1987 in country music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
See also: 1986 in country music, 1987 in music, other events of 1987, 1988 in country music, 1980s in music and the List of years in Country Music
Contents |
[edit] Events
- June 13 — Randy Travis' "Forever and Ever, Amen" spends three weeks at No. 1 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It is the first multi-week chart-topping song since "Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)" by Ronnie Milsap spent two weeks atop the chart in September 1985; in that time span, 85 songs would rotate in and out of the chart's top spot. Incidentally, only three other songs during the entire 1980s decade — all of them in 1980 — would spend more than two weeks at No. 1, owing much to how Billboard compiled the chart data at the time.
- September — Dolly Parton's much anticipated TV variety series, Dolly, premieres on ABC in September. Despite a promising start (due to strong ratings in its early weeks), the show was panned by critics and its audience began to lose interest. After a continual decline on viewership, the series was cancelled at the end of the 1987-1988 season.
[edit] No dates
- 46-year-old singer-songwriter K.T. Oslin becomes the success story of the year with her hit "80s Ladies," a Grammy Award-winner which told the story of three friends from childhood who stayed together through an era of social change. The song spawned an award-winning video as well and despite only reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, was one of the most played songs of the year. Oslin's rise to fame in her mid-40s came at a time when mainstream country radio was beginning to shun older female artists in lieu of younger, more attractive stars.
[edit] Top hits of the year
[edit] Number one hits
(As certified by Billboard magazine)
- January 10 - "Give Me Wings" - Michael Johnson
- January 17 - "What Am I Gonna Do About You" - Reba McEntire
- January 24 - "Cry Myself to Sleep" - The Judds
- January 31 - "You Still Move Me" - Dan Seals
- February 7 - "Leave Me Lonely" - Gary Morris
- February 14 - "How Do I Turn You On" - Ronnie Milsap
- February 21 - "Straight to the Heart" - Crystal Gayle
- February 28 - "I Can't Win for Losin' You" - Earl Thomas Conley
- March 7 - "Mornin' Ride" - Lee Greenwood
- March 14 - "Baby's Got a New Baby" - Schuyler, Knobloch and Overstreet (SKO)
- March 21 - "I'll Still Be Loving You" - Restless Heart
- March 28 - "Small Town Girl" - Steve Wariner
- April 4 - "Ocean Front Property" - George Strait
- April 11 - "You've Got the Touch" - Alabama
- April 18 - "Kids of the Baby Boom" - Bellamy Brothers
- April 25 - "Rose in Paradise" - Waylon Jennings
- May 2 - "Don't Go to Strangers" - T. Graham Brown
- May 9 - "The Moon is Still Over Her Shoulder" - Michael Johnson
- May 16 - "To Know Him is to Love Him" - The Trio (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton)
- May 23 - "Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You" - The O'Kanes
- May 30 - "It Takes a Little Rain (To Make Love Grow)" - Oak Ridge Boys
- June 6 - "I Will Be There" - Dan Seals
- June 13 - "Forever and Ever, Amen" - Randy Travis
- July 4 - "That Was a Close One" - Earl Thomas Conley
- July 11 - "All My Ex's Live in Texas" - George Strait
- July 18 - "I Know Where I'm Going" - The Judds
- July 25 - "The Weekend" - Steve Wariner
- August 1 - "Snap Your Fingers" - Ronnie Milsap
- August 8 - "One Promise Too Late" - Reba McEntire
- August 15 - "A Long Line of Love" - Michael Martin Murphey
- August 22 - "Why Does it Have to Be (Wrong or Right)" - Restless Heart
- August 29 - "Born to Boogie" - Hank Williams, Jr.
- September 5 - "She's Too Good to Be True" - Exile
- September 12 - "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" - Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers
- September 19 - "This Crazy Love" - Oak Ridge Boys
- September 26 - "Three Time Loser" - Dan Seals
- October 3 - "You Again" - Forester Sisters
- October 10 - "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" - Rosanne Cash
- October 17 - "Fishin' in the Dark" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- October 24 - "Shine, Shine, Shine" - Eddy Raven
- October 31 - "Right From the Start" - Earl Thomas Conley
- November 7 - "Am I Blue" - George Strait
- November 14 - "Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues" - The Judds
- November 21 - "I Won't Need You Anymore (Always and Forever)" - Randy Travis
- November 28 - "Lynda" - Steve Wariner
- December 5 - "Somebody Lied" - Ricky Van Shelton
- December 12 - "The Last One to Know" - Reba McEntire
- December 19 - "Do Ya'" - K.T. Oslin
- December 26 - "Somewhere Tonight" - Highway 101
[edit] Other major hits
- "Little Sister" - Dwight Yoakam
- "Little Ways" - Dwight Yoakam
- "Member's Only" - Donna Fargo and Billy Joe Royal
- "Oh Heart" - Baillie & the Boys
- "Telling Me Lies" - The Trio (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton)
- "Those Memories of You" - The Trio (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton)
[edit] Top new album releases
- 80s Ladies - K.T. Oslin (RCA)
- After All This Time - Charley Pride (16th Avenue)
- Always and Forever – Randy Travis (Warner Bros.)
- Borderline - Conway Twitty (MCA)
- Chill Factor - Merle Haggard (Epic)
- Cornerstone - Holly Dunn (MTM)
- Greatest Hits - Steve Wariner (MCA)
- Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - George Strait (MCA)
- Hank Live - Hank Williams Jr. (Warner Bros./Curb)
- Hard Times on Easy Street - David Lynn Jones (Mercury/Polygram)
- Heart and Soul – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
- Heartbeat - Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
- Heartland - The Judds (RCA/Curb)
- Highway 101 - Highway 101 (Warner Bros.)
- Hillbilly Deluxe - Dwight Yoakum (Reprise)
- Hits - Gary Morris (Warner Bros.)
- Hold On - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Warner Bros.)
- Just Us - Alabama (RCA)
- King's Record Shop - Roseanne Cash (Columbia)
- The Last One to Know – Reba McEntire (MCA)
- Love Me Like You Used To - Tanya Tucker (Capitol)
- A Man Called Hoss - Waylon Jennings (MCA)
- Maple Street Memories - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)
- Ocean Front Property – George Strait (MCA)
- The Royal Treatment Billy Joe Royal (Atlantic)
- Seashores of Old Mexico - Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson (Epic)
- Somewhere in the Night - Sawyer Brown (Capitol/Curb)
- Shelter From the Night - Exile (Epic)
- Too Wild Too Long - George Jones (Epic)
- Trio - Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt (Warner Bros)
- Untasted Honey - Kathy Mattea (Mercury/Polygram)
- Wild Eyed Dream - Ricky Van Shelton (Columbia)
[edit] Christmas albums
- Christmastime With the Judds - The Judds (RCA/Curb)
[edit] On television
[edit] Regular series
- Dolly (1987-1988, ABC)
- Hee Haw (1969-1993, syndicated)
[edit] Specials
[edit] Births
[edit] Deaths
[edit] Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
- Rod Brasfield (1910-1958)
[edit] Major Awards
[edit] Grammy awards
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "80's Ladies" - K.T. Oslin
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "Always & Forever" - Randy Travis
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "Trio" - Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Duet -- "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" - Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers
- Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group Or Soloist) -- "String Of Pars" - Asleep At The Wheel
- Best Country Song -- "Forever And Ever, Amen" - Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet
[edit] Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer Of The Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
- Song Of The Year -- "Forever And Ever Amen" - Randy Travis - Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz
- Single Of The Year -- "Forever And Ever Amen" - Randy Travis
- Album Of The Year -- Trio - Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
- Top Male Vocalist -- Randy Travis
- Top Female Vocalist -- Reba McEntire
- Top Vocal Duo -- The Judds
- Top Vocal Group -- U.S. Route 101
- Top New Male Vocalist -- Ricky Van Shelton
- Top New Female Vocalist -- K.T. Oslin
- Video Of The Year -- "80's Ladies" - K.T. Oslin (Director: Jack Cole)
[edit] Country Music Association
- Instrumentalist of the Year -- Johnny Gimble
- Entertainer of the Year -- Hank Williams, Jr.
- Male Vocalist of the Year -- Randy Travis
- Female Vocalist of the Year -- Reba McEntire
- Horizon Award -- Holly Dunn
- Vocal Group of the Year -- The Judds
- Vocal Duo of the Year -- Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White
- Album of the Year -- Randy Travis
- Song of the Year -- Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz
- Single of the Year -- Randy Travis
- Music Video of the Year -- Hank Williams, Jr.
[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.
