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, 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

right|upright|thumb|alt=|1996 winner and three-time nominee [[Shania Twain is the first and so far only non-American winner.]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=|[[Dixie Chicks the most awarded performers with four wins.]]

thumb|right|upright|alt=|[[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.]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=|2009 winner [[George Strait]]

right|upright|thumb|[[Taylor Swift received three nominations in this category. Her album, Fearless won, including Album of the Year in 2010.]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=|[[Lady Antebellum, three-time nominees and 2011 and 2012 winners]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=|Two-time winner [[Kacey Musgraves. Her album Golden Hour has also won Album of the Year in 2019.]]

thumb|right|upright|alt=|Two-time recipient [[Miranda Lambert]]

thumb|right|upright|alt=|Three-time winner [[Chris Stapleton]]

thumb|right|upright|alt=|[[Beyoncé is the first black artist to win the award. Her album, Cowboy Carter also won Album of the Year in 2025.]]

1960s

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="7" style="text-align: center;" | 1965<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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.

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1966<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1995<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;" | 1996<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;" | 1997<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1998<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1999<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Wide Open Spaces

| The Chicks

|-

| Come On Over

| Shania Twain

|-

| Faith

| Faith Hill

|-

| Sevens

| Garth Brooks

|-

| Where Your Road Leads

| Trisha Yearwood

|-

|}

2000s

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2000<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2001<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2002<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2003<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Home

| The Chicks

|-

| Drive

| Alan Jackson

|-

| The Great Divide

| Willie Nelson

|-

| Halos & Horns

| Dolly Parton

|-

| Man with a Memory

| Joe Nichols

|-

| rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;" | 2004<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2005<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2006<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2007<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2008<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| These Days

| Vince Gill

|-

| 5th Gear

| Brad Paisley

|-

| It Just Comes Natural

| George Strait

|-

| Let It Go

| Tim McGraw

|-

| Long Trip Alone

| Dierks Bentley

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2009<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2010<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Fearless

| Taylor Swift

|-

| Call Me Crazy

| Lee Ann Womack

|-

| Defying Gravity

| Keith Urban

|-

| The Foundation

| Zac Brown Band

|-

| Twang

| George Strait

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2011<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;" | 2012<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2013<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2014<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2015

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Platinum

| Miranda Lambert

|-

| The Outsiders

| Eric Church

|-

| Riser

| Dierks Bentley

|-

| 12 Stories

| Brandy Clark

|-

| The Way I'm Livin

| Lee Ann Womack

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2016

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Traveller

| Chris Stapleton

|-

| The Blade

| Ashley Monroe

|-

| Montevallo

| Sam Hunt

|-

| Pageant Material

| Kacey Musgraves

|-

| Pain Killer

| Little Big Town

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2017<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2018<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| From A Room: Volume 1

| Chris Stapleton

|-

| The Breaker

| Little Big Town

|-

| Cosmic Hallelujah

| Kenny Chesney

|-

| Heart Break

| Lady Antebellum

|-

| Life Changes

| Thomas Rhett

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2019<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="10%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="45%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2020<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2021<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Wildcard

| Miranda Lambert

|-

| Lady Like

| Ingrid Andress

|-

| Never Will

| Ashley McBryde

|-

| Nightfall

| Little Big Town

|-

| Your Life Is a Record

| Brandy Clark

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2022<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2023<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| A Beautiful Time

| Willie Nelson

|-

| Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville

| Ashley McBryde

|-

| Growin' Up

| Luke Combs

|-

| Humble Quest

| Maren Morris

|-

| Palomino

| Miranda Lambert

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2024<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2025<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Cowboy Carter

| Beyoncé

|-

| Deeper Well

| Kacey Musgraves

|-

| F-1 Trillion

| Post Malone

|-

| Higher

| Chris Stapleton

|-

| Whirlwind

| Lainey Wilson

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2026<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 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

;General

• Note: User must select the "Country" category as the genre under the search feature.

;Specific