1989 in country music

"See also:"
1988 in country music,
1989 in music,
other events of 1989,
1990 in country music and the List of years in Country Music

Events

* May 9 – Rising country star Keith Whitley is found dead at his home, a victim of alcohol poisoning. News of his death sent shockwaves through the industry, given that he had been hailed as a future superstar who helped bring neotraditionalism to the forefront during the 1980s. His widow, Lorrie Morgan, would become a major superstar after his death.

No date

* 1989 was one of two years during the 1980s which sprouted the most prolific class of newcomers in country music history (1986 being the other), a trend that had not been seen since the mid-1950s (when artists such as Elvis Presley, George Jones and Johnny Cash first rose to fame). Clint Black was at the head of the class early on, given that he had two of the year's most memorable singles – "A Better Man" and "Killin' Time" – and one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year ("Killin' Time"), and was already selling out shows nationwide. However, Garth Brooks proved to be the 1989 newcomer that stood head and shoulders above everyone else, eventually selling millions of albums, taking worldwide tours and creating some of the most influential music of the 1990s and beyond.:Another newcomer, Alan Jackson, had a minor hit with his first release that fall, "Blue Blooded Woman;" future singles – all featuring the neotraditional style, would do considerably better, to say the least. Travis Tritt contributed with his brand of rock-influenced country, while Lorrie Morgan (daughter of Grand Ole Opry legend George Morgan) became a star in her own right following the alcohol-poisoning death of her husband, Keith Whitley.
:Other top newcomers of the year were Suzy Bogguss, Lionel Cartwright and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

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

*"All the Fun" - Paul Overstreet (#5)
*"All the Reasons Why" - Highway 101 (#5)
*"An American Family" - The Oak Ridge Boys (#4)
*"And So It Goes" - John Denver and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#14)
*"Any Way the Wind Blows" - Southern Pacific (#4)
*"Back In the Fire" - Gene Watson (#20)
*"A Better Love Next Time" - Merle Haggard (#4)
*"Beyond Those Years" - The Oak Ridge Boys (#7)
*"Big Dreams in a Small Town" - Restless Heart (#3)
*"Big Love" - The Bellamy Brothers (#5)
*"Blue Side of Town" - Patty Loveless (#4)
*"Breakin' New Ground" - Wild Rose (#15)
*"Bridges and Walls" - The Oak Ridge Boys (#10)
*"Burnin' a Hole In My Heart" - Skip Ewing (#3)
*"Call on Me" - Tanya Tucker (#4)
*"The Coast of Colorado" - Skip Ewing (#16)
*"Come as You Were" - T. Graham Brown (#7)
*"Country Club" - Travis Tritt (#9)
*"Cross My Broken Heart" - Suzy Bogguss (#14)
*"Dear Me" - Lorrie Morgan (#9)
*"Don't Quit Me Now" - James House (#25)
*"Don't Toss Us Away" - Patty Loveless (#5)
*"Don't Waste It on the Blues" - Gene Watson (#5)
*"Don't You" - The Forester Sisters (#9)
*"Down That Road Tonight" - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#6)
*"Fair Shake" - Foster & Lloyd (#5)
*"Finders Are Keepers" - Hank Williams Jr. (#6)
*"From the Word Go" - Michael Martin Murphey (#3)
*"Give Me His Last Chance" - Lionel Cartwright (#3)
*"The Gospel According to Luke" - Skip Ewing (#10)
*"The Heart" - Lacy J. Dalton (#13)
*"Heartbreak Hill" - Emmylou Harris (#8)
*"Heaven Only Knows" - Emmylou Harris (#16)
*"Hey Bobby" - K.T. Oslin (#2)
*"Highway Robbery" - Tanya Tucker (#2)
*"Hold On (a Little Longer)" - Steve Wariner (#6)
*"Hole in My Pocket" - Ricky Van Shelton (#4)
*"Honey I Dare You" - Southern Pacific (#5)
*"Honky Tonk Heart" - Highway 101 (#6)
*"House On Old Lonesome Road" - Conway Twitty (#19)
*"Houston Solution" - Ronnie Milsap (#4)
*"How Do" - Mary Chapin Carpenter (#19)
*"I Got You" - Dwight Yoakam (#5)
*"(I Wish I Had a) Heart of Stone" - Baillie & the Boys (#4)
*"I Wish I Was Still in Your Dreams" - Conway Twitty (#4)
*"I'll Be Lovin' You" - Lee Greenwood (#16)
*"(I'm a) One Woman Man" - George Jones (#5)
*"I've Been Loved By the Best" - Don Williams (#4)
*"(It's Always Gonna Be) Someday" - Holly Dunn (#11)
*"It's You Again" - Skip Ewing (#5)
*"Let It Be You" - Ricky Skaggs (#5)
*"Let's Get Started if We're Gonna Break My Heart" - The Statler Brothers (#13)
*"Life As We Knew It" - Kathy Mattea (#4)
*"Like Father, Like Son" - Lionel Cartwright (#14)
*"The Lonely Side of Love" - Patty Loveless (#6)
*"Long Shot" - Baillie & the Boys (#5)
*"Love Has No Right" - Billy Joe Royal (#4)
*"Love Will" - The Forester Sisters (#7)
*"More Than a Name on a Wall" - The Statler Brothers (#6)
*"Much Too Young (to Feel This Damn Old)" - Garth Brooks (#8)
*"My Baby's Gone" - Sawyer Brown (#11)
*"My Train of Thought" - Barbara Mandrell (#19)
*"Never Alone" - Vince Gill (#22)
*"Never Givin' Up On Love" - Michael Martin Murphey (#9)
*"Never Had It So Good" - Mary Chapin Carpenter (#8)
*"Old Coyote Town" - Don Williams (#5)
*"One Good Well" - Don Williams (#4)
*"Out of Your Shoes" - Lorrie Morgan (#2)
*"Paint the Town and Hang the Moon Tonight - J.C. Crowley (#15)
*"Promises" - Randy Travis (#17)
*"The Race is On" - Sawyer Brown (#5)
*"Say What's in Your Heart" - Restless Heart (#4)
*"Setting Me Up" - Highway 101 (#7)
*"She Deserves You" - Baillie & the Boys (#8)
*"She Don't Love Nobody" - Desert Rose Band (#3)
*"She's Gone, Gone, Gone" - Glen Campbell (#6)
*"She's Got a Single Thing in Mind" - Conway Twitty (#2)
*"She's There" - Daniele Alexander (#19)
*"Sowin' Love" - Paul Overstreet (#9)
*"Tell It Like It Is" - Billy Joe Royal (#2)
*"There Goes My Heart Again" - Holly Dunn (#4)
*"There's a Tear In My Beer" - Hank Williams Jr. and Hank Williams Sr. (#7)
*"They Rage On" - Dan Seals (#5)
*"This Woman" - K.T. Oslin (#5)
*"'Til Love Comes Again" - Reba McEntire (#4)
*"'Til You Cry" - Eddy Raven (#4)
*"Trainwreck of Emotion" - Lorrie Morgan (#20)
*"The Vows Go Unbroken (Always True to You)" - Kenny Rogers (#8)
*"Up and Gone" - The McCarters (#9)
*"Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine" - The Kentucky Headhunters (#25)
*"Who You Gonna Blame It on This Time" - Vern Gosdin (#2)
*"You Ain't Down Home" - Jann Browne (#19)
*"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" - Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn (#6)
*"You'll Never Be Sorry" - The Bellamy Brothers (#10)

Top new album releases

* "Beyond the Blue Neon" — George Strait (MCA)
* "The Blue Rose of Texas" — Holly Dunn (Warner Bros.)
* "Bluebird" — Emmylou Harris (Warner Bros.)
* "The Boys Are Back" — Sawyer Brown (Capitol/Curb)
* "Country Club" — Travis Tritt (Warner Bros.)
* "Garth Brooks" — Garth Brooks (Capitol)
* "Here in the Real World" — Alan Jackson (Arista)
* "Hits 1979-1989" — Rosanne Cash (Columbia)
* "Killin' Time" — Clint Black (RCA))
* "Leave the Light On" — Lorrie Morgan (RCA)
* "No Holdin' Back" — Randy Travis (Warner Bros.)
* "One Woman Man" — George Jones (Epic)
* "Paint the Town" — Highway 101 (Warner Bros.)
* "River of Time" — The Judds (RCA)
* "Something Inside So Strong" — Kenny Rogers (Reprise)
* "Southern Star" — Alabama (RCA)
* "State of the Heart" — Mary Chapin Carpenter (Columbia)
* "Sweet Sixteen" — Reba McEntire (MCA)
* "Turn the Tide" — Baillie & the Boys (RCA)
* "White Limozeen" — Dolly Parton (Epic)

Christmas albums

* "An Ol' Time Christmas" — Randy Travis (Warner Bros.)
* "Christmas In America" — Kenny Rogers (Reprise)
* "Ricky Van Shelton Sings Christmas" - Ricky Van Shelton (Columbia)

Other albums

*"5:01 Blues" – Merle Haggard (Epic)
*"A Horse Called Music" — Willie Nelson (Columbia)
*"Greatest Hits Vol. 3" — Hank Williams, Jr. (Curb/Warner Bros.)
*"Kentucky Thunder" – Ricky Skaggs (Epic)
*"Pickin' on Nashville" - The Kentucky Headhunters (Mercury)
*"Stranger Things Have Happened" – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
*"When I Call Your Name" – Vince Gill (MCA)
*"Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2" — The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Universal)

On television

Regular series

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

pecials

Births

* December 13 – Taylor Swift, made her debut in 2006 with the Top 10 single "Tim McGraw" and became a rising star thereafter.

Deaths

* March 8 – Stuart Hamblen, 80, one of radio's first country music superstars, whose later works reflected his religious convictions.
* May 9 - Keith Whitley, 33, honky tonk-styled singer who rose to fame in the mid-1980s (alcohol poisoning)

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

*Jack Stapp (1912–1980)
*Cliffie Stone (1917–1998)
*Hank Thompson (1925-2007)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

*Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "Absolute Torch And Twang" - k.d. lang
*Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "Lyle Lovett And His Large Band" - Lyle Lovett
*Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "Will The Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 2" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
*Best Country Vocal Collaboration -- "There's A Tear In My Beer" - Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr.
*Best Country Instrumental Performance -- "Amazing Grace" - Randy Scruggs
*Best Bluegrass Recording -- "The Valley Road" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Bruce Hornsby
*Best Country Song -- "After All This Time" - Rodney Crowell

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer Of The Year -- George Strait
*Song Of The Year -- "Where've You Been" - Kathy Mattea - Jon Vezner, Don Henry
*Single Of The Year -- "A Better Man" - Clint Black
*Album Of The Year -- Killin' Time - Clint Black
*Top Male Vocalist -- Clint Black
*Top Female Vocalist -- Kathy Mattea
*Top Vocal Duo -- The Judds
*Top Vocal Group -- Restless Heart
*Top New Male Vocalist -- Clint Black
*Top New Female Vocalist -- Mary Chapin Carpenter
*Top New Vocal Duo Or Group -- Kentucky HeadHunters
*Video Of The Year -- "There's A Tear In My Beer" - Hank Williams, Jr. w/Hank Williams, Sr. (Director: Ethan Russell)

Country Music Association

*Entertainer of the Year -- George Strait
*Male Vocalist of the Year -- Ricky Van Shelton
*Female Vocalist of the Year -- Kathy Mattea
*Horizon Award -- Clint Black
*Vocal Group of the Year -- Highway 101
*Vocal Duo of the Year -- The Judds
*Vocal Event of the Year -- Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr.
*Album of the Year -- "Will the Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 2", Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
*Song of the Year -- "Chisled in Stone," Max D. Barnes and Vern Gosdin
*Single of the Year -- "I'm No Stranger to the Rain," Keith Whitley
*Musician of the Year -- Johnny Gimble
*Music Video of the Year -- "There's a Tear in My Beer" - Hank Williams, Jr. w/Hank Williams, Sr. (Director: Ethan Russell)

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]