This Day in Country History: May 4

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 2016: Husky-voiced singer Chris Stapleton's version of "Tennessee Whiskey" was certified Platinum by the RIAA. At the 2025 Grammy Awards, Stapleton won Best Country Solo Performance for “It Takes a Woman,” marking his 11th career Grammy.
• 2016: Dierks Bentley's "Somewhere on a Beach" received RIAA Gold certification. Bentley has earned two Country Music Association Awards, two American Country Music Awards, and 14 GRAMMY nominations. He's best known for his song "Drunk on a Plane."
• 2018: Jimmie Allen made his Grand Ole Opry debut. Allen sang his song, "Best Shot." Allen's country music idol, Aaron Tippin, was backstage, cheering Allen on for this milestone debut.
• 2022: Dolly Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. While she initially didn't consider herself a rocker, she accepted her induction and then released a rock-and-roll-inspired album, Rockstar.

Cultural Milestones

• 1959: The legendary Randy Travis was born on May 4. Travis is a major influence on country music, maintaining traditional country music roots and gospel with hits such as "Three Wooden Crosses," "If I Didn't Have You," and "There'll Always Be a Honkey Tonk Somewhere." The singer-songwriter is one of the biggest-selling country music artists of all time.
• 1991: On May 3, the famous country star Travis Tritt made his debut appearance at the legendary Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and was later inducted in 1992. Travis is a Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter who has graced the country music scene with his gospel and American roots songs like "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" and "Ghost Town Nation."
• 2018: At the annual Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala, held before the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky, Lee Brice, Brooks & Dunn, Travis Tritt, Terri Clark, Eddie Montgomery, and Naomi Judd were among the guests. This event raised money for the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky.
• 2018: The "A Little More Country Than That" singer Easton Corbin sang the national anthem at the opening ceremony for Trenton's Relay for Life of the Tri-Counties - The American Cancer Society.
• 2019: Randy Travis celebrated his 60th birthday with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry. Travis was joined by other stars, including Ricky Skaggs and Charles Eston, and he wrapped up the evening by singing his signature song, "Forever and Ever, Amen."

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2016: Dierks Bentley's "Somewhere on a Beach" received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On April 27, 2023, this song received a 3x Platinum certification.
• 2008: Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, George Jones, and Billy Joe Shaver performed on the final day of the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California. This festival is organized by the same people who host the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, featuring pop and R&B stars.
• 2019: Singer Cody Johnson performed a sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. He sang hit songs such as "On My Way to You" and George Strait's "Troubadour."
• 2019: Jennifer Nettles from the duo Sugarland sang the national anthem before the start of the annual Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The winning horse for this race was Country House.
• 2021: Old Dominion performed at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Key West, Florida. Kenny Chesney made a surprise appearance singing "Save It for a Rainy Day."
• 2025: At the Country Thunder Music Festival in Kissimmee, Florida, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde, and Clint Black were the headliners. Dallas Smith, Nolon Sotillo, and Drew Baldridge also performed on the final day of this three-day festival.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2010: During the devastating floods in Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry had to close and move performances, including the one on May 4, to its War Memorial Auditorium. Marty Stuart performed, and Senator Lamar Alexander played the "Tennessee Waltz" on keyboards.
• 2016: The "Country Round Here Tonight" singer Randy Houser married his sweetheart, Tatiana Starzynski. They wed at the historic Homestead Manor in Thompson's Station, Tennessee. After they were declared husband and wife, the couple walked down the aisle to Florida Georgia Line's "H.O.L.Y."
• 2017: Country music queen Loretta Lynn suffered a stroke at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, at the age of 85. Fortunately, Lynn recovered after a stay at a Nashville hospital, and she died peacefully at her home at the age of 90. 
• 2017: Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles fell when she tripped over bulky lighting fixtures while heading onstage at a corporate event in New York and broke a rib.
• 2020: Dwight Yoakam announced on this date that he married his longtime sweetheart, Emily Joyce, earlier in the year, in March. They married in an intimate setting just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced closures of most venues.
• 2024: Lainey Wilson announced she was opening a three-story restaurant and bar in Nashville called Bell Bottoms Up. This location is where the now-closed FGL House used to be. Wilson's venture has stages for live music and dancing, bars with signature cocktails, and a restaurant with a Southern-inspired menu.