2000 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2000.
Events
- February 28 -
- March 4 — "Amazed" by Lonestar becomes the first country song to have topped both the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and the Billboard Hot 100 chart since the Kenny Rogers-Dolly Parton duet, "Islands In The Stream" in October 1983. The country-leaning "Amazed" — which had a brief run in the Hot 100 during the summer of 1999 — had been remixed for Top 40 radio, launching it to its run of pop-radio success.
- March 7 - George Strait and Alan Jackson release "Murder on Music Row". While the song is not officially released as a single, the song stirs up controversy for its lyrics of how country pop is taking over traditional country music.
- March 10 — Vince Gill and Christian singer Amy Grant are married.
- March 13 - Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" gained significant controversy for citing domestic violence, urging the song to be withdrawn from radio airwaves.
- May 13 - Kenny Rogers makes chart history as "Buy Me a Rose" hits #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, making it not only his first #1 since his 1987 duet with Ronnie Milsap, "Make No Mistake, She's Mine", but also the oldest singer to have a #1 single until 2003. The song is also the only #1 for Alison Krauss and Billy Dean, who are credited as guest vocalists.
- May 13 June Carter Cash of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters celebrates her 50th Grand Ole Opry anniversary
- October 26 - Garth Brooks announces his retirement from touring during a party to celebrate his certification for sales of 100 million albums, at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center.
- December – RFD-TV, a cable network devoted to rural Americans culture, is launched. In addition to agriculture- and farming-centric shows, a large programming block is devoted to classic country music television shows.
Top new album releases
Births
- January 27 — Bailey Zimmerman, up-and-coming singer of the 2020s
- March 5 — Gabby Barrett, rose to fame as third-place contestant in sixteenth season of American Idol, singer-songwriter of the 2020s
- October 6 — Jackson Dean, up-and-coming country singer of the 2020s
Deaths
- March 7 — Pee Wee King, 86, singer-songwriter
- March 14 — Tommy Collins, 69, singer and songwriter who helped create the Bakersfield Sound
- March 19 — Speck Rhodes, 84, comedian and musician best known for his work on The Porter Wagoner Show.
- April 21 — Neal Matthews, Jr., 70, member of The Jordanaires
- November 5 — Jimmie Davis, 101, the "Singing Governor", two-term governor of Louisiana from 1944 to 1948 and again from 1960 to 1964
Hall of Fame inductees
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Lance LeRoy
- Doc Watson
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Colleen Peterson
- Leonard Rambeau