Grammy Award for Best Country Album

Grammy Award for Best Country Album
Awarded for	quality albums in the country music genre
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded	1965
Currently held by	Chris Stapleton, Traveller (2016)
Official website	grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best 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 received its current denomination of Best Country Album. According to the category description guide for the 54th Grammy Awards, the award is presented to vocal or instrumental country albums containing at least 51% playing time of new recordings.^[3]

The Dixie Chicks are the most awarded performers in this category with four wins. Two-time award winners include Roger Miller and Lady Antebellum. 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.

Recipients

Two-time award winner Roger Miller.

1996 winner Shania Twain the first and so far only non-American winner.

Dixie Chicks the most awarded performers with four wins.

2001 winner Faith Hill

2009 winner George Strait

2010 winner Taylor Swift is the only act to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Country Album.

Lady Antebellum, 2011 and 2012 winners

2015 winner Miranda Lambert

2016 winner Chris Stapleton

Year^[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
1965	Miller, RogerRoger Miller	Dang Me/Chug-a-Lug		[4]
1966	Miller, RogerRoger Miller	The Return of Roger Miller		[5]
1995	Mary Chapin Carpenter	Stones in the Road	Asleep at the Wheel — Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboy Vince Gill — When Love Finds You Reba McEntire — Read My Mind Trisha Yearwood — The Song Remembers When	[6]
1996	Twain, ShaniaShania Twain	The Woman in Me	Junior Brown — Junior High The Mavericks — Music for All Occasions John Michael Montgomery — John Michael Montgomery Trisha Yearwood — Thinkin' About You Dwight Yoakam — Dwight Live	[7]
1997	Lovett, LyleLyle Lovett	The Road to Ensenada	Brooks & Dunn — Borderline Vince Gill — High Lonesome Sound Patty Loveless — The Trouble with the Truth Trisha Yearwood — Everybody Knows Dwight Yoakam — Gone	[8]
1998	Cash, JohnnyJohnny Cash	Unchained	Alan Jackson — Everything I Love Patty Loveless — Long Stretch of Lonesome George Strait — Carrying Your Love With Me Dwight Yoakam — Under The Covers	[9]
1999	Dixie Chicks	Wide Open Spaces	Garth Brooks — Sevens Faith Hill — Faith Shania Twain — Come On Over Trisha Yearwood — Where Your Road Leads	[10]
2000	Dixie Chicks	Fly	Asleep at the Wheel — Ride with Bob Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt & Dolly Parton — Trio II George Jones — Cold Hard Truth Alison Krauss — Forget About It	[11]
2001	Hill, FaithFaith Hill	Breathe	Vince Gill — Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye Alan Jackson — Under the Influence Lee Ann Womack — I Hope You Dance Trisha Yearwood — Real Live Woman	[12]
2002	Various artists^[II]	Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute	Diamond Rio — One More Day Tim McGraw — Set This Circus Down Willie Nelson — Rainbow Connection Trisha Yearwood — Inside Out	[13]
2003	Dixie Chicks	Home	Alan Jackson — Drive Willie Nelson — The Great Divide Joe Nichols — Man with a Memory Dolly Parton — Halos & Horns	[14]
2004	Various artists^[III]	Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers	Faith Hill — Cry Lyle Lovett — My Baby Don't Tolerate Willie Nelson & Ray Price — Run That By Me One More Time Willie Nelson — Live and Kickin' Shania Twain — Up!	[15]
2005	Lynn, LorettaLoretta Lynn	Van Lear Rose	Tim McGraw — Live Like You Were Dying Tiff Merritt — Tambourine Keith Urban — Be Here Gretchen Wilson — Here for the Party	[16]
2006	Krauss, AlisonAlison Krauss and Union Station	Lonely Runs Both Ways	Faith Hill — Fireflies Brad Paisley — Time Well Wasted Gretchen Wilson — All Jacked Up Trisha Yearwood — Jasper County	[17]
2007	Dixie Chicks	Taking the Long Way	Alan Jackson — Like Red on a Rose Little Big Town — The Road to Here Willie Nelson — You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker Josh Turner — Your Man	[18]
2008	Gill, VinceVince Gill	These Days	Dierks Bentley — Long Trip Alone Tim McGraw — Let It Go Brad Paisley — 5th Gear George Strait — It Just Comes Natural	[19]
2009	Strait, GeorgeGeorge Strait	Troubadour	Jamey Johnson — That Lonesome Song Patty Loveless — Sleepless Nights Randy Travis — Around the Bend Trisha Yearwood — Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love	[20]
2010	Swift, TaylorTaylor Swift	Fearless	Zac Brown Band — The Foundation George Strait — Twang Keith Urban — Defying Gravity Lee Ann Womack — Call Me Crazy	[21]
2011	Lady Antebellum	Need You Now	Dierks Bentley — Up on the Ridge Zac Brown Band — You Get What You Give Jamey Johnson — The Guitar Song Miranda Lambert — Revolution	[22]
2012	Lady Antebellum	Own the Night	Jason Aldean — My Kinda Party Eric Church — Chief Blake Shelton — Red River Blue George Strait — Here for a Good Time Taylor Swift — Speak Now	[23]
2013	Zac Brown Band	Uncaged	Hunter Hayes — Hunter Hayes Jamey Johnson — Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran Miranda Lambert — Four the Record The Time Jumpers — The Time Jumpers	[24]
2014	Kacey Musgraves	Same Trailer Different Park	Jason Aldean — Night Train Tim McGraw — Two Lanes of Freedom Blake Shelton — Based on a True Story... Taylor Swift — Red	[25]
2015	Miranda Lambert	Platinum	Dierks Bentley – Riser Eric Church – The Outsiders Brandy Clark – 12 Stories Lee Ann Womack – The Way I'm Livin'	[26]
2016	Chris Stapleton	Traveller	Sam Hunt – Montevallo Little Big Town – Pain Killer Ashley Monroe – The Blade Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material	[27]

^{^[I]} Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
^{^[II]} Awards were presented to Bonnie Garner, Luke Lewis and Mary Martin as the producers of the album.
^{^[III]} An award was presented to Carl Jackson as the producer of the album.

See also

• Grammy Award for Album of the Year

References

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. Tribune Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
2. "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
3. "Category Mapper". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
4. "1964 Grammy Awards". Retrieved December 9, 2011.
5. "1965 Grammy Awards". Retrieved December 9, 2011.
6. "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. January 6, 1995. p. 2. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
7. "List of Grammy nominees". CNN. January 4, 1996. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
8. Campbell, Mary (January 8, 1997). "Babyface is up for 12 Grammy awards". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
9. "40th Annual Grammy Award Nominations". Digital Hit. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
10. "1999 Grammy Nominees". NME. IPC Media. November 27, 1998. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
11. "42nd Annual Grammy Awards nominations". CNN. January 4, 2000. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
12. "43rd Grammy Awards". CNN. February 21, 2001. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
13. "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. January 4, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
14. "45 Grammy Nom List" (PDF).
15. "They're All Contenders". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. December 5, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
16. "Grammy Award nominees in top categories". USA Today. Gannett Company. February 7, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
17. "The Complete List of Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. December 8, 2005. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
18. "49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
19. "Grammy 2008 Winners List". MTV. February 10, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
20. "Grammy 2009 Winners List". MTV. February 8, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
21. "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
22. "53rd Annual Grammy Awards nominees list". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
23. "2011 – 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees And Winners: Country Field". The Recording Academy. November 30, 2011.
24. List of 2013 nominees
25. 2014 Nominees
26. "57th Grammy Nominees". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
27. "57th Grammy Nominees". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 5, 2014.

External links

Official Site of the Grammy Awards