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Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Country Album

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Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Country Album
A gold gramophone trophy with a plaque set on a table
Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé is the most recent recipient.
Awarded forquality albums in the country music genre
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award1965
Currently held byBeyoncé,
Cowboy Carter (2025)
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[1] to recording artists for quality albums in the country music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[2]

The award was first presented under the name of Best Country & Western Album in 1966 to Roger Miller for Dang Me/Chug-A-Lug and was discontinued the following year. In 1995 the category was revived and was presented as Best Country Album until 2025 before receiving its current denomination at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in 2026 alongside the debut of a sister category Best Traditional Country Album.[3] This follows Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter winning Best Country Album at the 2025 Grammys marking the second instance where the Recording Academy introduced a new category or rule change in the wake of a win tied to her genre-defying ‘acts’ trilogy.

The first came after Break My Soul and Renaissance took home Dance honors at the 2023 Grammys, prompting the creation of the Best Pop Dance Recording category. At the time, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the Dance Field’s Screening Committee had initially recommended moving the album to Best Pop Vocal Album, but the National Screening Committee ultimately voted to keep it in Dance/Electronic. According to the category description guide for the 68th Grammy Awards (2026), the award "recognizes contemporary country music recordings, both vocal and instrumental, which utilize a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content, and/or musical presentation to create a sensibility that reflects the broad spectrum of contemporary country style and culture. The intent is to recognize country music that remains reminiscent and relevant to the legacy of country music’s culture, while also engaging in more contemporary music forms."[4]

The Dixie Chicks are the most awarded performers in this category with four wins, followed by Chris Stapleton who has three wins. Two-time award winners include Roger Miller, Lady A, Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert. Canadian singer Shania Twain is the only non-American winner in this category, to date. Trisha Yearwood holds the record for most nominations, with eight. Yearwood also holds the record for most nominations without a win. The current holder of the award is Beyonce, the first black artist, who won at the 67th Grammy Awards with her eighth studio album Cowboy Carter.

Recipients

[edit]
1996 winner and three-time nominee Shania Twain is the first and so far only non-American winner.
Dixie Chicks the most awarded performers with four wins.
Vince Gill received the award in 2008 as has eight additional nominations in this category. He is, to date, the most awarded male country artist at the Grammys.
2009 winner George Strait
Taylor Swift received three nominations in this category. Her album, Fearless won, including Album of the Year in 2010.
Lady Antebellum, three-time nominees and 2011 and 2012 winners
Two-time winner Kacey Musgraves. Her album Golden Hour has also won Album of the Year in 2019.
Two-time recipient Miranda Lambert
Three-time winner Chris Stapleton
Beyoncé is the first black artist to win the award. Her album, Cowboy Carter also won Album of the Year in 2025.
Year[I] Recipient(s) Work Nominees Ref.
1965 Roger Miller Dang Me/Chug-a-Lug [5]
1966 The Return of Roger Miller
[6]
1995 Mary Chapin Carpenter Stones in the Road [7]
1996 Shania Twain The Woman in Me [8]
1997 Lyle Lovett The Road to Ensenada [9]
1998 Johnny Cash Unchained [10]
1999 Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces [11]
2000 Fly [12]
2001 Faith Hill Breathe [13]
2002 Various artists
 · Bonnie Garner, Luke Lewis and Mary Martin, producers 		Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute [14]
2003 Dixie Chicks Home [15]
2004 Various artists
 · Carl Jackson, producer 		Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers [16]
2005 Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose [17]
2006 Alison Krauss & Union Station Lonely Runs Both Ways [18]
2007 Dixie Chicks Taking the Long Way [19]
2008 Vince Gill These Days [20]
2009 George Strait Troubadour [21]
2010 Taylor Swift Fearless [22]
2011 Lady Antebellum Need You Now [23]
2012 Own the Night [24]
2013 Zac Brown Band Uncaged [25]
2014 Kacey Musgraves Same Trailer Different Park [26]
2015 Miranda Lambert Platinum [27]
2016 Chris Stapleton Traveller [28]
2017 Sturgill Simpson A Sailor's Guide to Earth [29]
2018 Chris Stapleton From A Room: Volume 1 [30]
2019 Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour [31]
2020 Tanya Tucker While I'm Livin' [32]
2021 Miranda Lambert Wildcard [33]
2022 Chris Stapleton Starting Over [34]
2023 Willie Nelson A Beautiful Time [35]
2024 Lainey Wilson Bell Bottom Country [36]
2025 Beyoncé Cowboy Carter [37]

^[I] Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

Artists with multiple wins

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Artists with multiple nominations

[edit]

See also

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References

[edit]
General
  • "Past Winners Search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved March 4, 2011. Note: User must select the "Country" category as the genre under the search feature.
  • "Grammy Awards: Best Country Album". Rock on the Net. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
Specific
  1. ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  3. ^ Newman, Melinda (June 12, 2025). "The Grammys Add New Country Category for 2026". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Kevin P. "Inside the Grammy category changes: How Best Country Album has been split and what it means". Gold Derby. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  5. ^ "1964 Grammy Awards". Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  6. ^ "1965 Grammy Awards". Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  7. ^ "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1995. p. 2. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  8. ^ "List of Grammy nominees". CNN. January 4, 1996. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  9. ^ Campbell, Mary (January 8, 1997). "Babyface is up for 12 Grammy awards". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  10. ^ "40th Annual Grammy Award Nominations". Digital Hit. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  11. ^ "1999 Grammy Nominees". NME. IPC Media. November 27, 1998. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  12. ^ "42nd Annual Grammy Awards nominations". CNN. January 4, 2000. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  13. ^ "43rd Grammy Awards". CNN. February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  14. ^ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. January 4, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  15. ^ "45 Grammy Nom List" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 26, 2012.
  16. ^ "They're All Contenders". The New York Times. December 5, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  17. ^ "Grammy Award nominees in top categories". USA Today. Gannett Company. February 7, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  18. ^ "The Complete List of Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. December 8, 2005. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  19. ^ "49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 20, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  20. ^ "Grammy 2008 Winners List". MTV. February 10, 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  21. ^ "Grammy 2009 Winners List". MTV. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  22. ^ "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  23. ^ "53rd Annual Grammy Awards nominees list". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  24. ^ "2011 – 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees And Winners: Country Field". The Recording Academy. November 30, 2011.
  25. ^ "2012 – 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees And Winners: Country Field". The Recording Academy. December 5, 2011.
  26. ^ 2015 Nominees
  27. ^ "2014 Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  28. ^ "2014 Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  29. ^ "Grammys 2017: Complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. February 12, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  30. ^ "Grammy Awards Winners List: Updating Live". Variety. January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  31. ^ Grammy.com, 7 December 2018
  32. ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Winners List". GRAMMY.com. November 20, 2019.
  33. ^ "2021 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners List". GRAMMY.com. November 24, 2020.
  34. ^ "2022 GRAMMYs Awards: Complete Nominations List". GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2021.
  35. ^ "2023 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominations List". GRAMMY.com. November 16, 2022.
  36. ^ "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  37. ^ "2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
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