- Today in 1980, The John Travolta movie “Urban Cowboy” premiered. It includes music by Kenny Rogers, Johnny Lee, Mickey Gilley, Anne Murray, The Eagles, The Charlie Daniels Band, Jimmy Buffet, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, and J.D. Souther.
- Today in 1981, John Denver’s “Greatest Hits, Volume II” album was certified platinum.
- Today in 1992, Wynonna Judd’s debut album was certified gold and platinum simultaneously.
- Today in 1993, the legendary Conway Twitty passed away. He was 59 years old.
- Today in 1993, Toby Keith’s first single, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” hit #1 on the charts.
- Today in 1995, the 29th annual Music City News Country Awards were held with Alan Jackson & Reba McEntire walking away as the night’s top winners.
- Today in 2000, Garth Brooks’ “Double Live” album was certified for sales of 13 million. This distinction tied with Bruce Springsteen’s “Live 1975-1985” as the biggest-selling live album in history. As a bit of trivia, that certification pushed Garth’s total career sales to 5 million. As of now, his sales exceed 100 million.
- Today in 2000, George Strait got great news. His 1995 compilation, “Strait Out of the Box,” jumped to the 7-million sales level matching Led Zeppelin’s 1990 self-titled collection as the highest-certified box set released in the ’90s. Plus, George’s 1998 album, “One Step at a Time,” was certified double platinum.
- Today in 2000, Martina McBride was working overtime during her visit to the Washington, D.C. area. After turning in a stellar performance during the George Strait Country Music Festival’s stop in Landover, Maryland, Martina performed another show at the much more intimate setting of the Birchmere, a music hall located in Alexandria, Virginia. Country stars rarely perform two concerts at different places during the same day, but Martina made an exception after hearing the tragic story of a local murder. In April 2000, 8-year-old Kevin Shifflett was stabbed to death as he played outside his grandparents’ home in Alexandria. Martina’s concert raised $100,000 for a reward fund to find the young boy’s killer. Raising $100,000 for one show at the Birchmere was an impressive feat since 500 fans gladly paid $200 per ticket to see Martina’s concert.
- Today in 2000, Vince Gill’s album, “I Still Believe in You,” was certified for sales of 5-million.
- Today in 2000, Mark Chesnutt’s “Greatest Hits” album went platinum.
- Today in 2000, Mary Chapin Carpenter had plenty to celebrate, with her “Stones in the Road” reaching double platinum and her greatest hits collection, “Party Doll and Other Favorites,” going gold.
- Today in 2000, Even in the midst of an extended hiatus, the Dixie Chicks showed no signs of slowing down. Their debut album, “Wide Open Spaces,” was certified for sales in excess of 11-million. When the critically acclaimed disc surpassed 10-million the trio became the only group in the history of country music to receive a prestigious RIAA Diamond Award. The news was certainly made sweeter for the band as their follow-up album, “Fly,” had already well over the 9-million mark and hit 10-million before summer was in full swing.
- Today in 2001, Trisha Yearwood’s album, “Inside Out,” arrived in stores.
- Today in 2003, Dwight Yoakam receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Today in 2007, After kicking off their Soul2Soul concert tour, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill received the Academy of Country Music’s Career Achievement Award.
- Today in 2014, Chris Young had to cancel many tour dates due to the hand he severely cut while making dinner.
- Today in 2016, as he turned 36, Carrie Underwood gave her husband, hockey player Mike Fisher, a cannon.
- Today in 2017, the estate of Bill Monroe announced it was willing to sell rights to his name and likeness, plus tons of memorabilia, including 1,800 personal checks, some of them written to Ralph Stanley, Johnny Paycheck, and Earl Scruggs.
- Today in 2017, Florida Georgia Line held the grand opening of its Nashville restaurant, FGL House.
- Today in 2017, Brooks & Dunn made a surprise appearance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, playing “Red Dirt Road” with Darius Rucker as Rucker raised $402,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Center. Also appearing were Dan + Shay, Luke Combs, John Oates, and Michael Ray, who teamed with Rucker on “Forever And Ever, Amen.”
- Today in 2019, Luke Combs received a quadruple-platinum single award from the RIAA for “Hurricane,” a double-platinum cert for “One Number Away” and “Houston, We Got A Problem” went gold as well.
- Today in 2020, Mitchell Tenpenny’s single, “Alcohol You Later,” went gold.
- Today in 2021, Kid Rock lashed out at fans using a homophobic slur during a performance at the FishLipz Bar & Grill in Smithville, Tennessee. The moment became a controversy when the video got posted online.
- Today in 2021, Lindsay Ell broke her right leg when she jumped off the bus in Nashville while chasing her dog at the end of a tour.
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