Neha Patil (Editor)

1976 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1976.

Contents

No dates

  • The CB radio craze was sweeping country music, as no less than three No. 1 songs are about citizens-band radios. C. W. McCall's "Convoy" — about a band of truck drivers who fight back against redneck police officers — spends four of its six weeks at No. 1 in January, and goes on to be Billboard's No. 1 country song of 1976. Other top songs where CB radios were central to the plot were:
  • "The White Knight" by Cledus Maggard & The Citizen's Band, about a lead-footed truck driver who is led into a speed trap by a corrupt state trooper.
  • "Teddy Bear" by Red Sovine, a sentimental recitation about a fatherless, physically handicapped boy who keeps in touch with truck drivers. He states his lone wish is to ride around with his father, but since that can't happen, other truck drivers make good on the wish by showing up at the young lad's home and giving him rides.
  • Production began on Dolly Parton's syndicated variety show Dolly! Though Parton was said to have been less than pleased with the end result, and the show only lasted for one season, it expanded her audience at a time when she was in the midst of refocusing her career from that of a specifically country performer to an entertainer with broader pop appeal.

    • United States

    (as certified by Billboard)

    Canada

    (as certified by RPM)

    Top Albums

  • All I Can Do – Dolly Parton (RCA)
  • Come on Over – Olivia Newton-John (MCA)
  • Crystal – Crystal Gayle (United Artists)
  • Crystal Lady – Olivia Newton-John (MCA)
  • Dave & Sugar – Dave & Sugar (RCA)
  • Don't Stop Believin' – Olivia Newton-John (MCA)
  • Golden Ring – George Jones and Tammy Wynette (Epic)
  • Harmony - Don Williams (ABC)
  • Here's Some Love – Tanya Tucker (MCA)
  • Lovin' and Learnin' – Tanya Tucker (MCA)
  • One Piece at a Time – Johnny Cash (Columbia)
  • The Sound in Your Mind – Willie Nelson (Columbia)
  • Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) – The Eagles (Asylum)
  • The Troublemaker – Willie Nelson (Columbia)
  • Wanted! The Outlaws – Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser and Jessi Colter (RCA)

    • Other new albums

  • 20/20 Vision – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
  • Alone Again – George Jones (Epic)
  • The Best of Johnny Duncan – Johnny Duncan (Columbia)
  • If You're Ever In Texas – Freddy Fender (ABC-Dot)
  • Just For the Record – Ray Stevens (Warner Brothers)
  • Live – Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
  • Rock 'N' Country – Freddy Fender (ABC-Dot)
  • Thinkin' Of A Rendezvous – Johnny Duncan (Columbia)
  • This Is Barbara Mandrell – Barbara Mandrell (ABC-Dot)
  • Till I Can Make it on My Own – Tammy Wynette (Epic)
  • Your Cheatin' Heart – Freddy Fender (ABC-Dot)

    • Births

  • June 18 — Blake Shelton, neotraditionalist of the 2000s.
  • July 17 – Luke Bryan, singer-songwriter who rose to fame with songs like "Someone Else Calling You Baby" and "I Don't Want This Night to End."
  • October 19 — Cyndi Thomson, female vocalist who enjoyed brief fame in the early 2000s.
  • October 30 — Kassidy Osborn, member of SHeDAISY.
  • November 26 — Joe Nichols, neotraditionalist of the 2000s.
  • December 7 – Sunny Sweeney, female vocalist of the 2010s, with hits like "From a Table Away."

    • Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

  • Paul Cohen (1908–1970)
  • Kitty Wells (1919–2012)

    • Grammy Awards

  • Best Female Country Vocal Performance — Elite Hotel, Emmylou Harris
  • Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "(I'm a) Stand by My Woman Man," Ronnie Milsap
  • Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "The End Is Not in Sight (The Cowboy Tune)," Amazing Rhythm Aces
  • Best Country Instrumental Performance — Chester and Lester, Chet Atkins and Les Paul
  • Best Country Song — "Broken Lady," Larry Gatlin (Performer: Larry Gatlin)

    • Juno Awards

  • Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Murray McLauchlan
  • Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Anne Murray
  • Country Group or Duo of the Year — Mercey Brothers

    • Academy of Country Music

  • Entertainer of the Year — Mickey Gilley
  • Song of the Year — "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time," Baker Knight (Performer: Mickey Gilley)
  • Single of the Year — "Bring It On Home to Me," Mickey Gilley
  • Album of the Year — Gilley's Smoking, Mickey Gilley
  • Top Male Vocalist — Mickey Gilley
  • Top Female Vocalist — Crystal Gayle
  • Top Vocal Duo — Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
  • Top New Male Vocalist — Moe Bandy
  • Top New Female Vocalist — Billie Jo Spears

    • Country Music Association

  • Entertainer of the Year — Mel Tillis
  • Song of the Year — "Rhinestone Cowboy," Larry Weiss (Performer: Glen Campbell)
  • Single of the Year — "Good Hearted Woman," Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
  • Album of the Year — Wanted! The Outlaws, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser and Jessi Colter
  • Male Vocalist of the Year — Ronnie Milsap
  • Female Vocalist of the Year — Dolly Parton
  • Vocal Duo of the Year — Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
  • Vocal Group of the Year — The Statler Brothers
  • Instrumentalist of the Year — Hargus "Pig" Robbins
  • Instrumental Group of the Year — Roy Clark and Buck Trent
  • Country Music Association
  • Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

    • References

    1976 in country music Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA