This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2018.
Events January – The critically acclaimed ABC/CMT series Nashville announces it will stop production after its sixth season which premiered on January 4, 2018. The show's last episode aired on July 26, 2018. January 17 – Kenny Chesney announces that he has left Sony Music Nashville after 23 years and has subsequently signed with Warner Music Nashville. February 2 – Montgomery Gentry release their final album together, Here's to You, following the death of Troy Gentry in September 2017. April 14 – Weeks after his impromptu performance of the Hank Williams Sr. hit song "Lovesick Blues" at his local Wal-Mart in southern Illinois had made him a viral country phenomenon, 11 year old Mason Ramsey realizes his dream of performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Five years later, a teenaged Ramsey would return to the Opry, performing the song again on the 75th anniversary of the country standard. April 15 – The Academy of Country Music awards return to Las Vegas for the first time since the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting, with Reba McEntire returning as host; Carrie Underwood makes her comeback performance after months out of the public eye while recovering from injuries she suffered in a fall at home. April 30 – USA Network announces Real Country, a reality competition show designed to find the next big country star and featuring Travis Tritt, Jake Owen and Shania Twain as judges. June 8 – Sugarland returns with the release of their first album together since 2010, Bigger. June 25 – Fox announces it will air "iHeartCountry Festival", featuring headliners Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, and more in August. June 26 – Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Faith Hill are announced to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019. July 25 – Reba McEntire is announced as one of the recipients of the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors. August 8 – Carrie Underwood announces her pregnancy with her second child. September 20 – Carrie Underwood receives her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. November 20 – Jimmie Allen reaches number one on Country Airplay with "Best Shot", making him the first African American to send a debut single to the top of that chart.
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 2018:
Singles released by American and Australian artists SongsAirplayCanadaSingleArtistReferences211122"All Day Long"Garth Brooks622"All on Me"Devin Dawson81716"Babe"Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift511"Best Shot"Jimmie Allen512"Blue Tacoma"Russell Dickerson191826"Born to Love You"LANCO141650"Boy"Lee Brice4234"Break Up in the End"Cole Swindell513"Broken Halos"Chris Stapleton1131"Coming Home"Keith Urban featuring Julia Michaels598"Cry Pretty"Carrie Underwood8134"Desperate Man"Eric Church141522"Downtown's Dead"Sam Hunt311"Drowns the Whiskey"Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert12725"Drunk Girl"Chris Janson622"Drunk Me"Mitchell Tenpenny9116"Everything's Gonna Be Alright"David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney4——"Famous"Mason Ramsey11123"Female"Keith Urban412"Five More Minutes"Scotty McCreery716"For the First Time"Darius Rucker211"Get Along"Kenny Chesney171543"Get to You"Michael Ray15610"A Girl Like You"Easton Corbin824"Hangin' On"Chris Young181332"Happens Like That"Granger Smith221533"Heart Break"Lady Antebellum211"Heaven"Kane Brown211313"Hide the Wine"Carly Pearce6214"Hooked"Dylan Scott512"Hotel Key"Old Dominion7114"I Could Use a Love Song"Maren Morris833"I Lived It"Blake Shelton711"I Was Jack (You Were Diane)"Jake Owen281743"Kinda Don't Care"Justin Moore11320"Kiss Somebody"Morgan Evans12623"Last Shot"Kip Moore1013"Legends"Kelsea Ballerini611"Life Changes"Thomas Rhett311"Like I Loved You"Brett Young737"The Long Way"Brett Eldredge111"Lose It"Kane Brown712"Losing Sleep"Chris Young231512"Make a Little"Midland211"Marry Me"Thomas Rhett117"Meant to Be"Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line218"Mercy"Brett Young411"Most People Are Good"Luke Bryan14——"Must've Never Met You"Luke Combs242035"Neon Church"Tim McGraw311"One Number Away"Luke Combs221538"The Ones That Like Me"Brantley Gilbert182548"The Rest of Our Life"Tim McGraw and Faith Hill842"Rich"Maren Morris728"Round Here Buzz"Eric Church211"She Got the Best of Me"Luke Combs211"Simple"Florida Georgia Line411"Singles You Up"Jordan Davis112"Speechless"Dan + Shay412"Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset"Luke Bryan1283"Take Back Home Girl"Chris Lane featuring Tori Kelly111"Tequila"Dan + Shay141020"Turnin' Me On"Blake Shelton511"Up Down"Morgan Wallen featuring Florida Georgia Line711"Woman, Amen"Dierks Bentley311"Written in the Sand"Old Dominion91017"You Broke Up with Me"Walker Hayes211"You Make It Easy"Jason Aldean312"Yours"Russell Dickerson
Singles released by Canadian artists SongsAirplayCanadaSingleArtistReferences——1"8th Day"Dean Brody——15"18 Ends"Petric——9"All About Her"Paul Brandt——8"Anthem"Brett Kissel——12"The Bad Guy"Meghan Patrick——16"Bittersweet"Paul Brandt featuring Lindsay Ell——19"Blame It on the Neon"Leaving Thomas——9"Born and Raised"Hunter Brothers——7"Camouflage"Jess Moskaluke——5"Country Music Made Me Do It"Meghan Patrick28191"Criminal"Lindsay Ell——3"Dear Drunk Me"Chad Brownlee——5"Denim on Denim"Tebey——1"Dive Bar"Gord Bamford——8"Do It with You"Andrew Hyatt"Do It with You": "Habit": ——13"Downtown Kids"David James——11"Feel Like That"Washboard Union——10"Forever Rebels"Tim Hicks——18"Get Me There"Shawn Austin——6"Good Goodbye"Dean Brody——6"Good Together"James Barker Band——6"Got Your Name on It"Jade Eagleson——8"Guitars and Gasoline"Brett Kissel——12"Habit"Andrew Hyatt——16"Little Girl"Kira Isabella——6"Long Live the Night"The Reklaws——4"Loud"Tim Hicks——1"Make 'Em Like You"Dallas Smith——9"Miss Me Yet"Aaron Goodvin——13"Money"Cold Creek County——11"Neon Love"Madeline Merlo——10"Neon Smoke"Gord Bamford——3"One Drink Ago"Dallas Smith & Terri Clark——6"The Road"Emerson Drive117—"She's with Me" High Valley——1"Sleepin' Around"Dallas Smith——16"Sun Set on It"David James——9"Those Were the Nights"Hunter Brothers——1"Walls Come Down"Meghan Patrick——15"What We're Made Of"Washboard Union——1"Who's Gonna Love You"Tebey——17"The Worst Kind"Tim Hicks & Lindsay Ell——6"Worth a Shot"Aaron Pritchett——10"Young Forever"High Valley
Notes "—" denotes releases that did not chart A^ Current singles.
Top new album releases The following albums placed on the Top Country Albums charts in 2018:
US Album Artist Record label Release date Reference 1 All of It Cole Swindell Warner Bros. Nashville August 17 5 Amos Michael Ray Atlantic Nashville June 1 2 Bigger Sugarland Big Machine June 8 5 Creeker Upchurch Redneck Nation April 20 1 Cry Pretty Carrie Underwood 19/Capitol Nashville September 14 1 Dan + Shay Dan + Shay Warner Bros. Nashville June 22 5 Dark Horse Devin Dawson Warner Bros. Nashville January 19 1ExperimentKane Brown RCA Nashville November 9 1 Desperate Man Eric Church EMI Nashville October 5 3 Find a Light Blackberry Smoke 3 Legged Records April 6 10 Florida Georgia Line (EP) Florida Georgia Line Republic Nashville June 1 7 Girl Going Nowhere Ashley McBryde Warner Bros. Nashville March 30 1 Golden Hour Kacey Musgraves MCA Nashville March 30 1 Graffiti U Keith Urban Capitol Nashville April 27 1 Hallelujah Nights LANCO Arista Nashville January 19 3 Here's to You Montgomery Gentry Average Joes February 2 6 Home State Jordan Davis MCA Nashville March 23 2 I Serve a Savior Josh Turner MCA Nashville October 26 1 If I Know Me Morgan Wallen Big Loud Mountain April 27 1 Interstate Gospel Pistol Annies RCA Nashville November 2 9 Johnny Cash: Forever Words Various Artists Legacy April 6 8 Laps Around the Sun Chris Lane Big Loud July 13 3 Last Man Standing Willie Nelson Legacy April 27 2 Lifers Cody Jinks Rounder July 27 3 Live from the Ryman Jason Isbell Thirty Tigers October 19 1 The Mountain Dierks Bentley Capitol Nashville June 8 6 Now That's What I Call Country, Volume 11 Various Artists Sony Music/Universal June 8 2 Port Saint Joe Brothers Osborne EMI Nashville April 20 1 Rearview Town Jason Aldean Broken Bow April 13 4 Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin Various Artists UMG Nashville April 6 1 Seasons Change Scotty McCreery Triple Tigers March 16 1 Songs for the Saints Kenny Chesney Warner Music Nashville July 27 6 Supernatural Upchurch Redneck Nation September 7 5 Telling All My Secrets Mitchell Tenpenny Riser House/Columbia Nashville December 14 9 Things That We Drink To Morgan Evans Warner Music Nashville October 12 1 Ticket to L.A. Brett Young Big Machine December 7 2 The Tree of Forgiveness John Prine Oh Boy Records April 13 9 Water (EP) Sister Hazel Croakin' Poets February 9 8 Wouldn't It Be Great Loretta Lynn Legacy September 28
Other top albums US Album Artist Record label Release date Reference 13 Ameracal Adam Calhoun Adam Calhoun March 16 40 The Anthology Part III, LIVE Garth Brooks Pearl Records November 20 29 The Biggest Hits of Tim McGraw Tim McGraw Curb Records June 15 24 Dirt Rock The Lacs Average Joes May 4 41 Downey to Lubbock Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore Yep Roc June 1 16 Dumplin' Dolly Parton RCA Nashville/Dolly Records November 30 38 Elvis: '68 Comeback Special: 50th Anniversary Edition (soundtrack) Elvis Presley RCA Legacy November 30 17 Elvis Presley: The Searcher (Soundtrack) Elvis Presley RCA Legacy April 6 19 Hard Times and White Lines Whitey Morgan and the 78's Whitey Morgan Music October 26 11 Mercury Lane Jimmie Allen Broken Bow/Stoney Creek October 12 35 Mitchell Tenpenny (EP) Mitchell Tenpenny Riser House February 23 35 No Zip Code David Lee Murphy Reviver April 6 41 One Drop of Truth The Wood Brothers Honey Jar February 2 27 Project X, Volume 1 Upchurch x Bottleneck Redneck Nation January 26 21 River Rat Upchurch Redneck Nation December 21 20 Room to Spare: The Acoustic Sessions Kip Moore MCA Nashville November 16 16 She Remembers Everything Rosanne Cash Blue Note Records November 2 42 Shooter Shooter Jennings Low Country Sound August 10 27 Solid Ground Wade Bowen Lil' Buddy Toons February 9 29 Sometimes Just the Sky Mary Chapin Carpenter Lambent Light March 30 17 Songs of the Plains Colter Wall Young Mary's October 12 21 Sparrow Ashley Monroe Warner Bros. Nashville April 20 23 They Were There: A Hero's Documentary (soundtrack) Granger Smith Wheelhouse Records November 30 20 Things Change American Aquarium New West Records June 1 21 The Throne Adam Calhoun Adam Calhoun November 2 16 'Til I'm Gone Frank Foster Lone Chief September 21 39 The Tree Lori McKenna CN Records July 20 32 The Voice: The Season 15 Collection Kirk Jay December 1449 The Voice: The Season 15 Collection Chevel Shepherd December 14 14 Volunteer Old Crow Medicine Show Columbia Nashville April 20 46 Wind (EP) Sister Hazel Croakin' Poets September 7 20 WW III Wheeler Walker Jr. Thirty Tigers November 30 34 You Got 'Em All Trent Harmon Big Machine Label Group May 18
Deaths January 2 – Rick Hall, 85, record producer and owner of FAME Studios January 23 – Lari White, 52, singer-songwriter and actress best known for the hit "Now I Know" (advanced peritoneal cancer). February 12 – Daryle Singletary, 46, neotraditionalist singer-songwriter with hits including "I Let Her Lie", "Amen Kind of Love" and "Too Much Fun". (blood clot) February 25 – Bruce Nelson Stratton, 74, American radio personality (throat cancer). March 2 – Ronnie Prophet, 80, Canadian country music singer (multiple organ failure). March 18 – Hazel Smith, 83, American country music journalist, publicist and songwriter; first to coin the phrase "outlaw" in relation to country music. March 27 – Kenny O'Dell, 73, American country singer-songwriter ("Behind Closed Doors", "Lizzie and the Rainman", "Mama He's Crazy"), Grammy winner (1974). April 17 – Tom McBride, 81, Irish country star and lead singer of Big Tom and The Mainliners.