# 2002 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2002.

## Events

* January 13 - CMT premieres CMT Crossroads, which features country music artists being paired with artists from other genres. The show has since become one of the channel's most successful programs; the first episode featured Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello.
* May 27 - Toby Keith releases "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)"; written in response to the death of Keith's father and the September 11, 2001 attacks, the song stirs up controversy for the line "We'll put a boot in your ass/It's the American way". Canadian-born newsman Peter Jennings and Dixie Chicks frontwoman Natalie Maines both express criticism of the song, with a feud with the latter lasting for a year.
* October 7 - Toby Keith begins airing in television spots as the spokesman for Ford, with his original composition, "Ford Truck Man", during that night's broadcast of Monday Night Football.
* November 19 – Shania Twain returned with her fourth album, Up!. It opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 874,000 copies; the album remained atop the chart until the new year.
* The Statler Brothers retire from touring and singing together at their Farewell Concert in Salem, Virginia. Jimmy Fortune continued his career as a solo artist.

## Top hits of the year

The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs charts in 2002:
| US | Single | Artist |
| 18 | All Over Me | Blake Shelton |
| 5 | American Child | Phil Vassar |
| 1 | Beautiful Mess | Diamond Rio |
| 15 | Before I Knew Better | Brad Martin |
| 1 | Blessed | Martina McBride |
| 1 | Bring On the Rain | Jo Dee Messina with Tim McGraw |
| 1 | Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American) | Toby Keith |
| 1 | The Cowboy in Me | Tim McGraw |
| 12 | Cry | Faith Hill |
| 1 | Drive (For Daddy Gene) | Alan Jackson |
| 12 | Every River | Brooks & Dunn |
| 12 | Forgive | Rebecca Lynn Howard |
| 1 | Good Morning Beautiful | Steve Holy |
| 1 | The Good Stuff | Kenny Chesney |
| 17 | Help Me Understand | Trace Adkins |
| 1 | I Breathe In, I Breathe Out | Chris Cagle |
| 18 | I Cry | Tammy Cochran |
| 2 | I Don't Have to Be Me ('til Monday) | Steve Azar |
| 7 | I Don't Want You to Go | Carolyn Dawn Johnson |
| 5 | I Keep Looking | Sara Evans |
| 1 | I Miss My Friend | Darryl Worley |
| 4 | I Should Be Sleeping | Emerson Drive |
| 7 | I'm Gonna Getcha Good! | Shania Twain |
| 1 | I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song) | Brad Paisley |
| 4 | I'm Movin' On | Rascal Flatts |
| 3 | The Impossible | Joe Nichols |
| 10 | In Another World | Joe Diffie |
| 9 | Just Let Me Be in Love | Tracy Byrd |
| 13 | Just What I Do | Trick Pony |
| 2 | Landslide | Dixie Chicks |
| 20 | Life Happened | Tammy Cochran |
| 1 | Living and Living Well | George Strait |
| 1 | The Long Goodbye | Brooks & Dunn |
| 2 | Long Time Gone | Dixie Chicks |
| 8 | Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde | Travis Tritt |
| 5 | My Heart Is Lost to You | Brooks & Dunn |
| 1 | My List | Toby Keith |
| 5 | My Town | Montgomery Gentry |
| 3 | Not a Day Goes By | Lonestar |
| 14 | Ol' Red | Blake Shelton |
| 3 | The One | Gary Allan |
| 5 | Red Ragtop | Tim McGraw |
| 16 | Saints & Angels | Sara Evans |
| 11 | She Was | Mark Chesnutt |
| 1 | She'll Leave You with a Smile | George Strait |
| 7 | Some Days You Gotta Dance | Dixie Chicks |
| 1 | Somebody Like You | Keith Urban |
| 20 | Something Worth Leaving Behind | Lee Ann Womack |
| 16 | Squeeze Me In | Garth Brooks duet with Trisha Yearwood |
| 13 | Strong Enough to Be Your Man | Travis Tritt |
| 1 | Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo | Tracy Byrd |
| 16 | That's Just Jessie | Kevin Denney |
| 3 | That's When I Love You | Phil Vassar |
| 1 | These Days | Rascal Flatts |
| 18 | Thicker Than Blood | Garth Brooks |
| 19 | 'Til Nothing Comes Between Us | John Michael Montgomery |
| 7 | Tonight I Wanna Be Your Man | Andy Griggs |
| 1 | Unbroken | Tim McGraw |
| 2 | What If She's an Angel | Tommy Shane Steiner |
| 8 | When You Lie Next to Me | Kellie Coffey |
| 2 | Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly | Aaron Tippin |
| 3 | Where Would You Be | Martina McBride |
| 1 | Who's Your Daddy? | Toby Keith |
| 3 | Work in Progress | Alan Jackson |
| 2 | Wrapped Around | Brad Paisley |
| 5 | Wrapped Up in You | Garth Brooks |
| 2 | Young | Kenny Chesney |

## Top new album releases

The following albums placed within the Top 50 on the Top Country Albums charts in 2002:
| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
| 8 | 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection | George Strait | MCA Nashville |
| 9 | The Almeria Club Recordings | Hank Williams, Jr. | Curb |
| 4 | American Child | Phil Vassar | Arista Nashville |
| 2 | American IV: The Man Comes Around | Johnny Cash | Lost Highway |
| 3 | Completely | Diamond Rio | Arista Nashville |
| 1 | Cry | Faith Hill | Warner Bros. |
| 1 | Drive | Alan Jackson | Arista Nashville |
| 1 | Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits | Elvis Presley | RCA |
| 5 | Forgive | Rebecca Lynn Howard | MCA Nashville |
| 7 | Freedom | Andy Griggs | RCA Nashville |
| 2 | Golden Road | Keith Urban | Capitol Nashville |
| 5 | The Great Divide | Willie Nelson | Lost Highway |
| 4 | Halos & Horns | Dolly Parton | Blue Eye |
| 1 | Home | Dixie Chicks | Open Wide |
| 1 | I Miss My Friend | Darryl Worley | DreamWorks Nashville |
| 7 | Jerusalem | Steve Earle | E-Squared |
| 3 | Knock on the Sky | SHeDAISY | Lyric Street |
| 6 | Let It Be Christmas | Alan Jackson | Arista Nashville |
| 9 | Live | Alison Krauss & Union Station | Rounder |
| 9 | Man with a Memory | Joe Nichols | Universal South |
| 1 | Melt | Rascal Flatts | Lyric Street |
| 3 | My Town | Montgomery Gentry | Columbia |
| 1 | No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems | Kenny Chesney | BNA |
| 8 | Rise and Shine | Randy Travis | Word/Curb |
| 7 | Sharp Dressed Men: A Tribute to ZZ Top | Various Artists | RCA Nashville |
| 9 | Side Tracks | Steve Earle | E-Squared |
| 2 | Something Worth Leaving Behind | Lee Ann Womack | MCA Nashville |
| 10 | Stars & Stripes | Aaron Tippin | Lyric Street |
| 4 | Strong Enough | Travis Tritt | Columbia |
| 6 | Then Came the Night | Tommy Shane Steiner | RCA Nashville |
| 2 | This Side | Nickel Creek | Sugar Hill |
| 2 | Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors | Tim McGraw | Curb |
| 2 | Totally Country | Various Artists | BNA |
| 5 | Totally Country Vol. 2 | Various Artists | Epic |
| 3 | Twisted Angel | LeAnn Rimes | Curb |
| 1 | Unleashed | Toby Keith | DreamWorks Nashville |
| 1 | Up! | Shania Twain | Mercury Nashville |
| 5 | When You Lie Next to Me | Kellie Coffey | BNA |

### Other top albums

| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
| 47 | 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection | Johnny Cash | Mercury Nashville |
| 14 | After the Storm | Chris LeDoux | Capitol Nashville |
| 39 | Another Way to Go | Radney Foster | Dualtone |
| 13 | Barricades & Brickwalls | Kasey Chambers | Warner Bros. |
| 46 | The Best of America | Various Artists | Curb |
| 20 | Bluegrass & White Snow: A Mountain Christmas | Patty Loveless | Epic |
| 47 | Bramble Rose | Tift Merritt | Lost Highway |
| 39 | Can You Hear Me Now | Sawyer Brown | Curb |
| 39 | Can't Back Down | Collin Raye | Epic |
| 35 | Chase the Sun | Shannon Lawson | MCA Nashville |
| 37 | Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography | Bill Engvall | Warner Bros. |
| 28 | Classic Country: Great Story Songs | Various Artists | Time Life |
| 19 | Cledus Envy | Cledus T. Judd | Monument |
| 39 | Cledus Navidad | Cledus T. Judd | Monument |
| 37 | The Color of Roses | Lorrie Morgan | Image |
| 13 | Country Croonin' | Anne Murray | StraightWay |
| 46 | The Dark | Guy Clark | Sugar Hill |
| 21 | Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions | The Chieftains | RCA |
| 29 | Easy | Kelly Willis | Rykodisc |
| 34 | Electric | Jack Ingram | Columbia |
| 13 | Emerson Drive | Emerson Drive | DreamWorks Nashville |
| 16 | The Essential Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | Legacy |
| 35 | The Family Album | Roy D. Mercer | Capitol Nashville |
| 18 | Forever Country | Various Artists | Razor & Tie |
| 16 | Greatest Hits | Mark Wills | Mercury Nashville |
| 49 | The Heart of a Legend | Johnny Cash | Madacy |
| 39 | A Hillbilly Tribute to Mountain Love | Hayseed Dixie | Dualtone |
| 40 | How Sweet the Sound: 25 Favorite Hymns and Gospel Greats | Charlie Daniels | Sparrow |
| 26 | If That Ain't Country | Anthony Smith | Mercury Nashville |
| 48 | Inside Traxx 2002 | Various Artists | Curb |
| 12 | It Won't Be Christmas Without You | Brooks & Dunn | Arista Nashville |
| 39 | Johnny Cash at Madison Square Garden | Johnny Cash | Legacy |
| 18 | A Joyful Noise | Jo Dee Messina | Curb |
| 14 | Kevin Denney | Kevin Denney | Lyric Street |
| 17 | Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash | Various Artists | Columbia |
| 11 | Life Happened | Tammy Cochran | Epic |
| 40 | Little Big Town | Little Big Town | Monument |
| 27 | Love Songs | John Michael Montgomery | Warner Bros. |
| 17 | Lovesick, Broke and Driftin' | Hank Williams III | Curb |
| 48 | The Lovin' Side | Travis Tritt | Rhino |
| 23 | Mark Chesnutt | Mark Chesnutt | Columbia |
| 50 | Midnight and Lonesome | Buddy Miller | Hightone |
| 29 | Mindy McCready | Mindy McCready | Capitol Nashville |
| 35 | Miss Fortune | Allison Moorer | Universal South |
| 19 | Now Again | The Flatlanders | New West |
| 13 | On a Mission | Trick Pony | Warner Bros. |
| 29 | Osama-Yo' Mama, The Album | Ray Stevens | Curb |
| 28 | Outside the Lines | Cory Morrow | Write On |
| 17 | Pinmonkey | Pinmonkey | BNA |
| 13 | Pictures | John Michael Montgomery | Warner Bros. |
| 22 | Ralph Stanley | Ralph Stanley | Columbia |
| 40 | Redneck Fiddlin' Man | Charlie Daniels | Blue Hat |
| 36 | Ricky Skaggs and Friends Sing the Songs of Bill Monroe | Ricky Skaggs | Lyric Street |
| 12 | Room to Breathe | Delbert McClinton | New West |
| 38 | Roses | Kathy Mattea | Narada |
| 19 | The Season for Romance | Lee Ann Womack | MCA Nashville |
| 38 | Sixwire | Sixwire | Warner Bros. |
| 37 | Spirit Dancer | BlackHawk | Columbia |
| 18 | Stars & Guitars | Willie Nelson | Lost Highway |
| 39 | Tanya | Tanya Tucker | Tuckertime |
| 32 | This Is Ty Herndon: Greatest Hits | Ty Herndon | Epic |
| 27 | Time-Life's Treasury of Bluegrass | Various Artists | Time Life |
| 21 | Today, Tomorrow & Forever | Elvis Presley | RCA |
| 32 | The Ultimate Collection | Hank Williams | Mercury Nashville |
| 23 | Up! (Country Mixes) | Shania Twain | Mercury Nashville |
| 19 | The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt | Linda Ronstadt | Elektra |
| 29 | Waitin' on Joe | Steve Azar | Mercury Nashville |
| 14 | We Were Soldiers Soundtrack | Various Artists | Columbia |
| 42 | White Trash Christmas | Bob Rivers | Atlantic |
| 18 | Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Capitol Nashville |
| 34 | Wings of a Honky-Tonk Angel | Brad Martin | Epic |
| 45 | Winter Marquee | Nanci Griffith | Rounder |

## Deaths

* February 13 – Waylon Jennings, 64, singer and guitarist (diabetic complications)
* March 3 – Harlan Howard, 74, songwriter
* May 26 – Orville Couch, 67, singer-songwriter (acute lymphoblastic leukemia)

## Hall of Fame inductees
### Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees

* The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover
* David Freeman

### Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

* Bill Carlisle (1908–2003)
* Porter Wagoner (1927–2007)

### Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

* Anne Murray
* Art Snider
* Bev Munro
* D'Arcy Scott
* Elmer Tippe

## Major awards
### ARIA Awards

* Best Country Album – Barricades & Brickwalls (Kasey Chambers)
* ARIA Hall of Fame – Olivia Newton-John

### Grammy Awards

* Best Female Country Vocal Performance – "Cry" (Faith Hill)
* Best Male Country Vocal Performance – "Give My Love to Rose" (Johnny Cash)
* Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal – "Long Time Gone" (Dixie Chicks)
* Best Country Collaboration with Vocals – "Mendocino County Line" (Willie Nelson featuring Lee Ann Womack)
* Best Country Instrumental Performance – "Lil' Jack Slade" (Dixie Chicks)
* Best Country Song – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" (Alan Jackson)
* Best Country Album – Home (Dixie Chicks)
* Best Bluegrass Album – Lost in the Lonesome Pines (Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys)

### Juno Awards

* Country Recording of the Year – "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!", Shania Twain

### CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards

* Video of the Year – "Young", Kenny Chesney
* Male Video of the Year – "Young", Kenny Chesney
* Female Video of the Year – "Blessed", Martina McBride
* Group / Duo Video of the Year – "Only in America", Brooks & Dunn
* Breakthrough Video of the Year – "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out", Chris Cagle
* Video Collaboration of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson Featuring Lee Ann Womack
* Hottest Video of the Year – "The Cowboy in Me", Tim McGraw
* Concept Video of the Year – "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)", Brad Paisley
* Fashion Plate Video of the Year – "Jezebel", Chely Wright
* "LOL" (Laugh Out Loud) Video of the Year – "I Wanna Talk About Me", Toby Keith
* Love Your Country Video of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)", Alan Jackson
* Video Director of the Year – "I Wanna Talk About Me", Toby Keith (Director: Michael Salomon)
* Video Visionary Award – Dixie Chicks

### Americana Music Honors & Awards

* Album of the Year – Buddy & Julie Miller
* Artist of the Year – Jim Lauderdale
* Song of the Year – "She's Looking At Me" (Jim Lauderdale)
* Instrumentalist of the Year – Jerry Douglas
* Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award – Johnny Cash
* Lifetime Achievement: Songwriting – Billie Joe Shaver
* Lifetime Achievement: Performance – Emmylou Harris
* Lifetime Achievement: Executive – T Bone Burnett

### Academy of Country Music

* Entertainer of the Year – Toby Keith
* Song of the Year – "I'm Movin' On", Rascal Flatts
* Single of the Year – "The Good Stuff," Kenny Chesney
* Album of the Year – Drive, Alan Jackson
* Top Male Vocalist – Kenny Chesney
* Top Female Vocalist – Martina McBride
* Top Vocal Duo – Brooks & Dunn
* Top Vocal Group – Rascal Flatts
* Top New Male Vocalist – Joe Nichols
* Top New Female Vocalist – Kellie Coffey
* Top New Vocal Duo or Group – Emerson Drive
* Video of the Year – "Drive (For Daddy Gene)", Alan Jackson (Director: Steven Goldmann)
* Vocal Event of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack

### Canadian Country Music Association

* Fans' Choice Award – Terri Clark
* Male Artist of the Year – Paul Brandt
* Female Artist of the Year – Carolyn Dawn Johnson
* Group or Duo of the Year – Emerson Drive
* SOCAN Song of the Year – "Ten Million Teardrops", Jason McCoy, Tim Taylor
* Single of the Year – "I Don't Want You to Go", Carolyn Dawn Johnson
* Album of the Year – Small Towns and Big Dreams, Paul Brandt
* Top Selling Album – Scarecrow, Garth Brooks
* CMT Video of the Year – "I Don't Want You to Go", Carolyn Dawn Johnson
* Chevy Trucks Rising Star Award – Emerson Drive
* Roots Artist or Group of the Year – Jimmy Rankin

### Country Music Association

* Entertainer of the Year – Alan Jackson
* Song of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson
* Single of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson
* Album of the Year – Drive, Alan Jackson
* Male Vocalist of the Year – Alan Jackson
* Female Vocalist of the Year – Martina McBride
* Vocal Duo of the Year – Brooks & Dunn
* Vocal Group of the Year – Dixie Chicks
* Musician of the Year – Jerry Douglas
* Horizon Award – Rascal Flatts
* Music Video of the Year – "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," Brad Paisley (Director: Peter Zavadil)
* Vocal Event of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack
* Musician of the Year – Jerry Douglas