Neha Patil (Editor)

1986 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1986.

Contents

Events

  • January 18 — "American Country Countdown" with Bob Kingsley expands from three to four hours. Several new features — including a chronological playback of songs reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and a calendar feature (highlighting a birthday, or anniversary of a notable song or event in country music) — are added.
  • June 25 — Jenifer Strait, the 13-year-old daughter of George Strait (who by now is one of country music's top performers) is killed in a car accident in San Marcos, Texas. Her father still refuses to talk about his daughter's death to this day.
  • July 19 — Columbia Records drops Johnny Cash from the label's roster after 28 years.

    • No dates

  • For the first time in its 42-year history, there is a new No. 1 song for each week of the year, according to Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles Chart.
  • 1986 was a renaissance year in country music, with a host of "New Traditionalist"-minded artists reinvigorating a genre that critics were saying had grown increasingly stagnant and pop-oriented. Among the most successful new artists: Holly Dunn, Judy Rodman, Ricky Van Shelton, Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam. Keith Whitley, another artist who had been around for a few years, has his first major hit early in the year. They - along with popular newcomers from earlier in the decade such as Alabama, George Strait and Reba McEntire, and longtime artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty - proved not only that country music was the music of the people, but also that the genre had real resiliency.
  • After 17 years of playing co-host to Roy Clark, Buck Owens announces his departure from the still-popular "Hee Haw." Clark would soldier on alone for the next six years, with rotating guest stars each week.

    • Regular series

  • Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)

    • Births

  • March 23 — Brett Eldredge, singer of the 2010s best known for hits including "Don't Ya" and "Beat of the Music."
  • April 1 — Hillary Scott, member of Lady Antebellum and daughter of Linda Davis.
  • April 2 — Chris Janson, singer-songwriter known for his 2015 hit "Buy Me a Boat"
  • June 28 — Kellie Pickler, sixth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol.
  • August 16 — Ashton Shepherd, debuted in late 2007-early 2008 with her top 20 single "Takin' Off This Pain."
  • September 10 — Ashley Monroe, singer-songwriter of the 2000s and 2010s and member of the Pistol Annies.
  • September 19 — Chase Rice, singer of the 2010s best known for the hit "Ready Set Roll."

    • Deaths

  • February 10 — Arthur E. Satherley, 96, music executive.
  • May 30 — "Papa Joe" Brown, 60, founding member of Canadian country group Family Brown.
  • June 20 — Whitey Ford, 85, beloved Grand Ole Opry comedian and storyteller.
  • June 25 — Jenifer Strait, 13, daughter of George Strait (car accident).
  • June 27 — Joe Maphis, 65, prolific guitarist and fiddler, prominently featured on the theme to "Bonanza" (cancer).
  • December 5 — Carmol Taylor, 53, songwriter.

    • Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

  • Duke of Paducah (1901–1986)
  • Wesley Rose (1918–1990)

    • Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

  • Papa Joe Brown

    • Grammy Awards

  • Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Whoever's in New England," Reba McEntire
  • Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "Lost in the Fifties Tonight," Ronnie Milsap
  • Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)," The Judds
  • Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Raisin' the Dickins," Ricky Skaggs
  • Best Country Song — "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)," Jamie O'Hara (Performer: The Judds)

    • 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 — Prairie Oyster

    • Academy of Country Music

  • Entertainer of the Year — Hank Williams, Jr.
  • Song of the Year — "On the Other Hand," Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz (Performer: Randy Travis)
  • Single of the Year — "On the Other Hand," Randy Travis
  • Album of the Year — Storms of Life, Randy Travis
  • Top Male Vocalist — Randy Travis
  • Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
  • Top Vocal Duo — The Judds
  • Top Vocal Group — The Forester Sisters
  • Top New Male Vocalist — Dwight Yoakam
  • Top New Female Vocalist — Holly Dunn
  • Video of the Year — "Whoever's in New England," Reba McEntire (Directors: Jeff Schock and Jon Small)

    • Canadian Country Music Association

  • Entertainer(s) of the Year — Family Brown
  • Male Artist of the Year — Terry Carisse
  • Female Artist of the Year — Anita Perras
  • Group of the Year — Family Brown
  • SOCAN Song of the Year — "Now and Forever," David Foster, Jim Vallance, Charles Randolph Goodrum (Performer: Anne Murray)
  • Single of the Year — "Now and Forever," Anne Murray
  • Album of the Year — Feel the Fire, Family Brown
  • Top Selling Album — Hymns of Gold, Carroll Baker
  • Vista Rising Star Award — J. K. Gulley
  • Duo of the Year — Anita Perras and Tim Taylor

    • Country Music Association

  • Entertainer of the Year — Reba McEntire
  • Song of the Year — "On the Other Hand," Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz (Performer: Randy Travis)
  • Single of the Year — "Bop," Dan Seals
  • Album of the Year — Lost in the Fifties Tonight, Ronnie Milsap
  • Male Vocalist of the Year — George Strait
  • Female Vocalist of the Year — Reba McEntire
  • Vocal Duo of the Year — Marie Osmond and Dan Seals
  • Vocal Group of the Year — The Judds
  • Horizon Award — Randy Travis
  • Music Video of the Year — "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?," George Jones (Director: Marc Ball)
  • Instrumentalist of the Year — Johnny Gimble
  • Instrumental Group of the Year — The Oak Ridge Boys
  • Country Music Association
  • Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

    • References

    1986 in country music Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA