This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2022.
Events January 18 – Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line announce they are "taking a break" from recording music together and will be in an indefinite hiatus from touring after several 2022 shows while they pursue solo careers. February 19 – Brad Paisley scores his 20th number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart as featured on Jimmie Allen's "Freedom Was a Highway", tying him with Brooks & Dunn and Toby Keith for the tenth most number ones on that chart since its inception in January 1990. March 29 – Eric Church made headlines after cancelling a show at the AT&T Center in order to attend a college basketball game in North Carolina. Church released a statement announcing his intention to watch the Tar Heels vs Blue Devils, longtime rivals who have never faced off in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament, with his family, expressing that it is the most "selfish" thing he has ever done. The decision drew intense criticism from fans who had paid to attend the concert. April 7 – Stevie Woodward takes over as lead singer of Runaway June, replacing Naomi Cooke who left two months prior. April 10 – Tanya Tucker celebrates the 50th anniversary of her first single, "Delta Dawn", with an all-star concert at the Ryman Auditorium. Guests included Brenda Lee, T. Graham Brown, Delbert McClinton, Paul Overstreet, Jessi Colter, LeAnn Rimes, Ty Herndon and Brandi Carlile. April 11 – "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" by Elle King and Miranda Lambert reaches number one on the Country Airplay chart, becoming the first female duet to reach the top spot in almost thirty years, following "Does He Love You" by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis in November 1993. To celebrate their pending induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Naomi and Wynonna Judd reunited to perform "Love Can Build a Bridge" at the 2022 CMT Music Awards. Their appearance marked the first time the duo had performed together as The Judds on a televised awards show in more than twenty years. The performance was the duo's last before the death of Naomi on April 30. April 30 – Garth Brooks performed a concert to more than 102,000 fans at Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium; movement in the venue registered as a small earthquake when he sang "Callin' Baton Rouge", the unofficial anthem of LSU. May 19 – Wynonna Judd announces an all-star female lineup of artists to accompany her on The Judds' final tour, in the fall. Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Little Big Town and Ashley McBryde will fill in for Naomi on select dates, with more artists to be announced at later dates. May 20 – John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band publicly announces his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. May 26 – In the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, multiple entertainers – including country performers Larry Gatlin, Lee Greenwood and Larry Stewart, along with "American Pie" singer Don McLean – announce they would not be performing at the National Rifle Association of America's annual convention, which was scheduled the weekend of May 28.Aswad, Jem, "Larry Gatlin Pulls Out of NRA Memorial Day Concert," Variety, May 26, 2022 Accessed 05-27-2022. Aswad, Jem, "Lee Greenwood Pulls Out of NRA Concert in Houston," Variety, May 26, 2022. Accessed 05-27-2022. June 1- Stu Phillips celebrates his 55th Grand Ole Opry anniversary June 9–12 – After a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CMA Music Festival returns to Nashville. June 12 – Toby Keith announces he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer at the end of the prior year, having undergone chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery for the past six months. Keith would eventually die of the disease on February 5, 2024. July 19 – Chapel Hart, a country music group from Mississippi, competes on the television series America's Got Talent and received the Golden Buzzer. July 29- Barbara Mandrell celebrates her 50th Grand Ole Opry Anniversary August 2 – After a decade of touring together, Joanna Cotten announced that she had left Eric Church's band in order to pursue a solo career. August 4 – Lady A announce that they are postponing their Request Line Tour to allow member Charles Kelley to focus on his sobriety. August 12 – Singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters revealed her decision to retire from touring and will play her final shows in June 2023, though she will continue to write and record music. August 29 – Kelsea Ballerini announces that she has filed for divorce from Morgan Evans after nearly five years of marriage. Jason Aldean's wife, Brittany, makes an Instagram post which leads to singers such as Maren Morris and Cassadee Pope accusing her of transphobia. In response, Aldean's public relations firm The GreenRoom drops him as a client on September 1. September 9 – John Michael Montgomery's tour bus overturns in an accident outside Jellico, Tennessee, injuring Montgomery and several passengers. September 11 – Monarch, a country music drama series starring Susan Sarandon, Trace Adkins and Anna Friel, debuts on Fox. September 25- Loretta Lynn celebrates her 60th Grand Ole Opry anniversary October 4 – Kentucky Rising, a benefit concert organized by Chris and Morgane Stapleton is held at the Rupp Arena to raise money following devastating flooding that occurred in the state. Other performers included Dwight Yoakam and Tyler Childers alongside surprise appearances from Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless, marking a rare live performance following her retirement from live shows in 2009. October 11 – Blake Shelton announces he is leaving The Voice after its 23rd season in 2023. October 13 – The Mastersons announce that they are leaving Steve Earle's band The Dukes after twelve years. October 27 – Dolly Parton announces her retirement from touring. October 29 – Sam Williams, the grandson of Hank Williams and son of Hank Williams Jr. comes out as gay using the music video of his single "Titled Crown". Darius Rucker's version of the Old Crow Medicine Show song "Wagon Wheel" is certified diamond, becoming only the fourth country song (behind "Cruise", "Tennessee Whiskey" and "Old Town Road") to reach this milestone. November 3 – Caroline Jones becomes an official member of the Zac Brown Band after serving as their opening act since 2017. Jones is the group's first female member. December 30 – "You Proof" by Morgan Wallen spends a tenth week at number one on the Country Airplay chart, thus making it the longest-running number-one single in that chart's history.
Grand Ole Opry January 8 – Morgan Wallen's performance with Ernest on the Grand Ole Opry leads to criticism from fans and other country music artists, following the controversy that surrounded Wallen after he was filmed using a racial slur eleven months prior as well as an anti-racism tweet made by the institution. February 12 – Lauren Alaina is inducted by Trisha Yearwood as the Opry's first member of 2022 following an invite by Yearwood in December 2021. At twenty-seven, Alaina becomes the youngest member of the Opry. March 19 – After making frequent guest appearances for over seventeen years, Jamey Johnson was invited by Bill Anderson to become an Opry member, with his induction set for May 14. June 11 – Vince Gill invites Hall of Famers Charlie McCoy and Don Schlitz to become Opry members, the first time in decades that two artists received the invitation during the same show. McCoy was subsequently inducted by Larry Gatlin on July 13 and Schlitz was inducted by Gill and Randy Travis on August 30. September 17 – Jeannie Seely celebrates her 55th anniversary as an Opry member. Seely has performed on the show over 5000 times, extending her record as the most frequently appearing artist. October 6 – Garth Brooks surprises Ashley McBryde with an invitation to become the newest Grand Ole Opry member during an interview on CBS Mornings, live from the circle. She was inducted on December 10 by Opry star Terri Clark.
Top hits of the year The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, or Canada Country charts in 2022:
Singles released by American and Australian artists SongsAirplayCanadaSingleArtistReferences511"5 Foot 9"Tyler Hubbard1011"23"Sam Hunt1546"7500 OBO"Tim McGraw351"AA"Walker Hayes16110"At the End of a Bar"Chris Young with Mitchell Tenpenny512"Beers on Me"Dierks Bentley featuring Breland and Hardy1723"Best Thing Since Backroads"Jake Owen111"Buy Dirt"Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan997"Circles Around This Town"Maren Morris18123"Come Back as a Country Boy"Blake Shelton15310"Country On"Luke Bryan4617—"Country'd Look Good on You"Frank Ray612"Damn Strait"Scotty McCreery7——"Days That End in Why"Morgan Wallen212"Doin' This"Luke Combs1133"Don't Come Lookin'"Jackson Dean146—"Don't Think Jesus"Morgan Wallen6128"Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" Elle King & Miranda Lambert391741"Everyone She Knows"Kenny Chesney511"Fall in Love"Bailey Zimmerman131816"Flower Shops"Ernest featuring Morgan Wallen5121"Freedom Was a Highway"Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley1269"Ghost Story"Carrie Underwood16118"Give Heaven Some Hell"Hardy911"Half of Me"Thomas Rhett featuring Riley Green11113"Half of My Hometown"Kelsea Ballerini featuring Kenny Chesney1255"Heart on Fire"Eric Church211122"Home Sweet"Russell Dickerson32334"I Bet You Think About Me"Taylor Swift featuring Chris Stapleton8123"If I Was a Cowboy"Miranda Lambert121"The Kind of Love We Make"Luke Combs511"Last Night Lonely"Jon Pardi311"Like I Love Country Music"Kane Brown211"Never Say Never"Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson1311"Never Wanted to Be That Girl"Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde1319"New Truck"Dylan Scott24144"No Hard Feelings"Old Dominion411"One Mississippi" Kane Brown231231"Out in the Middle"Zac Brown Band301748"Party Mode"Dustin Lynch6——"Pick Out a Christmas Tree"Dan + Shay14——"Progress"John Rich211"Sand in My Boots"Morgan Wallen311"She Had Me at Heads Carolina"Cole Swindell131638"She Likes It"Russell Dickerson with Jake Scott924"Slow Down Summer"Thomas Rhett20192"Soul"Lee Brice214"Take My Name"Parmalee5——"Tennessee Fan"Morgan Wallen1453"Tequila Little Time"Jon Pardi111"'Til You Can't" Cody Johnson6133"To Be Loved by You" Parker McCollum13——"Tomorrow Me"Luke Combs412"Trouble with a Heartbreak"Jason Aldean11223"Truth About You"Mitchell Tenpenny332116"Up"Luke Bryan111"Wasted on You"Morgan Wallen61—"Whiskey and Rain"Michael Ray1941"Wild Hearts"Keith Urban1145"Wishful Drinking"Ingrid Andress with Sam Hunt1213"With a Woman You Love"Justin Moore111"You Proof"Morgan Wallen111"You Should Probably Leave"Chris Stapleton
Singles released by Canadian artists SongsAirplayCanadaSingleArtistReferences——1"11 Beers"The Reklaws with Jake Owen——15"Ain't Like Me"Nate Haller—3412"Back Then, Right Now"Tenille Arts——5"Broken Umbrella"Jojo MasonJojo Mason chart peaks: "Broken Umbrella": "Let Me Down Easy": ——10"Cool About It"Meghan Patrick——6"Country Music, Girls and Trucks"High Valley featuring Granger Smith——10"Dodge Out of Hell"Tim HicksTim Hicks chart peaks: "Whiskey Does": "Dodge Out of Hell": ——9"Drink Along Song"Gord Bamford——5"First Taste of Gone"Josh RossJosh Ross chart peaks: "First Taste of Gone": ——9"Float"Tim and the Glory Boys"Float": ——1"Hide from a Broken Heart"Dallas Smith——5"I'd Go to Jail"Dean Brody"I'd Go to Jail": "Where'd You Learn How to Do That": ——6"Knock Off"Jess Moskaluke"Knock Off": ——5"Let Me Down Easy"Jojo Mason——14"Lucky Stars"Aaron Goodvin——1"New Old Trucks"James Barker Band featuring Dierks BentleyJames Barker Band chart peaks: "New Old Trucks": "Wastin' Whiskey": ——15"Night in the Life"Brett Kissel——6"One Too"Dallas Smith with MacKenzie Porter——1"Pickup"MacKenzie PorterMacKenzie Porter chart peaks: "Pickup": ——6"Relationship Goals"Steven Lee OlsenSteven Lee Olsen chart peaks: