1988 in country music
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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1988.
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Events
- May 21 – Country music stars highlight a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Featured: Alabama, The Judds, George Strait and Randy Travis.
- December – Record producer Jimmy Bowen establishes the Universal Records label.[1]
No dates
- Time-Life Records releases the first volume of its "Country USA" series. The series, which would eventually include 23 volumes, each chronicles one year per volume – 1950 through 1972. Each volume – offered on two record albums, or one cassette or compact disc – contains liner notes from some of country music's most respected historians. In many cases, the songs offered on each volume represented the first time they had ever been re-released on compact disc. "Country USA" was offered through television and magazine advertisements.
- The Country Music Association Awards introduced a new award, Vocal Event of the Year, awarding collaborative efforts by two or more artists who normally don't work together (previously such efforts had to be included with Best Duo or Group nominations). The first recipient was the group of Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt for their Trio album.
- MTM Records is sold and disestablished after four years. During its short stay in the music business, two songs released by MTM will top the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart: Judy Rodman's "Until I Met You" (1986) and S-K-O's "Baby's Got a New Baby" (1987).
- Real Country, a 24-hour satellite music network focusing on classic country and neotraditional country, is planned for a 1989 launch by country star Buck Owens out of his Phoenix Arizona radio studios and carried by the Satellite Music Network. It is heard primarily in smaller- and medium-sized markets. Real Country was later sold to ABC Disney which then moved the operations to its radio headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Real Country was later sold to Citadel and is now owned and distributed by Cumulus Media.
Top hits of the year
Singles released by American artists
Singles released by Canadian artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 8 | Angelina | George Fox |
| — | 7 | Cheater's Moon | Carroll Baker |
| — | 15 | Cinderella/Gingerbread Man | Dick Damron |
| — | 18 | The Circle of Wood | Wayne Pronger |
| 61 | 10 | Do You Have Any Doubts | Alibi |
| — | 8 | Fifty Years Ago | Ian Tyson |
| — | 17 | The Gift | Ian Tyson |
| — | 12 | Give In | Terry Carisse |
| — | 8 | Gone So Long | The Good Brothers |
| — | 10 | Highway to Heaven | Stoker Bros |
| — | 14 | I Still Think of You | Colleen Peterson & Gilles Godard |
| 21 | 7 | I'm Down to My Last Cigarette | k.d. lang |
| — | 17 | If You're Up for Love | Ronnie Prophet |
| — | 10 | Isn't That the Strangest Thing | Anita Perras & Tim Taylor |
| — | 15 | Listening to the Singer | Cindi Cain |
| — | 15 | The Music Still in Me | Cindi Cain |
| — | 9 | One Smokey Rose | Anita Perras |
| — | 8 | She Knows I Can't Say No | Ken Harnden |
| — | 14 | Straight to Your Heart | Mercey Brothers |
| — | 10 | Thank You for Being My Friend | The Ellis Family Band |
| — | 1 | Til I Find My Love | Family Brown |
| — | 14 | You Won't Fool This Fool This Time | The Good Brothers |
| — | 7 | You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' | Carroll Baker |
Top new album releases
Other top albums
| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 10 | John Anderson | MCA |
| 26 | Across the Rio Grande | Holly Dunn | MTM |
| 46 | Alive & Well | Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers | Columbia |
| 29 | All in Love | Marie Osmond | Capitol/Curb |
| 29 | As I Am | Anne Murray | Capitol |
| 36 | Best of Eddy Raven | Eddy Raven | RCA |
| 60 | Brand New | Gary Stewart | Hightone |
| 52 | Chasing Rainbows | Mickey Gilley | Airborne |
| 61 | A Christmas Tradition, Vol. II | Various Artists | Warner Bros. |
| 29 | The Coast of Colorado | Skip Ewing | MCA |
| 56 | Every Christmas | Gary Morris | Warner Bros. |
| 33 | Exchange of Hearts | David Slater | Capitol |
| 36 | Full Circle | Waylon Jennings | MCA |
| 36 | The Gift | The McCarters | Warner Bros. |
| 66 | Greatest Hits | Kenny Rogers | RCA |
| 27 | Greatest Hits Volume Two | Lee Greenwood | MCA |
| 33 | The Heart of It All | Earl Thomas Conley | RCA |
| 49 | Higher Ground | John Denver | Windstar |
| 37 | Hot Dog! | Buck Owens | Capitol |
| 51 | I Guess I Just Missed You | Canyon | 16th Avenue |
| 52 | I Never Made a Record I Didn't Like | Ray Stevens | MCA |
| 34 | I Wanna Dance With You | Eddie Rabbitt | RCA |
| 35 | I'll Be Your Jukebox Tonight | Barbara Mandrell | Capitol |
| 36 | I'm Gonna Love Her on the Radio | Charley Pride | 16th Avenue |
| 45 | I'm Still Missing You | Ronnie McDowell | Curb |
| 33 | If My Heart Had Windows | Patty Loveless | MCA |
| 64 | Just Enough Love | Ray Price | Step One |
| 58 | Light Years | Glen Campbell | MCA |
| 27 | Little Love Affairs | Nanci Griffith | MCA |
| 60 | Live at the Opry | Patsy Cline | MCA |
| 62 | Making Believe | Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn | MCA |
| 64 | New Faces of Country | Various Artists | K-Tel |
| 28 | No Regrets | Moe Bandy | Curb |
| 63 | Nobody's Angel | Crystal Gayle | Warner Bros. |
| 51 | Now You're Talkin' | Mel McDaniel | Capitol |
| 43 | One Fair Summer Evening | Nanci Griffith | MCA |
| 45 | Rebels Without a Clue | The Bellamy Brothers | Curb/MCA |
| 26 | Running | The Desert Rose Band | Curb/MCA |
| 64 | Saddle the Wind | Janie Fricke | Columbia |
| 30 | Sincerely | The Forester Sisters | Warner Bros. |
| 28 | Still in Your Dreams | Conway Twitty | MCA |
| 47 | Stout & High | The Wagoneers | A&M |
| 47 | Swingin' Doors, Sawdust Floors | Larry Boone | Mercury |
| 39 | View from the House | Kim Carnes | MCA |
| 48 | Water from the Wells of Home | Johnny Cash | Mercury |
| 34 | Western Standard Time | Asleep at the Wheel | Epic |
| 33 | Wide Open | Sawyer Brown | Capitol/Curb |
| 63 | Who Was That Stranger | Loretta Lynn | MCA |
| 33 | Workin' Band | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Warner Bros. |
| 27 | Zuma | Southern Pacific | Warner Bros. |
On television
Regular series
Specials
Births
- April 29 – Michael Ray, singer-songwriter known for his 2015 debut hit "Kiss You in the Morning".
- May 24 – Billy Gilman, the youngest artist to ever have a country hit record (2000's "One Voice").
- July 20 – Julianne Hough, rising country music star and professional dancer, best known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars.
- August 21 – Kacey Musgraves, rising country music star of the 2010s.
- November 17 – Reid Perry, member of The Band Perry.
Deaths
- August 24 – Nat Stuckey, 54, singer-songwriter whose biggest hit-making time was the 1960s and 1970s (lung cancer).
- September 20 – Leon McAuliffe, 71, prominent member of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys and a star in his own right.
- December 6 – Roy Orbison, 52, American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll.
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Loretta Lynn (born 1932)
- Roy Rogers (1911–1998)
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Major awards
Grammy Awards
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance – "Hold Me," K. T. Oslin
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance – Old 8×10, Randy Travis
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal – "Give a Little Love," The Judds
- Best Country Collaboration with Vocals – "Crying," Roy Orbison and k.d. lang
- Best Country Instrumental Performance – "Sugarfoot Rag," Asleep at the Wheel
- Best Country Song – "Hold Me," K. T. Oslin
- Best Bluegrass Recording – "Southern Flavor," Bill Monroe
Juno Awards
- Country Male Vocalist of the Year – Murray McLauchlan
- Country Female Vocalist of the Year – k.d. lang
- Country Group or Duo of the Year – Family Brown
Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer of the Year – Hank Williams Jr.
- Song of the Year – "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses," Charles Nelson and Paul Nelson (Performer: Kathy Mattea)
- Single of the Year – "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses," Kathy Mattea
- Album of the Year – This Woman, K. T. Oslin
- Top Male Vocalist – George Strait
- Top Female Vocalist – K. T. Oslin
- Top Vocal Duo – The Judds
- Top Vocal Group – Highway 101
- Top New Male Vocalist – Rodney Crowell
- Top New Female Vocalist – Suzy Bogguss
- Video of the Year – "Young Country," Hank Williams Jr. (Director: Bill Fishman)
Canadian Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year – k.d. lang
- Male Artist of the Year – Ian Tyson
- Female Artist of the Year – k.d. lang
- Group of the Year – Family Brown
- SOCAN Song of the Year – "One Smokey Rose," Tim Taylor (Performer: Anita Perras)
- Single of the Year – "One Smokey Rose," Anita Perras
- Album of the Year – Shadowland, k.d. lang
- Top Selling Album – Always & Forever, Randy Travis
- Vista Rising Star Award – Blue Rodeo
- Duo of the Year – Anita Perras and Tim Taylor
Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year – Hank Williams Jr.
- Song of the Year – "80's Ladies," K. T. Oslin (Performer: K. T. Oslin)
- Single of the Year – "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses," Kathy Mattea
- Album of the Year – Born to Boogie, Hank Williams Jr.
- Male Vocalist of the Year – Randy Travis
- Female Vocalist of the Year – K. T. Oslin
- Vocal Duo of the Year – The Judds
- Vocal Group of the Year – Highway 101
- Horizon Award – Ricky Van Shelton
- Vocal Event of the Year – Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt
- Musician of the Year – Chet Atkins
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
References
- ^ "Universal Label Makes Big Nashville Splash" (PDF). Radio & Records: 1, 30. December 9, 1988.