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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1964.

List of years in country music (Table)
… 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 •   
1961 • 1962 • 1963 – 1964 – 1965 • 1966 • 1967 •
   1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 …
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Contents

Events

  • January 11 — Billboard increases the length of its Hot Country Singles chart to 50 positions, up from 30.
  • February 1 — Buck Owens' mega-hit, "Love's Gonna Live Here," finishes its 16-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. To date, it is the most recent song to spend 10 or more weeks atop the chart.
  • July 31 — A private aircraft piloted by Jim Reeves crashes during a thunderstorm near Nashville, Tennessee. Both Reeves and business partner Dean Manuel are killed in the crash; their bodies are found two days later, following a massive search for the two missing men. Reeves, already a huge country star, would leave behind hundreds of un-released recordings; many of those songs became huge posthumous hits during the next decade. Reeves' death comes just 16 months after the airplane crash deaths of Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas, leaving a huge void among country music fans.
  • November 28 — "Once a Day," by Connie Smith, begins an eight-week stay at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. To date, it is the longest-running No. 1 song by a solo female act, and will make the 23-year-old Smith — a native of Elkhart, Indiana — an overnight senation.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

United States

(as certified by Billboard)

Date Single Name Artist Wks. No.1 Spec. Note
February 8 Begging to You Marty Robbins 2 [2]
  • Returns to Number One February 22.
February 15 B.J. the D.J. Stonewall Jackson 1 [B]
  • Jackson's first Billboard Number One since "Waterloo" in 1959.
March 7 Saginaw, Michigan Lefty Frizzell 4
  • Frizzell's first Billboard Number One since "Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)" in 1952.
April 4 Understand Your Man Johnny Cash 6
May 16 My Heart Skips a Beat Buck Owens 3 [1], [2]
  • Returns to Number One June 20.
June 6 Together Again Buck Owens 2
July 18 Dang Me Roger Miller 6 [A]
  • The first of several songs by Miller that would also reach the Top 10 on the Billboard Pop Chart.
August 29 I Guess I'm Crazy Jim Reeves 7
  • The first of six posthumous Number One hits for Reeves.
October 17 I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me) Buck Owens 6
November 28 Once a Day Connie Smith 8 [C]
  • Became the longest-running Billboard Number One song by a female country artist.
  • With this song, Smith became the first female country artist to top the charts with a debut single.
Notes
  • 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
  • 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
  • A^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
  • B^ Last Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
  • C^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.

Canada

(as certified by RPM)

Date Single Name Artist Wks. No.1 Spec. Note
September 14 I Guess I’m Crazy Jim Reeves 1 [A]
September 28 I Don’t Love You Any More Charlie Louvin 1 [C]
October 5 I Don’t Care Buck Owens 2 [2], [A]
  • Returned to Number One on October 26.
October 12 Please Talk to My Heart Ray Price 2 [2], [A]
  • Returned to Number One on November 2.
November 9 Give Me Forty Acres Willis Brothers 1 [C]
November 30 Lumberjack Hal Willis 1 [A]
December 21 Don't Come Crying Ron McLeod 3 [C]
Notes
  • 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
  • A^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
  • C^ Only RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.

Other major hits

Singles released by American artists

Singles released by Canadian artists

CAN Single Artist
4 Biggest Hurt of All Dianne Leigh
5 Crazy Arms Lucille Starr
5 Deer Island Henchmen
8 My Good Life Cy Anders
9 Night on the Water Sandy Selsie

Top new album releases

Births

Deaths

  • July 31 — Jim Reeves, 39, velvet-voiced singer and leading force in the Nashville Sound; many of his hits came posthumously. (plane crash)

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Major awards

Grammy Awards

  • Best Country and Western Vocal Performance, Female — "Here Comes My Baby," Dottie West
  • Best Country and Western Vocal Performance, Male — "Dang Me," Roger Miller
  • Best Country and Western Single — "Dang Me," Roger Miller
  • Best Country and Western Song — "Dang Me," Roger Miller (Performer: Roger Miller)
  • Best Country and Western Album — Dang Me/Chug-a-Lug, Roger Miller
  • Best New Country and Western Artist — Roger Miller

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

External links








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