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1990 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1990.

Events

  • January 20 — Billboard magazine begins basing the Hot Country Singles chart entirely on radio airplay through Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS), which uses a computerized system to detect actual radio spins. The number of chart positions is reduced from 100 to 75. The new system has an immediate effect on how long the year's biggest songs stay at No. 1:
    • February 3 — "Nobody’s Home" by Clint Black becomes the first three-week No. 1 since Randy Travis' "Forever and Ever, Amen" in 1987.
    • April 7 — Travis' "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" breaks the four-week barrier, the first since 1978's "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
    • July 7 — "Love Without End, Amen" by George Strait is ''Billboard'''s first five-week No. 1 song, matching 1977's "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton. Incidentally, "Love Without End, Amen" is Strait's first multi-week chart-topper, after his first 18 No. 1s had spent just one week on top. : Just 23 songs would reach the chart's summit in 1990, 13 of them multi-weekers; this was fewer than half the number that reached the top of the chart a year earlier, and the fewest since 1972.
  • November 30 Minnie Pearl celebrates her 50th Grand Ole Opry anniversary.

No dates

  • The Smithsonian Institution releases Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection, a 100-track, four-volume set including the most important and notable songs in the genre's history, from 1924 to 1987. The set, which includes an 84-page booklet by historian Bill Malone, replaces the Smithsonian's eight-volume, 143-track set – titled The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music – issued in 1981. The release of Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection continues a trend towards chronicling the genre's history via compact disc during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Time-Life Music's Country USA series continued to issue new albums, while Columbia Records issues its five-volume Country Classics series during the summer. Rhino Records also releases ten volumes of Billboard Top Country Singles, each depicting the top 10 songs from the years 1959 through 1968.

Top hits of the year

Singles released by American artists

USCANSingleArtistReference
1729Ain't Necessarily SoWillie Nelson
1516Ain't Nobody's BusinessHank Williams Jr.
11American BoyEddie Rabbitt
21Back in My Younger DaysDon Williams
1418Back Where I Come FromMac McAnally
910The Battle Hymn of LoveKathy Mattea & Tim O'Brien
1519Black CoffeeLacy J. Dalton
1221Black VelvetRobin Lee
54Born to Be BlueThe Judds
1111Bring Back Your Love to MeEarl Thomas Conley
11ChainsPatty Loveless
25Chasin' That Neon RainbowAlan Jackson
11Come Next MondayK. T. Oslin
24Crazy in LoveConway Twitty
11The DanceGarth Brooks
54Dancy's DreamRestless Heart
73The Domino TheorySteve Wariner
611Don't Go OutTanya Tucker with T. Graham Brown
43Drinking ChampagneGeorge Strait
1554Dumas WalkerThe Kentucky Headhunters
43Fast Movin' TrainRestless Heart
84A Few Ole Country BoysRandy Travis & George Jones
19Five MinutesLorrie Morgan
57Fool Such as IBaillie & the Boys
65Fourteen Minutes OldDoug Stone
11Friends in Low PlacesGarth Brooks
52Ghost in This HouseShenandoah
1016Good Friends, Good Whiskey, Good Lovin'Hank Williams Jr.
11Good TimesDan Seals
1616Guardian AngelsThe Judds
11Hard Rock Bottom of Your HeartRandy Travis
47He Talks to MeLorrie Morgan
21He Walked on WaterRandy Travis
256He Was On to Somethin' (So He Made You)Ricky Skaggs
135Heartbreak HurricaneRicky Skaggs
11Help Me Hold OnTravis Tritt
31Here in the Real WorldAlan Jackson
86Hillbilly RockMarty Stuart
22Holdin' a Good HandLee Greenwood
11HomeJoe Diffie
2612Honky Tonk BluesPirates of the Mississippi
2015HummingbirdRicky Skaggs
94I Can't Turn the TideBaillie & the Boys
78I Could Be PersuadedThe Bellamy Brothers
33I Fell in LoveCarlene Carter
3117I Go to PiecesSouthern Pacific
21I Meant Every Word He SaidRicky Van Shelton
814I Watched It All (On My Radio)Lionel Cartwright
45I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)Doug Stone
21I'm Gonna Be SomebodyTravis Tritt
33I'm Over YouKeith Whitley
11I've Come to Expect It from YouGeorge Strait
11I've Cried My Last Tear for YouRicky Van Shelton
64If Looks Could KillRodney Crowell
65If You Could Only See Me NowT. Graham Brown
2315If You Want to Be My WomanMerle Haggard
1318In Another LifetimeThe Desert Rose Band
126In My EyesLionel Cartwright
106IslandEddy Raven
11It Ain't Nothin'Keith Whitley
59It's You AgainSkip Ewing
11Jukebox in My MindAlabama
411Just as Long as I Have YouDon Williams
1719Keep It in the Middle of the RoadExile
76Leave It AloneThe Forester Sisters
77Little GirlReba McEntire
2114Love Is StrangeKenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
11Love on ArrivalDan Seals
11Love Without End, AmenGeorge Strait
31Many a Long & Lonesome HighwayRodney Crowell
2517MaybeKenny Rogers (with Holly Dunn)
189Moonshadow RoadT. Graham Brown
22My Arms Stay Open All NightTanya Tucker
76My Heart Is Set on YouLionel Cartwright
2212My Past Is PresentRodney Crowell
37Never Knew LonelyVince Gill
11Next to You, Next to MeShenandoah
204The Night's Too LongPatty Loveless
11No Matter How HighThe Oak Ridge Boys
11Nobody's HomeClint Black
23Nobody's TalkingExile
21Not Counting YouGarth Brooks
31Nothing's NewsClint Black
819Oh Lonesome MeThe Kentucky Headhunters
137Oklahoma SwingVince Gill with Reba McEntire
53On Down the LinePatty Loveless
11On Second ThoughtEddie Rabbitt
814One Man WomanThe Judds
87Overnight SuccessGeorge Strait
32Pass It On DownAlabama
2316PerfectBaillie & the Boys
813Precious ThingSteve Wariner
43Put Yourself in My ShoesClint Black
3319Puttin' the Dark Back into the NightSawyer Brown
78Quittin' TimeMary Chapin Carpenter
34Richest Man on EarthPaul Overstreet
106Right in the Wrong DirectionVern Gosdin
86Runnin' with the WindEddie Rabbitt
1733Searchin' for Some Kind of ClueBilly Joe Royal
65See If I CareShenandoah
22Seein' My Father in MePaul Overstreet
213She Came from Fort WorthKathy Mattea
1215Simple ManCharlie Daniels Band
1411Someone Else's Trouble NowHighway 101
148Something of a DreamerMary Chapin Carpenter
618Sooner or LaterEddy Raven
11Southern StarAlabama
63Start All Over AgainThe Desert Rose Band
21Statue of a FoolRicky Van Shelton
106Story of LoveThe Desert Rose Band
21Stranger Things Have HappenedRonnie Milsap
18Tell Me WhyJann Browne
43That Just About Does ItVern Gosdin
84There You AreWillie Nelson
1419This Ain't My First RodeoVern Gosdin
119This Side of GoodbyeHighway 101
1313'Til a Tear Becomes a RoseKeith Whitley & Lorrie Morgan
23Till I Can't Take It AnymoreBilly Joe Royal
3918Till I See You AgainKevin Welch
2619Time's UpSouthern Pacific & Carlene Carter
31Too Cold at HomeMark Chesnutt
21Walk OnReba McEntire
11Walkin' AwayClint Black
45Walkin', Talkin', Cryin', Barely Beatin' Broken HeartHighway 101
32Walking ShoesTanya Tucker
33WantedAlan Jackson
2016Western GirlsMarty Stuart
25When I Call Your NameVince Gill
510When I Could Come Home to YouSteve Wariner
1011When It's GoneNitty Gritty Dirt Band
4018When Love Comes Callin'Sawyer Brown
2117When Somebody Loves YouRestless Heart
1013Where've You BeenKathy Mattea
11Who's Lonely NowHighway 101
52WrongWaylon Jennings
75YetExile
11You LieReba McEntire
11You Really Had Me GoingHolly Dunn

Singles released by Canadian artists

USCANSingleArtistReference
20After AllAnita Perras
20Ain't No Trains to NashvilleDick Damron
9Always Hum a Song in Your SoulMorris P. Rainville
4Bachelor GirlGeorge Fox
12The Colour of Your CollarGary Fjellgaard
19Couldn't See the GoldTommy Hunter with Janie Fricke
10Daddy, Sing to MeLisa Brokop
10Dreamin' Ain't Cheatin'Carroll Baker
56Feed This FireAnne Murray
623Goodbye, So Long, HelloPrairie Oyster
9Here Comes My BabyAnita Perras
3How Many TimesFamily Brown
17I Broke His HeartJenny Lee West
705I Don't Hurt AnymorePrairie Oyster
9I Want to FlyErrol Ranville
9I'll Accept the RoseRita MacNeil
10In My HeartGary Fjellgaard with Linda Kidder
10Lime RickeyGeorge Fox
14Live Fast, Love Hard, Die YoungThe Good Brothers
10Luck in My Eyesk.d. lang
16Never Be SorryGreg Paul
324New Kind of LoveMichelle Wright
10No TrespassingGeorge Fox
19Once the Magic's GoneCindi Cain
13PioneersFamily Brown
8Quittin' TimeMichael Dee
9RosanneAlbert Hall
17RumourDan Rogers
10She Told Me SoThe Good Brothers
17Since the RainIan Tyson
7Somewhere on the IslandGary Fjellgaard
6Start of Something NewTerry Carisse with Tracey Brown
10This TimePatricia Conroy
559Three Daysk.d. lang
10Touch My HeartAnita Perras
17Why Do I Think of You TodayRita MacNeil
7214Woman's IntuitionMichelle Wright

Top new album releases

USAlbumArtistRecord label
21*[10 Years of Greatest Hits](10-years-of-greatest-hits)*Vern GosdinColumbia
11*America (The Way I See It)*Hank Williams, Jr.Curb/Warner Bros.
23*Black Velvet*Robin LeeAtlantic
8*A Collection of Hits*Kathy MatteaMercury/PolyGram
3*Country Club*Travis TrittWarner Bros.
25*Cowboy Songs*Michael Martin MurpheyWarner Bros.
12*Doug Stone*Doug StoneEpic
24*Duets*Emmylou HarrisWarner Bros.
9*The Eagle*Waylon JenningsEpic
11*Extra Mile*ShenandoahColumbia
6*Fast Movin' Train*Restless HeartRCA Nashville
5*Greatest Hits*Keith WhitleyRCA Nashville
4*Here in the Real World*Alan JacksonArista Nashville
1*Heroes & Friends*Randy TravisWarner Bros.
4*Highwayman 2*The HighwaymenColumbia
19*I Fell in Love*Carlene CarterReprise
21*I Watched It on the Radio*Lionel CartwrightMCA Nashville
7*If There Was a Way*Dwight YoakamReprise
23*Interiors*Rosanne CashColumbia
20*Laredo*Steve WarinerMCA Nashville
1*Livin' It Up*George StraitMCA Nashville
2*Lone Wolf*Hank Williams, Jr.Curb/Warner Bros.
5*Love Can Build a Bridge*The JuddsRCA/Curb
5*Love in a Small Town*K. T. OslinRCA Nashville
21*Love Is Strange*Kenny RogersReprise
1*No Fences*Garth BrooksCapitol Nashville
13*On Arrival*Dan SealsCapitol Nashville
12*On Down the Line*Patty LovelessMCA Nashville
24*Out of the Shadows*Billy Joe RoyalAtlantic
17*Pages of Life*Desert Rose BandCurb/MCA Nashville
3*Pass It on Down*AlabamaRCA Nashville
12*Pirates of the Mississippi*Pirates of the MississippiCapitol Nashville
1*Put Yourself in My Shoes*Clint BlackRCA Nashville
2*Rumor Has It*Reba McEntireMCA Nashville
1*RVS III*Ricky Van SheltonColumbia
11*Shooting Straight in the Dark*Mary Chapin CarpenterColumbia
18*Tennessee Woman*Tanya TuckerCapitol Nashville
25*Texas Tornados*Texas TornadosReprise
23*A Thousand Winding Roads*Joe DiffieEpic
12*Too Cold at Home*Mark ChesnuttMCA Nashville
12*Young Man*Billy DeanSBK/Liberty

Other top albums

USAlbumArtistRecord label
47*Blue Jungle*Merle HaggardCurb
31*Born for Trouble*Willie NelsonColumbia
45*Brand New Dance*Emmylou HarrisReprise
44*Breaking New Ground*Wild RoseCapitol Nashville
41*Buffalo Zone*Sweethearts of the RodeoColumbia
33*Bumper to Bumper*T. Graham BrownCapitol Nashville
71*Christmas Memories*Steve WarinerMCA Nashville
54*Come Hold Me*The Forester SistersWarner Bros.
42*County Line*Southern PacificWarner Bros.
35*Crazy in Love*Conway TwittyMCA Nashville
61*Different Kind of Fire*Prairie OysterRCA Nashville
63*Down That River Road*Larry BooneMercury/PolyGram
27*Greatest Hits*Highway 101Warner Bros.
26*Greatest Hits*Sawyer BrownCapitol/Curb
35*Greatest Hits, Volume II*Earl Thomas ConleyRCA Nashville
54*Greatest Hits Volume III*Conway TwittyMCA Nashville
57*Hardin County Line*Mark CollieMCA Nashville
45*Have a Little Faith*Jo-El SonnierRCA Nashville
47*Heart Full of Love*Holly DunnWarner Bros.
64*Heart Over Mind*Tammy WynetteEpic
69*Holdin' a Good Hand*Lee GreenwoodCapitol Nashville
74*Home for Christmas*Dolly PartonColumbia
69*How 'bout Us*Girls Next DoorAtlantic
63*Imagine That*The O'KanesColumbia
34*Jersey Boy*Eddie RabbittCapitol Nashville
73*Keepin' Me Up Nights*Asleep at the WheelArista Nashville
69*Kevin Welch*Kevin WelchReprise
26*Lacy J.*Lacy J. DaltonCapitol Nashville
35*The Lights of Home*Baillie & the BoysRCA Nashville
57*Live at Liberty Lunch*Joe ElyMCA Nashville
43*Lying to the Moon*Matraca BergRCA Nashville
49*Marsha Thornton*Marsha ThorntonMCA Nashville
75*Missing You*The Marcy BrothersWarner Bros.
31*Music, Memories and You*The Statler BrothersMercury/PolyGram
27*Neck and Neck*Chet Atkins & Mark KnopflerColumbia
72*No Nonsense*Barbara MandrellCapitol Nashville
71*Reality Check*The Bellamy BrothersCurb/MCA Nashville
53*The Rest of the Dream*Nitty Gritty Dirt BandMCA Nashville
63*Simple Life*Mac McAnallyWarner Bros.
42*Still Standing*ExileArista Nashville
72*Stone by Stone*Tim MensyColumbia
46*Tell Me Why*Jann BrowneCurb
62*Tim Ryan*Tim RyanEpic
31*Tough All Over*Shelby LynneEpic
56*True Love*Don WilliamsRCA Nashville
40*Version of the Truth*Foster & LloydRCA Nashville
64*Well Travelled Love*Kelly WillisMCA Nashville
51*What a Way to Go*Ray KennedyAtlantic
65*When the Night Falls*Black TieBench
66*Wood, Wind and Stone*David Lynn JonesMercury/PolyGram
35*You Oughta Be Here with Me*George JonesEpic
47*You Will*Anne MurrayCapitol

On television

Regular series

  • Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)

Births

  • January 8 – Frank Ray, singer known for his 2022 hit "Country'd Look Good on You".
  • March 2 — Luke Combs, singer-songwriter of the 2010s.
  • March 30 — Thomas Rhett, singer-songwriter, son of singer-songwriter Rhett Akins.
  • April 10 — Maren Morris, musician and singer-songwriter known for her 2016 hit "My Church".
  • April 24 — Carly Pearce, singer-songwriter of the 2010s.
  • May 17 — Kree Harrison, singer and musician, who was the runner-up on the twelfth season of American Idol.
  • May 27 — Brett Kissel, Canadian country singer of the 2010s.
  • July 23 — Neil Perry, member of The Band Perry.
  • July 27 — Cheyenne Kimball, member of Gloriana from 2008–2011.
  • October 22 — Dylan Scott, singer known for his hits "My Girl" and "Hooked".

Deaths

  • April 26 – Wesley Rose, 72, president of Acuff-Rose Music publishing.
  • August 15 — Lew DeWitt, 52, tenor and founding member of the Statler Brothers (complications from Crohn's disease)
  • October 31 — Carl Belew, 59, best known for writing the song "Am I That Easy to Forget" (cancer)

Hall of Fame inductees

Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

  • Tennessee Ernie Ford (1919–1991)

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

  • Gordie Tapp
  • Ron Sparling

Major awards

Grammy Awards

  • Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Where've You Been", Kathy Mattea
  • Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "When I Call Your Name", Vince Gill
  • Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with VocalPickin' on Nashville, The Kentucky Headhunters
  • Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "Poor Boy Blues", Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler
  • Best Country Instrumental Performance — "So Soft, Your Goodbye", Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler
  • Best Country Song — "Where've You Been", Don Henry and Jon Vezner
  • Best Bluegrass Recording — "I've Got That Old Feeling", Alison Krauss

Juno Awards

  • Country Male Vocalist of the Year — George Fox
  • Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Rita MacNeil
  • Country Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster

Academy of Country Music

  • Entertainer of the Year — Garth Brooks
  • Song of the Year — "The Dance", Tony Arata (Performer: Garth Brooks)
  • Single of the Year — "Friends in Low Places", Garth Brooks
  • Album of the YearNo Fences, Garth Brooks
  • Top Male Vocalist — Garth Brooks
  • Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
  • Top Vocal Duo — The Judds
  • Top Vocal Group — Shenandoah
  • Top New Male Vocalist — Alan Jackson
  • Top New Female Vocalist — Shelby Lynne
  • Top New Vocal Duo or Group — Pirates of the Mississippi
  • Video of the Year — "The Dance", Garth Brooks (Director: John Lloyd Miller)

ARIA Awards

(presented in Sydney on March 26, 1990)

  • Best Country Album - Warragul (John Williamson)

Canadian Country Music Association

  • Bud Country Fans' Choice Award — k.d. lang
  • Male Artist of the Year — George Fox
  • Female Artist of the Year — Michelle Wright
  • Group of the Year — Prairie Oyster
  • SOCAN Song of the Year — "Pioneers", Barry Brown
  • Single of the Year — "Goodbye, So Long, Hello", Prairie Oyster
  • Album of the YearAbsolute Torch and Twang, k.d. lang
  • Top Selling AlbumRita, Rita MacNeil
  • Video of the Year — "Pioneers", Family Brown
  • Vista Rising Star Award — Patricia Conroy
  • Duo of the Year — Gary Fjellgaard and Linda Kidder

Country Music Association

  • Entertainer of the Year — George Strait
  • Song of the Year — "Where've You Been", Don Henry and Jon Vezner (Performer: Kathy Mattea)
  • Single of the Year — "When I Call Your Name", Vince Gill
  • Album of the YearPickin' on Nashville, The Kentucky Headhunters
  • Male Vocalist of the Year — Clint Black
  • Female Vocalist of the Year — Kathy Mattea
  • Vocal Duo of the Year — The Judds
  • Vocal Group of the Year — The Kentucky Headhunters
  • Horizon Award — Garth Brooks
  • Music Video of the Year — "The Dance", Garth Brooks (Director: John Lloyd Miller)
  • Vocal Event of the Year — "'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose", Lorrie Morgan and Keith Whitley
  • Musician of the Year — Johnny Gimble
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