| Country Music Association Award for Musician of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Country Music Association |
| First awarded | 1967 |
| Currently held by | Jenee Fleenor (2023) |
The following list shows the recipients for the Country Music Association Award for Musician of the Year.[1] First presented at the inaugural CMA Awards in 1967 to Chet Atkins as the Instrumentalist of the Year award, the category received its current name at the 1988 CMA Awards.
The inaugural recipient of the award was guitarist Chet Atkins, who won in 1967. Atkins and Mac McAnally hold the record for most wins in the category, with ten each, while pedal steel player Paul Franklin has a leading thirty one nominations without ever winning.[2] The first female nominee and winner in this category is fiddle player Jenee Fleenor, who is also the current holder of the award following her fifth consecutive win at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards in 2023.[3]
- ^ "Past Winners And Nominees". 2019 CMA Awards | Wednesday, November 13 on ABC.
- ^ "Paul Franklin's Been Nominated for CMAs 30 Times. He's Never Won". 29 September 2022.
- ^ "CMA Awards 2019: Jenee Fleenor becomes first woman to win Musician of the Year".