# 1968 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1968.

## Events

* January 13 – Johnny Cash records his legendary concert at Folsom State Prison. The resulting album, At Folsom Prison, becomes a huge international success and a cornerstone of his music catalog; the lead single, "Folsom Prison Blues" (an update of his 1956 hit) becomes one of the most famous recordings of his career.
* February 1 – Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, is born in Memphis, Tennessee.
* March 1 – Johnny Cash and June Carter are married.
* November – The Country Music Association Awards are aired on television for the first time. Hosted by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, the awards show is taped in October and aired on NBC a month later.
* December 3 – Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special airs on NBC. Although this special focuses more on the pop/rock side of his musical talents, the special will reinvigorate Presley's career in both the country and mainstream pop genres.

### No dates

* The National Barn Dance – by now on WGN-AM – broadcasts its final show, after a run of 44 years.

## Top hits of the year
### Number one hits
#### United States

(as certified by Billboard)
| Date | Single Name | Artist | Wks. No.1 | CAN peak | Spec. Note |
| January 20 | Sing Me Back Home | Merle Haggard | 2 | 7 | |
| February 3 | Skip a Rope | Henson Cargill | 5 | | |
| March 9 | Take Me to Your World | Tammy Wynette | 1 | | |
| March 16 | A World of Our Own | Sonny James | 3 | | |
| April 6 | How Long Will My Baby Be Gone | Buck Owens | 1 | 16 | |
| April 13 | You Are My Treasure | Jack Greene | 1 | | |
| April 20 | Fist City | Loretta Lynn | 1 | | |
| April 27 | The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde | Merle Haggard | 2 | 3 | |
| May 11 | Have a Little Faith | David Houston | 1 | | |
| May 18 | I Wanna Live | Glen Campbell | 3 | | Returned to Number One on June 15. |
| May 25 | Honey | Bobby Goldsboro | 3 | | Also peaked at Number One on the Billboard Pop and Adult Contemporary charts. |
| June 29 | D-I-V-O-R-C-E | Tammy Wynette | 3 | | |
| July 20 | Folsom Prison Blues | Johnny Cash | 4 | | Originally the B-side single of "So Doggone Lonesome" in 1956, "Folsom Prison Blues" was re-released as a live cut, becoming the more-remembered version of the song. |
| August 17 | Heaven Says Hello | Sonny James | 1 | 26 | |
| August 24 | Already It's Heaven | David Houston | 1 | | |
| August 31 | Mama Tried | Merle Haggard | 4 | | |
| September 28 | Harper Valley PTA | Jeannie C. Riley | 3 | | Also peaked at Number One on the Billboard Pop and Adult Contemporary charts. |
| October 19 | Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye | Eddy Arnold | 2 | | Cover of The Casinos' 1967 doo-wop hit. |
| November 2 | Next in Line | Conway Twitty | 1 | 2 | Originally known as a Rock & Roll singer in the early 1960s, Conway Twitty crossed over into country music in the mid-1960s, with this song becoming the first of 45 Number One hits of his career. |
| November 9 | I Walk Alone | Marty Robbins | 2 | 3 | |
| November 23 | Stand by Your Man | Tammy Wynette | 3 | | Released during the height of the women's rights movement, "Stand by Your Man" was often derided by many feminist supporters. |
| December 14 | Born to Be with You | Sonny James | 1 | 9 | |
| December 21 | Wichita Lineman | Glen Campbell | 2 | | Also reached Number Three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Number One on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. |

##### Notes

* 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
* 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
* A^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
* B^ Last Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
* C^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.

#### Canada

(as certified by RPM)
| Date | Single Name | Artist | Wks. No.1 | U.S. peak | Spec. Note |
| January 13 | Tell Me Not to Go | Myrna Lorrie | 2 | — | |
| January 27 | By the Time I Get to Phoenix | Glen Campbell | 3 | 2 | |
| February 17 | Here Comes Heaven | Eddy Arnold | 1 | 2 | |
| February 24 | I Heard from a Heart Break Last Night | Jim Reeves | 1 | 9 | |
| March 2 | Skip a Rope | Henson Cargill | 2 | | |
| March 16 | Take Me to Your World | Tammy Wynette | 1 | | |
| March 23 | Rosanna's Going Wild | Johnny Cash | 3 | 2 | |
| April 13 | A World of Our Own | Sonny James | 1 | | |
| April 20 | Turn Down the Music | Myrna Lorrie | 2 | — | |
| May 4 | You Are My Treasure | Jack Greene | 1 | | |
| May 11 | Fist City | Loretta Lynn | 1 | | |
| May 18 | Have a Little Faith | David Houston | 1 | | |
| May 25 | Wild Week-End | Bill Anderson | 1 | 2 | |
| June 1 | Honey | Bobby Goldsboro | 2 | | |
| June 15 | I Wanna Live | Glen Campbell | 2 | | |
| June 29 | D-I-V-O-R-C-E | Tammy Wynette | 3 | | |
| July 20 | Folsom Prison Blues | Johnny Cash | 2 | | RPM didn't publish on July 27 or August 12. |
| August 19 | What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me) | Jerry Lee Lewis | 1 | 2 | |
| August 26 | Already It's Heaven | David Houston | 1 | | |
| September 2 | Dreams of the Everyday Housewife | Glen Campbell | 2 | 3 | |
| September 16 | Harper Valley PTA | Jeannie C. Riley | 2 | | |
| September 30 | Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line | Waylon Jennings | 1 | 2 | |
| October 7 | Applesauce | Lynn Jones | 2 | — | |
| October 21 | Big Girls Don't Cry | Lynn Anderson | 1 | 12 | |
| October 28 | I Just Came to Get My Baby | Faron Young | 1 | 8 | |
| November 4 | Happy State of Mind | Bill Anderson | 1 | 2 | |
| November 11 | Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye | Eddy Arnold | 1 | | |
| November 18 | When You Are Gone | Jim Reeves | 1 | 7 | |
| November 25 | Mama Tried | Merle Haggard | 1 | | |
| December 2 | Where Love Used to Live | David Houston | 1 | 2 | |
| December 9 | Stand by Your Man | Tammy Wynette | 1 | | |
| December 16 | Little Arrows | Leapy Lee | 1 | 11 | |
| December 23 | I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am | Merle Haggard | 3 | 3 | Fell to #2 on the week of January 13, 1969. |

##### Notes

* 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
* A^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
* C^ Only RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.

### Other major hits
#### Singles released by American artists

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| 20 | 24 | Age of Worry | Billy Walker |
| 19 | 6 | Ain't Got Time to Be Unhappy | Bob Luman |
| 16 | 13 | Angry Words | Stonewall Jackson |
| 4 | — | Another Place, Another Time | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 12 | 20 | Anything Leaving Town Today | Dave Dudley |
| 3 | 6 | As Long as I Live | George Jones |
| 15 | 2 | Autumn of My Life | Bobby Goldsboro |
| 7 | 7 | Baby's Back Again | Connie Smith |
| 14 | 7 | Ballad of Two Brothers | Autry Inman |
| 16 | — | Be Proud of Your Man | Porter Wagoner |
| 11 | — | Blue Lonely Winter | Jimmy C. Newman |
| 21 | 8 | Born a Fool | Freddie Hart |
| 20 | 35 | Born to Love You | Jimmy C. Newman |
| 23 | 11 | The Cajun Stripper | Jim Ed Brown |
| 50 | 3 | The Canadian Railroad Trilogy/It's My Time | George Hamilton IV |
| 41 | 17 | Christopher Robin | The Stonemans |
| 16 | 6 | Count Your Blessings, Woman | Jan Howard |
| 15 | 5 | Country Girl | Dottie West |
| 8 | — | The Country Hall of Fame | Hank Locklin |
| 20 | — | Cry, Cry, Cry | Connie Smith |
| 4 | 5 | The Day the World Stood Still | Charley Pride |
| 45 | 15 | Down in the Flood | Flatt & Scruggs |
| 2 | 2 | The Easy Part's Over | Charley Pride |
| 13 | 11 | The Enemy | Jim Ed Brown |
| 15 | 5 | Find Out What's Happening | Bobby Bare |
| 8 | — | Flower of Love | Leon Ashley |
| 18 | 15 | Foggy River | Carl Smith |
| 72 | 18 | For Loving You | Skeeter Davis & Don Bowman |
| 10 | 10 | From Heaven to Heartache | Bobby Lewis |
| 30 | 20 | Gentle on My Mind | Glen Campbell |
| 52 | 17 | Gypsy King | Kitty Wells |
| 22 | 10 | Happy Street | Slim Whitman |
| 24 | 18 | Harper Valley P.T.A. (Later That Same Day) | Ben Colder |
| 18 | — | Heaven Help the Working Girl | Norman Jean |
| 4 | — | Here Comes the Rain, Baby | Eddy Arnold |
| 15 | 21 | Hey Daddy | Charlie Louvin |
| 13 | 2 | Hey Little One | Glen Campbell |
| 7 | 17 | Holding on to Nothin' | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton |
| 10 | 30 | I Believe in Love | Bonnie Guitar |
| 4 | 2 | I Got You | Waylon Jennings and Anita Carter |
| 14 | 6 | I Keep Coming Back for More | Dave Dudley |
| 26 | 13 | I Promised You the World | Ferlin Husky |
| 27 | 8 | I Still Believe in Love | Jan Howard |
| 11 | — | I'd Give the World (To Be Back Loving You) | Warner Mack |
| 10 | — | I'll Love You More (Than You Need) | Jeannie Seely |
| 38 | 11 | I'm Coming Back Home to Stay | The Buckaroos |
| 7 | 10 | I'm Gonna Move On | Warner Mack |
| 11 | 35 | I've Been There Before | Ray Price |
| 5 | 6 | I've Got You on My Mind Again | Buck Owens |
| 5 | 2 | The Image of Me | Conway Twitty |
| 16 | 14 | In Love | Wynn Stewart |
| 12 | 20 | It's a Long, Long Way to Georgia | Don Gibson |
| 11 | — | It's All Over | David Houston and Tammy Wynette |
| 3 | 3 | It's All Over but the Crying | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 4 | 15 | It's Over | Eddy Arnold |
| 24 | 9 | Jody and the Kid | Roy Drusky |
| 17 | 8 | Just Because I'm a Woman | Dolly Parton |
| 4 | — | Just for You | Ferlin Husky |
| 17 | — | The Last Goodbye | Dick Miles |
| 7 | 4 | The Last Thing on My Mind | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton |
| 4 | 3 | Let the Chips Fall | Charley Pride |
| 7 | 36 | Let the World Keep on A-Turnin' | Buck Owens and Buddy Alan |
| 14 | 7 | Little Bit Later on Down the Line | Bobby Bare |
| 6 | 33 | Little Green Apples | Roger Miller |
| 22 | 8 | Little Things | Willie Nelson |
| 18 | 2 | Little World Girl | George Hamilton IV |
| 5 | 4 | Looking at the World Through a Windshield | Del Reeves |
| 10 | 11 | Love Is in the Air | Marty Robbins |
| 14 | 8 | Love Me Love Me | Bobby Barnett |
| 4 | 4 | Love Takes Care of Me | Jack Greene |
| 7 | — | Love's Gonna Happen to Me | Wynn Stewart |
| 24 | 7 | Luzianna | Webb Pierce |
| 14 | 4 | Mental Journey | Leon Ashley |
| 12 | — | Milwaukee, Here I Come | George Jones and Brenda Carter |
| 21 | 16 | Mother, May I | Lynn Anderson and Liz Anderson |
| 17 | — | My Can Do Can't Keep Up with My Want To | Nat Stuckey |
| 11 | — | My Goal for Today | Kenny Price |
| 8 | 19 | No Another Time | Lynn Anderson |
| 7 | 12 | On Tap in the Can or in the Bottle | Hank Thompson |
| 9 | 8 | Plastic Saddle | Nat Stuckey |
| 4 | — | Promises, Promises | Lynn Anderson |
| 45 | 18 | Raggedy Ann | Charlie Rich |
| 17 | 6 | Rainbows Are Back in Style | Slim Whitman |
| 8 | 14 | Ramona | Billy Walker |
| 14 | 16 | Remembering | Jerry Reed |
| 19 | 6 | Reno | Dottie West |
| 10 | — | Repeat After Me | Jack Reno |
| 11 | 3 | Row Row Row | Henson Cargill |
| 10 | 18 | Run Away Little Tears | Connie Smith |
| 8 | — | Say It's Not You | George Jones |
| 2 | 2 | She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me) | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 6 | 7 | She Wears My Ring | Ray Price |
| 14 | 32 | She Went a Little Bit Further | Faron Young |
| 10 | 20 | Something Pretty | Wynn Stewart |
| 17 | — | Something Special | Mel Tillis |
| — | 4 | Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp | O. C. Smith |
| 41 | 17 | The Sounds of Goodbye | Tommy Cash |
| 13 | — | Stop the Sun | Bonnie Guitar |
| 37 | 7 | The Straight Life | Bobby Goldsboro |
| 18 | — | Sundown Mary | Billy Walker |
| 2 | 4 | Sweet Rosie Jones | Buck Owens |
| 31 | 11 | Take Me Along with You | Van Trevor |
| 8 | 3 | Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go) | Ray Price |
| 9 | 5 | That's When I See the Blues (In Your Pretty Brown Eyes) | Jim Reeves |
| 10 | 5 | There Ain't No Easy Run | Dave Dudley |
| 16 | 18 | There's a Fool Born Every Minute | Skeeter Davis |
| 21 | 14 | A Thing Called Love | Jimmy Dean |
| 24 | 13 | Togetherness | Freddie Hart |
| 16 | 21 | Town That Broke My Heart | Bobby Bare |
| 15 | 14 | Tupelo Mississippi Flash | Jerry Reed |
| 10 | — | Undo the Right | Johnny Bush |
| 5 | 5 | Walk on Out of My Mind | Waylon Jennings |
| 5 | — | We'll Get Ahead Someday | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton |
| 18 | — | Weakness in a Man | Roy Drusky |
| 25 | 18 | White Fences and Evergreen Trees | Ferlin Husky |
| 18 | 5 | Wild Blood | Del Reeves |
| 20 | 22 | Will You Visit Me on Sundays? | Charlie Louvin |
| 3 | — | With Pen in Hand | Johnny Darrell |
| 14 | — | Wonderful World of Women | Faron Young |
| 2 | — | You've Just Stepped In (From Stepping Out on Me) | Loretta Lynn |
| 3 | 17 | Your Squaw Is on the Warpath | Loretta Lynn |

#### Singles released by Canadian artists

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| — | 8 | Blue Day | Bob King |
| — | 3 | Calgary | Gary Buck |
| — | 4 | Changing of the Seasons | Myrna Lorrie |
| — | 12 | Chaser for the Blues | Bernie Early |
| 68 | 12 | Come on Home | Debbie Lori Kaye |
| — | 19 | For Breaking Up My Heart | Wayne King |
| — | 2 | Gonna Put Some Lovin' On You | Lynn Jones |
| — | 2 | Half a World Away | Tommy Hunter |
| 20 | 5 | The Late and Great Love (Of My Heart) | Hank Snow |
| — | 3 | Ride Ride Ride | Debbie Lori Kaye |
| — | 19 | Such a Lovely Day | Jeanie Ward |
| 50 | 14 | The Sugar from My Candy | Ray Griff |
| — | 16 | Thunderation | Odie Workman |
| — | 13 | The Wife You Save May Be Your Own | Dianne Leigh |

## Top new album releases

| Single | Artist | Record Label |
| The Best of Bobby Bare Vol. 2 | Bobby Bare | RCA |
| The Best of Wanda Jackson | Wanda Jackson | Capitol |
| Big Girls Don't Cry | Lynn Anderson | Chart |
| The Bottom of the Bottle | Porter Wagoner | RCA |
| Count Your Blessings, Woman | Jan Howard | Decca |
| Country Girl | Dottie West | RCA |
| Cream of the Crop | Wanda Jackson and The Party Timers | Capitol |
| Country Hall of Fame | Hank Locklin | RCA |
| D-I-V-O-R-C-E | Tammy Wynette | Epic |
| Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry | Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry | Capitol |
| Happy State of Mind | Bill Anderson | Decca |
| Harper Valley PTA | Jeannie C. Riley | Plantation |
| Honey | Bobby Goldsboro | United Artists |
| I'll Love You More | Jeannie Seely | Monument |
| Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison | Johnny Cash | Columbia |
| Just Because I'm a Woman | Dolly Parton | RCA |
| Liz Anderson Sings Her Favorites | Liz Anderson | RCA |
| Little Things | Jeannie Seely | Monument |
| The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson | Wanda Jackson | Capitol |
| My Love Song for You | Hank Locklin | RCA |
| Softly | Hank Locklin | RCA |
| Something Pretty | Wynn Stewart | Capitol |
| Walking in Love Land | Eddy Arnold | RCA |
| Wild Weekend | Bill Anderson | Decca |

## Births

* January 27 — Tracy Lawrence, singer with a string of hits in the 1990s and 2000s (decade) ("Sticks and Stones", "Alibis", "Find Out Who Your Friends Are", and others)
* March 26 — Kenny Chesney, became one of the genre's leading superstars in the late 1990s onward.
* June 3 — Jamie O'Neal, Australian-born female vocalist of the 2000s (decade).
* June 5 – Brett James, singer-songwriter.
* August 5 — Terri Clark, Canadian-born female vocalist since the mid-1990s.
* November 10 — Chris Cagle, contemporary-styled singer of the 2000s (decade)
* December 22 - Lori McKenna, singer/songwriter whose songs have impacted the lives of millions around the world. McKenna penned such hits as "Girl Crush" by Little Big Town and "Humble & Kind" by Tim McGraw. McKenna first gained fame in 2004, while in 2005 Faith Hill used 3 of McKenna’s songs on her Fireflies album. McKenna is currently one of the most in-demand artists on Music Row.

## Deaths

* April 22 – Stephen H. Sholes, 57, music executive and record producer, most prominently with RCA Records (heart attack).
* May 8 – George D. Hay, 72, "The Solemn Old Judge", legendary announcer, first on WLS and later on WSM's Grand Ole Opry radio program.
* June 14 — Ernest "Pop" Stoneman, 75, country music pioneer and leader of the Stoneman Family.
* September 19 — Red Foley, 58, one of country music's top stars of the 1940s and 1950s (respiratory failure).

## Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

* Bob Wills (1905–1975)

## Major awards
### Grammy Awards

* Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Harper Valley PTA", Jeannie C. Riley
* Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "Folsom Prison Blues", Johnny Cash
* Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", Flatt & Scruggs
* Best Country Song — "Little Green Apples", Bobby Russell (Performer: Roger Miller)

### Academy of Country Music

* Single of the Year — "Little Green Apples", Roger Miller
* Album of the Year — Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell, Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell
* Top Male Vocalist — Glen Campbell
* Top Female Vocalist — Cathie Taylor
* Top Vocal Duo — Johnny Mosby and Jonie Mosby
* Top New Male Vocalist — Ray Sanders
* Top New Female Vocalist — Cheryl Poole

### Country Music Association

* Founding President's Award (formerly Connie B. Gay Award) — Owen Bradley
* Entertainer of the Year — Glen Campbell
* Song of the Year — "Honey", Bobby Russell (Performer: Bobby Goldsboro)
* Single of the Year — "Harper Valley PTA", Jeannie C. Riley
* Album of the Year — At Folsom Prison, Johnny Cash
* Male Vocalist of the Year — Glen Campbell
* Female Vocalist of the Year — Tammy Wynette
* Vocal Group of the Year — Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
* Instrumentalist of the Year — Chet Atkins
* Instrumental Group of the Year — The Buckaroos
* Comedian of the Year — Ben Colder