This Day in Country History: March 4
On March 4, 1983, George Jones married his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulveda and wed in Woodville, Texas, at Jones’ sister’s home. They were married until Jones died in 2013. Are…
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On March 4, 1983, George Jones married his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulveda and wed in Woodville, Texas, at Jones' sister's home. They were married until Jones died in 2013. Are you interested in other facts from this day in country music history? Continue reading to discover breakthrough hits, band milestones, cultural shifts, notable performances, and other country music events that happened on March 4.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
These breakthrough hits and milestones helped shape the history of country music:
- 1967: Merle Haggard released I'm A Lonesome Fugitive, an album for which he wrote most songs. It rose to No. 3 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
- 2000: "Amazed" by Lonestar topped the Billboard Hot 100 after hitting No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, where it stayed for eight weeks. This was the first time in 17 years that a country song reached No. 1 on both charts.
- 2019: Thomas Rhett's "Look What God Gave Her" earned the highest chart of his career for country radio's most-played song, debuting at No. 20 on Billboard's Country Airplay and No. 29 on the Country Aircheck Mediabase.
- 2022: Lainey Wilson is named the New Female Artist of the Year, and Parker McCollum is named New Male Artist of the Year for the annual Country Music Awards (CMA). The 57th CMA Awards were then held on March 7 in Los Angeles.
Cultural Milestones
Without these cultural milestones, country music wouldn't be the same today:
- 1980: The movie A Coal Miner's Daughter, about the life of Loretta Lynn, premiered in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Belle Meade Theater. It was a commercial success starring Sissy Spacek, who won a Best Actress Academy Award for her role as Loretta Lynn.
- 2010: Starring as themselves, Rascal Flatts and Jay DeMarcus appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. During the episode, detectives had to decide whether DeMarcus' death by guitar electrocution was an accident.
- 2016: The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened a new exhibit called Dierks Bentley: Every Mile a Memory. This exhibit displayed Bentley's favorite guitar, some of his stage wear, grade school class pictures, and other memorabilia from Bentley's career.
- 2019: At the 12th annual Jeffrey Steele & Friends fundraiser concert held at The Franklin Theatre in Downtown Franklin, Tennessee, performers included LOCASH, Steve Dorff, Chris Janson, Eddie Montgomery, and RaeLynn.
- 2020: Chris Young donated $50,000 to the Music City Inc. Foundation to help those affected by the tornado that ripped through Nashville a few days before. Kacey Musgraves also sold some of her personal items to help raise funds for the cause.
Notable Recordings and Performances
You may recall these March 4 recordings and performances that influenced the country music industry:
- 2008: Alan Jackson debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with his 15th studio album, Good Time. Three singles from the album hit No. 1: "Country Boy," "Small Town Southern Man," and "Good Time."
- 2009: Charlie Pride performed for the Texas Rangers — a baseball team he later became a minority owner of. Pride had a long history with country music and a great love of baseball.
- 2015: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Hunter Hayes' "I Want Crazy" as 2x Platinum, while "Invisible" and "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me" both received Gold certifications.
- 2016: Little Big Town's "Painkiller" received a Gold certification from the RIAA.
- 2017: PBS aired Patsy Cline: American Masters, honoring the iconic "Crazy" and "Walkin' After Midnight" singer. This documentary had narrations by Kacey Musgraves, Lee Ann Rimes, and Reba McEntire.
- 2022: Butterfly Records released Dolly Parton's album Run, Rose, Run. Parton teamed with thriller writer James Patterson to write a book with the same name as the album about a rising country music star.
Industry Changes and Challenges
These industry changes and challenges happened on March 4, significantly affecting the country music genre:
- 1996: Known as the Queen of Country Comedy, Minnie Pearl died at 83. She had performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville for over 50 years and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1975.
- 2020: Garth Brooks became the youngest person to receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He was presented with the award at an event in Washington, D.C., where he gave the opening performance.
- 2021: Singer Richie McDonald announced he was leaving the band, Lonestar. This popular 1990s and 200s band had hits like "I'm Already There" and "Not a Day Goes By." After leaving Lonestar, McDonald joined the group, The Frontmen of Country.
- 2023: Michael Rhodes, a prolific studio bass player for Nashville artists, died at the age of 69. Rhodes recorded with legendary performers such as Shawn Colvin, Lee Ann Womack, Dolly Parton, George Strait, and Johnny Cash.
These important March 4 events had an overwhelming influence on country music. Appreciate how your favorite music has evolved into what it is today!
Kristina HallWriter
