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, 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".
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.
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."
The 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 Jelly Roll, who won at the 68th Grammy Awards with his tenth studio album, Beautifully Broken.
Recipients
1960s Year Work Artist 1965 Dang Me/Chug-a-Lug Roger Miller The Best of Buck Owens Buck Owens The Best of Jim Reeves Jim Reeves Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian Johnny Cash Guitar Country Chet Atkins Hank Williams Jr. Sings the Songs of Hank Williams Hank Williams Jr. 1966 The Return of Roger Miller Roger Miller Father and Son: Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr. Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr. The Jim Reeves Way Jim Reeves More of That Guitar Country Chet Atkins My World Eddy Arnold
1990s Year Work Artist 1995 Stones in the Road Mary Chapin Carpenter Read My Mind Reba McEntire The Song Remembers When Trisha Yearwood Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys Asleep at the Wheel When Love Finds You Vince Gill 1996 The Woman in Me Shania Twain Dwight Live Dwight Yoakam John Michael Montgomery John Michael Montgomery Junior High Junior Brown Music for All Occasions The Mavericks Thinkin' About You Trisha Yearwood 1997 The Road to Ensenada Lyle Lovett Borderline Brooks & Dunn Everybody Knows Trisha Yearwood Gone Dwight Yoakam High Lonesome Sound Vince Gill The Trouble with the Truth Patty Loveless 1998 Unchained Johnny Cash Carrying Your Love with Me George Strait Everything I Love Alan Jackson Long Stretch of Lonesome Patty Loveless Under the Covers Dwight Yoakam 1999 Wide Open Spaces The Chicks Come On Over Shania Twain Faith Faith Hill Sevens Garth Brooks Where Your Road Leads Trisha Yearwood
2000s Year Work Artist 2000 Fly The Chicks Cold Hard Truth George Jones Forget About It Alison Krauss Ride with Bob: A Tribute to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys Asleep at the Wheel Trio II Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton 2001 Breathe Faith Hill I Hope You Dance Lee Ann Womack Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye Vince Gill Real Live Woman Trisha Yearwood Under the Influence Alan Jackson 2002 Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute Various Artists Inside Out Trisha Yearwood One More Day Diamond Rio Rainbow Connection Willie Nelson Set This Circus Down Tim McGraw 2003 Home The Chicks Drive Alan Jackson The Great Divide Willie Nelson Halos & Horns Dolly Parton Man with a Memory Joe Nichols 2004 Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers Various Artists Cry Faith Hill Live and Kickin' Willie Nelson My Baby Don't Tolerate Lyle Lovett Run That by Me One More Time Willie Nelson and Ray Price Up! Shania Twain 2005 Van Lear Rose Loretta Lynn Be Here Keith Urban Here for the Party Gretchen Wilson Live Like You Were Dying Tim McGraw Tambourine Tiff Merritt 2006 Lonely Runs Both Ways Alison Krauss & Union Station All Jacked Up Gretchen Wilson Fireflies Faith Hill Jasper County Trisha Yearwood Time Well Wasted Brad Paisley 2007 Taking the Long Way The Chicks Like Red on a Rose Alan Jackson The Road to Here Little Big Town You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker Willie Nelson Your Man Josh Turner 2008 These Days Vince Gill 5th Gear Brad Paisley It Just Comes Natural George Strait Let It Go Tim McGraw Long Trip Alone Dierks Bentley 2009 Troubadour George Strait Around the Bend Randy Travis Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love Trisha Yearwood Sleepless Nights Patty Loveless That Lonesome Song Jamey Johnson
2010s Year Work Artist 2010 Fearless Taylor Swift Call Me Crazy Lee Ann Womack Defying Gravity Keith Urban The Foundation Zac Brown Band Twang George Strait 2011 Need You Now Lady Antebellum The Guitar Song Jamey Johnson Revolution Miranda Lambert Up on the Ridge Dierks Bentley You Get What You Give Zac Brown Band 2012 Own the Night Lady Antebellum Chief Eric Church Here for a Good Time George Strait My Kinda Party Jason Aldean Red River Blue Blake Shelton Speak Now Taylor Swift 2013 Uncaged Zac Brown Band Four the Record Miranda Lambert Hunter Hayes Hunter Hayes Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran Jamey Johnson The Time Jumpers The Time Jumpers 2014 Same Trailer Different Park Kacey Musgraves Based on a True Story... Blake Shelton Night Train Jason Aldean Red Taylor Swift Two Lanes of Freedom Tim McGraw 2015 Platinum Miranda Lambert The Outsiders Eric Church Riser Dierks Bentley 12 Stories Brandy Clark The Way I'm Livin' Lee Ann Womack 2016 Traveller Chris Stapleton The Blade Ashley Monroe Montevallo Sam Hunt Pageant Material Kacey Musgraves Pain Killer Little Big Town 2017 A Sailor's Guide to Earth Sturgill Simpson Big Day in a Small Town Brandy Clark Full Circle Loretta Lynn Hero Maren Morris Ripcord Keith Urban 2018 From A Room: Volume 1 Chris Stapleton The Breaker Little Big Town Cosmic Hallelujah Kenny Chesney Heart Break Lady Antebellum Life Changes Thomas Rhett 2019Grammy.com, 7 December 2018 Golden Hour Kacey Musgraves From A Room: Volume 2 Chris Stapleton Girl Going Nowhere Ashley McBryde Port Saint Joe Brothers Osborne Unapologetically Kelsea Ballerini
2020s Year Work Artist 2020 While I'm Livin' Tanya Tucker Center Point Road Thomas Rhett Desperate Man Eric Church Interstate Gospel Pistol Annies Stronger Than the Truth Reba McEntire 2021 Wildcard Miranda Lambert Lady Like Ingrid Andress Never Will Ashley McBryde Nightfall Little Big Town Your Life Is a Record Brandy Clark 2022 Starting Over Chris Stapleton The Ballad of Dood and Juanita Sturgill Simpson The Marfa Tapes Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall and Jack Ingram Remember Her Name Mickey Guyton Skeletons Brothers Osborne 2023 A Beautiful Time Willie Nelson Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville Ashley McBryde Growin' Up Luke Combs Humble Quest Maren Morris Palomino Miranda Lambert 2024 Bell Bottom Country Lainey Wilson Brothers Osborne Brothers Osborne Rolling Up the Welcome Mat Kelsea Ballerini Rustin' in the Rain Tyler Childers Zach Bryan Zach Bryan 2025 Cowboy Carter Beyoncé Deeper Well Kacey Musgraves F-1 Trillion Post Malone Higher Chris Stapleton Whirlwind Lainey Wilson 2026 Beautifully Broken Jelly Roll Evangeline vs. the Machine Eric Church Patterns Kelsea Ballerini Postcards from Texas Miranda Lambert Snipe Hunter Tyler Childers
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 Miranda Lambert (1 with Pistol Annies) Trisha Yearwood
6 nominations Willie Nelson
5 nominations Chris Stapleton George Strait
4 nominations The Chicks Eric Church Vince Gill Faith Hill Alan Jackson Little Big Town Tim McGraw Kacey Musgraves
3 nominations Kelsea Ballerini Dierks Bentley Zac Brown Band 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 Tyler Childers Alison Krauss Lyle Lovett Loretta Lynn Reba McEntire Roger Miller Ashley Monroe (1 with Pistol Annies) Maren Morris Brad Paisley Dolly Parton Jim Reeves Thomas Rhett Blake Shelton Sturgill Simpson Hank Williams Jr. Gretchen Wilson Lainey Wilson
See also Grammy Award for Album of the Year
References
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Specific