Dec. 7 has been an eventful day in country music history. On this day, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill kicked off a 40-night concert residency at The Venetian Las Vegas, and Carrie Underwood hosted a Christmas special. In addition, several artists received Gold and Platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Maren Morris, and Kacey Musgraves achieved milestones on Dec. 7:
- 2012: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill began a concert residency at The Venetian Las Vegas, which lasted until April 13, 2013. It was the first time McGraw and Hill performed together since 2007.
- 2018: The nominations for the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced. Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves received multiple nominations, including Best Country Solo Performance for Morris’ “Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters” and Album of the Year and Best Country Album for Musgraves’ Golden Hour.
Cultural Milestones
Cultural milestones for Dec. 7 include a Kennedy Center honor and a benefit concert:
- 2008: George Jones received an honor for his lifetime contributions to American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. Other honorees included actor Morgan Freeman, Top 40 singer Barbara Streisand, and Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey from the rock group, The Who.
- 2015: Dierks Bentley, Cam, Little Big Town, Brett Eldredge, and Eric Paslay performed at a benefit concert at Ryman Auditorium to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Nashville.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Some notable songs and albums received RIAA certifications on Dec. 7, and Carrie Underwood’s holiday special aired on TV:
- 2009: Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special aired on Fox and featured Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, and Christina Applegate.
- 2010: Kenny Chesney’s song “The Boys of Fall” received a Gold certification from the RIAA. In addition, Jason Aldean’s album My Kinda Party was certified Gold, and The Band Perry’s single “If I Die Young” was certified Platinum.
Industry Changes and Challenges
A death and a chance meeting were the industry changes that took place on Dec. 7:
- 2012: Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, who make up the award-winning country duo Dan and Shay, first met at a house party at Smyers’ house. The two sang and wrote a song together that same night.
- 2015: Don Pfrimmer, who wrote songs such as “Meet In the Middle” by Diamond Rio, died at the age of 78. Pfrimmer also wrote Mickey Gilley’s “The Power of Positive Drinkin'” and Tim McGraw’s “All I Want Is A Life.”
On Dec. 7, country artists came together for a benefit concert, and George Jones received a well-deserved Kennedy Center honor. It was exciting to see Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves nominated for GRAMMYs on this day. Come back tomorrow to discover all the memorable events from that day in country music history.
