# 1989 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1989.

## Events

* May 9 – Rising country star Keith Whitley is found dead at his home, a victim of alcohol poisoning. News of his death sent shockwaves through the industry, given that he had been hailed as a future superstar who helped bring neotraditionalism to the forefront during the 1980s. His widow, Lorrie Morgan, would become a major superstar after his death.

### No dates

* 1989 was one of two years during the 1980s which sprouted the most prolific class of newcomers in country music history (1986 being the other), a trend that had not been seen since the mid-1950s (when artists such as Elvis Presley, George Jones and Johnny Cash first rose to fame). Clint Black was at the head of the class early on, given that he had two of the year's most memorable singles – "A Better Man" and "Killin' Time" – and one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year (Killin' Time), and was already selling out shows nationwide. Garth Brooks, however, proved to be the 1989 newcomer that stood head and shoulders above everyone else, eventually selling millions of albums, taking worldwide tours and creating some of the most influential music of the 1990s and beyond. Another newcomer, Alan Jackson, had a minor hit with his first release in the autumn of that year with "Blue Blooded Woman;" future singles – all featuring the neotraditional style, would do considerably better, to say the least. Travis Tritt contributed with his brand of rock-influenced country, while Lorrie Morgan (daughter of Grand Ole Opry legend George Morgan) became a star in her own right following the alcohol-poisoning death of her husband, Keith Whitley.
    Other top newcomers of the year were Suzy Bogguss, and Lionel Cartwright.

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

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| 18 | 14 | 5:01 Blues | Merle Haggard |
| 1 | 1 | Above and Beyond | Rodney Crowell |
| 1 | 1 | Ace in the Hole | George Strait |
| 1 | 1 | After All This Time | Rodney Crowell |
| 5 | 10 | All the Fun | Paul Overstreet |
| 5 | 2 | All the Reasons Why | Highway 101 |
| 4 | 32 | An American Family | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 14 | 29 | And So It Goes | John Denver/The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 4 | 5 | Any Way the Wind Blows | Southern Pacific |
| 1 | 6 | Are You Ever Gonna Love Me | Holly Dunn |
| 1 | 1 | Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye | George Strait |
| 20 | 24 | Back in the Fire | Gene Watson |
| 1 | 1 | Bayou Boys | Eddy Raven |
| 4 | 10 | A Better Love Next Time | Merle Haggard |
| 1 | 1 | A Better Man | Clint Black |
| 7 | 10 | Beyond Those Years | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 3 | 5 | Big Dreams in a Small Town | Restless Heart |
| 5 | 8 | Big Love | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 1 | 1 | Big Wheels in the Moonlight | Dan Seals |
| 4 | 7 | Blue Side of Town | Patty Loveless |
| 13 | 21 | Borderline | The Shooters |
| 15 | 42 | Breaking New Ground | Wild Rose |
| 10 | 10 | Bridges and Walls | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 3 | 5 | Burnin' a Hole in My Heart | Skip Ewing |
| 1 | 4 | Burnin' Old Memories | Kathy Mattea |
| 4 | 5 | Call on Me | Tanya Tucker |
| 1 | 1 | Cathy's Clown | Reba McEntire |
| 1 | 1 | Change of Heart | The Judds |
| 1 | 1 | The Church on Cumberland Road | Shenandoah |
| 15 | 24 | The Coast of Colorado | Skip Ewing |
| 7 | 5 | Come as You Were | T. Graham Brown |
| 1 | 1 | Come from the Heart | Kathy Mattea |
| 9 | 22 | Country Club | Travis Tritt |
| 14 | 17 | Cross My Broken Heart | Suzy Bogguss |
| 9 | 12 | Dear Me | Lorrie Morgan |
| 1 | 1 | Deeper Than the Holler | Randy Travis |
| 5 | 5 | Don't Toss Us Away | Patty Loveless |
| 5 | 6 | Don't Waste It on the Blues | Gene Watson |
| 9 | 15 | Don't You | The Forester Sisters |
| 1 | 2 | Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me) | Ronnie Milsap |
| 6 | 7 | Down That Road Tonight | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 14 | 14 | Early in the Morning and Late at Night | Hank Williams Jr. |
| 5 | 5 | Fair Shake | Foster & Lloyd |
| 6 | 5 | Finders Are Keepers | Hank Williams Jr. |
| 1 | 1 | From a Jack to a King | Ricky Van Shelton |
| 3 | 2 | From the Word Go | Michael Martin Murphey |
| 3 | 7 | Give Me His Last Chance | Lionel Cartwright |
| 10 | 11 | The Gospel According to Luke | Skip Ewing |
| 13 | 25 | The Heart | Lacy J. Dalton |
| 8 | 3 | Heartbreak Hill | Emmylou Harris |
| 16 | 16 | Heaven Only Knows | Emmylou Harris |
| 11 | 11 | Hello Trouble | The Desert Rose Band |
| 2 | 1 | Hey Bobby | K. T. Oslin |
| 1 | 1 | High Cotton | Alabama |
| 2 | 1 | Highway Robbery | Tanya Tucker |
| 1 | 1 | Hold Me | K. T. Oslin |
| 6 | 4 | Hold On (A Little Longer) | Steve Wariner |
| 4 | 1 | Hole in My Pocket | Ricky Van Shelton |
| 5 | 3 | Honey I Dare You | Southern Pacific |
| 6 | 5 | Honky Tonk Heart | Highway 101 |
| 19 | 28 | House on Old Lonesome Road | Conway Twitty |
| 4 | 12 | Houston Solution | Ronnie Milsap |
| 19 | 44 | How Do | Mary Chapin Carpenter |
| 1 | 1 | I Don't Want to Spoil the Party | Rosanne Cash |
| 9 | 12 | I Feel Fine | Sweethearts of the Rodeo |
| 1 | 3 | I Got Dreams | Steve Wariner |
| 5 | 5 | I Got You | Dwight Yoakam |
| 16 | 37 | I Just Called to Say Goodbye Again | Larry Boone |
| 21 | 12 | I Know What I've Got | J.C. Crowley |
| 1 | 1 | I Sang Dixie | Dwight Yoakam |
| 1 | 1 | I Still Believe in You | The Desert Rose Band |
| 4 | 4 | I Wish I Was Still in Your Dreams | Conway Twitty |
| 1 | 1 | I Wonder Do You Think of Me | Keith Whitley |
| 16 | 19 | I'll Be Lovin' You | Lee Greenwood |
| 5 | 5 | (I'm A) One Woman Man | George Jones |
| 1 | 1 | I'm No Stranger to the Rain | Keith Whitley |
| 1 | 1 | I'm Still Crazy | Vern Gosdin |
| 4 | 11 | I've Been Loved by the Best | Don Williams |
| 17 | 21 | If I Ever Go Crazy | The Shooters |
| 1 | 1 | If I Had You | Alabama |
| 1 | 2 | If Tomorrow Never Comes | Garth Brooks |
| 1 | 1 | In a Letter to You | Eddy Raven |
| 1 | 1 | Is It Still Over? | Randy Travis |
| 11 | 13 | (It's Always Gonna Be) Someday | Holly Dunn |
| 1 | 1 | It's Just a Matter of Time | Randy Travis |
| 1 | 1 | Killin' Time | Clint Black |
| 5 | 3 | Let It Be You | Ricky Skaggs |
| 1 | 1 | Let Me Tell You About Love | The Judds |
| 12 | 24 | Let's Get Started If We're Gonna Break My Heart | The Statler Brothers |
| 4 | 9 | Life as We Knew It | Kathy Mattea |
| 14 | 21 | Like Father Like Son | Lionel Cartwright |
| 1 | 1 | Living Proof | Ricky Van Shelton |
| 6 | 5 | The Lonely Side of Love | Patty Loveless |
| 5 | 3 | Long Shot | Baillie & the Boys |
| 4 | 3 | Love Has No Right | Billy Joe Royal |
| 1 | 2 | Love Out Loud | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 7 | 20 | Love Will | The Forester Sisters |
| 1 | 1 | Lovin' Only Me | Ricky Skaggs |
| 6 | 13 | More Than a Name on a Wall | The Statler Brothers |
| 8 | 9 | Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) | Garth Brooks |
| 19 | 15 | My Train of Thought | Barbara Mandrell |
| 9 | 21 | Never Givin' Up on Love | Michael Martin Murphey |
| 8 | 6 | Never Had It So Good | Mary Chapin Carpenter |
| 1 | 1 | New Fool at an Old Game | Reba McEntire |
| 1 | 1 | Nothing I Can Do About It Now | Willie Nelson |
| 5 | 2 | Old Coyote Town | Don Williams |
| 4 | 3 | One Good Well | Don Williams |
| 2 | 3 | Out of Your Shoes | Lorrie Morgan |
| 13 | 8 | Paint the Town and Hang the Moon Tonight | J. C. Crowley |
| 30 | 11 | Planet Texas | Kenny Rogers |
| 17 | 12 | Promises | Randy Travis |
| 5 | 3 | The Race Is On | Sawyer Brown |
| 4 | 1 | Say What's in Your Heart | Restless Heart |
| 7 | 4 | Setting Me Up | Highway 101 |
| 8 | 5 | She Deserves You | Baillie & the Boys |
| 3 | 4 | She Don't Love Nobody | The Desert Rose Band |
| 23 | 10 | She Reminded Me of You | Mickey Gilley |
| 1 | 1 | She's Crazy for Leavin' | Rodney Crowell |
| 6 | 24 | She's Gone, Gone, Gone | Glen Campbell |
| 2 | 4 | She's Got a Single Thing in Mind | Conway Twitty |
| 19 | — | She's There | Daniele Alexander |
| 8 | 11 | Sincerely | The Forester Sisters |
| 1 | 1 | Song of the South | Alabama |
| 9 | 41 | Sowin' Love | Paul Overstreet |
| 1 | 1 | Sunday in the South | Shenandoah |
| 2 | 2 | Tell It Like It Is | Billy Joe Royal |
| 4 | 8 | There Goes My Heart Again | Holly Dunn |
| 7 | 9 | There's a Tear in My Beer | Hank Williams Jr. and Hank Williams |
| 5 | 4 | They Rage On | Dan Seals |
| 5 | 2 | This Woman | K. T. Oslin |
| 4 | 5 | 'Til Love Comes Again | Reba McEntire |
| 4 | 7 | 'Til You Cry | Eddy Raven |
| 1 | 1 | Timber, I'm Falling in Love | Patty Loveless |
| 20 | 34 | Trainwreck of Emotion | Lorrie Morgan |
| 1 | 1 | Two Dozen Roses | Shenandoah |
| 9 | 5 | Up and Gone | Jennifer McCarter & The McCarters |
| 8 | 26 | The Vows Go Unbroken (Always True to You) | Kenny Rogers |
| 1 | 1 | What I'd Say | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 1 | 2 | What's Going On in Your World | George Strait |
| 1 | 1 | Where Did I Go Wrong | Steve Wariner |
| 2 | 1 | Who You Gonna Blame It on This Time | Vern Gosdin |
| 1 | 1 | Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That | Dolly Parton |
| 19 | 36 | Wine Me Up | Larry Boone |
| 4 | 4 | (Wish I Had A) Heart of Stone | Baillie & the Boys |
| 1 | 1 | A Woman in Love | Ronnie Milsap |
| 1 | 1 | Yellow Roses | Dolly Parton |
| 19 | — | You Ain't Down Home | Jann Browne |
| 6 | 11 | You Ain't Goin' Nowhere | Chris Hillman & Roger McGuinn |
| 7 | 3 | You Got It | Roy Orbison |
| 14 | 15 | You Still Do | T. G. Sheppard |
| 10 | 14 | You'll Never Be Sorry | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 1 | 1 | Young Love (Strong Love) | The Judds |

### Singles released by Canadian artists

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| — | 10 | As Long as We Both Shall Love | Carroll Baker |
| — | 8 | Blue Jeans Boy | J. K. Gulley |
| — | 15 | C-Luv Radio | Mike Terry |
| — | 7 | Cowboy in Your Heart | Gary Fjellgaard |
| — | 12 | The Cowboy Thing To Do | Bootleg |
| — | 7 | Do Right by Me | Michelle Wright |
| — | 10 | Donna Lee | Greg Paul |
| — | 20 | Don't You Cry For Me | The Ellis Family Band |
| — | 19 | Fiddle Texas Style | Cindi Cain |
| 22 | 1 | Full Moon Full of Love | k.d. lang |
| — | 9 | Goldmine | George Fox |
| — | 20 | How Long | Blue Rodeo |
| — | 9 | I Didn't Know You | Audie Henry |
| — | 10 | I Think That I'll Be Needing You | Cindi Cain |
| — | 7 | I Wish I Were Only Lonely | Michelle Wright |
| 28 | 9 | If I Ever Fall in Love Again | Anne Murray with Kenny Rogers |
| — | 13 | In My Dreams | Laura Vinson |
| — | 17 | Just a Place Where Mem'ries Live | Cindi Cain |
| — | 8 | Let's Build A Life Together | Family Brown |
| — | 16 | Long Distance | George Fox |
| — | 12 | Love With a Capital "L" | Murray McLauchlan |
| — | 19 | The Lucky Ones | Willie P. Bennett |
| — | 10 | The Moon Is Out to Get Me | Gary Fjellgaard with Linda Kidder |
| — | 16 | Old Broken Heart | Greg Paul |
| — | 7 | Rock Me Gently | Michelle Wright |
| — | 10 | Someday I'm Gonna Ride in a Cadillac | Matt Minglewood |
| — | 9 | The Tip of My Fingers | Anita Perras |
| — | 15 | Train of Life | Great Western Orchestra |

## Top new album releases

| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
| 12 | Absolute Torch and Twang | k.d. lang and the Reclines | Sire |
| 11 | Alone | Vern Gosdin | Columbia |
| 24 | American Dreams | The Oak Ridge Boys | MCA |
| 1 | Beyond the Blue Neon | George Strait | MCA |
| 15 | Bluebird | Emmylou Harris | Warner Bros. |
| 2 | Garth Brooks | Garth Brooks | Capitol |
| 20 | Greatest Hits | Tanya Tucker | Capitol |
| 22 | Greatest Hits 3 | The Oak Ridge Boys | MCA |
| 1 | Greatest Hits III | Hank Williams, Jr. | Curb/Warner Bros. |
| 19 | Hillbilly Rock | Marty Stuart | MCA |
| 8 | Hits 1979–1989 | Rosanne Cash | Columbia |
| 2 | A Horse Called Music | Willie Nelson | Columbia |
| 2 | I Wonder Do You Think of Me | Keith Whitley | RCA |
| 3 | Just Lookin' for a Hit | Dwight Yoakam | Reprise |
| 18 | Kentucky Thunder | Ricky Skaggs | Epic |
| 15 | Keys to the Highway | Rodney Crowell | Columbia |
| 1 | Killin' Time | Clint Black | RCA |
| 6 | Leave the Light On | Lorrie Morgan | RCA |
| 10 | Lyle Lovett and His Large Band | Lyle Lovett | Curb/MCA |
| 17 | Mystery Girl | Roy Orbison | Virgin |
| 1 | No Holdin' Back | Randy Travis | Warner Bros. |
| 13 | An Old Time Christmas | Randy Travis | Warner Bros. |
| 13 | One Woman Man | George Jones | Epic |
| 22 | Paint the Town | Highway 101 | Warner Bros. |
| 2 | Pickin' on Nashville | The Kentucky Headhunters | Mercury |
| 2 | Reba Live | Reba McEntire | MCA |
| 2 | River of Time | The Judds | Curb/RCA |
| 6 | The Road Not Taken | Shenandoah | Columbia |
| 2 | Simple Man | The Charlie Daniels Band | Epic |
| 10 | Something Inside So Strong | Kenny Rogers | Reprise |
| 1 | Southern Star | Alabama | RCA |
| 13 | Sowin' Love | Paul Overstreet | RCA |
| 20 | Stranger Things Have Happened | Ronnie Milsap | RCA |
| 1 | Sweet Sixteen | Reba McEntire | MCA |
| 15 | Tell It Like It Is | Billy Joe Royal | Atlantic |
| 2 | When I Call Your Name | Vince Gill | MCA |
| 3 | White Limozeen | Dolly Parton | Columbia |
| 5 | Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | MCA |
| 6 | Willow in the Wind | Kathy Mattea | Mercury |

### Other top albums

| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
| 28 | 5:01 Blues | Merle Haggard | Epic |
| 70 | 20 Gold Hits | Patsy Cline | MCA |
| 42 | Back in the Fire | Gene Watson | Warner Bros. |
| 51 | Beside Myself | Ray Stevens | MCA |
| 30 | The Blue Rose of Texas | Holly Dunn | Warner Bros. |
| 29 | The Boys Are Back | Sawyer Brown | Curb |
| 45 | Christmas in America | Kenny Rogers | Reprise |
| 56 | Coming Home | Wayne Newton | Curb |
| 60 | Fellow Travelers | John Conlee | 16th Avenue |
| 59 | First Move | Daniele Alexander | Mercury |
| 44 | Faster & Llouder | Foster & Lloyd | RCA |
| 52 | Greatest Hits | The Forester Sisters | Warner Bros. |
| 32 | Greatest Hits Volume II | Anne Murray | Capitol |
| 50 | Greatest Hits Volume III | The Bellamy Brothers | Curb/MCA |
| 39 | House on Old Lonesome Road | Conway Twitty | MCA |
| 55 | I Am Just a Rebel | Billy Hill | Reprise |
| 32 | I Got Dreams | Steve Wariner | MCA |
| 66 | If Only For One Night | Lee Greenwood | MCA |
| 64 | Labor of Love | Janie Frickie | Columbia |
| 33 | Land of Enchantment | Michael Martin Murphey | Warner Bros. |
| 44 | Lionel Cartwright | Lionel Cartwright | MCA |
| 48 | Many Mansions | Moe Bandy | Curb |
| 51 | Moody Woman | Charley Pride | 16th Avenue |
| 38 | More Great Dirt | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Warner Bros. |
| 48 | New Classic Waylon | Waylon Jennings | MCA |
| 71 | Next of Kin (Soundtrack) | Various Artists | Columbia |
| 42 | Next to You | Tammy Wynette | Epic |
| 54 | One Good Well | Don Williams | RCA |
| 45 | Pink Cadillac (Soundtrack) | Various Artists | Warner Bros. |
| 49 | Pure N Simple | Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers | Curb/Universal |
| 61 | Radio Romance | Canyon | 16th Avenue |
| 32 | Ricky Van Shelton Sings Christmas | Ricky Van Shelton | Columbia |
| 65 | The Rodney Crowell Collection | Rodney Crowell | Warner Bros. |
| 40 | Solid as a Rock | The Shooters | Epic |
| 41 | Somewhere Between | Suzy Bogguss | Capitol |
| 28 | State of the Heart | Mary Chapin Carpenter | Columbia |
| 40 | Statler Brothers Live – Sold Out | The Statler Brothers | Mercury |
| 68 | Steppin' Stone | Marie Osmond | Capitol/Curb |
| 40 | Stones | Gary Morris | Capitol/MCA |
| 42 | Storms | Nanci Griffith | MCA |
| 61 | Sunrise | Shelby Lynne | Epic |
| 31 | Survivor | Lacy J. Dalton | Capitol/MCA |
| 31 | Temporary Sanity | Eddy Raven | Capitol |
| 30 | Turn the Tide | Baillie & the Boys | RCA |
| 44 | The Will to Love | Skip Ewing | MCA |

## On television
### Regular series

* Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)

### Specials
## Births

* January 30 - Devin Dawson, country singer-songwriter known for his 2018 hit "All on Me".
* March 10 – Rachel Reinert, member of Gloriana.
* March 20 – Lindsay Ell, Canadian country singer of the 2010s.
* August 28 – Cassadee Pope, lead singer of pop rock band Hey Monday, turned country singer; winner of the third season of The Voice
* December 13 – Taylor Swift, teen star who quickly enjoyed major crossover success by the end of the 2000s decade.

## Deaths

* February 4 – Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns, 68, of the Homer and Jethro comedy duo.
* March 8 – Stuart Hamblen, 80, one of radio's first country music superstars, whose later works reflected his religious convictions.
* May 9 – Keith Whitley, 33, honky tonk-styled singer who rose to fame in the mid-1980s (alcohol poisoning)
* August 25 – Al Cherney, 56, Albertan fiddler
* September 23 – Bradley Kincaid, 94, Singer and Guitarist who started his career in 1927 in Chicago over WLS Radio, performing the traditional mountain ballads he had learned during his boyhood in Kentucky, he soon became the genre's first Multimedia superstar. He collected, recorded, and published many of the old Folk ballads, thereby preserving them for posterity. (Automobile Accident).

## Hall of Fame inductees
### Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

* Jack Stapp (1912–1980)
* Cliffie Stone (1917–1998)
* Hank Thompson (1925–2007)

### Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

* Charlie Chamberlain
* Al Cherney (posthumous)
* King Ganam
* Dallas Harms
* Earl Heywood
* Marg Osburne
* Ian Tyson
* Mercey Brothers
* Maurice Bolyer
* Don Grashey
* Maurice Bolyer

## Major awards
### Grammy Awards

* Best Female Country Vocal Performance – Absolute Torch and Twang, k.d. lang
* Best Male Country Vocal Performance – Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Lyle Lovett
* Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal – Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
* Best Country Collaboration with Vocals – "There's a Tear in My Beer", Hank Williams and Hank Williams, Jr.
* Best Country Instrumental Performance – "Amazing Grace", Randy Scruggs
* Best Country Song – "After All This Time", Rodney Crowell
* Best Bluegrass Recording – "The Valley Road", Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Bruce Hornsby

### Juno Awards

* Country Male Vocalist of the Year – George Fox
* Country Female Vocalist of the Year – k.d. lang
* Country Group or Duo of the Year – Family Brown

### Academy of Country Music

* Entertainer of the Year – George Strait
* Song of the Year – "Where've You Been", Jon Vezner and Don Henry (Performer: Kathy Mattea)
* Single of the Year – "A Better Man", Clint Black
* Album of the Year – Killin' Time, Clint Black
* Top Male Vocalist – Clint Black
* Top Female Vocalist – Kathy Mattea
* Top Vocal Duo – The Judds
* Top Vocal Group – Restless Heart
* Top New Male Vocalist – Clint Black
* Top New Female Vocalist – Mary Chapin Carpenter
* Top New Vocal Duo or Group – The Kentucky Headhunters
* Video of the Year – "There's a Tear in My Beer", Hank Williams, Jr. and Hank Williams (Director: Ethan Russell)

### ARIA Awards

(presented in Sydney on March 6, 1989)
* Best Country Album – Boomerang Café (John Williamson)

### Canadian Country Music Association

* Entertainer Artist of the Year – k.d. lang
* Male Artist of the Year – Gary Fjellgaard
* Female Artist of the Year – k.d. lang
* Group of the Year – Family Brown
* SOCAN Song of the Year – "Town of Tears", Barry Brown, Randall Prescott, Bruce Campbell (Performer: Family Brown)
* Single of the Year – "Town of Tears", Family Brown
* Album of the Year – Shadowland, k.d. lang
* Top Selling Album – Old 8×10, Randy Travis
* Vista Rising Star Award – George Fox
* Duo of the Year – Gary Fjellgaard and Linda Kidder

### Country Music Association

* Entertainer of the Year – George Strait
* Song of the Year – "Chiseled in Stone", Max D. Barnes and Vern Gosdin (Performer: Vern Gosdin)
* Single of the Year – "I'm No Stranger to the Rain", Keith Whitley
* Album of the Year – Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
* Male Vocalist of the Year – Ricky Van Shelton
* Female Vocalist of the Year – Kathy Mattea
* Vocal Duo of the Year – The Judds
* Vocal Group of the Year – Highway 101
* Horizon Award – Clint Black
* Music Video of the Year – "There's a Tear in My Beer", Hank Williams, Jr. and Hank Williams (Director: Ethan Russell)
* Vocal Event of the Year – Hank Williams, Jr. and Hank Williams
* Musician of the Year – Johnny Gimble