1994 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1994.
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Events
- January 8 — Star, Mississippi, native Faith Hill hits paydirt with her first single release, "Wild One." The song spends four weeks atop the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the longest for a debut release by a female artist since Connie Smith's debut "Once a Day" in 1964.
- January 30 — Clint Black, Wynonna Judd, Travis Tritt and Tanya Tucker perform the halftime show (billed as "Rockin' Country Sunday") at Super Bowl XXVIII. The finale featured a special appearance by Naomi Judd, who joined Wynonna in performing The Judds' single "Love Can Build a Bridge" (their first major appearance together since their "Farewell Tour" of 1991), to which everyone eventually joined in.
- March – Tim McGraw's first major hit, "Indian Outlaw," causes considerable controversy due to lyrics about Native Americans, and the single is boycotted at a handful of stations. Nevertheless, the song's notoriety helps spur its popularity and allows it to become just the second major crossover hit in 10 years, reaching No. 15 on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 singles chart (in addition to its No. 8 peak on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart); the song will also jumpstart McGraw's fledgling career, which had gotten off to a less-than-stellar start a year earlier.
- Incidentally, McGraw's first taste of success comes at approximately the same time as that of his wife-to-be — Faith Hill. At this point, their careers are on separate paths.
- April 12 — The premiere issue of Country Weekly magazine hits the store shelves. Garth Brooks graces the cover of the first issue.
- May 9 — Newcomer artist John Berry passes out during a concert and is rushed to a hospital in Atlanta, where an operation is performed to remove a cyst found in the third ventricle of his brain.[1]
Top hits of the year
Singles released by American artists
Singles released by Canadian artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 16 | 5 Days in May | Blue Rodeo | |
| — | 11 | Alcohol in the Bloodstream | Ian Tyson | |
| — | 18 | Almost Like You Cared | Cassandra Vasik | |
| — | 6 | Baby Don't Cry | One Horse Blue | |
| — | 10 | Borders and Time | The Rankin Family | |
| — | 13 | By Heart | Joel Feeney | |
| — | 18 | Circle of Love | Joan Kennedy | |
| — | 10 | Country in the City | Don Neilson | |
| — | 10 | Dynamite | Desert Dolphins | |
| — | 14 | Everything Money Can Buy | One Horse Blue | |
| — | 11 | Everything to Me | Joel Feeney | |
| 52 | 12 | Give Me a Ring Sometime | Lisa Brokop | |
| — | 1 | Guitar Talk | Michelle Wright | |
| — | 12 | Here We Go Again | Patricia Conroy | |
| — | 15 | Hillbilly Jane | Straight Clean & Simple | |
| — | 5 | Honest Man | George Fox | |
| — | 17 | If I'm Only Good for One Thing | Larry Mercey | |
| — | 1 | It Can't Happen to Me | Charlie Major | |
| — | 4 | Louisiette | Prairie Oyster | |
| — | 10 | Love's Looking for Me | One Horse Blue | |
| — | 13 | Man of a Thousand Songs | Ron Hynes | |
| — | 5 | No Hasta La Vista Tonight | George Fox | |
| — | 10 | No Kathleen | Ron Hynes | |
| — | 1 | Nobody Gets Too Much Love | Charlie Major | |
| — | 5 | North Country | The Rankin Family | |
| — | 9 | Now and Then | Michelle Wright | |
| 57 | 1 | One Good Man | Michelle Wright | |
| — | 1 | The Other Side | Charlie Major | |
| — | 9 | Red Hot Blues | Quartette | |
| — | 8 | River of No Return | Terry Kelly | |
| — | 19 | Rockabilly Heart | Cindy Church | |
| — | 5 | Say the Word | Joel Feeney | |
| — | 5 | Stolen Moments | Jim Witter | |
| — | 1 | Such a Lonely One | Prairie Oyster | |
| — | 1 | Somebody's Leavin' | Patricia Conroy | |
| — | 6 | Sweet Sweet Poison | Jim Witter | |
| — | 15 | Tell Me the Lie | Don Neilson | |
| — | 10 | That's What Highways Are For | The Goods | |
| — | 10 | There You Go | Prescott-Brown | |
| — | 10 | Train of Dreams | Gary Fjellgaard | |
| — | 17 | Way Beyond the Blue | Anita Perras | |
| — | 7 | The Wayward Wind | Anne Murray | |
| — | 4 | Wear and Tear on My Heart | George Fox |
Top new album releases
See also: List of number-one country albums of 1994 (U.S.) and List of number-one country albums of 1994 (Canada)
| US | CAN | Album | Artist | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7 | 8 Seconds (soundtrack) | Various Artists | MCA Nashville |
| 10 | Already Restless | Prescott-Brown | Epic | |
| 23 | 9 | American Recordings | Johnny Cash | American |
| 2 | The Best…So Far | Anne Murray | SBK/Capitol | |
| 15 | BlackHawk | BlackHawk | Arista Nashville | |
| 8 | 5 | Boomtown | Toby Keith | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 23 | 11 | The Bradley Barn Sessions | George Jones | MCA Nashville |
| 13 | Bryan White | Bryan White | Asylum | |
| 1 | Country Heat 4 | Various Artists | RCA | |
| 9 | Eighteen Inches of Rain | Ian Tyson | Stony Plain | |
| 12 | Extremes | Collin Raye | Epic | |
| 9 | 2 | Feelin' Good Train | Sammy Kershaw | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 29 | 20 | Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 | Doug Stone | Epic |
| 8 | Greatest Hits Vol. III | Alabama | RCA Nashville | |
| 17 | Haywire | Chris LeDoux | Liberty | |
| 17 | 15 | Healing Hands of Time | Willie Nelson | Liberty |
| 5 | Heart of the Country '94 | Various Artists | Quality | |
| 16 | 7 | Heartsongs: Live from Home | Dolly Parton | Columbia |
| 1 | 1 | The Hits | Garth Brooks | Liberty |
| 3 | I See It Now | Tracy Lawrence | Atlantic | |
| 4 | 1 | If I Could Make a Living | Clay Walker | Giant |
| 29 | 19 | Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album | Various Artists | BNA |
| 10 | 8 | Kick a Little | Little Texas | Warner Bros. |
| 7 | Kickin' Country 2 | Various Artists | Sony | |
| 1 | 1 | Kickin' It Up | John Michael Montgomery | Atlantic |
| 1 | 3 | Lead On | George Strait | MCA Nashville |
| 19 | Lookin' Back at Myself | Aaron Tippin | RCA Nashville | |
| 13 | 7 | Love a Little Stronger | Diamond Rio | Arista Nashville |
| 28 | 6 | Love and Luck | Marty Stuart | MCA Nashville |
| 52 | 22 | Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard |
Various Artists | Arista Nashville |
| 4 | 1 | Maverick (soundtrack) | Various Artists | Atlantic |
| 37 | 14 | Moonlight Becomes You | Willie Nelson | Justice |
| 1 | New Country | Various Artists | Warner | |
| 13 | 1 | No Doubt About It | Neal McCoy | Atlantic |
| 3 | 11 | No Ordinary Man | Tracy Byrd | MCA Nashville |
| 1 | 1 | Not a Moment Too Soon | Tim McGraw | Curb |
| 6 | 13 | Notorious | Confederate Railroad | Atlantic |
| 8 | One Emotion | Clint Black | RCA Nashville | |
| 2 | Only One Moon | Prairie Oyster | Arista | |
| 7 | Outlaws & Heroes | Various Artists | Sony | |
| 2 | 1 | Read My Mind | Reba McEntire | MCA Nashville |
| 3 | The Reasons Why | Michelle Wright | Arista Nashville | |
| 30 | 2 | Red Hot + Country | Various Artists | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 1 | 1 | Rhythm, Country and Blues | Various Artists | MCA Nashville |
| 23 | Rick Trevino | Rick Trevino | Columbia | |
| 19 | She'd Give Anything | Boy Howdy | Curb | |
| 8 | Skynyrd Frynds | Various Artists | MCA Nashville | |
| 1 | 1 | Stones in the Road | Mary Chapin Carpenter | Columbia |
| 11 | 6 | Storm in the Heartland | Billy Ray Cyrus | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 34 | 6 | Super Hits | Willie Nelson | Columbia |
| 17 | The Sweetest Gift | Trisha Yearwood | MCA Nashville | |
| 6 | Sweetheart's Dance | Pam Tillis | Arista Nashville | |
| 3 | 3 | Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof | Travis Tritt | Warner Bros. |
| 6 | 3 | Thinkin' Problem | David Ball | Warner Bros. |
| 6 | 9 | Third Rock from the Sun | Joe Diffie | Epic |
| 10 | 5 | This Is Me | Randy Travis | Warner Bros. |
| 6 | Today's Biggest Country | Various Artists | K-Tel | |
| 2 | 1 | The Tractors | The Tractors | Arista Nashville |
| 3 | Untamed and True | Various Artists | MCA | |
| 1 | 1 | Waitin' on Sundown | Brooks & Dunn | Arista Nashville |
| 12 | Walking Away a Winner | Kathy Mattea | Mercury/PolyGram | |
| 15 | Wanted Man | Johnny Cash | Mercury/PolyGram | |
| 7 | War Paint | Lorrie Morgan | BNA | |
| 6 | 4 | What a Crying Shame | The Mavericks | MCA Nashville |
| 15 | What a Way to Live | Mark Chesnutt | Decca Nashville | |
| 8 | When Fallen Angels Fly | Patty Loveless | Epic | |
| 2 | 2 | When Love Finds You | Vince Gill | MCA Nashville |
| 1 | 1 | Who I Am | Alan Jackson | Arista Nashville |
| 24 | Wishes | Lari White | RCA Nashville | |
| 3 | You Can't Resist | Patricia Conroy | Warner |
Other top albums
| US | CAN | Album | Artist | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 1994 | Merle Haggard | Curb | |
| 51 | The Best of Chris LeDoux | Chris LeDoux | Liberty | |
| 52 | Christmas Time's A-Comin' | Sammy Kershaw | Mercury/PolyGram | |
| 61 | Christmas with The Judds and Alabama | The Judds & Alabama | RCA Nashville | |
| 43 | Country 'Til I Die | John Anderson | BNA | |
| 56 | The Cowboy Way (soundtrack) | Various Artists | Epic | |
| 48 | Deep Thoughts from a Shallow Mind | Doug Supernaw | BNA | |
| 31 | Every Little Word | Hal Ketchum | Curb | |
| 29 | Greatest Hits | Billy Dean | Liberty | |
| 38 | Greatest Hits | Suzy Bogguss | Liberty | |
| 31 | In the Vicinity of the Heart | Shenandoah | Capitol Nashville | |
| 39 | The Judds: Number One Hits | The Judds | RCA/Curb | |
| 42 | Ken Mellons | Ken Mellons | Epic | |
| 62 | Love and Honor | Ricky Van Shelton | Columbia | |
| 51 | Men'll Be Boys | Billy Dean | Liberty | |
| 66 | Reflections | The Judds | RCA/Curb | |
| 28 | Shoot for the Moon | Linda Davis | Arista Nashville | |
| 55 | Simpatico | Suzy Bogguss & Chet Atkins | Liberty | |
| 35 | Super Hits | Charlie Daniels | Epic | |
| 65 | Super Hits | Shenandoah | Columbia | |
| 71 | Super Hits | Conway Twitty | Epic | |
| 50 | Today's Greatest Country | Various Artists | K-Tel | |
| 52 | Today's New Country | Various Artists | K-Tel | |
| 56 | Today's Number One Country | Various Artists | K-Tel | |
| 63 | Waymore's Blues (Part II) | Waylon Jennings | RCA Nashville |
Births
- May 4 – RaeLynn, country music star of the 2010s, best known for "God Made Girls."
- November 8 – Lauren Alaina, runner-up of the 10th season of American Idol, with follow-up successes including "Like My Mother Does."
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Merle Haggard (born 1937)
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Major awards
Grammy Awards
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Shut Up and Kiss Me," Mary Chapin Carpenter
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "When Love Finds You," Vince Gill
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Blues for Dixie," Asleep at the Wheel and Lyle Lovett
- Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "I Fall to Pieces," Aaron Neville and Trisha Yearwood
- Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Young Thing," Chet Atkins
- Best Country Song — "I Swear," Gary Baker, Frank Myers (Performer: John Michael Montgomery)
- Best Country Album — Stones in the Road, Mary Chapin Carpenter
- Best Bluegrass Album — The Great Dobro Sessions, Various Artists (Producers: Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor)
Juno Awards
- Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Charlie Major
- Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Michelle Wright
- Country Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster
Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer of the Year — Reba McEntire
- Song of the Year — "I Swear," Gary Baker, Frank Myers (Performer: John Michael Montgomery)
- Single of the Year — "I Swear," John Michael Montgomery
- Album of the Year — Not a Moment Too Soon, Tim McGraw
- Top Male Vocalist — Alan Jackson
- Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
- Top Vocal Duo — Brooks & Dunn
- Top Vocal Group — The Mavericks
- Top New Male Vocalist — Tim McGraw
- Top New Female Vocalist — Chely Wright
- Top New Vocal Duo or Group — The Mavericks
- Video of the Year — "The Red Strokes" - Garth Brooks (Director: Jon Small)
Canadian Country Music Association
- Bud Country Fans' Choice Award — Prairie Oyster
- Male Artist of the Year — Charlie Major
- Female Artist of the Year — Patricia Conroy
- Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster
- SOCAN Song of the Year — "I'm Gonna Drive You Out of My Mind," Charlie Major, Barry Brown
- Single of the Year — "I'm Gonna Drive You Out of My Mind," Charlie Major
- Album of the Year — The Other Side, Charlie Major
- Top Selling Album — In Pieces, Garth Brooks
- Video of the Year — "Stolen Moments," Jim Witter
- Vista Rising Star Award — Susan Aglukark
- Vocal Collaboration of the Year — Quartette
Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — Vince Gill
- Song of the Year — "Chattahoochee," Alan Jackson and Jim McBride (Performer: Alan Jackson)
- Single of the Year — "I Swear," John Michael Montgomery
- Album of the Year — Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, Various Artists
- Male Vocalist of the Year — Vince Gill
- Female Vocalist of the Year — Pam Tillis
- Vocal Duo of the Year — Brooks & Dunn
- Vocal Group of the Year — Diamond Rio
- Horizon Award — John Michael Montgomery
- Music Video of the Year — "Independence Day," Martina McBride (Directors: Robert Deaton and George J. Flanigen IV)
- Vocal Event of the Year — "Does He Love You," Reba McEntire and Linda Davis
- Musician of the Year — Mark O'Connor
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.
References
Other links
- Country Music Association
- Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame