2018 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2018.

Events

January – The critically acclaimed ABC/CMT series Nashville announces it will stop production after its sixth season which premiered on January 4, 2018. The show's last episode aired on July 26, 2018.
January 17 – Kenny Chesney announces that he has left Sony Music Nashville after 23 years and has subsequently signed with Warner Music Nashville.
February 2 – Montgomery Gentry release their final album together, Here's to You, following the death of Troy Gentry in September 2017.
April 14 – Weeks after his impromptu performance of the Hank Williams Sr. hit song "Lovesick Blues" at his local Wal-Mart in southern Illinois had made him a viral country phenomenon, 11 year old Mason Ramsey realizes his dream of performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Five years later, a teenaged Ramsey would return to the Opry, performing the song again on the 75th anniversary of the country standard.
April 15 – The Academy of Country Music awards return to Las Vegas for the first time since the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting, with Reba McEntire returning as host; Carrie Underwood makes her comeback performance after months out of the public eye while recovering from injuries she suffered in a fall at home.
April 30 – USA Network announces Real Country, a reality competition show designed to find the next big country star and featuring Travis Tritt, Jake Owen and Shania Twain as judges.
June 8 – Sugarland returns with the release of their first album together since 2010, Bigger.
June 25 – Fox announces it will air "iHeartCountry Festival", featuring headliners Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, and more in August.
June 26 – Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Faith Hill are announced to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019.
July 25 – Reba McEntire is announced as one of the recipients of the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors.
August 8 – Carrie Underwood announces her pregnancy with her second child.
September 20 – Carrie Underwood receives her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
November 20 – Jimmie Allen reaches number one on Country Airplay with "Best Shot", making him the first African American to send a debut single to the top of that chart.

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 2018:

Top new album releases

The following albums placed on the Top Country Albums charts in 2018:

US	Album	Artist	Record label	Release date	Reference
1	All of It	Cole Swindell	Warner Bros. Nashville	August 17
5	Amos	Michael Ray	Atlantic Nashville	June 1
2	Bigger	Sugarland	Big Machine	June 8
5	Creeker	Upchurch	Redneck Nation	April 20
1	Cry Pretty	Carrie Underwood	19/Capitol Nashville	September 14
1	Dan + Shay	Dan + Shay	Warner Bros. Nashville	June 22
5	Dark Horse	Devin Dawson	Warner Bros. Nashville	January 19
1	Experiment	Kane Brown	RCA Nashville	November 9
1	Desperate Man	Eric Church	EMI Nashville	October 5
3	Find a Light	Blackberry Smoke	3 Legged Records	April 6
10	Florida Georgia Line	Florida Georgia Line	Republic Nashville	June 1
7	Girl Going Nowhere	Ashley McBryde	Warner Bros. Nashville	March 30
1	Golden Hour	Kacey Musgraves	MCA Nashville	March 30
1	Graffiti U	Keith Urban	Capitol Nashville	April 27
1	Hallelujah Nights	LANCO	Arista Nashville	January 19
3	Here's to You	Montgomery Gentry	Average Joes	February 2
6	Home State	Jordan Davis	MCA Nashville	March 23
2	I Serve a Savior	Josh Turner	MCA Nashville	October 26
1	If I Know Me	Morgan Wallen	Big Loud Mountain	April 27
1	Interstate Gospel	Pistol Annies	RCA Nashville	November 2
9	Johnny Cash: Forever Words	Various Artists	Legacy	April 6
8	Laps Around the Sun	Chris Lane	Big Loud	July 13
3	Last Man Standing	Willie Nelson	Legacy	April 27
2	Lifers	Cody Jinks	Rounder	July 27
3	Live from the Ryman	Jason Isbell	Thirty Tigers	October 19
1	The Mountain	Dierks Bentley	Capitol Nashville	June 8
6	Now That's What I Call Country, Volume 11	Various Artists	Sony Music/Universal	June 8
2	Port Saint Joe	Brothers Osborne	EMI Nashville	April 20
1	Rearview Town	Jason Aldean	Broken Bow	April 13
4	Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin	Various Artists	UMG Nashville	April 6
1	Seasons Change	Scotty McCreery	Triple Tigers	March 16
1	Songs for the Saints	Kenny Chesney	Warner Music Nashville	July 27
6	Supernatural	Upchurch	Redneck Nation	September 7
5	Telling All My Secrets	Mitchell Tenpenny	Riser House/Columbia Nashville	December 14
9	Things That We Drink To	Morgan Evans	Warner Music Nashville	October 12
1	Ticket to L.A.	Brett Young	Big Machine	December 7
2	The Tree of Forgiveness	John Prine	Oh Boy Records	April 13
9	Water	Sister Hazel	Croakin' Poets	February 9
8	Wouldn't It Be Great	Loretta Lynn	Legacy	September 28

Deaths

January 2 – Rick Hall, 85, record producer and owner of FAME Studios
January 23 – Lari White, 52, singer-songwriter and actress best known for the hit "Now I Know".
February 12 – Daryle Singletary, 46, neotraditionalist singer-songwriter with hits including "I Let Her Lie", "Amen Kind of Love" and "Too Much Fun".
February 25 – Bruce Nelson Stratton, 74, American radio personality.
March 2 – Ronnie Prophet, 80, Canadian country music singer.
March 18 – Hazel Smith, 83, American country music journalist, publicist and songwriter; first to coin the phrase "outlaw" in relation to country music.
March 27 – Kenny O'Dell, 73, American country singer-songwriter, Grammy winner.
April 17 – Tom McBride, 81, Irish country star and lead singer of Big Tom and The Mainliners.
April 18 – Randy Scruggs, 64, multiple Grammy-winning songwriter and guitarist; son of Earl Scruggs.
June 2 – Wayne Secrest, 68, bassist for Confederate Railroad
June 5 – Billy ThunderKloud, 70, Native American country music singer..
August 4 – Lorrie Collins, 76, American rockabilly singer, member of The Collins Kids.
October 27 – Freddie Hart, 91, singer-songwriter .
November 1 – Dave Rowland, 74, lead singer of Dave & Sugar.
November 15 – Roy Clark, 85, country music singer, musician and host of Hee Haw.
December 15 – Jerry Chesnut, 87, songwriter
December 22 – Jimmy Work, 94, American country singer-songwriter.
December 31 – Ray Sawyer, 81, American country singer Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show.

Hall of Fame inductees

Bluegrass Hall of Fame

Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

Ricky Skaggs, bluegrass-influenced-and-styled singer-songwriter-musician and leading figure in the neotraditionalist movement of the 1980s onward.
Dottie West, leading singer of the 1960s and early 1970s, enjoyed pop-styled resurgence in late 1970s and early 1980s.
Johnny Gimble, Western swing-styled musician and member of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys.

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

Terri Clark, singer
Jackie Rae Greening, broadcaster

Major awards

Academy of Country Music

'Entertainer of the Year – Keith UrbanMale Vocalist of the Year – Thomas RhettFemale Vocalist of the Year – Kacey MusgravesVocal Duo of the Year – Dan + ShayVocal Group of the Year – Old DominionNew Male Vocalist of the Year – Luke CombsNew Female Vocalist of the Year – Ashley McBrydeNew Vocal Duo/Group of the Year – LancoSongwriter of the Year – Shane McAnallyAlbum of the Year – Golden Hour Single of the Year – "Tequila" Song of the Year – "Tequila" Vocal Event of the Year – "Burning Man" Artist of the Decade – Jason Aldean
ACM Honors Cliffie Stone Icon Award – Alan JacksonMerle Haggard Spirit Award – Dierks BentleyMae Boren Axton Award – Mickey Christensen, Chris Christensen and Eddie MillerPoet's Award – Matraca Berg and Norro WilsonGary Haber Lifting Lives Award – Darius RuckerGene Weed Milestone Award – Sam HuntSongwriter of the Year – Rhett AkinsProducer of the Year – Dave CobbJim Reeves International Award''' – Rob Potts

Americana Music Honors & Awards

Album of the Year – The Nashville Sound Artist of the Year – John PrineDuo/Group of the Year – Jason Isbell and the 400 UnitSong of the Year – "If We Were Vampires" Emerging Artist of the Year – Tyler ChildersInstrumentalist of the Year – Molly TuttleSpirit of Americana/Free Speech Award – Rosanne CashLifetime Achievement: Trailblazer – k.d. langLifetime Achievement: Performance – Irma ThomasLifetime Achievement: Instrumentalist – Buddy GuyLifetime Achievement: Executive – Judy Dlugacz and Cris Williamson

American Music Awards

'Favorite Male Artist – Kane BrownFavorite Female Artist – Carrie UnderwoodFavorite Group or Duo – Florida Georgia LineFavorite Album – Kane Brown Favorite Song''' – "Heaven"

ARIA Awards

'Best Country Album – Campfire ARIA Hall of Fame''' – Kasey Chambers

Billboard Music Awards

'Top Country Artist – Chris StapletonTop Male Country Artist – Chris StapletonTop Female Country Artist – Maren MorrisTop Country Duo/Group – Florida Georgia LineTop Country Album – From A Room: Volume 1 Top Country Song – "Body Like a Back Road" Top Country Tour''' – Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day Tour

CMT Awards

'Video of the Year – "I'll Name the Dogs" Male Video of the Year – "I'll Name the Dogs" Female Video of the Year – "The Champion" Duo Video of the Year – "Tequila" Group Video of the Year – "When Someone Stops Loving You" Breakthrough Video of the Year – "Every Little Thing" Collaborative Video of the Year – "What Ifs" CMT Performance of the Year – "Everybody" from CMT Crossroads
CMT Artists of the Year
'

Country Music Association Awards

'Entertainer of the Year – Keith UrbanMale Vocalist of the Year – Chris StapletonFemale Vocalist of the Year – Carrie UnderwoodNew Artist of the Year – Luke CombsVocal Duo of the Year – Brothers OsborneVocal Group of the Year – Old DominionMusician of the Year – Mac McAnallySingle of the Year – "Broken Halos" Song of the Year – "Broken Halos" Album of the Year – Golden Hour Musical Event of the Year – "Everything's Gonna Be Alright Music Video of the Year – "Marry Me" International Artist Achievement Award – Little Big TownGlobal Artist Achievement Award''' – Dean Brody

Grammy Awards

'Album of the Year – Golden Hour Best Country Solo Performance – "Butterflies" Best Country Duo/Group Performance – "Tequila" Best Country Song – "Space Cowboy" Best Country Album – Golden Hour Best Bluegrass Album – The Travelin' McCourys Best Americana Album – By the Way, I Forgive You Best American Roots Performance – "The Joke" Best American Roots Song – "The Joke" Best Roots Gospel Album' – Unexpected''

International Bluegrass Music Association Awards

'Entertainer of the Year – Balsam RangeMale Vocalist of the Year – Buddy MeltonFemale Vocalist of the Year – Brooke AldridgeVocal Group of the Year – Doyle Lawson & QuicksilverInstrumental Group of the Year – The Travelin' McCourysEmerging Artist of the Year – The Po' Ramblin' BoysGuitar Player of the Year – Molly TuttleBanjo Player of the Year – Ned LubereckiMandolin Player of the Year – Sierra HullFiddle Player of the Year – Michael ClevelandBass Player of the Year – Tim SurrettDobro Player of the Year – Justin MosesAlbum of the Year – Rivers & Roads Song of the Year – "If I'd Have Wrote That Song" Recorded Event of the Year – "Swept Away" Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year – "Squirrel Hunters" Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year''' – "Speakin' To That Mountain"

Juno Awards

'Country Album of the Year – We Were That Song Contemporary Roots Album of the Year – Both Ways Traditional Roots Album of the Year – Sweet Old Religion Breakthrough Group of the Year – The Washboard UnionRecording Engineer of the Year''' – Shawn Everett

Hollywood walk of Fame

Stars who were honored in 2018
Carrie Underwood

Kennedy Center Honors

Country stars who were honored in 2018
Reba McEntire