This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1994.
January 8 — Star, Mississippi, native Faith Hill hits paydirt with her first single release, "Wild One." The song spends four weeks atop the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the longest for a debut release by a female artist since Connie Smith's debut "Once a Day" in 1964.
January 30 — Clint Black, Wynonna Judd, Travis Tritt and Tanya Tucker perform the halftime show (billed as "Rockin' Country Sunday") at Super Bowl XXVIII. The finale featured a special appearance by Naomi Judd, who joined Wynonna in performing The Judds' single "Love Can Build a Bridge" (their first major appearance together since their "Farewell Tour" of 1991), to which everyone eventually joined in.
March – Tim McGraw's first major hit, "Indian Outlaw," causes considerable controversy due to lyrics about Native Americans, and the single is boycotted at a handful of stations. Nevertheless, the song's notoriety helps spur its popularity and allows it to become just the second major crossover hit in 10 years, reaching No. 15 on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 singles chart (in addition to its No. 8 peak on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart); the song will also jumpstart McGraw's fledgling career, which had gotten off to a less-than-stellar start a year earlier.
Incidentally, McGraw's first taste of success comes at approximately the same time as that of his wife-to-be — Faith Hill. At this point, their careers are on separate paths.
April 12 — The premiere issue of Country Weekly magazine hits the store shelves. Garth Brooks graces the cover of the first issue.
May 9 — Newcomer artist John Berry passes out during a concert and is rushed to a hospital in Atlanta, where an operation is performed to remove a cyst found in the third ventricle of his brain.
May 4 – RaeLynn, country music star of the 2010s, best known for "God Made Girls."
November 8 – Lauren Alaina, runner-up of the 10th season of American Idol, with follow-up successes including "Like My Mother Does."
Merle Haggard (1937–2016)
Dick Damron
Hank Smith
Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Shut Up and Kiss Me," Mary Chapin Carpenter
Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "When Love Finds You," Vince Gill
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Blues for Dixie," Asleep at the Wheel and Lyle Lovett
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "I Fall to Pieces," Aaron Neville and Trisha Yearwood
Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Young Thing," Chet Atkins
Best Country Song — "I Swear," Gary Baker, Frank Myers (Performer: John Michael Montgomery)
Best Country Album — Stones in the Road, Mary Chapin Carpenter
Best Bluegrass Album — The Great Dobro Sessions, Various Artists (Producers: Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor)
Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Charlie Major
Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Michelle Wright
Country Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster
Entertainer of the Year — Reba McEntire
Song of the Year — "I Swear," Gary Baker, Frank Myers (Performer: John Michael Montgomery)
Single of the Year — "I Swear," John Michael Montgomery
Album of the Year — Not a Moment Too Soon, Tim McGraw
Top Male Vocalist — Alan Jackson
Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
Top Vocal Duo — Brooks & Dunn
Top Vocal Group — The Mavericks
Top New Male Vocalist — Tim McGraw
Top New Female Vocalist — Chely Wright
Top New Vocal Duo or Group — The Mavericks
Video of the Year — "The Red Strokes" - Garth Brooks (Director: Jon Small)
Bud Country Fans' Choice Award — Prairie Oyster
Male Artist of the Year — Charlie Major
Female Artist of the Year — Patricia Conroy
Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster
SOCAN Song of the Year — "I'm Gonna Drive You Out of My Mind," Charlie Major, Barry Brown
Single of the Year — "I'm Gonna Drive You Out of My Mind," Charlie Major
Album of the Year — The Other Side, Charlie Major
Top Selling Album — In Pieces, Garth Brooks
Video of the Year — "Stolen Moments," Jim Witter
Vista Rising Star Award — Susan Aglukark
Vocal Collaboration of the Year — Quartette
Entertainer of the Year — Vince Gill
Song of the Year — "Chattahoochee," Alan Jackson and Jim McBride (Performer: Alan Jackson)
Single of the Year — "I Swear," John Michael Montgomery
Album of the Year — Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, Various Artists
Male Vocalist of the Year — Vince Gill
Female Vocalist of the Year — Pam Tillis
Vocal Duo of the Year — Brooks & Dunn
Vocal Group of the Year — Diamond Rio
Horizon Award — John Michael Montgomery
Music Video of the Year — "Independence Day," Martina McBride (Directors: Robert Deaton and George J. Flanigen IV)
Vocal Event of the Year — "Does He Love You," Reba McEntire and Linda Davis
Musician of the Year — Mark O'Connor
Country Music Association
Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame
1994 in country music Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA