Album of the Year

• Alabama - The Closer You Get
• John Anderson - Wild & Blue
• Merle Haggard - Going Where the Lonely Go
• Ricky Skaggs - Highways & Heartaches
• Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard - Poncho & Left

Band of the Year - Non-Touring

• Billy Mize/The Tennesseans
• Danny Michaels/Rebel Playboys
• Mike Smart/Western Union
• Beech Creek Band/Johnny Blankenship
• Geary Hanley Band

Band of the Year - Touring

• Ricky Skaggs Lyrics
• Merle Haggard/The Strangers
• Charlie Daniels Band Lyrics
• Willie Nelson Family Band
• Farewell Party Band/Gene Watson

Best Bass

• Joe Osborne
• Curtis Stone
• Rod Wootten
• Tony Booth
• Mike Leech
• Larry Booth

Best Drums

• Archie Francis
• Jerry Kroon
• Buddy Harmon
• Larrie Londin
• Steve Duncan

Best Fiddle

• Johnny Gimble
• Buddy Speicher
• Doug Atwell
• Billy Armstrong
• Harold Hensley

Best Piano / Keyboard

• Floyd Cramer
• John Hobbs
• David Briggs
• Hargus Robbins
• Glen D. Hardin

Best Steel Guitar

• J.D. Maness
• Al Vescovo
• Sonny Garrish
• Lloyd Green
• Buddy Emmons

Entertainer of the Year

• Alabama Lyrics
• Barbara Mandrell Lyrics
• Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
• Oak Ridge Boys Lyrics
• Willie Nelson Lyrics

Female Vocalist of the Year

• Janie Fricke
• Barbara Mandrell Lyrics
• Sylvia
• Crystal Gayle Lyrics
• Reba McEntire Lyrics

Guitar

• Reggie Young
• Billy Walker Lyrics
• Johnny Blankenship
• James Burton
• Al Bruno

Male Vocalist of the Year

• Lee Greenwood Lyrics
• Ricky Skaggs Lyrics
• Earl Thomas Conley Lyrics
• Merle Haggard Lyrics
• John Anderson Lyrics

New Female Vocalist of the Year

• Gus Hardin
• Amy Grant Lyrics
• Kathy Mattea Lyrics
• Lane Brody
• Lorrie Morgan Lyrics

New Male Vocalist of the Year

• Jim Glaser
• Wayne Massey
• Darrell Clanton
• Mark Gray
• Craig Dillingham

Pioneer Award

• Eddy Arnold Lyrics

Single Record of the Year

• Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - Islands in the Stream
• Anne Murray - A Little Good News Lyrics
• John Anderson - Swingin' Lyrics
• Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson - Poncho & Lefty
• Shelly West - Jose Cuervo

Song of the Year

• Jeff Silbar, Larry Henley - The Wind Beneath My Wings
• Austin Roberts, Kerry Chater - I.O.U.
• Freddy Powers, Gary Church, Tex Whiston - I Always Get Lucky with You
• John Anderson, Lionel A. Delmore - Swingin'
• Randy Owen - Lady Down on Love

Specialty Instrument

• Charlie McCoy
• Jerry Douglas
• Larry McNeely
• James Burton
• Tiny Moore

Tex Ritter Award

• Tender Mercies
• Waltz Across Texas
• Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave
• Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story
• Kenny Rogers as The Gambler

Vocal Duet of the Year

• Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
• Karen Brooks & T.G. Sheppard
• Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson
• Charly McClain & Mickey Gilley
• Bellamy Brothers Lyrics

Vocal Group of the Year

• Alabama Lyrics
• The Whites
• Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
• Oak Ridge Boys Lyrics
• Exile Lyrics