Every Grammy Winner and Nominee for Best Country Album
The Grammys are making big changes to how they honor country music in 2025.
Written by Amanda Tempel
The Grammy Awards first introduced the Best Country Album category in 1965, presenting it again in 1966 before discontinuing it for nearly three decades. It wasn’t until 1994 that the award returned, with Mary Chapin Carpenter taking home the trophy. Now, 30 years later, the category is getting a new name: Best Contemporary Country Album. In addition, the Recording Academy will debut a brand-new honor for 2025—Best Traditional Country Album.
In a statement Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said, “The Academy's top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year. That entails listening carefully to our members to make sure our rules and guidelines reflect today’s music and allow us to accurately recognize as many deserving creators as possible. As we kick off another exciting GRAMMY Season, we look forward to celebrating the amazing power of music and its ability to bring so many people together."
The nominees will be announced on Nov. 7, 2025.
Check out every nominee and winner for the Best Country Album at the Grammy’s as well as most nominations and win tallies below.
Most Grammy Best Country Album Wins
The Chicks have the most wins in the Best Country Album category with a total of four.
The Chicks - 4 Wins
Chris Stapleton - 3 Wins
Kacey Musgraves, Lady A, Miranda Lambert, and Roger Miller - 2 Wins
Beyonce, Faith Hill, George Strait, Johnny Cash, Lainey Wilson, Loretta Lynn, Lyle Lovett, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shania Twain, Sturgill Simpson, Tanya Tucker, Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, and the Zac Brown Band - 1 Win
Most Grammy Best Country Album Nominations
Trisha Yearwood is the most-nominated act for Best Country Album with a total of eight.
Trisha Yearwood - 8 Nominations
Willie Nelson and Miranda Lambert - 6 Nominations
George Strait and Chris Stapleton - 5 Nominations
Alan Jackson, Faith Hill, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, The Chicks, Tim McGraw, and Vince Gill - 4 Nominations
Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley, Dwight Yoakam, Eric Church, Jamey Johnson, Keith Urban, Lady A, Lee Ann Womack, Patty Loveless, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band - 3 Nominations
Asleep at the Wheel, Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, Gretchen Wilson, Hank Williams Jr., Jason Aldean, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Loretta Lynn, Maren Morris, Reba McEntire, Roger Miller, Sturgill Simpson, and Thomas Rhett - 2 Nominations
Alison Krauss, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Ashley Monroe, Beyonce, Brooks & Dunn, Buck Owens, Diamond Rio, Eddy Arnold, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks, George Jones, Hank Williams, Hunter Hayes, Ingrid Andress, Jack Ingram, Joe Nichols, John Michael Montgomery, Jon Randall, Josh Turner, Junior Brown, Kenny Chesney, Linda Ronstadt, Luke Combs, Lyle Lovett, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mavericks, Mickey Guyton, Pistol Annies, Post Malone, Randy Travis, Ray Price, Sam Hunt, Tanya Tucker, The Time Jumpers, Tift Merritt, Tyler Childers, Zach Bryan - 1 Nomination
Every Grammy Best Country Album Winner
1965
Winner: Roger Miller - Dang Me/Chug-A-Lug
Nominees:
Jim Reeves - The Best of Jim Reeves
The Best of Buck Owens - Buck Owens
Hank Williams Jr. Sings Songs of Hank Williams - Hank Williams Jr
Guitar Country - Chet Atkins
Bitter Tears - Johnny Cash
1966
Winner: The Return of Roger Miller - Roger Miller
The Jim Reeves Way - Jim Reeves
My World - Eddy Arnold
More of that Guitar Country - Chet Atkins
Father and Song - Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr.
1994
Winner: Mary Chapin Carpenter - Stones in the Road
Nominees:
Vince Gill - When Love Finds You
Asleep at the Wheel - Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys
Trisha Yearwood - The Song Remembers When
Reba McEntire - Read My Mind
1995
Winner: Shania Twain - The Woman In Me
Nominees:
Trisha Yearwood - Thinkin’ About You
The Mavericks - Music For All Occasions
Junior High - Junior Brown
John Michael Montgomery - John Michael Montgomery
Dwight Yoakam - Dwight Live
1996
Winner: Lyle Lovett - The Road To Ensenada
Nominees:
Patty Loveless - The Trouble with the Truth
Vince Gill - High Lonesome Sound
Dwight Yoakam - Gone
Trisha Yearwood - Everybody Knows
Brooks & Dunn - Borderline
1997
Winner: Johnny Cash - Unchained
Nominees:
Dwight Yoakam - Under The Covers
Patty Loveless - Long Stretch of Lonesome
Alan Jackson - Everything I Love
George Strait - Carrying Your Love with Me
1998
Winner: The Chicks - Wide Open Spaces
Nominees:
Trisha Yearwood - Where Your Road Leads
Garth Brooks - Sevens
Faith Hill - Faith
Shania Twain - Come On Over
1999
Winner: The Chicks - Fly
Nominees:
Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton - Trio II
Asleep at the Wheel - Ride with Bob
Alison Krauss - Forget About It
George Jones - Cold Hard Truth
2000
Winner: Faith Hill - Breathe
Nominees:
Alan Jackson - Under The Influence
Trisha Yearwood - Real Live Woman
Vince Gill - Let’s Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye
Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance
2001
Winner: Various Artists - Timeless - Hank Williams Tribute
Nominees:
Trisha Yearwood - Inside Out
Willie Nelson - Rainbow Connection
Tim McGraw - Set This Circus Down
Diamond Rio - One More Day
2002
Winner: The Chicks - Home
Nominees:
Dolly Parton - Halos & Horns
Joe Nichols - Man with a Memory
Willie Nelson - The Great Divide
Alan Jackson - Drive
2003
Winner: Various Artists - Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’ - Songs of the Louvin Brothers
Nominees:
Shania Twain - Up
Willie Nelson - Live and Kickin’
Willie Nelson & Ray Price - Run That By Me One More Time
Lyle Lovett - My Baby Don’t Tolerate
Faith Hill - Cry
2004
Winner: Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Nominees:
Gretchen Wilson - Here For the Party
Keith Urban - Be Here
Tift Merritt - Tambourine
Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying
2005
Winner: Alison Krauss and Union Station - Lonely Runs Both Way
Nominees:
Trisha Yearwood - Jasper County
Gretchen Wilson - All Jacked Up
Brad Paisley - Time Well Wasted
Faith Hill - Fireflies
2006
Winner: The Chicks - Taking the Long Way
Nominees:
Josh Turner - Your Man
Willie Nelson - You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker
Little Big Town - The Road To Here
Alan Jackson - Like Red On A Rose
2007
Winner: Vince Gill - These Days
Nominees:
George Strait - It Just Comes Natural
Brad Paisley - 5th Gear
Tim McGraw - Let It Go
Dierks Bentley - Long Trip Alone
2008
Winner: George Strait - Troubadour
Nominees:
Trisha Yearwood - Heaven, Heartache, And The Power of Love
Randy Travis - Around the Bend
Patty Loveless - Sleepless Nights
Jamey Johnson - That Lonesome Song
2009
Winner: Taylor Swift - Fearless
Nominees:
Lee Ann Womack - Call Me Crazy
Keith Urban - Defying Gravity
George Strait - Twang
Zac Brown Band - The Foundation
2010
Winner: Lady A - Need You Now
Nominees:
Miranda Lambert - Revolution
Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song
Zac Brown Band - You Get What You Give
Dierks Bentley - Up On The Ridge
2011
Winner: Lady A - Own The Night
Nominees:
Taylor Swift - Speak Now
George Strait - Here For A Good Time
Blake Shelton - Red River Blue
Eric Church - Chief
Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
2012
Winner: Zac Brown Band - Uncaged
Nominees:
The Time Jumpers - The Time Jumpers
Miranda Lambert - Four the Record
Jamey Johnson - Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran
Hunter Hayes - Hunter Hayes
2013
Winner: Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer, Different Park
Nominees:
Taylor Swift - Red
Blake Shelton - Based On A True Story
Tim McGraw - Two Lanes of Freedom
Jason Aldean - Night Train
2014
Winner: Miranda Lambert - Platinum
Nominees:
Lee Ann Womack - The Way I’m Livin’
Brandy Clark - 12 Stories
Eric Church - The Outsiders
Dierks Bentley - Riser
2015
Winner: Chris Stapleton - Traveller
Nominees:
Kacey Musgraves - Pageant Material
Ashley Monroe - The Blade
Little Big Town - Pain Killer
Sam Hunt - Montevallo
2016
Winner: Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor’s Guide To Earth
Nominees:
Keith Urban - Ripcord
Maren Morris - Hero
Loretta Lynn - Full Circle
Brandy Clark - Big Day In A Small Town
2017
Winner: Chris Stapleton - From A Room: Volume 1
Nominees:
Thomas Rhett - Life Changes
Little Big Town - The Breaker
Lady A - Heartbreak
Kenny Chesney - Cosmic Halleljuah
2018
Winner: Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Nominees:
Chris Stapleton - From A Room: Volume 2
Ashley McBryde - Girl Going Nowhere
Brothers Osborne - Port Saint Joe
Kelsea Ballerini - Unapolgetically
2019
Winner: Tanya Tucker - While I’m Livin’
Thomas Rhett - Center Point Road
Pistol Annies - Interstate Gospel
Reba McEntire - Stronger Than The Truth
Eric Church - Desperate Man
2020
Winner: Miranda Lambert - Wildcard
Nominees:
Ashley McBryde - Never Will
Little Big Town - Night Fall
Brandy Clark - Your Life Is A Record
Ingrid Andress - Lady Like
2021
Winner: Chris Stapleton - Starting Over
Nominees:
Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood and Junita
Mickey Guyton - Remember Her Name
Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, Jack Ingram - The Marfa Tapes
Brothers Osborne - Skeletons
2022
Winner: Willie Nelson - A Beautiful Time
Nominees:
Maren Morris - Humble Quest
Ashley McByrde - Ashley McBryde Presents Lindeville
Miranda Lambert - Palomino
Luke Combs - Growin’ Up
2023
Winner: Lainey Wilson - Bell Bottom Country
Nominees:
Tyler Childers - Rustin’ in the Rain
Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan
Brothers Osborne - Brothers Osborne
Kelsea Ballerini - Rolling Up The Welcome Mat
2024
Winner: Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter
Nominees:
Lainey Wilson - Whirlwind
Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well
Chris Stapleton - Higher
Post Malone - F1 Trillion
Don’t miss all the country Grammy coverage! Check back on November 7, 2025, when nominations are announced.
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For the first time in 30 years, the Grammys are renaming the Best Country Album category and introducing a new award for traditional country music.