Great music, great celebrations and great tragedy make up the 10 biggest country music news stories of 2018. From Carrie Underwood's January confession through Keith Urban's emotional reception in November, these stories defined the year. It certainly was not all good news.

In fact, Underwood had a very difficult start to 2018 before rebounding with news of new music, a tour and a baby. Eric Church's year followed a similar arc: tragedy, album, tour — both stand to have very big years in 2019 as fans get to see them live for the first time in two years.

Superstars like Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks make this list of the 10 Biggest News Stories of 2018, but so too does an unknown kid from Golconda, Ill., who yodeled his way into our world in March. The end of a television dynasty and a long-awaited reunion of one of country music's most important groups also made for bold headlines in 2018.

On Nov. 7, 2018, the world learned of a shooting at a country-themed bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The Borderline Bar & Grill massacre took 12 lives and wounded one more. It was the second time in 13 months a country music venue was attacked.

Births, weddings, deaths and inspiring musical performances took a backseat to these stories in 2018. These 10 moments represented a cultural shift, or at least a change in perspective. Remember each one before diving into the Best Albums of 2018 and the Top Songs of the Year.

Country Music's 10 Biggest News Stories of 2018:

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