# 1983 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1983.

## Events

* March — In a span of two days, two major cable networks signed on the air. Country Music Television (CMT) went on-the-air March 5, while The Nashville Network (TNN) came on two days later on March 7. CMT (originally called "CMTV") was chiefly video-oriented, while TNN offered more feature-oriented programming.

## Top hits of the year
### Singles released by American artists

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| 19 | 23 | After the Great Depression | Razzy Bailey |
| 10 | — | After the Last Goodbye | Gus Hardin |
| 7 | 27 | Ain't No Trick (It Takes Magic) | Lee Greenwood |
| 13 | 3 | All My Life | Kenny Rogers |
| 20 | 16 | Almost Called Her Baby by Mistake | Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers |
| 4 | 1 | Amarillo by Morning | George Strait |
| 1 | 12 | American Made | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 17 | 17 | Anybody Else's Heart but Mine | Terri Gibbs |
| 9 | — | Atlanta Burned Again Last Night | Atlanta |
| 4 | — | Baby I Lied | Deborah Allen |
| 1 | 1 | Baby, What About You | Crystal Gayle |
| 2 | 1 | The Bird | Jerry Reed |
| 1 | 1 | Black Sheep | John Anderson |
| 20 | 25 | Born to Love Me | Ray Charles |
| 18 | 7 | The Boy Gets Around | Sylvia |
| 10 | 4 | Breakin' Down | Waylon Jennings |
| 10 | 18 | C.C. Waterback | Merle Haggard/George Jones |
| 1 | — | Can't Even Get the Blues | Reba McEntire |
| 17 | — | A Child of the Fifties | The Statler Brothers |
| 1 | 1 | The Closer You Get | Alabama |
| 1 | 1 | Common Man | John Conlee |
| 15 | 12 | The Conversation | Waylon Jennings with Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 9 | 39 | Dance Little Jean | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 11 | — | Dixie Dreaming | Atlanta |
| 1 | 1 | Dixieland Delight | Alabama |
| 9 | 22 | Don't Count the Rainy Days | Michael Martin Murphey |
| 1 | 1 | Don't You Know How Much I Love You | Ronnie Milsap |
| 13 | 11 | Down on the Corner | Jerry Reed |
| 9 | 10 | Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) | Lacy J. Dalton |
| 18 | — | Everybody's Dream Girl | Dan Seals |
| 7 | 5 | Everything's Beautiful in Its Own Way | Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson |
| 19 | — | Eyes of a Stranger | David Wills |
| 1 | 1 | Faking Love | T. G. Sheppard and Karen Brooks |
| 10 | — | Feel Right | Tanya Tucker |
| 1 | 2 | A Fire I Can't Put Out | George Strait |
| 4 | 8 | Flight 309 to Tennessee | Shelly West |
| 20 | 20 | Fly Into Love | Charly McClain |
| 1 | 1 | Fool for Your Love | Mickey Gilley |
| 4 | 8 | Foolin' | Johnny Rodriguez |
| 5 | 7 | Goin' Down Hill | John Anderson |
| 1 | 1 | Going Where the Lonely Go | Merle Haggard |
| 4 | 4 | Gonna Go Huntin' Tonight | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 19 | 39 | A Good Night's Love | Tammy Wynette |
| 16 | 31 | Good Ole Boys | Jerry Reed |
| 9 | 16 | Guilty | The Statler Brothers |
| 9 | 5 | Hangin' Around | The Whites |
| 1 | 1 | He's a Heartache (Looking for a Place to Happen) | Janie Fricke |
| 6 | 3 | Heartache Tonight | Conway Twitty |
| 2 | 1 | Hey Bartender | Johnny Lee |
| 1 | 1 | Highway 40 Blues | Ricky Skaggs |
| 20 | 7 | Hold On, I'm Comin' | Waylon Jennings & Jerry Reed |
| 1 | 2 | Holding Her and Loving You | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 10 | 2 | Honkytonk Man | Marty Robbins |
| 1 | 1 | Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You) | Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers |
| 6 | 16 | How Could I Love Her So Much | Johnny Rodriguez |
| 6 | 4 | I.O.U. | Lee Greenwood |
| 1 | 6 | I Always Get Lucky with You | George Jones |
| 10 | 3 | I Don't Remember Loving You | John Conlee |
| 2 | 3 | I Have Loved You Girl (But Not Like This Before) | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 4 | 3 | I Love Her Mind | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 17 | — | I Love How You Love Me | Glen Campbell |
| 19 | — | I Still Love You in the Same Ol' Way | Moe Bandy |
| 20 | — | I Wish I Was in Nashville | Mel McDaniel |
| 8 | 14 | I Wonder | Rosanne Cash |
| 10 | 10 | I Wonder Where We'd Be Tonight | Vern Gosdin |
| 9 | 14 | I Wonder Who's Holding My Baby Tonight | The Whites |
| 1 | 1 | I Wouldn't Change You If I Could | Ricky Skaggs |
| 5 | 1 | I'm Movin' On | Emmylou Harris |
| 1 | 2 | I'm Only in It for the Love | John Conlee |
| 1 | 1 | If Hollywood Don't Need You (Honey I Still Do) | Don Williams |
| 19 | — | If It Was Easy | Ed Bruce |
| 5 | 39 | If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right) | Vern Gosdin |
| 10 | 10 | In the Middle of the Night | Mel Tillis |
| 4 | 6 | In Times Like These | Barbara Mandrell |
| 1 | 1 | Inside | Ronnie Milsap |
| 1 | 1 | Islands in the Stream | Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton |
| 14 | — | It Hasn't Happened Yet | Rosanne Cash |
| 29 | 19 | The Jogger | Bobby Bare |
| 1 | 1 | Jose Cuervo | Shelly West |
| 1 | 1 | Lady Down on Love | Alabama |
| 2 | 1 | Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning | Willie Nelson |
| 6 | 7 | Leave Them Boys Alone | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 10 | 27 | Let's Get Over Them Together | Moe Bandy (featuring Becky Hobbs) |
| 2 | 1 | Like Nothing Ever Happened | Sylvia |
| 10 | 20 | Little Old Fashioned Karma | Willie Nelson |
| 15 | 13 | Lonely But Only for You | Sissy Spacek |
| 1 | 3 | (Lost His Love) On Our Last Date | Emmylou Harris |
| 2 | 1 | Lost in the Feeling | Conway Twitty |
| 5 | 5 | Lost My Baby Blues | David Frizzell |
| 11 | 18 | Love Affairs | Michael Martin Murphey |
| 1 | 1 | Love is On a Roll | Don Williams |
| 5 | 27 | The Love She Found in Me | Gary Morris |
| 1 | 1 | Love Song | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 3 | 1 | A Love Song | Kenny Rogers |
| 1 | 4 | Lucille (You Won't Do Your Daddy's Will) | Waylon Jennings |
| 17 | — | The Man in the Mirror | Jim Glaser |
| 6 | 2 | Marina del Rey | George Strait |
| 5 | 11 | Midnight Fire | Steve Wariner |
| 7 | 3 | More and More | Charley Pride |
| 20 | — | Movin' Train | The Kendalls |
| 23 | 13 | My Baby Don't Slow Dance | Johnny Lee |
| 6 | 33 | My First Taste of Texas | Ed Bruce |
| 9 | — | My Lady Loves Me (Just As I Am) | Leon Everette |
| 1 | 6 | New Looks from an Old Lover | B. J. Thomas |
| 1 | 1 | Night Games | Charley Pride |
| 2 | 1 | Nobody but You | Don Williams |
| 2 | 26 | Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely) | The Statler Brothers |
| 1 | 1 | One of a Kind Pair of Fools | Barbara Mandrell |
| 12 | 42 | Only If There Is Another You | Moe Bandy |
| 1 | 1 | Our Love Is on the Faultline | Crystal Gayle |
| 18 | — | Outside Lookin' In | Bandana |
| 15 | — | Over You | Lane Brody |
| 1 | 1 | Pancho and Lefty | Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard |
| 1 | 1 | Paradise Tonight | Charly McClain and Mickey Gilley |
| 10 | 11 | Personally | Ronnie McDowell |
| 12 | — | Poor Side of Town | Joe Stampley |
| 20 | 13 | Potential New Boyfriend | Dolly Parton |
| 19 | — | Precious Love | The Kendalls |
| 5 | 6 | Queen of My Heart | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 6 | 7 | Reasons to Quit | Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson |
| 4 | 2 | The Ride | David Allan Coe |
| 1 | 1 | The Rose | Conway Twitty |
| 6 | 2 | Save Me | Louise Mandrell |
| 5 | 4 | Scarlet Fever | Kenny Rogers |
| 15 | 6 | Shadows on My Mind | Leon Everette |
| 15 | 10 | Shame on the Moon | Bob Seger |
| 3 | 8 | Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love on Me) | George Jones |
| 19 | — | Shot Full of Love | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 17 | 19 | Singing the Blues | Gail Davies |
| 5 | 3 | Snapshot | Sylvia |
| 28 | 14 | So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) | Emmylou Harris |
| 1 | 2 | Somebody's Gonna Love You | Lee Greenwood |
| 9 | 6 | Sometimes I Get Lucky and Forget | Gene Watson |
| 6 | 9 | Sounds Like Love | Johnny Lee |
| 3 | 17 | Still Taking Chances | Michael Martin Murphey |
| 5 | 1 | Stranger in My House | Ronnie Milsap |
| 15 | 15 | Strong Weakness | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 1 | 4 | Swingin' | John Anderson |
| 1 | 3 | Talk to Me | Mickey Gilley |
| 1 | 1 | Tell Me a Lie | Janie Fricke |
| 2 | 1 | Tennessee Whiskey | George Jones |
| 3 | 24 | Thank God for Kids | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 1 | 12 | 'Til I Gain Control Again | Crystal Gayle |
| 10 | — | Today My World Slipped Away | Vern Gosdin |
| 10 | 26 | Too Hot to Sleep | Louise Mandrell |
| 4 | 5 | Touch Me (I'll Be Your Fool Once More) | Tom Jones |
| 9 | 31 | Velvet Chains | Gary Morris |
| 5 | 3 | Way Down Deep | Vern Gosdin |
| 1 | 1 | We've Got Tonight | Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton |
| 3 | 2 | What Am I Gonna Do (With the Rest of My Life) | Merle Haggard |
| 18 | — | What I Learned from Loving You | Lynn Anderson |
| 5 | 3 | What She Don't Know Won't Hurt Her | Gene Watson |
| 1 | 1 | Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love | B. J. Thomas |
| 1 | 5 | When I'm Away from You | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 16 | — | When You're Not a Lady | Jim Glaser |
| 10 | 13 | Where Are You Spendin' Your Nights These Days | David Frizzell |
| 1 | 4 | Why Baby Why | Charley Pride |
| 3 | 1 | Why Do I Have to Choose | Willie Nelson |
| 7 | 45 | Why Do We Want (What We Know We Can't Have) | Reba McEntire |
| 14 | 15 | Wild Montana Skies | John Denver & Emmylou Harris |
| 4 | 10 | The Wind Beneath My Wings | Gary Morris |
| 7 | 6 | With You | Charly McClain |
| 12 | 10 | Without You | T. G. Sheppard |
| 1 | 1 | You Can't Run from Love | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 4 | 3 | You Don't Know Love | Janie Fricke |
| 10 | 4 | You Put the Beat in My Heart | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 1 | 9 | You Take Me for Granted | Merle Haggard |
| 18 | 20 | You're a Hard Dog (To Keep Under the Porch) | Gail Davies |
| 1 | 1 | You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation | Ronnie McDowell |
| 2 | 5 | You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without | Gene Watson |
| 1 | 5 | You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving | Reba McEntire |
| 2 | 1 | You've Got a Lover | Ricky Skaggs |
| 5 | 6 | Your Love Shines Through | Mickey Gilley |
| 1 | 8 | Your Love's on the Line | Earl Thomas Conley |

### Singles released by Canadian artists

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| — | 10 | Born Again | Terry Sumsion |
| — | 19 | Come January (You're My June) | Lou Natale |
| — | 19 | Could It Be Love | Kelita Haverland |
| — | 5 | Country Fever | Dallas Harms |
| — | 10 | Does Your Heart Still Belong to Me | Marie Bottrell |
| — | 8 | Dressed to Kill | Gilles Godard |
| — | 12 | Everybody Wants to Be Single | Marie Bottrell |
| — | 7 | Face in the Mirror | Albert Hall |
| — | 8 | Fooling with Fire | Dallas Harms |
| — | 1 | Honky Tonkin' (All Night Long) | Dallas Harms |
| — | 18 | I Need a Lover | Ronnie Prophet |
| — | 12 | I've Already Left You (In My Mind) | Mercey Brothers |
| 86 | 8 | If Tomorrow Never Comes | Ray Griff |
| 1 | 1 | A Little Good News | Anne Murray |
| — | 8 | Love Hangover | Carroll Baker |
| — | 18 | Loving You Needing You | Eddie Eastman |
| — | 8 | Memorized by Heart | Family Brown |
| — | 18 | Never Did Like That Train | Murray McLauchlan |
| — | 17 | One Less Lonely Night | Jessie Burns |
| — | 17 | Only the Names Have Been Changed | Marie Bottrell |
| — | 9 | Pressures of Progress | Harold MacIntyre |
| — | 18 | Right or Wrong | Carroll Baker |
| 7 | 3 | Somebody's Always Saying Goodbye | Anne Murray |
| — | 9 | Two Bits Worth of Hurtin' | Paul Weber |
| 67 | 4 | We Really Got a Hold on Love | Family Brown |
| — | 14 | What's He Doin' at the Door | David Thompson |
| — | 9 | Where Beauty Lives in Memory | Paul Weber |

## Top new album releases

| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
| 16 | 20 Greatest Hits | Kenny Rogers | Liberty |
| 9 | All the People Are Talkin' | John Anderson | Warner Bros. |
| 2 | American Made | The Oak Ridge Boys | MCA |
| 5 | Burlap & Satin | Dolly Parton | RCA |
| 5 | Cage the Songbird | Crystal Gayle | Warner Bros. |
| 8 | Castles in the Sand | David Allan Coe | Columbia |
| 10 | Cheat the Night | Deborah Allen | RCA |
| 1 | The Closer You Get... | Alabama | RCA |
| 23 | Crystal Gayle's Greatest Hits | Crystal Gayle | Columbia |
| 25 | A Decade of Hits | Charlie Daniels | Epic |
| 1 | Deliver | The Oak Ridge Boys | MCA |
| 22 | Dirty Looks | Juice Newton | Capitol |
| 1 | Don't Cheat in Our Hometown | Ricky Skaggs | Epic |
| 9 | Don't Let Our Dreams Die Young | Tom Jones | Mercury |
| 3 | Don't Make It Easy for Me | Earl Thomas Conley | RCA |
| 20 | Dream Baby | Lacy J. Dalton | Columbia |
| 10 | Exile | Exile | Epic |
| 1 | Eyes That See in the Dark | Kenny Rogers | RCA |
| 20 | Fool for Your Love | Mickey Gilley | Epic |
| 22 | Greatest Hits Vol. II | Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers | Columbia |
| 4 | Greatest Hits Vol. II | Eddie Rabbitt | Warner Bros. |
| 17 | Hangin' Up My Heart | Sissy Spacek | Atlantic |
| 15 | Hey Bartender | Johnny Lee | Warner Bros. |
| 17 | If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right) | Vern Gosdinal | Compleat |
| 9 | In My Eyes | John Conlee | MCA |
| 10 | It's Only Rock + Roll | Waylon Jennings | RCA |
| 17 | John Conlee's Greatest Hits | John Conlee | MCA |
| 2 | Keyed Up | Ronnie Milsap | RCA |
| 9 | A Little Good News | Anne Murray | Capitol |
| 10 | Love Lies | Janie Fricke | Columbia |
| 16 | The Man in the Mirror | Jim Glaser | Noble Vision |
| 3 | Man of Steel | Hank Williams Jr. | Warner Bros./Curb |
| 16 | Movin' Train | The Kendalls | Mercury |
| 13 | New Looks | B. J. Thomas | Cleveland Int'l. |
| 20 | Night Games | Charley Pride | RCA |
| 22 | Old Familiar Feeling | The Whites | Warner Bros./Curb |
| 24 | Our Best to You | David Frizzell & Shelly West | Warner Bros./Viva |
| 1 | Pancho & Lefty | Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson | Epic |
| 21 | Paradise | Charly McClain | Epic |
| 23 | Personally | Ronnie McDowell | Epic |
| 1 | Right or Wrong | George Strait | MCA |
| 7 | Shine On | George Jones | Epic |
| 17 | Slow Burn | T. G. Sheppard | Warner Bros./Curb |
| 7 | Snapshot | Sylvia | RCA |
| 25 | Some Memories Just Won't Die | Marty Robbins | Columbia |
| 3 | Somebody's Gonna Love You | Lee Greenwood | MCA |
| 16 | Sometimes I Get Lucky | Gene Watson | MCA |
| 5 | Spun Gold | Barbara Mandrell | MCA |
| 7 | Strong Stuff | Hank Williams, Jr. | Elektra/Curb |
| 5 | T. G. Sheppard's Greatest Hits | T. G. Sheppard | Warner Bros./Curb |
| 3 | Take It to the Limit | Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings | Columbia |
| 8 | That's the Way Love Goes | Merle Haggard | Epic |
| 10 | Today | The Statler Brothers | Mercury |
| 4 | Tougher Than Leather | Willie Nelson | Columbia |
| 12 | Waylon and Company | Waylon Jennings | RCA |
| 3 | We've Got Tonight | Kenny Rogers | Liberty |
| 6 | West by West | Shelly West | Warner Bros./Viva |
| 22 | White Shoes | Emmylou Harris | Warner Bros. |
| 6 | Why Lady Why | Gary Morris | Warner Bros. |
| 3 | Without a Song | Willie Nelson | Columbia |
| 6 | The Woman in Me | Charly McClain | Epic |
| 8 | Wynonna & Naomi | The Judds | RCA/Curb |
| 12 | Yellow Moon | Don Williams | MCA |
| 24 | You've Really Got a Hold on Me | Mickey Gilley | Epic |

### Other top albums

| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
| 34 | After All This Time | Mel Tillis | MCA |
| 61 | All-American Cowboys | Various Artists | Kat Family |
| 41 | All-American Redneck | Randy Howard | Warner Bros. |
| 35 | All Time Heart Touching Favorites | Roger Whittaker | Main Street |
| 61 | Back | Lynn Anderson | Permian |
| 36 | Behind the Scene | Reba McEntire | Mercury |
| 48 | Better Days | Guy Clark | Warner Bros. |
| 61 | Bill Monroe and Friends | Bill Monroe | MCA |
| 57 | Classic Conway | Conway Twitty | MCA |
| 70 | Classic Country | Albert Coleman's Atlanta Pops | Epic |
| 30 | Close Up | Louise Mandrell | RCA |
| 56 | Country Boy's Heart | Ronnie McDowell | Epic |
| 63 | Country Christmas, Volume 2 | Various Artists | RCA |
| 36 | Country Classics | Charley Pride | RCA |
| 50 | Dangerous | Tony Joe White | Columbia |
| 35 | Delia Bell | Delia Bell | Warner Bros. |
| 41 | Devoted to Your Memory | Moe Bandy | Columbia |
| 28 | The Epic Collection (Recorded Live) | Merle Haggard | Epic |
| 66 | Even the Strong Get Lonely | Tammy Wynette | Epic |
| 64 | Footprints in the Sand | Cristy Lane | LS/Liberty |
| 30 | For Every Rose | Johnny Rodriguez | Epic |
| 27 | The Great American Dream | B. J. Thomas | Cleveland Int'l. |
| 33 | Greatest Hits | Razzy Bailey | RCA |
| 63 | Greatest Hits | Lacy J. Dalton | Columbia |
| 41 | Greatest Hits | Johnny Lee | Warner Bros. |
| 67 | Greatest Hits | Ray Stevens | RCA |
| 31 | Gus Hardin | Gus Hardin | RCA |
| 42 | Harvest Moon | Joe Waters | New Colony |
| 27 | The Heart Never Lies | Michael Martin Murphey | Liberty |
| 44 | Heart to Heart | Merle Haggard & Leona Williams | Mercury |
| 38 | Hello in There | David Allan Coe | Columbia |
| 35 | I Was the One | Elvis Presley | RCA |
| 55 | It's About Time | John Denver | RCA |
| 65 | The Jim Reeves Medley | Jim Reeves | RCA |
| 27 | Jones Country | George Jones | Epic |
| 34 | Leon Everette | Leon Everette | RCA |
| 61 | Let the Hard Times Roll | McGuffey Lane | Atco |
| 26 | Let's Go | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Liberty |
| 36 | A Lifetime of Song 1951–1982 | Marty Robbins | Columbia |
| 27 | Lost in the Feeling | Conway Twitty | Warner Bros. |
| 60 | Lyin', Cheatin', Woman Chasin', Honky Tonkin', Whiskey Drinkin' You | Loretta Lynn | MCA |
| 48 | Master of the Art | Ray Price | Viva |
| 36 | Memory Lane | Joe Stampley | Epic |
| 37 | Merry Twismas from Conway Twitty and His Little Friends | Conway Twitty | Warner Bros. |
| 39 | Midnight Fire | Steve Wariner | RCA |
| 62 | My Fingers Do the Talkin' | Jerry Lee Lewis | MCA |
| 49 | The Nashville Sessions | Dean Martin | Warner Bros. |
| 63 | Naturally Country | Mel McDaniel | Capitol |
| 65 | New Horizons | Dottie West | Liberty |
| 35 | ...Not the Man I Used to Be | Boxcar Willie | Main Street |
| 32 | On My Own Again | David Frizzell | Viva |
| 35 | One Particular Harbour | Jimmy Buffett | MCA |
| 32 | Over Easy | Terri Gibbs | MCA |
| 34 | Ready | Jerry Reed | RCA |
| 40 | Rebel Heart | Dan Seals | Liberty |
| 26 | Red Hot | Shelly West | Viva |
| 54 | Those Were the Days | Gary Stewart & Dean Dillon | RCA |
| 30 | Today My World Slipped Away | Vern Gosdin | AMI |
| 26 | Too Hot to Sleep | Louise Mandrell | RCA |
| 48 | Viva Porter Wagoner | Porter Wagoner | Warner Bros. |
| 48 | What Can I Say | Gail Davies | Warner Bros. |
| 29 | Wish You Were Here Tonight | Ray Charles | Columbia |
| 64 | Work It out with Chet Atkins C.G.P. | Chet Atkins | Columbia |
| 35 | You're Not Leavin' Here Tonight | Ed Bruce | MCA |

## On television
### Regular series

* Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)
* That Nashville Music (1970–1985, syndicated)

### Specials
## Births

* January 29 — Eric Paslay, singer-songwriter of the 2010s.
* March 10 — Carrie Underwood, 2005 American Idol winner, boosting her career.
* June 20 — Grace Potter, rock singer who crossed-over to country with duets with Kenny Chesney.
* June 30 — Cole Swindell, singer-songwriter of the 2010s.
* July 2 — Michelle Branch, member of The Wreckers.
* July 12 — Kimberly Perry, lead singer of The Band Perry.
* October 3 — Drake White, singer known for his single Livin' the Dream.
* November 10 — Miranda Lambert, member of Pistol Annies.
* December 12 — Katrina Elam, singer-songwriter of the 2000s.
* December 29 — Jessica Andrews, popular teen singer of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

## Deaths

* April 6 — Cliff Carlisle, 79, country yodeler of the 1930s and steel guitar pioneer.
* October 20 — Merle Travis, 65, singer and composer of classic songs such as "Sixteen Tons", "Dark as a Dungeon", "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed" and "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette." (heart attack)

## Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

* Little Jimmy Dickens (1920–2015)

## Major awards
### Grammy Awards

* Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "A Little Good News", Anne Murray
* Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "I.O.U.", – Lee Greenwood
* Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "The Closer You Get", Alabama
* Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Fireball", New South
* Best Country Song — "Stranger in My House," Mike Reid (Performer: Ronnie Milsap)

### Juno Awards

* Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Eddie Eastman
* Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Anne Murray
* Country Group or Duo of the Year — The Good Brothers

### Academy of Country Music

* Entertainer of the Year — Alabama
* Song of the Year — "The Wind Beneath My Wings", Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar (Performer: Gary Morris)
* Single of the Year — "Islands in the Stream", Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
* Album of the Year — The Closer You Get…, Alabama
* Top Male Vocalist — Lee Greenwood
* Top Female Vocalist — Janie Fricke
* Top Vocal Duo — Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
* Top Vocal Group — Alabama
* Top New Male Vocalist — Jim Glaser
* Top New Female Vocalist — Gus Hardin

### Canadian Country Music Association

* Entertainer of the Year — Family Brown
* Male Artist of the Year — Dick Damron
* Female Artist of the Year — Marie Bottrell
* Group of the Year — Family Brown
* SOCAN Song of the Year — "Raised on Country Music", Family Brown (Performer: Family Brown)
* Single of the Year — "Raised on Country Music", Family Brown
* Album of the Year — Raised on Country Music, Family Brown
* Vista Rising Star Award — Kelita Haverland
* Duo of the Year — Donna & LeRoy Anderson

### Country Music Association

* Entertainer of the Year — Alabama
* Song of the Year — "Always on My Mind", Johnny Christopher, Wayne Carson Thompson and Mark James (Performer: Willie Nelson)
* Single of the Year — "Swingin'", John Anderson
* Album of the Year — The Closer You Get…, Alabama
* Male Vocalist of the Year — Lee Greenwood
* Female Vocalist of the Year — Janie Fricke
* Vocal Duo of the Year — Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson
* Vocal Group of the Year — Alabama
* Horizon Award — John Anderson
* Instrumentalist of the Year — Chet Atkins
* Instrumental Group of the Year — Ricky Skaggs Band