Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan is an American country singer, songwriter, and television personality. Bryan is a five-time "Entertainer of the Year", being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association. In 2019, Bryan's 2013 album Crash My Party received the first Album of the Decade award from the Academy of Country Music. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 75 million records sold. Since 2018, Bryan has been a judge on American Idol.
Christopher Alvin Stapleton is an American country singer-songwriter, guitarist, and the husband of Morgane Stapleton. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 1996, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to get an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, but dropped out to pursue his career in music. Subsequently, he signed a contract with Sea Gayle Music to write and publish his music.
"Tennessee Whiskey" is a country song written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove. It was originally recorded by country artist David Allan Coe for his album of the same name, peaking at number 77 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1981. George Jones' 1983 version of the song was included on his album Shine On, and reached number two on the Hot Country Singles chart.
"Highway Don't Care" is a song recorded by American country music singers Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift on vocals, featuring Keith Urban on guitar. It was released to US country radio on March 25, 2013, as the third single from McGraw's first album for Big Machine Records, Two Lanes of Freedom (2013). The song was written by Mark Irwin, Josh Kear and Brad and Brett Warren. McGraw and Swift recorded their parts separately. To date, this is Swift's seventh number one hit on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.
"Drink a Beer" is a song written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton and recorded by American country music artist Luke Bryan. It was released in November 2013 as the third single from his fourth studio album, Crash My Party (2013), and became his seventh number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in February 2014. Bryan has described "Drink a Beer" as "the coolest sad song ever" and notes he connects with the story after having lost both of his siblings.
"Girl Crush" is a song written by Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey and Liz Rose, and performed by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released on December 15, 2014 as the second single from their sixth studio album, Pain Killer. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, won five music awards, including two Grammys, reaching number 3 on the Country Airplay charts and number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, ended up being the second-most played song of 2015 on the format, and is certified Sextuple Platinum in the US.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2015.
"Biscuits" is a song recorded by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves that serves as the lead single from her second major label studio album, Pageant Material. It was released to country radio on March 16, 2015, through Mercury Nashville and was released to digital retailers the following day. The song was written and produced by Musgraves and Shane McAnally, with additional songwriting by Brandy Clark and additional production by Luke Laird. In December 2015, Billboard ranked "Biscuits" number one on its "10 Best Country Songs of 2015" list and number 16 on its list of the 25 best songs of 2015 across all genres.
"Crash and Burn" is a song recorded by American country music singer Thomas Rhett. It was released to digital retailers on April 7, 2015 via Valory Music Group as the lead single to Rhett's second studio album, Tangled Up, and was released to country radio on April 27, 2015. The song was written by Jesse Frasure and Chris Stapleton.
Traveller is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. The album was produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton, and was released on May 5, 2015, through Mercury Nashville.
"John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" is a song written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman, and Josh Osborne and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on June 9, 2015 as the first single from Urban's 2016 album Ripcord. The song has a slow 1970s funk vibe that carries distinct drum loops and several time changes, with production from Urban and longtime co-producer Dann Huff. The song has received positive reviews from music critics who praised the production and lyrics, as well as Urban's return to traditional country with a brand-new sound.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2016.
"Die a Happy Man" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Thomas Rhett. It was released on September 28, 2015, by Valory Music Group as the second single from his second studio album, Tangled Up. Rhett wrote the song with Sean Douglas and Joe Spargur. American singer Tori Kelly is featured on a pop remix included on the deluxe edition. The song peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming his highest-charting single on that chart.
"Humble and Kind" is a song written by Lori McKenna and first released by American country music singer Tim McGraw on January 20, 2016, as the second single from his fourteenth studio album, Damn Country Music. McKenna later recorded her rendition of the song for her eighth studio album, The Bird and the Rifle, released in July 2016. Among several other wins and nominations, the song won the award for Best Country Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, "Video of the Year" at the 2016 CMT Music Awards, "Song of the Year" at 2016 CMA Awards and "Country Song of the Year" at 2016 American Music Awards. It has been certified platinum and reached the number one position on the country music charts in both Canada and the United States.
"Think of You" is a song recorded by American country music singers Chris Young and Cassadee Pope. It was written and produced by Young and Corey Crowder, with additional writing from Josh Hoge. "Think of You" was released on January 25, 2016 as the second single from Young's fifth studio album, I'm Comin' Over (2015). The country pop song explores the reminiscence of a recent breakup.
"My Church" is the debut single by American country music singer Maren Morris. It was released in January 2016 as the lead single from her first studio album, Hero (2016). Morris co-wrote and co-produced the song with busbee. The song won the award for Best Country Solo Performance and was nominated for Best Country Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
"Lights Come On" is a song written by Jimmy Robbins, Jordan Schmidt, Brad Warren, Brett Warren, and Florida Georgia Line members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on April 1, 2016, as the lead single from Aldean's 2016 album They Don't Know.
"Parachute" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. It is the third single from his debut album Traveller. The song was written by Stapleton and Jim Beavers.
American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton has released five studio albums, one EP, 21 singles, six promotional singles, and three music videos. His debut solo album, Traveller, was released on May 5, 2015, by Mercury Nashville. It reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and gold by Music Canada. Its album track "Tennessee Whiskey" was certified fourteen-times Platinum in the US and reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the single "Nobody to Blame" reached the top 10 on the US Country Airplay chart. Stapleton's second studio album From A Room: Volume 1 was released on May 5, 2017, and Volume 2, on December 1. Traveller and Volume 1 were the best-selling country albums of 2016 and 2017, respectively. Volume 1 and Volume 2 both debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.
"Broken Halos" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. Written by Stapleton and Mike Henderson, it was released on April 14, 2017 as a promotional single from his second studio album From A Room: Volume 1. The lead track on Volume 1, it was serviced to country radio on July 17 as the album's second single. It won the awards for Best Country Song at the 60th Grammy Awards, and Single of the Year and Song of the Year and the 52nd Country Music Association Awards. Additionally, it received a nomination for Single Record of the Year at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards,
