This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1975.
Events
- March 13 â The rocky marriage of George Jones and Tammy Wynette ends in divorce.
- July 17 â 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 â 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 â and musical â overhaul.
- October â The defining moment in the recent debate over what defines country music â and each side's vision of the genre â 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).
No dates
Top hits of the year
Number-one hits
United States
(as certified by Billboard)
Notes
- 1<span id="endnote_1" ></span>^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
- 2<span id="endnote_2" ></span>^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
- A<span id="endnote_A" ></span>^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
- B<span id="endnote_B" ></span>^ Last Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
- C<span id="endnote_C" ></span>^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.
Canada
(as certified by RPM)
Notes
- 1<span id="endnote_1" ></span>^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by RPM.
- A<span id="endnote_A" ></span>^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
- B<span id="endnote_B" ></span>^ Last RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
- C<span id="endnote_C" ></span>^ Only RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
Other major hits
Singles released by American artists
Singles released by Canadian artists
Top new album releases
Other new album releases
Births
Deaths
- February 4 â 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 â A.C. "Eck" Robertson, 88, pioneering American fiddle player, widely considered the first fiddler and country musician to record commercially.
- May 13 â Bob Wills, 70, leader of the Texas Playboys (complications from a stroke).
- July 7 â 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 â Lefty Frizzell, 47, honky-tonk pioneer of the 1950s (stroke).
- November 3 â Audrey Williams, 52, mother of Hank Williams Jr. (and ex-wife of Hank Williams Sr.)
Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
Major awards
Grammy Awards
Juno Awards
Academy of Country Music
Country Music Association
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Country stars honored in 1975
Rex Allen and Roy Clark
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
- Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947âÂÂ1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 ()
- Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 ()
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944âÂÂ2005 â 6th Edition." 2005.
References
Other links
External links