This Day in Country History: April 24
April 24 marks a significant day in the history of country music. On this day, the 26th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards were held, Farm Aid VI helped struggling…
INGLEWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 10: Miranda Lambert performs onstage during the 2018 Miranda Lambert: Livin’ Like Hippies Tour held at The Forum on February 10, 2018 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/Getty Images for ABA)
April 24 marks a significant day in the history of country music. On this day, the 26th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards were held, Farm Aid VI helped struggling farmers, and Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan performed.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
On April 24, 1991, the ACM Awards were held at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. Garth Brooks dominated, and other winners included:
- 1991: Garth Brooks won Entertainer of the Year, Top Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for No Fences, Song of the Year and Country Music Video of the Year for "The Dance," and Single of the Year for "Friends in Low Places."
- 1991: Reba McEntire received the Top Female Vocalist award, Shelby Lynne won Top New Female Vocalist, and Alan Jackson was named Top New Male Vocalist.
- 1991: Other winners included Pirates of the Mississippi for Top New Vocal Duo or Group, The Judds for Top Vocal Duo, and Shenandoah for Top Vocal Group.
Cultural Milestones
The following festivals and benefit concerts occurred on April 24:
- 1993: Farm Aid VI was held in Ames, Iowa, to help Midwest family farmers recover from massive floods that had destroyed farmland. Performers at the benefit concert included Bruce Hornsby, The Highwaymen, Martina McBride, and Dwight Yoakam.
- 2015: The Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, California, featured numerous big-name country stars, including Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, and Blake Shelton as headliners. Jake Owen, Kacey Musgraves, and the Band Perry appeared as supporting artists.
- 2018: Lee Ann Womack, Randy Rogers Band, and Jackie Lee performed at the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute gala at Alan Jackson's bar, AJ's Good Time Bar, in Nashville. This event supports The Recording Academy's efforts to raise funds for its mission and honor recording artists for their creative and philanthropic achievements.
Notable Recordings and Performances
April 24 has seen memorable performances, such as:
- 2001: Tim McGraw celebrated the release of his album Set the Circus Down with free performances in New York and Nashville.
- 2024: Luke Bryan, known as a judge on American Idol and for songs such as "Play It Again" and "That's My Kind of Night," played the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, as part of his Mind of a Country Boy Tour.
Industry Changes and Challenges
When married superstars split, it makes headlines, and when a legend such as one of the Statler Brothers dies, it affects the industry:
- 2018: Miranda Lambert confirmed she was dating Evan Felker of the folk music group Turnpike Troubadours. She had recently divorced from superstar Blake Shelton. Felker's band broke up in 2019, and so did Lambert and Felker.
- 2020: Harold Reid, the bassist for the legendary Statler Brothers, died on April 24. The Statler Brothers recorded over 50 albums during their 40-year career, and the band was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Benefit concerts are an important way for country music stars to give back to their fans and the community, and it's always great to see superstars who genuinely care. It's also heartwarming to see country music artists win much-deserved awards.
