my-server
← Wiki

2013 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2013.

Events

  • January – A brief feud erupts between Blake Shelton and country legend Ray Price when Shelton criticized veteran country performers who don't agree with the direction in which the genre is going, claiming "(n)obody wants to listen to their grandpa's music." Price was offended and publicly expressed his disapproval in a Facebook post, prompting Shelton to issue an apology on Twitter. Several days later, Price accepted the apology. "I agree that he should be given a chance to restore his credibility with the millions of fans who were deeply offended by those hurtful words," Price wrote as part of his Facebook post responding to Shelton's apology.
  • January 21 – The first Nash FM-branded station – a media brand and network owned by Cumulus Media – is WNSH (Nash 94.7) in Newark, New Jersey (serving the New York City metropolitan area). The Nash FM brand focuses on current hits (along with scattered recurrents from the past 2–3 years); a year later, a Nash Icon brand will be added, mixing in current hits with songs from the 1980s onward. The first song played on the station is "How Country Feels" by Randy Houser. It becomes the first country music radio station in NYC and NJ since 1996.
  • February 17 – Mindy McCready, whose personal and legal problems overshadowed her promising future as a rising female vocalist of the late 1990s, is found dead of an apparent suicide at her home in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Her death came a month after the death of her boyfriend, songwriter David Wilson.
  • March 2 – The Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones, a radio show hosted by Austin, Texas, radio personality Bobby Estell (aka Bobby Bones), debuts in syndication.
  • April 24 – The Chatham County, Georgia Grand Jury indicted Billy Currington on felony criminal charges of "abuse of an elder person by inflicting mental anguish" and "making terroristic threats". Both criminal charges stem from an April 15 incident involving Charles Harvey Ferrelle, with the indictment alleging that Currington made terrorist threats and drove too close to Ferrelle's boat in a manner that he nearly knocked the elderly man into the water. Currington – released after posting $27,000 bond – faces a prison term of 1 to 5 years if convicted.
  • July 7 – Randy Travis is hospitalized in critical condition with viral cardiomyopathy. Four days later, he suffers a stroke and undergoes surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
  • August 10 – With 22 weeks at No. 1, "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line sets a new record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, breaking a three-way tie of 21 weeks at No. 1 jointly held by Eddy Arnold ("I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)," 1947), Hank Snow ("I'm Movin' On," 1950) and Webb Pierce ("In the Jailhouse Now," 1955). "Cruise" benefited from changes in Billboard's methodology, made in 2012, from a country airplay-only chart to one that reflects all-genre airplay, music downloads and streaming, similarly to the Hot 100. The song had earlier spent five weeks at No. 1 in late December into January, began falling but never dropping out of the top 40, before rebounding in April following the release of a remix with Nelly and eventually reclaiming the chart's No. 1 position.
  • August 17- Jim Ed Brown of The Browns celebrates his 50th Grand Ole Opry anniversary
  • August 18 – Jody Rosen of New York coins the term "bro-country" to describe the genre's then-ongoing trend of hip-hop influenced country songs with a theme of partying.
  • August 23 – In an interview with AARP, Linda Ronstadt reveals she has Parkinson's disease and can no longer sing.
  • October 16 – Record producer Tony Brown, best known for producing George Strait, is arrested for domestic assault against his wife.
  • November 19 – Carolina country singers Kellie Pickler and Aaron Tippin in a state in United States.
  • December 15 – Numerous media outlets, from Rolling Stone to the USA Today, prematurely reported that Ray Price had died from pancreatic cancer. The information came from Price's son, Cliff, who posted via Facebook his father's apparent passing, but it was later retracted, according to The Tennessean (which also published a news story on Price's death that was later removed). Price died the next day, with family spokesman Bill Mack confirming the death.

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 2013:

Singles released by American artists

Singles released by Canadian artists

Notes
  • "—" denotes releases that did not chart

Top new album releases

The following albums placed within the Top 50 on the Top Country Albums charts in 2013:

Other top albums

Deaths

Hall of Fame Inductees

Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Major awards

American Country Awards

(presented December 10 in Las Vegas)

  • Artist of the Year – Luke Bryan
  • Male Artist of the Year – Luke Bryan
  • Female Artist of the Year – Miranda Lambert
  • Group/Duo of the Year – Lady Antebellum
  • Touring Artist of the Year – Luke Bryan
  • Album of the Year – Based on a True Story..., Blake Shelton
  • Breakthrough Artist of the Year – Scotty McCreery
  • New Artist of the Year – Florida Georgia Line
  • Single of the Year – "Cruise", Florida Georgia Line
  • Male Single of the Year – "Sure Be Cool If You Did", Blake Shelton
  • Female Single of the Year – "Mama's Broken Heart", Miranda Lambert
  • Duo/Group Single of the Year – "Downtown", Lady Antebellum
  • Breakthrough Single of the Year – "I Drive Your Truck", Lee Brice
  • New Artist Single of the Year – "Cruise", Florida Georgia Line
  • Single by a Vocal Collaboration – "Highway Don't Care", Tim McGraw feat. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban
  • Music Video of the Year – "Sure Be Cool If You Did", Blake Shelton
  • Male Music Video of the Year – "Sure Be Cool If You Did", Blake Shelton
  • Female Music Video of the Year – "Blown Away", Carrie Underwood
  • Duo/Group Music Video of the Year – "Highway Don't Care", Tim McGraw feat. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban
  • New Artist Music Video of the Year – "Cruise", Florida Georgia Line
  • Song of the Year – "Highway Don't Care", Tim McGraw feat. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban

Academy of Country Music

(presented April 6, 2014 in Las Vegas)

ACM Honors

Americana Music Honors & Awards

American Music Awards

(presented in Los Angeles on November 24, 2013)

ARIA Awards

(presented in Sydney on December 1, 2013)

Canadian Country Music Association

(presented September 8 in Edmonton)

  • Fans' Choice Award – Terri Clark
  • Male Artist of the Year – Dean Brody
  • Female Artist of the Year – Kira Isabella
  • Group or Duo of the Year – The Stellas
  • Songwriter(s) of the Year – "Leaning on a Lonesome Song", written by Gord Bamford, Buddy Owens and Ray Stephenson
  • Single of the Year – "Leaning on a Lonesome Song", Gord Bamford
  • Album of the Year – Is It Friday Yet?, Gord Bamford
  • Top Selling Album – Red, Taylor Swift
  • Top Selling Canadian Album – Fire It Up, Johnny Reid
  • CMT Video of the Year – "Leaning on a Lonesome Song", Gord Bamford
  • Rising Star Award – Bobby Wills
  • Roots Artist or Group of the Year – Corb Lund
  • Interactive Artist of the Year – High Valley

Country Music Association

(presented November 6 in Nashville)

CMT Music Awards

(presented June 5 in Nashville)

CMT Artists of the Year

<br /> (presented December 3 in Nashville)

Grammy Awards

(presented January 26, 2014 in Los Angeles)

Juno Awards

(presented March 30, 2014 in Winnipeg)

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Country Stars who were honored in 2013

Loretta Lynn

See also

References