CMA Honors Multi-Hit Songwriters at the 2026 Triple Play Awards

The 2026 Triple Play Awards took place at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville on Monday, April 13. The award is one of the most coveted feats in Music City, celebrating three No. 1 songs in a 12-month period. In a town that celebrates the craft perhaps more so than any other market, this award is the top of the mountain for many.

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This year’s awards celebrated 16 Triple Play winners. It also celebrated a host of first-time No. 1 earning songwriters and this year’s CMA Songwriter Advocate Award recipient, Bart Herbison. The Triple Play honorees included Andy Albert, Louis Bell, John Byron, Jessie Jo Dillon, Ashley Gorley, Riley Green, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Ella Langley, Chase McGill, John Morgan, Blake Pendergrass, Taylor Phillips, Austin Post (Post Malone), Ernest Keith Smith (Ernest), and Morgan Wallen.

Many of these top songwriters are no strangers to this award. However, several earned their first triple play, solidifying their stake in the genre. The energy of these awards is special. There is a reverence and an ease in the room, with a largely unsung group of creatives getting their due. Co-writers were celebrating co-writers, and a mutual love for powerfully written songs was prevalent.

“It’s kind of hard to believe,” John Morgan, who was celebrating his first No. 1 as an artist alongside two chart-topping cuts from Jason Aldean, told American Songwriter of this singular honor. “Being categorized with some of the best writers in town, who will go on to be some of the best of our time.”

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And that sentiment rang true throughout the night. It’s hard to know which songs will become classics as time goes on. But when you hear the collection of No. 1’s from the past year, it feels like witnessing history. From Ella Langley’s runaway hit “Choosin’ Texas” to Morgan Wallen’s numerous inclusions, the songs honored at this year’s Triple Play Awards felt like instant classics.

Herbison’s Songwriter Advocate Award was a standout moment from the night. The NSAI Executive Director has dedicated his career to championing music in Nashville and at the highest level in D.C. From the Music Modernization Act to long-term capital gains protections, Herbison is a name all songwriters should know. Herbison used his time on stage to further his activism. He challenged the next generation of songwriters to push the needle forward on their rights as creators.

“I’m going to ask and challenge this generation to get involved,” Herbison tells American Songwriter of his goal in accepting this award. “I’ve done 1000s of [D.C.] appointments over the years. [The congressmen and women] wouldn’t remember me. But when a songwriter sits in that congressional office and plays a song that they know, they remember what we’re there for.”

Another highlight from the event was the homage to Paul Overstreet. The songwriter is responsible for “Seein’ My Father In Me,” “When You Say Nothing At All,” and “On The Other Hand”. He was paid tribute by his children, who all share his musical talent. Their medley of his top songs hit just the right chord, becoming the night’s most emotionally charged moment.

Nashville has always emphasized songwriting, making these awards paramount to that goal. If you want a pretty good idea of where country music is headed, all you have to do is look into this year’s Triple Play recipients. They are also the genre’s tastemakers and most prevalent contributors.

(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)