Country music singer-songwriters Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, and Keith Urban were all strong contenders for the ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ category, but which hit-maker came out on top of the pack?
The 2017 CMA Awards ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ is… Chris Stapleton!
Congrats! Chris Stapleton also won the honor in 2015 and 2016, breaking Blake Shelton’s impressive streak. Keith Urban scored the award in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, and Thomas Rhett have yet to score the coveted distinction.
In case you were curious about the history of the award, which was first given away in 1967, here’s a rundown of past winners!
‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ Winners By Year
1967 Jack Greene
1968 Glen Campbell
1969 Johnny Cash
1970 Merle Haggard
1971 Charley Pride
1972 Charley Pride
1973 Charlie Rich
1974 Ronnie Milsap
1975 Waylon Jennings
1976 Ronnie Milsap
1977 Ronnie Milsap
1978 Don Williams
1979 Kenny Rogers
1980 George Jones
1981 George Jones
1982 Ricky Skaggs
1983 Lee Greenwood
1984 Lee Greenwood
1985 George Strait
1986 George Strait
1987 Randy Travis
1988 Randy Travis
1989 Ricky Van Shelton
1990 Clint Black
1991 Vince Gill
1992 Vince Gill
1993 Vince Gill
1994 Vince Gill
1995 Vince Gill
1996 George Strait
1997 George Strait
1998 George Strait
1999 Tim McGraw
2000 Tim McGraw
2001 Toby Keith
2002 Alan Jackson
2003 Alan Jackson
2004 Keith Urban
2005 Keith Urban
2006 Keith Urban
2007 Brad Paisley
2008 Brad Paisley
2009 Brad Paisley
2010 Blake Shelton
2011 Blake Shelton
2012 Blake Shelton
2013 Blake Shelton
2014 Blake Shelton
2015 Chris Stapleton
2016 Chris Stapleton
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the more than 6,300 industry professional members of CMA, which when established in 1958 became the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music. The first CMA Awards Banquet and Show was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast on NBC television for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. Albums and songs released between July 1 of the previous calendar year and June 30 of the award show’s year are eligible for consideration.
Be sure to share this exciting news with other country music fans!
