This Day in Country History: March 12
On March 12, 2020, concert and performance cancellations swept the globe due to COVID-19. It was also a significant day for country music, as the 11th Annual GRAMMY Awards took place, with multiple country artists taking home awards. March 12 also saw the release of several songs, cultural milestones, and notable performances that left their mark.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
The 11th Annual GRAMMY Awards saw several country music winners:
- 1969: Johnny Cash won Best Country Vocal Performance, Male for “Folsom Prison Blues,” and Glen Campbell won Best Album of the Year for By the Time I Get to Phoenix.
- 1969: “Little Green Apples” by Roger Miller won Best Country Song and Song of the Year, and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” by Flatt & Scruggs won Best Country Performance, Duo or Group – Vocal or Instrumental.
- 1969: Tammy Wynette’s “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” won Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.
Cultural Milestones
March 12 marks several influential moments in country music culture:
- 2010: Dolly Parton opened her first retail store, Dolly Parton’s Trinkets and Treasures, in Nashville, Tennessee. She adopted a pink, yellow, red, blue, green, and purple color scheme, inspired by the story of her song “Coat of Many Colors.”
- 2019: Trisha Yearwood celebrated her 20th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Surprise guests included her husband Garth Brooks and Emmylou Harris.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Recordings and performances that deserve a shout-out include:
- 2010: Carrie Underwood performed at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York, during her Play On Tour to promote her new album, Play On.
- 2015: Luke Bryan played his second free concert at the Spinnaker Beach Club in Panama City Beach, Florida, to help promote his album Spring Break…Checkin’ Out.
- 2017: Trace Adkins sang the national anthem at the Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Industry Changes and Challenges
March 12, 2020, was a brutal time for the performing arts industry, including country music, due to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- 2020: Blake Shelton postponed the last five shows of his Friends & Heroes 2020 Tour.
- 2020: Reba McEntire announced the cancelation of her tour due to begin on March 20, 2020.
- 2020: The C2C: Country to Country Music Festival in the U.K. was canceled due to the pandemic. Country music performers such as Eric Church, Luke Combs, and Darius Rucker, were scheduled to perform.
The world came to a halt in March 2020 with numerous restrictions placed on performers and individuals due to COVID-19. During the pandemic, we had to listen to music on the radio or watch previously recorded live concerts. Today, we can happily enjoy live country music performances.
