This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1979.
Events
- March 2 - Queen of Country Music, Loretta Lynn is named ACM Artist of the Decade after the dominant hold Lynn held on the charts during the decade. Lynn is the only female ACM Artist of the Decade.
- March 3 â The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) would telecast an entire Saturday night live from the Grand Ole Opry for the very first time â the show would last until 12:30 am with a half-hour break between the two shows at 9 pm CDT. The show featured many acts including Del Reeves, Barbara Mandrell, Bill Monroe, Hank Snow, Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Don Gibson and many others. The telecast became the most popular one of the year for PBS, and was a part of their March fundraising campaigns.
- December 21 â The Electric Horseman, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, premieres. Willie Nelson is a supporting character in the film, and he will contribute to the movie's soundtrack.
Top hits of the year
Number one hits
United States
(as certified by Billboard)
Notes
- 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
- A^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
- B^ Last Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
- C^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.
Canada
(as certified by RPM)
Notes
- 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by RPM.
- 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
- A^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
- B^ Last RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
- C^ 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
Christmas albums
Births
Deaths
- January 8 â Sara Carter, 80, lead singer and member of the pioneering Carter Family.
- February 21 â Carl T. Sprague, 83, "The Original Singing Cowboy," active mainly in the 1920s.
- May 11 â Lester Flatt, 64, early bluegrass pioneer who, with Earl Scruggs, formed the Foggy Mountain Boys. (heart failure)
- November 29 â Jimmie Tarlton, 87, one half of Darby and Tarlton, an early country music duo.
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 who got a star in 1979
Kenny Rogers
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.
Other links
External links