Luke Combs Tour wins "Crew of the Year" 19th Annual CMA Touring Awards
Photo Credit: John Russel/CMA
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58th Annual CMA Awards Set for Nov. 20, 2024 Live from Nashville
Country Music celebrated the backbone of the country music industry during the 19th Annual CMA Touring Awards held at Marathon Music Works in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 3, 2025. Hosted once again by Keith Urban, the night was filled with entertaining videos, emotional tributes to those no longer with us, a genuine camaraderie, and also put a much-needed spotlight on the importance of mental health within the music community.
While honoring the many roles within the music and touring industry, there was a true sense of pride that filled the room. From the unsung heroes to the artists themselves, each of the nominees should be celebrated for their hard work in making their tour a successful one. In addition to the 20 award categories, CMA honored the late Ben Farrell with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his "Unprecedented historical impact on Country Music fans and the industry alike". It was a beautiful moment that filled the room with tears, memories, and laughter as even Garth Brooks shared one of his favorite stories of his beloved friend via pre-recorded video. Check out the Full list of winners and nominees below.
2024 CMA TOURING AWARDS NOMINEES & WINNERS
“The Beautifully Broken Tour” Crew – Jelly Roll
Dalton Brown – Lainey Wilson
Stephanie Alderman – Farris, Self & Moore, LLC
Chad Allison – HARDY
Ryan Dell – Lainey Wilson
Zac Coren – Morgan Wallen
Elisabeth Ashley – Borman Entertainment
Beau Alexander – Morgan Wallen
Chris Alderman – Blake Shelton
Janet Buck – Essential Broadcast Media
Sam “Sambo” Coats – Eric Church
Bandit Lites
Mike Betterton – Wasserman Music
Todd Boltin – Variety Attractions
Matt Anderson – Old Dominion
Kurt Allison (Guitar) – Jason Aldean
Mason Allen – Old Dominion
Josh Clark – Miranda Lambert
Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville, TN
Holly Atherton – Chris StapletonCREW OF THE YEAR
WINNER: “Growin’ Up And Gettin’ Old Tour” Crew – Luke Combs
“Country’s Cool Again Tour” Crew – Lainey Wilson
“Gravel & Gold Tour” Crew – Dierks Bentley
“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 ChesneyBACKLINE TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Derek Benitez – Chris Stapleton
William Coats – Eric Church
Allen Cothran – Jason Aldean
Terry Fox – Kenny Chesney
Dave Graef – Tim McGraw
Hunter Lamb – HARDY
Brian Love – Luke CombsBUSINESS MANAGER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Julie Boos – Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.
Renee Allen – Arnie Barn, Inc.
Kris Wiatr – Wiatr & Associates, LLC
Dwight Wiles – Wiles + Taylor & Co., PCCOACH/TRUCK DRIVER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Wendy Holt – Lainey Wilson
Josh Easter – Morgan Wallen
Toby Eaton – Old Dominion
Rhett Evens – Thomas Rhett
Terry Ford – Kenny Chesney
Caleb Garrett – Luke Bryan
Chris Sims – Jelly RollFOH (FRONT OF HOUSE) ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Todd Lewis – Luke Combs
Ron Gardner – Jelly Roll
David Loy – Kane Brown
Evan “Turbo” Owen – HARDY
Jeff Parsons – Blake Shelton
Robert Scovill – Kenny Chesney
Ian Zorbaugh – Old DominionLIGHTING DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Kevin Northrup – Luke Combs
Trevor Drawdy – HARDY
Philip Ealy – Kenny Chesney
Andy Knighton – Jason Aldean
Mitch Mueller – Lainey Wilson
Chris Reade – Dierks Bentley
Alec Takahashi – Thomas RhettMANAGER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Clint Higham – Morris Higham Management
Enzo DeVincenzo – 377 Management
Martha Earls – Neon Coast
Kerri Edwards – KP Entertainment
Troy “Tracker” Johnson – TRACK Management
Chris Kappy – Make Wake ArtistsMONITOR ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Michael Zuehsow – Luke Combs
Brad Baisley – Blake Shelton
Cory Benson – Tyler Childers
Samuel Ferry – HARDY
Logan Hanna – Brothers Osborne
Jimmy Nicholson – Thomas Rhett
Dean Studebaker – Old DominionPRODUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Jerry Slone – Luke Combs
Jeff “Goofy” Greeninger – Jon Pardi
Chad Guy – Morgan Wallen
Meesha Kosciolek – Eric Church
Earl Neal – Jason Aldean
Emily Waller – Lainey Wilson
Ed Wannebo – Kenny ChesneyPUBLICIST OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Carla Sacks – Sacks & Co.
Jessie Schmidt – Schmidt Relations
Jensen Sussman – Sweet Talk Publicity
Wes Vause – Press On Publicity
Jennifer Vessio – 1220 Entertainment PublicitySTAGE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: 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 + ShaySUPPORT SERVICES COMPANY OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Dega Catering
Master Tour By Eventric
Moo TV
Pioneer Coach
Richards & Southern
Rising Star Travel
Spectrum SoundTALENT AGENT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Austin Neal – The Neal Agency
Rod Essig – CAA
Becky Gardenhire – WME
Meredith Jones – CAA
Braeden Rountree – WME
Adi Sharma – The Neal Agency
Elisa Vazzana – UTATALENT BUYER/PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Adam Weiser – AEG Presents
Brad Garrett – Police Productions
Bradley Jordan – Peachtree Entertainment
Brian O’Connell – Live Nation Nashville
Aaron Spalding – Live Nation Nashville
Ed Warm – Joe’s BarTOUR MANAGER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Ethan Strunk – Luke Combs
David Farmer – Kenny Chesney
Jeff Gossett – Morgan Wallen
Jason Hecht – Chris Stapleton
Mike McGrath – Tim McGraw
Taylor Watson – HARDYTOURING MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Charlie Worsham (Guitar) – Dierks Bentley
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 WallenTOUR VIDEOGRAPHER/PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Andy Barron – Chris Stapleton
Alex Alvga – Kane Brown
Becky Fluke – Little Big Town
Tanner Gallagher – HARDY
Jeff Johnson – Carrie Underwood
David Lehr – Morgan Wallen
Jill Trunnell – Kenny ChesneyTOUR VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Tyler Hutcheson – Luke Combs
Jay Cooper – Kenny Chesney
Houston Creswell – Dierks Bentley
Ron Etters – Chris Stapleton
Jordan Karow – HARDY
Mike Tinsley – Tim McGraw
Jake Zobrist – Cody JohnsonVENUE OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Ryman Auditorium – 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, ILUNSUNG HERO OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Robin Majors – Kenny Chesney
Kayla Carter Greear – Luke Bryan
Mindy Grabowski – Live Nation Entertainment
Jeff “Bean” Griffin – HARDY
Lolo Kinser – Tim McGraw
Mel Murphy – Live Nation Nashville
Katie Wilkinson – Chris Stapleton
While there were many heartfelt and entertaining moments to mention, we cannot ignore that the Luke Combs camp conquered the night claiming the majority of the awards, leaving Urban no choice but to jokingly draw attention to it. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. The Country Music Industry would not be the same without you. ~Missy
About CMA Touring Awards
After 15 years, the CMA Touring Awards returned in 2012 to celebrate the Country Music touring industry and the people who continue to promote and sustain America’s favorite live entertainment format!
Previously known as the SRO (Standing Room Only) Awards, the CMA Touring Awards were originally created by the CMA Board of Directors in 1990 to honor outstanding professional achievement within the touring industry. Only CMA members in the Advertising/Public Relations/Media, Affiliated, Artist, Entertainment Services, International, Marketing/Digital, Musician, Personal Manager, Record Company, Talent Agent, Talent Buyer/Promoter, Touring Personnel, and Venue categories vote for the CMA Touring Awards.
After two rounds of balloting, five to eight finalists are selected by a CMA Board-approved Task Force. The winners are determined by a Final Round of voting and announced at the CMA Touring Awards ceremony. The eligibility period is from October 1 of the previous year to September 30 of the current year.
About CMA
Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association (CMA) is the premier trade association of the Country Music industry. Representing professionals making a living in Country Music globally, the organization serves as a critical resource of support and information, honors excellence in the genre and provides a forum for industry leadership. CMA is dedicated to expanding Country Music around the world through a number of core programs and initiatives including the organization’s three annual television properties—the CMA Awards, “CMA Fest” and “CMA Country Christmas,” all of which air on ABC. The organization’s philanthropic arm, the CMA Foundation, works tirelessly to provide equitable access to music education in order to create impactful change for students and teachers across the United States.
CMA is committed to providing support to all within the music community through one of its many programs including the Touring Mentorship Program. For more information on these programs, please visit www.CMAmember.com/MentalHealth.
Photo Credit for main article image: John Russell/CMA
Additional Photo Credit: Tommy Lemon
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About Missy Wolf
Co-Founder, Editor, Journalist & Vice President of the American Country Music AssociationFrom an early age I knew music and entertainment were in my blood. I have always been enamored with the idea of being in this industry, though I never wanted to be a front and center "Star". Taking the audience behind the scenes for up close conversations with the artists they love is where I want to be. Life in lyrics has always been my style, so as my favorite country artist Wade Hayes sings, I am living my life and chasing my dreams! Conducting interviews, meeting talented people and sharing stories and adventure are my passion. My new favorite hashtag is #iaskyouanswer, so stay tuned for more interviews, articles and adventures!
