Remember When Billy Currington Made His Grand Ole Opry Debut?

Billy Currington is one of country music's most consistent hitmakers, but he was a young artist looking for a shot when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut on April 25, 2003.

Currington had released his debut single, "Walk a Little Straighter," to country radio just days before on April 21, and he performed the emotional, traditional-leaning song during his Opry debut. Currington teamed with Carson Chamberlain and Casey Beathard to write "Walk a Little Straighter," which Chamberlain produced. The song tells the story of a young man being raised by an alcoholic father, and the impact his dad's drinking has on his life.

"Walk a little straighter, daddy / You're swaying side to side / Your footsteps make me dizzy and no matter how I try / I keep tripping and stumbling / If you'd look down here you'd see / Walk a little straighter, daddy / You're leading me," Currington sings in the chorus.

"Walk a Little Straighter" gave Currington a Top 10 hit straight out of the gate, reaching No. 8 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. He followed it up with "I Got a Feelin'," which reached No. 5, and scored his first No. 1 hit single with his third single, "Must Be Doing Something Right," in 2005.

Curington has gone on to a long string of hits, hitting No. 1 a total of eleven times with songs including "Good Directions," "People Are Crazy," "That's How Country Boys Roll," "Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer," "Let Me Down Easy," "Hey Girl," "We Are Tonight," "Don't It", "It Don't Hurt Like It Used To" and "Do I Make You Wanna." He continues to perform regularly at the Grand Ole Opry.

See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born

Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!

Men named Hank dominated early before stars like Freddie Hart, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson Clint Black took over to close the 1980s. More recently it's been Tim Mcgraw, Rodney Atkins, Kane Brown and Morgan Wallen. Did the most-played country song from the year you were born become a favorite of yours later? All info comes from Billboard's country airplay charts.

Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes

Most Popular Country Album From the Year You Were Born

Find out which country singer dominated on this list of the most popular albums from the year you were born or graduated high school.

This list is based on sales date from the Soundscan era (1991 to 2022) and total weeks spent atop Billboard's Hot Country Albums chart (1964-1990).

In 1999, Shania Twain's Come on Over album became the first to top the year-end chart in back-to-back years, but that feat has been done four times since, most recently in 2022. Which country album defined your childhood? Scroll down to find out.

Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes

Crazy Country Facts From the Year You Were Born

Stacker compiled a list of noteworthy milestones from each year of country music history, using a variety of news articles, historical resources, and more.