Country music's biggest moments in 2017

Country music has never been a genre that's shied away from feelings, nor has it shied away from reality, however tragic. The past year in country music was one that saw happiness and sorrow, and there was not a more sobering day than Oct. 1. That Sunday marked that last day of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. Jason Aldean was the last performer of the night. About 15 minutes into his set, gunshots rang out. A gunman had begun firing down onto the crowd of roughly 25,000 people from his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay resort. After a flurry of gunshots rang out for more than 10 minutes, 58 people were dead, and another 500 were injured. It was the worst mass shooting in United States history. The gunman took his own life. After the shooting stopped, Jason took to Instagram. "Tonight has been beyond horrific. I still don't know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe," he wrote. "My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night. #heartbroken #stopthehate." A few days after the shooting, Jason and his wife returned to Vegas to visit with victims in the hospital. Just six days after the shooting, he performed on "Saturday Night Live," opening the show by stating, "This week, we witnessed one of the worst tragedies in American history. Like everyone, I'm struggling to understand what happened that night and how to pick up the pieces and start to heal. So many people are hurting. There are children, parents, brothers, sisters, friends — they're all part of our family. So I want to say to them: We hurt for you and we hurt with you. But you can be sure we're going to walk through these tough times together, every step of the way, because when America is at its best, our bond and our spirit, it's unbreakable." On a personal note, he and his wife also announced earlier in the year that they're expecting a baby. Now keep reading to revisit more memorable country music moments from 2017…

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It seems like you can earmark Luke Bryan for a big moment every year, and 2017 was no different. The singer had another monster year and he accomplished a feat that's never been done before: In April, his song "Fast" hit No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart. With that accomplishment, it made him the only artist in the chart's 27-year history to score six No. 1 songs from one album. The album was actually released in 2015, but it clearly has long, long legs. Who did he beat for the record? Well, himself. His "Crash My Party" yielded him five No. 1s, which was a then-record he shared with Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton. Oh yeah, he also inked a deal to become a judge on "American Idol." He'll reportedly make $13 million for his TV gig. Not bad work if you can get it.

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When Hurricane Harvey decimated Houston, not only were people affected, but so were animals, many of whom were displaced. The problem (among so many) was that most of the shelters were full before the hurricane hit. Enter Miranda Lambert, who swooped in with her MuttNation Foundation. The singer partnered with the Humane Society of the United States to help empty local animal shelters to make room for pets that were lost or homeless following the disaster and record flooding. She took the animals in air-conditioned rigs to affiliated facilities in Oklahoma that had room. It's not known how many animals she and her team helped transport, but every time one of her trailers left Houston, it was filled with about 70 animals. The rigs made multiple trips.

Montgomery Gentry singer Troy Gentry passed away tragically on Sept. 8 in a helicopter crash in New Jersey. The NTSB said engine failure was to blame for the crash. The NTSB reported that "several minutes after takeoff, the pilot reported … that he was unable to control engine rpm with throttle inputs." It also said that "a high-pitched whine could be heard from the helicopter during the latter portion of the descent." Troy was 50 years old. A few weeks after his death, Eddie Montgomery, the other half of Montgomery Gentry, said in a letter, "Our world was turned upside down in an instant and nothing could have prepared us for this."

"The Gambler" has signed off. On Oct. 25, Kenny Rogers took the stage for his final performance. More than 20 artists honored Kenny at the "All In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers' Farewell Concert Celebration" in Nashville. The fact that Kenny is retiring comes as no surprise. He announced in 2015 that retirement was on the near horizon for him. At his last show, he performed his final song with — who else — longtime pal Dolly Parton. After the duo sang "Islands in the Stream" one last time together, she said to him, "How about me and you go out like rock stars?" The two then held their microphones out in front of them, dropped them and walked off arm-in-arm. We can say this about Kenny: He knows when to fold 'em.

Seriously, did anyone have a bigger year in country music than Sam Hunt? On April 15, he married Hannah Fowler, who has been the subject of several of his songs. And, speaking of songs, he had a lot of those too. Sam set records with his music. His song "Body Like a Back Road" spent 34 weeks at the top of the Hot Country Songs chart, which is a record. It also hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a rare feat for country artists. He was also nominated for a couple Country Music Awards for the song. So it was a banner year for Sam.

The "Rhinestone Cowboy" has left the building. On Aug. 8, the country world mourned the loss of one of its most legendary icons, Glen Campbell, who passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Glen Travis Campbell, at the age of 81," his official Twitter account announced. He was surrounded by family and friends when he died. Upon hearing the news, some of the biggest names in entertainment took to social media to pay their respects. "Glen Campbell was one of the greatest voices of all time. I will always love you, Glen!," Dolly Parton tweeted. Tim McGraw called Glen "special."

Loretta Lynn is an absolute treasure to the county music world, so when she hurts, the genre hurts. In May, the icon suffered a stroke in her home in Tennessee. She recovered quite gracefully (after all, this is Loretta Lynn we're talking about) and made a public appearance at the Country Music Hall of Fame in October to formally induct her pal Alan Jackson. She received several loud ovations from the crowd.

Thomas Rhett's household got a whole lot crazier — and happier — this year thanks to the addition of two children. In mid-May, the country star and his wife, Lauren, welcomed daughter Willa Gray Akins, who they adopted from Uganda. Then in August, Lauren gave birth to daughter Ada James Akins. "To have two children under the age of 2 has been pretty challenging for me and Lauren," he told People magazine in September. "But at the same time, I feel like if we can handle this, we can handle pretty much anything." Coincidentally, Thomas's newest album (which, by the way, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and country charts) is called "Life Changes," so that's really fitting.

CMT host Cody Alan started 2017 by telling his truth: He's gay. On Jan. 12, he took to Instagram to announce his sexual orientation. "2017. As we start a new year, there is something I want to share with you. You see, I'm gay. This is not a choice I made, but something I've known about myself my whole life. Through life's twists and turns, marriage, divorce, fatherhood, successes, failures – I've landed on this day, a day when I'm happier and healthier than I've ever been. And I'm finally comfortable enough for everyone to know this truth about me," he explained. "Thanks for following me and supporting me over the years. As we continue our journey, I hope this news won't change how you see me. I'm still the same Cody I always was. You just know a little more about me now. My hope for the future is to live the most honest, authentic, loving, and open life possible. Here's to being happy with yourself, no matter who you are, who you love, where you come from, or what cards life has dealt you." Cody later said the support he received from the country community was incredible. "It was great to hear from so many A-listers, from Carrie Underwood and Toby Keith to Dierks Bentley — that meant the world to me, that they were willing to speak up," he told People magazine, adding, "Perhaps the scariest moment of my life was pushing that 'publish' or 'send' button on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and sending it out to the world so quickly."

Chuck Wicks is lucky to be alive after he was seriously injured in a single-car accident while traveling to New Orleans in late February. Chuck, who famously sang "Stealing Cinderella," suffered a fractured skull and fractured cervical vertebrae. According to the singer, doctors told him he's lucky he's alive and lucky he's not paralyzed. "While driving through a bad rain storm our car struck a puddle and hydroplaned, causing it to roll twice into a ditch full of water. Talk about Slow Motion.. it was if the world literally stopped," he wrote on Facebook. Chuck, who co-hosts "America's Morning Show," returned to the airwaves on March 22.

What's in the water on the Lady Antebellum tour bus?! On Aug. 17, Lady A announced that both Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood were expecting babies. The band shared the news with an adorable photo of their young children (all three members currently have one child each). "Well, #BabyBellum round 2 is on the way! We're thrilled to announce the Haywoods are welcoming a girl this December, AND the Tyrrells are expecting in February 2018!!" The next day, Hillary revealed she was actually expecting twins! "It's truly a miracle," Hillary said, adding the pregnancy was natural and that neither she nor her husband, Chris, have a family history of twins. Charles Kelley, you're next!

Jeff Cook, one of the founding members of Hall of Fame group Alabama, announced that he will stop touring with the band in April after revealing that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2013. He and the band kept the diagnosis secret until his reveal in April. "This disease robs you of your coordination, your balance and causes tremors," he said in a statement. "For me, this has made it extremely frustrating to try and play guitar, fiddle or sing. I've tried not to burden anyone with the details of my condition because I do not want the music to stop or the party to end, and that won't change no matter what. Let me say, I'm not calling it quits but sometimes our bodies dictate what we have to do, and mine is telling me it's time to take a break and heal."

This one hurt deep. On May 27, Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band died in Georgia due to complications from liver cancer. The band was more of a Southern rock band, but the country world embraced it as their own. "This one hurts a lot. This was one of my heroes. RIP Gregg Allman…," Jason Aldean tweeted. Chris Stapleton said, "The first time I ever set foot in an amphitheater, I opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd & the Allman Brothers. I'll always be grateful for that moment and the wealth of musical influence. RIP Gregg Allman." Less than two weeks after his death, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley performed "Midnight Rider" to open the 2017 CMT Music Awards in honor of Gregg.

They're together in life and in love… and now Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are together in music. Country music's royal couple released a collaborative album on Nov. 17 called "The Rest of Our Life." The fact that they're sharing the lead on the project isn't really a surprise, as they've toured together multiple times on their "Soul2Soul" tours. They also had a Las Vegas show together. Still, the fact that they released a joint album is exciting. In March, the couple released "Speak to a Girl" from the album. The song peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

"Garth Brooks is lip-syncing. Not what entertainers of the year do." That's what one tweet said on Nov. 8 after the country superstar was caught lip syncing at the Country Music Association awards — a show in which he won the biggest award of the night, Entertainer of the Year. Garth didn't shy away from the accusations and admitted that he lip synced at the awards show, but said he did so because he was under the weather. "We made a game-time call on whether to sing to a track or lip-sync," he said. "And we decided to lip-sync it… My voice just isn't going anywhere, and we wanted to represent country music the best we can." Still, Twitter wasn't having it. It "looks very bad on a legend," one user said. Many other said similar things.

For a few weeks, the country music community was able to skirt the sexual harassment scandal that was rocking Hollywood. Then, however, allegations surfaced that music power publicist Kirt Webster sexually assaulting and drugged a former client. A budding country musician, Austin Cody, claimed Kirt — who's repped Dolly Parton, Hank Williams Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Kenny G and others — sexually assaulted him in 2008. "He offered me publicity opportunities and magazine columns in exchange for sexual acts," Austin said. "He paid me to keep my mouth shut. And he did everything under threat that he'd make sure nobody in the industry ever heard my name again." He said Kirt continued to harass him even up until this year. After that, more reports surfaced alleging Kirt had sexually harassed his employees and even a country music journalist. Most of Kirt's client roster parted ways with him. Kirt stepped down from his PR firm on Nov. 1. "You would hear an audible sigh of relief when he was gone," an employee told The Tennessean.