#6: Mary Chapin Carpenter
Opening Act
1990

In a rare coup for a new artist, Mary Chapin Carpenter earned a coveted performance slot on the 1990 show, and she used it to establish her identity as one of country music’s left-of-center talents. She decided to perform the biting “You Don’t Know Me (I’m the Opening Act),” a cutting dismissal of country star power gone awry. It was a risky move, with the less-than-famous artist taking a stab at the music industry who would determine the fate of her career.

In delivering such clever lines as, “This is my career and I’m paying my dues/And if I ever get rich and famous I guess I’ll be a jackass, too/Till then, you don’t know me/I’m the opening act,” she managed to gain acceptance from the crowd. The witty ode to those whose egos have trumped their talent, inspired by Carpenter’s headlining act/touring partner in 1990, was a major hit with the audience. She received a standing ovation at the end of the semi-scandalous story of a rising musician’s struggle. But Carpenter didn’t struggle for long. Two years later, she won the first of back-to-back Female Vocalist of the Year trophies in a CMA career that included 12 nominations, among them, a nomination for Album of the Year and Single of the Year (for the similarly sharp “I Feel Lucky”) in 1992.

Mary Chapin Carpenter, “You Don’t Know Me (I’m the Opening Act)” (1990):

She’d long been an afterthought with the Country Music Association, failing to secure an award in her six-year career, but the organization righted past wrongs by honoring Shania Twain with its most significant trophy in 1999.

Twain had taken losses twice for the Horizon Award, and had been defeated in both her Female Vocalist of the Year nominations, including earlier in the evening. But Reba McEntire beamed with joy as she read Twain’s name to make her only the fourth female artist in history to take the CMA’s top award.

Twain acknowledged the Hall of Fame inductions of Conway Twitty and Dolly Parton that same evening, and gave credit to McEntire for her influence on Twain’s entertaining. She also spoke humbly of the commitment of her road band and crew, and earned an enthusiastic response from Vince Gill, who noted after the speech that the critics would be silenced after the win.

Although she has presented and performed multiple times at the CMAs in the last decade, Twain has yet to take another trip to the podium and has only received one other nomination, 2005‘s Vocal Event of the Year for her duet with Billy Currington, “Party for Two.”

Shania Twain, Entertainer of the Year speech (1999):

#8: Faith Hill & Carrie Underwood
Female Vocalist of the Year
2006

The CMAs experienced an unwanted (and many would argue, unwarranted) amount of attention in 2006, when an intended joke by Faith Hill cast a pall on the honoring of Carrie Underwood with the Female Vocalist of the Year trophy.

Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley announced the five nominees for the award, and when Underwood was announced as the winner, the ABC cameras were aimed at all five nominees. Hill’s expression of supposed disbelief was displayed worldwide as she suddenly threw her arms wide open, mouthed what appeared to be a very angry “What?!” and stormed away.

In a statement released by Hill, she stated: “The idea that I would act disrespectful towards a fellow musician is unimaginable to me, for this to become a focus of attention given the talent gathered is utterly ridiculous. Carrie is a talented and deserving Female Vocalist of The Year.” Hill graciously called Underwood that evening, and the young singer later publicly stated that she understood how Hill’s joke was taken out of context.

While she had won three CMA awards (including 2000’s CMA Female Vocalist honor) previous to the ceremony, Hill has yet to receive another nomination. Underwood repeated as Female Vocalist of the Year in 2007, and also won Single of the Year for “Before He Cheats.”

Carrie Underwood, Female Vocalist of the Year (2006):

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Martina McBride previews her forthcoming album with “Ride”, a high-energy single that surrounds one of her typical positive messages with atypically aggressive production.   This is worth hearing for the guitar work alone, but stick around for McBride’s best vocal in a long time.

Rather than alternating between a breathy whisper and a full-out belt, McBride gives the song a straightforward performance that’s rough around the edges in all of the right ways.  She hasn’t sounded this authentic and grounded since her Wild Angels album back in 1995.   By not pushing quite as hard for the big notes, she makes a greater impact using less power.

Best of all, she sounds like she’s really singing again, interpreting a lyric instead of showcasing her vocal chops. If the rest of the new project is up to this standard, we may be in for McBride’s best album in more than a decade.

Grade: A-

Listen: Ride

As a format that has been dominated by male artists during most of its history, with a brief period in the mid-to-late 1990’s being the only exception, competition for the Male Vocalist category has always been fierce, with usually only the biggest stars of the day getting a seat at the table.

Have the CMA’s always gotten it right? We’ll take a look back, after first assessing this year’s lineup.

2008

• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

If this lineup looks familiar, it should.  This is the exact same list of men nominated in 2005, and at least three of them have been in the running every year since 2000.    It’s no surprise then that we have four previous winners.  Strait’s taken home five, Urban’s won three, Jackson’s been named twice, and Paisley won for the first time last year.   Chesney has yet to win, but he has three Entertainer trophies to his name.  He’s now tied with Willie Nelson at seven for the most nominations in this category without a win.

I fully expect Paisley to repeat in this category, though don’t count out George Strait, who has been enjoying his typical late-decade resurgence in award show popularity.   He’s currently tied with Vince Gill for most wins in this category.  I’d like to see him break that tie this year.   I’m sure Gill can console himself with the eighteen Grammys on his mantle.

2007

• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Josh Turner
• Keith Urban

This was the year that Brad Paisley finally won, with his seventh nomination in eight years. The stars aligned for him, with a very successful tour, a new album that is selling strongly, and a continued hot streakat radio that was nearly unmatched. He still hasn’t had a single miss the top ten since “Me Neither” in 2000, a claim that even radio favorites like George Strait, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts can’t call their own.

2006

• Dierks Bentley
• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Brad Paisley
• Keith Urban

Urban became the first artist to win Male Vocalist three years in a row since George Strait did it in 1996-1998, right after Vince Gill’s 1991-1995 run. His acceptance letter, read by Ronnie Dunn, was the emotional highlight of the evening’s show.

2005

• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
  
• Keith Urban
  

No surprises here, as another multi-platinum year full of radio hits and a high-profile appearance at Live 8 kept Urban fresh on voter’s minds. The big shock was him walking away with Entertainer of the Year later that night.

2004

• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• George Strait
• Keith Urban
  

Urban hadn’t even been nominated for any CMA Awards in 2002 and 2003, after winning Horizon in 2001, but he came back with a bang, taking home Male Vocalist of the Year over the four other superstars in the category. He joined Chesney as the only other man in the running who had never won before; Chesney got the wonderful consolation prizes of Entertainer and Album of the Year the same night.

2003

• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• Tim McGraw
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait

Things were getting tight in this category in 2003, with so many worthy contenders that ties resulted in six nominees, instead of the usual five. Still, voters chose to stick with last year’s winner, Alan Jackson, a sure indicator of his enduring popularity among CMA voters.

2002

• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait

The other four men were merely placeholders, there to create a list around the obvious winner, Alan Jackson. As he swept the awards on the strength of his post-9/11 “Where Were You” and autobiographical “Drive”, the only real shock was that he was winning Male Vocalist for the first time, a result of the ridiculously slow turnover in this category during the 1990’s.

2001

• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• Tim McGraw
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait

Toby Keith has been a vocal critic of the CMA because he feels they’ve overlooked him, but he’s been up against some tough competition, with his popularity peaking at the same time that Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban were making a huge impact on the charts and at the CMA’s. Thankfully, he’s at least won in this category, so he won’t go down in history with Willie Nelson and Conway Twitty as one of the best male singers to never win it.

2000

• Vince Gill
  
• Alan Jackson
• Tim McGraw
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait

On the same evening that his wife was crowned Female Vocalist, McGraw walked away with his second consecutive Male Vocalist award.

1999

• Vince Gill
• Alan Jackson
• Tim McGraw
• George Strait
• Steve Wariner

Early on in his career, when McGraw was selling tons of records but being excluded from this category, he humbly said that he didn’t think he was a good enough singer to be nominated. His talents grew over the years, and he finally won in 1999.

1998

• Garth Brooks
• Vince Gill
• Tim McGraw
• Collin Raye
• George Strait
  

Strait matched Vince Gill’s record of five wins in this category, defeating Gill and three other nominees who had yet to win in the category.

1997

• Vince Gill
• Alan Jackson
• Collin Raye
• George Strait
• Bryan White

With no turnover in the category from the previous year, Strait won for the fourth time, again defeating his fellow mega-winner Gill, and three other stars who had never won before.

1996

• Vince Gill
• Alan Jackson
• Collin Raye
• George Strait
  
• Bryan White

Jackson was already long overdue, and Collin Raye and Bryan White broke into the category for the first time. Nobody expected Gill to win for the sixth year in a row, but many were surprised to see former two-time winner George Strait collect a Male Vocalist award for the first time in ten years.

1995

• John Berry
• Vince Gill
  
• Alan Jackson
• John Michael Montgomery
• George Strait

Even Gill was expecting to lose, so when his name was called out for the fifth year in a row, he was gamely applauding backstage for the winner, before suddenly realizing it was him and rushing out to the stage.

1994

• John Anderson
• Vince Gill
  
• Alan Jackson
• George Strait
• Dwight Yoakam

Vince won for the fourth year in a row, even though fellow nominees John Anderson, Alan Jackson and Dwight Yoakam were seen as likely spoilers.

1993

• John Anderson
• Garth Brooks
• Vince Gill
• Alan Jackson
• George Strait

Vince not only won his third Male Vocalist award this year, he also took home four other awards: Entertainer, Album, Song and Vocal Event.

1992

• Garth Brooks
• Joe Diffie
• Vince Gill
• Alan Jackson
• Travis Tritt

A bunch of hot young stars dominated the ballot this year, with Gill emerging triumphant for the second time. Though they would continue to score hits for many years, Joe Diffie and Travis Tritt received their only nominations to date in this category.

1991

• Clint Black
• Garth Brooks
• Vince Gill
• Alan Jackson
• George Strait

After Garth swept the ACM’s earlier that year, he was expected to do the same at the CMA’s, and he came close, winning Entertainer, Single and Album. But industry favorite Vince Gill took home Male Vocalist, an award that Garth Brooks would never receive, though he would win Entertainer a record four times.

1990

• Clint Black
  
• Garth Brooks
• Rodney Crowell
• Ricky Van Shelton
• George Strait

For the second year in a row, the previous year’s Horizon winner took home Male Vocalist. Clint Black won easily over very distinguished competition.

1989

• Rodney Crowell
• Ricky Van Shelton
• George Strait
• Randy Travis
• Keith Whitley

After winning Horizon in 1988, platinum-selling Ricky Van Shelton graduated into a Male Vocalist winner only one year later. Keith Whitley received a posthumous nomination; he won Single of the Year that same evening.

1988

• Vern Gosdin
• Ricky Van Shelton
• George Strait
• Randy Travis
• Hank Williams, Jr.

It’s hard not to wince at the knowledge that the peerless Vern Gosdin only received one nomination in this category, but there was no stopping Travis from collecting his second win.

1987

• George Jones
• Ricky Skaggs
• George Strait
• Randy Travis
  
• Hank Williams, Jr.

In a lineup that was a traditionalist’s dream, new star Randy Travis took home the trophy.  At the time, he was breaking sales records, enjoying a quadruple-platinum studio album in Always & Forever.

1986

• George Jones
• Gary Morris
• George Strait
• Randy Travis
  
• Hank Williams, Jr.

Strait won his second consecutive Male Vocalist award on the strength of another huge year at radio and retail.

1985

• Lee Greenwood
• Gary Morris
• Ricky Skaggs
• George Strait
• Hank Williams, Jr.

George Strait won the first of a record-matching five Male Vocalist awards, also taking home Album of the Year that same evening.

1984

• Lee Greenwood
• Merle Haggard
• Gary Morris
• Ricky Skaggs
• George Strait

Greenwood’s Vegas vocals won him the award for the second time.

1983

• John Anderson
• Lee Greenwood
• Merle Haggard
• Willie Nelson
• Ricky Skaggs

Greenwood looks pretty shabby against these other four nominees, taking home Male Vocalist in the same year Janie Fricke won for Female Vocalist. Is there a year in the history of the CMA’s where the winners of those two categories were collectively less impressive?

1982

• Merle Haggard
• George Jones
• Ronnie Milsap
• Willie Nelson
• Ricky Skaggs

Pulling off the astonishing feat of winning both Male Vocalist and Horizon award, Emmylou Harris’ former bandmate was hugely rewarded for bringing bluegrass to the masses.

1981

• George Jones
  
• Ronnie Milsap
• Willie Nelson
• Kenny Rogers
• Don Williams

It’s taken for granted that Jones is the greatest living male vocalist in country music; few would dare to argue otherwise. No surprise, then, that he won for the second year in a row.

1980

• John Conlee
• George Jones
  
• Willie Nelson
• Kenny Rogers
• Don Williams

Nominated for the first time in his career, George Jones walked away with Male Vocalist of the Year, along with Single of the Year for “He Stopped Loving Her Today”.

1979

• John Conlee
• Larry Gatlin
  
• Willie Nelson
• Kenny Rogers
• Don Williams

It’s hard to believe that the legendary showman never won Entertainer of the Year, but he did take home a much-deserved Male Vocalist award, at least.  Unfortunately, fellow nominee John Conlee would never be recognized at all, losing his first of two shots at this award.

1978

• Larry Gatlin
• Ronnie Milsap
• Willie Nelson
• Kenny Rogers
• Don Williams

One of the most underrated artists in country music history got a well-deserved pat on the back, winning over four larger personalities in 1978.

1977

• Larry Gatlin
• Waylon Jennings
• Ronnie Milsap
• Kenny Rogers
• Don Williams

Milsap set a record when he won for the third time in this category, which would stand until 1994, when Vince Gill won his fourth trophy.

1976

• Waylon Jennings
• Ronnie Milsap
• Willie Nelson
• Conway Twitty
• Don Williams

After losing to Jennings the previous year, Milsap returned to collect his second Male Vocalist trophy in 1976. Conway Twitty lost again in his final appearance in the category.

1975

• John Denver
• Freddy Fender
• Waylon Jennings
  
• Ronnie Milsap
• Conway Twitty

There was no love lost between Waylon Jennings and the CMA - he loathed the organization so much, he didn’t even show up at his Hall of Fame induction. This was the first of several CMA wins for Jennings, though the only one in this category that he would receive.

1974

• Merle Haggard
• Waylon Jennings
• Ronnie Milsap
  
• Charlie Rich
• Cal Smith

Blind singer-songwriter and pianist Ronnie Milsap won for the first time; with Olivia Newton-John winning Female Vocalist the same night, pop was the flavor of the evening.

1973

• Merle Haggard
• Tom T. Hall
• Charlie Rich
  
• Johnny Rodriguez
• Conway Twitty

The Silver Fox won on the strength of a great year at radio. He’s still considered one of the era’s finest and most under-appreciated vocalists.

1972

• Merle Haggard
• Freddie Hart
• Johnny Paycheck
• Charley Pride
• Jerry Wallace
  

Charley Pride became the first artist to repeat in the category, winning for the second year in a row.

1971

• Merle Haggard
• Ray Price
• Charley Pride
• Jerry Reed
• Conway Twitty

The CMA had a wealth of great male vocalists to choose from in the early years of the awards, and they finally got around to acknowledging Pride, who had been nominated four times already.

1970

• Johnny Cash
• Merle Haggard
  
• Charley Pride
• Marty Robbins
• Conway Twitty

Merle Haggard dominated the show in 1970, winning Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single and Album of the Year.

1969

• Glen Campbell
• Johnny Cash
  
• Merle Haggard
• Sonny James
• Charley Pride

Cash was a huge winner in 1969, taking home five awards: Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single, Album and Vocal Group (with wife June Carter Cash). He wouldn’t win again until after his death in 2003, when he took home another three awards.

1968

• Eddy Arnold
• Glen Campbell
• Johnny Cash
  
• Merle Haggard
• Charley Pride

Crossover star Glen Campbell won in a year that is so impressive, all five nominees are now in the Hall of Fame. He also took home Male Vocalist the same evening.

1967

• Eddy Arnold
• Jack Greene
  
• Merle Haggard
• Sonny James
• Buck Owens

Few casual country fans would recognize him today, but Jack Greene will forever go down in history as the first Male Vocalist winner at the CMA’s. He won on the strength of his signature hit “There Goes My Everything”, which also won Single of the Year and was the title track of his Album of the Year winner that same night.

Facts & Feats

Multiple Wins:

• (5) - Vince Gill, George Strait
• (3) - Ronnie Milsap, Keith Urban
• (2) – Lee Greenwood, Alan Jackson, George Jones, Tim McGraw, Charley Pride, Randy Travis

Most Consecutive Wins:

• (5) - Vince Gill (1991-1995)
• (3) – George Strait (1996-1998), Keith Urban (2004-2006)

Most Nominations:

• (23) - George Strait
• (16) - Alan Jackson
• (11) - Merle Haggard
• (10) - Vince Gill
• (8) - Brad Paisley
• (7) - Kenny Chesney, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson
• (6) - Don Williams
• (5) - Garth Brooks, George Jones, Charley Pride, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Skaggs, Conway Twitty, Keith Urban

Most Nominations Without a Win:

• (7) – Kenny Chesney, Willie Nelson
• (5) – Garth Brooks, Conway Twitty
• (4) - Hank Williams, Jr.
• (3) – John Anderson, Larry Gatlin, Gary Morris, Collin Raye
• (2) – Eddy Arnold, John Conlee, Rodney Crowell, Sonny James, Bryan White

Winners in First Year of Nomination:
Clint Black (1990), Glen Campbell (1968), Vince Gill (1991), Lee Greenwood (1983), George Jones (1980), Toby Keith (2001), Ronnie Milsap (1974), Charlie Rich (1973), Ricky Skaggs (1982), Randy Travis (1987), Keith Urban (2004)

CMA Male Vocalists of the Year Who Have Never Won the ACM Award:
Johnny Cash, Jack Greene, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Ricky Van Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Randy Travis, Don Williams

ACM Male Vocalists of the Year Who Have Never Won the CMA Award:
Garth Brooks (1990 & 1991), Kenny Chesney (2003), Larry Gatlin (1980), Mickey Gilley (1977), Freddie Hart (1972)

CMA Male Vocalists Who Have Also Won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male:
Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Lee Greenwood, George Jones, Tim McGraw, Ronnie Milsap, Charley Pride, Charlie Rich, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Keith Urban

Winners of the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male Who Have Never Won the CMA Male Vocalist Award:
Garth Brooks, David Houston, Lyle Lovett, Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Jerry Reed, Ralph Stanley, Dwight Yoakam

Although he started his career in front of a microphone, Dean Dillon soon transitioned into one of the finest songwriters in Nashville, notably enhancing the careers of one of its legends and illustrating an uncommon power in melody and verse.

Dean Dillon, born on March 26, 1955, in Lake City, TN, was entranced with country music from an early age. At 15, he appeared in a local Knoxville variety show as a songwriter and performer, and that experience stirred his interest in a career of performing. Soon after arriving in Nashville as a teenager, Dillon accepted a job at the Opryland theme park. In 1976, he landed the role of Hank Williams in the Country Music Show at Opryland. While there, a friend introduced him to songwriter John Schweers, who became Dillon’s mentor. Three weeks later, Barbara Mandrell recorded three of Dillon’s songs. In 1979, Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius had a #1 hit with his “Lying Here in Love with You.”

Between 1979-1983, Dillon charted eight times as a solo artist, and broke the Top 30 with “I’m Into the Bottle (To Get You Out of My Mind).” He also wrote hits for other country stars, like the 1983 George Jones smash ”Tennessee Whiskey.” These successes established Dillon as a performer and songwriter, but he continued suffering from an alcohol addiction that threatened to derail his career. Dillon took a five-year hiatus from recording, cleaned up his personal life, and concentrated on songwriting.

He wrote or co-wrote a number of hits during this period, and had considerable success with George Strait, who took five of his songs to the top of the charts between 1985-1988. In fact, his partnership with Strait proved to be one of the most profitable in Nashville history, with inimitable classics such as “The Chair,” “Ocean Front Property” and “Famous Last Words of a Fool” all stemming from the pen of Dillon.

In 2002, Dillon was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Early the following year, Dillon signed a songwriting contract with Sony/ATV Tree, which followed his 15-year relationship with Acuff Rose. He has also notably worked with a younger generation of country stars including Kenny Chesney (”A Lot of Things Different”) and Toby Keith (”A Little Too Late”). These latest achievements demonstrate the unique ability one of the most talented wordsmiths of his time to write timeless songs that span generations and genre boundaries.

Dean Dillon Song Catalog

• “All The Good Ones Are Gone,” Pam Tillis
• “Best Day,” George Strait
• “If I Know Me,” George Strait
• “I’ve Come To Expect It From You,” George Strait
• “Is It Raining At Your House,” Vern Gosdin
• “It Ain’t Cool To Be Crazy About You,” George Strait
• “Ocean Front Property,” George Strait
• “Set ‘Em Up Joe,” Vern Gosdin
• “Spilled Perfume,” Pam Tillis
• “Tennessee Whiskey,” George Jones
• “Unwound,” George Strait