# Country Music Association Award for Musician of the Year

The following list shows the recipients for the Country Music Association Award for Musician of the Year. 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 two nominations without ever winning. The first female nominee and winner in this category is fiddle player Jenee Fleenor, who first won at the 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards in 2019. The current holder of the award is Charlie Worsham.

## Recipients

| Year | Winner | Nominees |
| 2024 | Charlie Worsham | Tom Bukovac Jenee Fleenor Paul Franklin Rob McNelley |
| 2023 | Jenee Fleenor | Paul Franklin Rob McNelley Derek Wells Charlie Worsham |
| 2022 | Jenee Fleenor | Paul Franklin Brent Mason Ilya Toshinskiy Derek Wells |
| 2021 | Jenee Fleenor | Paul Franklin Aaron Sterling Ilya Toshinsky Derek Wells |
| 2020 | Jenee Fleenor | Paul Franklin Rob McNelley Ilya Toshinsky Derek Wells |
| 2019 | Jenee Fleenor | Paul Franklin Mac McAnally Ilya Toshinsky Derek Wells |
| 2018 | Mac McAnally | Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Dann Huff Derek Wells |
| 2017 | Mac McAnally | Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Dann Huff Derek Wells |
| 2016 | Dann Huff | Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Brent Mason Derek Wells |
| 2015 | Mac McAnally | Sam Bush Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Dann Huff |
| 2014 | Mac McAnally | Sam Bush Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Dann Huff |
| 2013 | Mac McAnally | Sam Bush Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason |
| 2012 | Mac McAnally | Sam Bush Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason |
| 2011 | Mac McAnally | Sam Bush Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Dann Huff |
| 2010 | Mac McAnally | Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason Randy Scruggs |
| 2009 | Mac McAnally | Eddie Bayers Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason |
| 2008 | Mac McAnally | Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason |
| 2007 | Jerry Douglas | Eddie Bayers Dann Huff Mac McAnally Randy Scruggs |
| 2006 | Randy Scruggs | Eddie Bayers Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason |
| 2005 | Jerry Douglas | Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason Randy Scruggs |
| 2004 | Dann Huff | Matt Chamberlain Kenny Greenberg Larry Paxton Brent Rowan |
| 2003 | Randy Scruggs | Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Aubrey Haynie Brent Mason |
| 2002 | Jerry Douglas | Glen Duncan Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason |
| 2001 | Dann Huff | Stuart Duncan Paul Franklin John Hobbs Brent Mason |
| 2000 | Hargus "Pig" Robbins | Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason Brent Rowan |
| 1999 | Randy Scruggs | Eddie Bayers Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason |
| 1998 | Brent Mason | Eddie Bayers Paul Franklin Matt Rollings Brent Rowan |
| 1997 | Brent Mason | Eddie Bayers Paul Franklin Matt Rollings Brent Rowan |
| 1996 | Mark O'Connor | Eddie Bayers Paul Franklin Brent Mason Matt Rollings |
| 1995 | Mark O'Connor | Eddie Bayers Paul Franklin Brent Mason Matt Rollings |
| 1994 | Mark O'Connor | Eddie Bayers Brent Mason Matt Rollings Brent Rowan |
| 1993 | Mark O'Connor | John Barlow Jarvis Paul Franklin Brent Mason Matt Rollings |
| 1992 | Mark O'Connor | Eddie Bayers Larrie Londin Matt Rollings Brent Rowan |
| 1991 | Mark O'Connor | Chet Atkins Barry Beckett Paul Franklin Matt Rollings |
| 1990 | Johnny Gimble | Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Mark O'Connor Brent Rowan |
| 1989 | Johnny Gimble | Jerry Douglas Paul Franklin Mark O'Connor Don Potter |
| 1988 | Chet Atkins | David Briggs Jerry Douglas Johnny Gimble Mark O'Connor |
| 1987 | Johnny Gimble | Jerry Douglas Mark O'Connor |
| 1986 | Johnny Gimble | Jerry Douglas Doyle Grisham Mark O'Connor |
| 1985 | Chet Atkins | Floyd Cramer Johnny Gimble Hargus "Pig" Robbins Buddy Spicher |
| 1984 | Chet Atkins | Roy Clark Floyd Cramer Charlie McCoy Hargus "Pig" Robbins |
| 1983 | Chet Atkins | Johnny Gimble Charlie McCoy Hargus "Pig" Robbins Buddy Spicher |
| 1982 | Chet Atkins | Floyd Cramer Johnny Gimble Charlie McCoy Hargus "Pig" Robbins |
| 1981 | Chet Atkins | Floyd Cramer Johnny Gimble Charlie McCoy Hargus "Pig" Robbins |
| 1980 | Roy Clark | Chet Atkins Floyd Cramer Johnny Gimble Charlie McCoy |
| 1979 | Charlie Daniels | Chet Atkins Roy Clark Buddy Emmons Charlie McCoy |
| 1978 | Roy Clark | Chet Atkins Johnny Gimble Charlie McCoy Jerry Reed |
| 1977 | Roy Clark | Chet Atkins Johnny Gimble Charlie McCoy Hargus "Pig" Robbins |
| 1976 | Hargus "Pig" Robbins | Chet Atkins Roy Clark Johnny Gimble Charlie McCoy |
| 1975 | Johnny Gimble | Chet Atkins Roy Clark Charlie McCoy Jerry Reed |
| 1974 | Don Rich | Chet Atkins Roy Clark Lloyd Green Charlie McCoy |
| 1973 | Charlie McCoy | Chet Atkins Roy Clark Floyd Cramer Lloyd Green Jerry Reed |
| 1972 | Charlie McCoy | Chet Atkins Roy Clark Floyd Cramer Jerry Reed |
| 1971 | Jerry Reed | Chet Atkins Roy Clark Floyd Cramer Boots Randolph |
| 1970 | Jerry Reed | Chet Atkins Roy Clark Floyd Cramer Merle Travis |
| 1969 | Chet Atkins | Roy Clark Floyd Cramer Jerry Reed John Rich |
| 1968 | Chet Atkins | Glen Campbell Roy Clark Floyd Cramer Boots Randolph |
| 1967 | Chet Atkins | Roy Clark Floyd Cramer Pete Drake Boots Randolph |

## Artists with multiple wins

Artists that received multiple awards :
| Awards | Artist |
| 10 | Chet Atkins |
| 10 | Mac McAnally |
| 6 | Johnny Gimble |
| 5 | Mark O'Connor |
| 5 | Jenee Fleenor |
| 3 | Dan Huff |
| 3 | Jerry Douglas |
| 3 | Roy Clark |
| 2 | Brent Mason |
| 2 | Charlie McCoy |
| 2 | Hargus "Pig" Robbins |
| 2 | Jerry Reed |
| 2 | Randy Scruggs |

## Artists with multiple nominations
### 32 nominations

* Paul Franklin

### 21 nominations

* Chet Atkins

### 20 nominations

* Brent Mason

### 19 nominations

* Dann Huff

### 17 nominations

* Jerry Douglas

### 15 nominations

* Roy Clark

### 14 nominations

* Johnny Gimble

### 13 nominations

* Charlie McCoy

### 12 nominations

* Floyd Cramer
* Mac McAnally

### 11 nominations

* Mark O'Connor

### 10 nominations

* Eddie Bayers

### 8 nominations

* Derek Wells
* Hargus "Pig" Robbins
* Matt Rollings

### 7 nominations

* Brent Rowan
* Jerry Reed

### 6 nominations

* Jenee Fleenor
* Randy Scruggs

### 5 nominations

* Sam Bush

### 4 nominations

* Ilya Toshinskiy

### 3 nominations

* Boots Randolph
* Rob McNelley

### 2 nominations

* Buddy Spicher
* Charlie Worsham
* Lloyd Green