1987 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1987.
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|---|---|---|---|
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.
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.
Top hits of the year
See also: List of number-one country singles of 1987 (U.S.) and List of number-one country hits of 1987 (Canada)
Singles released by American artists
Singles released by Canadian artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 8 | All I Really Need | Audie Henry |
| 20 | 10 | Are You Still in Love with Me | Anne Murray |
| — | 6 | Arms That Love (Hearts That Don't) | Carroll Baker |
| — | 19 | Better Off Alone | The Good Brothers |
| — | 9 | Cowboy Pride | Ian Tyson |
| — | 10 | Death and Taxes and Me Lovin' You | Carroll Baker |
| — | 15 | Denim Blue Eyes | Sylvia Tyson |
| — | 14 | Diamonds in the Dark | Cameron Molloy with Silver Weasel |
| — | 9 | Heroes | Mercey Brothers |
| — | 10 | I Love You More | Family Brown |
| — | 20 | I've Found Someone Too | Anita Perras |
| — | 16 | Listen to My Heart | Stoker Bros |
| — | 11 | New Fool at an Old Game | Michelle Wright |
| — | 9 | No Holiday in L.A. | Ronnie Prophet |
| — | 13 | None of the Feeling Is Gone | Terry Carisse with Michelle Wright |
| — | 3 | Old Photographs | Terry Carisse |
| — | 8 | Raised by the Radio | Mercey Brothers |
| 84 | 11 | Roller Coaster | Alibi |
| — | 13 | Say When | Tim Taylor |
| — | 14 | Small Talk | Glory-Anne Carriere |
| — | 10 | Starting Forever Again | Terry Carisse |
| — | 15 | Taste of Romance | Bootleg |
| — | 20 | Too Short a Ride | Sylvia Tyson |
| — | 14 | True Blue | Anne Lord |
| — | 1 | Try | Blue Rodeo |
| — | 10 | Walk in the Rain Tonight | Gary Fjellgaard |
| — | 20 | What a Fool I'd Be | Colleen Peterson |
Top new album releases
Other top albums
| US | Album | Artist | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | After Midnight | Janie Fricke | Columbia |
| 37 | Ain't No Binds | The Whites | MCA |
| 32 | Americana | Michael Martin Murphey | Warner Bros. |
| 56 | Angel with a Lariat | k.d. lang | Sire |
| 48 | Back to Basics | Mickey Gilley | Epic |
| 27 | Baillie & the Boys | Baillie & the Boys | RCA |
| 53 | The Best of Crystal Gayle | Crystal Gayle | Warner Bros. |
| 41 | Blue Skies Again | John Anderson | MCA |
| 51 | Break the Routine | The Kendalls | Step One |
| 63 | Celebration | Janie Fricke | Columbia |
| 66 | A Christmas Card | The Forester Sisters | Warner Bros. |
| 57 | A Christmas Tradition | Various Artists | Warner Bros. |
| 49 | Christmas with the Judds | The Judds | Curb/RCA |
| 47 | Country Collection | Various Artists | K-Tel |
| 48 | Country Now | Various Artists | K-Tel |
| 50 | Crazy from the Heart | The Bellamy Brothers | Curb/MCA |
| 69 | A Crystal Christmas | Crystal Gayle | Warner Bros. |
| 59 | Emotion | Juice Newton | RCA |
| 33 | Foster & Lloyd | Foster & Lloyd | RCA |
| 43 | Greatest Hits | Mel McDaniel | Capitol |
| 59 | Greatest Hits | Sylvia | RCA |
| 41 | Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 | Ray Stevens | MCA |
| 62 | Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 | Ray Stevens | MCA |
| 28 | Hard Times on Easy Street | David Lynn Jones | Mercury |
| 43 | Higher Ground | Tammy Wynette | Epic |
| 54 | Honky Tonk Crazy | Gene Watson | Epic |
| 38 | If There's Any Justice | Lee Greenwood | MCA |
| 29 | It's a Crazy World | Steve Wariner | MCA |
| 36 | Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town | Johnny Cash | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 54 | Larry Boone | Larry Boone | Mercury |
| 63 | The Lonesome Jubilee | John Mellencamp | Mercury |
| 50 | A Matter of Life…and Death | David Allan Coe | Columbia |
| 72 | Merry Christmas to You | Reba McEntire | MCA |
| 54 | Modern Times | Johnny Paycheck | Mercury/PolyGram |
| 52 | No Easy Horses | S-K-B | MTM |
| 47 | One for the Money | T. G. Sheppard | Columbia |
| 55 | The Only One | O. B. McClinton | Epic |
| 71 | The Patsy Cline Story | Patsy Cline | MCA |
| 29 | A Place Called Love | Judy Rodman | MTM |
| 49 | Rattlesnake Annie | Rattlesnake Annie | Columbia |
| 60 | Romeo's Escape | Dave Alvin | Epic |
| 65 | Rosie Flores | Rosie Flores | Reprise |
| 31 | Seashores of Old Mexico | Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson | Epic |
| 35 | Still I Stay | Charly McClain | Epic |
| 32 | Still within the Sound of My Voice | Glen Campbell | MCA |
| 26 | Super Hits | George Jones | Epic |
| 39 | Walking the Line | Merle Haggard, George Jones & Willie Nelson |
Epic |
| 42 | What a Girl Next Door Could Do | Girls Next Door | MTM |
| 41 | You Ain't Seen the Last of Me | John Schneider | MCA |
On television
Regular series
Births
- January 31 – Tyler Hubbard, member of Florida Georgia Line, a duo of the 2010s.
- August 16 – Dan Smyers, member of Dan + Shay, a rising duo of the 2010s.
- September 25 — Greg Bates, up-and-coming country singer of the early 2010s.
Deaths
- June 25 - Boudleaux Bryant, 67, songwriter (with wife Felice) of many 1950s and 1960s hits.
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Rod Brasfield (1910–1958)
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Major awards
Grammy Awards
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "80's Ladies," K. T. Oslin
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance — Always & Forever, Randy Travis
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — Trio, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris
- Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "Make No Mistake, She's Mine," Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers
- Best Country Instrumental Performance — "String of Pars," Asleep at the Wheel
- Best Country Song — "Forever and Ever, Amen," Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz (Performer: Randy Travis)
Juno Awards
- Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Ian Tyson
- Country Female Vocalist of the Year — k.d. lang
- Country Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster
Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer of the Year — Hank Williams, Jr.
- Song of the Year — "Forever and Ever, Amen," Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz (Performer: Randy Travis)
- Single of the Year — "Forever and Ever, Amen," Randy Travis
- Album of the Year — Trio, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt
- Top Male Vocalist — Randy Travis
- Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
- Top Vocal Duo — The Judds
- Top Vocal Group — Highway 101
- 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)
Canadian Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — k.d. lang
- Male Artist of the Year — Ian Tyson
- Female Artist of the Year — Anita Perras
- Group of the Year — Family Brown
- SOCAN Song of the Year — "Heroes," Gary Fjellgaard (Performer: Mercey Brothers)
- Single of the Year — "Navajo Rug," Ian Tyson
- Album of the Year — Cowboyography, Ian Tyson
- Top Selling Album — Storms of Life, Randy Travis
- Vista Rising Star Award — k.d. lang
- Duo of the Year — Anita Perras and Tim Taylor
Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — Hank Williams, Jr.
- Song of the Year — "Forever and Ever, Amen," Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz (Performer: Randy Travis)
- Single of the Year — "Forever and Ever, Amen," Randy Travis
- Album of the Year — Always & Forever, Randy Travis
- Male Vocalist of the Year — Randy Travis
- Female Vocalist of the Year — Reba McEntire
- Vocal Duo of the Year — Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White
- Vocal Group of the Year — The Judds
- Horizon Award — Holly Dunn
- Music Video of the Year — "My Name Is Bocephus," Hank Williams, Jr. (Directors: Bill Fishman and Preacher Ewing)
- Instrumentalist of the Year — Johnny Gimble
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
External links
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