Turn on a country music radio station and you can’t always tell if you tuned in correctly or if you have a pop station on. The lines between pop and country are becoming increasingly blurred, so much so that the genres can sometimes be indistinguishable. But even if some songs cross lines, no doubt country music is still a distinct style. And blurred or not, the 51st Country Music Association Awards airing Nov. 8 will honor the best of modern country music.
In anticipation of the event, 24/7 Wall St. has identified the most popular CMA nominees for 2017 based on measures such as CMA Awards history, Billboard performance, and internet popularity.
The list highlights the diversity of acts working in the industry today. While performers who are not historically known for working in the genre – such as P!nk – are featured on the list, the majority of artists are country stalwarts. Those who are among the most popular, by our measure, also happen to be nominated for the most awards this year. Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban lead the pack with five nominations each, with Little Big Town and country crooner Chris Stapleton following behind with four nominations.
Click here to see the 30 most famous CMA Awards nominees.
Perhaps somewhat surprising, many younger musicians, such as 27-year-old Maren Morris, appear to now be more popular than country legends such as Willie Nelson – now 84-years-old – and Glen Campbell, who sadly passed away in August. However, artists who rose to fame in the 1990s, including Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney, dominate most of the higher rankings on the list, showing younger acts that they still have a ways to go before they make it to the top.
That said, it is nearly impossible to fight the wide appeal of a great pop artist. Despite being nominated for only one award this year, Taylor Swift – who has continued to move away from her early country-based style – is by far the most popular artist this year. For example, Swift has nearly 74 million “likes” on Facebook. This is more than all of the “likes” of the following 10 most popular acts combined.
To determine the most popular CMA nominees, 24/7 Wall St. created an index based on various measures related to CMA award history, Billboard performance, and internet presence for all artists nominated for a CMA in 2017. The number of CMA nominations in 2017, the number of lifetime CMA nominations, and the number of CMAs won were each given a one-third weight and included in the index. The position of an artist’s top performing song and album on the Billboard year-end country music charts from 2012 to 2016 were each given a half-weighting and were included in the index. Facebook fan page likes and Spotify followers as of October 31, 2017 were each given a half-weighting and included in the index. Average daily Wikipedia page views over the period of October 31, 2016 to October 30, 2017 were included in the index and given full weight. For artists who toured in 2016, the total annual tour gross and the average gross per show in North America were each given a one-fourth weight and included in the index as a boost to the artist’s overall score. Touring data came from Pollstar are for the year 2016.
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
30. Dann Huff
> 2017 Nominations: 2
> Nominations, all time: 31
> Top song, 2012-2016: N/A
> Top album, 2012-2016: N/A
[in-text-ad]
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
29. Dan + Shay
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 4
> Top song, 2012-2016: From The Ground Up (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Obsessed (2016)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Michael Buckner / Getty Images
28. Glen Campbell
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 16
> Top song, 2012-2016: N/A
> Top album, 2012-2016: N/A
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images
27. Jay Joyce
> 2017 Nominations: 3
> Nominations, all time: 17
> Top song, 2012-2016: N/A
> Top album, 2012-2016: N/A
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
26. Brothers Osborne
> 2017 Nominations: 2
> Nominations, all time: 5
> Top song, 2012-2016: Stay A Little Longer (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Pawn Shop (2016)
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
25. Jon Pardi
> 2017 Nominations: 3
> Nominations, all time: 3
> Top song, 2012-2016: Head Over Boots (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: California Sunrise (2016)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Bryan Steffy / Getty Images
24. Kelsea Ballerini
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 5
> Top song, 2012-2016: Peter Pan (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: The First Time (2016)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Mike Coppola / Getty Images
23. Old Dominion
> 2017 Nominations: 2
> Nominations, all time: 4
> Top song, 2012-2016: Break Up With Him (2015)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Meat And Candy (2016)
Source: Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images
22. Reba McEntire
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 50
> Top song, 2012-2016: N/A
> Top album, 2012-2016: N/A
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com
21. Willie Nelson
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 47
> Top song, 2012-2016: N/A
> Top album, 2012-2016: Band Of Brothers (2014)
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
20. Maren Morris
> 2017 Nominations: 3
> Nominations, all time: 10
> Top song, 2012-2016: My Church (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Hero (2016)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
19. Rascal Flatts
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 19
> Top song, 2012-2016: Rewind (2014)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Changed (2012)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: JStone / Shutterstock.com
18. P!nk
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 1
> Top song, 2012-2016: N/A
> Top album, 2012-2016: N/A
Source: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
17. Dierks Bentley
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 21
> Top song, 2012-2016: Somewhere On A Beach (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Riser (2014)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
16. Sam Hunt
> 2017 Nominations: 2
> Nominations, all time: 5
> Top song, 2012-2016: Take Your Time (2015)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Montevallo (2015)
Source: David Becker / Getty Images
15. Thomas Rhett
> 2017 Nominations: 3
> Nominations, all time: 6
> Top song, 2012-2016: Die A Happy Man (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Tangled Up (2016)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
14. Zac Brown Band
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 17
> Top song, 2012-2016: Homegrown (2015)
> Top album, 2012-2016: JEKYLL + HYDE (2015)
Source: Jason Kempin / Getty Images
13. Florida Georgia Line
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 8
> Top song, 2012-2016: H.O.L.Y. (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Here’s To The Good Times (2013)
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
12. Eric Church
> 2017 Nominations: 3
> Nominations, all time: 25
> Top song, 2012-2016: Springsteen (2012)
> Top album, 2012-2016: The Outsiders (2014)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
11. Chris Stapleton
> 2017 Nominations: 4
> Nominations, all time: 14
> Top song, 2012-2016: Nobody To Blame (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Traveller (2016)
Source: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
10. Little Big Town
> 2017 Nominations: 4
> Nominations, all time: 26
> Top song, 2012-2016: Girl Crush (2015)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Tornado (2013)
[in-text-ad]
Source: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
9. Lady Antebellum
> 2017 Nominations: 2
> Nominations, all time: 21
> Top song, 2012-2016: Bartender (2014)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Own The Night (2012)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
8. Luke Bryan
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 15
> Top song, 2012-2016: Kick The Dust Up (2015)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Crash My Party (2014)
Source: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
7. Tim McGraw
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 45
> Top song, 2012-2016: Humble And Kind (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Two Lanes Of Freedom (2013)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Mat Hayward / Shutterstock.com
6. Carrie Underwood
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 28
> Top song, 2012-2016: Church Bells (2016)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Storyteller (2016)
Source: pasphotography / Shutterstock.com
5. Kenny Chesney
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 47
> Top song, 2012-2016: American Kids (2014)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Welcome To The Fishbowl (2012)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock.com
4. Garth Brooks
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 33
> Top song, 2012-2016: N/A
> Top album, 2012-2016: Blame It All On My Roots: Five Decades Of Influences (2014)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
3. Keith Urban
> 2017 Nominations: 5
> Nominations, all time: 45
> Top song, 2012-2016: John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16 (2015)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Ripcord (2016)
Source: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
2. Miranda Lambert
> 2017 Nominations: 5
> Nominations, all time: 44
> Top song, 2012-2016: Mama’s Broken Heart (2013)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Platinum (2014)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
1. Taylor Swift
> 2017 Nominations: 1
> Nominations, all time: 25
> Top song, 2012-2016: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (2013)
> Top album, 2012-2016: Red (2013)
Sponsored: Want to Retire Early? Here’s a Great First Step
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
