As voting for the first round of the 2024 CMA Awards opens today, here are 11 stories to watch

At the CMA Awards on November 11, 2020, Morgan Wallen was named New Artist of the Year. Less than three months later, he was caught on video using a racial slur, an incident that almost certainly cost him some major awards. He hasn't won at the CMAs since his new artist nearly four years ago, though he's since received two nominations for Artist of the Year, Vocalist of the Year and album of the Year. Will CMA voters be ready to embrace him now? This year, he is a top contender for Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Single of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for Post Malone's “I Had Some Help,” on which he appears.

If Wallen wants CMA voters to see that he's matured by 2020, he did himself no favors with the much-publicized incident of throwing a chair off the roof of Eric Church's bar on April 7.

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter from above Advertising sign's Top Country Albums chart for four weeks and looks to be a strong contender for an album of the Year nod. Beyoncé would be the first black woman to receive a CMA nod for album of the Year as a featured artist. Only one Black person has been nominated in the Main Artist category. This is Charley Pride, who was nominated four times (never winning) – me Charley Pride Live and in person (1969), Just Charlie (1970), Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs (1972) and There's a Little Hank in me (1980), the latter a Hank Williams tribute album.

Note: Ten Black artists appeared Rhythm, Country and Bluesa genre-bending multi-artist album that won album of the Year in 1994. It featured The Staple Singers, Al Green, BB King, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Sam Moore, Aaron Neville, The Pointer Sisters, Allen Toussaint and Natalie Cole.

Lainey Wilson, 32, who won entertainer of the year last year, wasn't even born the last time a woman won entertainer of the year awards. Barbara Mandrell accomplished the feat in 1980-81. Taylor Swift is the only other woman to win the category twice, but her wins in 2009 and 2011 were not consecutive. Could Wilson tie Mandrell's record this year? Stay tuned.

Chris Stapleton has won the singer of the year award seven times. Will he extend his streak to eight wins? He is well ahead of the team in terms of most wins in the division. Runners-up, with five wins each, are Vince Gill, George Strait and Blake Shelton.

Stapleton holds another CMA record, though he'd probably like to lose: He's accumulated the most Entertainer of the Year nominations (seven) without a win. Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood are currently tied for second on the list of artists with the most nominations without a win (six).

Stapleton is also a top contender in the album of the year category with Starting from scratch. The release, which entered Top Country Albums at No. 1 in November, is bidding to become his fifth straight studio album to be nominated in that category – his entire solo discography to date.

Last year, Bryan received his first CMA nomination – New Artist of the Year. (Lost to Jelly Roll.) Will Bryan puts out an album of the year Zac Bryan and/or a single of the year nod? It has two strong contenders for the final award: “I Remember Everything” (featuring Kacey Musgraves) from Zac Bryan and 'Pink Skies', from his new album The Great American Bar Scene.

Shaboozey's debut album, Where I've been is not where I'm going, reached No. 2 on Top Country Albums. The multi-layered smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” reached his No.12 Advertising signof the Country Airplay chart, and it's still climbing. If Shaboozey were to win New Artist of the Year, he would be the third black artist to win in that category, following Darius Rucker (2009) and Jimmie Allen (2021).

Two other black artists were nominated in this category (or the horizon award, as the award was known from its inception in 1981 until 2007). Mickey Guyton was nominated in 2021 (and lost to Allen). Ray Charles (yes, that Ray Charles) was nominated in 1985 (and lost to Sawyer Brown).

This takes some explaining: Charles was a legend for decades until 1985, but the CMAs allowed him to compete for the horizon award because he had success with his duet collection Friendshipwhich culminated Advertising signentered the Top Country Albums chart and produced the No. 1 hit on Hot Country Songs, “Seven Spanish Angels,” featuring Willie Nelson.

I'm not sure it made sense to allow a legend to compete for a new artist award (and take away a nomination from an actual new artist), but the CMAs were probably trying to make up for the way the country music industry in 1962 didn't embrace Charles' breakthrough album Modern sounds in country and western music. Incredibly, none of the songs from that album, including classics like “I Can't Stop Loving You” and “You Don't Know Me,” made Advertising signHot Country Songs Chart. Instead, five songs from Friendship entered the top 20. Even so, putting Charles up for a new artist award in 1985 was a great success.

Kacey Musgraves Deeper well entered Top Country Albums at No. 1 in March. If the album is nominated for album of the year, it will put the famous singer back in contention for this marquee category after missing the cut with her 2021 album, Cross cross. Prior to this miss, she was nominated with all three of her previous non-Holiday studio albums, Same Trailer Different Park Contest Material and Golden Hour (which won).

Luke Combs' Fathers & Sons entered Top Country Albums at No. 2 in June, unable to top Morgan Wallen's One thing at a time from the top. It's vying to become Combs' fourth consecutive album to receive a CMA album of the Year nod, after What you see is what you get, you grow and I'm getting old. The first two of these albums won the award.

Old Dominion has won vocal group of the year for the past six years. If they win again in November, they will become only the second group to win seven or more times in this division, after The Statler Brothers, who won nine times from 1972-84. In addition, Old Dominion would become the first group to win seven consecutive years. The Statlers have won six straight.

The War and Treaty were nominated for vocal duo of the year for the first time last year. This award has gone to either Brothers Osborne or Dan + Shay for the past eight years. If enough voters think it's time to shake things up a bit, War and the Treaty, comprised of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, could make history. They would be the first black duo to win in this category — and the third married couple, following Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White (1987) and Thompson Square, consisting of Keifer and Shawna Thompson (2012).

Dolly Parton Rock star entered the Top Country Albums at No. 1 in December. If nominated for album of the year, it would be her first nomination in that category as a lead or co-lead artist since Trioher 1987 collaboration with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris;

Parton's album, recorded in response to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is competing for a nod with an album paying tribute to a more traditional rock star, Tom Petty. Parton appears on this album, Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration. He sings Petty's 1985 song “Southern Accents”.