This Day in Country History: April 22

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1998: Top Vocal Duo/Group at the 33rd ACM Awards went to Brooks & Dunn. Top Female Vocalist went to Trisha Yearwood, while George Strait earned the Top Male Vocalist award.  
• 1998: Garth Brooks won Entertainer of the Year at the 33rd ACM Awards, and Top New Male Vocalist went to a young Kenny Chesney.
• 1998: The biggest winners of the 33rd ACM Awards were Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who won Video of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year, Song of the Year, and Single Record of the Year for “It's Your Love.”
• 2011: Guests thought they were attending LeAnn Rimes' and Eddie Cibrian's engagement party, when in fact, the couple was getting married. There were 40 of Rimes and Cibrian's closest friends and family at their intimate wedding.

Cultural Milestones

• 1936: The legendary and influential Glen Campbell was born in Arkansas. Campbell became a household name with hits including “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Wichita Lineman.”
• 2007: Country music stars were inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame. Artists included John Hiatt, Wynonna Judd, and Emmylou Harris, all influential musicians in the country music industry.
• 2014: Pediatric patients at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville were treated to appearances by the duo, Rascal Flatts. The country music group performed for the children, family, and staff of the hospital in an intimate space, with songs like "Fast Cars and Freedom" and "My Wish."
• 2014: The Country Music Hall of Fame announced its new inductees. Ronnie Milsap, Hank Cochran, and Mac Wilson were the new class of inductees, with the ceremony held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. Hunter Hayes, Jo Walker-Meador, and Bobby Bare were the induction masters.
• 2016: Kacey Musgraves joined George Jones for his opening night of Jones' limited-run residency at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. After Musgraves' opening performance, Jones played for nearly two hours with a special nod to the late Merle Haggard, who died on April 6, 2016.
• 2020: Country star Zac Brown sold his property that included his recording studio, Southern Ground Nashville, for $10 million. Top stars, such as Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Willie Nelson, recorded at this iconic studio.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2005: Vince Gill and Toby Keith performed a benefit concert to honor rescue workers from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which killed 168 people.
• 2014: Big Machine Records released the album Nashville: On the Record. This discography featured songs from the actors/singers from the hit TV show Nashville, including Hayden Panettiere, Connie Britton, Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, Sam Palladio, and Charles Esten.
• 2014: Dan + Shay's hit single "19 You + Me" received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On May 9, 2024, this song received a 2x Platinum certification.
• 2016: Kenny Chesney made a surprise performance at a house of fraternity brothers at Auburn University in Alabama. At the house, Chesney played a 20-minute acoustic set featuring hits including “Keg in the Closet” and “American Kids.”
• 2016: George Strait began his Las Vegas residency at T-Mobile Arena. Award-winning artist Kacey Musgraves helped open the show for Strait.
• 2022: Macon Music/Broken Bow Records released Jason Aldean's album Georgia. This is the second part of a series of albums honoring Aldean's hometown of Macon, Georgia. The first album is titled Macon.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2003: Songwriter Felice Bryant died. Bryant was a prolific songwriter who composed the Everly Brothers' “Wake Up Little Susie” and Buddy Holly's “Raining in My Heart,” to name just two of her hits.
• 2013: Legendary folk singer Richie Havens died. He performed at Woodstock in 1969 and had hits including “Here Comes the Sun” and “Freedom.”
• 2017: Loretta Lynn played her last full concert at the Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, New York. Shortly after this concert, which also featured her sisters Peggy Sue and Crystal Gayle, Lynn had a stroke, and then she died in 2022 at the age of 90.
• 2021: Legendary country music icon Delbert McClinton announced his retirement. McClinton performed for over six decades and was known for “Every Time I Roll the Dice,” “Sending Me Angels,” and others.
• 2025: David Briggs died at the age of 82. Briggs was a legend in the music industry as a session keyboardist who worked with artists like Dolly Parton and Alabama. Briggs opened his own studio in Nashville, called the House of David, which published musicians across all genres, including country music great Clint Black.