1978 in country music

"See also:"
1977 in country music,
1978 in music,
other events of 1978,
1979 in country music, and the List of years in Country Music

Events

*March 4 - Public Broadcasting System (PBS) telecasts the first complete Grand Ole Opry show from the new Grand Ole Opry House as it happened from 6-9 pm. The show featured Del Reeves, the Willis Brothers, Billy Grammer, Lonzo and Oscar, Bill Monroe, Porter Wagoner, Roy Acuff, the Crook Brothers, the Fruit Jar Drinkers, Ronnie Milsap, Grandpa Jones, George Hamilton IV, and others. The show would run over about 18 minutes the first night. The telecast would repeat from 1979 to 1981.
* March 25 – "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson becomes the last song for 12 years to spend four weeks at No. 1 on "Billboard magazine"'s Hot Country Singles chart. There wouldn't be another four-week No. 1 until "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" by Randy Travis in April 1990. The trend of fewer (and shorter) multi-week runs at No. 1 on "Billboard", even for the year's biggest hits, is the result of changes in radio programming and the magazine's reporting methods.
* May 6 – Bob Kingsley takes over hosting duties of "American Country Countdown," a stint that will last 27 years. He had been a producer of the radio countdown show since 1974.
* May 24 – The United States Postal Service issues a 13-cent commemorative stamp honoring Jimmie Rodgers, one of the genre's pioneers. The Rodgers stamp, designed by artist Jim Sharpe, is the first in the Postal Service's long-running Performing Arts Series.
* September – "The Donna Fargo Show" premieres in syndication.

* October 4--One of Nashville's most mysterious crimes involves the reported abduction and beating of Tammy Wynette. Media reports said that Wynette had been abducted by a masked man at a shopping center before the beating. No suspects were ever named or arrested. While Wynette would insist the story was true, her daughter raised doubts, claiming the incident was fabricated.

* October 21 – Fans of Mel Street are saddened when the honky tonk-styled singer, who had long battled clinical depression and alcoholism, committed suicide on his 45th birthday. He had signed a recording contract with Mercury Records earlier in the year.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

"(As certified by Billboard magazine)"
*January 7 – "Take This Job and Shove It" – Johnny PayCheck
*January 21 – "What a Difference You've Made in My Life" – Ronnie Milsap
*January 28 – "Out of My Head and Back in My Bed" – Loretta Lynn
*February 11 – "I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love" – Larry Gatlin with Brothers & Friends
*February 18 – "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" – Margo Smith
*March 4 – "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" – Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
*April 1 – "Ready for the Times to Get Better" – Crystal Gayle
*April 8 – "Someone Loves You Honey" - Charley Pride
*April 22 – "Every Time Two Fools Collide" – Kenny Rogers and Dottie West
*May 6 – "It's All Wrong But It's All Right"/"Two Doors Down" – Dolly Parton
*May 20 – "She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed (Anytime)" – Johnny Duncan
*May 27 – "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine" – Statler Brothers
*June 10 – "Georgia on My Mind" – Willie Nelson
*June 17 – "Two More Bottles of Wine" – Emmylou Harris
*June 24 – "I'll Be True to You" – Oak Ridge Boys
*July 1 – "It Only Hurts for a Little While" – Margo Smith
*July 8 – "I Believe in You" – Mel Tillis
*July 15 – "Only One Love in My Life" – Ronnie Milsap
*August 5 – "Love or Something Like It" – Kenny Rogers
*August 12 – "You Don't Love Me Anymore" – Eddie Rabbitt
*August 19 – "Talking in Your Sleep" – Crystal Gayle
*September 2 – "Blue Skies" – Willie Nelson
*September 9 – "I've Always Been Crazy" – Waylon Jennings
*September 30 – "Heartbreaker" – Dolly Parton
*October 21 – "Tear Time" – Dave & Sugar
*October 28 – "Let's Take the Long Way Around the World" – Ronnie Milsap
*November 4 – "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed" – Barbara Mandrell
*November 25 – "Sweet Desire" – The Kendalls
*December 2 – "I Just Want to Love You" – Eddie Rabbitt
*December 9 – "On My Knees" – Charlie Rich and Janie Fricke
*December 16 – "The Gambler" – Kenny Rogers

Other major hits

*"Ain't No California" — Mel Tillis
*"All of Me" — Willie Nelson
*"Another Goodbye" – Donna Fargo
*"Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight" — Kenny Rogers and Dottie West
*"Bartender's Blues" — George Jones (feat. James Taylor)
*"Beautiful Woman" - Charlie Rich
*"Boogie Grass Band" — Conway Twitty
*"Break My Mind" - Vern Gosdin
*"Burgers and Fries" — Charley Pride
*"Come a Little Bit Closer" - Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke
*"Come On In" - Jerry Lee Lewis
*"Come See Me and Come Lonely" - Dottie West
*"Cowboys Don't Get Lucky All the Time" - Gene Watson
*"Cryin' Again" — Oak Ridge Boys
*"Cuando Caliente El Sol (Love Me With All Your Heart)" - Johnny Rodriguez
*"Daylight" - T.G. Sheppard
*"Do I Love You (Yes in Every Way)" – Donna Fargo
*"Easy From Now On" - Emmylou Harris
*"Fadin' In, Fadin' Out" - Tommy Overstreet
*"The First Time" - Billy "Crash" Craddock
*"Friend, Lover, Wife" - Johnny Paycheck
*"From Seven to Ten" - Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
*"Gotta Quit Lookin' at You Baby" — Dave & Sugar
*"Hearts on Fire" — Eddie Rabbitt
*"Hello Mexico (and Adios Baby to You)" - Johnny Duncan
*"Here Comes the Hurt Again" - Mickey Gilley
*"I Can't Wait Any Longer" — Bill Anderson
*"I Cheated on a Good Woman's Love" — Billy "Crash" Craddock
*"I Don't Need a Thing at All" - Gene Watson
*"I Fought the Law" - Hank Williams Jr.
*"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" - Connie Smith
*"I Love You, I Love You, I Love You" - Ronnie McDowell
*"I Love You (What Can I Say)" - Jerry Reed
*"I Never Will Marry" - Linda Ronstadt
*"I'll Find it Where I Can" - Jerry Lee Lewis
*"I'll Never Be Free" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
*"I'm Always on a Mountain When I Fall" — Merle Haggard
*"It's a Heartache" - Bonnie Tyler
*"It's Been a Great Afternoon" — Merle Haggard
*"I've Got a Winner in You" - Don Williams
*"If I Had a Cheatin' Heart" - Mel Street
*"If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
*"If You Can Touch Her At All" - Willie Nelson
*"If You've Got Ten Minutes (Let's Fall in Love)" - Joe Stampley
*"It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' to Me" - The Kendalls
*"Let Me Be Your Baby" - Charly McClain
*"Let's Shake Hands (and Come Out Lovin')" — Kenny O'Dell
*"Little Things Mean a Lot" - Margo Smith
*"Lonely Street" - Rex Allen Jr.
*"A Lover's Question" — Jacky Ward
*"Maybe Baby" - Susie Allanson
*"Middle Aged Crazy" - Jerry Lee Lewis
*"My Way" - Elvis Presley
*"Never My Love" — Vern Gosdin
*"Night Time Magic" – Larry Gatlin
*"No, No, No (I'd Rather Be Free)" — Rex Allen Jr.
*"No Sleep Tonight" - Randy Barlow
*"Once in a Lifetime Thing" - John Wesley Ryles
*"One Sided Conversation" - Gene Watson
*"Penny Arcade" — Cristy Lane
*"Pittsburgh Stealers" — The Kendalls
*"Please Help Me I'm Falling (in Love with You)" - Janie Fricke
*"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" - Linda Ronstadt
*"The Power of Positive Drinkin'" - Mickey Gilley
*"Putting In a Little Overtime at Home" — Charlie Rich
*"Rake and Ramblin' Man" — Don Williams
*"Red Wine and Blue Memories" — Joe Stampley
*"Return to Me" — Marty Robbins
*"Rhythm of the Rain" - Jacky Ward
*"Rose Colored Glasses" — John Conlee
*"Slow and Easy" - Randy Barlow
*"Soft Lights and Hard Country Music" - Moe Bandy
*"Something to Brag About" - Willie Nelson and Mary Kay Place
*"Spring Fever" - Loretta Lynn
*"Sweet Sweet Smile" - The Carpenters
*"That's What Makes the Jukebox Play" - Moe Bandy
*"That's What You Do to Me" - Charly McClain
*"There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" – Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings
*"Three Sheets in the Wind" — Jacky Ward and Reba McEntire
*"To Daddy" - Emmylou Harris
*"Tonight" - Barbara Mandrell
*"Two Lonely People" - Moe Bandy
*"Unchained Melody" - Elvis Presley
*"Walk Right Back" — Anne Murray
*"We Believe in Happy Endings" — Johnny Rodriguez
*"We Belong Together" - Susie Allanson
*"We've Come a Long Way Baby" - Loretta Lynn
*"What Did I Promise Her Last Night" — Mel Tillis
*"What Have You Got to Lose" - Tom T. Hall
*"What Time Do You Have to Be Back to Heaven" - Razzy Bailey
*"When Can We Do This Again" — T.G. Sheppard
*"When I Stop Leaving (I'll Be Gone)" — Charley Pride
*"Whiskey River" — Willie Nelson
*"Who Am I to Say" — Statler Brothers
*"Womanhood" — Tammy Wynette
*"Woman to Woman" - Barbara Mandrell
*"Yes Ma'am" - Tommy Overstreet
*"You Needed Me" — Anne Murray
*"You're the One" — Oak Ridge Boys

Top new album releases

* "Dark Eyed Lady" — Donna Fargo (Warner Bros.)
* "The Gambler" — Kenny Rogers (United Artists)
* "Heartbreaker" — Dolly Parton (RCA)
* "I've Always Been Crazy" — Waylon Jennings (RCA)
* "I've Cried the Blue Right Out of My Eyes" — Crystal Gayle (MCA)¹
* "Night Time Magic" — Larry Gatlin (Monument)
* "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town" — Emmylou Harris (Warner/Reprise)
* "Stardust" — Willie Nelson (Columbia/CBS)
* "TG" — T. G. Sheppard (Warner Bros./Curb)
* "TNT" — Tanya Tucker (MCA)
* "Waylon & Willie" — Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson (RCA)
* "When I Dream" — Crystal Gayle (United Artists)

"¹ A collection of Crystal Gayle's earliest recordings from the early 1970s."

Other albums

*"Bartender's Blues" - George Jones (Epic/CBS)
*"Billy "Crash" Craddock" - Billy "Crash" Craddock (Capitol)
*"Country Soul" – Mel Street (Polydor/Polygram)
*"Entertainers On and Off the Record" - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)
*"Every Time Two Fools Collide" - Kenny Rogers and Dottie West (United Artists)
*"Expressions" - Don Williams (ABC/Dot)
*"I Still Believe in Love" - Charlie Rich (United Artists)
*"Love's Ups and Downs" - Barbara Mandrell (ABC/Dot)
*"A Lover's Question" - Jacky Ward (Mercury/Polygram)
*"Only One Love in My Life" – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
*"Oh Brother!" - Larry Gatlin (Monument)
*"Let's Keep it That Way" - Anne Murray (Capitol)
*"Love ... & Other Sad Stories" - Bill Anderson MCA
*"Love or Something Like It - Kenny Rogers (United Artists)
*"Room Service" - Oak Ridge Boys (ABC/Dot)
*"Rose Colored Glasses" - John Conlee (ABC/Dot)
*"She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed Anytime" - Johnny Duncan (Columbia/CBS)
*"Tear Time" - Dave & Sugar (RCA)
*"Variations" - Eddie Rabbitt (Elektra)
*"White Mansions" - Waylon Jennings (RCA)

Christmas albums

*"Christmas Card" - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)

Births

*July 21 - Brad Mates, lead singer of Canadian band Emerson Drive
*September 14 - Danielle Peck, up-and-coming country music star

Deaths

*October 21 – Mel Street, 45, honky tonk-styled artist and one of the most promising new artists of the 1970s (suicide)
* October 23 - Maybelle Carter, 69, singer and songwriter of the Carter Family and mother of Anita, Helen and June Carter Cash.
*December 16 - Jenny Lou Carson, 63, first female to write a #1 country hit (You Two-timed Me Once Too Often).

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

*Grandpa Jones (1913-1998)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

*Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "Here You Come Again" - Dolly Parton
*Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "Georgia On My Mind" - Willie Nelson
*Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group -- "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" - Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
*Best Country Instrumental Performance -- "One O'Clock Jump" - Asleep At The Wheel (Ray Benson, Link Davis, Floyd Domino, Tony Garnier, Daniel Levin, Bill Mabry, Lucky Oceans, Chris O'Connell, Leroy Preston, Pat Ryan, Andy Stein, Chris York)
*Best Country Song -- "The Gambler" - Don Schlitz

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer Of The Year -- Kenny Rogers
*Song Of The Year -- "You Needed Me" - Anne Murray - Randy Goodrum
*Single Of The Year -- "Tulsa Time" - Don Williams
*Album Of The Year -- Y'all Come Back Saloon - Oak Ridge Boys
*Top Male Vocalist -- Kenny Rogers
*Top Female Vocalist -- Barbara Mandrell
*Top Vocal Group -- Oak Ridge Boys
*Top New Male Vocalist -- John Conlee
*Top New Female Vocalist -- Christy Lane

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

* [http://www.cmaawards.com/2004/hof/default.asp Country Music Hall of Fame]