CMA Entertainer of the Year Winners: 1967-2015
Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images
A look back at the artists who took home the evening's most prestigious award.This November, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the 50th Annual CMA Awards, and crown the 50th winner of the Entertainer of the Year award. Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney are tied for the most Entertainer of the Year awards with four each, followed by Alabama and George Strait who each have three wins. The 2016 Entertainer of the Year nominees are Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Chris Stapleton. The CMA Awards are so important to the industry, in fact, that Paisley likens them to the Oscars. "If you're an actor, you want to win an Oscar, and if you're a country music artist, you want to win a CMA Award. You can see the emotion in their acceptance speeches, and the audience recognizes it too. This means something, and it has for 50 years."
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3 of 37
1969: Johnny Cash
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6 of 37
1972: Loretta Lynn
6 of 37
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12 of 37
1978: Dolly Parton
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14 of 37
1980, 1981: Barbara Mandrell
14 of 37
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1982, 1983, 1984: Alabama
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17 of 37
1986: Reba McEntire
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1987, 1988: Hank Williams, Jr.
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20 of 37
1991, 1992: Garth Brooks
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24 of 37
1997, 1998: Garth Brooks
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26 of 37
2000: Dixie Chicks
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28 of 37
2002, 2003: Alan Jackson
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31 of 37
2006, 2007, 2008: Kenny Chesney
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2009: Taylor Swift
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