2014 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2014.

Events

• January 15 — Trace Adkins enters alcohol rehabilitation after an alleged altercation with a celebrity impersonator on a cruise ship.^[1]
• February 18 — Florida Georgia Line cancels an appearance at a Country Radio Broadcasters seminar after member Tyler Hubbard injures his back in a dirt bike accident.^[2]
• March 31 — Blake Shelton's "Doin' What She Likes" becomes his 11th consecutive number one hit on the Country Airplay chart, breaking the record set by Brad Paisley between 2005 and 2009 for the most consecutive number one singles since the charts began using Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems in 1990.^[3] In July, Shelton sets the new Nielsen BDS-era record with his 12th-straight No. 1 song, "My Eyes" on the Country Airplay chart.
• April — Glen Campbell is moved to an Alzheimer's disease care facility.^[4]
• April 10 — Linda Ronstadt is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Brooklyn.^[5] Due to illness, Ronstadt was unable to attend.^[5] Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, and Carrie Underwood pay tribute to Ronstadt during the ceremony.^[5]
• May — Nash FM adds a spinoff brand to country radio stations, called Nash Icon brand. The format mixes in current hits with songs from the 1980s onward. Some Nash Icon stations will add classic country programming (hits from the 1940s through early 1990s) either as a daily block or as part of weekend programming.
• May 5 — Scotty McCreery's apartment is invaded by three suspects.^[6] No one is injured.^[6]
• May 8 — After six years in business, the Bigger Picture Music Group record label closes.^[7]
• June 7 — George Strait plays his final concert to about 105,000 people at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.^[8] The show sets the record for the largest indoor concert in North American history.^[8]
• July 10 — Garth Brooks announces plans for new music with RCA Nashville and a world tour.^[9]
• June 25 — Joey Martin Feek, one-half of Joey + Rory, is diagnosed with cervical cancer which is successfully removed.^[10]
• July 10 — Songwriter Dallas Davidson is charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct at a Nashville bar.^[11]
• Sept 1 – Carrie Underwood announced she is expecting her first child in early 2015.^[12]
• Sept 12 – Lynn Anderson is arrested and charged with a DUI in Nashville, Tennessee. It is her third offense since 2004.^[13]
• October 27 – Taylor Swift releases her first officially pop album, 1989, marking her departure from country music.
• November 20 – Ty Herndon comes out as a homosexual in an interview with People. He is the second major country artist to do so, following Chely Wright in 2010.^[14] Later in the same day, Billy Gilman also comes out.^[15]
• December 4 — Brooks & Dunn announce that they will reunite for a series of shows in Las Vegas, Nevada with Reba McEntire starting in mid-2015.^[16]
• December 22 — The Mavericks announce that they had fired bassist Robert Reynolds in October after a long struggle with his addiction to opiate.^[17]

Top hits of the year

The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay or Canada Country charts in 2014:

Singles released by American artists

Singles released by Canadian artists

Top new album releases

The following albums placed on the Top Country Albums charts in 2014:

Other top albums

Deaths

• January 3 — Phil Everly, 74, one-half of The Everly Brothers (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)^[38]
• January 19 — Steven Fromholz, 68, 2007 Poet Laureate of Texas (hunting accident)^[39]
• February 23 — Penny DeHaven, 65, best known for her 1970 hit "Land Mark Tavern" (cancer)^[40]
• February 26 — Tim Wilson, 52, comedian and singer frequently heard on The Bob & Tom Show (heart attack)^[41]
• April 3 — Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, 93, guitarist and banjoist best known for "Guitar Boogie" and "Dueling Banjos"^[42]
• April 11 — Jesse Winchester, 69, Canadian country-folk singer-songwriter (cancer)^[43]
• April 19 — Kevin Sharp, 43, country singer from the 1990s, best known for "Nobody Knows" (stomach and digestive issues)^[44]
• April 22 — Mundo Earwood, 61, country singer from the 1970s and 1980s (pancreatic cancer)^[45]
• June 21 — Jimmy C. Newman, 86, country singer best known for his Cajun styled country music (cancer)^[46]
• September 17 — George Hamilton IV, 77, Grand Ole Opry star (heart attack)^[47]
• September 24 - Priscilla Mitchell, 73, singer and wife of Jerry Reed.
• October 18 — Paul Craft, 76, writer of hits for Bobby Bare, Mark Chesnutt, and others^[48]
• December 4 — Bob Montgomery, 77, songwriter, producer and music publisher (Parkinson's disease)^[49]
• December 11 — Dawn Sears, 53, backing vocalist for Vince Gill and member of The Time Jumpers (lung cancer)^[50]

Hall of Fame Inductees

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

• Hank Cochran (1935-2010)
• Mac Wiseman (born 1925)
• Ronnie Milsap (born 1943)

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

• Wendell Ferguson
• Ron Sakamoto

Major awards

American Country Countdown Awards

(presented December 15 in Nashville)

• Artist of the Year — Jason Aldean
• Male Vocalist of the Year — Luke Bryan
• Female Vocalist of the Year — Miranda Lambert
• Group/Duo of the Year — Florida Georgia Line
• Song of the Year — "Beat of the Music", Brett Eldredge
• Collaboration of the Year — "This Is How We Roll", Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan
• Album of the Year — The Outsiders, Eric Church
• Digital Song of the Year — "This Is How We Roll", Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan
• Breakthrough Artist of the Year — Kip Moore

Academy of Country Music

(presented April 19, 2015 in Dallas)

• Entertainer of the Year — Luke Bryan
• Top Male Vocalist — Jason Aldean
• Top Female Vocalist — Miranda Lambert
• Top Vocal Group — Little Big Town
• Top Vocal Duo — Florida Georgia Line
• Top New Artist — Cole Swindell
• Album of the Year — Platinum, Miranda Lambert
• Single Record of the Year — "I Don't Dance", Lee Brice
• Song of the Year — "Automatic", Miranda Lambert
• Video of the Year — "Drunk on a Plane", Dierks Bentley
• Vocal Event of the Year — "This Is How We Roll", Florida Georgia Line feat. Luke Bryan

American Music Awards

(presented November 23 in Los Angeles)

• Favorite Country Male Artist — Luke Bryan
• Favorite Country Female Artist — Carrie Underwood
• Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group — Florida Georgia Line
• Favorite Country Album — Just as I Am, Brantley Gilbert

Canadian Country Music Association

(presented September 7 in Edmonton)

• Fans' Choice Award — Johnny Reid
• Male Artist of the Year — Gord Bamford
• Female Artist of the Year — Jess Moskaluke
• Group or Duo of the Year — Small Town Pistols
• Songwriter(s) of the Year — "Mine Would Be You", written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington and Deric Ruttan
• Single of the Year — "When Your Lips Are So Close", Gord Bamford
• Album of the Year — Crop Circles, Dean Brody
• Top Selling Album — Here's to the Good Times, Florida Georgia Line
• Top Selling Canadian Album — A Christmas Gift to You, Johnny Reid
• CMT Video of the Year — "3-2-1", Brett Kissel
• Rising Star Award — Tim Hicks
• Roots Artist or Group of the Year — Lindi Ortega
• Interactive Artist of the Year — Brett Kissel

Country Music Association

(presented November 5 in Nashville)

• Single of the Year — "Automatic", Miranda Lambert
• Song of the Year — "Follow Your Arrow", Kacey Musgraves, Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark
• Vocal Group of the Year — Little Big Town
• New Artist of the Year — Brett Eldredge
• Album of the Year — Platinum, Miranda Lambert
• Musician of the Year — Mac McAnally
• Vocal Duo of the Year — Florida Georgia Line
• Music Video of the Year — "Drunk on a Plane", Dierks Bentley
• Male Vocalist of the Year — Blake Shelton
• Female Vocalist of the Year — Miranda Lambert
• Musical Event of the Year — "We Were Us", Keith Urban with Miranda Lambert
• Entertainer of the Year — Luke Bryan

CMT Music Awards

(presented June 4 in Nashville)

• Video of the Year — "See You Again", Carrie Underwood
• Male Video of the Year — "Doin' What She Likes", Blake Shelton
• Female Video of the Year — "Automatic", Miranda Lambert
• Group Video of the Year — "Done", The Band Perry
• Duo Video of the Year — "Round Here", Florida Georgia Line
• Breakthrough Video of the Year — "Wasting All These Tears", Cassadee Pope
• Collaborative Video of the Year — "This Is How We Roll", Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan
• Performance of the Year — "Oh No/All Night Long (All Night)", Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie from 2013 CMT Artists of the Year
• CMT Impact Award — Alan Jackson

Grammy Awards

(presented February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles)

• Best Country Solo Performance — "Something in the Water", Carrie Underwood
• Best Country Duo/Group Performance — "Gentle on My Mind", The Band Perry
• Best Country Song — "I'm Not Gonna Miss You", Glen Campbell
• Best Country Album — Platinum, Miranda Lambert
• Best Bluegrass Album — The Earls of Leicester, The Earls of Leicester

Juno Awards

(presented March 15, 2015 in Hamilton)

• Country Album of the Year — Lifted, Dallas Smith

Further reading

• Kingsbury, Paul, "The Grand Ole Opry: History of Country Music. 70 Years of the Songs, the Stars and the Stories," Villard Books, Random House; Opryland USA, 1995
• Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
• Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
• Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944-2005 - 6th Edition." 2005. TV.

See also

• Country Music Association
• Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

References