1985 in country music
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (May 2015) |
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1985.
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Events
- January — In radio, the United Stations Programming Network’s "Solid Gold Country," a country music spinoff of the oldies-focused "Solid Gold Scrapbook," switches from a three-hour-a-week show to a five-day-a-week program (with the option to air all five hours in as a weekly program). Under the new format, each hourly program covered a different topic, such as a profile on a singer, songwriter or producer; a look back at the popular songs from the current week in a past year, gold records from the current month and other topics under virtually every conceivable topic. The new program will run 8-1/2 years.
- May 8 - 20th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama, George Strait, and Reba McEntire win
- A story published in The New York Times declares that country music is "dead." However, a number of new acts – Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam among them – are working behind the scenes to change the trend.
- The Country Music Association Awards introduced a new award, Music Video of the Year. The first recipient was Hank Williams Jr.'s video for "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight."
Top hits of the year
Singles released by American artists
Singles released by Canadian artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 12 | Blue Moon Cafe | Albert Hall |
| — | 13 | Counting the I Love Yous | Terry Carisse |
| 73 | 10 | Heaven Knows | Audie Henry |
| — | 12 | Hold On to What You Got | Gilles Godard |
| 7 | 4 | I Don't Think I'm Ready for You | Anne Murray |
| — | 18 | I Just Didn't Love You Very Well | John Winters |
| — | 9 | I'll Take Her Love Anytime | George Carone |
| — | 10 | I'm Glad We're Bad at Something | Ronnie Prophet & Glory-Anne Carriere |
| — | 9 | If You Can't Stand the Heat | Carroll Baker |
| 95 | 5 | It Always Hurts the First Time | Carroll Baker |
| — | 19 | The Loneliest Star in Texas | Terry Sumsion |
| — | 7 | Love Is the Reason | Mercey Brothers |
| — | 9 | Magic in the Music | C-Weed Band |
| — | 11 | She Saves Her Love for Me | Stoker Bros |
| — | 18 | She's No Lady | Paul Weber |
| — | 17 | Sonny's Dream | Valdy |
| — | 10 | Sweet Blue | Terry Carisse |
| 71 | 10 | Sweet Salvation | Audie Henry |
| — | 10 | Take Me Home Mississippi | Jamie Warren |
| — | 15 | That's When You Know It's Over | Terry Sumsion |
| 2 | 1 | Time Don't Run Out on Me | Anne Murray |
| — | 17 | Two Broken Hearts | Terry Carisse |
| — | 12 | We Can Only Pretend | George Carone |
| — | 7 | We Won't Ever Say Goodbye | Gilles Godard |
| — | 10 | You Lifted Me High Enough | Mercey Brothers |
Top new album releases
Other top albums
| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 12 Greatest Hits | Patsy Cline | MCA |
| 50 | 19 Hot Country Requests | Various Artists | Epic |
| 59 | 19 Hot Country Requests–Vol. 2 | Various Artists | Epic |
| 33 | Atlanta | Atlanta | MCA |
| 61 | The Bama Band | The Bama Band | Compleat |
| 29 | The Best of Reba McEntire | Reba McEntire | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 39 | Big River–The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn |
Various Artists | MCA |
| 39 | Biggest Hits | Charly McClain | Epic |
| 33 | Can't Run Away from Your Heart | Lacy J. Dalton | Columbia |
| 29 | Chasin' Rainbows | Conway Twitty | Warner Bros. |
| 42 | Christmas Present | The Statler Brothers | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 29 | Christmas to Christmas | Lee Greenwood | MCA |
| 38 | Cut from a Different Stone | Razzy Bailey | MCA |
| 40 | Dallas–The Music Story | Various Artists | Warner Bros. |
| 28 | Don't Make Me Wait on the Moon | Shelly West | Viva |
| 64 | Dreamland Express | John Denver | RCA |
| 34 | Eddie Rabbitt #1's | Eddie Rabbitt | Warner Bros. |
| 42 | From My Heart | Kathy Mattea | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 27 | Greatest Hits | Barbara Mandrell | MCA |
| 33 | Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | John Conlee | MCA |
| 60 | Greatest Hits, Volume 2 | Charley Pride | RCA |
| 60 | Greatest Hits Vol. IV | Don Williams | MCA |
| 27 | Have I Got a Deal for You | Reba McEntire | MCA |
| 38 | His Best | Merle Haggard | MCA |
| 40 | I Feel Good (About Lovin' You) | Mickey Gilley | Epic |
| 32 | It's Just a Matter of Time | Glen Campbell | Atlantic America |
| 49 | John McEuen | John McEuen | Warner Bros. |
| 63 | Just a Woman | Loretta Lynn | MCA |
| 36 | Keep Me Hangin' On | Johnny Lee | Warner Bros. |
| 45 | Keith Stegall | Keith Stegall | Epic |
| 55 | Lane Brody | Lane Brody | Capitol |
| 53 | Live! At Gilley's | Mickey Gilley | Epic |
| 26 | Livin' on the Edge | T. G. Sheppard | Columbia |
| 62 | Lone Justice | Lone Justice | Geffen |
| 64 | Love and Other Hard Times | Eddy Raven | RCA |
| 60 | Maybe My Baby | Louise Mandrell | RCA |
| 27 | Me and the Boys | The Charlie Daniels Band | Epic |
| 35 | Memories to Burn | Gene Watson | Epic |
| 55 | Music from Rustler's Rhapsody and Other Songs |
Various Artists | Warner Bros. |
| 58 | Old Friends | Terri Gibbs | Warner Bros. |
| 40 | Past the Point of No Return | Jim Glaser | MCA/Noble Vision |
| 48 | ...Say When | Nicolette Larson | MCA |
| 35 | Smile | Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers | Columbia |
| 32 | Sometimes When We Touch | Tammy Wynette | Epic |
| 63 | Song in a Seashell | Tom T. Hall | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 27 | Songs You Know by Heart | Jimmy Buffett | MCA |
| 42 | The Spirit of Christmas | Ray Charles | Columbia |
| 54 | T. G. Sheppard | T. G. Sheppard | Warner Bros. |
| 54 | Tender Loving Care | Tom Jones | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 45 | Tennessee Christmas | Various Artists | MCA |
| 63 | The Things That Matter | Vince Gill | RCA |
| 48 | Till I Made It with You | Mac Davis | MCA |
| 31 | Time Stood Still | Vern Gosdin | Compleat |
| 27 | Two Heart Harmony | The Kendalls | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 49 | Unchained | David Allan Coe | Columbia |
| 33 | The Very Best of Janie | Janie Fricke | Columbia |
| 64 | Wall of Tears | Gus Hardin | RCA |
| 52 | Where's the Fire | Leon Everette | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 42 | Whole New World | The Whites | MCA |
On television
Regular series
- Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)
- That Nashville Music (1970–1985, syndicated)
Specials
Births
- January 20 – Brantley Gilbert, singer of the 2010s best known for "Country Must Be Country Wide" and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do"
- May 20 – Jon Pardi, country singer of the 2010s
- June 12 – Chris Young, winner on the fourth season of Nashville Star
- August 26 – Brian Kelley, member of Florida Georgia Line, a duo of the 2010s.
- September 1 — Charlie Worsham, singer/multi-instrumentalist honored by the Mississippi state senate[1]
- September 19 — Chase Rice, country singer of the 2010s
Deaths
- July 17 – Wynn Stewart, 51, key progenitor of the Bakersfield sound, known for hits such as "It's Such a Pretty World Today" (heart attack)
- August 8 – Benny Barnes, 51, former rhythm guitarist for George Jones, best known for his 1956 hit "Poor Man's Riches"[2]
- October 11 -- Tex Williams, 68, Western swing and talking blues performer best known for "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" (pancreatic cancer)
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Flatt and Scruggs (Lester Flatt 1914–1979 and Earl Scruggs 1924–2012)
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Major awards
Grammy Awards
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", Rosanne Cash
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "Lost in the Fifties Tonight", Ronnie Milsap
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Why Not Me" The Judds
- Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Cosmic Square Dance", Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler
- Best Country Song — "Highwayman," Jimmy Webb (Performer: The Highwaymen)
Juno Awards
- Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Murray McLauchlan
- Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Anne Murray
- Country Group or Duo of the Year — Family Brown
Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer of the Year — Alabama
- Song of the Year — "Lost in the Fifties Tonight", Fred Parris, Mike Reid and Troy Seals (Performer: Ronnie Milsap)
- Single of the Year — "Highwayman", The Highwaymen
- Album of the Year — Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, George Strait
- Top Male Vocalist — George Strait
- Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
- Top Vocal Duo — The Judds
- Top Vocal Group — Alabama
- Top New Male Vocalist — Randy Travis
- Top New Female Vocalist — Judy Rodman
- Video of the Year — "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?", George Jones (Directors: Marc Ball)
Canadian Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — Dick Damron
- Male Artist of the Year — Terry Carisse
- Female Artist of the Year — Carroll Baker
- Group of the Year — The Mercey Brothers
- SOCAN Song of the Year — "Counting the I Love You's", Terry Carisse, Bruce Rawlins (Performer: Terry Carisse)
- Single of the Year — "Riding on the Wind", Gary Fjellgaard
- Album of the Year — Closest Thing to You, Terry Carisse
- Top Selling Album — Once Upon a Christmas, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
- Vista Rising Star Award — Ginny Mitchell
- Duo of the Year — Anita Perras and Tim Taylor
Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — Ricky Skaggs
- Song of the Year — "God Bless the USA", Lee Greenwood (Performer: Lee Greenwood)
- Single of the Year — "Why Not Me", The Judds
- Album of the Year — Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, George Strait
- Male Vocalist of the Year — George Strait
- Female Vocalist of the Year — Reba McEntire
- Vocal Duo of the Year — Dave Loggins and Anne Murray
- Vocal Group of the Year — The Judds
- Horizon Award — Sawyer Brown
- Music Video of the Year — "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight", Hank Williams Jr. (Director: John Goodhue)
- Instrumentalist of the Year — Chet Atkins
- Instrumental Group of the Year — Ricky Skaggs Band
See also
References
- ^ "HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 44" (PDF). Billstatus.ls.state.ms.us. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 44. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
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 (ISBN 978-0679435563)
- 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 (ISBN 978-0898201659)