1966 in country music
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See also: 1965 in country music, 1966 in music, other events of 1966, 1967 in country music and the List of years in Country Music
Contents |
[edit] Events
- March 15 – Roger Miller wins six Grammy Awards, five of them related to his hit "King of the Road". The Statler Brothers take two awards for "Flowers on the Wall".
- April - One of the last broadcasts of The Jimmy Dean Show features the first-ever Academy of Country Music awards. Big winners include Male Vocalist of the Year Buck Owens, Female Vocalist Bonnie Owens, and New Male Vocalist Merle Haggard; Haggard also shared the Vocal Duet/Group award with Bonnie Owens. Taped for later broadcast that year, the ACM Awards would in time become among the most anticipated events of the year by country fans.
- October 15 — Billboard magazine increases the length of its Hot Country Singles chart to 75 positions, up from 50.
- October 22 - At age 48, Eddy Arnold becomes the youngest (to that time) living inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
[edit] Top hits of the year
[edit] Number one hits
(As certified by Billboard magazine)
- January 8 - "Giddyup Go" - Red Sovine
- February 19 - "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line/ In The Palm Of Your Hand" - Buck Owens and the Buckaroos
- April 9 - "I Want to Go With You" - Eddy Arnold
- May 21 - "Distant Drums" - Jim Reeves
- June 18 - "Take Good Care of Her" - Sonny James
- July 2 - "Think of Me" - Buck Owens and the Buckaroos
- August 13 - "Almost Persuaded" - David Houston
- October 15 - "Blue Side of Lonesome" - Jim Reeves
- October 22 - "Open Up Your Heart" - Buck Owens and the Buckaroos
- November 19 - "I Get the Fever" - Bill Anderson
- November 26 - "Somebody Like Me" - Eddy Arnold
- December 24 - "There Goes My Everything" - Jack Greene
[edit] Other major hits
- "Ain't Had No Lovin'" - Connie Smith
- "Baby" - Wilma Burgess
- "Bad Seed" - Jan Howard
- "Ballad of the Green Berets" - Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler
- "The Bottle Let Me Down" - Merle Haggard
- "The Company You Keep" - Bill Phillips
- "Crystal Chandelier" — Charley Pride
- "Dear Uncle Sam" - Loretta Lynn
- "Don't Touch Me" - Wilma Burgess
- "Don't Touch Me" - Jeannie Seely
- "England Swings" - Roger Miller
- "Evil on Your Mind" - Jan Howard
- "Flowers on the Wall" - Statler Brothers
- "Four-O-Thirty-Three" - George Jones
- "Guess My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Heart" - Conway Twitty
- "History Repeats Itself" - Buddy Starcher
- "The Hurtin's All Over" - Connie Smith
- "Husbands and Wives" - Roger Miller
- "I Love You Drops" - Bill Anderson
- "I'm a People" - George Jones
- "It Takes A Lot Of Money" - Warner Mack
- "The Last Word in Lonesome is Me" - Eddy Arnold
- "Livin' in a House Full of Love" - David Houston
- "Look Into My Teardrops" - Conway Twitty
- "The Lovin' Machine" - Johnny Paycheck
- "A Million and One" - Billy Walker
- "Misty Blue" - Wilma Burgess
- "Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You)" - Connie Smith
- "The One on the Right is on the Left" - Johnny Cash
- "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" - Bill Phillips
- "Room in Your Heart" - Sonny James
- "The Snakes Crawl at Night" - Charley Pride
- "Snowflake" - Jim Reeves
- "Stand Beside Me" - Jimmy Dean
- "Standing in the Shadows" - Hank Williams Jr.
- "The Streets of Baltimore" - Bobby Bare
- "Sweet Thang" - Nat Stuckey
- "Swinging Doors" - Merle Haggard
- "Take Me" - George Jones
- "Talkin' To The Wall" - Warner Mack
- "That's What You Get For Loving Me" - Waylon Jennings
- "Tippy Toeing" - The Harden Trio
- "Unmitigated Gall" - Faron Young
- "What We're Fighting For" - Dave Dudley
- "Would You Hold It Against Me" - Dottie West
- "You Ain't Woman Enough" - Loretta Lynn
[edit] Top new album releases
- The Best of Bobby Bare - Bobby Bare (RCA)
- Born to Sing - Connie Smith (RCA)
- Confessions of a Broken Man – Porter Wagoner (RCA)
- Distant Drums - Jim Reeves (RCA)
- Don't Touch Me - Wilma Burgess (Decca)
- Evil on Your Mind - Jan Howard (Decca)
- Folk Country - Waylon Jennings (RCA)
- I Want to Go With You - Eddy Arnold (RCA)
- Jimmy Dean's Greatest Hits - Jimmy Dean (Columbia)
- The Seely Style - Jeannie Seely (Monument)
- Somebody Like Me - Eddy Arnold (RCA)
- The Streets of Baltimore - Bobby Bare (RCA)
- Suffer Time - Dottie West (RCA)
- Conway Twitty Sings - Conway Twitty (Decca)
- Look Into My Teardrops - Conway Twitty (Decca)
[edit] Births
- July 29 - Martina McBride, crossover-styled female vocalist who rose to fame in the 1990s.
- August 19 - Lee Ann Womack, new traditionalist-styled singer of the 1990s and 2000s most famous for her crossover hit "I Hope You Dance."
[edit] Deaths
[edit] Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
- Eddy Arnold (born 1918)
- James R. Denny (1911-1963)
- George D. Hay (1895-1968)
- Uncle Dave Macon (1870-1952)
[edit] Major Awards
[edit] Grammy awards
Presented March 15, recognizing achievements during the year 1965.
- Best Country & Western Vocal Performance, Female -- "Queen of the House," Jody Miller.
- Best Country and Western Vocal Performance, Male -- "King of the Road," Roger Miller.
- Best Country & Western Single -- "King of the Road," Roger Miller.
- Best Country Song -- "King of the Road," Roger Miller
- Best Country & Western Album -- The Return of Roger Miller, Roger Miller.
- Best New Country & Western Artist -- Statler Brothers
[edit] Academy of Country Music
- Top Male Vocalist -- Merle Haggard
- Top Female Vocalist -- Bonnie Guitar
- Top New Male Vocalist -- Billy Mize
- Top New Female Vocalist -- Cathie Taylor
[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.
