Ever since the very first CMA Awards in 1967, Album of the Year has been a coveted award, won by big names, soon-to-be-big names and even a few never-heard-from-again names.
Throughout its 50-plus-year history, the Album of the Year honor has stood as a testament to an artist’s body of work and the people who helped make it. From the songwriting to the instrumentation to the overall production, Album of the Year is just as much about the team of people who make a record as it is about the artist who releases it.
Over the years, the CMA for Album of the Year has gone to a diverse and prolific set of artists, with George Strait currently holding the record: five wins over an impressive span of 23 years. Ronnie Milsap has taken home four Album of the Year awards, while Johnny Cash won three, two of which were for his live recordings from American prisons. In more recent years, fan favorites such as Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Chris Stapleton and Eric Church have each taken home two trophies for their work.
Click through the photo gallery below to learn more about every record that has ever been crowned Album of the Year at the CMA Awards.
The 2020 CMA Awards are scheduled to take place on Nov. 11 and will air live from Nashville on ABC beginning at 8PM ET. Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, however, the event will look a bit different than usual: It’s being hosted at Nashville’s Music City Center, not Bridgestone Arena as is customary, and there will be no live audience.
The Boot will be staying up late covering the most buzzed-about winners, fashion and moments at the 2020 CMA Awards. Readers can watch along with us by checking back to TheBoot.com for the latest CMAs headlines, liking The Boot on Facebook and following The Boot on Twitter.
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