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1985 in country music
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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1985.
Events
- January — In radio, the United Stations Programming Network’s "Solid Gold Country," a country music spinoff of the oldies-focused "Solid Gold Scrapbook," switches from a three-hour-a-week show to a five-day-a-week program (with the option to air all five hours in as a weekly program). Under the new format, each hourly program covered a different topic, such as a profile on a singer, songwriter or producer; a look back at the popular songs from the current week in a past year, gold records from the current month and other topics under virtually every conceivable topic. The new program will run 8-1/2 years.
- May 6 - 20th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama, George Strait, and Reba McEntire win
- A story published in The New York Times declares that country music is "dead." However, a number of new acts – Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam among them – are working behind the scenes to change the trend.
- The Country Music Association Awards introduced a new award, Music Video of the Year. The first recipient was Hank Williams Jr.'s video for "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight."
Top hits of the year
Singles released by American artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | [40 Hour Week (For a Livin')](40-hour-week-for-a-livin) | Alabama |
| 1 | 1 | Ain't She Somethin' Else | Conway Twitty |
| 8 | 8 | All Tangled Up in Love | Gus Hardin |
| 8 | 22 | Angel in Your Arms | Barbara Mandrell |
| 1 | 1 | Baby Bye Bye | Gary Morris |
| 1 | 1 | Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On | Mel McDaniel |
| 1 | 1 | The Best Year of My Life | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 5 | 5 | Betty's Bein' Bad | Sawyer Brown |
| 3 | 7 | Between Blue Eyes and Jeans | Conway Twitty |
| 15 | 13 | Blue Highway | John Conlee |
| 15 | — | Break Away | Gail Davies |
| 13 | 11 | California | Keith Stegall |
| 1 | 1 | Can't Keep a Good Man Down | Alabama |
| 9 | 11 | Carolina in the Pines | Michael Martin Murphey |
| 1 | 1 | The Chair | George Strait |
| 1 | 1 | Country Boy | Ricky Skaggs |
| 1 | 1 | Country Girls | John Schneider |
| 5 | 3 | The Cowboy Rides Away | George Strait |
| 1 | 1 | Crazy | Kenny Rogers |
| 1 | 1 | Crazy for Your Love | Exile |
| 9 | 8 | Cry Just a Little Bit | Sylvia |
| 15 | 20 | Desperados Waiting for a Train | The Highwaymen |
| 20 | 16 | Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music) | Vern Gosdin |
| 1 | 1 | Dixie Road | Lee Greenwood |
| 1 | 10 | Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind | George Strait |
| 8 | 5 | Doncha? | T. G. Sheppard |
| 1 | 1 | Don't Call Him a Cowboy | Conway Twitty |
| 3 | 5 | Don't Call It Love | Dolly Parton |
| 2 | 26 | Drinkin' and Dreamin' | Waylon Jennings |
| 20 | 17 | Eye of a Hurricane | John Anderson |
| 2 | 1 | Fallin' in Love | Sylvia |
| 5 | 10 | The Fireman | George Strait |
| 7 | 5 | The First Word in Memory Is Me | Janie Fricke |
| 1 | 1 | Forgiving You Was Easy | Willie Nelson |
| 17 | 5 | The Girl Most Likely To | B. J. Thomas |
| 1 | 1 | Girls Night Out | The Judds |
| 7 | 15 | Got No Reason Now for Goin' Home | Gene Watson |
| 15 | 13 | Hallelujah, I Love You So | George Jones with Brenda Lee |
| 1 | 1 | Hang On to Your Heart | Exile |
| 6 | 10 | Have I Got a Deal for You | Reba McEntire |
| 1 | 2 | Have Mercy | The Judds |
| 19 | 42 | Heart Don't Do This to Me | Loretta Lynn |
| 8 | 15 | Heart Trouble | Steve Wariner |
| 3 | 3 | Hello Mary Lou | The Statler Brothers |
| 2 | 2 | High Horse | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 1 | 1 | Highwayman | The Highwaymen |
| 1 | 1 | Honor Bound | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 1 | 6 | How Blue | Reba McEntire |
| 1 | 1 | I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me | Rosanne Cash |
| 1 | 1 | I Don't Mind the Thorns (If You're the Rose) | Lee Greenwood |
| 1 | 3 | I Fell in Love Again Last Night | The Forester Sisters |
| 1 | 4 | I Need More of You | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 10 | 6 | I Never Made Love (Till I Made It with You) | Mac Davis |
| 8 | 6 | I Wanna Hear It from You | Eddy Raven |
| 5 | 3 | I Wanna Say Yes | Louise Mandrell |
| 10 | 9 | I Want Everyone to Cry | Restless Heart |
| 20 | — | I'd Dance Every Dance with You | The Kendalls |
| 1 | 1 | I'll Never Stop Loving You | Gary Morris |
| 1 | 5 | I'm for Love | Hank Williams Jr. |
| 10 | 7 | I'm Gonna Leave You Tomorrow | John Schneider |
| 10 | 10 | I'm the One Mama Warned You About | Mickey Gilley |
| 20 | 19 | If It Ain't Love | Ed Bruce |
| 12 | 22 | If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone) | The Whites |
| 10 | 5 | If It Weren't for Him | Vince Gill |
| 15 | 15 | If That Ain't Love | Lacy J. Dalton |
| 16 | 45 | If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me | Jimmy Buffett |
| 5 | 1 | In a New York Minute | Ronnie McDowell |
| 12 | 31 | It Ain't Gonna Worry My Mind | Ray Charles and Mickey Gilley |
| 19 | 12 | It Should Have Been Love by Now | Barbara Mandrell & Lee Greenwood |
| 10 | 6 | It's a Short Walk from Heaven to Hell | John Schneider |
| 15 | 18 | It's All Over Now | John Anderson |
| 20 | 49 | It's Time for Love | Don Williams |
| 10 | 10 | Kern River | Merle Haggard |
| 4 | — | A Lady Like You | Glen Campbell |
| 9 | 8 | Lasso the Moon | Gary Morris |
| 19 | 21 | The Legend and the Man | Conway Twitty |
| 16 | — | Leona | Sawyer Brown |
| 6 | 6 | Let It Roll (Let It Rock) | Mel McDaniel |
| 16 | 33 | Let Me Down Easy | Jim Glaser |
| 23 | 20 | Let the Heartache Ride | Restless Heart |
| 2 | 3 | Lie to You for Your Love | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 1 | 1 | Little Things | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 5 | 5 | A Long and Lasting Love | Crystal Gayle |
| 1 | 1 | Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night) | Ronnie Milsap |
| 14 | — | (Love Always) Letter to Home | Glen Campbell |
| 1 | 1 | Love Don't Care (Whose Heart It Breaks) | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 1 | 1 | Love Is Alive | The Judds |
| 9 | 14 | Love Talks | Ronnie McDowell |
| 10 | 14 | Major Moves | Hank Williams Jr. |
| 1 | 1 | Make My Life with You | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 8 | 23 | Maybe My Baby | Louise Mandrell |
| 4 | 1 | Me Against the Night | Crystal Gayle |
| 14 | 6 | Me and Paul | Willie Nelson |
| 1 | 19 | Meet Me in Montana | Marie Osmond (with Dan Seals) |
| 20 | 32 | The Mississippi Squirrel Revival | Ray Stevens |
| 1 | 2 | Modern Day Romance | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 2 | 2 | My Baby's Got Good Timing | Dan Seals |
| 9 | 9 | My Old Yellow Car | Dan Seals |
| 1 | 3 | My Only Love | The Statler Brothers |
| 19 | — | My Toot-Toot | Rockin' Sidney |
| 1 | 2 | Natural High | Merle Haggard |
| 1 | 1 | Nobody Falls Like a Fool | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 3 | 4 | Nobody Wants to Be Alone | Crystal Gayle |
| 2 | 1 | Old Hippie | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 4 | 3 | One Owner Heart | T. G. Sheppard |
| 5 | 6 | Only in My Mind | Reba McEntire |
| 9 | 8 | Operator, Operator | Eddy Raven |
| 1 | 1 | A Place to Fall Apart | Merle Haggard featuring Janie Fricke |
| 10 | 12 | Pretty Lady | Keith Stegall |
| 1 | 1 | Radio Heart | Charly McClain |
| 1 | 1 | Real Love | Dolly Parton (duet with Kenny Rogers) |
| 9 | 9 | Rollin' Lonely | Johnny Lee |
| 12 | 12 | Save the Last Chance | Johnny Lee |
| 1 | 1 | Seven Spanish Angels | Ray Charles (with Willie Nelson) |
| 1 | 1 | She Keeps the Home Fires Burning | Ronnie Milsap |
| 11 | 11 | She Used to Love Me a Lot | David Allan Coe |
| 1 | 1 | She's a Miracle | Exile |
| 6 | 22 | She's Comin' Back to Say Goodbye | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 9 | 5 | She's Gonna Win Your Heart | Eddy Raven |
| 2 | 1 | She's My Rock | George Jones |
| 2 | 2 | She's Single Again | Janie Fricke |
| 19 | 11 | Size Seven Round (Made of Gold) | George Jones with Lacy J. Dalton |
| 10 | 7 | Slow Burning Memory | Vern Gosdin |
| 1 | 1 | Some Fools Never Learn | Steve Wariner |
| 4 | 4 | Somebody Else's Fire | Janie Fricke |
| 1 | 8 | Somebody Should Leave | Reba McEntire |
| 26 | 14 | Someone Like You | Emmylou Harris |
| 2 | 1 | Something in My Heart | Ricky Skaggs |
| 6 | 24 | Sometimes When We Touch | Mark Gray & Tammy Wynette |
| 5 | 3 | Stand Up | Mel McDaniel |
| 1 | 1 | Step That Step | Sawyer Brown |
| 10 | — | (That's What You Do) When You're in Love | The Forester Sisters |
| 1 | 1 | (There's A) Fire in the Night | Alabama |
| 7 | 24 | There's No Love in Tennessee | Barbara Mandrell |
| 1 | 2 | There's No Way | Alabama |
| 19 | 37 | They Never Had to Get Over You | Johnny Lee |
| 14 | 14 | Thing About You | Southern Pacific with Emmylou Harris |
| 4 | 22 | This Ain't Dallas | Hank Williams Jr. |
| 1 | 1 | Too Much on My Heart | The Statler Brothers |
| 1 | 1 | Touch a Hand, Make a Friend | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 14 | 18 | Two Old Cats Like Us | Ray Charles with Hank Williams Jr. |
| 3 | 1 | Used to Blue | Sawyer Brown |
| 2 | 3 | Walkin' a Broken Heart | Don Williams |
| 10 | 14 | Waltz Me to Heaven | Waylon Jennings |
| 4 | 3 | Warning Sign | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 3 | 1 | What I Didn't Do | Steve Wariner |
| 8 | 6 | What She Wants | Michael Martin Murphey |
| 17 | 46 | When Givin' Up Was Easy | Ed Bruce |
| 14 | 6 | White Line | Emmylou Harris |
| 3 | 2 | Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes | George Jones |
| 5 | 9 | With Just One Look in Your Eyes | Charly McClain (with Wayne Massey) |
| 7 | 6 | Working Man | John Conlee |
| 10 | 27 | A World Without Love | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 2 | 2 | Years After You | John Conlee |
| 20 | 20 | You Can't Run Away from Your Heart | Lacy J. Dalton |
| 7 | 8 | You Make Me Feel Like a Man | Ricky Skaggs |
| 1 | 1 | You Make Me Want to Make You Mine | Juice Newton |
| 3 | 3 | You Turn Me On (Like a Radio) | Ed Bruce |
| 10 | 8 | You're Going Out of My Mind | T. G. Sheppard |
| 9 | 6 | You've Got a Good Love Comin' | Lee Greenwood |
| 10 | 7 | You've Got Something on Your Mind | Mickey Gilley |
Singles released by Canadian artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 12 | Blue Moon Cafe | Albert Hall |
| — | 13 | Counting the I Love Yous | Terry Carisse |
| 73 | 10 | Heaven Knows | Audie Henry |
| — | 12 | Hold On to What You Got | Gilles Godard |
| 7 | 4 | I Don't Think I'm Ready for You | Anne Murray |
| — | 18 | I Just Didn't Love You Very Well | John Winters |
| — | 9 | I'll Take Her Love Anytime | George Carone |
| — | 10 | I'm Glad We're Bad at Something | Ronnie Prophet & Glory-Anne Carriere |
| — | 9 | If You Can't Stand the Heat | Carroll Baker |
| 95 | 5 | It Always Hurts the First Time | Carroll Baker |
| — | 19 | The Loneliest Star in Texas | Terry Sumsion |
| — | 7 | Love Is the Reason | Mercey Brothers |
| — | 9 | Magic in the Music | C-Weed Band |
| — | 11 | She Saves Her Love for Me | Stoker Bros |
| — | 18 | She's No Lady | Paul Weber |
| — | 17 | Sonny's Dream | Valdy |
| — | 10 | Sweet Blue | Terry Carisse |
| 71 | 10 | Sweet Salvation | Audie Henry |
| — | 10 | Take Me Home Mississippi | Jamie Warren |
| — | 15 | That's When You Know It's Over | Terry Sumsion |
| 2 | 1 | Time Don't Run Out on Me | Anne Murray |
| — | 17 | Two Broken Hearts | Terry Carisse |
| — | 12 | We Can Only Pretend | George Carone |
| — | 7 | We Won't Ever Say Goodbye | Gilles Godard |
| — | 10 | You Lifted Me High Enough | Mercey Brothers |
Top new album releases
| US | Album | Artist | Record label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *[40-Hour Week](40-hour-week)* | Alabama | RCA |
| 8 | *Alabama Christmas* | Alabama | RCA |
| 25 | *Amber Waves of Grain* | Merle Haggard | Epic |
| 1 | *Anything Goes* | Gary Morris | Warner Bros. |
| 8 | *The Ballad of Sally Rose* | Emmylou Harris | Warner Bros. |
| 7 | *Centerfield* | John Fogerty | Warner Bros. |
| 22 | ''Darlin', Darlin''' | David Allan Coe | Columbia |
| 7 | *Don't Call Him a Cowboy* | Conway Twitty | Warner Bros. |
| 24 | *Favorite Country Hits* | Ricky Skaggs | Epic |
| 1 | *Five-O* | Hank Williams Jr. | Curb/Warner Bros. |
| 4 | *The Forester Sisters* | The Forester Sisters | Warner Bros. |
| 4 | *Greatest Hits* | George Strait | MCA |
| 25 | *Get to the Heart* | Barbara Mandrell | MCA |
| 1 | *Greatest Hits* | Earl Thomas Conley | RCA |
| 4 | *Greatest Hits* | Lee Greenwood | MCA |
| 1 | *Greatest Hits Vol. 2* | Ronnie Milsap | RCA |
| 10 | *Half Nelson* | Willie Nelson | Columbia |
| 1 | *Greatest Hits Volume 2* | Hank Williams Jr. | Curb/Warner Bros. |
| 2 | *Hang On to Your Heart* | Exile | Epic |
| 1 | *The Heart of the Matter* | Kenny Rogers | RCA |
| 23 | *High Country Snows* | Dan Fogelberg | Full Moon/Epic |
| 1 | *Highwayman* | The Highwaymen | Columbia |
| 10 | *Howard & David* | The Bellamy Brothers | Curb/MCA |
| 1 | *I Have Returned* | Ray Stevens | MCA |
| 8 | *Kern River* | Merle Haggard | Epic |
| 7 | *Last Mango in Paris* | Jimmy Buffett | MCA |
| 4 | *Let It Roll* | Mel McDaniel | Capitol |
| 22 | *Life Highway* | Steve Wariner | MCA |
| 1 | *Live in London* | Ricky Skaggs | Epic |
| 1 | *Lost in the Fifties Tonight* | Ronnie Milsap | RCA |
| 17 | *Love Is What We Make It* | Kenny Rogers | Liberty |
| 3 | *Me and Paul* | Willie Nelson | Columbia |
| 1 | *A Memory Like You* | John Schneider | MCA |
| 13 | *My Toot Toot* | Rockin' Sidney | Epic |
| 17 | *Nobody Wants to Be Alone* | Crystal Gayle | Warner Bros. |
| 12 | *Old Flame* | Juice Newton | RCA |
| 24 | *Old Ways* | Neil Young | Geffen |
| 20 | *One Good Night Deserves Another* | Steve Wariner | MCA |
| 19 | *One Step Closer* | Sylvia | RCA |
| 1 | *Pardners in Rhyme* | The Statler Brothers | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 9 | *Partners, Brothers and Friends* | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Warner Bros. |
| 15 | *Radio Heart* | Charly McClain | Epic |
| 9 | *Real Love* | Dolly Parton | RCA |
| 10 | *Restless Heart* | Restless Heart | RCA |
| 1 | *Rhythm & Romance* | Rosanne Cash | Columbia |
| 1 | *Rockin' with the Rhythm* | The Judds | Curb/RCA |
| 2 | *Sawyer Brown* | Sawyer Brown | Capitol/Curb |
| 3 | *Shakin'* | Sawyer Brown | Capitol/Curb |
| 21 | *Somebody Else's Fire* | Janie Fricke | Columbia |
| 1 | *Something Special* | George Strait | MCA |
| 25 | *Southern Pacific* | Southern Pacific | Warner Bros. |
| 25 | *Stand Up* | Mel McDaniel | Capitol |
| 3 | *Step On Out* | The Oak Ridge Boys | MCA |
| 1 | *Streamline* | Lee Greenwood | MCA |
| 6 | *Sweet Dreams–The Life and | ||
| Times of Patsy Cline (Soundtrack)* | Patsy Cline | MCA | |
| 16 | *There's No Stopping Your Heart* | Marie Osmond | Capitol/Curb |
| 24 | *Tokyo, Oklahoma* | John Anderson | Warner Bros. |
| 15 | *Tryin' to Outrun the Wind* | John Schneider | MCA |
| 23 | *Turn the Page* | Waylon Jennings | RCA |
| 6 | *Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?* | George Jones | Epic |
| 1 | *Won't Be Blue Anymore* | Dan Seals | Capitol |
Other top albums
| US | Album | Artist | Record label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | *12 Greatest Hits* | Patsy Cline | MCA |
| 50 | *19 Hot Country Requests* | Various Artists | Epic |
| 59 | *19 Hot Country Requests–Vol. 2* | Various Artists | Epic |
| 33 | *Atlanta* | Atlanta | MCA |
| 61 | *The Bama Band* | The Bama Band | Compleat |
| 29 | *The Best of Reba McEntire* | Reba McEntire | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 39 | *Big River–The Adventures | ||
| of Huckleberry Finn* | Various Artists | MCA | |
| 39 | *Biggest Hits* | Charly McClain | Epic |
| 33 | *Can't Run Away from Your Heart* | Lacy J. Dalton | Columbia |
| 29 | *Chasin' Rainbows* | Conway Twitty | Warner Bros. |
| 42 | *Christmas Present* | The Statler Brothers | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 29 | *Christmas to Christmas* | Lee Greenwood | MCA |
| 38 | *Cut from a Different Stone* | Razzy Bailey | MCA |
| 40 | *Dallas–The Music Story* | Various Artists | Warner Bros. |
| 28 | *Don't Make Me Wait on the Moon* | Shelly West | Viva |
| 64 | *Dreamland Express* | John Denver | RCA |
| 34 | *Eddie Rabbitt #1's* | Eddie Rabbitt | Warner Bros. |
| 42 | *From My Heart* | Kathy Mattea | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 27 | *Greatest Hits* | Barbara Mandrell | MCA |
| 33 | *Greatest Hits Vol. 2* | John Conlee | MCA |
| 60 | *Greatest Hits, Volume 2* | Charley Pride | RCA |
| 60 | *Greatest Hits Vol. IV* | Don Williams | MCA |
| 27 | *Have I Got a Deal for You* | Reba McEntire | MCA |
| 38 | *His Best* | Merle Haggard | MCA |
| 40 | *I Feel Good (About Lovin' You)* | Mickey Gilley | Epic |
| 32 | *It's Just a Matter of Time* | Glen Campbell | Atlantic America |
| 49 | *John McEuen* | John McEuen | Warner Bros. |
| 63 | *Just a Woman* | Loretta Lynn | MCA |
| 36 | *Keep Me Hangin' On* | Johnny Lee | Warner Bros. |
| 45 | *Keith Stegall* | Keith Stegall | Epic |
| 55 | *Lane Brody* | Lane Brody | Capitol |
| 53 | *Live! At Gilley's* | Mickey Gilley | Epic |
| 26 | *Livin' on the Edge* | T. G. Sheppard | Columbia |
| 62 | *Lone Justice* | Lone Justice | Geffen |
| 64 | *Love and Other Hard Times* | Eddy Raven | RCA |
| 60 | *Maybe My Baby* | Louise Mandrell | RCA |
| 27 | *Me and the Boys* | The Charlie Daniels Band | Epic |
| 35 | *Memories to Burn* | Gene Watson | Epic |
| 55 | *Music from Rustler's Rhapsody | ||
| and Other Songs* | Various Artists | Warner Bros. | |
| 58 | *Old Friends* | Terri Gibbs | Warner Bros. |
| 40 | *Past the Point of No Return* | Jim Glaser | MCA/Noble Vision |
| 48 | *...Say When* | Nicolette Larson | MCA |
| 35 | *Smile* | Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers | Columbia |
| 32 | *Sometimes When We Touch* | Tammy Wynette | Epic |
| 63 | *Song in a Seashell* | Tom T. Hall | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 27 | *Songs You Know by Heart* | Jimmy Buffett | MCA |
| 42 | *The Spirit of Christmas* | Ray Charles | Columbia |
| 54 | *T. G. Sheppard* | T. G. Sheppard | Warner Bros. |
| 54 | *Tender Loving Care* | Tom Jones | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 45 | *Tennessee Christmas* | Various Artists | MCA |
| 63 | *The Things That Matter* | Vince Gill | RCA |
| 48 | *Till I Made It with You* | Mac Davis | MCA |
| 31 | *Time Stood Still* | Vern Gosdin | Compleat |
| 27 | *Two Heart Harmony* | The Kendalls | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 49 | *Unchained* | David Allan Coe | Columbia |
| 33 | *The Very Best of Janie* | Janie Fricke | Columbia |
| 64 | *Wall of Tears* | Gus Hardin | RCA |
| 52 | *Where's the Fire* | Leon Everette | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 42 | *Whole New World* | The Whites | MCA |
On television
Regular series
- Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)
- That Nashville Music (1970–1985, syndicated)
Specials
Births
- January 20 – Brantley Gilbert, singer of the 2010s best known for "Country Must Be Country Wide" and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do"
- May 14 – Dustin Lynch, country singer-songwriter of the 2010s and 2020s
- May 20 – Jon Pardi, country singer of the 2010s
- June 12 – Chris Young, winner on the fourth season of Nashville Star
- August 26 – Brian Kelley, member of Florida Georgia Line, a duo of the 2010s.
- September 1 — Charlie Worsham, singer/multi-instrumentalist honored by the Mississippi state senate
- September 19 — Chase Rice, country singer of the 2010s
Deaths
- July 17 – Wynn Stewart, 51, key progenitor of the Bakersfield sound, known for hits such as "It's Such a Pretty World Today" (heart attack)
- August 8 – Benny Barnes, 51, former rhythm guitarist for George Jones, best known for his 1956 hit "Poor Man's Riches"
- October 11 -- Tex Williams, 68, Western swing and talking blues performer best known for "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" (pancreatic cancer)
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Flatt and Scruggs (Lester Flatt 1914–1979 and Earl Scruggs 1924–2012)
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Don Messer
- Hank Snow
Major awards
Grammy Awards
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", Rosanne Cash
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "Lost in the Fifties Tonight", Ronnie Milsap
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Why Not Me" The Judds
- Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Cosmic Square Dance", Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler
- Best Country Song — "Highwayman," Jimmy Webb (Performer: The Highwaymen)
Juno Awards
- Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Murray McLauchlan
- Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Anne Murray
- Country Group or Duo of the Year — Family Brown
Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer of the Year — Alabama
- Song of the Year — "Lost in the Fifties Tonight", Fred Parris, Mike Reid and Troy Seals (Performer: Ronnie Milsap)
- Single of the Year — "Highwayman", The Highwaymen
- Album of the Year — Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, George Strait
- Top Male Vocalist — George Strait
- Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
- Top Vocal Duo — The Judds
- Top Vocal Group — Alabama
- Top New Male Vocalist — Randy Travis
- Top New Female Vocalist — Judy Rodman
- Video of the Year — "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?", George Jones (Directors: Marc Ball)
Canadian Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — Dick Damron
- Male Artist of the Year — Terry Carisse
- Female Artist of the Year — Carroll Baker
- Group of the Year — The Mercey Brothers
- SOCAN Song of the Year — "Counting the I Love You's", Terry Carisse, Bruce Rawlins (Performer: Terry Carisse)
- Single of the Year — "Riding on the Wind", Gary Fjellgaard
- Album of the Year — Closest Thing to You, Terry Carisse
- Top Selling Album — Once Upon a Christmas, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
- Vista Rising Star Award — Ginny Mitchell
- Duo of the Year — Anita Perras and Tim Taylor
Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — Ricky Skaggs
- Song of the Year — "God Bless the USA", Lee Greenwood (Performer: Lee Greenwood)
- Single of the Year — "Why Not Me", The Judds
- Album of the Year — Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, George Strait
- Male Vocalist of the Year — George Strait
- Female Vocalist of the Year — Reba McEntire
- Vocal Duo of the Year — Dave Loggins and Anne Murray
- Vocal Group of the Year — The Judds
- Horizon Award — Sawyer Brown
- Music Video of the Year — "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight", Hank Williams Jr. (Director: John Goodhue)
- Instrumentalist of the Year — Chet Atkins
- Instrumental Group of the Year — Ricky Skaggs Band
References
References
- "HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 44". Billstatus.ls.state.ms.us.
- Whitburn, Joel. (2008). "Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008". Record Research, Inc.
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