This Day in Country History: March 14
What a day in country music history March 14 was. There were several winners at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, including Miranda Lambert with Best Country Album and Vince Gill for Best Country Solo Performance. We also saw country music festivals, benefit concerts, and COVID-19 restrictions for live performances.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards saw plenty of country music winners:
- 2021: Vince Gill won Best Country Solo Performance for “When My Amy Prays,” and Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “10,000 Hours.”
- 2021: “Crowded Table,” sung by Brandi Carlile and written by Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna (The Highwomen), won Best Country Song.
- 2021: Miranda Lambert earned the Best Country Album award for Wildcard.
Cultural Milestones
Benefit concerts and fun music festivals impacted the country music world:
- 1992: Farm Aid staged its fifth concert with more than 50 acts and 40,000 fans. Headliners included The Highwaymen, Ricky Van Shelton, Willie Nelson, and Neil Young.
- 2024: Willie Nelson and Family, Tyler Childers, and Red Clay Strays were among the performers at the 12th Luck Reunion festival. The event was held at Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas, home to Nelson’s 500-acre ranch with rescue horses and a regenerative farming operation.
Notable Recordings and Performances
March 14 had its share of notable recordings and performances, including:
- 2013: Carrie Underwood played at the Olympia Theater in Dublin, Ireland, during her Blown Away Tour.
- 2014: Toby Keith performed at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Australia as part of his Hammer Down Under Tour.
Industry Changes and Challenges
From pardons to COVID-19 restrictions, the country music industry had changes and challenges on March 14:
- 1972: Governor of California, Ronald Regan, granted Merle Haggard a full and unconditional pardon for all his past crimes. Haggard was in and out of trouble before he became an established country music star.
- 2003: Natalie Maines, a member of the Dixie Chicks (now known as The Chicks), apologized to President George Bush regarding her stance on the war in Iraq. After her statement, fans reacted by burning Dixie Chicks albums and putting their career into a tailspin.
- 2020: The Grand Ole Opry closed its doors to live audiences due to COVID-19. Several country music stars, including Luke Combs, Keith Urban, and Emmylou Harris, played in an empty theater and recorded a limited-release vinyl record, “Unbroken Empty Room, Full Circle.”
Wins at the Grammy Awards help validate country music’s importance and impact on the music industry. Through the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, artists continued to keep hope alive with recordings and songs.
