1988 in country music

"See also:"
1987 in country music,
1988 in music,
other events of 1988,
1989 in country music and the List of years in Country Music

Events

* May 21 — Country music stars highlight a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Featured: Alabama, The Judds, George Strait and Randy Travis. The concert is a big success.

No dates

*Time-Life Records releases the first volume of its "Country USA" series. The series, which would eventually include 23 volumes, each chronicles one year per volume - 1950 through 1972. Each volume - offered on two record albums, or one cassette or compact disc - contains liner notes from some of country music's most respected historians. In many cases, the songs offered on each volume represented the first time they had ever been re-released on compact disc. "Country USA" was offered through television and magazine advertisements.
*The Country Music Association Awards introduced a new award, "Vocal Event of the Year", awarding collaborative efforts by two or more artists who normally don't work together. (Previously such efforts had to included with "Best Duo or Group" nominations.) The first recipient was the group of Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt for their "Trio" album.

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

*"A Little Bit Closer - Tom Wopat (#18)
*"A Little Bit in Love" - Patty Loveless (#2)
*"Always Late (With Your Kisses)" - Dwight Yoakam (#9)
*"Americana" - Moe Bandy (#8)
*"Another Place, Another Time" - Don Williams (#5)
*"Baby I'm Yours" - Steve Wariner (#2)
*"The Best I Know How" - The Statler Brothers (#15)
*"Blue Love" - The O'Kanes (#10)
*"Blue to the Bone" - Sweethearts of the Rodeo (#5)
*"Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues" - The Charlie Daniels Band (#10)
*"Button Off My Shirt" - Ronnie Milsap (#4)
*"Chill Factor" - Merle Haggard (#9)
*"Chiseled in Stone" - Vern Gosdin (#6)
*"Crying Shame" - Michael Johnson (#4)
*"Desperately" - Don Williams (#7)
*"Do You Believe Me Now?" - Vern Gosdin (#4)
*"Don't Give Candy to a Stranger" - Larry Boone (#10)
*"Early in the Morning and Late at Night - Hank Williams Jr. (#13)
*"Everybody's Sweetheart" - Vince Gill (#11)
*"The Factory" - Kenny Rogers (#6)
*"The Gift" - The McCarters (#4)
*"Give a Little Love" - The Judds (#2)
*"Givers and Takers" - Schuyler, Knobloch and Bickhardt (#8)
*"Goodbye Time" - Conway Twitty (#7)
*"Heaven Can't Be Found" - Hank Williams, Jr. (#4)
*"High Ridin' Heroes" – David Lynn Jones and Waylon Jennings (#14)
*"I Didn't (Every Chance I Had)" - Johnny Rodriguez (#12)
*"I Don't Have Far to Fall" - Skip Ewing (#8)
*"I Have You" - Glen Campbell (#7)
*"I Loved You Yesterday" - Lyle Lovett (#24)
*"I Prefer the Moonlight" - Kenny Rogers (#2)
*"I Should Be With You" - Steve Wariner (#2)
*"I Still Believe" - Lee Greenwood (#12)
*"I Want a Love Like That" - Judy Rodman (#18)
*"I Will Whisper Your Name" - Michael Johnson (#7)
*"I Wish That I Could Fall in Love Today - Barbara Mandrell (#5)
*"I Wouldn't Be a Man" - Don Williams (#9)
*"I'll Give You All My Love Tonight" - The Bellamy Brothers (#6)
*"I'll Pin a Note on Your Pillow" - Billy Joe Royal (#5)
*"I'm Down to My Last Cigarette" - K.D. Lang (#21)
*"I'm Gonna Love Her on the Radio" - Charley Pride (#13)
*"I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl" - Michael Martin Murphey (#3)
*"I've Been Lookin'" - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#2)
*"If My Heart Had Windows" - Patty Loveless (#10)
*"If Ole Hank Could Only See Us Now" - Waylon Jennings (#16)
*"If the South Woulda Won" - Hank Williams, Jr. (#8)
*"It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin'" - Billy Joe Royal (#17)
*"It's You Again" - Exile (#21)
*"Just Lovin' You" - The O'Kanes (#5)
*"Just One Kiss" - Exile (#9)
*"The Last Resort" - T. Graham Brown (#4)
*"Letter Home" - The Forester Sisters (#9)
*"Love Helps Those" - Paul Overstreet (#3)
*"Love of a Lifetime" - Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band (#4)
*"Lyin' In His Arms Again" The Forester Sisters (#5)
*"Mama Knows" - Shenandoah (#5)
*"Midnight Highway" - Southern Pacific (#14)
*"Money" - K.T. Oslin (#13)
*"New Shade of Blue" - Southern Pacific (#2)
*"No More One More Time" - Jo-El Sonnier (#7)
*"Oh What a Love" - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#5)
*"Old Folks" - Ronnie Milsap with Mike Reid (#2)
*"One For the Money" - T.G. Sheppard (#2)
*"One Step Forward" - Desert Rose Band (#2)
*"One True Love" - The O'Kanes (#4)
*"Out of Sight and on My Mind" - Billy Joe Royal (#10)
*"Please, Please Baby" - Dwight Yoakam (#6)
*"Real Good Feel Good Song" - Mel McDaniel (#9)
*"Rebels Without a Clue" - The Bellamy Brothers (#9)
*"Rough and Rowdy Days" - Waylon Jennings (#6)
*"Santa Fe" - The Bellamy Brothers (#5)
*"Satisfy You"- Sweethearts of the Rodeo (#5)
*"Saturday Night Special" - Conway Twitty (#9)
*"She Couldn't Love Me Anymore" - T. Graham Brown (#4)
*"She Doesn't Cry Anymore" - Shenandoah (#9)
*"She's No Lady" - Lyle Lovett (#17)
*"Shouldn't It Be Easier Than This" - Charley Pride (#5)
*"Sincerely" - The Forester Sisters (#8)
*"Some Old Side Road" - Keith Whitley (#16)
*"Spanish Eyes" - Willie Nelson with Julio Iglesias (#8)
*"Still Within the Sound of My Voice" - Glen Campbell (#5)
*"Strangers Again" - Holly Dunn (#7)
*"Summer Wind" - Desert Rose Band (#2)
*"Sunday Kind of Love" - Reba McEntire (#5)
*"Sure Thing" - Foster & Lloyd (#8)
*"Talkin' to Myself Again" - Tammy Wynette (#16)
*"Talkin' to the Wrong Man - Michael Martin Murphey (#4)
*"Tear Stained Letter" - Jo-El Sonnier (#9)
*"Tell Me True" - Juice Newton (#8)
*"Texas in 1880" - Foster & Lloyd (#18)
*"Thanks Again" - Ricky Skaggs (#17)
*"That's My Job" - Conway Twitty (#6)
*"That's That" - Michael Johnson (#9)
*"That's What Your Love Does to Me" - Holly Dunn (#5)
*"This Missin' You Heart of Mine" - Sawyer Brown (#2)
*"Timeless and True Love" - The McCarters (#5)
*"Touch and Go Crazy" - Lee Greenwood (#5)
*"True Heart" - The Oak Ridge Boys (#5)
*"Under the Boardwalk" - Lynn Anderson (#24)
*"Untold Stories" - Kathy Mattea (#4)
*"We Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" - Eddie Rabbitt (#7)
*"We Never Touch at All" - Merle Haggard (#22)
*"What Do You Want From Me This Time" - Foster & Lloyd (#6)
*"Wilder Days" - Baillie & the Boys (#9)
*"Wildflowers" - Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt (#6)
*"Workin' Man (Nowhere to Go)" - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#4)
*"You Can't Fall in Love When You're Cryin'" - Lee Greenwood (#20)
*"Young Country" - Hank Williams, Jr. (#2)
*"Your Memory Wins Again" - Skip Ewing (#17)

Top new album releases

* "Across the Rio Grande" — Holly Dunn (MTM)
* "Alabama Live" — Alabama (RCA)
* "Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room" — Dwight Yoakam (Reprise)
* "Full Circle" — Waylon Jennings (MCA)
* "Greatest Hits" — The Judds (RCA)
* "Highway 101²" — Highway 101 (Warner Bros.)
* "Honky Tonk Angel" — Patty Loveless (MCA)
* "If My Heart Had Windows" — Patty Loveless (MCA)
* "If You Ain't Lovin', You Ain't Livin'" — George Strait (MCA)
* "I'll Be Your Jukebox Tonight" — Barbara Mandrell (Capitol)
* "Loving Proof" — Ricky Van Shelton (Columbia)
* "Old 8x10" — Randy Travis (Warner Bros.)
* "Reba" — Reba McEntire (MCA)
* "Strong Enough to Bend" — Tanya Tucker (Capitol)
* "Wide Open" — Sawyer Brown (Capitol/Curb)

Compilation albums

* "Country USA (Time-Life Music series)" — Various Artists (Time-Life)

Other

*"Big Dreams in a Small Town" - Restless Heart (RCA)
*"Chisled in Stone" – Vern Gosdin (Epic)
*"Come as You Were" – T. Graham Brown (Capitol)
*"Diamonds & Dirt" – Rodney Crowell (Columbia)
*"Greatest Hits" — Kenny Rogers (RCA)
*"I Wanna Dance With You" - Eddie Rabbitt (RCA)
*"Wild Streak" – Hank Williams, Jr. (Warner Bros.)

On television

Regular series

* "Dolly" (1987-1988)
* "Hee Haw" (1969-1993, syndicated)

pecials

Births

*May 24 -- Billy Gilman, the youngest artist to ever have a country hit record (2000's "One Voice").

Deaths

*September 20 -- Leon McAuliffe, 71, prominent member of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys and a star in his own right.
*December 6 -- Roy Orbison, 52, American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll.

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

*Loretta Lynn (born 1935)
*Roy Rogers (1911–1998)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

*Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "Hold Me" - K.T. Oslin
*Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "Old 8x10" - Randy Travis
*Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "Give A Little Love" - Judds (Naomi Judd, Wynonna Judd)
*Best Country Vocal Collaboration -- "Crying" - Roy Orbison and k.d. lang
*Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group Or Soloist) -- "Sugarfoot Rag" - Asleep At The Wheel
*Best Bluegrass Recording (Vocal Or Instrumental) -- "Southern Flavor" - Bill Monroe
*Best Country Song -- "Hold Me" - K.T. Oslin, songwriter

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer Of The Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
*Song Of The Year -- "Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses" - Kathy Mattea - Charles Nelson, Paul Nelson
*Single Of The Year -- "Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses" - Kathy Mattea
*Album Of The Year -- This Woman - K.T. Oslin
*Top Male Vocalist -- George Strait
*Top Female Vocalist -- K.T. Oslin
*Top Vocal Duo -- The Judds
*Top Vocal Group -- Highway 101
*Top New Male Vocalist -- Rodney Crowell
*Top New Female Vocalist -- Suzy Bogguss
*Video Of The Year -- Young Country" - Hank Williams Jr. (Director: Bill Fishman)

Country Music Association

*Entertainer of the Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
*Male Vocalist of the Year -- Randy Travis
*Female Vocalist of the Year -- K.T. Oslin
*Horizon Award -- Ricky Van Shelton
*Vocal Group of the Year -- Highway 101
*Vocal Duo of the Year -- The Judds
*Vocal Event of the Year -- Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt
*Album of the Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
*Song of the Year -- K.T. Oslin
*Single of the Year -- Kathy Mattea
*Musician of the Year -- Chet Atkins

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]