2005 in country music

See also: 2004 in country music, 2005 in music, other events of 2005, 2006 in country music, 2000s in music and the List of years in Country Music

Events

• April 30 - Billboard magazine renames the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart "Hot Country Songs." The chart's renaming is part of a major redesign of the 110-year-old magazine.
• May 25 - Oklahoma-born Carrie Underwood becomes the fourth-season winner of "American Idol." Although her first single, "Inside Your Heaven," tops the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the 22-year-old Underwood's influences and music are predominantly country. Late in the year, she entered the top 10 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the first time with "Jesus Take the Wheel." Her debut album, Some Hearts, rockets to No. 1 on the album charts.
• May 25 - Garth Brooks proposes to longtime girlfriend and fellow country music star Trisha Yearwood in Bakersfield, California, ending long-standing speculation about their relationship.
• September 10 – ReAct Now: Music & Relief, a benefit concert to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, is held. Country music stars who perform during the 4 1/2-hour concert include Alan Jackson and Gretchen Wilson. The concert airs live on CMT.
• October - Koch Records Nashville folds when its parent company goes out of business.
• November 9 – After 27 years as host of "American Country Countdown," radio personality Bob Kingsley steps down, after his production company and ABC Radio Networks (which distributes the show) fail to come to terms in renegotiating a distribution agreement. Kix Brooks, one half of the superstar duo Brooks & Dunn, is named the new host and was slated to take over January 21, 2006. Kingsley's last shows with "ACC" are the December 24 countdown program and "Christmas in America."
• November 18 – The Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line, opens nationwide. The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as "The Man in Black" and Reese Witherspoon as his girlfriend (and wife-to-be) June Carter. The movie is widely praised by critics and a major box office hit.
• November 25 - Garth Brooks releases The Limited Series, his second box set to be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores. The set contains his previous two studio albums, Sevens and Scarecrow; plus his Double Live album; The Lost Sessions, a new album of previously unreleased material; and an All Access DVD containing behind-the-scenes footage of his concerts. The Limited Series is Brooks' first box set to be released under his new label, Pearl Records; he had left his longtime label, Capitol Records, earlier in the year.
• December 5 - Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood marry at their home in Oklahoma. It is Brooks' second marriage, Yearwood's third.
• December 31 – Bob Kingsley's new countdown program, "Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40," premieres with the annual year-end countdown. The new four-hour show, which aired on many of the same stations that aired "ACC," is distributed by the Jones Radio Network.

No dates

• Mindy McCready endures a rough year, with stories about her personal and legal problems making headlines. They include violent run-ins with her ex-boyfriend, Billy McKnight; various crimes she had been charged with (including fraud, prescription drug crimes, driving under the influence and probation violation) and at least two suicide attempts. Late in the year, Mindy spoke about her problems on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live.
• Toby Keith, the flagship artist for DreamWorks Nashville, departs to form his own label, Show Dog Nashville. DreamWorks – which had never really lived up to its expectations – is shut down shortly thereafter by its parent company, Universal Music Group.
• The Country Music Association announces a new TV deal to move the CMA Awards to ABC, after years of being broadcast on CBS.
• Tammy Genovese becomes the head of the Country Music Association, succeeding Ed Benson.
• Country music icon George Jones marks his 50th year in country music.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

(As certified by Billboard magazine)

Date	Song Name	Artist	Wks. No. 1	Spec. Note
January 22	Awful, Beautiful Life	Darryl Worley	2	A
February 5	Mud on the Tires	Brad Paisley	1
February 12	Bless the Broken Road	Rascal Flatts	5
March 19	Nothin' to Lose	Josh Gracin	1	B
March 26	That's What I Love About Sunday	Craig Morgan	4	1, A
April 23	Anything But Mine	Kenny Chesney	2
May 7	It's Getting Better All the Time	Brooks & Dunn	1
May 14	My Give a Damn's Busted	Jo Dee Messina	2	A
May 28	Making Memories of Us	Keith Urban	5
July 2	Fast Cars and Freedom	Rascal Flatts	3
July 23	As Good As I Once Was	Toby Keith	6	A
September 3	Mississippi Girl	Faith Hill	2	A
September 17	Play Something Country	Brooks & Dunn	1	A
September 24	A Real Fine Place to Start	Sara Evans	2	A
October 8	Something to Be Proud Of	Montgomery Gentry	2	A
October 22	Better Life	Keith Urban	6	A
December 3	Come a Little Closer	Dierks Bentley	3	2
December 17	Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off	Joe Nichols	1	A
December 31	Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right	Billy Currington	2	B

• ¹ – No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard magazine.
• ² – Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
• ^A - Last Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.
• ^B - Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.

Other major hits

• "Alcohol" - Brad Paisley (#4)
• "All Jacked Up" – Gretchen Wilson (#8)^A
• "Arlington" – Trace Adkins (#16)
• "Baby Girl" - Sugarland (#2)
• "Best I Ever Had" – Gary Allan (#7)
• "Big Blue Note" – Toby Keith (#5)
• "Big Time" - Big & Rich (#20)
• "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" – Neal McCoy (#10)
• "Boondocks" – Little Big Town (#9)
• "Comin' To Your City" - Big & Rich (#21)
• "Do You Want Fries With That" - Tim McGraw (#5)
• "Don't Ask Me How I Know" - Bobby Pinson (#16)
• "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing" - SHeDAISY (#7)
• "Drugs or Jesus" - Tim McGraw (#14)
• "Georgia Rain" - Trisha Yearwood (#15)
• "Gone" - Montgomery Gentry (#3)
• "Good Ride Cowboy" – Garth Brooks (#3) ^B
• "Goodbye Time" - Blake Shelton (#10)
• "He Gets That From Me" - Reba McEntire (#7)
• "Help Somebody" - Van Zant (#8)
• "Hicktown" – Jason Aldean (#10)
• "Homewrecker" - Gretchen Wilson (#2)
• "Honkytonk U" - Toby Keith (#8)
• "How Am I Doin'" – Dierks Bentley (#4)
• "How Do You Get That Lonely" - Blaine Larsen (#17)
• "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" - Lee Ann Womack (#10)
• "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" – Martina McBride (#18)
• "I'll Take That as a Yes (The Hot Tub Song)" - Phil Vassar (#17)
• "If Heaven" - Andy Griggs (#5)
• "If Something Should Happen" - Darryl Worley (#9)
• "Keg in the Closet" - Kenny Chesney (#6)
• "Let Them Be Little" - Billy Dean (#8)
• "Long, Slow Kisses" - Jeff Bates (#17)
• "Lot Of Leavin' Left to Do" - Dierks Bentley (#3)
• "Monday Morning Church" - Alan Jackson (#5)
• "My Sister" - Reba McEntire (#16)
• "Nothing 'Bout Love Makes Sense" - LeAnn Rimes (#5)
• "Pickin' Wildflowers" - Keith Anderson (#8)
• "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way" - LeAnn Rimes (#3)
• "Redneck Yacht Club" – Craig Morgan (#2)
• "Skin (Sarabeth)" – Rascal Flatts (#2)
• "Somebody's Hero" – Jamie O'Neal (#3)
• "Something More" - Sugarland (#2)
• "Songs About Me" - Trace Adkins (#2)
• "Stay With Me (Brass Bed)" – Josh Gracin (#5)
• "The Talkin' Song Repair Blues" - Alan Jackson (#18)
• "USA Today" – Alan Jackson (#18)
• "What's a Guy Gotta Do" - Joe Nichols (#4)
• "When I Think About Cheatin'" - Gretchen Wilson (#4)
• "Who You'd Be Today" - Kenny Chesney (#2)
• "You'll Be There" - George Strait (#4)^C
• "You're Like Comin' Home" – Lonestar (#8)
• "You're My Better Half" - Keith Urban (#2)

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• ^A – "All Jacked Up" entered the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart at #21, setting a new record for highest debut on the Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist. The previous record holder was Shania Twain, whose "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" entered at #24 in 2002.
• ^B - "Good Ride Cowboy" debuted at #18, tying the record for highest debut by any artist on the Hot Country Songs chart; this record has since been broken by Keith Urban.
• ^C – "You'll Be There" was George Strait's highest debuting single on the Hot Country Singles Chart, entering at #30, a record since tied by "It Just Comes Natural".

Top new album releases

Gallery

• The Legend of Johnny Cash Johnny Cash (Island/American/Columbia/Legacy)
  The Legend of Johnny Cash
  Johnny Cash
  (Island/American/Columbia/Legacy)
• 
  III
  Joe Nichols
  (Universal South)
• All Jacked Up Gretchen Wilson (Epic)
  All Jacked Up
  Gretchen Wilson
  (Epic)
• Anywhere But Here Chris Cagle (Capitol)
  Anywhere But Here
  Chris Cagle
  (Capitol)
• Chicago Wind Merle Haggard (Capitol Nashville)
  Chicago Wind
  Merle Haggard
  (Capitol Nashville)
• Doin' Somethin' Right Billy Currington (Mercury Nashville)
  Doin' Somethin' Right
  Billy Currington
  (Mercury Nashville)
• 
  Fireflies
  Faith Hill
  (Warner Bros.)
• Honkytonk University Toby Keith (DreamWorks Nashville)
  Honkytonk University
  Toby Keith
  (DreamWorks Nashville)
• Hits I Missed...And One I Didn't George Jones (Bandit)
  Hits I Missed...And One I Didn't
  George Jones
  (Bandit)
• 
  Jasper County
  Trisha Yearwood
  (MCA Nashville)
• Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (Broken Bow)
  Jason Aldean
  Jason Aldean
  (Broken Bow)
• 
  Kerosene
  Miranda Lambert
  (Epic)
• Loco Motive Cowboy Troy (Raybraw/Warner Bros.)
  Loco Motive
  Cowboy Troy
  (Raybraw/Warner Bros.)
• 
  Put The "O" Back In Country
  Shooter Jennings
  (Universal South)
• Real Fine Place Sara Evans (RCA)
  Real Fine Place
  Sara Evans
  (RCA)
• The Right to Bare Arms Larry the Cable Guy (Warner Bros.)
  The Right to Bare Arms
  Larry the Cable Guy
  (Warner Bros.)
• 
  Reba's #1's
  Reba McEntire
  (MCA Nashville)
• 
  The Road and the Radio
  Kenny Chesney
  (BNA)
• 
  Somewhere Down in Texas
  George Strait
  (MCA Nashville)
• Some Hearts Carrie Underwood (Arista Nashville)
  Some Hearts
  Carrie Underwood
  (Arista Nashville)
• 
  This Woman
  LeAnn Rimes
  (Curb)
• 
  Time Well Wasted
  Brad Paisley
  (Arista Nashville)
• 
  Timeless
  Martina McBride
  (RCA)
• 
  Tough All Over
  Gary Allan
  (MCA Nashville)

Other top album releases

• Be As You Are: Songs From An Old Blue Chair -- Kenny Chesney (BNA)
• Coming Home – Lonestar (BNA)
• Delicious Surprise -- Jo Dee Messina (Curb)
• Get Right With The Man -- Van Zant (Columbia/Sony)
• Glory Train: Songs Of Faith, Worship And Praise – Randy Travis (Word/Curb)
• Hillbilly Deluxe – Brooks & Dunn (Arista Nashville)
• Modern Day Drifter -- Dierks Bentley (Capitol)
• My Kind of Livin' – Craig Morgan (Broken Bow)
• The Road to Here – Little Big Town (Equity)
• Songs About Me -- Trace Adkins (Capitol)
• That's Life – Neal McCoy (903 Music)
• Then & Now: The Hits Collection – Tracy Lawrence (Mercury/Polygram)
• Those Were the Days – Dolly Parton (Blue Eye/Sugar Hill)
• Three Chord Country And American Rock & Roll – Keith Anderson (Arista Nashville)
• Totally Country Vol. 4 -- Various Artists (Sony/BMG/WEA/Universal)

Deaths

• February 6 — Merle Kilgore, 70, prolific songwriter ("Wolverton Mountain," "Ring of Fire") and manager of Hank Williams Jr. (cancer)
• February 12 — Sammi Smith, 61, best known for "Help Me Make it Through the Night."
• March 2 — Joe Carter, 78, son of A.P. and Sara Carter.
• March 9 — Chris LeDoux, 56, world champion bareback rider who sang about the rodeo circuit and cowboy life.
• May 14 — Jimmy Martin, 77, the "King of Bluegrass."
• August 16 – Vassar Clements, 77, legendary fiddle player. (cancer)

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

• Alabama (Randy Owen (born 1949); Teddy Gentry (born 1952); Jeff Cook (born 1949); and Mark Herndon (born 1955)).
• DeFord Bailey (1899-1982)
• Glen Campbell (born 1936)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

• Best Female Country Vocal Performance -- "Redneck Woman," Gretchen Wilson.
• Best Male Country Vocal Performance -- "Live Like You Were Dying," Tim McGraw.
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal -- "Top of the World" (live recording), Dixie Chicks.
• Best Country Collaboration with Vocals -- "Portland, Oregon," Loretta Lynn and Jack White.
• Best Country Instrumental Performance -- "Earl's Breakdown," Nitty Gritty Dirt Band featuring Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Vassar Clements and Jerry Douglas.
• Best Country Song -- "Live Like You Were Dying," Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman.
• Best Country Album -- Van Lear Rose, Loretta Lynn.
• Best Bluegrass Album -- Brand New Strings, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder.

Academy of Country Music

(presented May 17 in Las Vegas)

• Entertainer of the Year -- Kenny Chesney
• Top Male Vocalist -- Keith Urban
• Top Female Vocalist -- Gretchen Wilson
• Top New Artist -- Gretchen Wilson
• Top Vocal Group -- Rascal Flatts
• Top Vocal Duo -- Brooks & Dunn
• Vocal Event of the Year -- "Whiskey Lullaby", Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss
• Single of the Year -- "Live Like You Were Dying", Tim McGraw
• Song of the Year -- "Live Like You Were Dying", Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman
• Album of the Year -- Be Here, Keith Urban
• Video of the Year -- "Whiskey Lullaby", Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss (director: Rick Schroder).
• ACM/Home Depot Humanitarian of the Year -- Neal McCoy

Country Music Association

(presented November 15 in New York City)

• Entertainer of the Year -- Keith Urban
• Male Vocalist of the Year -- Keith Urban
• Female Vocalist of the Year -- Gretchen Wilson
• Horizon Award -- Dierks Bentley
• Vocal Group of the Year -- Rascal Flatts
• Vocal Duo of the Year -- Brooks & Dunn
• Vocal Event of the Year -- "Good News, Bad News" George Strait and Lee Ann Womack
• Single of the Year -- "I May Hate Myself in the Morning", Lee Ann Womack
• Song of the Year -- "Whiskey Lullaby", Bill Anderson and Jon Randall
• Album of the Year -- There's More Where That Came From, Lee Ann Womack
• Video of the Year -- "As Good As I Once Was" Toby Keith (Director: Michael Salomon)
• Musician of the Year -- Jerry Douglas

Sources

• Stark, Phyllis, "Toby Keith topped country charts, shook up Music Row," Billboard magazine, December 24, 2005, p. YE-18.

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
• Announcement of 2005 Country Music Association Hall of Fame inductees