The 55th annual CMA Awards honored winners like Chris Stapleton, Old Dominion, Jimmie Allen, and Brothers Osborne during their Wednesday night ceremonies in Nashville.
Chris Stapleton cleaned up at the 2021 CMA Awards, but he wasn't the only big winner.
Mark Humphrey/AP/Shutterstock
On Wednesday, Oct. 10, the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards ceremony took place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville to celebrate a year filled with memorable hits from beloved performers. Superstar Luke Bryan, known to TV audiences as a judge on American Idol, hosted the event for the first time.
Stapleton was a multiple winner, taking home trophies in categories like Album of the Year for his LP Starting Over and for Single and Song of the Year for the title track.
Brothers Osborne were named Vocal Duo of the Year, their fourth time to win the category. Singer TJ Osborne accepted the prize with an emotional speech. “It is so incredible to be here. It’s been a crazy rollercoaster of a year for us, especially me emotionally,” he said, referring to his decision to publicly come out as gay earlier in the year. “To have you all support me, it really does feel like love wins tonight.”
Here’s the complete list of winners:
Entertainer of the Year
Eric Church
Luke Combs - WINNER
Miranda Lambert
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year
“Famous Friends,” Chris Young with Kane Brown
“The Good Ones,” Gabby Barrett
“Hell of a View,” Eric Church
“One Night Standards,” Ashley McBryde
“Starting Over,” Chris Stapleton — WINNER
Album of the Year
29, Carly Pearce
Dangerous: The Double Album, Morgan Wallen
Heart, Eric Church
Skeletons, Brothers Osborne
Starting Over, Chris Stapleton — WINNER
Song of the Year
“Forever After All,” recorded by Luke Combs
“The Good Ones,” recorded by Gabby Barrett
“Hell of a View,” recorded by Eric Church
“One Night Standards,” recorded by Ashley McBryde
“Starting Over,” recorded by Chris Stapleton — WINNER
Female Vocalist of the Year
Gabby Barrett
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Maren Morris
Carly Pearce - WINNER
Male Vocalist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton - WINNER
Vocal Group of the Year
Lady A
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion — WINNER
Zac Brown Band
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne – WINNER
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
Musical Event of the Year
“Buy Dirt,” Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan
“Chasing After You,” Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
“Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” Elle King and Miranda Lambert
“Famous Friends,” Chris Young with Kane Brown
“Half of My Hometown,” Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney) – WINNER
Musician of the Year
Jenee Fleenor, fiddle – WINNER
Paul Franklin, steel guitar
Aaron Sterling, drums
Ilya Toshinskiy, banjo
Derek Wells, guitar
Music Video of the Year
“Chasing After You,” Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
“Famous Friends,” Chris Young with Kane Brown
“Gone,” Dierks Bentley
“Half of My Hometown,” Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney) – WINNER
“Younger Me,” Brothers Osborne
New Artist of the Year
Jimmie Allen — WINNER
Ingrid Andress
Gabby Barrett
Mickey Guyton
Hardy
As to be expected, the 2021 CMA Awards ceremony included a stacked lineup of talented performers. Among those showcasing their pipes were Luke, Eric, Chris, Gabby, Blake Shelton, Jennifer Hudson, Jimmie Allen, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood.