This Day in Country History: March 8
March 8 was an exciting day for the country music industry. Numerous awards, certifications, performances, and changes impacted country music on this day. From performances in Australia to the premiere…
March 8 was an exciting day for the country music industry. Numerous awards, certifications, performances, and changes impacted country music on this day. From performances in Australia to the premiere of the TV show, Nashville Star, which launched the careers of several top artists today, March 8 will go down in country music history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Brad Paisley, Florida Georgia Line, and Lainey Wilson had milestones on March 8, including:
- 2006: Brad Paisley received six nominations for the 41st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, including Top Male Vocalist. Sugarland and Brooks & Dunn both received five nominations, and Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts had four nominations.
- 2015: Florida Georgia Line (FGL) opened for headliner Jason Aldean at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Songs FGL performed at their first Australian tour included "Sippin' On Fire" and "Get Your Shine On."
- 2024: During her performance at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, Lainey Wilson welcomed Randy Travis on the stage with her. Wilson thanked Travis for inspiring her to be a country music artist.
Cultural Milestones
Artists helping their community and a competition show that saw young country music artists happened on March 8.
- 2003: The show, Nashville Star, premiered on this date. This competition show had performers singing country music, with celebrity judges and the public choosing which contestants should move forward. Stars such as Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and Chris Young competed on this show.
- 2018: Rascal Flatts received the 2018 Excellence in Children's Health Award from Vanderbilt's Cumberland Pediatric Foundation. This special award is given annually to an individual or group that provides charity work for children, such as Rascal Flatts' support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Little Kids Rock.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Record certifications and a record release were notable events for March 8.
- 2013: Blake Shelton's "Sure Be Cool If You Did" received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By September 2021, this single received a 3x Platinum certification.
- 2019: Columbia Nashville Records released Maren Morris's album Girl. In addition, under Broken Bow Records, Dustin Lynch's EP Ridin' Roads was released on the same date.
- 2019: Michael Ray's single "Get to You" received a Gold certification from the RIAA. On this same date, Luke Combs's album, This One's For You, received a 2x Platinum certification.
Industry Changes and Challenges
A birth, a death, and a show cancellation were industry changes and challenges for March 8.
- 2016: Hank Williams Jr.'s daughter and country music singer Holly Williams and her husband, Chris Coleman, welcomed a baby daughter, Lillie Mae Louise Coleman.
- 2019: Reba McEntire announced she was cancelling her March 9 show at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, due to laryngitis. She rescheduled her show for March 16.
- 2009: Long-time Grand Ole Opry member, Hank Locklin, died at the age of 91. Locklin was known for his clear tenor voice and honky-tonk music, which helped shape the sound of country music in the 1950s and 1960s.
The country music you enjoy today has strong roots in the music industry, and with awards and certifications, as we saw on March 8, these accolades honor the hard work of artists and performers.
