Here’s a sampling of artists who have won eight or more times in a category at various award shows.
Carrie Underwood won video of the year for the ninth time at the 2021 CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night. She took the award this time for the video for “Hallelujah,” a collab with John Legend that appeared on her 2020 Christmas album, My Gift.
And that’s not the only CMT Music Awards category that Underwood has thoroughly dominated. She has won eight times for female video of the year. (Do you get the sense that CMT viewers really like her?)
Underwood isn’t the first music star who has won so many times in a given category at an awards show that the category should almost be named in their honor. Here’s a healthy sampling of other artists who have won eight or more times in a category at various award shows -- both EGOT-level and genre-specific shows. (In each case, these artists hold the record for the most wins in that category at that show.)
Enrique Iglesias: The second-generation Latin heartthrob won the American Music Award for favorite Latin artist eight times between 1999 and 2016. Fun fact: The category was added the year before Iglesias began his win streak. The winner that first year: his dad, Julio Iglesias.
Garth Brooks: The country titan won the American Music Award for favorite country male artist eight times between 1992 and 2000. Brooks’ trophy case is jammed with other awards too. He won the CMA Award for entertainer of the year seven times between 1991 and 2019 and the ACM Award in that category six times between 1990 and 1998.
The Statler Brothers: The veteran group took the CMA Award for vocal group of the year nine times between 1972 and 1984. Fun fact: Despite the name, only two members of the group (Don and Harold Reid) were brothers and none of the group members had the surname Statler.
Alfred Newman: The late film composer and one of the founders of the Newman film music dynasty won the Academy Award for best original score nine times between 1938 (Alexander’s Ragtime Band) and 1967 (Camelot).
Miranda Lambert: Lambert won the ACM Award for female vocalist of the year nine years in a row between 2009 and 2017. The star also took the CMA Award in that category seven times between 2010 and 2017.
Reba McEntire: The country icon won the American Music Award for favorite country female artist 10 times between 1988 and 2004.
Vince Gill: The balladeer won the Grammy for best male country vocal performance nine times between 1990 (“When I Call Your Name”) and 2006 (“The Reason Why”). In 2011, the Grammys combined the male and female categories into best country solo performance. Gill won that award in March for “When My Amy Prays.”
Beyoncé: Queen Bey won the BET Award for best female R&B/pop artist 10 times between 2004 and 2019 -- and she is nominated again this year.
Max Martin: The Swedish hitmaker won songwriter of the year at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards 11 times between 1999 and 2018.
John Williams: The legendary film composer won the Grammy for best score soundtrack for visual media 11 times between 1975 (Jaws) and 2016 (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). On the other side of the pond, Williams won the BAFTA Award for best original music seven times between 1975 (a dual award for both Jaws and The Towering Inferno) and 2005 (Memoirs of a Geisha).
Aretha Franklin: The eternal Queen of Soul won the Grammy for best R&B female vocal performance 11 times between 1967 (“Respect”) and 1987 (the album Aretha). This includes eight years in a row between 1967 and 1974, when she was at her commercial and creative peak.
Brooks & Dunn: Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn won the ACM Award for vocal duo of the year 16 times between 1991 and 2009. They did nearly as well at the CMA Awards, winning in that category 14 times between 1992 and 2006.
Alabama: The country quartet won the American Music Award for favorite country band/duo/group 17 times between 1983 and 2003.
Jimmy Sturr: The polka king won the Grammy for best polka album 18 times between 1986 (I Remember Warsaw) and 2008 (Let the Whole World Sing). The Grammys eliminated the polka category after 2008, in part because of the lack of competition in the category.
