3 CMA Award Winners From 1979 We Still Can’t Get Enough of Today

If country music’s reputation is accurate—that it’s comprised of just a few chords and the truth—then it stands to reason that the genre’s best songs from its best artists should stand up to the test of time. If the truth doesn’t fade, then neither should country music’s best stuff, right?

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Right! Well, here below, we wanted to prove that idea through the wringer. We wanted to highlight three country performers from nearly 50 years ago that we still totally love today. Indeed, these are three CMA winners from 1979 who we still can’t get enough of even now.

Willie Nelson

In 1979, Willie Nelson released two albums—Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson and Pretty Paper. He’d also released Stardust in 1978 and, for good measure, he dropped Family Bible in 1980. For all of that, on October 8, 1979, at the Grand Ole Opry, Nelson earned the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award at the CMAs. He beat out Crystal Gayle, Barbara Mandrell, Kenny Rogers, and Statler Brothers to do it. But when you release nearly a half-dozen records in the span of a few months, and you release a hit like “Pretty Paper”, you earn the top spot.

Kenny Rogers

But Willie Nelson wasn’t the only country star releasing album after album. Kenny Rogers released three records in 1978—Every Time Two Fools Collide, Love or Something Like It, and The Gambler—and then followed it up with two more in 1979—Classics and Kenny. For those efforts, he garnered the Male Vocalist of the Year, beating out Nelson, John Conlee, Larry Gatlin, and Don Williams. 1979 certainly was a star-studded year.

Barbara Mandrell

In 1979, Barbara Mandrell released her popular LP, Just for the Record. Not only did it chart highly on the Billboard Top Country Albums (hitting No. 9), but it also made the Top 200 (sneaking in at No 166). The LP included the propulsive, almost disco-like single “Fooled By A Feeling”, on which Mandrell showcases her operatic voice. Because of this (and more), she earned the Female Vocalist of the Year award at the CMAs, beating out Janie Fricke, Crystal Gayle, Emmylou Harris, and Anne Murray.

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