1987 in country music
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See also: 1986 in country music, 1987 in music, other events of 1987, 1988 in country music, 1980s in music and the List of years in Country Music
Contents |
[edit] Events
- June 13 — Randy Travis' "Forever and Ever, Amen" spends three weeks at No. 1 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It is the first multi-week chart-topping song since "Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)" by Ronnie Milsap spent two weeks atop the chart in September 1985; in that time span, 85 songs would rotate in and out of the chart's top spot. Incidentally, only three other songs during the entire 1980s decade — all of them in 1980 — would spend more than two weeks at No. 1, owing much to how Billboard compiled the chart data at the time.
- September — Dolly Parton's much anticipated TV variety series, Dolly, premieres on ABC in September. Despite a promising start (due to strong ratings in its early weeks), the show was panned by critics and its audience began to lose interest. After a continual decline on viewership, the series was cancelled at the end of the 1987-1988 season.
[edit] No dates
- 46-year-old singer-songwriter K.T. Oslin becomes the success story of the year with her hit "80s Ladies," a Grammy Award-winner which told the story of three friends from childhood who stayed together through an era of social change. The song spawned an award-winning video as well and despite only reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, was one of the most played songs of the year. Oslin's rise to fame in her mid-40s came at a time when mainstream country radio was beginning to shun older female artists in lieu of younger, more attractive stars.
[edit] Top hits of the year
[edit] Number one hits
(As certified by Billboard magazine)
| Date | Song Name | Artist | Wks. No. 1 | Spec. Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 10 | Give Me Wings | Michael Johnson | 1 | 1, A |
| January 17 | What Am I Gonna Do About You | Reba McEntire | 1 | |
| January 24 | Cry Myself to Sleep | The Judds | 1 | |
| January 31 | You Still Move Me | Dan Seals | 1 | |
| February 7 | Leave Me Lonely | Gary Morris | 1 | |
| February 14 | How Do I Turn You On | Ronnie Milsap | 1 | |
| February 21 | Straight to the Heart | Crystal Gayle | 1 | B |
| February 28 | I Can't Win for Losin' You | Earl Thomas Conley | 1 | |
| March 7 | Mornin' Ride | Lee Greenwood | 1 | B |
| March 14 | Baby's Got a New Baby | SKO (Schuyler, Knobloch and Overstreet) |
1 | C |
| March 21 | I'll Still Be Loving You | Restless Heart | 1 | |
| March 28 | Small Town Girl | Steve Wariner | 1 | |
| April 4 | Ocean Front Property | George Strait | 1 | |
| April 11 | You've Got the Touch | Alabama | 1 | |
| April 18 | Kids of the Baby Boom | The Bellamy Brothers | 1 | B |
| April 25 | Rose in Paradise | Waylon Jennings | 1 | B |
| May 2 | Don't Go to Strangers | T. Graham Brown | 1 | |
| May 9 | The Moon is Still Over Her Shoulder | Michael Johnson | 1 | B |
| May 16 | To Know Him is to Love Him | The Trio (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton) |
1 | B - Linda Ronstadt C - The Trio |
| May 23 | Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You | The O'Kanes | 1 | C |
| May 30 | It Takes a Little Rain (To Make Love Grow) |
The Oak Ridge Boys | 1 | |
| June 6 | I Will Be There | Dan Seals | 1 | |
| June 13 | Forever and Ever, Amen | Randy Travis | 3 | |
| July 4 | That Was a Close One | Earl Thomas Conley | 1 | |
| July 11 | All My Ex's Live in Texas | George Strait | 1 | |
| July 18 | I Know Where I'm Going | The Judds | 1 | |
| July 25 | The Weekend | Steve Wariner | 1 | |
| August 1 | Snap Your Fingers | Ronnie Milsap | 1 | |
| August 8 | One Promise Too Late | Reba McEntire | 1 | |
| August 15 | A Long Line of Love | Michael Martin Murphey | 1 | B |
| August 22 | Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right) |
Restless Heart | 1 | |
| August 29 | Born to Boogie | Hank Williams, Jr. | 1 | B |
| September 5 | She's Too Good to Be True | Exile | 1 | |
| September 12 | Make No Mistake, She's Mine | Kenny Rogers with Ronnie Milsap |
1 | |
| September 19 | This Crazy Love | The Oak Ridge Boys | 1 | |
| September 26 | Three Time Loser | Dan Seals | 1 | |
| October 3 | (I'd Choose) You Again | The Forester Sisters | 1 | B |
| October 10 | The Way We Make a Broken Heart | Rosanne Cash | 1 | |
| October 17 | Fishin' in the Dark | The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | 1 | B |
| October 24 | Shine, Shine, Shine | Eddy Raven | 1 | |
| October 31 | Right From the Start | Earl Thomas Conley | 1 | |
| November 7 | Am I Blue | George Strait | 1 | |
| November 14 | Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues | The Judds | 1 | |
| November 21 | I Won't Need You Anymore (Always and Forever) |
Randy Travis | 1 | |
| November 28 | Lynda | Steve Wariner | 1 | |
| December 5 | Somebody Lied | Ricky Van Shelton | 1 | A |
| December 12 | The Last One to Know | Reba McEntire | 1 | |
| December 19 | Do Ya' | K.T. Oslin | 1 | A |
| December 26 | Somewhere Tonight | Highway 101 | 2 | A |
- 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.
[edit] Other major hits
- "80s Ladies" – K.T. Oslin
- "Another World" – Crystal Gayle and Gary Morris
- "Baby's Got a Hold On Me" – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- "The Bed You Made For Me" – Highway 101
- "Cinderella" – Vince Gill
- "Crazy From the Heart" – Bellamy Brothers
- "Crime of Passion" – Ricky Van Shelton
- "Don't Be Cruel" – The Judds
- "A Face in the Crowd" – Holly Dunn and Michael Martin Murphey
- "Falling For You For Years" – Conway Twitty
- "Falling Out" – Waylon Jennings
- "Fire in the Sky" – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- "Girls Ride Horses Too" – Judy Rodman
- "I Want to Know You Before We Make Love" – Conway Twitty
- "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" – Judy Rodman
- "I'll Come Back As Another Woman" – Tanya Tucker
- "I'll Never Be In Love Again" – Don Williams
- "Julia" – Conway Twitty
- "Let the Music Lift You Up" – Reba McEntire
- "Little Sister" -- Dwight Yoakam
- "Little Ways" -- Dwight Yoakam
- "Love Me Like You Used To" – Tanya Tucker
- "Member's Only" -- Donna Fargo and Billy Joe Royal
- "No Place Like Home" – Randy Travis
- "Oh Heart" -- Baillie & the Boys
- "Only When I Love" – Holly Dunn
- "Right Hand Man" – Eddy Raven
- "Right Left Hand" – George Jones
- "Somewhere" – Lee Greenwood
- "Talking To the Moon" – Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band
- "Tar Top" – Alabama
- "Telling Me Lies" -- The Trio (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton)
- "Those Memories of You" -- The Trio (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton)
- "Too Many Rivers" – Forester Sisters
- "Train of Memories" -- Kathy Mattea
- "Twenty Years Ago" – Kenny Rogers
- "You're Never Too Old For Young Love" – Eddy Raven
- "You're the Power" – Kathy Mattea
[edit] Top new album releases
[edit] Gallery
 Always & Forever |
 Cornerstone |
||
 Heart and Soul |
 Heartland |
 Highway 101 |
 Hillbilly Deluxe |
 King's Record Shop |
 Love Me Like You Used To |
||
 Too Wild Too Long |
 Trio |
 Wild-Eyed Dream |
[edit] Other
- 80s Ladies - K.T. Oslin (RCA)
- After All This Time - Charley Pride (16th Avenue)
- Borderline - Conway Twitty (MCA)
- Chill Factor - Merle Haggard (Epic)
- Greatest Hits - Steve Wariner (MCA)
- Hank Live - Hank Williams Jr. (Warner Bros./Curb)
- Hard Times on Easy Street - David Lynn Jones (Mercury/Polygram)
- Heartbeat - Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
- Hits - Gary Morris (Warner Bros.)
- Hold On - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Warner Bros.)
- Maple Street Memories - Statler Brothers (Mercury/Polygram)
- The Royal Treatment Billy Joe Royal (Atlantic)
- Seashores of Old Mexico - Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson (Epic)
- Somewhere in the Night - Sawyer Brown (Capitol/Curb)
- Shelter From the Night - Exile (Epic)
- Untasted Honey - Kathy Mattea (Mercury/Polygram)
[edit] Christmas albums
- Christmastime With the Judds - The Judds (RCA/Curb)
[edit] On television
[edit] Regular series
- Dolly (1987-1988, ABC)
- Hee Haw (1969-1993, syndicated)
[edit] Specials
[edit] Births
[edit] Deaths
[edit] Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
- Rod Brasfield (1910-1958)
[edit] Major Awards
[edit] Grammy awards
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- "80's Ladies" - K.T. Oslin
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Male -- "Always & Forever" - Randy Travis
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal -- "Trio" - Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Duet -- "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" - Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers
- Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group Or Soloist) -- "String Of Pars" - Asleep At The Wheel
- Best Country Song -- "Forever And Ever, Amen" - Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet
[edit] Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer Of The Year -- Hank Williams Jr.
- Song Of The Year -- "Forever And Ever Amen" - Randy Travis - Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz
- Single Of The Year -- "Forever And Ever Amen" - Randy Travis
- Album Of The Year -- Trio - Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
- Top Male Vocalist -- Randy Travis
- Top Female Vocalist -- Reba McEntire
- Top Vocal Duo -- The Judds
- Top Vocal Group -- Highway 101 (band)
- Top New Male Vocalist -- Ricky Van Shelton
- Top New Female Vocalist -- K.T. Oslin
- Video Of The Year -- "80's Ladies" - K.T. Oslin (Director: Jack Cole)
[edit] Country Music Association
- Instrumentalist of the Year -- Johnny Gimble
- Entertainer of the Year -- Hank Williams, Jr.
- Male Vocalist of the Year -- Randy Travis
- Female Vocalist of the Year -- Reba McEntire
- Horizon Award -- Holly Dunn
- Vocal Group of the Year -- The Judds
- Vocal Duo of the Year -- Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White
- Album of the Year -- Randy Travis
- Song of the Year -- Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz
- Single of the Year -- Randy Travis
- Music Video of the Year -- Hank Williams, Jr.
[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.
