1988 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1988.
Events
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 be 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.
- MTM Records is sold and disestablished after four years. During its short stay in the music business, two songs released by MTM will top the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart: Judy Rodman's "Until I Met You" (1986) and S-K-O's "Baby's Got a New Baby" (1987).
- Real Country, a 24-hour satellite music network focusing on classic country and neotraditional country, is planned for a 1989 launch by country star Buck Owens out of his Phoenix Arizona radio studios and carried by the Satellite Music Network. It is heard primarily in smaller- and medium-sized markets. Real Country was later sold to ABC Disney which then moved the operations to its radio headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Real Country was later sold to Citadel and is now owned and distributed by Cumulus Media.
Top hits of the year
Singles released by American artists
| US |
CAN |
Single |
Artist |
|---|
| 1 |
1 |
Addicted |
Dan Seals |
| 9 |
5 |
Always Late with Your Kisses |
Dwight Yoakam |
| 8 |
— |
Americana |
Moe Bandy |
| 5 |
— |
Another Place, Another Time |
Don Williams |
| 1 |
3 |
Baby Blue |
George Strait |
| 2 |
1 |
Baby I'm Yours |
Steve Wariner |
| 15 |
33 |
The Best I Know How |
The Statler Brothers |
| 10 |
? |
Blue Love |
The O'Kanes |
| 5 |
? |
Blue to the Bone |
Sweethearts of the Rodeo |
| 1 |
2 |
The Bluest Eyes in Texas |
Restless Heart |
| 10 |
? |
Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues |
Charlie Daniels |
| 4 |
? |
Button Off My Shirt |
Ronnie Milsap |
| 9 |
12 |
Chill Factor |
Merle Haggard |
| 6 |
? |
Chiseled in Stone |
Vern Gosdin |
| 1 |
1 |
Cry, Cry, Cry |
Highway 101 |
| 4 |
8 |
Crying Shame |
Michael Johnson |
| 1 |
? |
Darlene |
T. Graham Brown |
| 7 |
? |
Desperately |
Don Williams |
| 4 |
13 |
Do You Believe Me Now |
Vern Gosdin |
| 1 |
1 |
(Do You Love Me) Just Say Yes |
Highway 101 |
| 1 |
2 |
Don't Close Your Eyes |
Keith Whitley |
| 10 |
? |
Don't Give Candy to a Stranger |
Larry Boone |
| 1 |
1 |
Don't We All Have the Right |
Ricky Van Shelton |
| 1 |
1 |
Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses |
Kathy Mattea |
| 11 |
3 |
Everybody's Sweetheart |
Vince Gill |
| 1 |
1 |
Face to Face |
Alabama |
| 6 |
3 |
The Factory |
Kenny Rogers |
| 1 |
1 |
Fallin' Again |
Alabama |
| 1 |
1 |
Famous Last Words of a Fool |
George Strait |
| 4 |
2 |
The Gift |
The McCarters |
| 2 |
1 |
Give a Little Love |
The Judds |
| 8 |
8 |
Givers and Takers |
S-K-B |
| 1 |
3 |
Goin' Gone |
Kathy Mattea |
| 1 |
? |
Gonna Take a Lot of River |
The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 7 |
11 |
Goodbye Time |
Conway Twitty |
| 4 |
13 |
Heaven Can't Be Found |
Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 1 |
1 |
He's Back and I'm Blue |
The Desert Rose Band |
| 14 |
12 |
High Ridin' Heroes |
David Lynn Jones with Waylon Jennings |
| 1 |
? |
Honky Tonk Moon |
Randy Travis |
| 1 |
1 |
I Can't Get Close Enough |
Exile |
| 1 |
1 |
I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried |
Rodney Crowell |
| 12 |
14 |
I Didn't (Every Chance I Had) |
Johnny Rodriguez |
| 8 |
? |
I Don't Have Far to Fall |
Skip Ewing |
| 7 |
44 |
I Have You |
Glen Campbell |
| 1 |
? |
I Know How He Feels |
Reba McEntire |
| 2 |
1 |
I Should Be with You |
Steve Wariner |
| 12 |
18 |
I Still Believe |
Lee Greenwood |
| 1 |
1 |
I Told You So |
Randy Travis |
| 1 |
1 |
I Wanna Dance with You |
Eddie Rabbitt |
| 18 |
41 |
I Want a Love Like That |
Judy Rodman |
| 7 |
19 |
I Will Whisper Your Name |
Michael Johnson |
| 5 |
? |
I Wish That I Could Fall in Love Today |
Barbara Mandrell |
| 1 |
10 |
I Won't Take Less Than Your Love |
Tanya Tucker, Paul Davis and Paul Overstreet |
| 9 |
7 |
I Wouldn't Be a Man |
Don Williams |
| 1 |
1 |
I'll Always Come Back |
K. T. Oslin |
| 6 |
12 |
I'll Give You All My Love Tonight |
The Bellamy Brothers |
| 1 |
? |
I'll Leave This World Loving You |
Ricky Van Shelton |
| 5 |
17 |
I'll Pin a Note on Your Pillow |
Billy Joe Royal |
| 1 |
1 |
I'm Gonna Get You |
Eddy Raven |
| 13 |
33 |
I'm Gonna Love Her on the Radio |
Charley Pride |
| 3 |
4 |
I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl |
Michael Martin Murphey |
| 18 |
6 |
I'm Tired |
Ricky Skaggs |
| 2 |
? |
I've Been Lookin' |
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 1 |
— |
If It Don't Come Easy |
Tanya Tucker |
| 10 |
9 |
If My Heart Had Windows |
Patty Loveless |
| 16 |
37 |
If Ole Hank Could Only See Us Now |
Waylon Jennings |
| 8 |
22 |
If the South Woulda Won |
Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 1 |
? |
If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin') |
George Strait |
| 1 |
1 |
If You Change Your Mind |
Rosanne Cash |
| 67 |
9 |
If You're Gonna Tell Me Lies |
Rosemary Sharp |
| 17 |
? |
It Keeps Right on Hurtin' |
Billy Joe Royal |
| 8 |
5 |
It's Only Make Believe |
Ronnie McDowell with Conway Twitty |
| 1 |
1 |
It's Such a Small World |
Rodney Crowell with Rosanne Cash |
| 1 |
1 |
Joe Knows How to Live |
Eddy Raven |
| 5 |
9 |
Just Lovin' You |
The O'Kanes |
| 9 |
3 |
Just One Kiss |
Exile |
| 4 |
4 |
The Last Resort |
T. Graham Brown |
| 9 |
7 |
Letter Home |
The Forester Sisters |
| 1 |
1 |
Life Turned Her That Way |
Ricky Van Shelton |
| 18 |
— |
A Little Bit Closer |
Tom Wopat |
| 2 |
? |
A Little Bit in Love |
Patty Loveless |
| 20 |
— |
Louisiana Rain |
John Wesley Ryles |
| 3 |
? |
Love Helps Those |
Paul Overstreet |
| 4 |
3 |
Love of a Lifetime |
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers |
| 1 |
1 |
Love Will Find Its Way to You |
Reba McEntire |
| 5 |
5 |
Lyin' in His Arms Again |
The Forester Sisters |
| 5 |
? |
Mama Knows |
Shenandoah |
| 14 |
16 |
Midnight Highway |
Southern Pacific |
| 13 |
11 |
Money |
K. T. Oslin |
| 11 |
? |
My Baby's Gone |
Sawyer Brown |
| 2 |
? |
New Shade of Blue |
Southern Pacific |
| 7 |
2 |
No More One More Time |
Jo-El Sonnier |
| 5 |
— |
Oh What a Love |
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 2 |
12 |
Old Folks |
Ronnie Milsap with Mike Reid |
| 1 |
1 |
One Friend |
Dan Seals |
| 2 |
15 |
One Step Forward |
The Desert Rose Band |
| 4 |
5 |
One True Love |
The O'Kanes |
| 11 |
18 |
Only Love Can Save Me Now |
Crystal Gayle |
| 10 |
7 |
Out of Sight and on My Mind |
Billy Joe Royal |
| 6 |
2 |
Please, Please Baby |
Dwight Yoakam |
| 9 |
4 |
Real Good Feel Good Song |
Mel McDaniel |
| 9 |
? |
Rebels Without a Clue |
The Bellamy Brothers |
| 1 |
? |
Runaway Train |
Rosanne Cash |
| 5 |
2 |
Santa Fe |
The Bellamy Brothers |
| 5 |
11 |
Satisfy You |
Sweethearts of the Rodeo |
| 9 |
? |
Saturday Night Special |
Conway Twitty |
| 1 |
2 |
Set 'Em Up Joe |
Vern Gosdin |
| 9 |
36 |
She Doesn't Cry Anymore |
Shenandoah |
| 17 |
8 |
She's No Lady |
Lyle Lovett |
| 5 |
29 |
Shouldn't It Be Easier Than This |
Charley Pride |
| 16 |
32 |
Some Old Side Road |
Keith Whitley |
| 8 |
? |
Spanish Eyes |
Willie Nelson with Julio Iglesias |
| 5 |
47 |
Still Within the Sound of My Voice |
Glen Campbell |
| 7 |
36 |
Strangers Again |
Holly Dunn |
| 1 |
? |
Streets of Bakersfield |
Dwight Yoakam with Buck Owens |
| 1 |
? |
Strong Enough to Bend |
Tanya Tucker |
| 2 |
? |
Summer Wind |
The Desert Rose Band |
| 5 |
9 |
Sunday Kind of Love |
Reba McEntire |
| 8 |
8 |
Sure Thing |
Foster & Lloyd |
| 16 |
23 |
Talkin' to Myself Again |
Tammy Wynette |
| 4 |
1 |
Talkin' to the Wrong Man |
Michael Martin Murphey with Ryan Murphey |
| 9 |
6 |
Tear-Stained Letter |
Jo-El Sonnier |
| 8 |
2 |
Tell Me True |
Juice Newton |
| 1 |
? |
A Tender Lie |
Restless Heart |
| 1 |
1 |
Tennessee Flat Top Box |
Rosanne Cash |
| 18 |
— |
Texas in 1880 |
Foster & Lloyd |
| 17 |
10 |
Thanks Again |
Ricky Skaggs |
| 6 |
4 |
That's My Job |
Conway Twitty |
| 9 |
? |
That's That |
Michael Johnson |
| 5 |
6 |
That's What Your Love Does to Me |
Holly Dunn |
| 2 |
1 |
This Missin' You Heart of Mine |
Sawyer Brown |
| 5 |
6 |
Timeless and True Love |
The McCarters |
| 1 |
1 |
Too Gone Too Long |
Randy Travis |
| 5 |
3 |
Touch and Go Crazy |
Lee Greenwood |
| 5 |
21 |
True Heart |
The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 1 |
5 |
Turn It Loose |
The Judds |
| 1 |
1 |
Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star |
Merle Haggard |
| 4 |
? |
Untold Stories |
Kathy Mattea |
| 1 |
1 |
The Wanderer |
Eddie Rabbitt |
| 1 |
1 |
We Believe in Happy Endings |
Earl Thomas Conley with Emmylou Harris |
| 7 |
? |
We Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right |
Eddie Rabbitt |
| 6 |
? |
What Do You Want from Me This Time |
Foster & Lloyd |
| 1 |
2 |
What She Is (Is a Woman in Love) |
Earl Thomas Conley |
| 1 |
1 |
Wheels |
Restless Heart |
| 1 |
? |
When You Say Nothing at All |
Keith Whitley |
| 1 |
1 |
Where Do the Nights Go |
Ronnie Milsap |
| 9 |
7 |
Wilder Days |
Baillie & the Boys |
| 6 |
8 |
Wildflowers |
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris |
| 4 |
6 |
Workin' Man (Nowhere to Go) |
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 72 |
10 |
You Are My Angel |
Billy Parker |
| 20 |
? |
You Can't Fall in Love When You're Cryin' |
Lee Greenwood |
| 2 |
2 |
Young Country |
Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 17 |
— |
Your Memory Wins Again |
Skip Ewing |
Singles released by Canadian artists
Top new album releases
Other top albums
On television
Regular series
Births
Deaths
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Major awards
Grammy Awards
Juno Awards
Academy of Country Music
Canadian Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — k.d. lang
- Male Artist of the Year — Ian Tyson
- Female Artist of the Year — k.d. lang
- Group of the Year — Family Brown
- SOCAN Song of the Year — "One Smokey Rose," Tim Taylor (Performer: Anita Perras)
- Single of the Year — "One Smokey Rose," Anita Perras
- Album of the Year — Shadowland, k.d. lang
- Top Selling Album — Always & Forever, Randy Travis
- Vista Rising Star Award — Blue Rodeo
- Duo of the Year — Anita Perras and Tim Taylor
Country Music Association
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