# 1991 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1991.

## Events

* March 16 — The country music world is stunned when seven members of Reba McEntire's band and her road manager are killed in a plane crash in California. McEntire – who traveled separately – recorded her album, For My Broken Heart in their memory.
* August 16 — Holly Dunn asks that radio stations withdraw her single "Maybe I Mean Yes" due to listener complaints that its lyrics condone date rape.
* August 30 — Country music pioneer, Dottie West is seriously injured while en route to a Grand Ole Opry performance in Nashville, Tennessee. Her fans and contemporaries are deeply saddened when she dies of her injuries September 4 at a Nashville hospital. President George H. W. Bush sends his condolences to the country music world during the CMA Awards later that year.
* September 28 — Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks becomes the first album to debut at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 Albums charts. The album, Brooks' third, vaults the 29-year-old singer into superstardom and goes on to sell 16 million copies worldwide. The album became the second best selling album of all genres in 1991, coming in second to Mariah Carey's debut album.
* November 24 — Hot Country Nights begins a one-season run on NBC. The series was created to cash in on the exploding popularity of country music, and showcased several acts on each episode; featured on the premiere were Alabama, Clint Black, K.T. Oslin, Kenny Rogers and Pam Tillis. The series did not catch on in the ratings and is canceled at the end of the season.

### No dates

* Naomi Judd announces she had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, a potentially fatal chronic liver disease, and would be retiring from touring with daughter Wynonna at the end of the year. The resulting "Farewell" tour becomes the year's top-grossing act in country music and ends with a New Year's Eve pay-per-view concert.
* "SoundScan" is introduced, providing more accurate Billboard magazine chart ratings that are based on actual sales. Immediate evidence proved country music had a much bigger audience than previously thought.
* Eight acts have their first Billboard No. 1 songs, including Mark Chesnutt, Mike Reid, Alan Jackson, Doug Stone, Diamond Rio, Trisha Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn and Lionel Cartwright. Three of those – Diamond Rio, Yearwood and Brooks & Dunn – turn the trick with their first national release; Reid's first solo release also hit the top of the chart, but he had hit the Top 5 as part of a duet with Ronnie Milsap (1988's "Old Folks") three years earlier.

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

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| 1 | 1 | Anymore | Travis Tritt |
| 3 | 3 | Are You Lovin' Me Like I'm Lovin' You | Ronnie Milsap |
| 14 | 11 | As Simple as That | Mike Reid |
| 5 | 5 | Ball and Chain | Paul Overstreet |
| 14 | 27 | Bing Bang Boom | Highway 101 |
| 5 | 4 | Blame It on Texas | Mark Chesnutt |
| 22 | 20 | Blue Memories | Patty Loveless |
| 1 | 1 | Brand New Man | Brooks & Dunn |
| 1 | 1 | Brother Jukebox | Mark Chesnutt |
| 2 | 6 | Brotherly Love | Keith Whitley & Earl Thomas Conley |
| 31 | 19 | Calloused Hands | Mark Collie |
| 15 | 9 | Can I Count On You | McBride & the Ride |
| 3 | 2 | The Chill of an Early Fall | George Strait |
| 3 | 2 | Come On Back | Carlene Carter |
| 1 | 2 | Daddy's Come Around | Paul Overstreet |
| 1 | 1 | Don't Rock the Jukebox | Alan Jackson |
| 5 | 18 | Don't Tell Me What to Do | Pam Tillis |
| 2 | 7 | Down at the Twist and Shout | Mary Chapin Carpenter |
| 1 | 1 | Down Home | Alabama |
| 2 | 1 | Down to My Last Teardrop | Tanya Tucker |
| 3 | 1 | Drift Off to Dream | Travis Tritt |
| 22 | 20 | The Eagle | Waylon Jennings |
| 33 | 9 | Eagle When She Flies | Dolly Parton |
| 16 | 10 | Even Now | Exile |
| 2 | 1 | Fallin' Out of Love | Reba McEntire |
| 8 | 8 | Fancy | Reba McEntire |
| 15 | 12 | Feed Jake | Pirates of the Mississippi |
| 9 | 7 | A Few Good Things Remain | Kathy Mattea |
| 13 | 21 | For Crying Out Loud | Davis Daniel |
| 1 | 1 | For My Broken Heart | Reba McEntire |
| 1 | 1 | Forever Together | Randy Travis |
| 1 | 3 | Forever's as Far as I'll Go | Alabama |
| 27 | 18 | Get Rhythm | Martin Delray |
| 19 | 12 | Heart Full of Love | Holly Dunn |
| 2 | 3 | Here We Are | Alabama |
| 2 | 2 | Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares) | Travis Tritt |
| 4 | 6 | Heroes | Paul Overstreet |
| 3 | 1 | Heroes and Friends | Randy Travis |
| 12 | 10 | Hopelessly Yours | Lee Greenwood & Suzy Bogguss |
| 3 | 6 | Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way) | Patty Loveless |
| 1 | 1 | I Am a Simple Man | Ricky Van Shelton |
| 3 | 3 | I Couldn't See You Leavin' | Conway Twitty |
| 7 | 4 | I Got You | Shenandoah |
| 4 | 1 | I Thought It Was You | Doug Stone |
| 40 | 14 | I Wonder How Far It Is Over You | Aaron Tippin |
| 1 | 1 | I'd Love You All Over Again | Alan Jackson |
| 5 | 48 | I'm That Kind of Girl | Patty Loveless |
| 48 | 18 | If I Built You a Fire | Neal McCoy |
| 1 | 1 | If I Know Me | George Strait |
| 26 | — | (If It Weren't for Country Music) I'd Go Crazy | Clinton Gregory |
| 1 | 4 | If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets) | Joe Diffie |
| 29 | 24 | If the Jukebox Took Teardrops | Billy Joe Royal |
| 2 | 1 | If You Want Me To | Joe Diffie |
| 1 | 1 | In a Different Light | Doug Stone |
| 10 | 8 | Is It Raining at Your House | Vern Gosdin |
| 6 | 6 | It Won't Be Me | Tanya Tucker |
| 1 | 1 | Keep It Between the Lines | Ricky Van Shelton |
| 1 | 3 | Leap of Faith | Lionel Cartwright |
| 18 | 15 | Let Her Go | Mark Collie |
| 4 | 9 | Life's Little Ups and Downs | Ricky Van Shelton |
| 37 | 15 | Life's Too Long (To Live Like This) | Ricky Skaggs |
| 4 | 7 | Like We Never Had a Broken Heart | Trisha Yearwood |
| 8 | 3 | Little Things | Marty Stuart |
| 7 | 3 | Liza Jane | Vince Gill |
| 16 | 6 | Long Lost Friend | Restless Heart |
| 7 | 17 | Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy | Don Williams |
| 5 | 6 | Love Can Build a Bridge | The Judds |
| 12 | 10 | Love Will Bring Her Around | Rob Crosby |
| 1 | 1 | Loving Blind | Clint Black |
| 6 | 2 | Lucky Moon | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 28 | 20 | Mary and Willie | K. T. Oslin |
| 1 | 1 | Meet in the Middle | Diamond Rio |
| 8 | 14 | Men | The Forester Sisters |
| 3 | 4 | Mirror, Mirror | Diamond Rio |
| 9 | 11 | The Moon Over Georgia | Shenandoah |
| 1 | 3 | My Next Broken Heart | Brooks & Dunn |
| 2 | 2 | New Way (To Light Up an Old Flame) | Joe Diffie |
| 15 | 2 | Nothing's Changed Here | Dwight Yoakam |
| 17 | 13 | Now That We're Alone | Rodney Crowell |
| 12 | 21 | Oh What It Did to Me | Tanya Tucker |
| 6 | 5 | One Hundred and Two | The Judds |
| 33 | 17 | One Love | Carlene Carter |
| 7 | 7 | One More Payment | Clint Black |
| 6 | 5 | One of Those Things | Pam Tillis |
| 51 | 51 | One Shot at a Time | Clinton Gregory |
| 3 | 2 | Only Here for a Little While | Billy Dean |
| 9 | 6 | A Picture of Me (Without You) | Lorrie Morgan |
| 7 | 11 | Pocket Full of Gold | Vince Gill |
| 3 | 1 | Point of Light | Randy Travis |
| 11 | 8 | Put Yourself in My Place | Pam Tillis |
| 25 | 19 | Restless | Mark O'Connor and the New Nashville Cats |
| 15 | 14 | Right Now | Mary Chapin Carpenter |
| 1 | 1 | Rockin' Years | Dolly Parton with Ricky Van Shelton |
| 3 | 1 | Rodeo | Garth Brooks |
| 3 | 1 | Rumor Has It | Reba McEntire |
| 28 | 16 | Same Old Star | McBride & the Ride |
| 53 | 41 | Satisfy Me and I'll Satisfy You | Clinton Gregory |
| 31 | 29 | Say It's Not True | Lionel Cartwright |
| 8 | 4 | Shadow of a Doubt | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 1 | 1 | Shameless | Garth Brooks |
| 15 | 10 | She's a Natural | Rob Crosby |
| 1 | 1 | She's in Love with the Boy | Trisha Yearwood |
| 15 | 7 | Silver and Gold | Dolly Parton |
| 6 | 7 | Since I Don't Have You | Ronnie Milsap |
| 2 | — | Small Town Saturday Night | Hal Ketchum |
| 8 | 11 | Some Guys Have All the Love | Little Texas |
| 1 | 2 | Someday | Alan Jackson |
| 12 | 16 | Someday Soon | Suzy Bogguss |
| 3 | 2 | Somewhere in My Broken Heart | Billy Dean |
| 29 | 20 | Speak of the Devil | Pirates of the Mississippi |
| 20 | 25 | Still Burnin' for You | Rob Crosby |
| 25 | 8 | The Sweetest Thing | Carlene Carter |
| 5 | 4 | Tempted | Marty Stuart |
| 4 | 6 | Then Again | Alabama |
| 17 | 16 | There for Awhile | Steve Wariner |
| 5 | 2 | These Lips Don't Know How to Say Goodbye | Doug Stone |
| 23 | 19 | Things Are Tough All Over | Shelby Lynne |
| 1 | 1 | The Thunder Rolls | Garth Brooks |
| 12 | 11 | Till I Found You | Marty Stuart |
| 17 | 8 | Till You Were Gone | Mike Reid |
| 7 | 7 | Time Passes By | Kathy Mattea |
| 18 | 16 | Treat Me Like a Stranger | Baillie & the Boys |
| 4 | 5 | True Love | Don Williams |
| 11 | 5 | Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose | Dwight Yoakam |
| 1 | 1 | Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House | Garth Brooks |
| 1 | 1 | Unanswered Prayers | Garth Brooks |
| 2 | 5 | The Walk | Sawyer Brown |
| 1 | 1 | Walk on Faith | Mike Reid |
| 3 | 3 | We Both Walk | Lorrie Morgan |
| 14 | 15 | We've Got It Made | Lee Greenwood |
| 10 | 8 | What a Way to Go | Ray Kennedy |
| 1 | 1 | Where Are You Now | Clint Black |
| 18 | 12 | Whole Lotta Holes | Kathy Mattea |
| 32 | 52 | You Couldn't Get the Picture | George Jones |
| 4 | 3 | You Don't Count the Cost | Billy Dean |
| 1 | 1 | You Know Me Better Than That | George Strait |
| 16 | 6 | You Win Again | Mary Chapin Carpenter |
| 5 | 4 | You're the One | Dwight Yoakam |
| 6 | 13 | You've Got to Stand for Something | Aaron Tippin |
| 3 | 2 | Your Love Is a Miracle | Mark Chesnutt |

### Singles released by Canadian artists

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| 73 | 9 | All You Really Wanna Do | Michelle Wright |
| 39 | 3 | Bluebird | Anne Murray |
| — | 15 | Cry in the Wilderness | Gary Fjellgaard |
| — | 13 | Dance with This Old Cowboy | Gary Fjellgaard |
| — | 7 | Did You Fall in Love with Me | Prairie Oyster |
| — | 10 | Fell in Love and I Can't Get Out | George Fox |
| — | 19 | A Fishing Day | Roch Voisine |
| — | 16 | For Crying Out Loud | Kelita |
| — | 20 | I Know Where You Go | George Fox |
| — | 9 | I Never Met a Liar (I Didn't Like) | Joan Kennedy |
| — | 16 | I Should Have Put a Hold on Love | Carroll Baker |
| — | 10 | Leah | J. K. Gulley |
| — | 20 | The Little Old House Out Back | Michael Peters |
| — | 15 | Lonely You, Lonely Me | Prairie Oyster |
| — | 14 | No Pain, No Gain | Colleen Peterson |
| — | 20 | Not Enough Love to Go 'Round | Michelle Wright |
| — | 5 | Something to Remember You By | Prairie Oyster |
| — | 9 | Springtime in Alberta | Ian Tyson |
| — | 8 | Take Me with You | Patricia Conroy |
| — | 1 | Til I Am Myself Again | Blue Rodeo |
| — | 9 | Watch Love Grow Strong | Rita MacNeil |
| — | 10 | We Don't Always See Eye to Eye | The Good Brothers |
| — | 19 | While You Just Pretend | Tim Taylor |
| — | 20 | Why Baby Why | The Good Brothers |
| — | 14 | Wild Horses | Dick Damron |
| — | 5 | With All My Might | George Fox |

## Top new album releases

| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
| 15 | Aces | Suzy Bogguss | Liberty |
| 7 | All I Can Be | Collin Raye | Epic |
| 22 | And Along Came Jones | George Jones | MCA Nashville |
| 24 | Back to the Grindstone | Ronnie Milsap | RCA Nashville |
| 3 | Backroads | Ricky Van Shelton | Columbia |
| 25 | The Best of Restless Heart | Restless Heart | RCA Nashville |
| 22 | Billy Dean | Billy Dean | SBK/Liberty |
| 3 | Brand New Man | Brooks & Dunn | Arista Nashville |
| 23 | Buick | Sawyer Brown | Capitol/Curb |
| 4 | Chill of an Early Fall | George Strait | MCA Nashville |
| 13 | Diamond Rio | Diamond Rio | Arista Nashville |
| 17 | Don't Go Near the Water | Sammy Kershaw | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 2 | Don't Rock the Jukebox | Alan Jackson | Arista Nashville |
| 1 | Eagle When She Flies | Dolly Parton | Columbia |
| 3 | Electric Barnyard | The Kentucky Headhunters | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 3 | For My Broken Heart | Reba McEntire | MCA Nashville |
| 10 | Greatest Hits Vol. II | Alabama | RCA Nashville |
| 7 | Greatest Hits Volume Two | The Judds | RCA/Curb |
| 17 | Heroes | Paul Overstreet | RCA Nashville |
| 3 | High Lonesome | Randy Travis | Warner Bros. |
| 12 | I Thought It Was You | Doug Stone | Epic |
| 2 | It's All About to Change | Travis Tritt | Warner Bros. |
| 25 | Milestones: Greatest Hits | Holly Dunn | Warner Bros. |
| 6 | Past the Point of Rescue | Hal Ketchum | Curb |
| 5 | Pocket Full of Gold | Vince Gill | MCA Nashville |
| 8 | Pure Hank | Hank Williams, Jr. | Curb/Warner Bros. |
| 10 | Put Yourself in My Place | Pam Tillis | Arista Nashville |
| 25 | Renegade | Charlie Daniels | Epic |
| 1 | Ropin' the Wind | Garth Brooks | Liberty |
| 8 | Something in Red | Lorrie Morgan | RCA Nashville |
| 10 | Sticks and Stones | Tracy Lawrence | Atlantic |
| 16 | Talkin' 'Bout Men | The Forester Sisters | Warner Bros. |
| 20 | Tempted | Marty Stuart | MCA Nashville |
| 7 | Ten Strait Hits | George Strait | MCA Nashville |
| 9 | Time Passes By | Kathy Mattea | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 17 | Tribute | Roy Rogers | RCA Nashville |
| 2 | Trisha Yearwood | Trisha Yearwood | MCA Nashville |
| 22 | Turning for Home | Mike Reid | Columbia |
| 6 | What Do I Do with Me | Tanya Tucker | Capitol Nashville |
| 23 | You've Got to Stand for Something | Aaron Tippin | RCA Nashville |

### Other top albums

| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
| 60 | #1 with a Bullet | Ray Stevens | Capitol/Curb |
| 67 | All American Country | The Statler Brothers | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 74 | At Last | Gene Watson | Warner Bros. |
| 42 | Back Home Again | Kenny Rogers | Reprise |
| 64 | Best of Bill Anderson | Bill Anderson | Curb |
| 36 | Bing Bang Boom | Highway 101 | Warner Bros. |
| 67 | Brenda Lee | Brenda Lee | Warner Bros. |
| 27 | Burnin' Up the Road | McBride & the Ride | MCA Nashville |
| 27 | Chasin' the Sun | Lionel Cartwright | MCA Nashville |
| 28 | Clean Shirt | Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson | Epic |
| 44 | A Dozen Roses – Greatest Hits | Desert Rose Band | Curb/MCA Nashville |
| 54 | Fighting Fire with Fire | Davis Daniel | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 72 | Friends in High Places | George Jones | Epic |
| 57 | Get Rhythm | Martin Delray | Atlantic |
| 32 | Greatest Hits | Billy Joe Royal | Atlantic |
| 44 | High & Dry | Marty Brown | MCA Nashville |
| 28 | I Am Ready | Steve Wariner | Arista Nashville |
| 61 | I've Got That Old Feeling | Alison Krauss | Rounder |
| 66 | Justice | Exile | Arista Nashville |
| 45 | Kentucky Bluebird | Keith Whitley | RCA Nashville |
| 62 | Key's in the Mailbox | Barbara Mandrell | Capitol Nashville |
| 50 | Live Two Five | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Liberty |
| 68 | My Father's Son | Ricky Skaggs | Epic |
| 66 | My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys Soundtrack | Various Artists | RCA |
| 70 | The Mystery of Life | Johnny Cash | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 59 | Navajo Rug | Jerry Jeff Walker | Rykodisc |
| 44 | The New Nashville Cats | Mark O'Connor | Warner Bros. |
| 41 | Out of My Heart | Vern Gosdin | Columbia |
| 58 | Out of Your Ever Lovin' Mind | Dean Dillon | Atlantic |
| 67 | Patriot | Johnny Cash | Columbia |
| 29 | The Patsy Cline Collection | Patsy Cline | MCA Nashville |
| 38 | A Perfect 10 | Lee Greenwood | Liberty |
| 55 | Soft Talk | Shelby Lynne | Epic |
| 74 | Solid Ground | Rob Crosby | Arista Nashville |
| 32 | Unchained Melody | Ronnie McDowell | Curb |
| 41 | Unstoppable | The Oak Ridge Boys | RCA Nashville |
| 27 | Up Against My Heart | Patty Loveless | MCA Nashville |
| 39 | Walk the Plank | Pirates of the Mississippi | Capitol Nashville |
| 59 | Wanted Recorded or Live | Jimmy Collins | Platinum Edge |
| 36 | Western Underground | Chris LeDoux | Liberty |
| 72 | Your Precious Love | Ronnie McDowell | Curb |
| 53 | Yours Truly | Earl Thomas Conley | RCA Nashville |
| 50 | Zone of Our Own | Texas Tornados | Reprise |

## On television
### Regular series

* Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)
* Hot Country Nights (1991–1992, NBC)

### Specials
## Births

* September 9 – Hunter Hayes, country-pop singer/multi-instrumentalist of the early 2010s best known for his crossover hit "Wanted"
* September 21 - Ingrid Andress, known for her 2019-20 hit "More Hearts Than Mine".
* December 27 – Shay Mooney, member of Dan + Shay, a rising duo of the 2010s.
* September 27 - Sierra Hull Mandolin virtuoso, IBMA mandolin Player of the year 2016 and 2018. Continuous innovator of mandolin and mandolin family instruments, playing in traditional and non traditional ways

## Deaths

* February 24 — Webb Pierce, 69, honky tonk stylist and pioneer (pancreatic cancer).
* March 16 — Chris Austin, 27, member of Reba McEntire's road band (plane crash).
* September 4 — Dottie West, 58, legendary and pioneering female vocalist for over three decades (injuries from a car accident).
* October 17 — Tennessee Ernie Ford, 72, "The Old Pea Picker;" pop-country singer and TV host best known for "Sixteen Tons" (liver failure).

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

* Flatt and Scruggs
** Lester Flatt
** Earl Scruggs
* Bill Monroe

### Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

* Boudleaux & Felice Bryant (Boudleaux Bryant 1920–1987 and Felice (Scaduto) Bryant 1925–2003)

### Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

* Rhythm Pals
* A. Hugh Joseph

## Major awards
### Grammy Awards

* Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Down at the Twist and Shout", Mary Chapin Carpenter
* Best Male Country Vocal Performance — Ropin' the Wind, Garth Brooks
* Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Love Can Build a Bridge," The Judds
* Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "Restless", Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner and Vince Gill
* Best Country Instrumental Performance — The New Nashville Cats, Mark O'Connor
* Best Country Song — "Love Can Build a Bridge", John Barlow Jarvis, Naomi Judd and Paul Overstreet
* Best Bluegrass Album — "Spring Training", Carl Jackson and John Starling

### Juno Awards

* Country Male Vocalist of the Year — George Fox
* Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Cassandra Vasik
* Country Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster

### Academy of Country Music

* Entertainer of the Year — Garth Brooks
* Song of the Year — "Somewhere in My Broken Heart", Billy Dean and Richard Leigh (Performer: Billy Dean)
* Single of the Year — "Don't Rock the Jukebox", Alan Jackson
* Album of the Year — Don't Rock the Jukebox, Alan Jackson
* Top Male Vocalist — Garth Brooks
* Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
* Top Vocal Duo — Brooks & Dunn
* Top Vocal Group — Diamond Rio
* Top New Male Vocalist — Billy Dean
* Top New Female Vocalist — Trisha Yearwood
* Top New Vocal Duo or Group — Brooks & Dunn
* Video of the Year — "Is There Life Out There", Reba McEntire (Director: Jack Cole)

### ARIA Awards

(presented in Sydney on March 25, 1991)
* Best Country Album - Hand It Down (James Blundell)

### Canadian Country Music Association

* Bud Country Fans' Choice Award — Rita MacNeil
* Male Artist of the Year — George Fox
* Female Artist of the Year — Michelle Wright
* Group of the Year — Prairie Oyster
* SOCAN Song of the Year — "Lonely You, Lonely Me", Joan Besen
* Single of the Year — "New Kind of Love", Michelle Wright
* Album of the Year — Michelle Wright, Michelle Wright
* Top Selling Album — Home I'll Be, Rita MacNeil
* Video of the Year — "Springtime in Alberta", Ian Tyson
* Vista Rising Star Award — South Mountain
* Duo of the Year — The Johner Brothers

### Country Music Association

* Entertainer of the Year — Garth Brooks
* Song of the Year — "When I Call a Your Name", Tim DuBois and Vince Gill (Performer: Vince Gill)
* Single of the Year — "Friends in Low Places", Garth Brooks
* Album of the Year — No Fences, Garth Brooks
* Male Vocalist of the Year — Vince Gill
* Female Vocalist of the Year — Tanya Tucker
* Horizon Award — Travis Tritt
* Vocal Duo of the Year — The Judds
* Vocal Group of the Year — The Kentucky Headhunters
* Vocal Event of the Year — "Restless", Vince Gill, Mark O'Connor, Ricky Skaggs and Steve Wariner
* Music Video of the Year — "The Thunder Rolls", Garth Brooks (Director: Bud Schaetzle)
* Musician of the Year — Mark O'Connor