2008 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2008.
Overview of the events of 2008 in country music
Events
April 27 – A story in the New York Daily News reported a possible long-term relationship between Mindy McCready and baseball star Roger Clemens that began when she was 15 years old.[ 1] Though Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin , acknowledged that McCready was a "close family friend," Hardin denied the affair and threatened to bring a defamation suit against him.[ 1] However, McCready would state that the relationship was sexual,[ 2] and spoke about her affair with Clemens in more detail on the November 17 broadcast of Inside Edition .[ 3]
May 10 – Garth Brooks inducted Carrie Underwood on Grand Ole Opry .
May 15 – People Magazine reported Canadian singer Shania Twain and her husband, music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange , had separated after 14 years of marriage. The couple were married on December 28, 1993, after Twain met Lange at Nashville 's Fan Fair earlier in the year.[ 4]
May 23 – Anne Murray performs her final concert in Toronto, Ontario , Canada and retires from show business.
June 14 – Sara Evans and radio show host/former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker are married in Franklin, Tennessee, with their children as their attendants.[ 5] [ 6]
November 11 – Country music superstar Reba McEntire departs her longtime record label MCA Nashville , after 24 years and signed to The Valory Music Co., sister label to Big Machine Records . McEntire and Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta had previously worked together in the 1990s when Borchetta was senior president of promotion for MCA Nashville.[ 7]
November 20 – Julianne Hough announces that she would not be returning for the foreseeable future to Dancing with the Stars in order to further her country music career.[ 8]
December 7 – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts honors George Jones for his lifetime contributions to the arts.
December 18 – Equity Music Group , a label owned by Clint Black , closes after five years in operation.[ 9]
Top hits of the year
The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs or Canada Country charts in 2008:
Top new album releases
The following albums placed within the Top 50 on the Top Country Albums charts in 2008:
Other top albums
Deaths
January 6 – Ken Nelson , 96, record producer for artists including Hank Thompson , Buck Owens , Merle Haggard and many others.
April 22 – Paul Davis , 60, crossover artist whose collaborations with Marie Osmond and Tanya Tucker reached No. 1 in the 1980s. (heart attack )
May 1 – Jim Hager , 66, country singer and actor who along with his twin brother Jon were regulars on Hee Haw from 1969 to 1986. (heart attack )
May 5 – Jerry Wallace , 79, crossover artist who scored several country hits during the 1970s including the No. 1 "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry " in 1972. (congestive heart failure )
May 8 – Eddy Arnold , 89, country and pop singer whose career spanned seven decades. (natural causes )
May 11 – Dottie Rambo , 74, southern gospel singer-songwriter. (bus accident)
July 16 – Jo Stafford , 90, crossover artist from the 1940s with hits "Feudin’ and Fightin" and "Temptation". (congestive heart failure)
August 11 – Don Helms , 81, steel guitarist and member of Hank Williams ' Drifting Cowboys. (heart attack) [ 11]
September 1 – Jerry Reed , 71, country singer and actor best known for his 1971 crossover hit "When You're Hot, You're Hot" (emphysema )
September 12 – Charlie Walker , 81, honky tonk singer best known for "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" (colon cancer)
December 24 – Alf Robertson , 67, Swedish country musician.
Hall of Fame inductees
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Tom T. Hall (1936-2021), singer and songwriter, known as "The Storyteller"
Emmylou Harris (born 1947), neo-traditional singer and songwriter
The Statler Brothers (Harold Reid (1939–2020), Don Reid (born 1945), Phil Balsley (born 1939), Lew DeWitt (1938–1990), Jimmy Fortune (born 1955)), diverse country music group known for pop-styled, nostalgic and gospel songs.
Ernest "Pop" Stoneman (1893–1968), singer, songwriter, and musician, patriarch of the family group The Stonemans
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Major awards
Grammy Awards
(presented February 8, 2009 in Los Angeles )
Best Female Country Vocal Performance – "Last Name ", Carrie Underwood
Best Male Country Vocal Performance – "Letter to Me ", Brad Paisley
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals – "Stay ", Sugarland
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals – "Killing the Blues", Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Best Country Instrumental Performance – "Cluster Pluck", Brad Paisley, James Burton , Vince Gill , John Jorgenson , Albert Lee , Brent Mason , Redd Volkaert , and Steve Wariner
Best Country Song – "Stay", Jennifer Nettles
Best Country Album – Troubadour , George Strait
Best Bluegrass Album – Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947 , Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
Juno Awards
(presented March 29, 2009 in Vancouver )
CMT Music Awards
(presented April 14 in Nashville )
Video of the Year – "Our Song ", Taylor Swift
Male Video of the Year – "I Got My Game On ", Trace Adkins
Female Video of the Year – "Our Song", Taylor Swift
Group Video of the Year – "Take Me There ", Rascal Flatts
Duo Video of the Year – "Stay ", Sugarland
USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year – "I Wonder ", Kellie Pickler
Collaborative Video of the Year – "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore ", Bon Jovi & LeAnn Rimes
Performance of the Year – "I Wonder ", Kellie Pickler
Supporting Character of the Year – Rodney Carrington in "I Got My Game On"
Wide Open Country Video of the Year – "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) ", Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
Tearjerker Video of the Year – "I Wonder", Kellie Pickler
Comedy Video of the Year – "Online ", Brad Paisley
Video Director of the Year – Michael Salomon
Academy of Country Music
(presented April 5, 2009 in Las Vegas )
Americana Music Honors & Awards
ARIA Awards
(presented in Sydney on October 19, 2008)
Canadian Country Music Association
(presented September 8 in Winnipeg )
Fans' Choice Award – Doc Walker
Male Artist of the Year – Johnny Reid
Female Artist of the Year – Jessie Farrell
Group or Duo of the Year – Doc Walker
Songwriter(s) of the Year – "Beautiful Life", written by Murray Pulver, Chris Thorsteinson and Dave Wasyliw
Single of the Year – "Beautiful Life", performed by Doc Walker
Album of the Year – Beautiful Life , Doc Walker
Top Selling Album – The Ultimate Hits , Garth Brooks
Top Selling Canadian Album – Kicking Stones , Johnny Reid
CMT Video of the Year – "Beautiful Life", Doc Walker
Rising Star Award – Jessie Farrell
Roots Artist or Group of the Year – Corb Lund
Country Music Association
(presented November 12 in Nashville )
See also
Bibliography
References
^ a b Thompson, Teri; Nanthaniel Vinton; Christian Red (2008-04-28). "Sources: Roger Clemens had 10-year fling with country star Mindy McCready" . NY Daily News. Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2008-04-28 .
^ "Report: Mindy McCready Confirms Affair With Roger Clemens" . Foxnews.com. 2008-04-29. Archived from the original on 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2015-04-30 .
^ "Report: Mindy McCready talks about Clemens Affair" . [si.com]. 2008-11-17. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-18 .
^ "Shania Twain & Husband Split" . People Magazine. 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2008-05-15 .
^ Finan, Eileen. "Sara Evans Marries Her Football Hero – Weddings, Sara Evans" . People.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30 .
^ Finan, Eileen (2008-06-17). "FIRST LOOK: Sara Evans Wedding Photo – Weddings, Music News, Sara Evans" . People.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30 .
^ "Reba McEntire Signs New Record Deal With the Valory Music Co" . CMT.com. 2008-11-11. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved 2008-11-22 .
^ Dancing with the Stars : Julianne Will Sit Out Next Season Archived June 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine " TV Guide . November 20, 2008. Retrieved on November 21, 2008.
^ "Equity Music Group Suspends Operations" . CMT.com. 2008-12-16. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-30 .
^ "Top Country Albums" . October 24, 2008.
^ [1] Archived August 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine