# 49th Annual Country Music Association Awards

The 49th Annual Country Music Association Awards were held on November 4, 2015, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and were hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, marking their eighth year as co-hosts.
The nominations for the 49th CMA Awards were announced on September 9, 2015, on Good Morning America by Steven Tyler and Kelsea Ballerini.

## Winners and nominees

The winners are in Bold.
| Entertainer of the Year | Album of the Year |
| Garth Brooks Luke Bryan Kenny Chesney Eric Church Miranda Lambert | Traveler — Chris Stapleton Pageant Material — Kacey Musgraves Pain Killer — Little Big Town The Big Revival — Kenny Chesney Old Boots, New Dirt — Jason Aldean |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Female Vocalist of the Year |
| Chris Stapleton Dierks Bentley Luke Bryan Eric Church Blake Shelton | Miranda Lambert Kelsea Ballerini Kacey Musgraves Carrie Underwood Lee Ann Womack |
| Vocal Group of the Year | Vocal Duo of the Year |
| Little Big Town Lady Antebellum Rascal Flatts The Band Perry Zac Brown Band | Florida Georgia Line Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Maddie & Tae Thompson Square |
| Single of the Year | Song of the Year |
| "Girl Crush" — Little Big Town "American Kids" — Kenny Chesney "I Don't Dance" — Lee Brice "Take Your Time" — Sam Hunt "Talladega" — Eric Church | "Girl Crush" — Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, and Liz Rose "American Kids" — Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, and Shane McAnally "Like a Cowboy" — Randy Houser and Brice Long "Like a Wrecking Ball" —Eric Church and Casey Beathard "Take Your Time" — Sam Hunt, Josh Osborne, and Shane McAnally |
| New Artist of the Year | Musician of the Year |
| Chris Stapleton Kelsea Ballerini Sam Hunt Maddie & Tae Thomas Rhett | Mac McAnally, Guitar Sam Bush, Mandolin Jerry Douglas, Dobro Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar Dann Huff, Guitar |
| Music Video of the Year | Musical Event of the Year |
| "Girl in a Country Song" — Maddie & Tae "Biscuits" — Kacey Musgraves "Girl Crush" —Little Big Town "Little Red Wagon" — Miranda Lambert "Something in the Water" — Carrie Underwood | "Raise 'Em Up" — Keith Urban and Eric Church "Lonely Tonight" — Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe "Django and Jimmie" — Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard "Smokin' and Drinkin'" — Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town "Wild Child" —Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter |

### Special Recognition Awards

| Award | Recipient | Ref |
| Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award | Johnny Cash (posthumus) | |
| Joe Talbot Award | George Jones (posthumus) | |

## Performers

| Performer(s) | Song(s) |
| Keith Urban | "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" |
| Little Big Town | "Girl Crush" |
| Chris Stapleton Justin Timberlake | "Tennessee Whiskey" "Drink You Away" |
| Maddie & Tae | "Girl in a Country Song" |
| Miranda Lambert | "Bathroom Sink" |
| Blake Shelton | "Gonna" |
| Kacey Musgraves | Dime Store Cowgirl |
| Eric Church | Mr. Misunderstood |
| Carrie Underwood | "Smoke Break" |
| Thomas Rhett Fall Out Boy | "Crash And Burn" "Uma Thurman" |
| Brooks & Dunn Reba McEntire | "Why Haven't I Heard From You?" "Play Something Country" |
| Sam Hunt | "Take Your Time" |
| Jason Aldean | "Gonna Know We Were Here" |
| Luke Bryan | "Strip It Down" |
| John Mellencamp Keith Urban | "Pink Houses" |
| Kelsea Ballerini | "Love Me Like You Mean It" |
| Kenny Chesney | "Save It For a Rainy Day" |
| Hank Williams, Jr Eric Church | "Are You Ready For the Country?" |
| Dierks Bentley Lindsey Stirling | "Riser" |
| Pentatonix | Tribute to Oak Ridge Boys "Elvira" |
| Zac Brown Band | "Beautiful Drug" |
| Florida Georgia Line | "Confession" |
| Brad Paisley | "Country Nation" |

## Presenters

| Presenter(s) | Award |
| Edie Brickell and Steve Martin | Single of the Year |
| Betty Cantrell and Darius Rucker | Song of the Year |
| Cole Swindell, Heather O'Reilly, and Megan Rapinoe | Vocal Duo of the Year |
| Pentatonix | Vocal Group of the Year |
| Lee Ann Womack and Keifer Sutherland | Album of the Year |
| Brett Eldredge and Cam | New Artist of the Year |
| Charles Kelley and Hannah Davis | Female Vocalist of the Year |
| Erika Christensen and Jennifer Nettles | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| Reba McEntire | Entertainer of the Year |