1988 in country music
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See also: 1987 in country music, 1988 in music, other events of 1988, 1989 in country music, 1980s in music and the List of years in Country Music
Contents |
[edit] Events
- Time-Life Records releases the first volume of its "Country USA" series. The series, which would eventually include 23 volumes, each chronicles one year per volume - 1950 through 1972. Each volume - offered on two record albums, or one cassette or compact disc - contains liner notes from some of country music's most respected historians. In many cases, the songs offered on each volume represented the first time they had ever been re-released on compact disc. "Country USA" was offered through television and magazine advertisements.
- Country music stars highlight a May 21 concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Featured: Alabama, The Judds, George Strait and Randy Travis. The concert is a big success.
- The Country Music Association Awards introduced a new award, Vocal Event of the Year, awarding collaborative efforts by two or more artists who normally don't work together. (Previously such efforts had to included with Best Duo or Group nominations.) The first recipient was the group of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt for their Trio album.
[edit] Top hits of the year
[edit] Number one hits
(As certified by Billboard magazine)
- January 9 - "I Can't Get Close Enough" - Exile
- January 16 - "One Friend" - Dan Seals
- January 23 - "Where Do the Nights Go" - Ronnie Milsap
- January 30 - "Goin' Gone" - Kathy Mattea
- February 6 - "Wheels" - Restless Heart
- February 13 - "Tennessee Flat Top Box" - Rosanne Cash
- February 20 - "Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star" - Merle Haggard
- February 27 - "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love" - Paul Davis, Tanya Tucker, and Paul Overstreet
- March 5 - "Face to Face" - Alabama and K.T. Oslin
- March 12 - "Too Gone Too Long" - Randy Travis
- March 19 - "Life Turned Her That Way" - Ricky Van Shelton
- March 26 - "Turn It Loose" - The Judds
- April 2 - "Love Will Find its Way to You" - Reba McEntire
- April 9 - "Famous Last Words of a Fool" - George Strait
- April 16 - "I Wanna Dance With You" - Eddie Rabbitt
- April 23 - "I'll Always Come Back" - K.T. Oslin
- April 30 - "It's Such a Small World" - Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash
- May 7 - "Cry, Cry, Cry" - Highway 101
- May 14 - "I'm Gonna Get You" - Eddy Raven
- May 21 - "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" - Kathy Mattea
- June 4 - "What She Is (Is a Woman in Love)" - Earl Thomas Conley
- June 11 - "I Told You So" - Randy Travis
- June 25 - "He's Back and I'm Blue" - Desert Rose Band
- July 2 - "If It Don't Come Easy" - Tanya Tucker
- July 9 - "Fallin' Again" - Alabama
- July 16 - "If You Change Your Mind" - Rosanne Cash
- July 23 - "Set 'Em Up Joe" - Vern Gosdin
- July 30 - "Don't We All Have the Right" - Ricky Van Shelton
- August 6 - "Baby Blue" - George Strait
- August 13 - "Don't Close Your Eyes" - Keith Whitley
- August 20 - "The Bluest Eyes in Texas" - Restless Heart
- August 27 - "The Wanderer" - Eddie Rabbitt
- September 3 - "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried" - Rodney Crowell
- September 10 - "(Do You Love Me) Just Say Yes" - Highway 101
- September 17 - "Joe Knows How to Live" - Eddy Raven
- September 24 - "Addicted" - Dan Seals
- October 1 - "We Believe in Happy Endings" - Earl Thomas Conley and Emmylou Harris
- October 8 - "Honky Tonk Moon" - Randy Travis
- October 15 - "Streets of Bakersfield" - Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens
- October 22 - "Strong Enough to Bend" - Tanya Tucker
- October 29 - "Gonna Take a Lot of River (Mississippi, Monongahela, Ohio)" - Oak Ridge Boys
- November 5 - "Darlene" - T. Graham Brown
- November 12 - "Runaway Train" - Rosanne Cash
- November 19 - "I'll Leave This World Loving You" - Ricky Van Shelton
- December 3 - "I Know How He Feels" - Reba McEntire
- December 10 - "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" - George Strait
- December 17 - "A Tender Lie" - Restless Heart
- December 24 - "When You Say Nothing at All" - Keith Whitley
[edit] Other major hits
- "Wildflowers" - The Trio (Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt)
[edit] Top new album releases
- Reba – Reba McEntire (MCA)
[edit] On television
[edit] Regular series
- Dolly (1987-1988)
- Hee Haw (1969-1993, syndicated)
[edit] Specials
[edit] Births
- May 24 -- Billy Gilman, the youngest artist to ever have a country hit record (2000's "One Voice").
[edit] Deaths
- September 20 -- Leon McAuliffe, 71, prominent member of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys and a star in his own right.
- December 6 -- Roy Orbison, 52, American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll.
[edit] Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
- Loretta Lynn (born 1935)
- Roy Rogers (1911–1998)
[edit] Major Awards
[edit] Grammy awards
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "Hold Me" - K.T. Oslin
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "Old 8x10" - Randy Travis
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "Give A Little Love" - Judds (Naomi Judd, Wynonna Judd)
- Best Country Vocal Collaboration -- "Crying" - Roy Orbison and k.d. lang
- Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group Or Soloist) -- "Sugarfoot Rag" - Asleep At The Wheel
- Best Bluegrass Recording (Vocal Or Instrumental) -- "Southern Flavor" - Bill Monroe
- Best Country Song -- "Hold Me" - K.T. Oslin, songwriter
[edit] Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer Of The Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
- Song Of The Year -- "Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses" - Kathy Mattea - Charles Nelson, Paul Nelson
- Single Of The Year -- "Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses" - Kathy Mattea
- Album Of The Year -- This Woman - K.T. Oslin
- Top Male Vocalist -- George Strait
- Top Female Vocalist -- K.T. Oslin
- Top Vocal Duo -- The Judds
- Top Vocal Group -- U.S. Route 101
- Top New Male Vocalist -- Rodney Crowell
- Top New Female Vocalist -- Suzy Bogguss
- Video Of The Year -- Young Country" - Hank Williams Jr. (Director: Bill Fishman)
[edit] Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
- Male Vocalist of the Year -- Randy Travis
- Female Vocalist of the Year -- K.T. Oslin
- Horizon Award -- Ricky Van Shelton
- Vocal Group of the Year -- Highway 101
- Vocal Duo of the Year -- The Judds
- Vocal Event of the Year -- Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt
- Album of the Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
- Song of the Year -- K.T. Oslin
- Single of the Year -- Kathy Mattea
- Musician of the Year -- Chet Atkins
[edit] 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.
