In the early 2000s, brothers Matt and Scott Thomas formed the country band Parmalee alongside cousin Barry Knox and guitarist Josh McSwain. After independently releasing their first four studio albums, the quartet landed a deal with BBR Music Group’s Stoney Creek imprint in 2012. Their BBR debut, 2013’s Feels Like Carolina, yielded Parmalee’s first #1 song on the Billboard Country Airplay, “Musta Had a Good Time.” They’ve since traveled to the top of the Country Airplay four more times, including the 2019 Blanco Brown collab “Just the Way.” Despite the chart and radio success, a CMA Award nomination continues to elude Parmalee. And recently, its members speculated on why that might be.

Where was PARMALEE? Why no nomination again? What do they have to do CMAs? They are the most snubbed band in history. JUSTICE FOR PARMALEE!! https://t.co/UmUvrL7jPO

— Kelly Anderson (@windycitygirl91) November 22, 2024 Parmalee Talks “the Snubbed Life”

Parmalee’s 2021 song “Girl in Mine” hit #1 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase radio chart this week. This marks the band’s fourth consecutive chart-topping single.

And yet, “We’re living the snubbed life,” Parmalee lead singer Matt Thomas said during a September 2023 interview with Taste of Country.

[RELATED: Exclusive: Parmalee’s “Cowgirl” Is Setting Records, “It’s in the Culture Now”]

At that time, Parmalee boasted 2022’s most-played country song with “Take My Name.” Additionally, they had scored three No. 1 songs in the last two and a half years. As Taste of Country pointed out, that was one more than the five nominees for 2023 CMA Vocal Group of the Year had combined.

The County Music Association announced the nominees for its 59th annual awards ceremony, scheduled for this November. And yet again, Parmalee came up empty. Five bands scored nods in the Vocal Group of the Year category. They included Lady A, Little Big Town, the Red Clay Strays, Rascal Flatts, and defending champs Old Dominion.

“I would just like to see what the criteria is to get the nomination. You know how the insider trading works in this business. It’s that political game,” Parmalee members collectively agreed, per an interview this week with ToC.

The 59th annual CMA Awards will air on Nov. 19, 2025, on ABC.

Featured image by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images