See also: 1978 in country music, 1979 in music, other events of 1979, 1980 in country music, and the List of years in Country Music

Events

• March 3 - The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) would telecast an entire Saturday night live from the Grand Ole Opry for the very first time - the show would last until 12:30 am with a half hour break between the two shows at 9 pm CDT. The show featured many acts including Del Reeves, Barbara Mandrell, Bill Monroe, Hank Snow, Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Don Gibson,and many others. The telecast became the most popular one of the year for PBS, and was a part of their March fundraising campaigns.
• December 21 — The Electric Horseman, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, premieres. Willie Nelson is a supporting character in the film, and he will contribute to the movie's soundtrack.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

(As certified by Billboard magazine)

• January 6 – "Tulsa Time" – Don Williams
• January 13 – "Lady Lay Down" – John Conlee
• January 20 – "Baby I'm Burning/I Really Got the Feeling" – Dolly Parton
• January 27 – "Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For" – Crystal Gayle
• February 10 – "Every Which Way But Loose" – Eddie Rabbitt
• March 3 – "Golden Tears" – Dave & Sugar
• March 24 – "I Just Fall in Love Again" – Anne Murray
• April 14 – "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" – Barbara Mandrell
• April 21 – "All I Ever Need is You" – Kenny Rogers and Dottie West
• April 28 – "Where Do I Put Her Memory" – Charley Pride
• May 5 – "Backside of Thirty" – John Conlee
• May 12 – "Don't Take it Away" – Conway Twitty
• May 19 – "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" – Bellamy Brothers
• June 9 – "She Believes in Me" – Kenny Rogers
• June 23 – "Nobody Likes Sad Songs" – Ronnie Milsap
• June 30 – "Amanda" – Waylon Jennings
• July 21 – "Shadows in the Moonlight" – Anne Murray
• July 28 – "You're the Only One" – Dolly Parton
• August 11 – "Suspicions" – Eddie Rabbitt
• August 18 – "Coca Cola Cowboy" – Mel Tillis
• August 25 – "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" – The Charlie Daniels Band
• September 1 – "Heartbreak Hotel" – Willie Nelson and Leon Russell
• September 8 – "I May Never Get to Heaven" – Conway Twitty
• September 15 – "You're My Jamaica" – Charley Pride
• September 22 – "Just Good Ol' Boys" – Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley
• September 29 – "It Must Be Love" – Don Williams
• October 6 – "Last Cheater's Waltz" – T.G. Sheppard
• October 20 – "All the Gold in California" – Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
• November 3 – "You Decorated My Life" – Kenny Rogers
• November 17 – "Come With Me" – Waylon Jennings
• December 1 – "Broken Hearted Me" – Anne Murray
• December 8 – "I Cheated Me Right Out of You" – Moe Bandy
• December 15 – "Happy Birthday Darlin'" – Conway Twitty

Other major hits

• "All-Around Cowboy" - Marty Robbins
• "Are You Sincere" - Elvis Presley
• "Back on My Mind Again" - Ronnie Milsap
• "Barstool Mountain" - Moe Bandy
• "Before My Time" - John Conlee
• "Blind in Love" - Mel Tillis
• "Blue Kentucky Girl" - Emmylou Harris
• "Come on In" - Oak Ridge Boys
• "Crazy Blue Eyes" - Lacy J. Dalton
• "Do You Ever Fool Around" - Joe Stampley
• "Don't Let Me Cross Over" - Jim Reeves and Deborah Allen
• "Down on the Rio Grande" - Johnny Rodriguez
• "Dream On" - Oak Ridge Boys
• "Everlasting Love" - Narvel Felts
• "Fall in Love With Me Tonight" - Randy Barlow
• "Family Tradition" - Hank Williams Jr.
• "Farewell Party" - Gene Watson
• "Fooled by a Feeling" - Barbara Mandrell
• "Fools" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
• "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" - Johnny Cash
• "Half the Way" - Crystal Gayle
• "Happy Together" - T.G. Sheppard
• "Here We Are Again" - Statler Brothers
• "How to Be a Country Star" - Statler Brothers
• "I Ain't Got No Business Doin' Business Today" - Razzy Bailey
• "I Can't Feel You Anymore" - Loretta Lynn
• "I Don't Lie" - Joe Stampley
• "I Had a Lovely Time" - The Kendalls
• "I Just Can't Stay Married to You" - Cristy Lane
• "I Know a Heartache When I See One" - Jennifer Warnes
• "I Wanna Come Over" - Alabama
• "I'll Love Away Your Troubles For Awhile" - Janie Fricke
• "I'll Wake You Up When I Get Home" - Charlie Rich
• "I've Got a Picture of Us on My Mind" - Loretta Lynn
• "I've Done Enough Dying Today" - Larry Gatlin
• "If Everyone Had Someone Like You" - Eddy Arnold
• "If I Could Write a Song (as Beautiful as You)" - Billy "Crash" Craddock
• "If I Give My Heart to You" - Margo Smith
• "If Love Had a Face" - Razzy Bailey
• "In No Time at All" - Ronnie Milsap
• "Isn't it Always Love" - Lynn Anderson
• "It's a Cheating Situation" - Moe Bandy
• "Just Long Enough to Say Goodbye" - Mickey Gilley
• "The Lady in the Blue Mercedes" - Johnny Duncan
• "Lay Down Beside Me" - Don Williams
• "Lying in Love With You" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
• "Mabellene" - George Jones and Johnny PayCheck
• "My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own" - Debby Boone
• "My Own Kind of Hat" - Merle Haggard
• "My Silver Lining" - Mickey Gilley
• "My World Begins and Ends With You" - Dave & Sugar
• "No Memories Hangin' Around" - Rosanne Cash and Bobby Bare
• "No One Else in the World" - Tammy Wynette
• "Nothing as Original as You" - Statler Brothers
• "The Official Historian on Shirley Jean Berrell" - Statler Brothers
• "Only Love Can Break a Heart" - Kenny Dale
• "Pick the Wildwood Flower" - Gene Watson
• "Play Together Again, Again" - Buck Owens and Emmylou Harris
• "Put Your Clothes Back On" - Joe Stampley
• "Red Bandana" - Merle Haggard
• "Reunited" - Louise Mandrell and R.C. Bannon
• "Sail Away" - Oak Ridge Boys
• "Save the Last Dance for Me" - Emmylou Harris
• "Say That You Love Me" - Stephanie Winslow
• "Send Me Down to Tucson" - Mel Tillis
• "Should I Go Home (Or Should I Go Crazy)" - Gene Watson
• "Slow Dancing" - Johnny Duncan
• "Somebody Special" - Donna Fargo
• "Someone is Looking For Someone Like You" - Gail Davies
• "Stay With Me" - Dave & Sugar
• "Still a Woman" - Margo Smith
• "Sweet Dreams" - Reba McEntire
• "Sweet Melinda" - Randy Barlow
• "Sweet Memories" - Willie Nelson
• "Sweet Summer Lovin'" - Dolly Parton
• "Tell Me What It's Like" - Brenda Lee
• "Texas (When I Die)" - Tanya Tucker
• "There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In)" - Elvis Presley
• "They Call it Making Love" - Tammy Wynette
• "Till I Can Make it on My Own" - Kenny Rogers and Dottie West
• "Tonight She's Gonna Love Me (Like There Was No Tomorrow)" - Razzy Bailey
• "Too Far Gone" - Emmylou Harris
• "Touch Me With Magic" - Marty Robbins
• "When a Love Ain't Right" - Charly McClain
• "When I Dream" - Crystal Gayle
• "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound" - Hank Williams Jr.
• "Whiskey River" - Willie Nelson
• "Wisdom of a Fool" - Jacky Ward
• "You Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie" - Bellamy Brothers
• "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
• "You Feel Good All Over" - T.G. Sheppard
• "You Pick Me Up and Put Me Down" - Dottie West
• "Your Kisses Will" - Crystal Gayle
• "Your Love Has Taken Me That High" - Conway Twitty

Top new album releases

• 3/4 Lonely — T. G. Sheppard (Warner Bros./Curb)

Other top new albums

• All Around Cowboy - Marty Robbins (Columbia)
• Alone Too Long - Charly McClain (Epic)
• Are You Sincere - Mel Tillis (MCA)
• Blue Kentucky Girl - Emmylou Harris (Reprise)
• Classics - Kenny Rogers and Dottie West (United Artists)
• Cross Winds - Conway Twitty (MCA)
• Electric Horseman - Willie Nelson (Columbia/CBS)
• Great Balls of Fire - Dolly Parton (RCA)
• I Don't Lie - Joe Stampley (Epic)
• Images – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
• It's a Cheating Situation - Moe Bandy (Columbia)
• Jim Ed and Helen - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius (RCA Victor)
• Just For the Record - Barbara Mandrell (MCA)
• Just Good Ol' Boys - Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley (Columbia/CBS)
• Kenny - Kenny Rogers (United Artists)
• Ladies Choice - Bill Anderson (MCA)
• Love Notes - Janie Fricke (Epic)
• Love Lies - Cristy Lane (LS)
• Loveline - Eddie Rabbitt (Elektra)
• New Kind of Feeling - Anne Murray (Capitol)
• Million Mile Reflections - The Charlie Daniels Band (Epic)
• Miss the Mississippi...and You - Crystal Gayle (United Artists)
• Mr. Entertainer - Mel Tillis (MCA)
• The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived - Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
• One for the Road - Willie Nelson and Leon Russell (Columbia/CBS)
• The Originals - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)
• Out of a Dream - Reba McEntire (Mercury/Polygram)
• Outlaw is Just a State of Mind - Lynn Anderson (Columbia)
• The Performer - Marty Robbins (Columbia)
• Portraits - Don Williams (MCA)
• Rides Again Vol. 2 - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)
• See You When the Sun Goes Down - Johnny Duncan (Columbia)
• Simple Little Words - Cristy Lane (United Artists)
• Sings Kris Kristofferson - Willie Nelson (Columbia/CBS)
• Songs We Made Love To - Mickey Gilley (Playboy)
• Stay With Me/Golden Tears - Dave & Sugar
• Straight Ahead - Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers (Columbia)
• Straight Frrom Texas - Johnny Duncan (Columbia)
• The Two and Only - Bellamy Brothers (Warner Bros./Curb)
• We Should Be Together - Crystal Gayle (United Artists)
• What Goes Around Comes Around - Waylon Jennings (RCA)
• Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound - Hank Williams Jr. (Warner Bros.)
• You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius (RCA Victor)
• You're My Jamacia - Charley Pride (RCA)

Christmas albums

• Light of the Stable - Emmylou Harris (Reprise)
• Pretty Paper - Willie Nelson (CBS)

Births

• February 1 - Julie Roberts, country music singer-songwriter.
• April 24 - Rebecca Lynn Howard, pop-styled singer-songwriter of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Deaths

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

• Hubert Long (1923-1972)
• Hank Snow (1914-1999)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

Academy of Country Music

• Entertainer Of The Year -- Willie Nelson
• Song Of The Year -- "It's A Cheatin' Situation" - Moe Bandy - Sony Throckmorton, Curly Putman
• Single Of The Year -- "All The Gold In California" - Larry Gatlin
• Album Of The Year -- Straight Ahead - Larry Gatlin
• Top Male Vocalist -- Larry Gatlin
• Top Female Vocalist -- Crystal Gayle
• Top Vocal Duo -- Joe Stampley und Moe Bandy
• Top New Male Vocalist -- R.C. Bannon
• Top New Female Vocalist -- Lacy J. Dalton

Further reading

• Kingsbury, Paul, "The Grand Ole Opry: History of Country Music. 70 Years of the Songs, the Stars and the Stories," Villard Books, Random House; Opryland USA, 1995
• Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
• Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
• Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944-2005 - 6th Edition." 2005.

Other links

• Country Music Association
• Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

External links

• Country Music Hall of Fame

Country Music Association