leave a dry eye in the house when he sang “Drink a Beer” in honor of his late brother Chris and late sister Kelly, who died in 1996 and 2007, respectively. (Yes, that is Chris Stapleton singing backup—he cowrote the tune.)
18. The Chicks and Beyoncé Team Up for “Daddy Lessons” (2016)
Some members of country’s old guard were infuriated by the return of The Chicks, who were so memorably exiled from Nashville after saying they were ashamed of George W. Bush. It didn’t help that they came back to the CMAs with Beyoncé, who earlier in the year sank a cop car in the “Formation” video. You almost get a little sad thinking about how miserable these haters must be, because this performance slaps.
19. Dolly Parton’s Lifetime Achievement Award Medley (2016)
When Dolly Parton won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, other women of country music—Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood and more—paid tribute to her incredible career with a medley of hits including “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You.”
20. Randy Travis Makes a Comeback (2016)
For the 50th anniversary of the CMAs, superstars including Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Charlie Daniels and more teamed up for a massive medley that ended with “Forever and Ever Amen” by Randy Travis. Travis, who hadn’t been on stage since his 2013 stroke, made a moving cameo at the end to close the performance with Paisley and Carrie Underwood.
21. Carrie Underwood’s Gospel Tearjerker (2017)
Carrie Underwood brought the Bridgestone Arena to tears with her performance of gospel classic “Softly and Tenderly” during the “In Memoriam” segment, which was partly dedicated to the victims of the Route 91 Harvest music festival shooting in Las Vegas.
22. The Women of Country (2019)
The 53rd Annual CMA Awards opened with a star-studded tribute to the Women of Country, featuring performances by cohosts Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, and Dolly Parton as well as Martina McBride, Crystal Gayle, Sara Evans, Gretchen Wilson, Jennifer Nettles, Terri Clark, Tanya Tucker, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman, and The Highwomen (Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby). Phew!
Related: From Banjos to Big Time: A Country Music Timeline
23. Kacey Musgraves and Willie Nelson Sing The Muppets (2019)
The CMAs are always at their best when young upstarts team up with old-timers for the kind of cross-generational collaboration that doesn’t happen often enough in any genre. One such moving moment came in 2019 when Kacey Musgraves took the stage with friend (and fellow Texan) Willie Nelson for an incredibly poignant performance of “Rainbow Connection,” as made famous by Kermit the Frog.
24. Mickey Guyton, Brittney Spencer, and Madeline Edwards Sing “Love My Hair” (2021)
Country music as a whole is not known for its diversity, so it was a rare treat to see three of the industry’s best Black artists—Mickey Guyton, Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards—team up for a performance celebrating their heritage on the genre’s biggest stage. The trio were introduced by teenager Faith Fennidy, who inspired Guyton to write “Love My Hair” after she was sent home from school at age 11 for wearing braids. “It was devastating for me,” Fennidy told the audience. “But this next artist created this song to make sure girls like me feel seen and loved.”
25. Patty Loveless and Chris Stapleton’s “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” Duet (2022)
Patty Loveless hasn’t performed often since her 1990s heyday, but she brought the house down in 2022 when she joined current superstar (and fellow Kentuckian) Chris Stapleton for this heart-wrenching performance of “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” Loveless, who grew up in coal country, originally looked to her own father for inspiration when recording the song for her 2001 album, Mountain Soul.
“She was having a hard time getting it and her husband, Emory [Gordy Jr.], was producing the album,” Darrell Scott, who wrote the song and played banjo on Loveless’ studio version, told Kentucky Country Music in 2020. “He left and came back with a photo of Patty’s dad, who was a coal miner, and placed it on the music stand. Emory told her to sing the song to her father and that is exactly what she did and what you hear.” (Scott played dobro on stage with Stapleton and Loveless at the CMAs.)
