Yakima-born country artist Zach Top won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Country Album at the 2026 ceremony in Los Angeles, an achievement that marks a national breakthrough for one of Eastern Washington’s fastest-rising musical talents. The award recognized his 2025 release, Ain’t In It For My Health, a project celebrated for its blend of classic honky-tonk styling and modern Americana sensibility.

Top’s win was confirmed by the Recording Academy, which introduced the Best Traditional Country Album category in recent years to highlight artists preserving the genre’s roots. The Yakima native, now 28, has spent much of the past year touring nationwide following his 2024 breakout record, Cold Beer and Country Music.

“This is insane,” Top said in his televised acceptance speech. “I watched the Grammys as a kid and thought it looked like superheroes on TV—to be here is unreal.”

Raised on a Sunnyside dairy farm, Top started playing guitar before kindergarten and formed his first family band at age seven. He has said his goal since childhood was to follow in the footsteps of George Strait, a dream that now seems within reach.

Top has previously earned recognition across the country circuit, including the 2025 Country Music Association’s Best New Artist award. His latest tour sold out venues including Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena last November, and he is scheduled to begin a European tour this spring, with performances in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, and the Netherlands, according to his official site.

Zach Top has received growing critical attention for his adherence to traditional country roots in an industry dominated by pop-country crossover acts. His 2024 single “I Never Lie” earned two additional Grammy nominations this year, underscoring his continued influence in reviving classic storytelling within the genre.

Top’s rise from the Yakima Valley’s farm country to the international stage provides a notable hometown success story for the Pacific Northwest’s tight-knit country scene—an increasingly visible contributor to Nashville’s broader cultural landscape.

Sources: MyNorthwest; Saving Country Music; Grateful Web.