This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1985.

Events

* 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. * May 8 - 20th Academy of Country Music Awards:

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

, and

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

win * A story published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' declares that country music is "dead." However, a number of new acts –

Randy Travis Randy Bruce Traywick (born May 4, 1959), known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country music and gospel music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. Active from 1978 until being incapacitated by a stroke in 2013, he has recor ...

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 "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" is a song written and recorded by American musician Hank Williams Jr. It was released in October 1984 as the second single from his album '' Major Moves''. It peaked at number ten on the country music ...

Top hits of the year

Singles released by American artists

Singles released by Canadian artists

Top new album releases

Other top albums

On television

Regular series

* '' Hee Haw'' (1969–1993, syndicated) * '' That Nashville Music'' (1970–1985, syndicated)

Specials

Births

* January 20 –

Brantley Gilbert Brantley Keith Gilbert (born January 20, 1985) is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released '' Moder ...

, singer of the 2010s best known for "Country Must Be Country Wide" and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do" * May 20 – Jon Pardi, country singer of the 2010s * June 12 – Chris Young, winner on the fourth season of '' Nashville Star'' * August 26 – Brian Kelley, member of Florida Georgia Line, a duo of the 2010s. * September 1 — Charlie Worsham, singer/multi-instrumentalist honored by the Mississippi state senate * September 19 — Chase Rice, country singer of the 2010s

Deaths

* July 17 – Wynn Stewart, 51, key progenitor of the Bakersfield sound, known for hits such as " It's Such a Pretty World Today" (

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

) * August 8 – Benny Barnes, 51, former rhythm guitarist for George Jones, best known for his 1956 hit "Poor Man's Riches" * October 11 -- Tex Williams, 68, Western swing and talking blues performer best known for "

Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" is a Western swing novelty song written by Merle Travis and Tex Williams, for Williams and his talking blues style of singing. Travis wrote the bulk of the song. The original Williams version went to numbe ...

" (

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

)

Hall of Fame inductees

Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

* Flatt and Scruggs (

Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades ...

1914–1979 and

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...

1924–2012)

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

Don Messer Donald Charles Frederick Messer (May 9, 1909 – March 26, 1973) was a Canadian musician, band leader, radio broadcaster, and defining icon of folk music during the 1960s. His CBC Television series '' Don Messer’s Jubilee'' (1959–69) feature ...

* Hank Snow

Major awards

Grammy Awards

*Best Female Country Vocal Performance — " I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", Rosanne Cash *Best Male Country Vocal Performance — " Lost in the Fifties Tonight", Ronnie Milsap *Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — " Why Not Me"

The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Nashville in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most succes ...

*Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Cosmic Square Dance", Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler *Best Country Song — "

Highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...

," Jimmy Webb (Performer: The Highwaymen)

Juno Awards

*Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Murray McLauchlan *Country Female Vocalist of the Year —

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

*Country Group or Duo of the Year —

Family Brown Family Brown was a Canadian country music band founded in 1967 by Joe Brown ( vocals, bass guitar), along with his son Barry (vocals, guitar) and daughters Lawanda and Tracey (vocals), as well as Dave Dennison (guitar) and Ron Sparling ( drums). ...

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer of the Year —

*Song of the Year — " Lost in the Fifties Tonight", Fred Parris, Mike Reid and

Troy Seals Troy Harold Seals (born November 16, 1938, in Bighill, Madison County, Kentucky, United States) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is a member of the prominent Seals family of musicians that includes Jim Seals (of Seals and C ...

(Performer: Ronnie Milsap) *Single of the Year — "

", The Highwaymen *Album of the Year — '' Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind'',

*Top Male Vocalist — George Strait *Top Female Vocalist —

*Top Vocal Duo —

*Top Vocal Group — Alabama *Top New Male Vocalist —

*Top New Female Vocalist —

Judy Rodman Judy Mae Rodman (née Robbins; May 23, 1951)California Birth Index, 1905-1995 is an American country music singer and songwriter. In the mid-1980s, she was a successful recording artist; making it all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot ...

*Video of the Year — " Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?", George Jones (Directors: Marc Ball)

Canadian Country Music Association

*Entertainer of the Year — Dick Damron *Male Artist of the Year — Terry Carisse *Female Artist of the Year — Carroll Baker *Group of the Year —

The Mercey Brothers The Mercey Brothers were a Canadian country music Country music has a long history in Canada. The genre evolved out of the diverse musical practices of the Appalachian region of the United States. Appalachian folk music was largely Scottish an ...

*SOCAN Song of the Year — "Counting the I Love You's", Terry Carisse, Bruce Rawlins (Performer: Terry Carisse) *Single of the Year — " Riding on the Wind", Gary Fjellgaard *Album of the Year — ''Closest Thing to You'', Terry Carisse *Top Selling Album — '' Once Upon a Christmas'',

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 ...

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

*Vista Rising Star Award — Ginny Mitchell *Duo of the Year — Anita Perras and Tim Taylor

Country Music Association

*Entertainer of the Year — Ricky Skaggs *Song of the Year — "

God Bless the USA "God Bless the U.S.A." (also known as "Proud to Be an American") is an American patriotic song written and recorded by American country music artist Lee Greenwood, and is considered to be his signature song. The first album it appears on is his 1 ...

", Lee Greenwood (Performer: Lee Greenwood) *Single of the Year — " Why Not Me",

*Album of the Year — '' Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind'',

*Male Vocalist of the Year — George Strait *Female Vocalist of the Year —

*Vocal Duo of the Year — Dave Loggins and

*Vocal Group of the Year —

*Horizon Award —

Sawyer Brown Sawyer Brown is an American country music band. It was founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by Mark Miller (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard (keyboards, vocals), Bobby Randall (lead guitar, vocals), Joe "Curly" Smyth (drums), an ...

*Music Video of the Year — "

", Hank Williams Jr. (Director: John Goodhue) *Instrumentalist of the Year — Chet Atkins *Instrumental Group of the Year — Ricky Skaggs Band

References

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, whi ...

Country music by year