This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1973.

Events

*July — ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'', not to be confused with the ''Dean Martin Variety Show'' (1959–1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the ...

'' becomes known as ''Dean Martin Presents Music Country'' for the longtime variety show's summer broadcasts. Country music becomes a staple of Martin's show for the 1973–1974 season — its last on the air, as it turns out. *July 4 —

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

hosts his first Fourth of July picnic. *July 14 — '' Billboard'' increases the number of positions for its

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart to 100 (up from 75), which it would keep until January 1990. The expansion comes at a time when the number of No. 1 songs in a given year continues to increase; for the first time in history, there are at least 35 No. 1 songs in one year. *September —

Jimmy Dean Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. He was the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand as well as the spokesman for its TV commercials. He became ...

's third country music TV series, ''

The Jimmy Dean Show ''The Jimmy Dean Show'' is the name of several similar music and variety series on American local and network television between 1963 and 1975. Each starred country music singer Jimmy Dean as host. Daytime ''The Jimmy Dean Show'', initially call ...

'', premieres in syndication for what will be a two-season run. *October 6 — Country music's most successful syndicated radio countdown program to date, "

American Country Countdown ''American Country Countdown'', also known as ''ACC'', is a weekly internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 40 country songs of the previous week, from No. 40 to No. 1, according to the ''Billboard'' Country Airplay ch ...

," makes its debut. The three-hour program is created by

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice No ...

and

Don Bustany Donald S. Bustany (August 10, 1928 – April 23, 2018) was an American radio and television broadcaster. Biography Bustany was born in Detroit to Lebanese-American parents. He and radio host/voice actor Casey Kasem were childhood friends, and la ...

, and is modeled after American Top 40 (which Kasem also hosted). Comedian Don Bowman) is the original host, but by 1978, he would be replaced by

Bob Kingsley Robert Gibson Kingsley (March 19, 1939 – October 17, 2019) was an American country music radio personality and a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame. He was best known as the host of two nationally syndicated radio programs: ''American Cou ...

. *October — The new '' Radio & Records'' magazine includes a 50-position country singles chart. *November 10 — One of Nashville's most notorious murders makes national headlines when David Akeman (aka Stringbean) and his wife, Estelle, are killed when they interrupt a burglary after returning home. Their bodies are found the next day. Their assailants—brothers John and Marvin Douglas—are later captured, convicted and sentenced to prison. Stringbean, who was 58, was best known to his audiences for his role on the syndicated series "

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

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''. *2 ^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot. *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 ''

'' 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 new albums

Births

* March 6 —

Trent Willmon Trent Willmon (born March 6, 1973) is an American country music artist, songwriter, and Record producer, producer. Active since 1998 as a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Willmon was signed to Columbia Records in 2004. He released two albums ...

, rising country music star of the early- to mid-2000s (decade). * May 24 —

Jill Johnson Jill Anna Maria Johnson (born 24 May 1973) is a Swedish country and pop singer, songwriter and TV-host. She performed in the Melodifestivalen 1998 contest, winning with the song " Kärleken är" ("Love Is"), and represented Sweden at the Euro ...

, Swedish female country singer. * June 6 —

Lisa Brokop Lisa Brokop (born June 6, 1973) is a Canadian country music singer/songwriter and actress. Active since 1990 in the country music field, she has released a total of seven studio albums and has charted more than twenty singles on the country music ...

, Canadian country star of the 1990s and early-2000s (decade). * June 26 —

Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on the '' Billboard'' country charts. The so ...

, singer-songwriter and key member of the

MuzikMafia The MuzikMafia was an informal collection of American country music artists, founded in October 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee by Big Kenny and John Rich (who compose the duo Big & Rich), along with Jon Nicholson and Cory Gierman. They have been the ...

of the 2000s (decade). * July 29 — James Otto, rising male vocalist of the 2000s (decade). * August 8 —

Mark Wills Mark Wills (born Daryl Mark Williams; August 8, 1973) is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label – '' Mark Wills'', ''Wish You Were Here'', ''Permanently'' ...

, country star of the mid-to-late-1990s and early-2000s (decade) (" 19 Somethin'", "

Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to: Film, television, and theater Film * ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland * ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...

"). * August 13 — Andy Griggs, country music star of late-1990s and early-2000s (decade). * November 19 —

Billy Currington William Matthew Currington (born November 19, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Mercury Records Nashville in 2003, he has released seven studio albums for the label: his self-titled debut (2003), '' Doin' Someth ...

, rising star of the mid-2000s (decade).

Deaths

*March 26 – Don Messer, 63, Canadian fiddler and folk music icon whose career spanned 40 years (heart attack). *September 19 —

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

, 26, influential country rock and alt-country singer-songwriter-guitarist who was a member of such bands as

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

and

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...

, and also recorded a critically acclaimed body of solo recordings (drug overdose). *November 10 — Stringbean, 58, banjo player and comedian on the TV series ''

'' (homicide).

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

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 ...

(1924–2001) *

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

(1932–1963), first female to be inducted as a solo act.

Major awards

Grammy Awards

*Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "

Let Me Be There "Let Me Be There" is a popular song written by John Rostill. It was first recorded by Olivia Newton-John and released in September 1973 as the second single from her studio album of the same name. The country-influenced song was Newton-John's fi ...

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

*Best Male Country Vocal Performance —c" Behind Closed Doors", Charlie Rich *Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "From the Bottle to the Bottom",

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 ...

and

Rita Coolidge Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945) is an American recording artist. During the 1970s and 1980s, her songs were on ''Billboard'' magazine's pop, country, adult contemporary, and jazz charts, and she won two Grammy Awards with fellow musician and the ...

*Best Country Instrumental Performance — "

Dueling Banjos "Dueling Banjos" is a bluegrass composition by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith. The song was composed in 1954 by Smith as a banjo instrumental he called "Feudin' Banjos," which contained riffs from Smith, recorded in 1955 playing a four-string plec ...

Eric Weissberg Eric Weissberg (August 16, 1939 – March 22, 2020) was an American singer, banjo player, and multi-instrumentalist, whose most commercially successful recording was his banjo solo in " Dueling Banjos," featured as the theme of the film ''Deliv ...

and Steve Mandell *Best Country Song — "Behind Closed Doors",

Kenny O'Dell Kenneth Guy Gist Jr. (June 21, 1944 – March 27, 2018), known as Kenny O'Dell, was an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for writing the number-one country hits " Behind Closed Doors" (recorded by Charlie Rich, 1973) and ...

(Performer: Charlie Rich)

Juno Awards

*Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Stompin' Tom Connors *Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Shirley Eikhard *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 M ...

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer of the Year — Roy Clark *Song of the Year — " Behind Closed Doors",

(Performer: Charlie Rich) *Single of the Year — "Behind Closed Doors", Charlie Rich *Album of the Year — ''Behind Closed Doors'', Charlie Rich *Top Male Vocalist — Charlie Rich *Top Female Vocalist —

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...

*Top Vocal Group — Brush Arbor *Top New Male Vocalist —

Dorsey Burnette Dorsey William Burnett Jr. (December 28, 1932 – August 19, 1979) was an American early rockabilly singer. With his younger brother Johnny Burnette and a friend named Paul Burlison, he was a founder member of The Rock and Roll Trio. He is als ...

*Top New Female Vocalist —

Country Music Association

*Entertainer of the Year — Roy Clark *Song of the Year — " Behind Closed Doors",

(Performer: Charlie Rich) *Single of the Year — "Behind Closed Doors", Charlie Rich *Album of the Year — ''Behind Closed Doors'', Charlie Rich *Male Vocalist of the Year — Charlie Rich *Female Vocalist of the Year —

*Vocal Duo of the Year — Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn *Vocal Group of the Year —

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

*Instrumentalist of the Year —

Charlie McCoy Charles Ray McCoy (born March 28, 1941) is a Grammy-winning American session musician, harmonica player, and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Based in Nashville, McCoy's playing is heard on r ...

*Instrumental Group of the Year — Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass

References

* Brooks, Tim and Earl Marsh. ''

The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' Eighth Ed., Ballantine Books, 2003. * Erickson, Hal. ''Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947–1987''. McFarland & Co. Inc. Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 1989. . * Hendler, Herb, ''Year by Year in the Rock Era: Events and Conditions Shaping the Rock Generations That Reshaped America'', Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 1983.

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 ...

Country music by year