Snubs & Surprises at the 2024 CMA Awards

The 2024 CMA Awards, held on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, had its fair share of snubs and surprises.

To be sure, many races went exactly as expected. Old Dominion won vocal group of the year for the seventh year in a row, the longest continuous winning streak in that category’s history. Old Dominion surpassed The Statler Brothers, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts, each of whom won six years in a row. (The Statlers are still ahead in terms of most total awards in the category – nine.)

Chris Stapleton won male vocalist of the year for the fourth year in a row – and for a record-extending eighth time overall. He’s far ahead of the pack in terms of most wins in the category. Runners-up, with five wins each, are Vince Gill, George Strait and Blake Shelton.

Lainey Wilson won female vocalist of the year for the third year in a row. She also took music video of the year for “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.”

Stapleton’s wins for single and song of the year for “White Horse” were also not exactly surprises. It’s the third time Stapleton has walked off with both of those awards. He doubled up in 2018 with “Broken Halos” and in 2021 with “Starting Over.”

The three-hour show was hosted by Luke Bryan and Lainey Wilson and football great Peyton Manning. Tributes to the king of country, George Strait, and rock icon Tom Petty were among the show’s highlights. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises at the 2024 CMA Awards.