2023 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2023.

Events

 * January 6 – Marty Stuart invites Henry Cho and Gary Mule Deer to become the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry, the first time comedians have been invited in almost 50 years following Jerry Clower in 1973. Cho is the first Asian person to become a member of the Opry. They were inducted on February 11 and March 10 respectively.
 * January 23 – Gabby Barrett's "Pick Me Up", Lainey Wilson's "Heart Like a Truck" and Carly Pearce's "What He Didn't Do", all reach #4, #8 and #10 respectively at US Country Radio (as measured by Mediabase). This marks the first time since 2020 that three solo women have charted in the top ten simultaneously.
 * February 11 – Kane Brown and his wife Katelyn Brown top the Country Airplay chart with "Thank God", making it the second duet by a married couple to top that chart following Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's "It's Your Love" in 1997.
 * March 15 – Miranda Lambert announces that she is leaving Sony Music Nashville after 19 years.
 * March 20 – Several artists hold Love Rising, a charity concert organized by Allison Russell at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, to raise awareness and funds for the LGBTQIA+ community of Tennessee.
 * March 23 – Record label Arista Nashville closes after 34 years in operation.
 * March 27 – The Band Perry officially announce that they are going on hiatus.
 * March 31 – 4 Runner reunites for the second time and releases their first studio album in 20 years.
 * April 11 – Granger Smith announces that he will be leaving country music in order to focus on ministry at his local church outside of Austin, Texas.
 * April 23 – Morgan Wallen cancels show at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi just minutes before taking the stage due to vocal problems. The cancellation caused outrage in some fans including lawsuits being filed even though tickets were refunded. Rumors quickly spread stating that he was drunk and had to go to the hospital to get his stomach pumped, however those rumors were debunked. Morgan has since postponed the following weeks shows to be on vocal rest.
 * April 28 – While performing on stage at Stagecoach Festival, Alan Jackson appears via video link to invite Jon Pardi to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.
 * May 11 – Jimmie Allen, his management company and record producer Ash Bowers have a lawsuit filed against them by an unnamed former manager who alleged that Allen repeatedly verbally and sexually assaulted her and that she was fired for disclosing this abuse. As a result, Allen's record label suspended him immediately and he was dropped from a planned performance slot at the 50th CMA Music Festival. Allen was subsequently dropped from the label after a second accuser came forward.
 * May 15 – Reba McEntire is announced as Blake Shelton's replacement for the 24th season of The Voice, set to premiere in the fall of 2023.
 * June 8–11 – CMA Music Festival celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary in Nashville, revolving around the nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium.
 * June 28 – Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal launch their own label, RumbleStrip Records.
 * July 1 – Tracy Chapman becomes the first black woman to have a chart-topping country song as a sole writer when Luke Combs' cover of her 1988 hit "Fast Car" reached number one on the Country Airplay chart. It also becomes the first country cover of a pop hit to top the chart since Blake Shelton's cover of Michael Bublé's 2005 single "Home" did so in July 2008.
 * July 8 – Following the retirement of drummer Brian Prout and mandolinist Gene Johnson from Diamond Rio, they are respectively replaced by Micah Schweinsberg and Carson McKee. This is the first lineup change to Diamond Rio in 25 years, and it results in McKee becoming the band's first female member.
 * July 15 – Miranda Lambert causes controversy during her performance of "Tin Man" at her Velvet Rodeo residency in Las Vegas, by scolding a group of fans taking selfies as she was starting the song. The incident divided fans on social media.
 * July 18 – Jason Aldean receives significant media attention for the lyrical content of his single "Try That in a Small Town", with many listeners criticizing the song for its lyrical content and the imagery used in the music video. In response, CMT withdrew the video from their channel.
 * July 22 – Bill Anderson is honored as the Grand Ole Opry's longest-serving member in the show's history. Anderson's membership has not lapsed in 62 years since his initial induction in 1961.
 * July 31 – For the first time in history, country songs hold the top three positions on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart: Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town", Morgan Wallen's "Last Night", and Combs' "Fast Car". "Try That in a Small Town" becomes the 21st song to reach number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs charts.
 * August 27 – Ty Herndon marries his husband, Alex Schwartz.
 * September 9 – Luke Combs becomes the first artist to simultaneously occupy the top two positions on the Country Airplay chart as a solo act with no accompanying acts when his singles "Love You Anyway" and "Fast Car" occupy the number one and two positions, respectively. In doing so, he also becomes the second act overall to accomplish such a feat after Luke Bryan achieved the same in May 2014 with his single "Play It Again" and his appearance on Florida Georgia Line's "This Is How We Roll".
 * September 15 – Maren Morris announces her exit from the country music industry.
 * October 3 – Ronnie Milsap performs his final Nashville show at the Bridgestone Arena joined by more than thirty guest artists. Though he is retiring from performing, he will continue to record.
 * October 7 – Sara Evans becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry and is inducted by Crystal Gayle. She was invited on August 18 by Bill Anderson, Lady A and Carly Pearce during a 25th anniversary concert at the Ryman Auditorium.
 * October 24 – Jon Pardi becomes the first California native to become a member of the Opry. He was inducted by Garth Brooks.
 * December 3 – Scotty McCreery is invited by Garth Brooks to become the next Opry member, with his induction set for early 2024.
 * December 5 – Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" hits number one for the first time on the Billboard Hot 100. At 78, the feat makes Lee the oldest artist to have a number one single in the chart's history, and the artist with the longest gap between number ones, following 1960's "I Want to Be Wanted", along with breaking several other major chart records.
 * December 6 – Taylor Swift is named Time magazine's Person of the Year, becoming the first such subject honored specifically for achievement in the arts. The magazine cited her 2023–2024 Eras Tour, which was set to become the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, and its significant cultural and economic impact. It is Swift's second Person of the Year distinction, after having been named as part of "The Silence Breakers" in 2017.

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 2023:

Country Music Hall of Fame
(announced on April 3, 2023)
 * Bob McDill
 * Patty Loveless
 * Tanya Tucker

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame
(announced on July 18, 2023)
 * Jason McCoy
 * Brian Edwards

International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame
(announced on July 19, 2023)
 * Sam Bush
 * Wilma Lee Cooper
 * David Grisman

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
(announced on August 3, 2023)
 * Casey Beathard
 * Kix Brooks
 * Rafe Van Hoy
 * David Lee Murphy
 * Keith Urban

Deaths

 * January 4 – Stan Hitchcock, 86, singer-songwriter and co-founder of CMT
 * January 5 – Mark Capps, 54, sound engineer, record producer and son of musician Jimmy Capps (shot by SWAT team)
 * January 8 – Slim Newton, 90, Australian country music singer-songwriter (The Redback on the Toilet Seat)
 * January 9 – Dick Flood, 90, singer-songwriter and naturalist
 * January 12 – Lisa Marie Presley, 54, singer-songwriter and only child of Elvis Presley.
 * January 26 – Peter McCann, 74, singer-songwriter ("Nobody Falls Like a Fool", "She's Single Again")
 * January 30 – Pat Bunch, 83, songwriter ("I'll Still Be Loving You", "Safe in the Arms of Love", "Wild One")
 * February 8 – Burt Bacharach, 94, pianist-composer ("The Story of My Life" and "Any Day Now" on the country charts)
 * February 17 – Kyle Jacobs, 49, songwriter ("More Than a Memory") and husband of Kellie Pickler
 * March 4 – Michael Rhodes, 69, session bass guitarist
 * March 26 – Ray Pillow, 85, veteran Grand Ole Opry member ("I'll Take the Dog")
 * April 23 – Keith Gattis, 52, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
 * April 28 – Claude Gray, 91, American singer-songwriter ("Family Bible)".
 * May 1 – Gordon Lightfoot, 84, Canadian singer-songwriter ("If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown", "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald")
 * May 16 – Richard Landis, 77, American record producer, songwriter, and record executive
 * May 25 – Joy McKean, 93, singer-songwriter and manager known as the "Queen of Australian country music", notable for penning the hit "Lights on the Hill", and her work with her husband Slim Dusty and daughter Anne Kirkpatrick.
 * June 23 – Jesse McReynolds, 93, innovative bluegrass singer and mandolinist and the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry.
 * June 27 – Bobby Osborne, 91, American bluegrass singer, co-founder of the Osborne Brothers and a member of the Grand Ole Opry. (Rocky Top).
 * July 17 – Jerry Bradley, 83, music executive and producer
 * August 11 – Shoji Tabuchi, 79, Japanese-American fiddler, cancer.
 * August 18 – Vernon Oxford, 81, American country music singer.
 * September 1 – Jimmy Buffett, 76, American singer-songwriter ("Come Monday", "Margaritaville", "Cheeseburger in Paradise"), Merkel-cell carcinoma
 * September 10 – Charlie Robison, 59, singer-songwriter, cardiac arrest.
 * September 18 – Bob Corbin, 72, songwriter ("Can't Keep a Good Man Down") and former member of Corbin/Hanner
 * September 22 – Mike Henderson, 70, singer-songwriter and guitarist known for his work with Chris Stapleton and the SteelDrivers
 * October 9 – Buck Trent, 85, American country music instrumentalist.
 * October 23 – Mervin Shiner, 102, American country singer ("Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me"), songwriter and guitarist.
 * October 28 – Bill Rice, 84, American country music singer and songwriter.
 * December 7 – Terry Baucom, 71, American bluegrass singer and banjo player (Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out), complications from Alzheimer's disease.
 * December 22 – Laura Lynch, 65, American country music singer and musician & founding member of the Dixie Chicks, car crash.

Canadian Country Music Association Awards
(presented on September 16, 2023)


 * Entertainer of the Year - Jade Eagleson
 * Fans' Choice - James Barker Band
 * Album of the Year - Tim and the Glory Boys (Tim and the Glory Boys)
 * Alternative Country Album of the Year - A Traveler's Lament (Kyle McKearney)
 * Male Artist of the Year - Jade Eagleson
 * Female Artist of the Year - Tenille Townes
 * Group or Duo of the Year - James Barker Band
 * Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year - Josh Ross
 * Single of the Year - "Right on Time" (Lindsay Ell)
 * Songwriter of the Year - "The Thing That Wrecks You" (Bryan Adams, Daniel Tashian, Kate York, Tenille Townes)
 * Musical Collaboration of the Year - "Do This Life" (High Valley and Alison Krauss) and "One Too" (Dallas Smith and MacKenzie Porter)
 * Video of the Year - "Float" (Tim and the Glory Boys)
 * Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year - Good Ol' Days (The Reklaws)
 * Top Selling Canadian Single of the Year - "Dear Alcohol" (Dax)
 * Producer of the Year - Danick Dupelle
 * Guitar Player of the Year - Brennan Wall
 * Bass Player of the Year - Justin Kudding
 * Drummer of the Year - Rich DaSilva
 * Fiddle Player of the Year - Julie Kennedy
 * Steel Guitar Player of the Year - Doug Johnson
 * Keyboard Player of the Year - Brendan Waters
 * Specialty Instrument Player of the Year - Mitch Jay
 * Top Selling International Album - One Thing at a Time (Morgan Wallen)

CMT Music Awards
(presented on April 2, 2023)
 * Video of the Year: "Thank God" (Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown)
 * Male Video of the Year: "Son of a Sinner" (Jelly Roll)
 * Female Video of the Year: "Heart Like a Truck" (Lainey Wilson)
 * Duo/Group Video of the Year: "Out in the Middle" (Zac Brown Band)
 * Collaborative Video of the Year: "Wait in the Truck" (Hardy featuring Lainey Wilson)
 * Male Breakthrough Video of the Year: "Son of a Sinner" (Jelly Roll)
 * Female Breakthrough Video of the Year: "Tennessee Orange" (Megan Moroney)
 * CMT Performance of the Year: "'Til You Can't" (Cody Johnson)
 * CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year: "Son of a Sinner" (Jelly Roll)
 * Equal Play Award: Shania Twain

Grammy Awards
(presented on February 4, 2024)
 * Best Country Solo Performance – "White Horse" (Chris Stapleton)
 * Best Country Duo/Group Performance – "I Remember Everything" (Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves)
 * Best Country Song – "White Horse" (Chris Stapleton and Dan Wilson)
 * Best Country Album – Bell Bottom Country (Lainey Wilson)
 * Best Bluegrass Album – City of Gold (Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway)
 * Best Americana Album – Weathervanes (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit)
 * Best American Roots Performance – "Eve was Black" (Allison Russell)
 * Best Americana Performance – "Dear Insecurity" (Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile)
 * Best American Roots Song – "Cast Iron Skillet" (Jason Isbell)

Juno Awards
(presented on March 24, 2023)
 * Country Album of the Year - Ahead of Our Time (James Barker Band)