1983 in country music

"See also:"
1982 in country music,
1983 in music,
other events of 1983,
1984 in country music and the List of years in Country Music

Events

* March — In a span of two days, two major cable networks signed on the air. Country Music Television (aka CMT) went on-the-air March 6, while The Nashville Network (TNN) came on one day later. CMT was chiefly video-oriented, while TNN offered more feature-oriented programming.

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.

Other major hits

*"Ain't No Trick (It Takes Magic)" - Lee Greenwood
*"All My Life" - Kenny Rogers
*"Amarillo by Morning" – George Strait
*"Baby I Lied" - Deborah Allen
*"The Conversation" - Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr.
*"Don't Count the Rainy Days" - Michael Martin Murphey
*"Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" - Lacy J. Dalton
*"Everything's Beautiful in its Own Way" – Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson
*"Feel Right" - Tanya Tucker
*"Flight 309 to Tennessee" – Shelly West
*"Foolin'" – Johnny Rodriguez
*"Going Downhill" - John Anderson
*"Guilty" - Statler Brothers
*"Hard Candy Christmas" - Dolly Parton
*"Hey Bartender" – Johnny Lee
*"How Could I Love Her So Much" – Johnny Rodriguez
*"I.O.U." – Lee Greenwood
*"I Don't Remember Loving You" - John Conlee
*"I Have Loved You Girl (But Not Like This Before)" – Earl Thomas Conley
*"I Love Her Mind" – Bellamy Brothers
*"I Wonder" - Rosanne Cash
*"If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right)" - Vern Gosdin
*"In Times Like These" - Barbara Mandrell
*"Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning" - Willie Nelson
*"Leave Them Boys Alone" - Hank Williams Jr. (with Waylon Jennings and Ernest Tubb)
*"Let's Get Over Them Together" - Moe Bandy and Becky Hobbs
*"Like Nothing Ever Happened" - Sylvia
*"Lost in the Feeling" - Conway Twitty
*"Lost My Baby Blues" - David Frizzell
*"Love Affairs" - Michael Martin Murphey
*"The Love She Found in Me" - Gary Morris
*"Midnight Fire" – Steve Wariner
*"My First Taste of Texas" - Ed Bruce
*"My Lady Loves Me (Just As I Am)" - Leon Everette
*"Nobody But You" – Don Williams
*"(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely" – Statler Brothers
*"Personally" - Ronnie McDowell
*"The Ride" – David Allen Coe
*"Save Me" - Louise Mandrell
*"Scarlet Fever" – Kenny Rogers
*"Shame on the Moon" - Bob Seger
*"Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love On Me)" – George Jones
*"Snapshot" – Sylvia
*"Somebody's Always Sayin' Goodbye" - Anne Murray
*"Sounds Like Love" - Johnny Lee
*"Still Takin' Chances" – Michael Martin Murphey
*"Stranger in My House" – Ronnie Milsap
*"Tennessee Whiskey" – George Jones
*"Today My World Slipped Away" - Vern Gosdin
*"Touch Me (I'll Be Your Fool Once More)" - Tom Jones
*"Velvet Chains" - Gary Morris
*"Way Down Deep" - Vern Gosdin
*"What Am I Gonna Do (With the Rest of My Life)" – Merle Haggard
*"What I've Learned From Loving You" - Lynn Anderson
*"What She Don't Know Won't Hurt Her" – Gene Watson
*"Where are You Spendin' Your Nights These Days" - David Frizzell
*"Why Do We Want (What We Know We Can't Have)" - Reba McEntire
*"The Wind Beneath My Wings" – Gary Morris
*"With You" - Charly McClain
*"You Don't Know Love" - Janie Fricke
*"You Made a Wanted Man of Me - Ronnie McDowell
*"You Put the Beat in My Heart" - Eddie Rabbitt
*"You're Out Here Doing (What I'm Here Doing Without)" - Gene Watson
*"You've Got a Lover" – Ricky Skaggs
*"Your Love Shines Through" - Mickey Gilley

Top new album releases

* "Behind the Scene" — Reba McEntire (Mercury)
* "Burlap & Satin" — Dolly Parton (RCA)
* "Cage the Songbird" — Crystal Gayle (Warner Bros.)
* "The Closer You Get..." — Alabama (RCA)
* "It's Only Rock & Roll" — Waylon Jennings (RCA)
* "Johnny 99" — Johnny Cash (Columbia)
* "Keyed Up" — Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
* "Pancho & Lefty" — Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson (Columbia)
* "Shine On" — George Jones (Epic)
* "Right or Wrong" — George Strait (MCA)
* "Take It to the Limit" — Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson (Columbia)
* "Today" — Statler Brothers (Mercury)
* "Waylon and Company" — Waylon Jennings (RCA)
* "Why Lady Why" — Gary Morris (Warner Bros.)

Other top albums

*"All the People Are Talkin"' - John Anderson (Warner Bros.)
*"American Made" – Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
*"Cheat the Night" - Deborah Allen (RCA)
*"Deliver" - Oak Ridge Boys
*"Don't Cheat in Our Hometown" – Ricky Skaggs (Sugar Hill)
*"Don't Let Our Dreams Die Young" - Tom Jones (Mercury/Polygram)
*"Don't Make it Easy for Me" – Earl Thomas Conley (RCA)
*"The Epic Collection (Recorded Live)" - Merle Haggard (MCA)
*"Even the Strong Get Lonely" – Tammy Wynette (Epic/Sony)
*"Exile" - Exile (Epic/Sony)
*"Eyes That See in the Dark" – Kenny Rogers (RCA)
*"For Every Rose" - Johnny Rodriguez (Epic)
*"The Great American Dream" - B.J. Thomas (Cleveland International/Columbia)
*"Greatest Hits Vol. 2" - The Gatlin Brothers (Columbia)
*"Greatest Hits Vol. II" - Eddie Rabbitt (Warner Bros.)
*"Hangin' Up My Heart" - Sissy Spacek (Atlantic)
*"The Heart Never Lies" - Michael Martin Murphey (Liberty)
*"Heart to Heart" – Merle Haggard (Epic/CBS)
*"If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do it Right)" - Vern Gosdin (Compleat)
*"In My Eyes" - John Conlee (MCA)
*"John Conlee's Greatest Hits" - John Conlee (MCA)
*"Jones Country" - George Jones (Epic)
*"Just Sylvia" - Sylvia (RCA)
*"Keyed Up" – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
*"Let's Go" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Liberty)
*"A Little Good News" – Anne Murray (Capitol)
*"Lost in the Feeling" – Conway Twitty (Warner Bros.)
*"Love Lies" - Janie Fricke (Epic)
*"The Man in the Mirror" - Jim Glaser (Noblevision)
*"Man of Steel" - Hank Williams Jr. (Warner Bros./Curb)
*"Memory Lane" - Joe Stampley (Epic)
*"Midnight Fire" - Steve Wariner (RCA)
*"Movin' Train" - The Kendalls (Mercury/Polygram)
*"Night Games" - Charley Pride (RCA)
*"Not the Man I Used to Be" - Boxcar Willie (Mainstreet)
*"Old Familiar Feeling" - The Whites (Warner Bros.)
*"Pancho & Lefty" – Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson (Epic/CBS)
*"Rebel Heart" - Dan Seals (Liberty)
*"Slow Burn" - T. G. Sheppard (Warner Bros./Curb)
*"Somebody's Gonna Love You" - Lee Greenwood (MCA)
*"Spun Gold" - Barbara Mandrell (MCA)
*"That's the Way Love Goes" - Merle Haggard (Epic/CBS)
*"Today" - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)
*"Tougher Than Leather" – Willie Nelson (Columbia/CBS)
*"West by West" - Shelly West (Viva)
*"We've Got Tonight" – Kenny Rogers (Liberty)
*"What Can I Say" - Gail Davies (Warner Bros.)
*"White Shoes" - Emmylou Harris (Reprise)
*"Why Lady Why" - Gary Morris (Warner Bros.)
*"Without a Song" – Willie Nelson (Columbia/Sony)
*"Wynonna & Naomi – The Judds (RCA/Curb)
*"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" - Mickey Gilley (Epic)

Christmas Albums

*"Merry Twismas From Conway Twitty and His Friends" - Conway Twitty (Warner Bros.)

On television

Regular series

* "Hee Haw" (1969-1993, syndicated)

pecials

Births

*March 10 – Carrie Underwood, 2005 "American Idol" winner, boosting her career.
*July 2 – Michelle Branch, member of The Wreckers.
*November 10 – Miranda Lambert, hot new country singer-songwriter and former "Nashville Star" contestant.
*December 12 – Katrina Elam, semi popular country music singer-songwriter.
*December 29 – Jessica Andrews, popular teen singer of the early 2000s.

Deaths

*October 20 – Merle Travis, 65, singer and composer of classic songs such as "Sixteen Tons", "Dark as a Dungeon", "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed" and "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette." (heart attack)

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

*Little Jimmy Dickens (born 1920)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

*Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "A Little Good News" - Anne Murray
*Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "I.O.U." - Lee Greenwood
*Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "The Closer You Get" Alabama
*Best Country Instrumental Performance -- "Fireball" New South (J.D. Crowe, Jerry Douglas, Todd Philips, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs)
*Best New Country Song -- "Stranger In My House" Mike Reid, songwriter

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer Of The Year -- Alabama
*Song Of The Year -- "The Wind Beneath My Wings" - Gary Morris - Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar
*Single Of The Year -- "Islands In The Stream" - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
*Album Of The Year -- The Closer You Get - Alabama
*Top Male Vocalist -- Lee Greenwood
*Top Female Vocalist -- Janie Fricke
*Top Vocal Duo -- Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
*Top Vocal Group -- Alabama
*Top New Male Vocalist -- Jim Glaser
*Top New Female Vocalist -- Gus Hardin

Country Music Association

*Instrumental Group of the Year -- Ricky Skaggs Band
*Instrumentalist of the Year -- Chet Atkins
*Entertainer of the Year -- Alabama
*Male Vocalist of the Year -- Lee Greenwood
*Female Vocalist of the Year -- Janie Fricke
*Horizon Award -- John Anderson
*Vocal Group of the Year -- Alabama
*Vocal Duo of the Year -- Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson
*Album of the Year -- Alabama
*Song of the Year -- Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James
*Single of the Year -- John Anderson

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]