# 1972 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1972.

## Events

* March — For the first time since 1967, Sonny James fails to hit the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot Country Singles Chart with a single release. His hit, "Only Love (Can Break a Heart)" stops at No. 2. James' record streak would hold for more than 14 years, until Alabama scored its 17th-straight with "40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" in August 1985. "The Southern Gentleman" would return to the No. 1 spot twice more during 1972 — "That's Why I Love You Like I Do" (a retitled remake of his 1957 hit, "You're the Reason I'm in Love," the lesser-known flip side of "Young Love"; and also his last major hit with Capitol Records); and "When the Snow is on the Roses."
    During 1972, James inks a recording deal with Columbia Records; "When the Snow..." is his first hit with his new label.
* March — Merle Haggard is pardoned by California Gov. Ronald Reagan for his 1957 robbery; which had landed him a prison term that lasted two-and-a-half years.
* April — The first Fan Fair is held in Nashville, Tennessee.
* June 3 — The Opryland USA country music theme park opens in Nashville.
* June 13 — The Country Music Foundation Library and Media Center is dedicated.
* September — The premiere issue of Country Music magazine hits the newsstand. The magazine, which will be issued monthly (later bi-monthly), is an immediate hit with critics and readers.
* September 17 — Faron Young — who has international success with "It's Four in the Morning" — is charged with assault for spanking a girl in the audience at a concert in Clarksburg, West Virginia after claiming she spat on him. Young appeared before a Wood County, West Virginia justice of the peace and was fined $24, plus $11 in court costs. It is the first in a string of incidents involving Young, whose increasingly bizarre behavior would begin overshadowing his success.
* October — The Country Music Association moves from NBC to CBS, where it remained until 2006 when the awards show moved to ABC. Loretta Lynn becomes the first woman to win the CMA's Entertainer of the Year award.

### No dates

* The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, a California-based country-folk-rock band, releases their landmark album Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The album of folk and country standards, recorded in Nashville alongside traditional country artists, is a huge critical and commercial success. Two additional volumes would be released in 1989 and 2002.
* Music and Billboard chart historian Joel Whitburn releases "Top Country Songs 1944–1971." The book, published by Record Research, marks the first time a listing of every song and artist that had ever appeared by means of a country and western hit parade had been compiled into a single volume. Eight more updated volumes will follow (the most recent edition covers through 2017), as well as two editions focusing on strictly those songs reaching the Top 40 (the original released in 1996, and an updated version in 2006).
* Buck Owens returns to his musical roots when Jerry Brightman is added on pedal steel for records and tours.
* A class of new artists proves to be among the most prolific of the 1970s. Singers Donna Fargo, Johnny Rodriguez, Joe Stampley, Mel Street and Tanya Tucker, and harmonica player Charlie McCoy each have their first major hits during 1972 and would be among the most successful of the newcomers.

## 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 8 | Would You Take Another Chance on Me | Jerry Lee Lewis | 1 | 2 | |
| January 15 | Carolyn | Merle Haggard | 3 | 2 | |
| February 5 | One's on the Way | Loretta Lynn | 2 | | |
| February 19 | It's Four in the Morning | Faron Young | 2 | | |
| March 4 | Bedtime Story | Tammy Wynette | 1 | | |
| March 11 | My Hang-Up Is You | Freddie Hart | 6 | | |
| April 22 | Chantilly Lace | Jerry Lee Lewis | 3 | | |
| May 13 | Grandma Harp | Merle Haggard | 2 | 5 | |
| May 27 | (Lost Her Love) On Our Last Date | Conway Twitty | 1 | | |
| June 3 | The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. | Donna Fargo | 3 | 16 | |
| June 24 | That's Why I Love You Like I Do | Sonny James | 1 | | |
| July 1 | Eleven Roses | Hank Williams, Jr. | 2 | | |
| July 15 | Made in Japan | Buck Owens | 1 | | |
| July 22 | It's Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer | Charley Pride | 3 | | |
| August 12 | Bless Your Heart | Freddie Hart | 2 | 4 | |
| August 26 | If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry | Jerry Wallace | 2 | 3 | Returned to Number One on September 9. |
| September 2 | Woman (Sensuous Woman) | Don Gibson | 1 | | |
| September 16 | When the Snow Is on the Roses | Sonny James | 1 | | |
| September 23 | I Can't Stop Loving You | Conway Twitty | 1 | | |
| September 30 | I Ain't Never | Mel Tillis | 2 | | |
| October 14 | Funny Face | Donna Fargo | 3 | | |
| November 4 | It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) | Merle Haggard | 1 | | |
| November 11 | My Man (Understands) | Tammy Wynette | 1 | | |
| November 18 | She's Too Good to Be True | Charley Pride | 3 | | |
| December 9 | Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) | Freddie Hart | 3 | | |
| December 30 | She's Got to Be a Saint | Ray Price | 3 | 2 | |

##### 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 8 | Mile After Mile | Orval Prophet | 3 | — | |
| January 29 | There Ain't No Easy Way | Eddie Chwill | 1 | — | |
| February 5 | One's on the Way | Loretta Lynn | 1 | | |
| February 12 | I Can't See Me Without You | Conway Twitty | 1 | 4 | |
| February 19 | Bedtime Story | Tammy Wynette | 1 | | |
| February 26 | It's Four in the Morning | Faron Young | 1 | | |
| March 4 | Cotton Jenny | Anne Murray | 1 | 11 | |
| March 11 | Ann (Don't Go Runnin') | Tommy Overstreet | 1 | 2 | |
| March 18 | Good Hearted Woman | Waylon Jennings | 1 | 3 | |
| March 25 | Cry | Lynn Anderson | 1 | 3 | |
| April 1 | All His Children | Charley Pride | 1 | 2 | |
| April 8 | My Hang-Up Is You | Freddie Hart | 1 | | |
| April 15 | A Thing Called Love | Johnny Cash | 1 | 2 | |
| April 22 | Smiling Wine | Shirley Eikhard | 2 | — | |
| May 6 | Moon-Man Newfie | Stompin' Tom Connors | 1 | — | |
| May 13 | Chantilly Lace | Jerry Lee Lewis | 1 | | |
| May 20 | Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees) | Billy "Crash" Craddock | 1 | 10 | |
| May 27 | Together Again | Hank Smith | 1 | — | |
| June 3 | (Lost Her Love) On Our Last Date | Conway Twitty | 2 | | |
| June 17 | Made In Japan | Buck Owens | 1 | | |
| June 24 | Kate | Johnny Cash | 1 | 2 | |
| July 1 | Sing Happy | Dianne Leigh | 1 | — | |
| July 8 | That's Why I Love You Like I Do | Sonny James | 1 | | |
| July 15 | Eleven Roses | Hank Williams, Jr. | 1 | | |
| July 22 | Reach Out Your Hand (And Touch Somebody) | Tammy Wynette | 1 | 2 | |
| July 29 | It's Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer | Charley Pride | 1 | | |
| August 5 | Listen to a Country Song | Lynn Anderson | 1 | 4 | |
| August 12 | Loving You Could Never Be Better | George Jones | 1 | 2 | |
| August 19 | Testing 1-2-3 | Joyce Seamone | 1 | — | |
| August 26 | I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door | Billy "Crash" Craddock | 1 | 5 | |
| September 2 | There's a Party Goin' On | Jody Miller | 1 | 4 | |
| September 9 | Woman (Sensuous Woman) | Don Gibson | 1 | | |
| September 16 | I Can't Stop Loving You | Conway Twitty | 2 | | |
| September 30 | When the Snow Is on the Roses | Sonny James | 1 | | |
| October 7 | Oney | Johnny Cash | 1 | 2 | |
| October 14 | I Ain't Never | Mel Tillis | 1 | | |
| October 21 | Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me | Mac Davis | 1 | 26 | |
| October 28 | Funny Face | Donna Fargo | 1 | | |
| November 4 | My Man (Understands) | Tammy Wynette | 1 | | |
| November 11 | It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) | Merle Haggard | 1 | | |
| November 18 | She's Too Good to Be True | Charley Pride | 3 | | Fell to #2 on the week of December 2. |
| December 2 | Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) | Freddie Hart | 1 | | |
| December 16 | Fool Me | Lynn Anderson | 2 | 4 | |
| December 30 | You Are What I Am | Gordon Lightfoot | 1 | — | |

##### Notes

* 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
* 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 |
| 15 | — | Ain't It All Worth Living For | Tompall & the Glaser Brothers |
| 7 | 16 | Ain't That a Shame | Hank Williams, Jr. and The Mike Curb Congregation |
| 22 | 12 | Alabama Wild Man | Jerry Reed |
| 5 | 2 | All the Lonely Women in the World | Bill Anderson |
| 27 | 19 | Another Puff | Jerry Reed |
| 15 | — | Ashes of Love | Dickey Lee |
| 31 | 15 | Baby, Bye Bye | Dickey Lee |
| 12 | — | Baby's Smile, Woman's Kiss | Johnny Duncan |
| 26 | 12 | Ballad of a Hillbilly Singer | Freddy Weller |
| 15 | 11 | Be My Baby | Jody Miller |
| 6 | 6 | The Best Part of Living | Marty Robbins |
| 7 | 9 | Borrowed Angel | Mel Street |
| 18 | 13 | Bring Him Safely Home to Me | Sandy Posey |
| 11 | 9 | Burning the Midnight Oil | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton |
| 16 | 13 | Cab Driver | Hank Thompson |
| 6 | 3 | The Ceremony | Tammy Wynette and George Jones |
| 63 | 3 | The Child's Song/Country Music in My Soul | George Hamilton IV |
| 6 | 3 | The Class of '57 | The Statler Brothers |
| 18 | 20 | The Day That Love Walked In | David Houston |
| 6 | 3 | Delta Dawn | Tanya Tucker |
| 2 | — | Do You Remember These | The Statler Brothers |
| 18 | 28 | Don't Pay the Ransom | Nat Stuckey |
| 2 | 2 | Don't She Look Good | Bill Anderson |
| 20 | 5 | Everybody's Reaching Out for Someone | Pat Daisy |
| 12 | 6 | Far Far Away | Don Gibson |
| 19 | 16 | Fools | Johnny Duncan |
| 16 | 6 | Forgive Me for Not Calling You Darling | Nat Stuckey |
| 12 | 37 | Give Myself a Party | Jeannie C. Riley |
| 3 | 3 | Heaven Is My Woman's Love | Tommy Overstreet |
| 3 | 3 | Here I Am Again | Loretta Lynn |
| 19 | 19 | I Really Don't Want to Know | Charlie McCoy |
| 6 | 3 | I Take It on Home | Charlie Rich |
| 17 | — | I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me) | Johnny Bush |
| 8 | 8 | I'll Still Be Waiting for You | Buck Owens |
| 4 | 4 | I'm a Truck | Red Simpson |
| 14 | — | I'm Sorry If My Love Got in Your Way | Connie Smith |
| 11 | 19 | I've Come Awful Close | Hank Thompson |
| 4 | 13 | I've Found Someone of My Own | Cal Smith |
| 3 | — | (I've Got A) Happy Heart | Susan Raye |
| 13 | 24 | I've Got to Have You | Sammi Smith |
| 7 | 15 | If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone) | Connie Smith |
| 14 | 26 | If It Feels Good Do It | Dave Dudley |
| 9 | 15 | If You Touch Me (You've Got to Love Me) | Joe Stampley |
| 11 | 3 | Is This the Best I'm Gonna Feel | Don Gibson |
| 5 | 4 | Just for What I Am | Connie Smith |
| 16 | 6 | Katy Did | Porter Wagoner |
| 15 | 26 | The Key's in the Mailbox | Tony Booth |
| 9 | 4 | The Lawrence Welk – Hee Haw Counter-Revolution Polka | Roy Clark |
| 13 | 18 | Let's All Go Down to the River | Jody Miller and Johnny Paycheck |
| 11 | 13 | Lonely Weekends | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 4 | 4 | Lonely Women Make Good Lovers | Bob Luman |
| 16 | 7 | Lonesome 7-7203 | Tony Booth |
| 2 | 2 | The Lonesomest Lonesome | Ray Price |
| 13 | — | Looking Back to See | Buck Owens and Susan Raye |
| 9 | — | Lost Forever in Your Kiss | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton |
| 12 | 24 | Love Is a Good Thing | Johnny Paycheck |
| 36 | 14 | Love Is Like a Spinning Wheel | Jan Howard |
| 6 | 6 | Manhattan, Kansas | Glen Campbell |
| 8 | 4 | Me and Jesus | Tom T. Hall |
| 8 | 13 | Missing You | Jim Reeves |
| 37 | 10 | Misty Memories | Brenda Lee |
| 11 | 9 | The Monkey That Became President | Tom T. Hall |
| 26 | 14 | More About John Henry | Tom T. Hall |
| 15 | 15 | Much Oblige | Jack Greene and Jeannie Seely |
| 10 | — | My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own | Susan Raye |
| 9 | 9 | Need You | David Rogers |
| 15 | 9 | Oklahoma Sunday Morning | Glen Campbell |
| 54 | 4 | One Tin Soldier | Skeeter Davis |
| 2 | 2 | Only Love Can Break a Heart | Sonny James |
| 5 | 13 | A Picture of Me (Without You) | George Jones |
| 6 | 2 | Pretend I Never Happened | Waylon Jennings |
| 3 | 2 | Pride's Not Hard to Swallow | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 17 | 16 | Red Red Wine | Roy Drusky |
| 34 | 18 | Rhythm of the Rain | Pat Roberts |
| 17 | 29 | The Roadmaster | Freddy Weller |
| 21 | 16 | Ruby, You're Warm | David Rogers |
| 46 | 6 | Sad Situation | Skeeter Davis |
| 24 | 13 | Sea of Heartbreak | Kenny Price |
| 16 | 12 | A Seed Before the Rose | Tommy Overstreet |
| 14 | 31 | Send Me Some Lovin' | Hank Williams, Jr. and Lois Johnson |
| 11 | 48 | Show Me | Barbara Mandrell |
| 3 | 63 | Sing Me a Love Song to Baby | Billy Walker |
| 8 | 6 | Soft, Sweet and Warm | David Houston |
| 21 | 13 | Somebody Loves Me | Johnny Paycheck |
| 4 | 7 | Someone to Give My Love To | Johnny Paycheck |
| 15 | 31 | Somewhere in Virginia in the Rain | Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan |
| 7 | 3 | Sweet Dream Woman | Waylon Jennings |
| 12 | 17 | Sylvia's Mother | Bobby Bare |
| 9 | 12 | Take Me | Tammy Wynette and George Jones |
| 33 | 3 | Ten Degrees and Getting Colder | George Hamilton IV |
| 5 | 3 | This Little Girl of Mine | Faron Young |
| 11 | 12 | This Much a Man | Marty Robbins |
| 12 | 8 | To Get to You | Jerry Wallace |
| 18 | 12 | To Know Him Is to Love Him | Jody Miller |
| 16 | 13 | Today I Started Loving You Again | Charlie McCoy |
| 14 | — | Together Always | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton |
| 10 | 34 | Tonight My Baby's Coming Home | Barbara Mandrell |
| 6 | 28 | Touch Your Woman | Dolly Parton |
| 52 | 20 | Travelin' Light | George Hamilton IV |
| 17 | 10 | Turn Your Radio On | Ray Stevens |
| 14 | 17 | Untouched | Mel Tillis |
| 20 | 7 | Washday Blues | Dolly Parton |
| 6 | 4 | We Can Make It | George Jones |
| 8 | 10 | What Ain't to Be Just Might Happen | Porter Wagoner |
| 13 | 24 | What Am I Gonna Do | Bobby Bare |
| 19 | 19 | What in the World Has Gone Wrong with Our Love | Jack Greene and Jeannie Seely |
| 16 | 11 | Wheel of Fortune | Susan Raye |
| 6 | 10 | When You Say Love | Bob Luman |
| 14 | 7 | Whiskey River | Johnny Bush |
| 5 | 2 | White Silver Sands | Sonny James |
| 14 | 6 | Who's Gonna Play This Ol' Piano? | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 18 | — | A Whole Lot of Somethin' | Tony Booth |
| 14 | 5 | A World Without Music | Porter Wagoner |
| 12 | 24 | Would You Want the World to End | Mel Tillis |
| 15 | 20 | The Writing's on the Wall | Jim Reeves |
| 12 | 14 | You've Gotta Cry Girl | Dave Dudley |

#### Singles released by Canadian artists

| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
| — | 15 | Albert County Soul | Marg Osburne |
| — | 4 | Bill Jones General Store | Tommy Hunter |
| — | 9 | The Bug Song | Stompin' Tom Connors |
| — | 16 | Cold Day in October | R. Harlan Smith |
| — | 9 | Come on Back | Billy Stolyz |
| — | 12 | Country Soul | Honey West |
| — | 8 | Ding-a-Ling Debbie | R. Harlan Smith |
| — | 18 | Donna on My Mind | Hugh Scott |
| — | 6 | Down and Losing | Bob Ruzicka |
| — | 3 | Family Love | Family Brown |
| — | 12 | Here's to Lovin' You | Jack Bailey |
| — | 9 | Home Again This Year | Dick Nolan |
| — | 6 | I'd Like to See You | Humphrey and the Dumptrucks |
| — | 5 | I'm Coming Home | Jim and Don Haggart |
| — | 8 | In the Loving Arms | Dallas Harms |
| 62 | 19 | It Rains Just the Same in Missouri | Ray Griff |
| — | 8 | It's Good to Be Home Again | Orval Prophet |
| — | 3 | Kentucky Turn Your Back | Mercey Brothers |
| — | 16 | Lonesome River | Gene MacLellan |
| — | 4 | The Long Green Line | Dick Damron |
| — | 18 | Long Lonely Road | Dianne Leigh |
| — | 20 | Louisiana Joe | B. J. Berg |
| — | 26 | November Rain | Wayne Rostad |
| — | 14 | Papa Was a Fiddlin' Man | Michael Brandon |
| — | 19 | The Redman and the Train | Harry Rusk |
| — | 17 | Robbie's Song for Jesus | Anne Murray |
| — | 8 | Robbin' the Cradle | Con Archer |
| — | 3 | Saunder's Ferry Line | Gary Buck |
| — | 6 | The Seashores of Old Mexico | Hank Snow |
| — | 8 | Sit Down Mr. Music Man | Little John Cameron |
| — | 11 | Something in Your Face | Shirley Eikhard |
| — | 4 | Somewhere There's a Mountain | Eddie Chwill |
| — | 2 | Storm Warning | Bob Ruzicka |
| — | 19 | Sweet City Woman | Jeffy Young |
| — | 19 | Take Me Home | Hank Smith |
| — | 16 | That's How My Heart Beats for You | Carroll Baker |
| — | 9 | Total Destruction | Lynn Jones |
| — | 17 | Travellin' On | Lynn Jones |
| — | 20 | Trouble's Back in Town | Hugh Scott |
| — | 12 | Tryin' | The Poppy Family |
| — | 19 | When Final Change Is Made | Gary Buck |
| — | 15 | Whistler's Mountain | Andy Zachary |
| — | 15 | You Don't Have to Go to Switzerland | Russ Gurr |
| — | 18 | You're Just More a Woman | Danny Coughlan |

## Top new album releases

| Single | Artist | Record Label |
| America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song | Johnny Cash | Columbia |
| Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) | Bill Anderson and Jan Howard | Decca |
| Don't She Look Good | Bill Anderson | Decca |
| Eagles | The Eagles | Asylum |
| Good Hearted Woman | Waylon Jennings | RCA |
| The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. | Donna Fargo | Dot |
| International Superstar | Johnny Cash | RCA |
| Ladies Love Outlaws | Waylon Jennings | RCA |
| Lynn Anderson's Greatest Hits | Lynn Anderson | Columbia |
| My Favorite Songwriter: Porter Wagoner | Dolly Parton | RCA |
| The Right Combination/Burning The Midnight Oil | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton | RCA |
| A Sweeter Love | Barbara Fairchild | Columbia |
| A Thing Called Love | Johnny Cash | Columbia |
| Together Always | Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton | RCA |
| Touch Your Woman | Dolly Parton | RCA |
| Will the Circle Be Unbroken | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | EMI America |

### Other top albums

| Single | Artist | Record Label |
| Bill Anderson Sings for "All the Lonely Women in the World" | Bill Anderson | Decca |
| Cry | Lynn Anderson | Columbia |
| Garden Party | Ricky Nelson | MCA |
| The Hillbilly Singer | Skeeter Davis | RCA |
| If It Ain't Love and Other Great Dallas Frazier Songs | Connie Smith | RCA |
| Lonely Women Make Good Lovers | Bob Luman | Epic |
| Love Is Like a Spinning Wheel | Jan Howard | Decca |
| There's a Party Goin' On | Jody Miller | Epic |
| Two for the Show | Jack Greene and Jeannie Seely | Decca |
| Wheel of Fortune | Susan Raye | Capitol |

### Christmas albums

* The Johnny Cash Family Christmas — Johnny Cash (Columbia)

## Births

* February 23 — Steve Holy, 2000s (decade) country singer best known for his No. 1 hit "Good Morning Beautiful."
* April 5 — Pat Green, "Texas country"-styled singer/songwriter.
* July 17 — Paul Brandt, Canadian country singer who began enjoying U.S. success in the late 1990s.
* August 16 — Emily Robison, member of the Dixie Chicks (she plays the guitar, banjo and dobro).
* October 23 — Jimmy Wayne, singer-songwriter of the 2000s (decade).
* October 28 — Brad Paisley, new traditionalist of the 2000s (decade).

## Deaths

* January 28 — T. Texas Tyler, 55, 1940s country star best known for "The Deck of Cards."
* June 23 — Elton Britt, 59, 1940s country star best known for "There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere."
* July 16 – Charlie Chamberlain, 61, Canadian Country Singer, who was the Male vocalist for Don Messer's Islanders from the band's inception in 1933 until shortly before his death (Heart Attack).

## Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

* Jimmie Davis (1899–2000)

## Major awards
### Grammy Awards

* Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA", Donna Fargo
* Best Male Country Vocal Performance — Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs, Charley Pride
* Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Class of '57", The Statler Brothers
* Best Country Instrumental Performance — Charlie McCoy/The Real McCoy, Charlie McCoy
* Best Country Song — "Kiss an Angel Good Morning", Ben Peters (Performer: Charley Pride)

### Juno Awards

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

### Academy of Country Music

* Entertainer of the Year — Roy Clark
* Song of the Year — "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA", Donna Fargo (Performer: Donna Fargo)
* Single of the Year — "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA", Donna Fargo
* Album of the Year — The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA, Donna Fargo
* Top Male Vocalist — Merle Haggard
* Top Female Vocalist — Donna Fargo
* Top Vocal Group — The Statler Brothers
* Top New Male Vocalist — Johnny Rodriguez
* Top New Female Vocalist — Tanya Tucker

### Country Music Association

* Entertainer of the Year — Loretta Lynn
* Song of the Year — "Easy Loving", Freddie Hart (Performer: Freddie Hart)
* Single of the Year — "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA", Donna Fargo
* Album of the Year — Let Me Tell You About a Song, Merle Haggard
* Male Vocalist of the Year — Charley Pride
* Female Vocalist of the Year — Loretta Lynn
* Vocal Duo of the Year — Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
* Vocal Group of the Year — The Statler Brothers
* Instrumentalist of the Year — Charlie McCoy
* Instrumental Group of the Year — Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass