# 1974 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1974.

## Events

* March 16 — The Grand Ole Opry moves from the Ryman Auditorium, its home of the past 41 years, to the newly constructed 4,400-seat Grand Ole Opry House, on the Opryland complex. President Richard Nixon is a guest at the Ryman's last show. The Ryman would essentially sit vacant for the next two decades before being renovated in the early 1990s as a historical landmark and concert hall.
* July 17 — Don Rich, a key member of Buck Owens' backing band, The Buckaroos, is killed in a motorcycle crash on State Route 99 north of Bakersfield, California; he was 32. Owens is deeply saddened by Rich's death, and it will gravely affect his career for many years.
* October 17 — The pilot episode of Austin City Limits, featuring Willie Nelson, is recorded, and will air during PBS' 1975 pledge drive.

### No dates

* Country purists, long troubled by a growing trend of pop music-influenced country, form the Association of Country Entertainers, as a result of the outcry over the 1974 Country Music Association awards program, where pop diva Olivia Newton-John won Female Vocalist of the Year, and Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass was awarded another Instrumental Group of the Year.
* The proliferation of No. 1 hits, as certified by Billboard, extends into 1974, when 40 songs reach the top of the Hot Country Singles chart. In fact, just nine songs – 10, counting Merle Haggard's "If We Make It Through December", which spent two of its four weeks at No. 1 in January – remain at the top spot for more than one week.
* Dolly Parton leaves Porter Wagoner's band and his weekly television show, after seven years, to embark on a solo career.
* Loretta Lynn releases "The Pill", a sexually frank song about birth control. The song is deemed controversial and some country stations refuse to play it.

## 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 19 | I Love | Tom T. Hall | 2 | | |
| February 2 | Jolene | Dolly Parton | 1 | | |
| February 9 | World of Make Believe | Bill Anderson | 1 | | |
| February 16 | That's the Way Love Goes | Johnny Rodriguez | 1 | 2 | |
| February 23 | Another Lonely Song | Tammy Wynette | 2 | | |
| March 9 | There Won't Be Anymore | Charlie Rich | 2 | | |
| March 23 | There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In) | Conway Twitty | 1 | | |
| March 30 | Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone) | Tanya Tucker | 1 | 7 | |
| April 6 | A Very Special Love Song | Charlie Rich | 3 | | |
| April 27 | Hello Love | Hank Snow | 1 | | |
| May 4 | Things Aren't Funny Anymore | Merle Haggard | 1 | 2 | |
| May 11 | Is It Wrong (For Loving You) | Sonny James | 1 | 75 | |
| May 18 | Country Bumpkin | Cal Smith | 1 | 2 | |
| May 25 | No Charge | Melba Montgomery | 1 | | |
| June 1 | Pure Love | Ronnie Milsap | 1 | 2 | Written by Eddie Rabbitt. |
| June 8 | I Will Always Love You | Dolly Parton | 1 | 4 | |
| June 15 | I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore | Charlie Rich | 1 | 7 | |
| June 22 | This Time | Waylon Jennings | 1 | | |
| June 29 | Room Full of Roses | Mickey Gilley | 1 | 6 | |
| July 6 | He Thinks I Still Care | Anne Murray | 2 | 11 | |
| July 20 | Marie Laveau | Bobby Bare | 1 | | |
| July 27 | You Can't Be a Beacon If Your Light Don't Shine | Donna Fargo | 1 | | |
| August 3 | Rub It In | Billy "Crash" Craddock | 2 | | |
| August 17 | As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone | Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn | 1 | | |
| August 24 | Old Man from the Mountain | Merle Haggard | 1 | | |
| August 31 | The Grand Tour | George Jones | 1 | 2 | |
| September 7 | Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends | Ronnie Milsap | 2 | | |
| September 21 | I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me | Don Williams | 1 | 10 | |
| September 28 | I'm a Ramblin' Man | Waylon Jennings | 1 | 2 | |
| October 5 | I Love My Friend | Charlie Rich | 1 | | |
| October 12 | Please Don't Stop Loving Me | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton | 1 | 45 | |
| October 19 | I See the Want To in Your Eyes | Conway Twitty | 2 | | |
| November 2 | I Overlooked an Orchid | Mickey Gilley | 1 | 15 | |
| November 9 | Love Is Like a Butterfly | Dolly Parton | 1 | 2 | |
| November 16 | Country Is | Tom T. Hall | 1 | | |
| November 23 | Trouble in Paradise | Loretta Lynn | 1 | 14 | |
| November 30 | Back Home Again | John Denver | 1 | | |
| December 7 | She Called Me Baby | Charlie Rich | 1 | | |
| December 14 | I Can Help | Billy Swan | 2 | | |
| December 28 | What a Man My Man Is | Lynn Anderson | 1 | | |

##### Notes

* 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
* 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 12 | Amazing Love | Charley Pride | 1 | | |
| January 19 | If We Make It Through December | Merle Haggard | 1 | | |
| January 26 | I Love | Tom T. Hall | 2 | | |
| February 9 | Hey Loretta | Loretta Lynn | 1 | 3 | |
| February 16 | Jolene | Dolly Parton | 1 | | |
| February 23 | World of Make Believe | Bill Anderson | 1 | | |
| March 2 | A Love Song | Anne Murray | 2 | 5 | |
| March 16 | There Won't Be Anymore | Charlie Rich | 1 | | |
| March 23 | Another Lonely Song | Tammy Wynette | 1 | | |
| March 30 | There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In) | Conway Twitty | 1 | | |
| April 6 | Sweet Magnolia Blossom | Billy "Crash" Craddock | 1 | 3 | |
| April 13 | A Very Special Love Song | Charlie Rich | 3 | | RPM didn't publish on May 4. |
| May 11 | Hello Love | Hank Snow | 2 | | |
| May 25 | No Charge | Melba Montgomery | 1 | | |
| June 1 | Honeymoon Feelin' | Roy Clark | 1 | 4 | |
| June 8 | The Streak | Ray Stevens | 1 | 3 | |
| June 15 | If You Love Me (Let Me Know) | Olivia Newton-John | 2 | 2 | |
| June 29 | When the Morning Comes | Hoyt Axton | 1 | 10 | |
| July 6 | We Could | Charley Pride | 1 | 3 | |
| July 13 | This Time | Waylon Jennings | 1 | | |
| July 20 | I'm Not Through Loving You Yet | Conway Twitty | 1 | 3 | |
| July 27 | They Don't Make 'em Like My Daddy | Loretta Lynn | 1 | 4 | |
| August 3 | Marie Laveau | Bobby Bare | 1 | | |
| August 10 | As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone | Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn | 1 | | |
| August 17 | Rub It In | Billy "Crash" Craddock | 1 | | |
| August 24 | You Can't Be a Beacon If Your Light Don't Shine | Donna Fargo | 1 | | |
| August 31 | Old Man from the Mountain | Merle Haggard | 1 | | |
| September 7 | Talkin' to the Wall | Lynn Anderson | 2 | 7 | |
| September 21 | Dance with Me (Just One More Time) | Johnny Rodriguez | 1 | 2 | |
| September 28 | Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends | Ronnie Milsap | 1 | | |
| October 5 | I Love My Friend | Charlie Rich | 2 | | |
| October 19 | Bonaparte's Retreat | Glen Campbell | 1 | 3 | |
| October 26 | I See the Want To in Your Eyes | Conway Twitty | 1 | | |
| November 2 | Woman to Woman | Tammy Wynette | 1 | 4 | |
| November 9 | Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town | Charley Pride | 1 | 3 | |
| November 16 | I Honestly Love You | Olivia Newton-John | 2 | 6 | |
| November 30 | Carefree Highway | Gordon Lightfoot | 1 | 81 | |
| December 7 | Country Is | Tom T. Hall | 1 | | |
| December 14 | I Can Help | Billy Swan | 1 | | |
| December 21 | Back Home Again | John Denver | 1 | | |
| December 28 | She Called Me Baby | Charlie Rich | 1 | | |

##### Notes

* A^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
* B^ Last 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 |
| 17 | — | After the Fire Is Gone | Willie Nelson and Tracy Nelson |
| 10 | 12 | Ain't Love a Good Thing | Connie Smith |
| 19 | 37 | Angels Are Hard to Find | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 9 | 3 | Annie's Song | John Denver |
| 13 | 24 | At the Time | Jean Shepard |
| 13 | 57 | Atta Way to Go | Don Williams |
| 51 | 15 | Back in the Country | Roy Acuff |
| 6 | 2 | Baby Doll | Barbara Fairchild |
| 14 | 21 | The Baptism of Jesse Taylor | Johnny Russell |
| 11 | 15 | Between Lust and Watching TV | Cal Smith |
| 22 | 17 | Biff, the Friendly Purple Bear | Dick Feller |
| 4 | 2 | Big Four Poster Bed | Brenda Lee |
| 8 | 7 | Big Game Hunter | Buck Owens |
| 17 | 26 | Bloody Mary Morning | Willie Nelson |
| 8 | 8 | Boney Fingers | Hoyt Axton and Renee Armand |
| 9 | 14 | Bring Back Your Love to Me | Don Gibson |
| 24 | 2 | Can I Come Home to You | Bill Anderson |
| 9 | 13 | Can You Feel It | David Houston |
| 19 | — | Come on In and Let Me Love You | Lois Johnson |
| 10 | 38 | Credit Card Song | Dick Feller |
| 13 | 17 | The Crude Oil Blues | Jerry Reed |
| 2 | 5 | Daddy, What If | Bobby Bare and Bobby Bare, Jr. |
| 14 | 15 | Delta Dirt | Larry Gatlin |
| 11 | 17 | Don't Let Go | Mel Tillis and Sherry Bryce |
| 10 | 47 | Don't Tell (That Sweet Ole Lady of Mine) | Johnny Carver |
| 12 | 13 | Don't You Think | Marty Robbins |
| 10 | — | Drinkin' Thing | Gary Stewart |
| 7 | 5 | Every Time I Turn the Radio On | Bill Anderson |
| 23 | 16 | A Field of Yellow Daisies | Charlie Rich |
| 3 | 6 | Get on My Love Train | LaCosta |
| 12 | 17 | A Good Woman's Love | Jerry Reed |
| 19 | — | Goodbye | Rex Allen, Jr. |
| 12 | 8 | The Great Divide | Roy Clark |
| 18 | 44 | Guess Who | Jerry Wallace |
| 2 | — | Hang in There Girl | Freddie Hart |
| 26 | 13 | He Can Be Mine | Jeannie Seely |
| 8 | 4 | He Can't Fill My Shoes | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 6 | 4 | Help Me | Elvis Presley |
| 17 | 23 | Here We Go Again | Brian Shaw |
| 15 | 34 | Highway Headin' South | Porter Wagoner |
| 20 | 35 | Houston (I'm Comin' to See You) | Glen Campbell |
| 11 | 7 | How Lucky Can One Man Be | Joe Stampley |
| 17 | — | I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today | Moe Bandy |
| 6 | 18 | I Love You, I Love You | David Houston and Barbara Mandrell |
| 13 | — | I Never Knew (What That Song Meant Before) | Connie Smith |
| 19 | 23 | I Wish That I Had Loved You Better | Eddy Arnold |
| 19 | 43 | I'd Fight the World | Jim Reeves |
| 17 | — | I'll Do Anything It Takes (To Stay with You) | Jean Shepard |
| 7 | 2 | I'll Think of Something | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 6 | — | I'll Try a Little Bit Harder | Donna Fargo |
| 11 | 40 | I'm Having Your Baby | Sunday Sharpe |
| 17 | 7 | I'm Leaving It Up to You | Donny and Marie Osmond |
| 3 | 2 | I'm Still Loving You | Joe Stampley |
| 4 | 96 | I've Got a Thing About You Baby | Elvis Presley |
| 11 | 11 | I've Just Got to Know (How Loving You Would Be) | Freddy Weller |
| 8 | 2 | If I Miss You Again Tonight | Tommy Overstreet |
| 16 | — | It'll Come Back | Red Sovine |
| 6 | 9 | (It's A) Monster's Holiday | Buck Owens |
| 10 | — | It's That Time of Night | Jim Ed Brown |
| 13 | 77 | It's Time to Cross That Bridge | Jack Greene |
| 3 | 3 | (Jeannie Marie) You Were a Lady | Tommy Overstreet |
| 8 | — | Last Time I Saw Him | Dottie West |
| 13 | 12 | Lean It All on Me | Diana Trask |
| 15 | — | Like a First Time Thing | Ray Price |
| 11 | 7 | Lovin' on Borrowed Time | Mel Street |
| 9 | — | Loving You Has Changed My Life | David Rogers |
| 11 | 17 | Lucky Ladies | Jeannie Seely |
| 11 | 38 | Makin' the Best of a Bad Situation | Dick Feller |
| 4 | 10 | The Man That Turned My Mama On | Tanya Tucker |
| 3 | 3 | Memory Maker | Mel Tillis |
| 4 | 3 | A Mi Esposa Con Amor (To My Wife with Love) | Sonny James |
| 2 | 2 | Midnight Me and the Blues | Mel Tillis |
| 64 | 16 | My Girl Bill | Jim Stafford |
| 19 | 37 | My Part of Forever | Johnny Paycheck |
| 9 | 3 | My Wife's House | Jerry Wallace |
| 19 | 12 | Old Home Filler-Up an' Keep On-a-Truckin' Cafe | C. W. McCall |
| 8 | 4 | The Older the Violin, The Sweeter the Music | Hank Thompson |
| 9 | 13 | On the Cover of the Music City News | Buck Owens |
| 3 | 65 | Once You've Had the Best | George Jones |
| 8 | 30 | One Day at a Time | Don Gibson |
| 19 | — | One Day at a Time | Marilyn Sellars |
| 16 | 22 | The Rainbow in Daddy's Eyes | Sammi Smith |
| 13 | 21 | Rainy Night in Georgia | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 21 | 19 | Red Rose from the Blue Side of Town | George Morgan |
| 13 | 9 | The River's Too Wide | Jim Mundy |
| 17 | 33 | Rosie Cries a Lot | Ferlin Husky |
| 51 | 11 | Sally G | Paul McCartney |
| 20 | 20 | Silver Threads and Golden Needles | Linda Ronstadt |
| 15 | 10 | Smile for Me | Lynn Anderson |
| 12 | 23 | Snap Your Fingers | Don Gibson |
| 8 | 6 | Some Kind of a Woman | Faron Young |
| 6 | 11 | Something | Johnny Rodriguez |
| 10 | 7 | Sometime Sunshine | Jim Ed Brown |
| 2 | 5 | Somewhere Between Love and Tomorrow | Roy Clark |
| 8 | 9 | Song and Dance Man | Johnny Paycheck |
| 17 | — | Standing in Your Line | Barbara Fairchild |
| 10 | 6 | Statue of a Fool | Brian Collins |
| 7 | 29 | Still Loving You | Bob Luman |
| 3 | 4 | Stomp Them Grapes | Mel Tillis |
| 40 | 11 | Stop and Smell the Roses | Mac Davis |
| 18 | 30 | Stop the World (And Let Me Off) | Susan Raye |
| 5 | 9 | Take Me Home to Somewhere | Joe Stampley |
| 18 | 8 | Tell Tale Signs | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 14 | 9 | Ten Commandments of Love | David Houston and Barbara Mandrell |
| 11 | 14 | That Girl Who Waits on Tables | Ronnie Milsap |
| 2 | 2 | That Song Is Driving Me Crazy | Tom T. Hall |
| 12 | — | This Time I Almost Made It | Barbara Mandrell |
| 12 | 19 | Tonight Someone's Falling in Love | Johnny Carver |
| 10 | 9 | Twentieth Century Drifter | Marty Robbins |
| 25 | 16 | The Uptown Poker Club | Jerry Reed |
| 14 | — | Wake Me Into Love | Bud Logan and Wilma Burgess |
| 3 | 3 | The Want-To's | Freddie Hart |
| 8 | — | We Loved It Away | George Jones and Tammy Wynette |
| 5 | — | We Should Be Together | Don Williams |
| 15 | 16 | (We're Not) The Jet Set | George Jones and Tammy Wynette |
| 16 | 26 | When I Get My Hands on You | Diana Trask |
| 14 | 14 | When Your Good Love Was Mine | Narvel Felts |
| 10 | 12 | Who Left the Door to Heaven Open | Hank Thompson |
| 27 | 18 | Workin' at the Car Wash Blues | Tony Booth |
| 6 | 5 | Wrong Ideas | Brenda Lee |
| 20 | 22 | The Wrong in Loving You | Faron Young |
| 15 | 34 | You Don't Need to Move a Mountain | Jeanne Pruett |
| 15 | — | You Make Me Feel More Like a Man | Mel Street |
| 16 | 20 | You're Not Getting Older (You're Getting Better) | Freddy Weller |

#### Singles released by Canadian artists

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| — | 4 | Anna Marie | Bruce Miller |
| — | 11 | Ballad of the Hotel Waitress | Roy MacCaull |
| — | 20 | The Balladeer | Jim and Don Haggart |
| — | 10 | The Battle of New Orleans | Mike Graham |
| — | 2 | Bitter Sweet Songs | Dick Damron |
| — | 2 | Bittersweet | Donna Moon |
| — | 19 | Blues Comin' Round | Marg Osburne |
| — | 14 | Cardboard Cowboys | Bob Ruzicka |
| — | 9 | Eastbound Highway | Orval Prophet |
| — | 19 | Ghost Story | Mike Graham |
| — | 8 | Great Canadian Tour | Ian Tyson |
| — | 18 | Happy Anniversary | Con Archer |
| — | 13 | He | Jim and Don Haggart |
| 91 | 18 | The Hill | Ray Griff |
| — | 15 | His Kind of Woman | Dianne Leigh |
| — | 12 | House of Glass | Allan Capson |
| — | 17 | I Love Your Kind of Lovin' | Lynn Jones |
| — | 10 | I'd Go Through It All Again | Carroll Baker |
| — | 4 | Kids in the Kitchen | Family Brown |
| — | 16 | Little Boy Blue | Carroll Baker |
| — | 14 | Love Is Simple | Family Brown |
| — | 3 | Momma Brown | R. Harlan Smith |
| — | 6 | Our Loving Times | Mercey Brothers |
| — | 19 | Our Summer Song | Tommy Ambrose |
| — | 15 | Shoeshine Workin' Song | Murray McLauchlan |
| — | 11 | Sing-a-Long with Me | Linda Brown |
| 5 | 3 | Son of a Rotten Gambler | Anne Murray |
| — | 14 | Standing on the Promises | Newman Sisters |
| 13 | 4 | Sundown | Gordon Lightfoot |
| — | 11 | Sweet Jesus | Roy Payne |
| — | 3 | Ten Little Fingers | Carroll Baker |
| 65 | 12 | That Doesn't Mean (I Don't Love My God) | Ray Griff |
| 36 | 5 | That's You and Me | Hank Snow |
| — | 15 | What Used to Be a River | Jim and Don Haggart |
| — | 10 | Whisper to Me Tina | Roy Payne |
| — | 13 | A Window Mannikin | Jo-Anne |
| — | 16 | You Do It Again | Sharon Lowness |

## Top new album releases

| Single | Artist | Record Label |
| Breakaway | Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge | Monument |
| Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 1 | Elvis Presley | RCA |
| Elvis: As Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis | Elvis Presley | RCA |
| Good Times | Elvis Presley | RCA |
| The Grand Tour | George Jones | Epic |
| Having Fun with Elvis on Stage | Elvis Presley | RCA |
| If You Love Me, Let Me Know | Olivia Newton-John | MCA |
| Jolene | Dolly Parton | RCA |
| Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me | Johnny Cash | Columbia |
| Long Live Love | Olivia Newton-John | EMI |
| Phases and Stages | Willie Nelson | Atlantic |
| Ragged Old Flag | Johnny Cash | Columbia |
| Spooky Lady's Sideshow | Kris Kristofferson | Monument |
| Sundown | Gordon Lightfoot | Reprise |
| This Time | Waylon Jennings | RCA |
| Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone) | Tanya Tucker | Columbia |

### Other top albums

| Single | Artist | Record Label |
| Another Lovely Song | Tammy Wynette | Epic |
| Back Home Again | John Denver | RCA |
| Honky Tonk Amnesia | Moe Bandy | GRT |
| Honky Tonk Angel | Conway Twitty | MCA |
| House of the Rising Sun | Jody Miller | Epic |
| Houston (I'm Coming to See You) | Glen Campbell | Capitol |
| I-40 Country | Jerry Lee Lewis | Mercury |
| I'll Do Anything It Takes | Jean Shepard | United Artists |
| If We Make It Through December | Merle Haggard | Capitol |
| I'm Not Through Loving You Yet | Conway Twitty | MCA |
| Jeanne Pruett | Jeanne Pruett | MCA |
| Lean It All on Me | Diana Trask | Dot |
| The Midnight Oil | Barbara Mandrell | Columbia |
| My Third Album | Johnny Rodriguez | Mercury |
| Never Ending Song of Love | Conway Twitty | MCA |
| No Charge | Melba Montgomery | Elektra |
| Pure Love | Ronnie Milsap | RCA |
| Reunion: The Songs of Jimmy Webb | Glen Campbell | Capitol |
| Rub It In | Billy "Crash" Craddock | ABC |
| Songs About Ladies and Love | Johnny Rodriguez | Mercury |
| "Whispering" Bill Anderson | Bill Anderson | MCA |
| Woman to Woman | Tammy Wynette | Epic |

## Births

* January 7 — John Rich, singer-songwriter and member of Big & Rich.
* February 17 – Chuck Dauphin, American sports radio broadcaster and country music journalist (died 2019).
* February 17 — Bryan White, singer-songwriter from the 1990s.
* March 18 – Phillip Sweet, member of Little Big Town.
* May 23 – Jewel, multi-genre singer-songwriter who released the country album Perfectly Clear in 2008.
* June 6 – Uncle Kracker, rock singer who has had major country successes with "When the Sun Goes Down" (duet with Kenny Chesney) and "Smile."
* September 12 — Jennifer Nettles, lead singer of Sugarland.
* October 14 — Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks.
* November 21 — Kelsi Osborn, member of SHeDAISY.

## Deaths

* January 2 — Tex Ritter, 68, silver screen cowboy and western artist (heart attack).
* April 26 – Tim Spencer, 65, member of the Sons of the Pioneers.
* July 17 — Don Rich, 32, right-hand man of Buck Owens and key member of the Buckaroos (motorcycle crash).

## Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

* Owen Bradley (1915–1998)
* Pee Wee King (1914–2000)

## Major awards
### Grammy Awards

* Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "A Love Song", Anne Murray
* Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends", Ronnie Milsap
* Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Fairytale", The Pointer Sisters
* Best Country Instrumental Performance — The Atkins - Travis Traveling Show, Chet Atkins and Merle Travis
* Best Country Song — "A Very Special Love Song", Billy Sherrill and Norro Wilson (Performer: Charlie Rich)

### Juno Awards

* Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Stompin' Tom Connors
* Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Shirley Eikhard
* Country Group or Duo of the Year — Mercey Brothers

### Academy of Country Music

* Entertainer of the Year — Mac Davis
* Song of the Year — "Country Bumpkin", Don Wayne (Performer: Cal Smith)
* Single of the Year — "Country Bumpkin", Cal Smith
* Album of the Year — Back Home Again, John Denver
* Top Male Vocalist — Merle Haggard
* Top Female Vocalist — Loretta Lynn
* Top Vocal Duo — Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
* Top New Male Vocalist — Mickey Gilley
* Top New Female Vocalist — Linda Ronstadt

### Country Music Association

* Entertainer of the Year — Charlie Rich
* Song of the Year — "Country Bumpkin", Don Wayne (Performer: Cal Smith)
* Single of the Year — "Country Bumpkin", Cal Smith
* Album of the Year — A Very Special Love Song, Charlie Rich
* Male Vocalist of the Year — Ronnie Milsap
* Female Vocalist of the Year — Olivia Newton-John
* Vocal Duo of the Year — Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
* Vocal Group of the Year — The Statler Brothers
* Instrumentalist of the Year — Don Rich
* Instrumental Group of the Year — Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass