Thomas Rhett was an early winner at the 50th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday night, picking up Single of the Year for his hit “Die a Happy Man,” while Garth Brooks took home the last major award of the evening for Entertainer of the Year.
Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley once again hosted the ceremony for the ninth straight year as the 50th annual awards show aired live from Nashville, Tennessee, on ABC.
Along with hosting and performing, Underwood was named Female Vocalist of the Year, Chris Stapleton was crowned Male Vocalist of the Year and Dan Huff was honored with Musician of the Year.
Later in the night, Eric Church took home Album of the Year for “Misunderstood,” while Maren Morris was named Newcomer of the Year.
Church, Morris and Stapleton were among the top nominees heading into the night with five nods each, while Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Underwood had all earned four.
Aside from those winning awards, fans were buzzing about Beyonce, who — despite not being a country artist — performed her “Lemonade” hit “Daddy Lessons” with the Dixie Chicks.
See the full list of winners below (winner is in bold with an *)
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Garth Brooks *WINNER
Luke Bryan
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Die a Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett *WINNER
“Humble and Kind” – Tim McGraw
“My Church” – Maren Morris
“Nobody to Blame” – Chris Stapleton
“Record Year” – Eric Church
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Black – Dierks Bentley
Hero – Maren Morris
Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church *WINNER
Ripcord – Keith Urban
Storyteller – Carrie Underwood
SONG OF THE YEAR (Songwriting)
“Burning House” – Camaron “Cam” Ochs, Tyler Johnson, Jeff Bhasker
“Die a Happy Man” – Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett, Joe Spargur
“Humble and Kind” – Lori McKenna *WINNER
“Record Year” – Eric Church, Jeff Hyde
“My Church” – busbee, Maren Morris
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood *WINNER
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Tim McGraw
Chris Stapleton *WINNER
Keith Urban
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town *WINNER
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne *WINNER
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Joey + Rory
Maddy & Tae
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Home Alone Tonight – Luke Bryan Featuring Karen Fairchild
The Fighter – Keith Urban Featuring Carrie Underwood
Think of You – Chris Young duet with Cassadee Pope
You Are My Sunshine – Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton
Different For Girls – Dierks Bentley feat. Elle King *WINNER
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Paul Franklin
Dann Huff *WINNER
Brent Mason
Derek Wells
Jerry Douglas
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Chris Stapleton – Fire Away *WINNER
Tim McGraw – Humble and Kind
Eric Church – Record Year
Dierks Bentley – Somewhere on a Beach
Cam – Burning House
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne
Maren Morris *WINNER
Old Dominion
Cole Swindell
Kelsea Ballerini