1979 in country music: Wikis

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Top rankings for 1979 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1979.

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Events

March 3 — The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) would telecast an entire Saturday night live from the Grand Ole Opry for the very first time - the show would last until 12:30 am with a half hour break between the two shows at 9 pm CDT. The show featured many acts including Del Reeves, Barbara Mandrell, Bill Monroe, Hank Snow, Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Don Gibson and many others. The telecast became the most popular one of the year for PBS, and was a part of their March fundraising campaigns.
December 21 — The Electric Horseman, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, premieres. Willie Nelson is a supporting character in the film, and he will contribute to the movie's soundtrack.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

United States

(as certified by Billboard)

Date	Single Name	Artist	Wks. No.1	Spec. Note
January 6	Tulsa Time	Don Williams	1
January 13	Lady Lay Down	John Conlee	1	^[A]
January 20	I Really Got the Feeling/Baby I'm Burning	Dolly Parton	1
January 27	Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For	Crystal Gayle	2
February 10	Every Which Way but Loose	Eddie Rabbitt	3
March 3	Golden Tears	Dave & Sugar	3	^[B]
March 24	I Just Fall in Love Again	Anne Murray	3	^[1]
April 14	(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right	Barbara Mandrell	1	Cover of the Luther Ingram hit.
April 21	All I Ever Need Is You	Kenny Rogers and Dottie West	1	Cover of the Sonny and Cher hit.
April 28	Where Do I Put Her Memory	Charley Pride	1
May 5	Backside of Thirty	John Conlee	1
May 12	Don't Take It Away	Conway Twitty	1
May 19	If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me	The Bellamy Brothers	3	^[A]
June 9	She Believes in Me	Kenny Rogers	2
June 23	Nobody Likes Sad Songs	Ronnie Milsap	1
June 30	Amanda	Waylon Jennings	3
July 21	Shadows in the Moonlight	Anne Murray	1
July 28	You're the Only One	Dolly Parton	2
August 11	Suspicions	Eddie Rabbitt	1
August 18	Coca-Cola Cowboy	Mel Tillis	1
August 25	The Devil Went Down to Georgia	Charlie Daniels	1	^[C]
September 1	Heartbreak Hotel	Willie Nelson and Leon Russell	1	^{[C] - Leon Russell} Cover of the Elvis Presley hit.
September 8	I May Never Get To Heaven	Conway Twitty	1
September 15	You're My Jamaica	Charley Pride	1
September 22	Just Good Ol' Boys	Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley	1	^{[A] - Moe Bandy} ^{[B] - Joe Stampley}
September 29	It Must Be Love	Don Williams	1
October 6	Last Cheater's Waltz	T. G. Sheppard	2
October 20	All the Gold in California	Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers	2
November 3	You Decorated My Life	Kenny Rogers	2
November 17	Come with me	Waylon Jennings	2
December 1	Broken Hearted Me	Anne Murray	1
December 8	I Cheated Me Right Out of You	Moe Bandy	1	^[B]
December 15	Happy Birthday Darlin'	Conway Twitty	3

Notes

1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
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
January 13	Burgers and Fries	Charley Pride	1
January 20	Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Gone Out of Hand	Waylon Jennings	1
January 27	Tulsa Time	Don Williams	1
February 3	Your Love Had Taken Me That High	Conway Twitty	1
February 10	Baby I'm Burning	Dolly Parton	1
February 17	Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For	Crystal Gayle	1
February 24	Every Which Way but Loose	Eddie Rabbitt	3
March 17	Back on My Mind Again	Ronnie Milsap	1
March 24	You Made My Day Tonight	Canadian Zephyr	1	^[A]
March 31	I Just Fall in Love Again	Anne Murray	2
April 14	It's a Cheating Situation	Moe Bandy with Janie Fricke	1	^{[A] - Moe Bandy} ^{[A] - Janie Fricke}
April 21	Sweet Memories	Willie Nelson	1
April 28	(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right	Barbara Mandrell	1
May 5	Where Do I Put Her Memory	Charley Pride	2
May 19	Don't Take It Away	Conway Twitty	1
May 26	I'm Getting High Remembering	Carroll Baker	1
June 2	Sail Away	The Oak Ridge Boys	4
June 30	Nobody Likes Sad Songs	Ronnie Milsap	1
July 7	She Believes in Me	Kenny Rogers	1
July 14	Amanda	Waylon Jennings	1
July 21	You're the Only One	Dolly Parton	4	^{[1], [2]} Fell to #2 on the week of August 4.
August 4	Shadows in the Moonlight	Anne Murray	1
August 11	(Ghost) Riders in the Sky	Johnny Cash	1
September 1	Suspicions	Eddie Rabbitt	1
September 8	The Devil Went Down to Georgia	Charlie Daniels	2	^[C]
September 22	'Til I Can Make it On My Own	Kenny Rogers and Dottie West	1	^{[B] - Dottie West}
September 29	Heartbreak Hotel	Willie Nelson and Leon Russell	1	^{[C] - Leon Russell}
October 6	You're My Jamaica	Charley Pride	1
October 13	I May Never Get To Heaven	Conway Twitty	1
October 20	Before My Time	John Conlee	1	^[A]
October 27	Stolen Moments	R. Harlan Smith and Chris Nielsen	1	^{[B] - R. Harlan Smith} ^{[C] - Chris Nielsen}
November 3	Dream On	The Oak Ridge Boys	1
November 10	You Decorated My Life	Kenny Rogers	2
November 24	Broken Hearted Me	Anne Murray	1
December 1	Come with Me	Waylon Jennings	1
December 8	Half The Way	Crystal Gayle	1
December 15	I Cheated Me Right Out of You	Moe Bandy	1
December 22	Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound	Hank Williams, Jr.	2

Notes

1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by RPM.
2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
A^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
B^ Last RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
C^ Only RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.

Other major hits

Singles released by American artists

"All-Around Cowboy" - Marty Robbins
"Are You Sincere" - Elvis Presley
"Back on My Mind Again" - Ronnie Milsap
"Barstool Mountain" - Moe Bandy
"Before My Time" - John Conlee
"Blind in Love" - Mel Tillis
"Blue Kentucky Girl" - Emmylou Harris
"Come on In" - Oak Ridge Boys
"Crazy Blue Eyes" - Lacy J. Dalton
"Do You Ever Fool Around" - Joe Stampley
"Don't Let Me Cross Over" - Jim Reeves and Deborah Allen
"Down on the Rio Grande" - Johnny Rodriguez
"Dream On" - Oak Ridge Boys
"Everlasting Love" - Narvel Felts
"Fall in Love With Me Tonight" - Randy Barlow
"Family Tradition" - Hank Williams Jr. (#4)
"Farewell Party" - Gene Watson
"Fooled by a Feeling" - Barbara Mandrell
"Fools" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
"(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" - Johnny Cash
"Half the Way" - Crystal Gayle
"Happy Together" - T.G. Sheppard
"Here We Are Again" - Statler Brothers
"How to Be a Country Star" - Statler Brothers
"I Ain't Got No Business Doin' Business Today" - Razzy Bailey
"I Can't Feel You Anymore" - Loretta Lynn
"I Don't Lie" - Joe Stampley
"I Had a Lovely Time" - The Kendalls
"I Just Can't Stay Married to You" - Cristy Lane
"I Know a Heartache When I See One" - Jennifer Warnes
"I Wanna Come Over" - Alabama
"I'll Love Away Your Troubles For Awhile" - Janie Fricke
"I'll Wake You Up When I Get Home" - Charlie Rich
"I've Got a Picture of Us on My Mind" - Loretta Lynn
"I've Done Enough Dying Today" - Larry Gatlin
"If Everyone Had Someone Like You" - Eddy Arnold
"If I Could Write a Song (as Beautiful as You)" - Billy "Crash" Craddock
"If I Give My Heart to You" - Margo Smith
"If Love Had a Face" - Razzy Bailey
"In No Time at All" - Ronnie Milsap
"Isn't it Always Love" - Lynn Anderson
"It's a Cheating Situation" - Moe Bandy
"Just Long Enough to Say Goodbye" - Mickey Gilley
"The Lady in the Blue Mercedes" - Johnny Duncan
"Lay Down Beside Me" - Don Williams
"Lying in Love With You" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
"Mabellene" - George Jones and Johnny PayCheck
"My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own" - Debby Boone
"My Own Kind of Hat" - Merle Haggard
"My Silver Lining" - Mickey Gilley
"My World Begins and Ends With You" - Dave & Sugar
"No Memories Hangin' Around" - Rosanne Cash and Bobby Bare
"No One Else in the World" - Tammy Wynette
"Nothing as Original as You" - Statler Brothers
"The Official Historian on Shirley Jean Berrell" - Statler Brothers
"Only Love Can Break a Heart" - Kenny Dale
"Pick the Wildwood Flower" - Gene Watson
"Play Together Again, Again" - Buck Owens and Emmylou Harris
"Put Your Clothes Back On" - Joe Stampley
"Red Bandana" - Merle Haggard
"Reunited" - Louise Mandrell and R.C. Bannon
"Sail Away" - Oak Ridge Boys
"Save the Last Dance for Me" - Emmylou Harris
"Say That You Love Me" - Stephanie Winslow
"Send Me Down to Tucson" - Mel Tillis
"Should I Go Home (Or Should I Go Crazy)" - Gene Watson
"Slow Dancing" - Johnny Duncan
"Somebody Special" - Donna Fargo
"Someone is Looking For Someone Like You" - Gail Davies
"Stay With Me" - Dave & Sugar
"Still a Woman" - Margo Smith
"Sweet Dreams" - Reba McEntire
"Sweet Melinda" - Randy Barlow
"Sweet Memories" - Willie Nelson
"Sweet Summer Lovin'" - Dolly Parton
"Tell Me What It's Like" - Brenda Lee
"Texas (When I Die)" - Tanya Tucker
"There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In)" - Elvis Presley
"They Call it Making Love" - Tammy Wynette
"Till I Can Make it on My Own" - Kenny Rogers and Dottie West
"Tonight She's Gonna Love Me (Like There Was No Tomorrow)" - Razzy Bailey
"Too Far Gone" - Emmylou Harris
"Touch Me (And I'll Be Your Fool Once More)" - Big Al Downing
"Touch Me With Magic" - Marty Robbins
"Two Steps Forward and Three Steps Back" - Susie Allanson
"When a Love Ain't Right" - Charly McClain
"When I Dream" - Crystal Gayle
"Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound" - Hank Williams Jr. (#2)
"Whiskey River" - Willie Nelson
"Wisdom of a Fool" - Jacky Ward
"Words" - Susie Allanson
"You Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie" - Bellamy Brothers
"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
"You Feel Good All Over" - T.G. Sheppard
"You Pick Me Up and Put Me Down" - Dottie West
"You Show Me Your Heart (And I'll Show You Mine)" - Tom T. Hall
"Your Kisses Will" - Crystal Gayle
"Your Love Had Taken Me That High" - Conway Twitty

Singles released by Canadian artists

US	CAN	Single	Artist
	6	The Ballad of the Duke	Dallas Harms
	13	Bingo and Another World	Rex Hemeon
	5	Build My Life Around You	Carroll Baker
	20	Easy Does It	Rondini
	10	Every Woman	Van Dyke
	18	Everyone's Laughin' but Me	Chris Nielsen
	9	Four States to Go	Alex Fraser
	17	Half of What You've Been to Me	R. Harlan Smith
	13	Hell Bent for Mexico	Mercey Brothers
	12	High on You	Dick Damron
	7	I Picked a Daisy	Dallas Harms
	16	Kelly Green	Glory-Anne Carriere
	16	Love Catch Fire	Ian Kemp
	3	Love When It Leaves Here	Canadian Zephyr
	6	Loving You	Mike Graham
	8	Mes Amis O Canada	Laura Vinson
	15	Mighty Big to Me	Alex Fraser
	6	Rachel I'm Just Not That Strong	David Thompson
	7	Silver and Shine	Dick Damron
	19	Some Kind of Woman	The Good Brothers
	10	Sorry and the Hobo	Orval Prophet
	4	Stay with Me	Family Brown
	9	Stranger	Mercey Brothers
33	19	Takes a Fool to Love a Fool	Burton Cummings
	15	Time to Go	Terry Carisse
	9	Willie Boy	Wayne Rostad
100	6	You Can't Make Love to a Memory	Iris Larratt

Births

February 1 — Julie Roberts, country music singer-songwriter.
April 24 — Rebecca Lynn Howard, pop-styled singer-songwriter of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Deaths

January 8 — Sara Carter, 80, lead singer and member of the the pioneering Carter Family.
February 21 — Carl T. Sprague, 83, "The Original Singing Cowboy," active mainly in the 1920s.
May 11 — Lester Flatt, 64, early bluegrass pioneer who, with Earl Scruggs, formed the Foggy Mountain Boys. (heart failure)
November 29 — Jimmie Tarlton, 87, one half of Darby and Tarlton, an early country music duo.

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Hubert Long (1923-1972)
Hank Snow (1914-1999)

Major awards

Grammy Awards

Best Female Country Vocal Performance — Blue Kentucky Girl, Emmylou Harris
Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "The Gambler," Kenny Rogers
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," Charlie Daniels Band
Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Big Sandy/Leather Britches," Doc Watson and Merle Watson
Best Country Song — "You Decorated My Life," Debbie Hupp and Bob Morrison (Performer: Kenny Rogers)

Juno Awards

Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Ronnie Prophet
Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Carroll Baker
Country Group or Duo of the Year — The Good Brothers

Academy of Country Music

Entertainer of the Year — Willie Nelson
Song of the Year — "It's a Cheatin' Situation," Sonny Throckmorton and Curly Putman (Performer: Moe Bandy)
Single of the Year — "All the Gold in California," Larry Gatlin
Album of the Year — Straight Ahead, Larry Gatlin
Top Male Vocalist — Larry Gatlin
Top Female Vocalist — Crystal Gayle
Top Vocal Duo — Joe Stampley and Moe Bandy
Top New Male Vocalist — R. C. Bannon
Top New Female Vocalist — Lacy J. Dalton

Country Music Association

Entertainer of the Year — Willie Nelson
Song of the Year — "The Gambler," Don Schlitz (Performer: Kenny Rogers)
Single of the Year — "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," Charlie Daniels Band
Album of the Year — The Gambler, Kenny Rogers
Male Vocalist of the Year — Kenny Rogers
Female Vocalist of the Year — Barbara Mandrell
Vocal Duo of the Year — Kenny Rogers and Dottie West
Vocal Group of the Year — The Statler Brothers
Instrumentalist of the Year — Charlie Daniels
Instrumental Group of the Year — Charlie Daniels Band

External links

Country Music Hall of Fame

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