Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Country Album

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]

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Country Album
Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé is the most recent recipient.
Awarded for	quality albums in the country music genre
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award	1965
Currently held by	Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter (2025)
Website	grammy.com

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]

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

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	Chet Atkins – Guitar Country Johnny Cash – Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian Buck Owens – The Best of Buck Owens Jim Reeves – The Best of Jim Reeves Hank Williams Jr. – Hank Williams Jr. Sings Songs of Hank Williams	[5]
1966		The Return of Roger Miller	Eddy Arnold – My World Chet Atkins – More of That Guitar Country Jim Reeves – The Jim Reeves Way Hank Williams & Hank Williams Jr. – Father and Son: Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr.	[6]
1995	Mary Chapin Carpenter	Stones in the Road	Asleep at the Wheel – Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys Vince Gill – When Love Finds You Reba McEntire – Read My Mind Trisha Yearwood – The Song Remembers When	[7]
1996	Shania 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	[8]
1997	Lyle 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	[9]
1998	Johnny 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	[10]
1999	The Chicks	Wide Open Spaces	Garth Brooks – Sevens Faith Hill – Faith Shania Twain – Come On Over Trisha Yearwood – Where Your Road Leads	[11]
2000		Fly	Asleep at the Wheel – Ride with Bob: A Tribute to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt & Dolly Parton – Trio II George Jones – Cold Hard Truth Alison Krauss – Forget About It	[12]
2001	Faith 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	[13]
2002	Various artists  · Bonnie Garner, Luke Lewis and Mary Martin, producers	Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute	Diamond Rio – One More Day Tim McGraw – Set This Circus Down Willie Nelson – Rainbow Connection Trisha Yearwood – Inside Out	[14]
2003	Dixie Chicks	Home	Alan Jackson – Drive Willie Nelson – The Great Divide Joe Nichols – Man with a Memory Dolly Parton – Halos & Horns	[15]
2004	Various artists  · Carl Jackson, producer	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!	[16]
2005	Loretta Lynn	Van Lear Rose	Tim McGraw – Live Like You Were Dying Tiff Merritt – Tambourine Keith Urban – Be Here Gretchen Wilson – Here for the Party	[17]
2006	Alison Krauss & Union Station	Lonely Runs Both Ways	Faith Hill – Fireflies Brad Paisley – Time Well Wasted Gretchen Wilson – All Jacked Up Trisha Yearwood – Jasper County	[18]
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	[19]
2008	Vince Gill	These Days	Dierks Bentley – Long Trip Alone Tim McGraw – Let It Go Brad Paisley – 5th Gear George Strait – It Just Comes Natural	[20]
2009	George 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	[21]
2010	Taylor Swift	Fearless	Zac Brown Band – The Foundation George Strait – Twang Keith Urban – Defying Gravity Lee Ann Womack – Call Me Crazy	[22]
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	[23]
2012		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	[24]
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	[25]
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	[26]
2015	Miranda Lambert	Platinum	Dierks Bentley – Riser Eric Church – The Outsiders Brandy Clark – 12 Stories Lee Ann Womack – The Way I'm Livin'	[27]
2016	Chris Stapleton	Traveller	Sam Hunt – Montevallo Little Big Town – Pain Killer Ashley Monroe – The Blade Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material	[28]
2017	Sturgill Simpson	A Sailor's Guide to Earth	Brandy Clark – Big Day in a Small Town Loretta Lynn – Full Circle Maren Morris – Hero Keith Urban – Ripcord	[29]
2018	Chris Stapleton	From A Room: Volume 1	Kenny Chesney – Cosmic Hallelujah Lady Antebellum – Heart Break Little Big Town – The Breaker Thomas Rhett – Life Changes	[30]
2019	Kacey Musgraves	Golden Hour	Kelsea Ballerini – Unapologetically Brothers Osborne – Port Saint Joe Ashley McBryde – Girl Going Nowhere Chris Stapleton – From A Room: Volume 2	[31]
2020	Tanya Tucker	While I'm Livin'	Eric Church – Desperate Man Reba McEntire – Stronger Than the Truth Pistol Annies – Interstate Gospel Thomas Rhett – Center Point Road	[32]
2021	Miranda Lambert	Wildcard	Ingrid Andress – Lady Like Brandy Clark – Your Life Is a Record Little Big Town – Nightfall Ashley McBryde – Never Will	[33]
2022	Chris Stapleton	Starting Over	Brothers Osborne – Skeletons Mickey Guyton – Remember Her Name Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall & Jack Ingram – The Marfa Tapes Sturgill Simpson – The Ballad of Dood and Juanita	[34]
2023	Willie Nelson	A Beautiful Time	Luke Combs – Growin' Up Miranda Lambert – Palomino Ashley McBryde – Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville Maren Morris – Humble Quest	[35]
2024	Lainey Wilson	Bell Bottom Country	Kelsea Ballerini – Rolling Up the Welcome Mat Brothers Osborne – Brothers Osborne Zach Bryan – Zach Bryan Tyler Childers – Rustin' in the Rain	[36]
2025	Beyoncé	Cowboy Carter	Post Malone – F-1 Trillion Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well Chris Stapleton – Higher Lainey Wilson – Whirlwind	[37]

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

Artists with multiple wins

4 wins The Chicks

3 wins Chris Stapleton

2 wins Lady Antebellum Miranda Lambert Kacey Musgraves Roger Miller

Artists with multiple nominations

8 nominations Trisha Yearwood 7 nominations Miranda Lambert (1 with Pistol Annies) 6 nominations Willie Nelson 5 nominations Chris Stapleton George Strait 4 nominations The Chicks Little Big Town Vince Gill Faith Hill Alan Jackson Tim McGraw Kacey Musgraves

3 nominations Dierks Bentley Zac Brown Band Eric Church Brandy Clark Jamey Johnson Lady Antebellum Patty Loveless Ashley McBryde Taylor Swift Shania Twain Keith Urban Lee Ann Womack Dwight Yoakam

2 nominations Jason Aldean Asleep at the Wheel Chet Atkins Brothers Osborne Johnny Cash Alison Krauss Lyle Lovett Loretta Lynn Reba McEntire Roger Miller Maren Morris Brad Paisley Dolly Parton Jim Reeves Thomas Rhett Blake Shelton Sturgill Simpson Hank Williams Jr. Gretchen Wilson Lainey Wilson Ashley Monroe (1 with Pistol Annies) Kelsea Ballerini

See also

• Grammy Award for Album of the Year