This Day in Country History: May 17

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 2005: The 40th Academy of Country Music Awards were held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 17, with Keith Urban winning Top Male Vocalist, Kenny Chesney taking the Entertainer of the Year spot, and Gretchen Wilson winning both Top New Artist and Top Female Vocalist.
• 2014: Country music sensation Kenny Chesney performed for a benefit at the House of Blues in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was for the charitable foundations of the Saints football team's quarterback, Drew Brees, and actor Matthew McConaughey.
• 2024: Fans had fun under the sun at the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Headliners included Zach Bryan, Lana Del Rey, and Jessie Murph. The Hangout Festival began in 2010 and is still going strong.

Cultural Milestones

• 2012: Former country star, now pop megastar, Taylor Swift, donated $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for an education center. To this day, Swift is known for donating to various organizations and giving generous bonuses to her crew members.
• 2016: Three country legends, Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark, and Charlie McCoy, were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Mandrell was known for her gift of playing the steel guitar and multiple other instruments, Clark for his time on the TV show, Hee Haw, and McCoy for his harmonica playing and singing voice.
• 2022: The Country Music Hall of Fame announced its list of new inductees on May 17, which included Jerry Lee Lewis, Keith Whitley, and Joe Galante. Lewis was known for his rockabilly style, Whitley for his new traditionalist style of classic country music, and Galante is a record executive who helped launch the careers of stars such as Dolly Parton and Waylon Jennings.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2019: Dustin Lynch performed at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington, as a stop for his Very Hot Summer Tour. Lynch sang favorites such as "Hell of a Night" and "Cowboys and Angels."
• 2020: Former rocker, now country star, Darius Rucker sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the opening of NASCAR's The Real Heroes 400 race at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, North Carolina.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2006: A wooden statue of the legendary King of Western Swing, Bob Wills, was vandalized. The statue was toppled, with an arm broken, but was later restored.
• 2016: Guy Clark, often called the King of the Texas Troubadours, died on May 17. Clark, an accomplished luthier and prolific songwriter, won the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriter in 2005 and the Academy of Country Music's Poet's Award in 2013.