2018 Year In Review - September & October

Audio By Carbonatix

SEPTEMBER

• Dolly Parton was named the Recording Academy’s 2019 "MusiCares Person of the Year."
• Willie Nelson paid tribute to Frank Sinatra with a new album of Sinatra covers. “My Way.”
• Ricky Skaggs was recognized for his contribution to Bluegrass music. He was one of four artists chosen for the IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. This year’s other inductees include Paul Williams andTom T. and Dixie Hall.
• The ninth annual LouFest, featuring Kacey Musgraves, Brothers Osborne and more, was canceled just days before it was due to kick off, with organizers blaming financial concerns and the threat of bad weather.
• Lady Antebellum confirmed they were leaving longtime label UMG’s Capitol Nashville, to move to Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Label Group.
• Jason Aldean's third annual Concert for the Kids took place at the Macon Coliseum in Macon, Georgia, with special guest Lauren Alaina. It raised $620,000.
• Cam announced she was postponing her fall tour due to a shakeup with her label.
• Carrie Underwood pulled out of two UK festivals due to illness. The singer was supposed to perform at The Long Road Festival and Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park on, but has bailed on both.
• Blake Shelton was appointed to the board of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation, which will raise money for wildlife conservation in his home state of Oklahoma.
• Florida Georgia Line’s inaugural FGL Fest, was canceled due to torrential rains. The event, which was to feature Cole Swindell, Raelynn, Nelly and more,
• Carrie Underwood’s new NBC Sunday Night Football theme debuted. This year’s tune, “Game On,” was written alongside frequent collaborators, Brett James and Chris DeStefano.
• Shania Twain was a big winner at the Canadian Country Music Awards. The singer took home four awards, Top Selling Album of the Year and Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year for “Now,” as well as the Apple Music Fans’ Choice Award and the Generation Award.
• Jason Aldean was forced to cancel his concert in Cincinnati due to Mother Nature. Jason was due to play the Riverbend Music Center but flooding in the area has caused him to nix the show.
• Luke Bryan opened his Nashville restaurant and bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink, and 30,000 of his fans showed up. The singer performed a free concert in celebration of the event, which basically shut down part of downtown Nashville.
• Nominations for this year’s American Music Awards were announced, with Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, Kane Brown andFlorida Georgia Line each picking up multiple nods.
• Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson were forced to cancel concerts due to Hurricane Florence.
• Willie Nelson performed at a rally for Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke, who was running against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, debuting a new song “Vote Em Out” at the rally.
• The Americana Awards & Honors were handed out in Nashville, with Jason Isbell walking away the big winner with three trophies, including Album of the Year for “The Nashville Sound.” The night’s big award, Artist of the Year, went to legendary Americana artist John Prine. In addition, k.d. lang was honored with the 2018 Americana Trailblazer Award and Roseanne Cash received the Americana Music Association’s “Spirit of Americana” Free Speech Award.
• Gretchen Wilson reached a settlement with regards to her arrest earlier this year in Connecticut. Gretchen agreed to donate $500 to a fund for injured crime victims in exchange for her misdemeanor charge being dismissed. 
• Alan Jackson’s son-in-law Ben Selecman died from injuries sustained in a boating accident in Florida.
• Carrie Underwood, who is expecting their second child, revealed in an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" that she actually miscarried three times before becoming pregnant with her current child.
• After Simon Cowell called him out, Garth Brooks wrote a song for "America’s Got Talent" contestant Michael Ketterer. The tune was “Courage of Love,” although it didn’t help him win. Not long after Michael was arrested on domestic violence charges, and Garth rescinded an invitation to perform the song at his Notre Dame show in October.
• Dustin Lynch was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
• The iHeartRadio Music Festival returned Las Vegas featuring performances by Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and more.
• Carrie Underwood got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Miranda Lambert kicked off her Country Music Hall of Fame residency, and treated fans to some special guests and deep cuts.
• Carrie Underwood made country chart history, when “Cry Pretty” topped the all-genre “Billboard” 200 Album chart, her fourth number one album. With four number one albums, Carrie is now the first country woman to have four albums top the "Billboard" 200 chart.
• Weather wreaked havoc on the Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin, Tennessee, which was forced to cancel day two of the fest due to the threat of bad weather. The cancelation came after day one was cut short and the grounds were evacuated because of severe weather, including lightning. Sunday’s canceled lineup featured Chris Stapleton.
• Chris Young headlined Bridgestone Arena, the first time he’s headlined the Nashville arena.
• Justin Moore headlined a Florida a benefit concert for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 students were shot and killed in February.
• Texas songwriter Charlie Robison, the ex-husband of Dixie Chicks member Emily Erwin, announced that he was retiring from performing, explaining that surgery has left him unable to sing
• Luke Bryan kicked of his 10^th annual Farm Tour at the Ayars Family Farm in Irwin, Ohio. Artists joining Luke on the bill included Chase Rice, Jon Langston, the Peach Pickers and DJ Rock.
• The audience at the Grand Ole Opry got quite a surprise when BillMurray hit the stage. The comedian came out to join the SteelDriversand John Prine on John’s track “Paradise.”
• Brandon Lay and his wife Nicole welcomed their first child, Ryder Knox. Brandon also made his Grande Ole Opry debut, where he was introduced by Whisperin’ Bill Anderson.
• Charlie Worsham married fiancée Kristen Korzenowski at Christ the King Catholic Church in Nashville

OCTOBER

• Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha’s hit “Meant To Be” topped the Hot Country Songs chart for a record-extending 44 weeks, giving FGL a new chart milestone. The duo has now spent a total of 100 weeks on top the Hot Country Songs chart, the first artists to ever reach such a feat.
• Jason Aldean held his annual Concert For The Cure at his restaurant, Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar in Nashville, and raised a lot of money for breast cancer research. In total, $459,509 was raised by a portion of ticket sales from his 2018 tour, which went to Susan G. Komen Central Tennessee.
• Taylor Swift got political on social media posting a message of support for Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen and Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper, who were both running for office in Tennessee.
• Carrie Underwood shared a picture from her “Cry Pretty” photo shoot on Instagram, and in it you could clearly see the scar from her accident, which is right under her nose. It was the first time she showed off her scars from her accident. 
• Zac Brown and wife Shelly, who’ve been together 12 years and have five children, announced they had separated.
• Tim McGraw and Faith Hill celebrated their 22^nd wedding anniversary.
• Kane Brown was the big winner at the 2018 American Music Awards, taking, home three out of the five country awards, including Favorite Country Album for his self-titled debut, Favorite Country Song for “Heaven,” and Favorite Country Male Artist. Kane is now the most-awarded country star who had never previously won an award, since his three wins were his first ever AMAs. 
• Carrie Underwood picked up yet another AMA honor, nabbing Favorite Country Female Artist for a fifth straight year, bringing her total AMA wins to 13.
• The nominees for the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were just announced, and John Prine was one of the artists in the running. This was John’s first time nominated for the Hall of Fame, making him one of only six first time nominees. He was not chosen for induction however. 
• The Grand Ole Opry held a special tribute to Ray Charles, hosted by Darius Rucker, with performances by Chris Young, Cam, Brett Eldredge, Lukas Nelson, Boyz II Men, Ronnie Milsap, Charlie Wilsonand more.
• President Donald Trump signed the Music Modernization Act into law, with music stars like Kid Rock, Beach Boys Mike Love, Sam Moore, John Rich and Craig Morgan on hand to witness it.
• Eric Church latest release, “Desperate Man,” debuted at number five on the all-genre “Billboard” 200 Album chart, his fifth Top Five album.
• Kane Brown married fiancé Katelyn Jae in Franklin, Tennessee. The pair tied the knot in front of 200 family and friends at the Mint Springs Farm.
• CMT’s Artist of the Year telecast was a celebration of women in country music, with honorees including Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman, and Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott. Loretta Lynn was honored with the Artist of a Lifetime Award , although she was unable to make the event after she got sick.
• Garth Brooks announced he’ll be hitting the road on “The Stadium Tour,” with the first two cities being St. Louis and Glendale, Arizona.
• Zac Brown Band and Shawn Mendes teamed up for an episode of “CMT Crossroads 
• Garth Brooks hit the stage at Notre Dame Stadium, the first artist to ever headline a concert at the historic venue. Unfortunately the weather didn’t quite cooperate, with the rain and wintery weather conditions forcing the show to start an hour late, and end way into the night. 
• The 2018 Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place in Nashville, with Johnny Gimble, Dottie West and Ricky Skaggs now official members of the prestigious institution. 
• Luke Combs had his fourth straight number one single. Luke’s “She Got The Best of Me” topped the “Billboard” Country Airplay chart, making Luke the first solo artist to score four straight career-opening number ones. 
• Lauren Alaina’s stepfather Sam Ramker lost his battle with cancer.
• Jason Isbell kicked off his annual residency at the Ryman Auditorium with his band the 400 Unit .
• Lady Antebellum announced dates for their first Vegas residency, “Our Kind of Vegas” at the Palms Casino Resort’s Pearl Concert Theater. 
• Pistol Annies celebrated the release of their new album “Interstate Gospel” with a headlining show at the Ryman.
• Songwriter Freddie Hart, best known for writing the 1971 hit “Easy Loving,” died in Burbank, California at the age of 91.
• A new set of songwriters were inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, including Ronnie Dunn, K.T. Oslin, Byron Hill, Wayne Kirkpatrick and Joe Melson.