1983 in country music
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See also: 1982 in country music, 1983 in music, other events of 1983, 1984 in country music, 1980s in music and the List of years in Country Music
Contents |
[edit] Events
- March — In a span of two days, two major cable networks signed on the air. Country Music Television (aka CMT) went on-the-air March 6, while The Nashville Network (TNN) came on one day later. CMT was chiefly video-oriented, while TNN offered more feature-oriented programming.
[edit] Top hits of the year
[edit] Number one hits
(As certified by Billboard magazine)
- January 8 - "Can't Even Get the Blues" - Reba McEntire
- January 15 - "Going Where the Lonely Go" - Merle Haggard
- January 22 - "(Lost His Love) On Our Last Date" - Emmylou Harris
- January 29 - "Talk to Me" - Mickey Gilley
- February 5 - "Inside" - Ronnie Milsap
- February 12 - "'Til I Gain Control Again" - Crystal Gayle
- February 19 - "Fakin' Love" - T.G. Sheppard and Karen Brooks
- February 26 - "Why Baby Why" - Charley Pride
- March 5 - "If Hollywood Don't Need You (Honey I Still Do)" - Don Williams
- March 12 - "The Rose" - Conway Twitty
- March 19 - "I Wouldn't Change You If I Could" - Ricky Skaggs
- March 26 - "Swingin'" - John Anderson
- April 2 - "When I'm Away From You" - Bellamy Brothers
- April 9 - "We've Got Tonight" - Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton
- April 16 - "Dixieland Delight" - Alabama
- April 23 - "American Made" - Oak Ridge Boys
- April 30 - "You're The First Time I've Thought About Leaving" - Reba McEntire
- May 7 - "Jose Cuervo" - Shelly West
- May 14 - "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" - B.J. Thomas
- May 21 - "Common Man" - John Conlee
- May 28 - "You Take Me for Granted" - Merle Haggard
- June 4 - "Lucille (You Won't Do Your Daddy's Will)" - Waylon Jennings
- June 11 - "Our Love is on the Faultline" - Crystal Gayle
- June 18 - "You Can't Run From Love" - Eddie Rabbitt
- June 25 - "Fool For Your Love" - Mickey Gilley
- July 2 - "Love is on a Roll" - Don Williams
- July 9 - "Highway 40 Blues" - Ricky Skaggs
- July 16 - "The Closer You Get" - Alabama
- July 23 - "Pancho and Lefty" - Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
- July 30 - "I Always Get Lucky With You" - George Jones
- August 6 - "Your Love's on the Line" - Earl Thomas Conley
- August 13 - "He's a Heartache (Looking For a Place to Happen)" - Janie Fricke
- August 20 - "Love Song" - Oak Ridge Boys
- August 27 - "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation" - Ronnie McDowell
- September 3 - "A Fire I Can't Put Out" - George Strait
- September 10 - "I'm Only in It For the Love" - John Conlee
- September 17 - "Night Games" - Charley Pride
- September 24 - "Baby, What About You" - Crystal Gayle
- October 1 - "New Looks From an Old Lover" - B.J. Thomas
- October 8 - "Don't You Know How Much I Love You" - Ronnie Milsap
- October 15 - "Paradise Tonight" - Charly McClain and Mickey Gilley
- October 22 - "Lady Down on Love" - Alabama
- October 29 - "Islands in the Stream" - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
- November 12 - "Somebody's Gonna Love You" - Lee Greenwood
- November 19 - "One of a Kind, Pair of Fools" - Barbara Mandrell
- November 26 - "Holding Her and Loving You" - Earl Thomas Conley
- December 3 - "A Little Good News" - Anne Murray
- December 10 - "Tell Me a Lie" - Janie Fricke
- December 17 - "Black Sheep" - John Anderson
- December 24 - "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" - Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers
[edit] Other major hits
- "Amarillo By Morning" – George Strait
- "Baby I Lied" - Deborah Allen
- "The Conversation" - Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr.
- "Don't Count the Rainy Days" - Michael Martin Murphey
- "Everything's Beautiful in its Own Way" – Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson
- "Flight 309 to Tennessee" – Shelly West
- "Foolin'" – Johnny Rodriguez
- "Going Downhill" - John Anderson
- "Hard Candy Christmas" - Dolly Parton
- "Hey Bartender" – Johnny Lee
- "How Could I Love Her So Much" – Johnny Rodriguez
- "I.O.U." – Lee Greenwood
- "I Have Loved You Girl (But Not Like This Before)" – Earl Thomas Conley
- "I Love Her Mind" – Bellamy Brothers
- "Leave Them Boys Alone" - Hank Williams Jr. (with Waylon Jennings and Ernest Tubb)
- "Lost in the Feeling" - Conway Twitty
- "Love Affairs" - Michael Martin Murphey
- "The Love She Found in Me" - Gary Morris
- "Midnight Fire" – Steve Wariner
- "Nobody But You" – Don Williams
- "Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely)" – Statler Brothers
- "The Ride" – David Allen Coe
- "Save Me" - Louise Mandrell
- "Scarlet Fever" – Kenny Rogers
- "Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love On Me)" – George Jones
- "Snapshot" – Sylvia
- "Still Takin' Chances" – Michael Martin Murphey
- "Stranger in My House" – Ronnie Milsap
- "Tennessee Whiskey" – George Jones
- "Touch Me (I'll Be Your Fool Once More)" - Tom Jones
- "Velvet Chains" - Gary Morris
- "Way Down Deep" - Vern Gosdin
- "What Am I Gonna Do (With the Rest of My Life)" – Merle Haggard
- "What She Don't Know Won't Hurt Her" – Gene Watson
- "Why Do We Want What We Know We Can't Have" - Reba McEntire
- "The Wind Beneath My Wings" – Gary Morris
- "You Don't Know Love" - Janie Fricke
- "You Put the Beat in My Heart" - Eddie Rabbitt
- "You've Got a Lover" – Ricky Skaggs
- "Your Love Shines Through" - Mickey Gilley
[edit] Top new album releases
- All the People Are Talkin' - John Anderson (Warner Bros.)
- American Made – Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
- Burlap & Satin - Dolly Parton (RCA)
- Cage the Songbird - Crystal Gayle (Warner Bros.)
- Cheat the Night - Deborah Allen (RCA)
- The Closer You Get – Alabama (RCA)
- Don't Cheat in Our Hometown – Ricky Skaggs (Sugar Hill)
- Don't Let Our Dreams Die Young - Tom Jones (Mercury/Polygram)
- Don't Make it Easy for Me – Earl Thomas Conley (RCA)
- The Epic Collection (Recorded Live) - Merle Haggard (MCA)
- Even the Strong Get Lonely – Tammy Wynette (Epic/Sony)
- Exile - Exile (Epic/Sony)
- Eyes That See In The Dark – Kenny Rogers (RCA)
- For Every Rose - Johnny Rodriguez (Epic)
- The Great American Dream - B.J. Thomas (Cleveland International/Columbia)
- Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - The Gatlin Brothers (Columbia)
- Greatest Hits Vol. II - Eddie Rabbitt (Warner Bros.)
- Hangin' Up My Heart - Sissy Spacek (Atlantic)
- The Heart Never Lies - Michael Martin Murphey (Liberty)
- Heart to Heart – Merle Haggard (Epic/CBS)
- If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do it Right) - Vern Gosdin (Compleat)
- In My Eyes - John Conlee (MCA)
- John Conlee's Greatest Hits - John Conlee (MCA)
- Jones Country - George Jones (Epic)
- Keyed Up – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
- Let's Go - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Liberty)
- A Little Good News – Anne Murray (Capitol)
- Lost in the Feeling – Conway Twitty (Warner Bros.)
- Love Lies - Janie Fricke (Epic)
- The Man in the Mirror - Jim Glaser (Noblevision)
- Man of Steel - Hank Williams Jr. (Warner Bros./Curb)
- Memory Lane - Joe Stampley (Epic)
- Midnight Fire - Steve Wariner (RCA)
- Movin' Train - The Kendalls (Mercury/Polygram)
- Night Games - Charley Pride (RCA)
- Not the Man I Used to Be - Boxcar Willie (Mainstreet)
- Old Familiar Feeling - The Whites (Warner Bros.)
- Pancho & Lefty – Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson (Epic/CBS)
- Rebel Heart - Dan Seals (Liberty)
- Right or Wrong - George Strait (MCA)
- Shine On – George Jones (Epic/CBS)
- Slow Burn - T. G. Sheppard (Warner Bros./Curb)
- Somebody's Gonna Love You - Lee Greenwood (MCA)
- Spun Gold - Barbara Mandrell (MCA)
- Take it to the Limit - Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson (RCA)
- That's the Way Love Goes - Merle Haggard (Epic/CBS)
- Today - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)
- Tougher Than Leather – Willie Nelson (Columbia/CBS)
- Waylon and Company - Waylon Jennings (RCA)
- We've Got Tonight – Kenny Rogers (Liberty)
- What Can I Say - Gail Davies (Warner Bros.)
- White Shoes - Emmylou Harris (Reprise)
- Why Lady Why - Gary Morris (Warner Bros.)
- Without a Song – Willie Nelson (Columbia/Sony)
- You've Really Got a Hold on Me - Mickey Gilley (Epic)
[edit] Christmas Albums
- Merry Twismas From Conway Twitty and His Friends - Conway Twitty (Warner Bros.)
[edit] On television
[edit] Regular series
- Hee Haw (1969-1993, syndicated)
[edit] Specials
[edit] Births
- March 10 – Carrie Underwood, 2005 American Idol winner, boosting her career.
- July 2 – Michelle Branch, member of The Wreckers.
- November 10 – Miranda Lambert, hot new country singer-songwriter and former "Nashville Star" contestant.
- December 29 – Jessica Andrews, popular teen singer of the early 2000s.
[edit] Deaths
[edit] Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
- Little Jimmy Dickens (born 1920)
[edit] Major Awards
[edit] Grammy awards
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "A Little Good News" - Anne Murray
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "I.O.U." - Lee Greenwood
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "The Closer You Get" Alabama
- Best Country Instrumental Performance -- "Fireball" New South (J.D. Crowe, Jerry Douglas, Todd Philips, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs)
- Best New Country Song -- "Stranger In My House" Mike Reid, songwriter
[edit] Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer Of The Year -- Alabama
- Song Of The Year -- "The Wind Beneath My Wings" - Gary Morris - Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar
- Single Of The Year -- "Islands In The Stream" - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
- Album Of The Year -- The Closer You Get - Alabama
- Top Male Vocalist -- Lee Greenwood
- Top Female Vocalist -- Janie Fricke
- Top Vocal Duo -- Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
- Top Vocal Group -- Alabama
- Top New Male Vocalist -- Jim Glaser
- Top New Female Vocalist -- Gus Hardin
[edit] Country Music Association
- Instrumental Group of the Year -- Ricky Skaggs Band
- Instrumentalist of the Year -- Chet Atkins
- Entertainer of the Year -- Alabama
- Male Vocalist of the Year -- Lee Greenwood
- Female Vocalist of the Year -- Janie Fricke
- Horizon Award -- John Anderson
- Vocal Group of the Year -- Alabama
- Vocal Duo of the Year -- Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson
- Album of the Year -- Alabama
- Song of the Year -- Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James
- Single of the Year -- John Anderson
[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.
