Country strong! The 2020 Country Music Awards honored top acts with the help of cohosts Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker at the Music City Center in Nashville on Wednesday, November 11.
Miranda Lambert earned the most nominations in seven categories, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year and Album of the Year. The “Bluebird” singer, 36, is officially the most-nominated female artist in CMA history with 55 total nominations. McEntire, 65, previously held the record and earned her 51st nod this year.
Lambert will also face off against Luke Combs, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban in the coveted Entertainer of the Year category.
Garth Brooks made headlines in July when he opted to withdraw himself from the category, which he has won seven times. The “Friends in Low Places” singer, 58, sparked backlash in 2019 when he won the award, beating out Underwood, 37, Church, 43, Urban, 53, and Chris Stapleton. Some fans had high hopes that Underwood would take home the award as the first woman to be nominated in the category in three years.
Brooks told the Tennessean in July that one particular tweet helped him make the decision.
“There’s one tweet in there that really stuck in my head,” he explained. “It said, ‘Why doesn’t he step down and have entertainer of the year be for the next generation.’ I 100 percent agreed. So with all the love in the world and all the gratefulness, because the last thing I want to do is seem ungrateful to the CMAs and everyone who’s voted for us, we’re officially pulling ourselves out of entertainer of the year.”
Other top nominees include Combs, 30, (with six nods), Maren Morris (five nominations), Dan + Shay, Jay Joyce and Carly Pearce (four each) and Justin Bieber, Ashley McBryde and Urban (three each).
The 2020 CMA Awards will be one of the few awards shows this year to have a live audience amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As safety is our top priority, we have worked tirelessly over the past several months to fully transform Music City Center into a breathtaking setup that resembles the very first CMA Awards Banquet and Show from 1967, and ensures our nominees, performers and their guests a fully safe and physically distant environment,” executive producer Robert Deaton said in a statement. “We are honored, in this very challenging time, to help provide an escape and deliver a live awards show experience unlike any other this year.”
Scroll down for a list of all the nominees and winners.
Entertainer of the Year
WINNER: Eric Church
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
Luke Combs
Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
WINNER: Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year
Eric Church
WINNER: Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
Vocal Group of the Year
Lady A
Little Big Town
Midland
WINNER: Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
WINNER: Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
New Artist of the Year
Jimmie Allen
Ingrid Andress
Gabby Barrett
WINNER: Morgan Wallen
Carly Pearce
Album of the Year
Jon Pardi – Heartache Medication
Ashley McBryde – Never Will
Old Dominion – Old Dominion
Miranda Lambert – Wildcard
WINNER: Luke Combs – What You See Is What You Get
Song of the Year
“Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert
WINNER: “The Bones” – Maren Morris
“Even Though I’m Leaving” – Luke Combs
“I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
“More Hearts Than Mine” – Ingrid Andress
Single of the Year
“I Hope” – Gabby Barrett
“Beer Never Broke My Heart” – Luke Combs
“10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber
“Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert
WINNER: “The Bones” – Maren Morris
Musical Event of the Year
“10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber
“Be a Light” – Thomas Rhett with Reba McEntire, Lady A, Chris Tomlin and Keith Urban
“The Bones” – Maren Morris feat. Hozier
“Fooled Around and Fell in Love” – Miranda Lambert with Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack and Elle King
WINNER: “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
Music Video of the Year
“10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber
WINNER: “Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert
“Homemade” – Jake Owen
“I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
“Second One to Know” – Chris Stapleton
Musician of the Year
WINNER: Jenee Fleenor (Fiddle)
Paul Franklin (Steel Guitar)
Rob McNelley (Guitar)
Ilya Toshinsky (Guitar)
Derek Wells (Guitar)
