This Day in Country History: April 8
April 8 has been an eventful day in the country music industry, with many performances as well as sad deaths. On this day, Blake Shelton and other country music greats…
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 11: Blake Shelton performs onstage during the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Festival at Crypto.com Arena on February 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Bud Light)
April 8 has been an eventful day in the country music industry, with many performances as well as sad deaths. On this day, Blake Shelton and other country music greats performed at the Country Thunder Arizona music festival, and Tim McGraw debuted a song on a country music chart.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
April 8 has witnessed exciting hit releases and music festivals, including:
- 2000: Country music singer Tim McGraw's song "My Next Thirty Years" debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It later peaked at No. 1 and spent five weeks in that position. The song remained on the chart for a total of 46 weeks.
- 2022: Country music star and The Voice judge Blake Shelton performed at the Country Thunder Arizona music festival in the desert town of Florence, Arizona. Additional performers included Morgan Wallen, Florida Georgia Line, and Riley Green.
Cultural Milestones
On April 8, Kenny Rogers took one of his hit songs and turned it into a movie series, and country music singers united for a benefit concert:
- 1980: Country singer Kenny Rogers starred in the movie, Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, which premiered on CBS on this day. The movie was loosely based on Rogers' song of the same name. It won an Eddie Award and was nominated for two Emmy Awards, and four sequels were made.
- 2021: Several country music stars performed at a benefit concert, An Evening for Travis Meadows, to help pay for Meadows' medical expenses after a serious injury. The benefit featured performers such as Luke Dick, Jeffrey Steele, and Bob DiPiero.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Some notable country music performances that took place on April 8 include:
- 2017: Country singers Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack performed at The St. Augustine Amphitheatre in St. Augustine, Florida. This stop was part of Jackson's Honky Tonk Highway Tour.
- 2017: Eric Church played at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, for his Holdin' My Own tour. He sang hits such as "These Boots," "Talladega," and "Holdin' My Own."
Industry Changes and Challenges
The deaths of influential country singers and songwriters on April 8 have greatly impacted the music industry:
- 2016: Songwriter and Broadway performer Jack Hammer, who cowrote the Jerry Lee Lewis song "Great Balls of Fire," died on this day of heart failure.
- 2001: Blackhawk singer and country music songwriter Van Stephenson died from complications of melanoma at the age of 47. Stephenson cowrote several country music hits, such as "Every Once in a While" by Blackhawk and "Big Dreams in a Small Town" by Restless Heart.
With Billboard chart debuts, music festivals, and tour performances, April 8 has been a memorable day in country music history.
