January — In radio, the United Stations Programming Network’s "Solid Gold Country," a country music spinoff of the oldies-focused "Solid Gold Scrapbook," switches from a three-hour-a-week show to a five-day-a-week program (with the option to air all five hours in as a weekly program). Under the new format, each hourly program covered a different topic, such as a profile on a singer, songwriter or producer; a look back at the popular songs from the current week in a past year, gold records from the current month and other topics under virtually every conceivable topic. The new program will run 8-1/2 years.
A story published in The New York Times declares that country music is "dead." However, a number of new acts –
Randy Travis and
Dwight Yoakam among them – are working behind the scenes to change the trend.
The Country Music Association Awards introduced a new award, Music Video of the Year. The first recipient was Hank Williams Jr.'s video for "
All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight."
^Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 44.
ISBN0-89820-177-2.
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 (
ISBN978-0679435563)
Kingsbury, Paul, Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947–1989, Country Music Foundation, 2003 (
ISBN0-8118-3572-3)
Millard, Bob, Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music, HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (
ISBN0-06-273244-7)
Whitburn, Joel, Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition. 2005 (
ISBN978-0898201659)