CMA Founding President’s Award
Award Criteria
Formerly the Connie B. Gay Award
This Award was established by the CMA Board of Directors in 1963. The Award is given in recognition of a person (or persons) who is not currently serving as a Director of the Association, and who has rendered the most outstanding service to CMA in the current year.
2024 Rob Mills
2013 Mayor Karl Dean
2005 Blue County
2004 Terri Clark
2003 Wynonna Judd
2002 Brad Paisley
2001 Mayor Bill Purcell
2000 Wayne Halper
1999 Martina McBride
1998 Pam Tillis
1997 Trisha Yearwood
1996 Marc Oswald
1995 Cindy Wilson
1994 Helen Farmer
1993 Fred Rappoport
1992 Jim Free
1991 Bob Saporiti
1990 Allen Brown
1989 Michael Sulkin
1988 Ron Huntsman
1987 Paul Conroy
1986 Merrill Warne
1985 Jim Halsey
1984 Frank Mull
1983 Mary Ann McCready
1982 Bob Boatman
1981 Roy Acuff
1980 Charlie Daniels
1979 Ben Smathers
1978 Bob Tubert
1977 Hal Cook
1976 Roy Horton
1975 Hubert Long (posthumously)
1974 Jack Stapp
1973 Frank Jones
1972 Tex Ritter
1971 Ken Nelson
1970 Frank Clement
1969 Johnny Cash
1968 Owen Bradley
1967 Gene Nash, LeRoy Van Dyke
1966 Pack Ackerman
1965 Robert J. Burton
1964 Joe Allison
1963 Richard Frank