This Day in Country History: December 30
George Jones received a Kennedy Center Honors medal, which aired on this day, and Luke Bryan thrilled the crowd with his performance in Las Vegas. Dailey & Vincent were invited…
Frederick Breedon via Getty Images
George Jones received a Kennedy Center Honors medal, which aired on this day, and Luke Bryan thrilled the crowd with his performance in Las Vegas. Dailey & Vincent were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry on Dec. 30, and Keith Urban was honored at the Tennessee Titans game on the same day.
Cultural Milestones
These stars achieved cultural milestones on Dec. 30:
- 2008: George Jones was an honoree at the annual Kennedy Center Honors that aired on Dec. 30. Additional recipients of the honors included Barbara Streisand, Morgan Freeman, Roger Daltrey, and Pete Townshend. Garth Brooks was one of the many performers at this prestigious event.
- 2016: Jamie Dailey and Darren Vincent of the bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. The duo was performing their 100th show at the Grand Ole Opry when Marty Stuart gave them the invitation, and they were officially inducted on March 11, 2017.
- 2018: Keith Urban was the honorary 12th Titan for the Tennessee Titans' final game of the season, where they played against the Indianapolis Colts. Urban had the honor of driving the Titans' sword into the ground before this game.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Here were some notable performances from Dec. 30:
- 2008: Country legend Willie Nelson and rocker Billy Kreutzmann from The Grateful Dead performed together at Charlie's Bar in Paia, Hawaii.
- 2016: Maddie & Tae sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Orange Bowl held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
- 2016: Luke Bryan performed at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of his Kill the Lights Tour. Top songs Bryan sang that night included "Kick the Dust Up," "Drink a Beer," and "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)."
Industry Changes and Challenges
There were changes, some happy and others more unfortunate, on Dec. 30, including:
- 2014: The late Toby Keith's country music-themed restaurant, Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill, in Folsom, California, closed permanently. No reason was given for the sudden closure, but other Toby Keith franchises around the country have closed due to financial strain and breach of contract.
- 2014: The "Friday Night" and "On This Side of Heaven" singer Eric Paslay got engaged to his sweetheart, Natalie Harker. The couple had been dating for about two years and married in April 2015.
- 2016: Jennifer Wayne from Runaway June announced her engagement to William Michael Morgan. Morgan is known for his traditional country style, with hits such as "I Met a Girl" and "Spend It All on You."
Engagements are always heartwarming, especially when they happen over the holidays, as we saw with Jennifer Wayne and Eric Paslay. The Kennedy Center Honors, Las Vegas performances, and other moments make Dec. 30 a notable day for country music history.
Kristina HallWriter
