Dierks Bentley, on behalf of the Country Music Association, presented Alabama with the CMA Pinnacle Award on Sunday (June 11th) during CMA Fest. The Country Music Hall of Famers took the Nissan Stadium Main Stage to perform during CMA Fest’s milestone 50th anniversary celebration. The Pinnacle Award recognizes an artist or group who has “redefined the pinnacle of success in the genre by achieving prominence through concert performances, consumption numbers, record sales and/or other significant industry achievements at levels unique for Country Music,” according to a release.
The Pinnacle Award was created in 2005 when it was presented to Garth Brooks. The award’s only other recipients are Taylor Swift (2013) and Kenny Chesney (2016).
Alabama is the first act and only band to win CMA’s Entertainer of the Year award three times in a row (1982-1984). The band is also a three-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year (1981-1983), two-time Instrumental Group of the Year (1981-1982) and won Album of the Year for The Closer You Get… in 1983. Alabama was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.