1986 in country music

"See also:"
1985 in country music,
1986 in music,
other events of 1986,
1987 in country music and the List of years in Country Music

Events

* June 25 — Jenifer Strait, the 13-year-old daughter of George Strait (who by now is one of country music's top performers) is killed in a car accident in San Marcos, Texas. Her father still refuses to talk about his daughter's death to this day.

No dates

*For the first time in its 42-year history, there is a new No. 1 song for each week of the year, according to Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles Chart.
*1986 was a renaissance year in country music, with a host of "New Traditionalist"-minded artists reinvigorating a genre that critics were saying had grown increasingly stagnant and pop-oriented. Among the most successful new artists: Holly Dunn, Ricky Van Shelton, Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam. Keith Whitley, another artist who had been around for a few years, has his first real hit early in the year. They - along with popular newcomers from earlier in the decade such as Alabama, George Strait and Reba McEntire, and longtime artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty - proved not only that country music was the music of the people, but also that the genre had real resiliency.
*After 17 years of playing co-host to Roy Clark, Buck Owens announces his departure from the still-popular "Hee Haw." Clark would soldier on alone for the next six years, with rotating guest stars each week.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

"(As certified by Billboard magazine)"
*¹ - No. 1 song of the year, as determined by "Billboard magazine".
*^A - First "Billboard" No. 1 hit for that artist.
*^B - Last "Billboard" No. 1 hit for that artist to date.
*^C - Only "Billboard" No. 1 hit for that artist to date.

Other major hits

*"1982" - Randy Travis (#6)
*"All Tied Up - Ronnie McDowell (#6)
*"At the Sound of the Tone" - John Schneider (#5)
*"(Back to the) Heartbreak Kid - Restless Heart (#7)
*"Betty's Bein' Bad" - Sawyer Brown (#5)
*"Born Yesterday" - The Everly Brothers (#17)
*"Cheap Love" - Juice Newton (#9)
*"Come On In (You Did the Best You Could Do)" - The Oak Ridge Boys (#3)
*"Count On Me" - Statler Brothers (#5)
*"Country State of Mind" - Hank Williams, Jr. (#2)
*"Cowboy Man" - Lyle Lovett (#10)
*"Daddy's Hands" - Holly Dunn (#7)
*"Didn't We" - Lee Greenwood (#10)
*"Doo-Wah Days - Mickey Gilley (#6)
*"Easy to Please" - Janie Fricke (#5)
*"Every Night" - Pake McEntire (#20)
*"Farther Down the Line" - Lyle Lovett (#21)
*"Fast Lanes and Country Roads" - Barbara Mandrell (#4)
*"Feelin' the Feelin'" The Bellamy Brothers (#2)
*"Gotta Learn to Love Without You" - Michael Johnson (#13)
*"Guitar Town" - Steve Earle (#7)
*"Guitars, Cadillacs" - Dwight Yoakam (#4)
*"Harmony" - John Conlee (#10)
*"Heart Don't Fall Now" - Sawyer Brown (#14)
*"Hey Doll Baby" - Sweethearts of the Rodeo (#21)
*"Hold On" - Rosanne Cash (#5)
*"Home Again in My Heart" - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#3)
*"Honky Tonk Man" - Dwight Yoakam (#3)
*"I Love You By Heart" - Sylvia with Michael Johnson (#9)
*"I Miss You Already (And You're Not Even Gone)" - Billy Joe Royal (#14)
*"I Only Wanted You" - Marie Osmond (#14)
*"I Tell It Like It Used to Be" - T. Graham Brown (#7)
*"I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again - T. Graham Brown (#3)
*"In Over My Heart" - T.G. Sheppard (#9)
*"I've Got a New Heartache" - Ricky Skaggs (#10)
*"Juliet" - The Oak Ridge Boys (#15)
*"Lonely Alone" - The Forester Sisters (#2)
*"Love at the Five and Dime" - Kathy Mattea (#3)
*"Love Will Get You Through Times With No Money" - Girls Next Door (#14)
*"Memories to Burn" - Gene Watson (#5)
*"Miami, My Amy" - Keith Whitley (#14)
*"Nights" - Ed Bruce (#4)
*"No One Mends a Broken Heart Like You" - Barbara Mandrell (#6)
*"Oh Darlin'" - The O'Kanes (#10)
*"Old Bridges Burn Slow" - Billy Joe Royal (#11)
*"Old Flame" - Juice Newton (#5)
*"The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)" - George Jones (#3)
*"One Love at a Time" - Tanya Tucker (#3)
*"Only in My Mind" - Reba McEntire (#5)
*"Out Goin' Cattin'" - Sawyer Brown (#11)
*"Partners, Brothers and Friends" - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#6)
*"Read My Lips" - Marie Osmond (#4)
*"Reno Bound" - Southern Pacific (#9)
*"Repititive Regret" - Eddie Rabbitt (#4)
*"Savin' My Love For You" - Pake McEntire (#3)
*"Second to No One" - Rosanne Cash (#5)
*"Shakin'" - Sawyer Brown (#15)
*"She Thinks That She'll Marry" - Judy Rodman (#9)
*"She Used To Be Somebody's Baby" - Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band (#2)
*"Since I Found You" - Sweethearts of the Rodeo (#7)
*"Slow Boat to China" - Girls Next Door (#8)
*"Somebody Wants Me Out of the Way" - George Jones (#9)
*"Sometimes a Lady" - Eddy Raven (#3)
*"Stand a Little Rain" - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#5)
*"Starting Over Again" - Steve Wariner (#4)
*"Sweeter and Sweeter" - Statler Brothers (#8)
*"Ten Feet Away" - Keith Whitley (#9)
*"That's How You Know When Love's Right" - Nicolette Larson with Steve Wariner (#9)
*"Then It's Love" - Don Williams (#3)
*"Til I Loved You" - Restless Heart (#10)
*"Too Many Times" - Earl Thomas Conley with Anita Pointer (#2)
*"Walk the Way the Wind Blows" - Kathy Mattea (#10)
*"We've Got a Good Fire Going" Don Williams (#2)
*"What Can I Do With My Heart?" - Juice Newton (#9)
*"What You'll Do When I'm Gone" - Waylon Jennings (#8)
*"When a Woman Cries" - Janie Fricke (#20)
*"When You Get to the Heart" - Barbara Mandrell with The Oak Ridge Boys (#19)
*"Will the Wolf Survive?" - Waylon Jennings (#5)
*"Wine Colored Roses" - George Jones (#10)
*"Working Without a Net" - Waylon Jennings (#7)
*"You Can't Stop Love" - SKO (#9)
*"You Made a Rock of a Rolling Stone" - The Oak Ridge Boys (#24)
*"Your Memory Ain't What it Used to Be" - Mickey Gilley (#5)
*"You're Something Special to Me" - George Strait (#4)

Top new album releases

* "7" — George Strait (MCA)
* "Greatest Hits" — Alabama (RCA)
* "Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc." — Dwight Yoakam (Reprise)
* "Holly Dunn" — Holly Dunn (MTM)
* "Life's Highway" — Steve Wariner (MCA)
* "Out Goin' Cattin'" — Sawyer Brown (Capitol/Curb)
* "Partners" — Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band (Columbia)
* "Shakin'" — Sawyer Brown (Capitol/Curb)
* "Storms of Life" — Randy Travis (Warner Bros.)
* "Straight to the Heart" — Crystal Gayle (Warner Bros.)
* "The Touch" — Alabama (RCA)
* "What Am I Gonna Do About You" — Reba McEntire (MCA)
* "Whoever's in New England" — Reba McEntire (MCA)

Other new album releases

*"Falling for You For Years" - Conway Twitty (Warner Bros.)
*"Four For the Show" - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)
*"A Friend in California" - Merle Haggard (Epic)
*"The Girls Next Door" - Girls Next Door (MTM/Capitol)
*"Heart of the Matter" - Kenny Rogers (RCA)
*"Howard & David" - Bellamy Brothers (Warner Bros./Curb)
*"Lost in the Fifties Tonight" – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
*"Moments" - Barbara Mandrell (MCA)
*"Seasons" - Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
*"Too Many Times" - Earl Thomas Conley (RCA)
*"Wine Colored Roses" - George Jones (Epic)

Christmas releases

*"Christmas Again" - Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
*"Christmas With Ronnie Milsap" – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
* "Merry Christmas Strait to You" — George Strait (MCA)

Gospel/Christian albums

*"Radio Gospel Favorites" - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)

On television

Regular series

* "Hee Haw" (1969-1993, syndicated)

pecials

Births

* June 28 — Kellie Pickler, former "American Idol" finalist and current country up-and-comer.
* August 16 — Ashton Shepherd, debuted in late 2007-early 2008 with her Top 30 single "Takin' Off This Pain"

Deaths

*June 20 - Whitey Ford, 85, beloved Grand Ole Opry comedian and storyteller.
*June 25 - Jenifer Strait, 13, daughter of George Strait (car accident).
*June 27 - Joe Maphis, 65, prolific guitarist and fiddler, prominently featured on the theme to "Bonanza" (cancer).
*December 5 - Carmol Taylor, 53, songwriter.

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

*The Duke of Paducah (1901-1986)
*Wesley Rose (1918-1990)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

*Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "Whoever's In New England" - Reba McEntire
*Best Country Vocal Solo Performance, Male -- "Lost In The Fifties Tonight" - Ronnie Milsap
*Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout The Good Old Days)" - Judds (Naomi Judd, Wynonna Judd)
*Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group Or Soloist) -- "Raisin' The Dickins" - Ricky Skaggs
*Best Country Song -- "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout The Good Old Days)" - Jamie O'Hara, songwriter

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer Of The Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
*Song Of The Year -- "On The Other Hand" - Randy Travis - Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz
*Single Of The Year -- "On The Other Hand" - Randy Travis
*Album Of The Year -- Storms of Life - Randy Travis
*Top Male Vocalist -- Randy Travis
*Top Female Vocalist -- Reba McEntire
*Top Vocal Duo -- The Judds
*Top Vocal Group -- Forester Sisters
*Top New Male Vocalist -- Dwight Yoakam
*Top New Female Vocalist -- Holly Dunn
*Video Of The Year -- "Whoever's In New England" - Reba McEntire (Directors: Jeff Schock and Jon Small)

Country Music Association

*Instrumental Group of the Year -- Oak Ridge Boys
*Instrumentalist of the Year -- Johnny Gimble
*Entertainer of the Year -- Reba McEntire
*Male Vocalist of the Year -- George Strait
*Female Vocalist of the Year -- Reba McEntire
*Horizon Award -- Randy Travis
*Vocal Group of the Year -- The Judds
*Vocal Duo of the Year -- Marie Osmond and Dan Seals
*Album of the Year -- Ronnie Milsap
*Song of the Year -- Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz
*Single of the Year -- Dan Seals
*Music Video of the Year -- "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?" - George Jones (Director: Marc Ball)

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]