CMA Awards 2024 WINNERS: Chris Stapleton leads manner with THREE and Lainey Wilson wins large

Chris Stapleton was the big winner the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday in Nashville, capturing three awards.

The Lexington, Kentucky-born artist, 46, won Single of the Year for White Horse, marking the vocalist’s third win in the category. (He did not win Entertainer of the Year, which was won by Morgan Wallen, 31.)

‘Well, amazing – so many great and very, very popular songs in this category – I’m very humbled to win this award,’ said Stapleton, whose track was subsequently honored with Song of the Year, his collaboration with Dan Wilson, 63.

Stapleton thanked his wife Morgane Stapleton, 41, as he collected his second trophy on the evening.

‘I owe my wife an apology – that last award belonged to her, too, and she didn’t come up here,’ Stapleton said. ‘It all happened so quick. I love you, honey, backstage, wherever you are, getting ready right now. All of my music, I owe a lot to her, so, I want to say thank you to her for always supporting me.’

Lainey Wilson, 32, also was a big winner on the night, as she co-hosted with Peyton Manning and Luke Combs, and was named Female Vocalist of the Year. 

Chris Stapleton, 46, was the big winner the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday in Nashville, capturing three awards 

Lainey Wilson, 32, also was a big winner on the night, as she co-hosted with Peyton Manning and Luke Combs, and was named Female Vocalist of the Year 

For his third win, Stapleton was crowned Male Vocalist of the Year, for the eighth time.

‘I’m out of things to say – I love all y’all so much,’ said Stapleton, who prevailed over Wallen, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson and Jelly Roll with the win. ‘Thank you, CMAs, for giving me this award. I’m honored to be in the category with all the other guys in the category.’

Stapleton again paid tribute to his spouse, who he shares five children with.

‘I love my wife – thank you, baby, for everything,’ Stapleton said. ‘I can’t do this without you and I probably wouldn’t even be here without you.

‘All my kids at home, thank you – I love you guys, if you’re watching – you can go to bed now. I’m really honored for this. Thank you very much.’

Wilson was named Female Vocalist of the Year, besting fellow nominees Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney and Kacey Musgraves.

The Baskin, Louisiana native said in accepting the honors, ‘This community has wrapped its arms around me and lifted me up from the get-go. I’ve always been told that – if you feel like you got a gift, you’re supposed to share it.

‘And I think that means whether you drive a tractor or pour coffee, make people smile or laugh, whatever that is, I think you’re supposed to share that gift, and I just want to say thank y’all so much for letting me share mine.’

Stapleton, 46, said while accepting, ‘Well, amazing – so many great and very, very popular songs in this category – I’m very humbled to win this award.’

The Lexington, Kentucky-born artist followed his first win with a second for Song of the Year for White Horse, his collaboration with Dan Wilson, 63; Stapleton thanked his wife Morgane Stapleton, 41, as he collected his second trophy on the evening.

Stapleton prevailed over Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll with the win for Male Vocalist of the Year

The couple was pictured on the red carpet during entrances at the show 

Megan Moroney, 27, was emotional in accepting the honors for New Artist of the Year.

‘I’m going to try to get through this without crying: Thank you, Jesus, for putting this dream on my heart, and thank you for the gift of songwriting,’ she said.

The Savannah, Georgia-born musical artist continued, This is for my fans – I would say they’re a large reason of why I’m up here right now, the way they show up for me, the way they care about my songs and make signs and t-shirts and wait outside the venue starting at 3:00 a.m. – it’s really insane to me.’

Old Dominion won Vocal Group of the Year for the seventh time, with vocalist Matthew Ramsey, 47, declaring that ‘very nature of being in a band is working together.’

He added, ‘We’ve collaborated with each other, and with songwriters and our management and our label, and our fans and our families and our friends, and anyone that we’ve ever said I love you to has brought us here to this moment. 

‘And it’s a really beautiful moment for us.’

Ramsey said that ‘it’s a really beautiful thing to be in a band’ and called upon artists to continue to ply their craft amid the changing times.

‘If you are an artist of any type, or a creator, a musician, this is when the world needs you the most – when it’s weird like it is right now – so get out there and get together and create,’ Ramsey said.

Lainey Wilson, 32, was named Female Vocalist of the Year, besting fellow nominees Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney and Kacey Musgraves 

Megan Moroney, 27, was emotional in accepting the honors for New Artist of the Year 

She said in her speech, ‘I’m going to try to get through this without crying: Thank you, Jesus, for putting this dream on my heart, and thank you for the gift of songwriting’

Cody Johnson’s Leather was crowned Album of the Year, with the artist saying he thought he was overmatched by fellow nominees in the category such as Jelly Roll and Stapleton.

‘I did not expect that,’ the Texas-born vocalist, 37, said while accepting the honors. ‘I truly expected for Chris Stapleton or Jelly Roll to be announced, I’ll be honest; I looked at my wife, I said, “Jelly roll’s got that.”‘

Johnson added that there are ‘very few moments when, in your career and life [when] the “Ric Flair” is appropriate but, “Woo!”‘

The pair of Brooks & Dunn was named Vocal Duo of the Year, the 15th time they’ve achieved the feat.

Kix Brooks, 69, reflected on the tandem’s continued success over decades as he accepted the award with Ronnie Dunn, 71.

‘I was just going to say, there’s a famous quote that says time is undefeated – I just say, not yet, I guess,’ Brooks said.

Old Dominion won Vocal Group of the Year for the seventh time, with vocalist Matthew Ramsey, 47, declaring that ‘very nature of being in a band is working together’

Cody Johnson’s Leather was crowned Album of the Year, with the artist saying he thought he was overmatched by fellow nominees in the category such as Jelly Roll and Stapleton

Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn were named Vocal Duo of the Year, the 15th time they’ve achieved the feat

Wallen was up for seven total, including the night’s top prize, entertainer of the year, where his competition consists of Stapleton, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and last year’s winner Lainey Wilson.

The show opened with a dual performance from Malone and Stapleton.

The telecast featured performances from artist combos throughout the night including Shaboozey, Combs and Eric Church; Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan; Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims; and Brooks & Dunn with Jelly Roll.

The evening will also had a multi-artist tribute to George Strait as he receives the association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

The CMA Awards are nominated and voted on by members of the Country Music Association, which includes music executives, artists, publicists, songwriters and other industry professionals.

Ahead of the nominations, some fans speculated that Beyonce, whose landmark country-and-then-some reclamation Cowboy Carter was released during the eligibility window, could receive a nomination at the 2024 CMAs. She did not.

CMA hosts (L-R) Luke Bryan, 48, Lainey Wilson, 32, and Peyton Manning, 48, opened the 58th Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday in Nashville 

Earlier this year, the album hit No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, making her the first Black woman to top the chart since its 1964 inception.

Other big nominees include Stapleton and Cody Johnson, who got five apiece. But through the atypical math of the CMAs, Stapleton could go home with seven trophies if he wins his categories.

Stapleton is both an artist and producer on White Horse, up for single of the year, and Higher, up for album of the year. 

At the CMAs, production credits are not counted as separate nominations, although they are factored into trophy counts.

2024 CMA Award Nominations

Entertainer of the Year

Luke Combs

Jelly Roll

Chris Stapleton

Morgan Wallen (WINNER)

Lainey Wilson

 

Album of the Year

Deeper Well – Kacey Musgraves; Producers: Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian; Mix engineers: Shawn Everett, Konrad Snyder

Fathers & Sons – Luke Combs; Producers: Luke Combs, Chase Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; Mix engineer: Chip Matthews

Higher – Chris Stapleton; Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton; Mix engineer: Vance Powell

Leather – Cody Johnson; Producer: Trent Willmon; Mix engineer: Jack Clarke (WINNER)

Whitsitt Chapel – Jelly Roll; Producers: Andrew Baylis, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Jesse Frasure, David Garcia, Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft, Austin Nivarel, David Ray Stevens; Mix engineers: Jeff Braun, Jim Cooley

Morgan Wallen is the most-nominated artist this year with seven nods 

 

Female Vocalist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini

Ashley McBryde

Megan Moroney 

Kacey Musgraves 

Lainey Wilson (WINNER) 

 

Male Vocalist of the Year 

Luke Combs 

Jelly Roll 

Cody Johnson 

Chris Stapleton (WINNER)

Morgan Wallen 

 

Vocal Group of the Year 

Lady A 

Little Big Town 

Old Dominion (WINNER)

The Red Clay Strays 

Zac Brown Band 

 

Vocal Duo of the Year

Brooks & Dunn (WINNER)

Brothers Osborne 

Dan + Shay 

Maddie & Tae 

The War And Treaty 

 

New Artist of the Year 

Megan Moroney (WINNER)

Shaboozey 

Nate Smith 

Mitchell Tenpenny 

Zach Top 

Bailey Zimmerman 

 

Single of the Year 

A Bar Song (Tipsy) – Shaboozey; Producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry; Mix engineer: Raul Lopez

Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson; Producer: Trent Willmon; Mix engineer: Jack Clarke

I Had Some Help – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen); Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mix engineer: Ryan Gore

Watermelon Moonshine – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce

White Horse – Chris Stapleton; Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton; Mix engineer: Vance Powell (WINNER)

 

Song of the Year

Burn It Down – Hillary Lindsey, Parker McCollum, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose

Dirt Cheap – Josh Phillips

I Had Some Help – Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters

The Painter –  Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins

White Horse – Chris Stapleton, Dan Wilson (WINNER)

 

Musical Event of the Year 

Cowboys Cry Too – Kelsea Ballerini (with Noah Kahan); Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym

I Had Some Help –  Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen); Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins

I Remember Everything – Zach Bryan (ft. Kacey Musgraves); Producer: Zach Bryan

Man Made A Bar – Zach Bryan (ft. Kacey Musgraves); Producer: Joey Moi

you look like you love me –  Ella Langley (feat. Riley Green); Producer: Will Bundy (WINNER)

 

Music Video of the Year 

Dirt Cheap –  Cody Johnson, directed by Dustin Haney

I Had Some Help – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen), directed by Chris Villa

I’m Not Pretty –  Megan Moroney, directed by Jeff Johnson and Megan Moroney

The Painter – Cody Johnson, directed by Dustin Haney

Wildflowers and Wild Horses – Lainey Wilson, directed by Patrick Tracy (WINNER)

  

Musician of the Year 

Tom Bukovac

Jenee Fleenor 

Paul Franklin 

Rob McNelley 

Charlie Worsham (WINNER)