March 13 — The rocky marriage of George Jones and Tammy Wynette ends in divorce.July 17 — A Russian-language version of Conway Twitty's 1970 hit, "Hello Darlin'" is played and broadcast to a worldwide audience as part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The song, which in Russian was called "Privet Radost," is a "gesture of goodwill" from the Apollo crew to the Soviet Union's Soyuz crew. Twitty worked with a language professor from the University of Oklahoma to record the phonetic Russian version of the song.August 8 — While mountain climbing at Ajax Mountain, Montana, Hank Williams, Jr. is involved in a catastrophic accident. He tumbles nearly 500 feet and is critically injured, suffering numerous facial and head injuries. His recovery takes nearly two years, during which time he undergoes a major cosmetic — and musical — overhaul.October — The defining moment in the recent debate over what defines country music – and each side's vision of the genre – comes at the Country Music Association awards. Charlie Rich, the 1974 CMA Entertainer of the Year, was selected to name the new Entertainer of the Year. When he opened the envelope, he took out his cigarette lighter, lighted the piece of paper with the winner's name on fire, and disgustedly announced the winner: "My good friend John Denver!" Denver, who was not present, was humbled at his award (but didn't know until later about Rich's actions).The deaths of three country music legends — Bob Wills, George Morgan and Lefty Frizzell — leave a huge void among fans.Six songs that reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart also reach the top of the Hot 100 chart: "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" by B. J. Thomas; "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender; "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "I'm Sorry," both by John Denver; "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell; and "Convoy" by C. W. McCall.In addition, several other songs that reach the top on one of the charts does very well on the other, including "
Have You Never Been Mellow" and "
Please Mr. Please" by
Olivia Newton-John; "
I'm Not Lisa" by
Jessi Colter; Fender's "
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights"; and "
When Will I Be Loved" by
Linda Ronstadt.
(as certified by Billboard)
(as certified by RPM)
The Bargain Store — Dolly Parton (RCA)Dreaming My Dreams — Waylon Jennings (RCA)Have You Never Been Mellow - Olivia Newton-John (MCA)I'm Jessi Colter — Jessi Colter (Capitol)Pieces of the Sky — Emmylou Harris (Reprise)Prisoner in Disguise — Linda Ronstadt (Asylum)Red Headed Stranger — Willie Nelson (Columbia)Rhinestone Cowboy — Glen Campbell (Capitol)Dolly: The Seeker/We Used To - Dolly Parton (RCA)Somebody Loves You — Crystal Gayle (United Artists)Tanya Tucker — Tanya Tucker (MCA)Before the Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender (ABC/Dot)Dreaming My Dreams - Waylon Jennings (RCA)Hank Williams Jr. and Friends - Hank Williams Jr. (MGM)High Priest of Country Music – Conway Twitty (MCA)Legend in My Time – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)Night Things – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)Old No. 1 - Guy Clark (RCA)Pieces of the Sky - Emmylou Harris (Reprise)Vocal Group of the Decade - Tompall Glaser and the Glaser Brothers (MGM)Out of Hand - Gary Stewart (RCA)June 15 — Rachel Proctor, singer-songwriter best known for her 2004 hit "Me and Emily"August 11 — Chris Cummings, Canadian country singer of 1990s and 2000sSeptember 13 — Joe Don Rooney, member of Rascal FlattsNovember 20 — Dierks Bentley, new traditionalist-styled singer of the 2000sNovember 30 — Mindy McCready, popular country singer from the late 1990s (died 2013)December 18 — Randy Houser, late-2000s singerFebruary 4 — Louis Jordan, 66, jazz and rhythm & blues pioneer who became the first African-American performer to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard country charts (1944's "Ration Blues") (heart attack).February 17 — A.C. "Eck" Robertson, 88, pioneering American fiddle player, widely considered the first fiddler and country musician to record commercially.May 13 — Bob Wills, 70, leader of the Texas Playboys (complications from a stroke)July 7 — George Morgan, 51, country crooner of the late 1940s and early 1950s, Grand Ole Opry favorite and father of Lorrie Morgan (heart attack).July 19 — Lefty Frizzell, 47, honky-tonk pioneer of the 1950s (stroke).November 3 — Audrey Williams, 52, mother of Hank Williams Jr. (and ex-wife of Hank Williams Sr.)Minnie Pearl (1912-1996)Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)," Linda RonstadtBest Male Country Vocal Performance — "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," Willie NelsonBest Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Lover Please," Kris Kristofferson and Rita CoolidgeBest Country Instrumental Performance — "The Entertainer," Chet AtkinsBest Country Song — "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," Chips Moman and Larry Butler (Performer: B. J. Thomas)Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Stompin' Tom ConnorsCountry Female Vocalist of the Year — Anne MurrayCountry Group or Duo of the Year — Carlton ShowbandEntertainer of the Year — Loretta LynnSong of the Year — "Rhinestone Cowboy," Larry Weiss (Performer: Glen Campbell)Single of the Year — "Rhinestone Cowboy," Glen CampbellAlbum of the Year — Feelin's, Loretta Lynn and Conway TwittyTop Male Vocalist — Conway TwittyTop Female Vocalist — Loretta LynnTop Vocal Duo — Conway Twitty and Loretta LynnTop New Male Vocalist — Freddy FenderTop New Female Vocalist — Crystal GayleEntertainer of the Year — John DenverSong of the Year — "Back Home Again," John Denver (Performer: John Denver)Single of the Year — "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," Freddy FenderAlbum of the Year — A Legend in My Time, Ronnie MilsapMale Vocalist of the Year — Waylon JenningsFemale Vocalist of the Year — Dolly PartonVocal Duo of the Year — Conway Twitty and Loretta LynnVocal Group of the Year — The Statler BrothersInstrumentalist of the Year — Johnny GimbleInstrumental Group of the Year — Roy Clark and Buck TrentCountry Music AssociationInductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame 