2024 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2024.

List of years in country music (table)
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Events

• January 2 – John Michael Montgomery announces his retirement from touring, with his final tour dates scheduled for the end of 2025.
• January 3 – Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys announces his retirement from touring; Ben James finished the Oaks farewell tour in his place.
• January 19 – Elle King made headlines after taking to the Grand Ole Opry stage while heavily intoxicated during a Dolly Parton tribute show, in honor of Parton's 78th birthday. She later cancelled several of her own concerts in the wake of the incident. Parton subsequently came to King's defense during an interview with Extra, and King resumed performing in March.
• March 10 – The UK Country Airplay chart, the first ever genre-specific radio chart in the United Kingdom, debuts its inaugural list, with "Creek Will Rise" by Conner Smith claiming the title of first number one single.
• April 8 – Morgan Wallen is arrested for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct after throwing a chair off the sixth floor of Eric Church's rooftop bar in downtown Nashville. He was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor and is due to appear in court on May 3 in between performances at Nissan Stadium.
• April 20 – Scotty McCreery is inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry by his childhood hero Josh Turner. McCreery was invited in December 2023 by Garth Brooks.
• April 24 – Miranda Lambert signs a joint record deal with Republic Records and Big Loud.
• April 26–28 – The 2024 edition of Stagecoach Festival takes place at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, featuring headline performances from Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and Morgan Wallen.
• May 3 – T. Graham Brown is inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was invited by Vince Gill earlier in the year during his guest appearance on Brown's Sirius XM radio show.
• May 3 – Randy Travis releases "Where That Came From", his first new recording in over a decade with the help of AI software to recreate his vocals following a series of strokes and health issues that left him unable to sing. It would go on to chart on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, becoming Travis' first solo charting single in nearly two decades since "Angels" in 2005.
• May 21 – Lainey Wilson is surprised by Reba McEntire on the season finale of NBC's The Voice with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry. She was subsequently inducted by Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks on June 7.
• June 4 – Lukas Nelson announces that his band, Promise of the Real, would be going on hiatus so that the members can pursue their own projects.
• June 15 – George Strait's concert at Kyle Field in Texas becomes the most-attended ticketed show in US history, with 110,905 fans in attendance. The record was previously held by the Grateful Dead, who played for 107,019 people at Raceway Park in 1977.
• June 27 – Raul Malo, lead singer of the Mavericks, announces that he has been diagnosed with colon cancer and that the band will have to reschedule or cancel several shows in 2024 while he undergoes treatment.
• June 30 – Shania Twain performed in the traditional Legend's slot at the 2024 Glastonbury Festival, the first country artist to perform in the slot since Dolly Parton in 2014.
• July 5 – The War and Treaty go public about a racist incident where a cotton plant was placed in their dressing room at the Coca-Cola Sips and Sounds Music Festival in Austin, Texas. The band stated that this was only in their dressing room and left them angry and upset based on the history of the plant in regards to black American history. They left the festival immediately after their set and spoke to their young son, who encouraged them to speak up.
• August 23 – Ten years after coming out as gay, Billy Gilman marries his husband Anthony Carbone.
• August 27 – Drew Baldridge makes history by becoming the first artist to self-fund a number one song when his single "She's Somebody's Daughter" reached the top of the Country Aircheck chart.
• October 3 – Garth Brooks is sued by his former hairstylist and makeup artist who claimed she was sexually harassed by him. She also claimed that Brooks raped her during a trip the two took to film a Grammy tribute in 2019. Brooks has denied the accusations.
• November 25 – Westwood One, distributor of radio's American Country Countdown, announces that Kix Brooks (of Brooks & Dunn) would be stepping down as host upon the final countdown program of 2024, after 19 years of hosting. Ryan Fox, a morning personality at Cumulus Media-owned KPLX in Dallas, Texas, was announced as Brooks' successor, effective with the January 4, 2025 program.

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 2024:

See also: List of Billboard number-one country songs of 2024

See also: List of number-one country singles of 2024 (Canada)

Singles released by American and Australian artists

Songs	Airplay	Canada	Single	Artist	References
9	—	—	"16 Carriages"	Beyoncé
8	1	1	"23"	Chayce Beckham
5	—	—	"28"	Zach Bryan
3	1	1	"Ain't No Love in Oklahoma"	Luke Combs
26	3	20	"All I Need Is You"	Chris Janson
8	—	—	"American Nights"	Zach Bryan
7	—	—	"Ameriican Requiem"	Beyoncé
3	8	11	"Austin"	Dasha
9	1	2	"Back Then Right Now"	Tyler Hubbard
1	1	1	"A Bar Song (Tipsy)"	Shaboozey
10	2	3	"Beautiful as You"	Thomas Rhett
6	—	—	"Blackbiird"	Beyoncé featuring Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell and Tiera Kennedy
10	3	3	"Bulletproof"	Nate Smith
7	1	4	"Burn It Down"	Parker McCollum
20	2	14	"Cab in a Solo"	Scotty McCreery
42	19	44	"Can't Break Up Now"	Old Dominion featuring Megan Moroney
15	1	1	"Chevrolet"	Dustin Lynch featuring Jelly Roll
18	1	1	"Cowboy Songs"	George Birge
3	1	1	"Cowgirls"	Morgan Wallen featuring Ernest
22	12	17	"Creek Will Rise"	Conner Smith
9	—	—	"Daughter"	Beyoncé
15	2	11	"Different 'Round Here"	Riley Green featuring Luke Combs
14	5	7	"Dirt Cheap"	Cody Johnson
31	11	29	"Fearless (The Echo)"	Jackson Dean
20	1	16	"Gonna Love You"	Parmalee
11	1	1	"Halfway to Hell"	Jelly Roll
19	13	3	"Hang Tight Honey"	Lainey Wilson
4	1	2	"High Road"	Koe Wetzel featuring Jessie Murph
6	—	—	"High Road"	Zach Bryan
3	1	1	"I Am Not Okay"	Jelly Roll
13	1	2	"I Can Feel It"	Kane Brown
1	1	1	"I Had Some Help"	Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen
1	26	14	"I Remember Everything"	Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves
32	14	35	"I'm Not Pretty"	Megan Moroney
2	—	—	"II Most Wanted"	Beyoncé featuring Miley Cyrus
7	43	56	"In Your Love"	Tyler Childers
8	—	—	"Indigo"	Sam Barber featuring Avery Anna
3	56	—	"Jolene"	Beyoncé
22	3	10	"Let Your Boys Be Country"	Jason Aldean
5	—	—	"Levii's Jeans"	Beyoncé featuring Post Malone
3	1	1	"Lies Lies Lies"	Morgan Wallen
24	9	40	"Love You Again"	Chase Matthew
11	2	4	"Love You, Miss You, Mean It"	Luke Bryan
14	1	1	"Mamaw's House"	Thomas Rhett featuring Morgan Wallen
3	1	1	"Man Made a Bar"	Morgan Wallen featuring Eric Church
24	12	13	"Messed Up as Me"	Keith Urban
4	1	1	"Miles on It"	Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
16	2	53	"Mind on You"	George Birge
26	5	11	"One Bad Habit"	Tim McGraw
14	1	1	"Outskirts"	Sam Hunt
38	18	9	"Out of That Truck"	Carrie Underwood
7	1	1	"The Painter"	Cody Johnson
3	—	—	"Pink Skies"	Zach Bryan
3	1	1	"Pour Me a Drink"	Post Malone featuring Blake Shelton
5	1	17	"Pretty Little Poison"	Warren Zeiders
11	2	5	"Save Me the Trouble"	Dan + Shay
29	3	22	"She's Somebody's Daughter"	Drew Baldridge
29	15	9	"Sounds Like the Radio"	Zach Top
5	56	—	"Spin You Around (1/24)"	Morgan Wallen
10	—	—	"Sweet Dreams"	Koe Wetzel
19	1	4	"Take Her Home"	Kenny Chesney
1	33	25	"Texas Hold 'Em"	Beyoncé
23	4	25	"This Is My Dirt"	Justin Moore
6	1	2	"Truck Bed"	Hardy
13	1	2	"Tucson Too Late"	Jordan Davis
19	9	35	"We Don't Fight Anymore"	Carly Pearce featuring Chris Stapleton
16	3	12	"We Ride"	Bryan Martin
6	1	1	"Where It Ends"	Bailey Zimmerman
4	3	1	"Where the Wild Things Are"	Luke Combs
6	—	—	"Whiskey Whiskey"	Moneybagg Yo featuring Morgan Wallen
5	2	1	"White Horse"	Chris Stapleton
8	5	1	"Wildflowers and Wild Horses"	Lainey Wilson
7	1	1	"You Look Like You Love Me"	Ella Langley featuring Riley Green
26	5	38	"Young Love & Saturday Nights"	Chris Young
21	2	3	"Your Place"	Ashley Cooke

Singles released by Canadian artists

Songs	Airplay	Canada	Single	Artist	References
–	–	9	"Ahead of Our Time"	James Barker Band
–	–	2	"Ain't Doin' Jack"	Josh Ross
–	–	18	"Band on Her T-Shirt"	The Washboard Union
–	–	11	"Bet You Break My Heart"	MacKenzie Porter
–	–	8	"Bigger Than This Town"	Steven Lee Olsen
–	–	20	"Blinding Lights (Country Version)"	Tebey
–	–	14	"Broken Heart Thing"	Madeline Merlo
–	–	10	"Broken Man"	Tyler Joe Miller
–	–	5	"Do It Anyway"	Jade Eagleson with Jake Worthington
–	–	4	"Fixer Upper"	Dallas Smith
–	–	16	"Go Get Er"	Jess Moskaluke
–	–	12	"Have Your Beer"	MacKenzie Porter
–	–	8	"Hey Mom I Made It"	Sacha
–	–	5	"I Grew Up on a Farm"	The Reklaws
–	–	4	"Let Your Horses Run"	Brett Kissel
–	–	2	"Moonshines"	Owen Riegling
–	–	7	"Not Yet"	High Valley
–	–	2	"Old Dirt Roads"	Owen Riegling
–	–	5	"One Beer Away"	The Reklaws
–	–	19	"One More"	Tim Hicks
–	–	12	"Out Here"	Steven Lee Olsen
–	–	1	"Right Round Here"	Dean Brody
45	34	2	"Single Again"	Josh Ross
–	–	2	"Telluride"	Jade Eagleson
–	–	16	"Things My Mama Says"	Hailey Benedict
–	–	6	"Tim + Faith"	Madeline Merlo
–	–	6	"Two of Us"	Brett Kissel with Cooper Alan
–	–	2	"Use Me"	Dallas Smith
–	–	5	"What Good is a Memory"	Tyler Joe Miller
–	–	8	"Whiskey in Colorado"	Tony Stevens
–	–	19	"Your Mama Would Hate Me"	Dean Brody and James Barker Band

Top new album releases

See also: List of Top Country Albums number ones of 2024

See also: List of UK Country Albums Chart number ones of 2024

US	Album	Artist	Record Label	Release Date	Reference
1	Deeper Well	Kacey Musgraves	Interscope/MCA Nashville	March 15
5	Born	Kenny Chesney	Blue Chair/Warner Music Nashville	March 22
1	Cowboy Carter	Beyoncé	Columbia/Parkwood	March 29
10	Rebel	Anne Wilson	Capitol CMG/MCA Nashville/Sparrow	April 19
2	Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going	Shaboozey	American Dogwood/Empire	May 31
2	Fathers & Sons	Luke Combs	Columbia/River House	June 14
1	The Great American Bar Scene	Zach Bryan	Belting Bronco/Warner	July 4
3	Am I Okay?	Megan Moroney	Columbia	July 12
9	Passage du Desir	Johnny Blue Skies	High Top Mountain	July 12
5	9 Lives	Koe Wetzel	Columbia	July 19
3	Twisters: The Album	Various artists	Atlantic	July 19
9	Made by These Moments	The Red Clay Strays	HBYCO/RCA	July 26
1	F-1 Trillion	Post Malone	Republic/Mercury	August 16
10	About a Woman	Thomas Rhett	Valory	August 23
3	Whirlwind	Lainey Wilson	BBR	August 23
6	Cowboys and Dreamers	George Strait	MCA Nashville	September 6
8	Postcards from Texas	Miranda Lambert	Republic/Big Loud	September 13
10	High	Keith Urban	Capitol Nashville	September 20
8	Highway Prayers	Billy Strings	Reprise	September 27
1	Beautifully Broken	Jelly Roll	This Is Hit/Stoney Creek/Republic	October 11
1	Patterns	Kelsea Ballerini	Black River	October 25

Other top albums

US	Album	Artist	Record Label	Release Date	Reference
42	Smoky Mountains	Conner Smith	Valory Music Group	January 26
39	Chapter & Verse	Gabby Barrett	Warner Nashville	February 2
35	What Happens Now?	Dasha	Version III/Warner	February 16
26	Be Right Here	Blackberry Smoke	3 Legged/Thirty Tigers	February 16
24	Trail of Flowers	Sierra Ferrell	Rounder/Concord	March 22
27	Change the Game	Cody Jinks	Late August	March 22
47	Three Twenty Four: The EP	Ole60	Grey Area/Red Door	March 22
34	Young Love & Saturday Nights	Chris Young	RCA Nashville	March 22
33	The Hill	Aaron Lewis	Valory	March 29
41	Hixtape: Vol. 3: Difftape	Various artists	Big Loud	March 29
33	Bad for Me	Chayce Beckham	Wheelhouse	April 5
34	Through the Smoke	Nate Smith	RCA Nashville	April 5
34	Nashville, Tennessee	Ernest	Big Loud	April 12
29	Way Out Here	Riley Green	Nashville Harbor/BMLG	April 12
35	Strong	Tyler Hubbard	Hubbard House/EMI Nashville	April 12
44	Have a Nice Day	Treaty Oak Revival	TOR	April 12
25	Rise & Fall	Scotty McCreery	Triple Tigers	May 10
50	The Border	Willie Nelson	Legacy	May 31
43	Keepin' the Lights On	Kameron Marlowe	Columbia Nashville	May 31
31	Hummingbird	Carly Pearce	Big Machine	June 7
48	Noise Complaint	Koe Wetzel	BMI/Columbia/Legacy	June 7
31	Mind of a Country Boy (EP)	Luke Bryan	Capitol Nashville/Row Crop	June 14
18	Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty	Various artists	Tom Petty Legacy/Big Machine	June 21
23	Songwriter	Johnny Cash	Mercury Nashville/UMe	June 28
11	Live Vol. 1	Billy Strings	Reprise	July 12
17	Hungover	Ella Langley	Sawgod/Columbia	August 2
19	Actin' Up Again	Gavin Adcock	Thrivin Here/Warner Nashville	August 2
33	Stampede	Orville Peck	Warner	August 2
49	Greatest Hits	Little Big Town	Capitol Nashville	August 9
19	Odies but Goodies	Old Dominion	RCA Nashville	September 6
42	Tattoos	Brantley Gilbert	Valory	September 13
11	Mind of a Country Boy	Luke Bryan	Capitol Nashville/Row Crop	September 27
12	California Gold	Nate Smith	RCA Nashville	October 4

Hall of Fame inductees

Country Music Hall of Fame

(announced on March 18, 2024)

• John Anderson
• James Burton
• Toby Keith

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame

(announced on June 26, 2024)

• k.d. lang
• Gilles Godard

International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame

(announced on July 17, 2024)

• Katy Daley
• Jerry Douglas
• Alan Munde

Deaths

• January 10 - Audie Blaylock, 61, American bluegrass singer and guitarist.
• January 5 – Larry Collins, 79, American rockabilly guitarist, songwriter ("Delta Dawn") and member of the Collins Kids, natural causes.
• January 13 – Jo-El Sonnier, 77, American singer-songwriter and accordionist ("Tear Stained Letter", "No More One More Time"), heart attack.
• January 23 – Margo Smith, 84, American country singer ("Don't Break the Heart That Loves You", "It Only Hurts for a Little While"), complications from stroke.
• February 5 – Toby Keith, 62, American country singer-songwriter and one of the most successful artists of the 1990s and 2000s ("Red Solo Cup", "How Do You Like Me Now?!", "Should've Been a Cowboy" and a plethora of other hits), stomach cancer.
• February 22 – Roni Stoneman, 85, bluegrass musician, member of the Stoneman Family, and Hee Haw cast member.
• March 20 - Erv Woolsey, 80, Promoter and most notably known as George Strait's career manager. Erv Woolsey 1944 – 2024
• March 20 - Gene Elders, 66, American violinist most notable for George Stait's (Ace In The Whole Band) & Lyle Lovett's (Large Band) Gene Elders passes
• March 31 – Norah Lee Allen, 76, background singer at the Grand Ole Opry and wife of Duane Allen.
• April 2 – Jerry Abbott, 81, American country songwriter and musician.
• April 30 – Duane Eddy, 86, American cross genre guitarist and innovator (“Rebel-'Rouser”, “Forty Miles of Bad Road”), cancer.
• May 6 – Wayland Holyfield, 82, American songwriter ("Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)", "Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer", "You're My Best Friend").
• May 13 - Bud Logan, 83, American Country Songwriter and Producer most notably for John Conlee & T.Graham Brown.Country Producer Bud Logan Passes
• June 8 – Mark James, 83, American songwriter ("Suspicious Minds", "Always on My Mind").
• June 27 – Kinky Friedman, 79, American singer-songwriter and humorist, Parkinson's disease.
• July 1 – Rusty Golden, 65, American singer, son of the Oak Ridge Boys' William Lee Golden and member of the Goldens.
• July 9 – Joe Bonsall, 76, longtime member of the Oak Ridge Boys (tenor vocal), complications from ALS.
• July 10 – Dave Loggins, 76, pop and country singer ("Please Come to Boston", "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do").
• July 20 – Sandy Posey, 80, American pop, country and gospel singer, complications from dementia.
• August 16 – Bobby Hicks, 91, American Hall of Fame bluegrass fiddler, complications from a heart attack.
• August 27 - Pete Wade, 89, Legendary guitarist (Nashville A-Team) complications of hip surgery
• September 13 – Tommy Cash, 84, American country musician ("Six White Horses").
• September 16 - Billy Edd Wheeler, 91, Songwriter, Poet and performer who wrote notable hits such as “Jackson (Johnny Cash and June Carter) and “Coward of the County” (Kenny Rogers). Billy Edd Wheeler, Songwriter Who Celebrated Rural Life, Dies at 91
• September 22 – Hugh Prestwood, 82, American songwriter ("Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart"), stroke.
• September 28 – Kris Kristofferson, 88, American country singer-songwriter and actor.
• November 14 – Tommy Alverson, 74, American country singer-songwriter, liver cancer.
• November 22 – Toni Price, 63, American country blues singer, brain aneurysm.
• December 11 - Martha Sharp, 87, American songwriter and music executive most notable for singing Randy Travis.Obituaries in Nashville, TN | The Tennessean