This Day in Country History: September 4
Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban each had numerous award nominations on Sept. 4, and live music was once again a thing after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There…
Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban each had numerous award nominations on Sept. 4, and live music was once again a thing after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was also a tragic death and a birth, among other happenings, on Sept. 4 through the years.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
A break from retirement and award nominations were milestones from Sept. 4:
- 2014: After a three-year retirement, Garth Brooks once again hit the touring scene with his wife, Trisha Yearwood. This megastar, who is one of the top-selling artists of his genre and time, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012, and received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2020.
- 2017: Miranda Lambert received five nominations from the 51st Country Music Awards, including Album of the Year for The Weight of These Wings. Keith Urban also got five nominations, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.
Cultural Milestones
Megastar Blake Shelton and Nashville's Ryman Auditorium were part of cultural milestones for Sept. 4:
- 2018: Superstar Blake Shelton was appointed to become a board member for the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation. This foundation helps to raise money and awareness for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
- 2020: Scotty McCreery played the first live show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, after the closure of live-music venues due to COVID-19 restrictions. The show was sold out, but only to 125 attendees, which is about 5% of the auditorium's capacity. The event was a hybrid affair, with the rest of the audience tuning in via livestream.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Blanco Brown had a certification, and fans danced and sang at a country music festival on Sept. 4:
- 2019: Blanco Brown received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for his song, "The Git Up." This song achieved 4x Platinum status on Sept. 27, 2022.
- 2022: On the final day of the Seven Peaks Music Festival in Villa Grove, Colorado, fans were excited to see Dierks Bentley, Ashley McBryde, and Jordan Davis as headliners. Old Crow Medicine Show and Caitlyn Smith also performed on this day.
Industry Changes and Challenges
The country music industry sadly experienced the death of a legendary artist on Sept. 4, but it also saw another star give birth to a baby girl on this day:
- 1991: The legendary Dottie West tragically died five days after suffering a horrific car accident. West was on her way to perform at the Grand Ole Opry on Aug. 30 when the car she was riding in lost control. She was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center but was unable to recover.
- 2012: Emily Robinson of the Dixie Chicks, now known as The Chicks, and her boyfriend, Martin Strayer, welcomed their daughter, Violet Isabel Strayer, into the world. Robinson has three other children, but this was her first with Martin Strayer.
Household names Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Garth Brooks, and Blake Shelton all had significant events and honors on Sept. 4. The joy of live music was experienced again on this day after venues had been closed due to the pandemic.
