1990 CMA Awards: Performers, Winners, and Show Highlights
Your Complete Guide to the 1990 Country Music Association Awards
Written by Amanda Tempel
Garth Brooks led the nominations for the 24th annual CMA Awards with five nods. Clint Black, Alan Jackson, The Kentucky Headhunters, and Kathy Mattea followed with four nominations each. “The 24th Annual CMA Awards,” broadcasted live from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Monday, October 8, 1990, on CBS. Reba McEntire and Randy Travis hosted the show. Find the complete list of 1990 CMA Award performers, presenters, winners, and show highlights below.
1990 CMA Award Winners
Entertainer of the Year - George Strait
George Strait: “Thank you so much. Thank you very much. I’m truly speechless. I really don’t have a speech. I really want to thank most of all my band, that are out there on the road with me everyday. It’s so much fun to play with them. They’re so great. To be able to look back at them and know that they’re right there and they’re so solid. I want to thank Erv Woosley my manager, MCA Records, all the fans, the CMA, my wife Norma. And I want to say hi again to my son George Jr. at home. Thank you all so much. I really appreciate it.”
Female Vocalist: Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea: “Roger, you gave me my first award ever and it was here two years ago for Song of the Year - this is really amazing. I’d like to thank Allen Reynolds and Mark Miller. My manager Bob Titley, everybody at William Morris, everybody at Polygram Records, but most of all, I’d like to thank all of the great songwriters and all the pickers that we get to work with in the studio and on the road. They’re the heart of this music and without them we couldn't do what we do, so I thank you all for your support, your talent, and your friendship. Thank you everybody for voting for me, thank you.”
Male Vocalist: Clint Black
Clint Black: “Well I promise all you wonderful people who voted for me that this can never get old, so don’t stop voting for me. I want to say thanks to the folks out in radio. We try and spend some time with them out there on the road. They say so many wonderful things besides playing our songs, the air personalities they go out of their way to say what they find out about us, it’s wonderful. It’s a show we all hope to be involved in. We dream about it all our lives and it’s good to find them. So welcoming. The arms are open, the people are warm. Thanks to the Country Music Association, BMG, all the people out there that make it work for us, keep us moving. Thank you. Appreciate it.”
Vocal Group: Kentucky Headhunters
Kentucky Headhunters:
Rickey Lee Phelps: “Well, alright. We’re all five up here at the same time. Mom, I wore a button-up shirt. We wanna thank everybody - the CMA and all the peers for voting on us. We want to thank all the people for spending their hard-earned money to go those concerts and buy that album - we appreciate it.”
Richard Young: “We also want to thank one very special person in our life, our manager for the last twelve years. Mr. Mitchell Fox. Polygram Records. God bless every one of you. 12 years bud!”
Greg Martin: “Thank you! We love everybody. I can’t believe this.”
Doug Phelps: “We want to thank all the folks back home that supported us all those years, too. They mean a lot to us.”
Richard Young: “Say something”
Fred Young: “Thanks to all our old friends our parents everybody who got behind the band.”
Vocal Duo: The Judds
The Judds:
Wynonna: “To RCA for seven incredible years. To our manager, whose Elvis, Kent Stilts, the Judd boys and our crew, the guys and gals in radio, and to the fans who let us off the bus every night. The main man I want to thank is God for helping me realize that I’ve got the coolest mom in the universe. Thank you all again for this.”
Naomi: “One of the reasons we love winning awards is that it gives us the chance to say publicly thanks, and how grateful we are to our fans and to people like RCA and the disc jockeys and our wonderful producer Brent Maher, and our beloved manager Ken Stilts. But I’ve never said thanks or acknowledged publicly the two ingredients for any success that I personally have and that’s my heavenly father for whom all blessings flow. And for my oldest child, we’ve been inseparable for 26 years. Words don’t do it. Thank you.”
Horizon: Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks: “I’m not much good at it, but when I don’t sing I try to be a husband and this is my wife Sandy. I got a million people to thank, I’ll never be able to thank them all. I’d like to thank Capitol Records - the old family and the new. I’d like to thank - did I already thank Capitol Records - I’d like to thank Allen Reynolds and Mark Miller. I’d like to thank the heroes in my life. I’d like to take a minute and say the two kings of country to me are George Jones and George Strait. I appreciate you guys. John Wayne. And probably my biggest hero of all time is my dad, Raymond Brooks. Thanks a lot dad. I want to say ‘hi”’ to my mama and all my friends, family, Pam Lewis, Bob Doyle, and all the people back in the great state of Oklahoma, and most of all I’d like to say thanks to the good Lord because he’s done a helluva lot for me.”
Album of the Year: Pickin’ On Nashville - Kentucky Headhunters | Producers: Kentucky Headhunters
The Kentucky Headhunters:
Richard Young - “You know, there seems to be a lot of awful nice people here that do a lot of nice things and music, and a lot of nice awards that they’re giving away, but I think for the musicians and the singers, players, all the fine people that get an opportunity to do an album, I think that’s what we all come down here for in the first place. I think this is probably the one most we’re proud of. This really means something to anybody that I think makes a record. Thanks to Harold Shedd. I guess most of you know that most of us have played together for 22 years. And out of all those years hunting for record deals only one man ever came up and said, ‘Boys, I don’t know if it’ll ever sell, we may be selling hamburgers next week, but somebody oughta here it.’ And God bless you brother.”
Greg Martin - “We’d like to thank everybody at Polygram and we’d like to thank Chris Hillman and The Flying Burrito Brothers for opening up the door for people like us back in the sixties, and Alabama, and people like that. God bless every one of you, we love you.”
Doug Phelps - “Happy Birthday to my brother.”
Richard Young - “Thank you for letting us be a part of your town. We love it.”
Nominees:
Award goes to Artist, and Producer(s).
Here In The Real World – Alan Jackson
Producers: Scott Hendricks and Keith Stegall
I Wonder Do You Think of Me – Keith Whitley
Producers: Garth Fundis and Keith Whitley
Livin’ It Up – George Strait
Producer: Jimmy Bowen
RVS III – Ricky Van Shelton
Producer: Steve Buckingham
Song of the Year: “Where You’ve Been” | Songwriters: Don Henry, Jon Vezner
Jon Vezner: “Vince, I guess it pays to be a husband. Boy, thanks, this is really a thrill. I want to thank Polygram. I want to thank radio for playing this song. I know it was real hard to play. I want to thank my mom and dad. I want to thank Kathy for taking a risk. I just want to thank everybody, thanks.”
Don Henry: “I’d like to thank Kathy for the goosebumps on that baby! And I’d like to thank this guy for having grandparents that he could tell the story about and let me inside and let me write this with him. I’d also like to thank my mom and dad, Betsy and Jesse, for putting up with me. And all the folks at Tree International for helping to support my songwriting habit. Thank you!”
Nominees:
Award is presented to the songwriter.
“Here in The Real World”
Songwriters: Mark Irwin and Alan Jackson
“If Tomorrow Never Comes”
Songwriters: Garth Brooks and Kent Blazy
“Killin' Time”
Songwriters: Clint Black and Hayden Nicholas
“When I Call Your Name”
Songwriters: Tim DuBois, Vince Gill
Single of the Year: “When I Call Your Name” – Vince Gill | Producer: Tony Brown
Vince Gill: “Man. Been around for a long time. I’ve waited for this for a long so I’m gonna stand up here for a long time. I don’t know about you all but I think this is about a good as way we can start the CMA Awards for 1990. I thank you.”
Nominees:
Award goes to Artist and Producer
“Here In The Real World” – Alan Jackson
Producers: Scott Hendricks and Keith Stegall
“If Tomorrow Never Comes” – Garth Brooks
Producer: Allen Reynolds
“Killin' Time” – Clint Black
Producers: James Stroud and Mark Wright
“Where've You Been” – Kathy Mattea
Producer: Allen Reynolds
Vocal Event of the Year: “‘Til a Tear Becomes a Rose” – Keith Whitley & Lorrie Morgan
Lorrie Morgan: “Thank you all so much. I appreciate this so much. First of all, let me thank the CMA and all who voted for Keith and I. Keith’s manager Jack McFadden, my manager Stan Moress. Garth Fundis who put the record together. Joe Galante and RCA Records for keeping Keith Whitley - his music and his memory alive. Thank you all.”
Nominees:
“Highwaymen 2” – Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson
“Oklahoma Swing” – Vince Gill and Reba McEntire
“Don’t Go Out” – Tanya Tucker and T. Graham Brown
“Gulf Coast Highway” – Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris
Music Video of the Year: “The Dance” – Garth Brooks | Director: John Lloyd Miller
Award goes to Artist(s) and Director.
“Dumas Walker” – Kentucky Headhunters
Director: John Lloyd Miller
“He Walked On Water” – Randy Travis
Director: Mark Coppos
“Hillbilly Rock” – Marty Stuart
Director: Joanne Gardner
“Where You’ve Been” – Kathy Mattea
Director: Jim May
Musician of the Year: Johnny Gimble
Nominees:
Johnny Gimble
Jerry Douglas
Paul Franklin
Mark O'Connor
Brent Rowan
1990 CMA Award Performances
The Judds - This Country’s Rockin’
Tanya Tucker & T. Graham Brown - Don’t Go Out
Alan Jackson - Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow
Clint Black - Put Yourself In My Shoes
Lorrie Morgan - Out of Your Shoes
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Opening Act
Ricky Van Shelton - Great Balls of Fire
Garth Brooks - Friends In Low Places
Vince Gill and Patty Loveless - When I Call Your Name
Kathy Mattea - Time Passes By
Travis Tritt - Put Some Drive In Your Country
Randy Travis & George Jones - A Few Ole Country Boys
Randy Travis, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Vern Gosdin, and Roy Rogers - Heroes and Friends
Kentucky Headhunters - Oh, Lonesome Me
George Strait - I’ve Come To Expect It From You
Reba McEntire - You Lie
Oak Ridge Boys - Medley: Just a Closer Walk With Thee/How Great Thou Art/Sixteen Tons
Finale:
U.S Air Force Academy Cadet Chorale, Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, Vince Gill, The Judds, Lee Greenwood Medley - This Is My Country/ America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)/Battle Hymn of the Republic/God Bless America/America the Beautiful/God Bless the U.S.A.
1990 CMA Award Presenters
Tanya Tucker and T. Graham Brown
Marie Osmond
Ray Stevens
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Crystal Gayle and Lyle Lovett
Vince Gill and Patty Loveless
KT Oslin
Clint Black
Roger Miller
Oak Ridge Boys
Barbara Mandrell
1990 CMA Awards Recap
The 1990 CMA Awards marked a turning point in country music, ushering in a new era and spotlighting a lineup of rising stars. That year, future legends like Alan Jackson, Lorrie Morgan, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, and The Kentucky Headhunters made their CMA stage debuts, signaling a seismic shift in the genre.
Mary Chapin Carpenter stole the show with her infamous song “Opening Act” - the moment led to a standing ovation. And when Garth Brooks won the Horizon Award, he shared the spotlight with his then-wife Sandy, inviting her onstage in a heartfelt moment that fans still remember.
The night’s emotional high came when Randy Travis was joined by the legendary George Jones for “A Few Ole Country Boys,” drawing another standing ovation. But the surprises didn’t stop there. Tammy Wynette, Vern Gosdin, and Roy Rogers stepped out to join Randy in a rendition of “Heroes and Friends.”
The Oak Ridge Boys lifted spirits with a gospel medley before breaking into “Sixteen Tons” in a surprise tribute to Tennessee Ernie Ford, who was announced as that year’s Country Music Hall of Fame inductee.
In his acceptance speech he said, “What can I say, thank you mom and daddy. Thank you Cliffe Stone for my start. Thank you Tom DePaulo, Danny Seymour, the Ford Motor Company for my start in the early days, thank you Martha White for your faith in me when I started, thank you Merle Travis for “Sixteen Tons” and thank all you country songwriters for the great material you give us to sing. Thank all of you, bless your little pea-picking hearts! I’m a happy man! And a special thank you to my wife Beverly whose has filled my heart with trust and encouragement. She’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. And thank all of you!”
The show wrapped on a poignant note with a patriotic finale, saluting the brave men and women serving overseas - a powerful close to a night that proved the '90s were just getting started.
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