NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) — On Wednesday, the Country Music Association revealed the nominees for the 2024 CMA Touring Awards, honoring the behind-the-scenes contributors to the success of the country music touring industry.
“Taking the time to honor the outstanding work of our touring community is one of our most proud nights of the year,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Our road warriors are the ones who take the soul of Nashville on the road and share it with the rest of the world in creative and exciting ways. Country Music’s growth simply would not be possible without each and every one of our nominees and we are so excited to celebrate them this coming March.”
As part of the announcement, the CMA said that longtime Country Music concert promoter Ben Farrell will be posthumously honored with the CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his commitment and contribution to the growth of country music touring throughout his career.
The 2024 CMA Touring Awards will take place on March 3 in Nashville, TN, with veteran country artist Keith Urban returning for his third consecutive year as host.
The final round of voting for the 2024 CMA Touring Awards opens Monday, Jan. 6 and closes Thursday, Jan. 16.
All balloting is tabulated by the professional services organization, Deloitte.
CREW OF THE YEAR
• “The Beautifully Broken Tour” Crew – Jelly Roll
• “Country’s Cool Again Tour” Crew – Lainey Wilson
• “Gravel & Gold Tour” Crew – Dierks Bentley
• “Growin’ Up And Gettin’ Old Tour” Crew – Luke Combs
• “No Bad Vibes Tour” Crew – Old Dominion
• “One Night At A Time Tour” Crew – Morgan Wallen
• “Quit!! Tour” Crew – HARDY
• “Sun Goes Down Tour” Crew – Kenny Chesney
BACKLINE TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR
• Derek Benitez – Chris Stapleton
• Dalton Brown – Lainey Wilson
• William Coats – Eric Church
• Allen Cothran – Jason Aldean
• Terry Fox – Kenny Chesney
• Dave Graef – Tim McGraw
• Hunter Lamb – HARDY
• Brian Love – Luke Combs
BUSINESS MANAGER OF THE YEAR
• Stephanie Alderman – Farris, Self & Moore, LLC
• Renee Allen – Arnie Barn, Inc.
• Julie Boos – Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.
• Kris Wiatr – Wiatr & Associates, LLC
• Dwight Wiles – Wiles + Taylor & Co., PC
COACH/TRUCK DRIVER OF THE YEAR
• Chad Allison – HARDY
• Josh Easter – Morgan Wallen
• Toby Eaton – Old Dominion
• Rhett Evens – Thomas Rhett
• Terry Ford – Kenny Chesney
• Caleb Garrett – Luke Bryan
• Wendy Holt – Lainey Wilson
• Chris Sims – Jelly Roll
FOH (FRONT OF HOUSE) ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
• Ryan Dell – Lainey Wilson
• Ron Gardner – Jelly Roll
• Todd Lewis – Luke Combs
• David Loy – Kane Brown
• Evan Owen – HARDY
• Jeff Parsons – Blake Shelton
• Robert Scovill – Kenny Chesney
• Ian Zorbaugh – Old Dominion
LIGHTING DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
• Zac Coren – Morgan Wallen
• Trevor Drawdy – HARDY
• Philip Ealy – Kenny Chesney
• Andy Knighton – Jason Aldean
• Mitch Mueller – Lainey Wilson
• Kevin Northrup – Luke Combs
• Chris Reade – Dierks Bentley
• Alec Takahashi – Thomas Rhett
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
• Elisabeth Ashley – Borman Entertainment
• Enzo DeVincenzo – 377 Management
• Martha Earls – Neon Coast
• Kerri Edwards – KP Entertainment
• Clint Higham – Morris Higham Management
• Troy “Tracker” Johnson – Big Loud Mountain Management
• Chris Kappy – Make Wake Artists
MONITOR ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
• Beau Alexander – Morgan Wallen
• Brad Baisley – Blake Shelton
• Cory Benson – Tyler Childers
• Samuel Ferry – HARDY
• Logan Hanna – Brothers Osborne
• Jimmy Nicholson – Thomas Rhett
• Dean Studebaker – Old Dominion
• Michael Zuehsow – Luke Combs
PRODUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR
• Chris Alderman – Blake Shelton
• Jeff Greeninger – Jon Pardi
• Chad Guy – Morgan Wallen
• Meesha Koscioleck – Eric Church
• Earl Neal – Jason Aldean
• Jerry Slone – Luke Combs
• Emily Waller – Lainey Wilson
• Ed Wannebo – Kenny Chesney
PUBLICIST OF THE YEAR
• Janet Buck – Essential Broadcast Media
• Carla Sacks – Sacks & Co.
• Jessie Schmidt – Schmidt Relations
• Jensen Sussman – Sweet Talk Publicity
• Wes Vause – Press On Publicity
• Jennifer Vessio – 1220 Entertainment Publicity
STAGE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
• Sam “Sambo” Coats – Eric Church
• Donnie Floyd – Morgan Wallen
• Matt Hornbeck – Luke Combs
• Josh “Dude” Marcus – Jason Aldean
• Tom Nisun – Kenny Chesney
• Allison Noah – Carly Pearce
• Richard Rossey – Old Dominion
• Fred Yanda – Dan + Shay
SUPPORT SERVICES COMPANY OF THE YEAR
• Bandit Lites
• Dega Catering
• Master Tour By Eventric
• Moo TV
• Pioneer Coach
• Richards & Southern
• Rising Star Travel
• Spectrum Sound
TALENT AGENT OF THE YEAR
• Mike Betterton – Wasserman Music
• Rod Essig – CAA
• Becky Gardenhire – WME
• Meredith Jones – CAA
• Austin Neal – The Neal Agency
• Braeden Rountree – WME
• Adi Sharma – The Neal Agency
• Elisa Vazzana – UTA
TALENT BUYER/PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
• Todd Boltin – Variety Attractions
• Brad Garrett – Police Productions
• Bradley Jordan – Peachtree Entertainment
• Brian O’Connell – Live Nation Nashville
• Aaron Spalding – Live Nation Nashville
• Ed Warm – Joe’s Bar
• Adam Weiser – AEG Presents
TOUR MANAGER OF THE YEAR
• Matt Anderson – Old Dominion
• David Farmer – Kenny Chesney
• Jeff Gossett – Morgan Wallen
• Jason Hecht – Chris Stapleton
• Mike McGrath – Tim McGraw
• Ethan Strunk – Luke Combs
• Taylor Watson – HARDY
TOURING MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
• Kurt Allison (Guitar) – Jason Aldean
• Nick Buda (Drums) – Kenny Chesney
• Jerry Flowers (Bass Guitar) – Keith Urban
• Aslan Freeman (Guitar) – Lainey Wilson
• Kurt Ozan (Guitar) – Luke Combs
• Mickey Raphael (Harmonica) – Chris Stapleton
• Tyler Tomlinson (Guitar) – Morgan Wallen
• Charlie Worsham (Guitar) – Dierks Bentley
TOUR VIDEOGRAPHER/PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
• Mason Allen – Old Dominion
• Alex Alvga – Kane Brown
• Andy Barron – Chris Stapleton
• Becky Fluke – Little Big Town
• Tanner Gallagher – HARDY
• Jeff Johnson – Carrie Underwood
• David Lehr – Morgan Wallen
• Jill Trunnell – Kenny Chesney
TOUR VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
• Josh Clark – Miranda Lambert
• Jay Cooper – Kenny Chesney
• Houston Creswell – Dierks Bentley
• Ron Etters – Chris Stapleton
• Tyler Hutcheson – Luke Combs
• Jordan Karow – HARDY
• Mike Tinsley – Tim McGraw
• Jake Zobrist – Cody Johnson
VENUE OF THE YEAR
• Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville, TN
• BankNH Pavilion – Gilford, NH
• Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
• Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
• Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
• Joe’s on Weed St. – Chicago, IL
• Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
UNSUNG HERO OF THE YEAR
• Holly Atherton – Chris Stapleton
• Kayla Carter Greear – Luke Bryan
• Mindy Grabowski – Live Nation Entertainment
• Jeff “Bean” Griffin – HARDY
• Lolo Kinser – Tim McGraw
• Robin Majors – Kenny Chesney
• Mel Murphy – Live Nation Nashville
• Katie Wilkinson – Chris Stapleton
