# List of Hot Country Singles number ones of 1980

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1980, 43 different singles topped the chart, then published under the title Hot Country Singles, in 52 issues of the magazine, based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.
In the first issue of Billboard of 1980, Kenny Rogers moved into the number one position with "Coward of the County", his fifth consecutive country number one. The song went on to tie for the year's longest unbroken run at the top with Ronnie Milsap's double A-sided single "My Heart" / "Silent Night (After the Fight)" and "Lookin' for Love" by Johnny Lee. All three singles spent three consecutive weeks at number one. Rogers returned to the top of the country chart later in the year with "Lady", which was a crossover success, also reaching number one on Billboard's all-genres chart, the Hot 100. Rogers was experiencing a lengthy spell of success with smooth sounds which appealed equally to country and pop audiences and established him as a major star in both genres. Milsap had the most country number ones of any artist in 1980, taking four different singles to the top spot, followed by Mickey Gilley with three. Milsap's total of six weeks at number one was the most achieved by an individual act.
Cristy Lane reached number one for the first and only time in June with "One Day at a Time". Another first-time chart topper was the actor Clint Eastwood, who duetted with Merle Haggard on the song "Bar Room Buddies" for the soundtrack of his film Bronco Billy, in which Haggard made a cameo appearance. Eastwood had made occasional previous forays into music, including the full-length album Rawhide's Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites in 1963, but "Bar Room Buddies" was his first ever Hot Country hit. Ronnie Milsap's number-one song "Cowboys and Clowns" also featured in Bronco Billy. A song from a film soundtrack also gave Johnny Lee his first number one in 1980, as "Lookin' for Love" was recorded for the film Urban Cowboy. Mickey Gilley's chart-topping version of "Stand by Me" was taken from the same film, in which Gilley himself appeared, as was "Could I Have This Dance" by Canadian country artist Anne Murray. The final artist to debut at number one in 1980 was Razzy Bailey with "Loving Up a Storm" in October. Johnny Lee's second chart-topper of the year, "One in a Million", was the final number one of the year.

## Chart history

| Issue date | Title | Artist(s) |
| January 5 | "Coward of the County" | Kenny Rogers |
| January 12 | "Coward of the County" | Kenny Rogers |
| January 19 | "Coward of the County" | Kenny Rogers |
| January 26 | "I'll Be Coming Back for More" | T. G. Sheppard |
| February 2 | "I'll Be Coming Back for More" | T. G. Sheppard |
| February 9 | "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight" | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| February 16 | "Love Me Over Again" | Don Williams |
| February 23 | "Years" | Barbara Mandrell |
| March 1 | "I Ain't Living Long Like This" | Waylon Jennings |
| March 8 | "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" | Willie Nelson |
| March 15 | "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" | Willie Nelson |
| March 22 | "Why Don't You Spend the Night" | Ronnie Milsap |
| March 29 | "I'd Love to Lay You Down" | Conway Twitty |
| April 5 | "Sugar Daddy" | The Bellamy Brothers |
| April 12 | "Honky Tonk Blues" | Charley Pride |
| April 19 | "It's Like We Never Said Goodbye" | Crystal Gayle |
| April 26 | "A Lesson in Leavin'" | Dottie West |
| May 3 | "Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again" | Debby Boone |
| May 10 | "Beneath Still Waters" | Emmylou Harris |
| May 17 | "Gone Too Far" | Eddie Rabbitt |
| May 24 | "Starting Over Again" | Dolly Parton |
| May 31 | "My Heart" / "Silent Night (After the Fight)" | Ronnie Milsap |
| June 7 | "My Heart" / "Silent Night (After the Fight)" | Ronnie Milsap |
| June 14 | "My Heart" / "Silent Night (After the Fight)" | Ronnie Milsap |
| June 21 | "One Day at a Time" | Cristy Lane |
| June 28 | "Trying to Love Two Women" | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| July 5 | "He Stopped Loving Her Today" | George Jones |
| July 12 | "You Win Again" | Charley Pride |
| July 19 | "True Love Ways" | Mickey Gilley |
| July 26 | "Bar Room Buddies" | Merle Haggard and Clint Eastwood |
| August 2 | "Dancin' Cowboys" | The Bellamy Brothers |
| August 9 | "Stand by Me" | Mickey Gilley |
| August 16 | "Tennessee River" | Alabama |
| August 23 | "Drivin' My Life Away" | Eddie Rabbitt |
| August 30 | "Cowboys and Clowns" / "Misery Loves Company" | Ronnie Milsap |
| September 6 | "Lookin' for Love" | Johnny Lee |
| September 13 | "Lookin' for Love" | Johnny Lee |
| September 20 | "Lookin' for Love" | Johnny Lee |
| September 27 | "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You" | Dolly Parton |
| October 4 | "Do You Wanna Go to Heaven" | T. G. Sheppard |
| October 11 | "Loving Up a Storm" | Razzy Bailey |
| October 18 | "I Believe in You" | Don Williams |
| October 25 | "I Believe in You" | Don Williams |
| November 1 | "Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" | Waylon Jennings |
| November 8 | "On the Road Again" | Willie Nelson |
| November 15 | "Could I Have This Dance" | Anne Murray |
| November 22 | "Lady" | Kenny Rogers |
| November 29 | "If You Ever Change Your Mind" | Crystal Gayle |
| December 6 | "Smoky Mountain Rain" | Ronnie Milsap |
| December 13 | "Why Lady Why" | Alabama |
| December 20 | "That's All That Matters" | Mickey Gilley |
| December 27 | "One in a Million" | Johnny Lee |
a. ^ Double A-sided single