Zach Top’s ‘Cold Beer & Country Music’ Becomes The 19th Debut Album Ever To Be Nominated For CMA Awards ‘Album Of The Year’

On Monday, the Country Music Association announced its picks for the 59th annual CMA Awards. In typical CMA fashion, a lot of the usual names were present, with Morgan Wallen scoring three nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, Chris Stapleton being nominated for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year (shocker) and Lainey Wilson continuing her award show dominance with six nominations, including Entertainer and Female Vocalist of the Year.

Undoubtedly, there were two major storylines emerging upon the nominations. Those two, of course, being Wilson, Megan Moroney and Ella Langley leading the way with six nominations each (a stark contrast to female country singers’ dwindling success on country radio these days) and Zach Top’s five nominations.

Though the fact that Wilson, Moroney and Langley are leading the way despite country radio’s continued refusal to give women a fair shake compared to their male counterparts deserves its own article entirely, I wanted to focus on Zach Top for a moment. There’s simply no denying that he’s country music’s new “it” artist.

Of course, Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan are still putting up bigger numbers overall, thanks in part to their crossover appeal and the simple fact that they’ve been around longer. With that being said, however, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the “Use Me” singer is becoming the “chosen one” in the genre, both in the public’s eyes and by the industry’s gatekeepers.

As previously mentioned, Top was nominated for five separate awards: Male Vocalist of the Year, New Artist of the Year (for the second year in a row), Song of the Year and Single of the Year for “I Never Lie” and Album of the Year for Cold Beer & Country Music. 

It’s the Album of the Year nomination that is particularly interesting. With the nod, Top is now one of only 19 artists in the history of the CMA Award to score an AOTY nomination for their debut album, joining the likes of Chris Stapleton’s Traveller, Brooks & Dunn’s Brand New Man, Randy Travis’ Storms of Life and more.

With a win this November, Top would accomplish an even more rare feat and become just the fourth artist ever to actually win the award with their debut album, given that only Stapleton (Traveller), The Kentucky Headhunters (Pickin’ On Nashville) and Jack Greene (There Goes My Everything) are the only artists in history to win with their first record at the CMA Awards.

Of course, we won’t know Top’s outcome until the show airs on November 19th. But for now, here are the 19 debut albums to ever score an Album of the Year nomination at the CMA Awards:

1. Cold Beer & Country Music  – Zach Top

Release Date: April 5, 2024

Year Nominated: 2025 (59th Annual)

Producer: Carson Chamberlain

Result: TBA

2. Traveller – Chris Stapleton

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Year Nominated: 2015 (49th Annual)

Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton

Result: Winner

3. Same Trailer, Different Park – Kacey Musgraves

Release Date: March 19, 2013

Year Nominated: 2013 (47th Annual)

Producers: Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves

Result: Loss

4. Here for the Party – Gretchen Wilson

Release Date: May 11, 2004

Year Nominated: 2004 (38th Annual)

Producers: Joe Scaife, Mark Wright, John Rich (associate producer)

Result: Loss

5. Who Needs Pictures – Brad Paisley

Release Date: June 1, 1999

Year Nominated: 2000 (34th Annual)

Producer: Frank Rogers

Result: Loss

6. Did I Shave My Legs for This? – Deana Carter

Release Date: September 3, 1996

Year Nominated: 1997 (31st Annual)

Producers: Chris Farren, Jimmy Bowen, John Guess

Result: Loss

7. Brand New Man – Brooks & Dunn

Release Date: August 13, 1991

Year Nominated: 1992 (26th Annual)

Producers: Don Cook, Scott Hendricks

Result: Loss

8. Wynonna – Wynonna Judd

Release Date: March 31, 1992

Year Nominated: 1992 (26th Annual)

Producers: Tony Brown, Paul Kennerley

Result: Loss

9. Pickin’ on Nashville – Kentucky Headhunters

Release Date: October 17, 1989

Year Nominated: 1990 (24th Annual)

Producer: The Kentucky Headhunters

Result: Winner

10. Here in the Real World – Alan Jackson

Release Date: February 27, 1990

Year Nominated: 1990 (24th Annual)

Producers: Scott Hendricks, Keith Stegall

Result: Loss

11. Storms of Life – Randy Travis

Release Date: June 2, 1986

Year Nominated: 1986 (20th Annual)

Producers: Kyle Lehning, Keith Stegall

Result: Loss

12. Why Not Me – The Judds

Release Date: October 15, 1984

Year Nominated: 1985 (19th Annual)

Producer: Brent Maher

Result: Loss

13. Rose Colored Glasses – John Conlee

Release Date: October 11, 1978

Year Nominated: 1979 (13th Annual)

Producer: Bud Logan

Result: Loss

14. I Don’t Want to Have to Marry You – Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelious

Release Date: September 1976

Year Nominated: 1977 (11th Annual)

Producer: Bob Ferguson

Result: Loss

15. The Blind Man in the Bleachers – Kenny Starr

Release Date: December 26, 1975

Year Nominated: 1976 (10th Annual)

Producer: Snuffy Miller

Result: Loss

16. Before the Next Teardrop Falls – Freddy Fender

Release Date: March 19, 1975

Year Nominated: 1975 (9th Annual)

Producer: Huey P. Meaux

Result: Loss

17. The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. – Donna Fargo

Release Date: May 1972

Year Nominated: 1972 (6th Annual)

Producer: Stan Silver

Result: Loss

18. Help Me Make It Through the Night – Sammi Smith

Release Date: September 1970

Year Nominated: 1970 (4th Annual)

Producer: Jim Malloy

Result: Loss

19. There Goes My Everything – Jack Greene

Release Date: December 1966

Year Nominated: 1966 (1st Annual)

Producer: Owen Bradley

Result: Winner

The post Zach Top’s ‘Cold Beer & Country Music’ Becomes The 19th Debut Album Ever To Be Nominated For CMA Awards ‘Album Of The Year’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.