1981 in country music

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See also: 1980 in country music, 1981 in music, other events of 1981, 1982 in country music and the List of years in Country Music

Contents 1 Events 2 Top hits of the year 2.1 Number one hits 2.2 Other major hits 3 Top new album releases 3.1 Other top albums 4 On television 4.1 Regular series 4.2 Specials 5 Births 6 Deaths 7 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees 8 Major Awards 8.1 Grammy awards 8.2 Academy of Country Music 8.3 Country Music Association 9 Further reading 10 Other links 11 External links

[edit] Events

• March 14 - The final showing of Live From The Grand Ole Opry on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) occurs on this night. The show actually went beyond the televised segment, but the show was ended with a clip of Marty Robbins singing "El Paso" (a song he used to close out his Opry segment at midnight) from the year before. Because of cost over-runs and other technicalities, this was the final run for the annual show on PBS that featured the music of Tom T. Hall, Del Reeves, Hank Snow, Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl, and many other performers.
• The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music, an eight-volume, 143-track collection, is released. The box set is considered one of the first important retrospectives of the genre and contains extensive liner notes, depicting the importance of each song or artist included.

Songs included range from 1922's "Sally Gooden" to 1975's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" by Willie Nelson. Specifically, each volume is titled thusly: "1920's," "1930's Southeast," "1930's Southwest," "1941-1953" (two records), "1953-1963," "Bluegrass" and "1963-1975."

[edit] Top hits of the year

[edit] Number one hits

(As certified by Billboard magazine)

• January 10 – "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" – Merle Haggard
• January 17 – "I Love a Rainy Night" – Eddie Rabbitt
• January 24 – "9 to 5" – Dolly Parton
• January 31 – "I Feel Like Loving You Again" – T.G. Sheppard
• February 7 – "I Keep Coming Back" – Razzy Bailey
• February 14 – "Who's Cheatin' Who" – Charly McClain
• February 21 – "Southern Rains" – Mel Tillis
• February 28 – "Are You Happy Baby" – Dottie West
• March 7 – "Do You Love as Good as You Look" – Bellamy Brothers
• March 14 – "Guitar Man" – Elvis Presley
• March 21 – "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" – Willie Nelson
• March 28 – "Texas Women" – Hank Williams Jr.
• April 4 – "Drifter" – Sylvia
• April 11 – "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" – David Frizzell and Shelly West
• April 18 – "Old Flame" – Alabama
• April 25 – "A Headache Tomorrow (or a Heartache Tonight)" – Mickey Gilley
• May 2 – "Rest Your Love on Me" – Conway Twitty
• May 9 – "Am I Losing You" – Ronnie Milsap
• May 16 – "I Loved 'Em Every One" – T.G. Sheppard
• May 23 – "Seven Year Ache" – Rosanne Cash
• May 30 – "Elvira" – Oak Ridge Boys
• June 6 – "Friends" / "Anywhere There's a Jukebox" – Razzy Bailey
• June 13 – "What Are We Doin' In Love" – Dottie West and Kenny Rogers
• June 20 – "But You Know I Love You" – Dolly Parton
• June 27 – "Blessed Are the Believers" – Anne Murray
• July 4 – "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" – Barbara Mandrell (with special guest George Jones)
• July 11 – "Fire and Smoke" – Earl Thomas Conley
• July 18 – "Feels So Right" – Alabama
• August 1 – "Dixie on My Mind" – Hank Williams Jr.
• August 8 – "Too Many Lovers" – Crystal Gayle
• August 15 – "I Don't Need You" – Kenny Rogers
• August 29 – "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me" – Ronnie Milsap
• September 12 – "Older Women" – Ronnie McDowell
• September 19 – "You Don't Know Me" – Mickey Gilley
• September 26 – "Tight Fittin' Jeans" – Conway Twitty
• October 3 – "Midnight Hauler" – Razzy Bailey
• October 10 – "Party Time" – T.G. Sheppard
• October 17 – "Step by Step" – Eddie Rabbitt
• October 24 – "Never Been So Loved (In All My Life)" – Charley Pride
• November 7 – "Fancy Free" – Oak Ridge Boys
• November 14 – "My Baby Thinks He's a Train" – Rosanne Cash
• November 21 – "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)" – Hank Williams Jr.
• November 28 – "My Favorite Memory" – Merle Haggard
• December 5 – "Bet Your Heart on Me" – Johnny Lee
• December 12 – "Still Doin' Time" – George Jones
• December 19 – "All Roads Lead to You" – Steve Wariner
• December 26 – "Love in the First Degree" – Alabama

[edit] Other major hits

• "Angel of the Morning" - Juice Newton
• "Any Which Way You Can" - Glen Campbell
• "The Baron" -- Johnny Cash
• "Beautiful You" -- Oak Ridge Boys
• "A Bridge That Just Won't Burn" -- Conway Twitty
• "By Now" -- Steve Wariner
• "Can I See You Tonight" -- Tanya Tucker
• "Chicken Truck" -- John Anderson
• "Crying" - Don McLean
• "Don't Bother to Knock" - Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius
• "Don't Get Above Your Raisin'" -- Ricky Skaggs
• "Don't Wait on Me" -- Statler Brothers
• "Down and Out" -- George Strait
• "Down to My Last Broken Heart" - Janie Fricke
• "Dream of Me" -- Vern Gosdin
• "Falling Again" -- Don Williams
• "Following the Feeling" - Moe Bandy and Judy Bailey
• "Fool By Your Side" -- Dave & Sugar
• "Giving Up Easy" - Leon Everette
• "Grandma's Song" - Gail Davies
• "Headed For a Heartache" - Gary Morris
• "Heart on the Mend" - Sylvia
• "Hey Moe, Hey Joe" -- Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley
• "Hillbilly Girl with the Blues" - Lacy J. Dalton
• "Honky Tonk Queen" - Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley
• "Hooked on Music" -- Mac Davis
• "The House of the Rising Sun" -- Dolly Parton
• "Hurricane" -- Leon Everette
• "(I'm Gonna) Put You Back on the Rack" -- Dottie West
• "I Don't Think Love Ought to Be That Way" -- Reba McEntire
• "I Need Someone to Hold Me When I Cry" -- Janie Fricke
• "I Should've Called" - Eddy Raven
• "I Still Believe in Waltzes" -- Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
• "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)" -- George Jones
• "If You Go, I'll Follow You" - Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
• "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" - Gail Davies
• "I'm Gonna Love You Back to Loving Me Again" - Joe Stampley
• "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)" -- John Anderson
• "It Don't Hurt Me Half as Bad" -- Ray Price
• "It's A Lovely, Lovely World" - Gail Davies
• "It's All I Can Do" - Anne Murray
• "It's Now or Never" -- John Schneider
• "Leonard" -- Merle Haggard
• "Louisiana Saturday Night" -- Mel McDaniel
• "Love Dies Hard" -- Randy Barlow
• "Lovin' Arms" -- Elvis Presley
• "Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" -- Tompall and the Glaser Brothers
• "Lovin' What Your Lovin' Does to Me" -- Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
• "Matador" -- Sylvia
• "A Million Old Goodbyes" -- Mel Tillis
• "Miracles" -- Don Williams
• "Miss Emily's Picture" -- John Conlee
• "Mister Sandman" -- Emmylou Harris
• "1959" -- John Anderson
• "One Night Fever" -- Mel Tillis
• "Pickin' Up Strangers" -- Johnny Lee
• "Prisoner of Hope" -- Johnny Lee
• "Queen of Hearts" -- Juice Newton
• "Rainbow Stew" -- Merle Haggard
• "Roll On Mississippi" -- Charley Pride
• "Share Your Love With Me" - Kenny Rogers
• "Silent Treatment" - Earl Thomas Conley
• "Sleepin' With the Radio On" -- Charly McClain
• "Some Days are Diamonds (Some Days are Stone)" - John Denver
• "Somebody's Knockin' - Terri Gibbs
• "Surround Me With Love" -- Charly McClain
• "Takin' It Easy" - Lacy J. Dalton
• "Teach Me to Cheat" - The Kendalls
• "Texas in My Rearview Mirror" -- Mac Davis
• "A Texas State of Mind" - David Frizzell and Shelly West
• "Thirty-Nine and Holdin'" - Jerry Lee Lewis
• "Today All Over Again" -- Reba McEntire
• "Unwound" -- George Strait
• "Wandering Eyes" -- Ronnie McDowell
• "What are We Doing Lonesome" - Larry Gatlin
• "What's New With You" -- Con Hunley
• "Whisper" - Lacy J. Dalton
• "Wild Side of Life/It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" -- Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings
• "Wish You Were Here" -- Barbara Mandrell
• "You Asked Me To" - Elvis Presley
• "You May See Me Walkin'" -- Ricky Skaggs
• "Your Memory" -- Steve Wariner
• "You're the Best" - Kieran Kane

[edit] Top new album releases

• The Baron — Johnny Cash (Columbia)
• Encore — Johnny Cash (Columbia)
• Evangeline — Emmylou Harris (Warner Bros.)
• Feels So Right — Alabama (RCA)
• Heart to Heart — Reba McEntire (Mercury)
• I Love 'Em All — T. G. Sheppard (Warner Bros./Curb)
• Leather and Lace — Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter (RCA)
• The Pressure is On — Hank Williams Jr. (Warner Bros./Elektra)
• Rowdy — Hank Williams Jr. (Warner Bros./Elektra)
• Seven Year Ache — Roseanne Cash (Columbia)
• Still the Same Ole Me — George Jones (Epic)
• Strait Country — George Strait (MCA)
• Together Again — George Jones and Tammy Wynette (Epic)
• Wild West — Dottie West (United Artists/Liberty)

[edit] Other top albums

Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be) – Willie Nelson (Columbia)

• Fancy Free – Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
• Out Where the Bright Lights are Glowing – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
• Share Your Love – Kenny Rogers (United Artists)
• Strait Country – George Strait (MCA)
• There's No Getting Over Me – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
• Waitin' For The Sun To Shine – Ricky Skaggs (Epic)

[edit] On television

[edit] Regular series

• Hee Haw (1969-1993, syndicated)

[edit] Specials

• June - Country Top 20 - Host Dennis Weaver presented the top 20 songs from January-June 1981. Performances from Alabama, The Gatlin Brothers, Oak Ridge Boys, John Schneider, T.G. Sheppard, Dottie West and Shelly West. (syndicated)
• October - Country Galaxy of Stars - A two-hour special featuring performances by country music's top stars. (syndicated)
• December - Country Top 20 - A review of the top 20 songs from July-December 1981, with hosts Charly McClain and Roger Miller. Performers included John Conlee, Gail Davies, Crystal Gayle, Johnny Lee, Eddie Rabbitt, Eddy Raven, Joe Stampley, Sylvia and Hank Williams Jr. (syndicated)

[edit] Births

• December 4 - Lila McCann, teenage singer of 1990s

[edit] Deaths

[edit] Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

• Vernon Dalhart (1883-1948)
• Grant Turner (1912-1991)

[edit] Major Awards

[edit] Grammy awards

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "9 To 5" - Dolly Parton
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me" - Ronnie Milsap
• Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "Elvira" - Oak Ridge Boys
• Best Country Instrumental Performance -- "Country After All These Years" - Chet Atkins
• Best Country Song -- "9 To 5" - Dolly Parton, songwriter

[edit] Academy of Country Music

• Entertainer Of The Year -- Alabama
• Song Of The Year -- "You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma" - David Frizzell and Shelly West
• Single Of The Year -- "Elvira" - Oak Ridge Boys
• Album Of The Year -- Feels So Right - Alabama
• Top Male Vocalist -- Merle Haggard
• Top Female Vocalist -- Barbara Mandrell
• Top Vocal Duo -- Shelly West and David Frizzell
• Top New Male Vocalist -- Ricky Skaggs
• Top New Female Vocalist -- Juice Newton

[edit] Country Music Association

• Instrumental Group of the Year -- Alabama
• Instrumentalist of the Year -- Chet Atkins
• Entertainer of the Year -- Barbara Mandrell
• Male Vocalist of the Year -- George Jones
• Female Vocalist of the Year -- Barbara Mandrell
• Horizon Award -- Terri Gibbs
• Vocal Group of the Year -- Alabama
• Vocal Duo of the Year -- David Frizzell and Shelly West
• Album of the Year -- Don Williams
• Song of the Year -- "He Stopped Loving Her Today" - George Jones, Bobby Braddock, and Curly Putman
• Single of the Year -- "Elvira" - Oak Ridge Boys

[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.

[edit] Other links

• Country Music Association
• Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

[edit] External links

• Country Music Hall of Fame