1996 in country music

See also:
1995 in country music", "1996 in music", "other events of 1996", "1997 in country music", "1990s in music" and the "List of years in Country Music

Events

* June 28 - First annual Country Stampede Music Festival begins
* October 6 – Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are married, and quickly become country music's most visible couple. Their friendship grew into romance during their successful "Spontaneous Combustion" tour that year.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

"(as certified by Billboard magazine)"
*¹ - No. 1 song of the year, as determined by "Billboard magazine".
*^A - First "Billboard" No. 1 hit for that artist.
*^B - Last "Billboard" No. 1 hit for that artist to date.
*^C - Only "Billboard" No. 1 hit for that artist to date.

Other major hits

*^A Reached #1 on "Gavin Report" country singles charts.
*^B Reached #1 on "Radio & Records" (now "Mediabase 24/7") country singles charts.

Top new album releases

*"Between Now and Forever" — Bryan White (Asylum)
*"Big Love" — Tracy Byrd (MCA Nashville)
*"Blue" — LeAnn Rimes (Curb)
*"Blue Clear Sky" — George Strait (MCA Nashville)
*"Blue Moon" — Toby Keith (Mercury Nashville)
*"Borderline" — Brooks & Dunn (Arista Nashville)
*"Calm Before the Storm" — Paul Brandt (Reprise)
*"" — Jeff Foxworthy (Warner Bros.)
*"Did I Shave My Legs for This?" — Deana Carter (Capitol Nashville)
*"Dreamin' Out Loud" — Trace Adkins (Capitol Nashville)
*"Everybody Knows" — Trisha Yearwood (MCA Nashville)
*"Everything I Love" — Alan Jackson (Arista Nashville)
*"Faces" — John Berry (Capitol Nashville)
*"Full Circle" — Randy Travis (Warner Bros.)
*"Gettin' Out the Good Stuff" — David Lee Murphy (MCA Nashville)
*"Greater Need" — Lorrie Morgan (BNA)
*"Greatest Hits" — Clint Black (RCA)
*"Greatest Hits" — Mark Chesnutt (MCA Nashville)
*"High Lonesome Sound" — Vince Gill (MCA Nashville)
*"IV" — Diamond Rio (Arista Nashville)
*"Jo Dee Messina" — Jo Dee Messina (Curb)
*"Just the Same" — Terri Clark (Mercury Nashville)
*"Living in a Moment" — Ty Herndon (Epic)
*"Mark Wills" — Mark Wills (Mercury Nashville)
*"Me and You" — Kenny Chesney (BNA)
*"Measure of a Man" — Kevin Sharp (Asylum)
*"Neal McCoy" — Neal McCoy (Atlantic)
*"On a Good Night" — Wade Hayes (Columbia)
*"A Place in the World" — Mary Chapin Carpenter (Columbia)
*"Politics, Religion and Her" — Sammy Kershaw (Mercury Nashville)
*"The Restless Kind" — Travis Tritt (Warner Bros.)
*"Revelations" — Wynonna (Curb)
*"Ricochet" — Ricochet (Columbia)
*"Somebody New" — Rhett Akins (Decca Nashville)
*"Stars and Stripes Vol. 1" — The Beach Boys (River North)
*"Ten Thousand Angels" — Mindy McCready (BNA)
*"Time Marches On" — Tracy Lawrence (Atlantic)
*"The Trouble with the Truth" — Patty Loveless (Epic/Sony)
*"What I Do the Best" — John Michael Montgomery (Atlantic)
*"What If It's You" — Reba McEntire (MCA Nashville)

Other top albums

*"A.K.A. Wham Bam Sam" — Hank Williams, Jr. (Curb)
*"The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney" — Various Artists (Walt Disney)
*"BR5-49" — BR5-49 (Arista Nashville)
*"" — Collin Raye (Epic)
*"Christmas Volume II" — Alabama (RCA)
*"Don't Fence Me In" — Lari White (RCA)
*"For Me It's You" — Michelle Wright (Arista Nashville)
*"The Gift" — Kenny Rogers (Magnatone)
*"Girl of Your Dreams" — Bobbie Cryner (MCA Nashville)
*"Give Me Some Wheels" — Suzy Bogguss (Capitol Nashville)
*"Goodnight Sweetheart" — David Kersh (Curb)
*"Greatest Hits" — John Anderson (BNA)
*"Greatest Hits" — Confederate Railroad (Atlantic)
*"The Hits" — Hal Ketchum (Curb)
*"Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best" — Marty Stuart (MCA Nashville)
*"I Lived to Tell It All" — George Jones (MCA Nashville)
*"I Stoled This Record" — Cledus T. Judd (Razor & Tie)
*"I Will Always Love You and Other Greatest Hits" — Dolly Parton (Columbia)
*"It's What I Do" — Billy Dean (Capitol Nashville)
*"Learning as You Go" — Rick Trevino (Columbia)
*"Lisa Brokop" — Lisa Brokop (Capitol Nashville)
*"Mandy Barnett" — Mandy Barnett (Asylum)
*"My Roots Are Showing..." — K. T. Oslin (BNA)
*"Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly)" — Various Artists (Decca Nashville)
*"Now and Then" — Shenandoah (Capitol Nashville)
*"Paradise" — John Anderson (BNA)
*"The Road to Ensenada" — Lyle Lovett (Curb)
*"Semi Crazy" — Junior Brown (MCG/Curb)
*"Smokin' Armadillos" — Smokin' Armadillos (Curb)
*"Solid Ground" — Ricky Skaggs (Atlantic)
*"Some Things Are Meant to Be" — Linda Davis (Arista Nashville)
*"Spirit" — Willie Nelson (Island)
*"Stampede" — Chris LeDoux (Capitol Nashville)
*"Starlight Lounge" — David Ball (Warner Bros.)
*"Tennessee Moon" — Neil Young (Columbia)
*"That's Enough of That" — Mila Mason (Atlantic)
*"" — Hank Williams, Hank Williams, Jr. & Hank Williams III (Curb)
*" Trail of Tears" — Billy Ray Cyrus (Mercury)
*"Treasures" — Dolly Parton (Rising Tide)
*"Two Ways to Fall" — Ty England (RCA)
*"Unchained" — Johnny Cash (American Recordings)
*"Used Heart for Sale" — Gary Allan (Decca Nashville)
*"What I Live to Do" — James Bonamy (Epic)
*"You Still Got Me" — Doug Supernaw (Giant)

Deaths

* March 4 – Minnie Pearl, 83, legendary comedienne known for her trademark greeting, "How-dee!" and her straw hat with price tag; a regular on "Hee Haw" (stroke).
* May 3 – Patsy Montana, 87, first female country singer to have a single sell one million copies ("I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart").
* December 10 - Faron Young, 64, Nicknamed "The Hillbilly Heartthrob", and "The Singing Sheriff" he had many hits including "Hello Walls" and "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" (suicide).

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

*Patsy Montana (1908-1996)
*Buck Owens (1929-2006)
*Ray Price (born 1925)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

*Best Female Country Vocal Performance -- "Blue," LeAnn Rimes
*Best Male Country Vocal Performance -- "Worlds Apart," Vince Gill
*Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "My Maria," Brooks & Dunn
*Best Country Collaboration With Vocals -- "High Lonesome Sound," Vince Gill (featuring Alison Krauss & Union Station)
*Best Country Instrumental Performance -- "Jam Man," Chet Atkins
*Best Country Song -- "Blue," Bill Mack (Performer: LeAnn Rimes)
*Best Country Album -- "The Road to Ensenada", Lyle Lovett (Producers: Billy Williams and Lyle Lovett)
*Best Bluegrass Album -- "True Life Blues - The Songs of Bill Monroe", Various Artists (Producer: Todd Phillips)

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer Of The Year -- Brooks & Dunn
*Song Of The Year -- "Blue," Bill Mack
*Single Of The Year -- "Blue," LeAnn Rimes
*Album Of The Year -- "Blue Clear Sky", George Strait
*Top Male Vocalist -- George Strait
*Top Female Vocalist -- Patty Loveless
*Top Vocal Duo -- Brooks & Dunn
*Top Vocal Group -- Sawyer Brown
*Top New Male Vocalist -- Trace Adkins
*Top New Female Vocalist -- LeAnn Rimes
*Top New Vocal Duo Or Group -- Ricochet
*Video Of The Year -- "I Think About You," Collin Raye (Director: Steven Goldmann)

Country Music Association

*Entertainer of the Year -- Brooks & Dunn
*Song of the Year -- "Go Rest High on That Mountain," Vince Gill
*Single of the Year -- "Check Yes or No," George Strait
*Album of the Year -- "Blue Clear Sky", George Strait
*Male Vocalist of the Year -- George Strait
*Female Vocalist of the Year -- Patty Loveless
*Vocal Duo of the Year -- Brooks & Dunn
*Vocal Group of the Year -- The Mavericks
*Horizon Award -- Bryan White
*Music Video of the Year -- "My Wife Thinks You're Dead," Junior Brown (Director: Michael McNamara)
*Vocal Event of the Year -- "I Will Always Love You," Dolly Parton and Vince Gill
*Musician of the Year -- Mark O'Connor

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

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

External links

* [http://www.cmaawards.com/2004/hof/default.asp Country Music Hall of Fame]