This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1970.
Events
* April 13 -
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and suc ...
is awarded Artist of the Decade for the 1960s by the
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music ...
* September — ''
That Good Ole Nashville Music'' debuts in
syndication
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
. The series will run until 1985.
No Dates
Early in the year, Marty Robbins suffers a major heart attack which almost takes the life of the country star.
Top hits of the year
Number-one hits
United States
''(as certified by
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
)''
;Notes
*1
^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''.
*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
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
)''
;Notes
*2
^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
*A
^ First ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
'' 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
Other top albums
Births
* March 14 —
Kristian Bush
Kristian Merrill Bush (born March 14, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bush is one half of the country music duo Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles, and was a member of the folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim with Andrew Hyr ...
, member of
Sugarland
Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall (vo ...
* July 10 —
Gary LeVox
Gary LeVox (born Gary Wayne Vernon Jr., July 10, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for being the lead vocalist of the contemporary country music band Rascal Flatts, and his stage name was taken from the studio-console label ...
, lead singer of
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousi ...
.
* August 22 –
George Canyon
George Canyon (born Frederick George Lays, August 22, 1970) is a Canadian country music singer. He was the runner up on the second season of ''Nashville Star'' in 2004. He grew up in Fox Brook, Pictou County, Nova Scotia before he moved west to ...
, country singer from the late 1990s who enjoyed success in the mid 2000s.
* August 24 — Kristyn Osborn, member of
SHeDAISY
SHeDAISY () was an American country music vocal group from Magna, Utah. The group consisted of sisters Kristyn Robyn Osborn (born August 24, 1970), Kelsi Marie Osborn (born November 21, 1974), and Kassidy Lorraine Osborn (born October 30, 1976). ...
* August 25 —
Jo Dee Messina
Jo Dee Marie Messina (born August 25, 1970) is an American country music artist. She has charted six number-one singles on the ''Billboard'' country music charts. She has been honored by the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country ...
, female vocalist of the 1990s and 2000s (decade).
* October 5 — Georgette Jones, the only biological child of
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
and
Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...
.
* October 25 —
Chely Wright
Chely Wright (born Richell Rene Wright; October 25, 1970) is an American Activism, activist, author and country music artist. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist with several charting singles, including the numbe ...
, country singer of the late 1990s and 2000s (decade).
* November 5 – Heather and Jennifer Kinley, recorded in the late 1990s as the duo
The Kinleys
The Kinleys were an American country music duo composed of identical twin sisters Heather and Jennifer Kinley (born November 5, 1970). Between 1997 and 2000, they recorded two albums for Epic Records (1997's '' Just Between You and Me'' and 2000's ...
* November 15 —
Jack Ingram
Jack Owen Ingram (born November 15, 1970) is an American country music artist formerly signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, and 19 singles. Although ...
, rock-styled country singer-songwriter since the mid-2000s (decade).
* December 10 —
Kevin Sharp
Kevin Grant Sharp (December 10, 1970 – April 19, 2014) was an American country music singer, author, and motivational speaker. Sharp came on the country music scene in 1996 with his first single: a cover of Tony Rich's " Nobody Knows", which to ...
, country singer from the 1990s, best known for "
Nobody Knows" (d. 2014)
Deaths
* January 4 –
Clayton McMichen
Clayton McMichen (January 26, 1900 – January 4, 1970) was an American fiddler and country musician.
Biography
Born in Allatoona, Georgia, McMichen learned to play the fiddle from his father and uncle. He moved to Atlanta with his family in 1 ...
, 69, pioneering fiddle player and member of the
Skillet Lickers
The Skillet Lickers were an old-time band from Georgia, United States.
When Gid Tanner teamed up with blind guitarist Riley Puckett and signed to Columbia in 1924, they created the label's earliest so-called "hillbilly" recording. Gid Tanner ...
.
* April 1 —
Paul Cohen
Paul Joseph Cohen (April 2, 1934 – March 23, 2007) was an American mathematician. He is best known for his proofs that the continuum hypothesis and the axiom of choice are independent from Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, for which he was award ...
, 61, pioneering record producer at Decca Records.
* September 5 –
Curley Williams
Curley Williams (b. Dock Williams, June 3, 1914 – d. September 5, 1970) was an American country and western musician and songwriter from Georgia. His best-known song is "Half As Much". He was admitted to thAtlanta Country Music Hall of Famein ...
, 56, songwriter most famous for writing "
Half as Much
"Half as Much" is an American pop standard song written by Curley Williams in 1951. It was first recorded by country music singer Hank Williams in 1952 and reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Country Singles chart.
Hank Williams version
Acc ...
."
Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
*
The Original Carter Family – (
A. P. Carter 1891–1960,
Sara Carter
Sara Elizabeth Carter (née Dougherty, later Bayes; July 21, 1898 – January 8, 1979) was an American country music musician, singer, and songwriter. Remembered mostly for her deep, distinctive, mature singing voice, she was the lead singer on ...
1898–1979 and
Mother Maybelle Carter
"Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument". It ...
1909–1978)
Major awards
Grammy Awards
*Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "
(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden",
Lynn Anderson
Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...
*Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "
For the Good Times",
Ray Price
*Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "
If I Were a Carpenter",
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
and
June Carter
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...
*Best Country Instrumental Performance — ''
Me & Jerry'',
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...
and
Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...
*Best Country Song — "
My Woman, My Woman, My Wife
"My Woman, My Woman, My Wife" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Marty Robbins. It was released in January 1970 as the first single and title track from the album '' My Woman, My Woman, My Wife''. The song was Robbin ...
",
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and suc ...
(Performer: Marty Robbins)
Juno Awards
*Country Male Vocalist of the Year —
Tommy Hunter
Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman".
Career
In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, '' Country Hoedown''. ''T ...
*Country Female Vocalist of the Year —
Dianne Leigh
Dianne Leigh (born , sometimes spelled as Diane Leigh) is a Canadian country music performer. She was the first recipient of the Gold Leaf Award (later the Juno Awards) in 1970.
In 1994, music trade publication '' RPM'' considered her the nint ...
*Country Group or Duo of the Year —
Mercey Brothers
The Mercey Brothers were a Canadian country music group active from 1957 to 1989. The brothers were seven-time Juno Award winners for "The Top Country Group" and were inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
Early life
All three Me ...
Academy of Country Music
*Entertainer of the Year —
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
*Song of the Year — "
For the Good Times",
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...
(Performer:
Ray Price)
*Single of the Year — "For the Good Times", Ray Price
*Album of the Year — ''For the Good Times'', Ray Price
*Top Male Vocalist — Merle Haggard
*Top Female Vocalist —
Lynn Anderson
Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...
*Top Vocal Group —
The Kimberleys
The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, an ...
*Top New Male Vocalist —
Buddy Alan
Alan Edgar "Buddy" Owens (born May 23, 1948 in Mesa, Arizona), known professionally as Buddy Alan, is an American country music artist. The son of Buck Owens and Bonnie Owens and stepson of Merle Haggard, Alan recorded four albums for Capitol Rec ...
*Top New Female Vocalist —
Sammi Smith
Jewel Fay Smith (August 5, 1943 – February 12, 2005), known professionally as Sammi Smith, was an American country music singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1971 country-pop crossover hit "Help Me Make It Through the Night", whi ...
Country Music Association
*Entertainer of the Year —
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
*Song of the Year — "
Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down
"Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson that was recorded in 1969 by Ray Stevens before becoming a #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' US Country chart for Johnny Cash.
History
Stevens' version of the song reached #55 on th ...
",
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...
(Performer:
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
)
*Single of the Year — "
Okie from Muskogee
''Okie from Muskogee'' is the first live album by Merle Haggard and the Strangers released in October 1969 on Capitol Records.
Background
The album was a recorded performance at the Civic Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma on October 10, 1969, the da ...
",
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
*Album of the Year — ''
Okie from Muskogee
''Okie from Muskogee'' is the first live album by Merle Haggard and the Strangers released in October 1969 on Capitol Records.
Background
The album was a recorded performance at the Civic Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma on October 10, 1969, the da ...
'', Merle Haggard
*Male Vocalist of the Year — Merle Haggard
*Female Vocalist of the Year —
Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...
*Vocal Duo of the Year —
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour.
In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...
and
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
*Vocal Group of the Year —
Tompall and the Glaser Brothers
Tompall & the Glaser Brothers were an American country music group composed of three brothers: Chuck (February 27, 1936 – June 10, 2019), Jim Glaser, Jim (December 16, 1937 – April 6, 2019), and Tompall Glaser, Tompall (September 3, 1933 – A ...
*Instrumentalist of the Year —
Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...
*Instrumental Group of the Year —
Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass
*Comedian of the Year —
Roy Clark
Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American singer and musician. He is best known for having hosted ''Hee Haw'', a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark was an important and influen ...
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 1947–1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 ()
*Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 ()
*Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.
Other links
*
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
*
Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame
This is a list of the 149 inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, , counting groups as a single inductee. Of these, 14 inductions are solo female performers, and 1 induction is a female duet. Roy Rogers is unique in that he was in ...
External links
Country Music Hall of Fame{{List of years in country music
Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
Country music by year