CMA Awards Announces 2024 Album Of The Year Winner
The Album of the Year trophy was handed out during the annual CMA Awards held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday night (November 20).
One of the most prestigious awards a country artist can win is the Album of the Year trophy. The award honors the artist, producer, and mix engineer and is chosen by voting members of the Country Music Association. Judging criteria include “artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout and liner notes.”
This year’s nominees include:
Deeper Well – Kacey Musgraves
Fathers & Sons – Luke Combs
Higher – Chris Stapleton
Leather – Cody Johnson
Whitsitt Chapel – Jelly Roll
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Three of the five nominees are no stranger to this category. Luke Combs had three prior career nominations that resulted in two wins in this category (What You See Is What You Get in 2020 and Growin’ Up in 2022). Chris Stapleton has earned three Album of the Year wins (Starting Over in 2021, From A Room: Volume 1 in 2017, and Traveller in 2015). Kacey Musgraves took home the trophy in 2018 for Golden Hour.
The 2024 CMA Album of the Year winner is …
American Idol alum Katharine McPhee and actor Don Johnson took the stage to announce that this year’s winner is Leather by Cody Johnson!!!
“I did not expect that. I truly expected for Chris Stapleton or Jelly Roll to be announced. I’ll be honest, I looked at my wife Brandi and said ‘Jelly Roll’s got that,’” Johnson said. “There’s very few moments in your career and in your life when the Ric Flair feels appropriate,” he said before letting out a celebratory yell.
“There’s no way I could have created an album like this without great songwriters, without people that pour their heart and soul out every day on Music Row. That pour their heart into great songs, producers, engineers…”
Congratulations to Cody Johnson on his well-deserved win!
