This is a list of notable events in country music that will take place in 2024.
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Events
- January 2 – John Michael Montgomery announces his retirement from touring, with his final tour dates scheduled for the end of 2025.
- January 3 – Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys announces his retirement from touring; Ben James will finish out the Oaks farewell tour in his place.
- January 19 – Elle King made headlines after taking to the Grand Ole Opry stage while heavily intoxicated during a Dolly Parton tribute show, in honor of Parton's 78th birthday. She later cancelled several of her own concerts in the wake of the incident. Parton subsequently came to King's defense during an interview with Extra, and King resumed performing in March.
- March 10 – The UK Country Airplay chart, the first ever genre-specific radio chart in the United Kingdom, debuts its inaugural list, with "Creek Will Rise" by Conner Smith claiming the title of first number one single.
- April 8 – Morgan Wallen is arrested for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct after throwing a chair off the sixth floor of Eric Church's rooftop bar in downtown Nashville. He was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor and is due to appear in court on May 3 in between performances at Nissan Stadium.
- April 20 – Scotty McCreery is inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry by his childhood hero Josh Turner. McCreery was invited in December 2023 by Garth Brooks.
- April 24 – Miranda Lambert signs a joint deal with Republic Records and Big Loud.
- April 26–28 – The 2024 edition of Stagecoach Festival takes place at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, featuring headline performances from Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and Morgan Wallen.
- May 3 – T. Graham Brown is inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was invited by Vince Gill earlier in the year during his guest appearance on Brown's Sirius XM radio show.
- May 3 – Randy Travis releases "Where That Came From", his first new recording in over a decade with the help of AI software to recreate his vocals following a series of strokes and health issues that left him unable to sing. It would go on to chart on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, becoming Travis' first solo charting single in nearly two decades since "Angels" in 2005.
- June 30 – Shania Twain performs in the traditional Legend's slot at the 2024 Glastonbury Festival, the first country artist to perform in the slot since Dolly Parton in 2014.
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 2024:
Singles released by American and Australian artists
Singles released by Canadian artists
| Songs | Airplay | Canada | Single | Artist | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | 9 | "Ahead of Our Time" | James Barker Band | |
| – | – | 2 | "Ain't Doin' Jack" | Josh Ross | |
| – | – | 12 | "Bet You Break My Heart" | MacKenzie Porter | |
| – | – | 15 | "Broken Man" | Tyler Joe Miller | |
| – | – | 4 | "Fixer Upper" | Dallas Smith | |
| – | – | 16 | "Go Get Er" | Jess Moskaluke | |
| – | – | 10 | "I Grew Up on a Farm" | The Reklaws | |
| – | – | 18 | "Not Yet" | High Valley | |
| – | – | 2 | "Old Dirt Roads" | Owen Riegling | |
| – | – | 12 | "Out Here" | Steven Lee Olsen | |
| – | – | 1 | "Right Round Here" | Dean Brody | |
| – | – | 5 | "Telluride" | Jade Eagleson | |
| – | – | 6 | "Tim + Faith" | Madeline Merlo | |
| – | – | 6 | "Two of Us" | Brett Kissel with Cooper Alan |
Top new album releases
| US | Album | Artist | Record Label | Release Date | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deeper Well | Kacey Musgraves | Interscope/MCA Nashville | March 15 | |
| 5 | Born | Kenny Chesney | Blue Chair/Warner Music Nashville | March 22 | |
| 1 | Cowboy Carter | Beyoncé | Columbia/Parkwood | March 29 | |
| 10 | Rebel | Anne Wilson | Capitol CMG/MCA Nashville/Sparrow | April 19 |
Other top albums
| US | Album | Artist | Record Label | Release Date | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Smoky Mountains | Conner Smith | Valory Music Group | January 26 | |
| 39 | Chapter & Verse | Gabby Barrett | Warner Nashville | February 2 | |
| 35 | What Happens Now? | Dasha | Version III/Warner | February 16 | |
| 26 | Be Right Here | Blackberry Smoke | 3 Legged/Thirty Tigers | February 16 | |
| 24 | Trail of Flowers | Sierra Ferrell | Rounder/Concord | March 22 | |
| 27 | Change the Game | Cody Jinks | Late August | March 22 | |
| 47 | Three Twenty Four: The EP | Ole60 | Grey Area/Red Door | March 22 | |
| 34 | Young Love & Saturday Nights | Chris Young | RCA Nashville | March 22 | |
| 33 | The Hill | Aaron Lewis | Valory | March 29 | |
| 41 | Hixtape, Vol. 3: Difftape | Various artists | Big Loud | March 29 | |
| 33 | Bad for Me | Chayce Beckham | Wheelhouse | April 5 | |
| 34 | Through the Smoke | Nate Smith | RCA Nashville | April 5 | |
| 34 | Nashville, Tennessee | Ernest | Big Loud | April 12 | |
| 29 | Way Out Here | Riley Green | Nashville Harbor/BMLG | April 12 | |
| 35 | Strong | Tyler Hubbard | Hubbard House/EMI Nashville | April 12 | |
| 44 | Have a Nice Day | Treaty Oak Revival | TOR | April 12 | |
| Tennessee Truth | Brian Kelley | Big Machine | May 10 | ||
| Rise & Fall | Scotty McCreery | Triple Tigers | May 10 |
Announced
| Album | Artist | Record Label | Release Date | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roads That Go Nowhere | Travis Denning | Mercury Nashville | May 24 | |
| Take Two | Terri Clark | Mercury Nashville/UMe | May 31 | |
| Unbroke | Sara Evans | Melody Place/Born to Fly | June 7 | |
| Hummingbird | Carly Pearce | Big Machine | ||
| Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty | Various Artists | Big Machine | June 21 | |
| Dead Girl Walking | Lorrie Morgan | Cleopatra | June 28 | |
| Am I Okay? | Megan Moroney | Sony Music Nashville/Columbia | July 12 | |
| Twisters: The Album | Various Artists | Atlantic | July 19 | |
| Blonde | Tigirlily Gold | Monument | July 26 | |
| Whirlwind | Lainey Wilson | BBR | August 23 | |
| Lasso | Lana Del Rey | Interscope/Polydor | September | |
| Son of the Mountains | Brad Paisley | EMI Nashville | TBA | |
| Cowboys & Dreamers | George Strait | MCA Nashville | September 6 | |
| TBA | Miranda Lambert | Republic/Big Loud | TBA | |
| TBA | Reba McEntire | UMG Nashville | TBA |
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame
(announced on March 18, 2024)
Deaths
- January – Audie Blaylock, 61, American bluegrass singer and guitarist (death announced on January 12).
- January 5 – Larry Collins, 79, American rockabilly guitarist, songwriter ("Delta Dawn") and member of The Collins Kids.
- January 13 – Jo-El Sonnier, 77, American singer-songwriter and accordionist ("Tear Stained Letter", "No More One More Time"), heart attack.
- January 23 – Margo Smith, 84, American country singer ("Don't Break the Heart That Loves You", "It Only Hurts for a Little While")
- February 5 – Toby Keith, 62, American country singer-songwriter and one of the most successful artists of the 1990s and 2000s ("Red Solo Cup", "How Do You Like Me Now?!", "Should've Been a Cowboy" and a plethora of other hits), stomach cancer.
- February 22 – Roni Stoneman, 85, bluegrass musician, member of the Stoneman Family, and Hee Haw cast member.
- March 31 – Norah Lee Allen, background singer at the Grand Ole Opry and wife of Duane Allen.
- April 2 – Jerry Abbott, 81, American country songwriter and musician.
- May 6 – Wayland Holyfield, 82, American songwriter ("Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)", "Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer", "You're My Best Friend").