Who will win entertainer of the year at the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11?
Miranda Lambert could win for the second year in a row, which would make her only the third woman to win more than once in this category, following Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift.
Either Underwood or Jason Aldean could take it for the fourth time, a total reached by only three acts in ACM history – Garth Brooks, who leads with six awards; Alabama, which is second with five wins; and Kenny Chesney, who has won four times. If Underwood wins, she would extend her lead as the woman with the most wins in the category.
Or we could see a first-time winner.
Kane Brown could make history as the first Black or biracial entertainer of the year winner. (Charley Pride won entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards, but not here, despite three nominations.) Either Brown or Morgan Wallen would also be the first male artist to win before turning 30 since Brooks in 1991. (Wallen hits the Big 3-0 two days after the ceremony.) A win for Wallen would cap a fast comeback from the career crisis caused by his videotaped use of a racial slur in early 2021.
Luke Combs, who has won the CMA award for entertainer of the year the last two years, could finally win the top prize at this show. Chris Stapleton, a three-time ACM winner for male artist of the year, could finally win entertainer of the year on his fifth try in the category.
The show will be hosted by two former entertainer of the year winners – Dolly Parton (who in 1978 became the second woman to win the award) and Brooks. It will be held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Tex. and will stream on Amazon Prime.
Twenty-seven artists have won the ACM Award for entertainer of the year since the award was introduced on the 1971 telecast. Here’s a complete list, showing the year(s) in which they won, other ACM Awards they won that year in competitive categories (if any), their total number of ACM entertainer of the year nominations; and, just for fun, their highest-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Merle Haggard
Image Credit: Fotos International/GI Winner in: 1971
Other ACM wins that year: Top male vocalist
Total entertainer of the year nods: 5
Top Hot 100 hit: “If We Make It Through December” (No. 28 in 1974)
Notes: Haggard was nominated in this category every year from 1971-75. He died in 2016 at age 79.
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Freddie Hart
Winner in: 1972
Other ACM wins that year: Album, single record and song of the year, all for “Easy Loving” and the album of the same name, and top male vocalist
Total entertainer of the year nods: 2
Top Hot 100 hit: “Easy Loving” (No. 17 in 1971)
Notes: Hart was nominated again the following year. He died in 2018 at age 91.
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Roy Clark
Winner in: 1973, 1974
Other ACM wins those years: Television personality (1973)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 6
Top Hot 100 hit: A tender version of “Yesterday, When I Was Young,” co-written by Charles Aznavour (No. 19 in 1969)
Notes: Clark, who was as well-known as a TV personality as a musician, thanks to his co-hosting role on Hee Haw, was the first repeat winner. He co-hosted the 1979 ACM Awards. He died in 2018 at age 85.
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Mac Davis
Winner in: 1975
Other ACM wins that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 1
Top Hot 100 hit: “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me” (No. 1 in 1972)
Notes: Davis is the only person to win on his or her one and only nomination in this category. He co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1984 and 1986. He died in 2020 at age 78.
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Loretta Lynn
Winner in: 1976
Other ACM Awards that year: Album of the year (Feelin’s with Conway Twitty), top female vocalist of the year, top vocal group (with Twitty)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 8
Top Hot 100 hit: “After the Fire Is Gone,” collab with Twitty (No. 56 in 1971)
Notes: Lynn was the first woman to win in this category. Fifteen years later, Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for playing the country legend in Coal Miner’s Daughter. Lynn was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 1970s. She co-hosted the ACM Awards three times from 1975 to 1985. She died in 2022 at age 90.
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Mickey Gilley
Image Credit: Disney General Entertainment Content via GI Winner in: 1977
Other ACM Awards that year: Top male vocalist of the year
Total entertainer of the year nods: 2
Top Hot 100 hit: A remake of Ben E. King’s 1961 classic “Stand by Me” (No. 22 in 1980)
Notes: Gilley, whose honky tonk Gilley’s was featured in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy, co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1982. Gilley, shown here with Loretta Lynn, died in 2022 at age 86.
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Dolly Parton
Winner in: 1978
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 6
Top Hot 100 hits: “9 to 5” (No. 1 in 1981) and “Islands in the Stream,” a collab with Kenny Rogers (No. 1 in 1983)
Notes: Parton was just 32 when she won, making her the youngest winner to that point. She hosted the ACM Awards in 2000, co-hosted in 2022 and is scheduled to co-host in 2023.
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Kenny Rogers
Winner in: 1979
Other ACM Awards that year: Top male vocalist
Total entertainer of the year nods: 6
Top Hot 100 hits: “Lady,” written by Lionel Richie (No. 1 in 1980) and “Islands in the Stream,” a collab with Dolly Parton, written by Bee Gees (No. 1 in 1983)
Notes: Rogers was nominated six years in a row from 1978-83. He co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1978. He died in 2020 at age 81.
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Willie Nelson
Winner in: 1980
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 7
Top Hot 100 hits: “Always on My Mind” (No. 5 in 1982) and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” a collab with Julio Iglesias (No. 5 in 1984)
Notes: Nelson received an Oscar nomination for “On the Road Again,” which he wrote for the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose, in which he starred.
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Barbara Mandrell
Winner in: 1981
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 4
Top Hot 100 hit: A remake of Luther Ingram’s 1972 R&B hit “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right” (No. 31 in 1979)
Notes: Mandrell co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1978 and 1979.
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Alabama
Winner in: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
Other ACM Awards those years: Album of the year in 1982 (Feels So Right), 1984 (The Closer You Get…) and 1985 (Roll On); top vocal group: all five years
Total entertainer of the year nods: 10
Top Hot 100 hit: “Love in the First Degree” (No. 15 in 1982)
Notes: Alabama was the first group to win, and the first act of any type to win more than twice. They remain the only act to win five years in a row. They were the first act to be nominated in this category nine years in a row, a record that has been tied but not surpassed. Alabama was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 1980s. The group co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1990. Group member Randy Owen co-hosted in 1993. Alabama was formed by guitarists Owen and Jeff Cook and bassist Teddy Gentry, cousins born and raised near Fort Payne, Ala. Mark Herndon, a rock drummer, later completed the classic lineup.
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Hank Williams Jr.
Winner in: 1987, 1988, 1989
Other ACM Awards those years: Country music video of the year in 1989 (“Young Country”)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 7
Top Hot 100 hit: “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” (No. 67 in 1964)
Notes: Williams, the son of country legend Hank Williams, was the first solo artist to win three times. He co-hosted the show in 1988, marking the first time someone won entertainer of the year and hosted on the same show.
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George Strait
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via GI Winner in: 1990, 2014
Other ACM Awards those years: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 14
Top Hot 100 hit: “She’ll Leave You With a Smile” (No. 23 in 2002)
Notes: Strait has the longest gap between wins – 24 years. Strait was 61 at the time of his second win, older than any entertainer of the year winner in ACM history. Strait has amassed more nominations in this category than anyone else. He was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 2000s. Strait co-hosted the show five times between 1989 and 1997, including 1990, marking the second time someone won entertainer of the year and hosted on the same show.
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Garth Brooks
Winner in: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999
Other ACM Awards those years: Single record of the year (“Friends in Low Places”), album of the year (No Fences), song of the year (as the artist on “The Dance”), country music video of the year (“The Dance”), and top male vocalist, all in 1991; top male vocalist (1992), video of the year (“We Shall Be Free,” 1994).
Total entertainer of the year nods: 13
Top Hot 100 hit: “Lost in You” by Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines (No. 5 in 1999)
Notes: Brooks was the first solo artist to win four times. He has won six times, more than anyone else. He was just 29 at the time of his first win, making him the youngest winner to that point. He was nominated nine years in a row in this category, matching Alabama’s record. (Luke Bryan has since also equaled the feat.) Brooks was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 1990s. He is scheduled to host the ACM Awards in 2023.
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Reba McEntire
Winner in: 1995
Other ACM Awards that year: Top female vocalist
Total entertainer of the year nods: 9
Top Hot 100 hit: “What Do You Say” (No. 31 in 2000)
Notes: McEntire has amassed more nominations (nine) and more consecutive nominations (six) in this category than any other woman. She finally won on her seventh try, which was a record at the time. McEntire has hosted or co-hosted the ACM Awards 16 times between 1986 and 2019, more than anyone else in the show’s history.
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Brooks & Dunn
Winner in: 1996, 1997, 2002
Other ACM Awards those years: Top vocal duet (all three years); video of the year (“Only in America” (2002)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 12
Top Hot 100 hits: “Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” (No. 25 in 2001) and “Red Dirt Road” (No. 25 in 2003)
Notes: Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn are the only duo to win. They co-hosted the 1996 show, marking the third time someone won entertainer of the year and hosted on the same show.
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Shania Twain
Winner in: 2000
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 2
Top Hot 100 hit: “You’re Still the One” (No. 2 in 1998)
Notes: Twain, from Canada, was the first artist born outside the U.S. to win.
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The Chicks
Image Credit: J. Vespa/WireImage Winner in: 2001
Other ACM Awards that year: Top vocal group, video of the year (“Goodbye Earl”)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 3
Top Hot 100 hit: “Not Ready to Make Nice” (No. 4 in 2007)
Notes: The Chicks, previously called Dixie Chicks, are the only female group or duo to win. Sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer founded the band in 1989. Natalie Maines joined in 1995.
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Toby Keith
Winner in: 2003, 2004
Other ACM Awards those years: Album of the year (Shock‘n Y’all), top male vocalist of the year, ACM/Launch video of the year (“Beer for My Horses,” with Willie Nelson), all 2004
Total entertainer of the year nods: 8
Top Hot 100 hit: “Red Solo Cup”(No. 15 in 2012)
Notes: Keith was nominated six years in a row – 2001 to 2006.
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Kenny Chesney
Winner in: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Other ACM Awards those years: Vocal event of the year (“Find Out Who Your Friends Are” with Tim McGraw and Tracy Lawrence) (2008)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 10
Top Hot 100 hit: “Out Last Night” (No. 16 in 2009)
Notes: Chesney and Garth Brooks are the only solo artists to win in this category four years in a row.
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Carrie Underwood
Winner in: 2009, 2010, 2020
Other ACM Awards those years: Top female vocalist (2009)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 6
Top Hot 100 hit: “Inside Your Heaven” (No. 1 in 2005)
Notes: Underwood was the first woman to win twice, and remains the only woman to win three times. She was just 26 at the time of her first win, making her the youngest winner to that point.
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Taylor Swift
Winner in: 2011, 2012
Other ACM Awards those years: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 5
Top Hot 100 hits: Swift has amassed nine No. 1 hits on the Hot 100, most recently with “Anti-Hero” (eight weeks on top from 2022-23).
Notes: Swift was the second woman to win twice. She was just 21 at the time of her first win, making her the youngest winner in ACM history.
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Luke Bryan
Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian/GI Winner in: 2013, 2015, 2021
Other ACM Awards those years: Vocal event of the year (“The Only Way I Know,” with Eric Church and Jason Aldean, 2013, and “This Is How We Roll,” with Florida Georgia Line, 2015)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 9
Top Hot 100 hit: “Play It Again” (No. 14 in 2014)
Notes: Bryan won entertainer of the year three times but never twice in a row. He’s the only person who can make that claim. Bryan was nominated nine years in a row, tying the record set by Alabama and equaled by Garth Brooks. He co-hosted the show five years in a row from 2013-17. He is the only person to win entertainer of the year twice on shows he or she hosted.
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Jason Aldean
Winner in: 2016, 2017, 2018
Other ACM Awards those years: Male vocalist of the year (2016), video of the year (the all-star “Forever Country,” 2017)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 9
Top Hot 100 hit: “Dirt Road Anthem” (No. 7 in 2011)
Notes: Aldean and Underwood are the only three-time ACM entertainer of the year winners who have yet to win the CMA Award in that category. Aldean was named the ACM’s artist of the decade for the 2010s.
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Keith Urban
Winner in: 2019
Other ACM Awards that year: None
Total entertainer of the year nods: 9
Top Hot 100 hit: “Kiss a Girl” (No. 16 in 2009)
Notes: Urban, born in New Zealand, was the second act born outside of the U.S. to win. He finally won on his ninth try, which is a record in the category. He was 51 when he won, older than anyone else winning the award for the first time. He hosted the show in 2000 and co-hosted in 2001.
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Thomas Rhett
Winner in: 2020
Other ACM Awards that year: Video of the year (“Remember You Young”)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 2
Top Hot 100 hit: “Die a Happy Man” (No. 21 in 2016)
Notes: Rhett, the son of 1970s country star Rhett Akins, won in a tie with Carrie Underwood – the only tie in the category’s history.
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Miranda Lambert
Winner in: 2022
Other ACM Awards that year: Video of the year (“Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” with Elle King)
Total entertainer of the year nods: 7
Top Hot 100 hit: “Somethin’ Bad,” collab with Carrie Underwood (No. 19 in 2014)
Notes: Lambert finally won on her sixth try, which puts her behind just Urban and McEntire as the artist with the most losses before finally winning.
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