A year-by-year record of the men recognized during the CMA Awards' first 13 years.
Written by Amanda Tempel
Published: November 12, 2026
When the CMA Awards debuted in 1967, Male Vocalist of the Year was among the original categories honoring country music's leading performers. Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, the award recognized artists such as Jack Greene, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard, whose distinctive voices and recordings helped define the era. The category reflected country music's changing sound, from traditional honky-tonk to the growing crossover success of the 1970s. Below is the complete list of CMA Male Vocalist of the Year winners and nominees from 1967 through 1979, organized by award year.
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1967
Winner: Jack Greene
Nominees:
Eddy Arnold
Merle Haggard
Sonny James
Buck Owens
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1968
Winner: Glen Campbell
Nominees:
Eddy Arnold
Johnny Cash
Merle Haggard
Charley Pride
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1969
Winner: Johnny Cash
Nominees:
Glen Campbell
Merle Haggard
Sonny James
Charley Pride
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1970
Winner: Merle Haggard
Nominees:
Johnny Cash
Charley Pride
Marty Robbins
Conway Twitty
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1971
Winner: Charley Pride
Nominees:
Merle Haggard
Ray Price
Jerry Reed
Conway Twitty
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1972
Winner: Charley Pride
Nominees:
Merle Haggard
Freddie Hart
Johnny Paycheck
Jerry Wallace
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1973
Winner: Charlie Rich
Nominees:
Merle Haggard
Tom T. Hall
Johnny Rodriguez
Conway Twitty
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1974
Winner: Ronnie Milsap
Nominees:
Merle Haggard
Waylon Jennings
Charlie Rich
Cal Smith
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1975
Winner: Waylon Jennings
Nominees:
John Denver
Freddy Fender
Ronnie Milsap
Conway Twitty
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1976
Winner: Ronnie Milsap
Nominees:
Waylon Jennings
Willie Nelson
Conway Twitty
Don Williams
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1977
Winner: Ronnie Milsap
Nominees:
Larry Gatlin
Waylon Jennings
Kenny Rogers
Don Williams
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1978
Winner: Don Williams
Nominees:
Larry Gatlin
Ronnie Milsap
Willie Nelson
Kenny Rogers
CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Winners and Nominees: 1979
Winner: Kenny Rogers
Nominees:
John Conlee
Larry Gatlin
Willie Nelson
Don Williams
Source
Country Music Association (CMA) – Past Winners and Nominees
Explore More CMA Male Vocalist of the Year History
Return to our complete CMA Male Vocalist of the Year winners list for every winner since 1967, all-time records, and links to nominees by decade.