This Day in Country History: March 10

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1995: Waylon Jennings released his sixth studio album, Will the Wolf Survive. It became his sixth to reach No.1 on the country charts.
• 2012: Vince Gill was the headliner at the opening of the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center (SKyPAC). Gill, along with fellow Time Jumpers members Dawn Sears, Kenny Sears, and Ranger Doug Green, took the stage at SkyPAC on March 25.
• 2012: For the opening night concert at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, performers included Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Martina McBride, and Emmylou Harris. Rockers John Fogerty and Pat Monahan also performed for this momentous evening event.
• 2003: Keith Urban released "Kiss a Girl" from his album Defying Gravity. Urban was born in New Zealand, moved to Australia, and eventually relocated to Nashville, where he became a smashing hit as a musician and later as a judge on American Idol.
  2024: Zach Bryan performed at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, New York, during his Quittin Time Tour. His North American tour concluded with performances in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on December 13 and 14.

Cultural Milestones

• 1983: American Idol winner and country superstar Carrie Underwood was born on March 10 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Underwood is a major star and influencer in the country music industry with eight GRAMMY Awards: her first was Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal Country Performance for "Jesus, Take The Wheel" at the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
• 2013: At the T.J. Martell Foundation Honors Gala, T Bone Burnett, Vince Gill, Peggy Joyce, and Biutch Sprydon were honored. This event honors artists who help bring the music community together and raise money for cancer research.
• 2017: The "One Good Man" singer Michelle Wright performed at the Chatham Capitol Theatre in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. Proceeds from her show went to Friends of the New Animal Shelter to help build new kennels, cat rooms, and a veterinary treatment room.
• 2018: Country Queen Reba McEntire performed at Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix, Arizona. This event raised money for cancer research.
• 2018: During football legend Peyton Manning's annual fundraiser, the Celebration of Caring Gala, with funds going to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent in Indianapolis, Indiana, Thomas Rhett performed. Manning joined Rhett for a duet of Rhett Akins "That Ain't My Truck."
• 2023: Country music star and comedian Gary Mule Deer was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. With over six decades of performing, he took to the stage at this legendary country music venue with guests such as Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, and Tammy Wynette.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2007: Trace Adkins's "Ladies Love Country Boys" peaked at No. 61 on the charts after 20 weeks.
• 2017: Josh Turner released his sixth studio album, Deep South, via MCA Nashville. Songs on this album included "Hometown Girl" and "Lay Low."
• 2018: Blake Shelton performed at Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina for his Country Music Freaks Tour.
• 2018: Ashley McBryde performed at the three-day festival Country to Country Music Festival at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1979: In a shocking performance, soul singer James Brown appeared on the Grand Ole Opry as a guest of country music star Porter Wagoner. Many Opry enthusiasts did not appreciate the performance, even though the venue organizers were trying to branch out with different artists.
• 2000: Country singer Vince Gill and Christian pop artist Amy Grant were married on March 10 in Nashville, Tennessee. Gill fell for Grant when he heard her song "Tennessee Christmas."
• 2003: Country legend Johnny Cash was admitted to Nashville's Baptist Hospital for pneumonia. He was previously diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy, which made him susceptible to the respiratory illness pneumonia.
• 2019: The "Asking for a Friend" singer Devin Dawson got engaged to his sweetheart, Leah Sykes. Dawaon proposed to Sykes at a rooftop bar in San Francisco, California. The couple married on October 27, 2019.
• 2020: Zac Brown Band announced they were postponing their spring/summer tour, Roar With the Lions, due to the coronavirus.
• 2020: Organizers of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival announced they were postponing this popular music festival due to COVID-19 restrictions. While the festival was supposed to happen in October 2020, it wasn't until the spring of 2022 that it was on again.