This Day in Country History: April 28

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 2013: Stagecoach headliners for April 28 included the Zac Brown Band and Darius Rucker. Other country music favorites appearing were The Charlie Daniels Band, Charley Pride, Blue Sky Riders, and Florida Georgia Line. 
• 2016: Carrie Underwood played Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, as part of her groundbreaking The Storyteller Tour – Stories in the Round. This sold-out show had a stage that rotated 360 degrees with a dramatic in-the-round stage.
• 2019: Stagecoach festival this year saw Jason Aldean, Old Dominion, and Lauren Alaina perform. Other country music artists at this Southern California desert event included Ruby Boots and Jordan Davis. 
• 2022: Miranda Lambert celebrated the release of her new album Palomino with a 21-song setlist at the open-air FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee. Lambert wove fan-favorite songs with her new ones for this concert, which was opened by The Cadillac Three.
• 2023: April 28 was the opening day of Stagecoach with headliners Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi, and Riley Green. Fans were also delighted to see Elle King, Sammy Kershaw, and Drake Milligan. 
• 2024: Morgan Wallen, Bailey Zimmerman, and Clint Black headlined the Stagecoach festival on April 28. Other notable country music performers on this day were Pam Tillis, Hardy, and Megan Moroney.

Cultural Milestones

• 2006: Carrie Underwood was inducted into Northeast State University's Hall of Fame in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Underwood was born in Muskogee and grew up in nearby Checotah, Oklahoma, and is a member of the university's Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.
• 2013: Country music legend Willie Nelson performed a benefit concert in Austin, Texas, for victims of a fertilizer plant explosion, with proceeds going to the West Volunteer Fire Department. Nelson grew up near the plant in West, Texas, and wanted to give back to his community.
• 2018: Country star Ty Henderson was honored to sing "America the Beautiful" at the 102nd annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. This important event raises money to support journalists who cover political and presidential events and to educate the public about the importance of the First Amendment and the free press.
• 2020: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when music venues were closed, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood performed to an empty house at the Grand Ole Opry. This was part of a televised Saturday night broadcast.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2012: Pop star Lionel Richie's country music-inspired album Tuskegee hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. On Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart for April 28, 2012, Blake Shelton's “Drink on It” was No. 1.
• 2014: Dierks Bentley received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for "I Hold On." The RIAA gave Thomas Rhett's "Get Me Some of That" a Gold certification, and Eric Paslay's "Friday Night" also received a Gold certification on this date.
• 2018: Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha's single “Meant To Be” rose to the No.1 slot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
• 2018: Jason Aldean's album Rearview Town hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Songs from this studio album include “Dirt to Dust” and “Drowns the Whiskey.”
• 2023: Country music crooner Brett Young performed at the Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham, Alabama, as a stop for his  5, TOUR, 3, 2, 1  tour. Brett Young's best-known songs include “In Case You Didn't Know” and “Like I Loved You.”
• 2024: During Morgan Wallen's set at the Stagecoach music festival, he brought out Post Malone. They debuted their collaborative song, "I Had Some Help." This song received a 5x Platinum certification from the RIAA on December 12, 2024.
• 2024: On the final day of the three-day MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, headliners included Lukas Nelson + POTR, Nickel Creek, and Peter Rowan. Twisted Pine, Donna the Buffalo, and many more also entertained the audience.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2005: Eddie Montgomery from the duo Montgomery Gentry fell off the speaker cabinet during a performance in Asheville, North Carolina. He broke four bones in his wrist and needed surgery that required titanium plates and rods.
• 2009: The Nashville Songwriters' Hall of Fame member, Vern Gosdin, died at the age of 70. He wrote "Today My World Slipped Away," made famous by George Strait, and his song "Right in the Wrong Direction" earned the CMA Song of the Year in 1989. 
• 2016: Craig Wayne Boyd, known for his hit song "Blood, Sweat, & Beer," married his sweetheart, Taylor Borland. On December 31, the couple welcomed a daughter, Dakota Lynne Boyd.