This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1990.

Events

* January 20 — Billboard magazine begins basing the Hot Country Singles chart entirely on radio airplay through Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS), which uses a computerized system to detect actual radio

spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

s. The number of chart positions is reduced from 100 to 75. The new system has an immediate effect on how long the year's biggest songs stay at No. 1: ** February 3 — " Nobody’s Home" by Clint Black becomes the first three-week No. 1 since

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 ...

' "

Forever and Ever, Amen "Forever and Ever, Amen" is a song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and recorded by American country music artist Randy Travis. It was released in March 1987 as the first single from the album '' Always & Forever'' and became Travis's t ...

" in 1987. ** April 7 — Travis' " Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" breaks the four-week barrier, the first since 1978's " Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. ** July 7 — " Love Without End, Amen" by

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 ...

is ''Billboards first five-week No. 1 song, matching 1977's "

Here You Come Again ''Here You Come Again'' is the nineteenth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on October 3, 1977, by RCA Victor. It was Parton's first album to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping a mil ...

" by Dolly Parton. Incidentally, "Love Without End, Amen" is Strait's first multi-week chart-topper, after his first 18 No. 1s had spent just one week on top. : Just 23 songs would reach the chart's summit in 1990, 13 of them multi-weekers; this was fewer than half the number that reached the top of the chart a year earlier, and the fewest since 1972.

No dates

*The Smithsonian Institution releases '' Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection'', a 100-track, four-volume set including the most important and notable songs in the genre's history, from 1924 to 1987. The set, which includes an 84-page booklet by historian Bill Malone, replaces the Smithsonian's eight-volume, 143-track set – titled '' The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music'' – issued in 1981. : The release of ''Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection'' continues a trend towards chronicling the genre's history via compact disc during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Time-Life Music's '' Country USA'' series continued to issue new albums, while

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

issues its five-volume '' Country Classics'' series during the summer. Rhino Records also releases ten volumes of ''Billboard Top Country Singles'', each depicting the top 10 songs from the years 1959 through 1968.

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)

Births

* January 8 –

Frank Ray Francisco Gomez (born January 8, 1987), known professionally as Frank Ray, is an American country music singer. Signed to BBR Music Group, he has released the single "Country'd Look Good on You". Biography Francisco Gomez is a native of Deming, ...

, singer known for his 2022 hit "Country'd Look Good on You". * March 2 — Luke Combs, singer-songwriter of the 2010s. * March 30 — Thomas Rhett, singer-songwriter, son of singer-songwriter Rhett Akins. * April 10 — Maren Morris, musician and singer-songwriter known for her 2016 hit "My Church". * April 24 — Carly Pearce, singer-songwriter of the 2010s. * May 17 — Kree Harrison, singer and musician, who was the runner-up on the American Idol (season 12), twelfth season of ''American Idol''. * May 27 — Brett Kissel, Canadian country singer of the 2010s. * July 23 — Neil Perry, member of The Band Perry. * July 27 — Cheyenne Kimball, member of Gloriana (band), Gloriana from 2008–2011. *October 22 — Dylan Scott, singer known for his hits "My Girl (Dylan Scott song), My Girl" and "Hooked (Dylan Scott song), Hooked".

Deaths

* April 26 – Wesley Rose, 72, president of Acuff-Rose Music publishing. * August 15 — Lew DeWitt, 52, tenor and founding member of the Statler Brothers (complications from Crohn's disease) * October 31 — Carl Belew, 59, best known for writing the song "Am I That Easy to Forget" (cancer)

Hall of Fame inductees

Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

*Tennessee Ernie Ford (1919–1991)

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

*Gordie Tapp *Ron Sparling

Major awards

Grammy Awards

*Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Where've You Been", Kathy Mattea *Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "When I Call Your Name (Vince Gill song), When I Call Your Name", Vince Gill *Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — ''Pickin' on Nashville'', The Kentucky Headhunters *Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "Poor Boy Blues", Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler *Best Country Instrumental Performance — "So Soft, Your Goodbye", Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler *Best Country Song — "Where've You Been", Don Henry (musician), Don Henry and Jon Vezner *Best Bluegrass Recording — "I've Got That Old Feeling", Alison Krauss

Juno Awards

*Country Male Vocalist of the Year — George Fox (musician), George Fox *Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Rita MacNeil *Country Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster

Academy of Country Music

*Entertainer of the Year — Garth Brooks *Song of the Year — "The Dance (Garth Brooks song), The Dance", Tony Arata (Performer: Garth Brooks) *Single of the Year — "Friends in Low Places", Garth Brooks *Album of the Year — ''No Fences'', Garth Brooks *Top Male Vocalist — Garth Brooks *Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire *Top Vocal Duo — The Judds *Top Vocal Group — Shenandoah (band), Shenandoah *Top New Male Vocalist — Alan Jackson *Top New Female Vocalist — Shelby Lynne *Top New Vocal Duo or Group — Pirates of the Mississippi *Video of the Year — "The Dance", Garth Brooks (Director: John Lloyd Miller)

ARIA Awards

''(presented in Sydney on March 26, 1990)'' *ARIA Award for Best Country Album, Best Country Album - ''Warragul (album), Warragul'' (John Williamson (singer), John Williamson)

Canadian Country Music Association

*Bud Country Fans' Choice Award — k.d. lang *Male Artist of the Year — George Fox (musician), George Fox *Female Artist of the Year — Michelle Wright *Group of the Year — Prairie Oyster *SOCAN Song of the Year — "Pioneers", Barry Brown (Canadian musician), Barry Brown *Single of the Year — "Goodbye, So Long, Hello", Prairie Oyster *Album of the Year — ''Absolute Torch and Twang'', k.d. lang *Top Selling Album — ''Rita'', Rita MacNeil *Video of the Year — "Pioneers", Family Brown *Vista Rising Star Award — Patricia Conroy *Duo of the Year — Gary Fjellgaard and Linda Kidder

Country Music Association

*Entertainer of the Year —

*Song of the Year — "Where've You Been", Don Henry (musician), Don Henry and Jon Vezner (Performer: Kathy Mattea) *Single of the Year — "When I Call Your Name (Vince Gill song), When I Call Your Name", Vince Gill *Album of the Year — ''Pickin' on Nashville'', The Kentucky Headhunters *Male Vocalist of the Year — Clint Black *Female Vocalist of the Year — Kathy Mattea *Vocal Duo of the Year — The Judds *Vocal Group of the Year — The Kentucky Headhunters *Horizon Award — Garth Brooks *Music Video of the Year — "The Dance (Garth Brooks song), The Dance", Garth Brooks (Director: John Lloyd Miller) *Vocal Event of the Year — "'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose", Lorrie Morgan and Keith Whitley *Musician of the Year — Johnny Gimble

External links

Country Music Hall of Fame
{{List of years in country music 1990 in music, Country Country music by year