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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1979.
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- 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 — The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) would telecast an entire Saturday night live from the Grand Ole Opry for the very first time – 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 — 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.
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Number one hits
United States
(as certified by Billboard)
Canada
(as certified by RPM)
Other major hits
Singles released by American artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 16 | Alibis | Johnny Rodriguez |
| 16 | 32 | All-Around Cowboy | Marty Robbins |
| 10 | 4 | Are You Sincere | Elvis Presley |
| 12 | 14 | As Long as I Can Wake Up in Your Arms | Kenny O'Dell |
| 9 | 21 | Barstool Mountain | Moe Bandy |
| 6 | 16 | Blind in Love | Mel Tillis |
| 6 | 7 | Blue Kentucky Girl | Emmylou Harris |
| 25 | 17 | Buenos Dias Argentina | Marty Robbins |
| 3 | 3 | Come On In | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 16 | 10 | Crazy Arms | Willie Nelson |
| 17 | — | Crazy Blue Eyes | Lacy J. Dalton |
| 14 | 25 | Daddy | Donna Fargo |
| 18 | 36 | Darlin' | David Rogers |
| 17 | — | Della and the Dealer | Hoyt Axton |
| 5 | 3 | Do You Ever Fool Around | Joe Stampley |
| 10 | — | Don't Let Me Cross Over | Jim Reeves with Deborah Allen |
| 6 | 13 | Down on the Rio Grande | Johnny Rodriguez |
| 16 | 60 | Down to Earth Woman | Kenny Dale |
| 14 | 7 | Everlasting Love | Narvel Felts |
| 10 | 11 | Fall in Love with Me Tonight | Randy Barlow |
| 4 | 16 | Family Tradition | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 5 | 9 | Farewell Party | Gene Watson |
| 19 | 22 | Feet | Ray Price |
| 4 | 5 | Fooled by a Feeling | Barbara Mandrell |
| 3 | 14 | Fools | Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius |
| 17 | 44 | Fools for Each Other | Johnny Rodriguez |
| 14 | 21 | Gimme Back My Blues | Jerry Reed |
| 8 | 6 | Happy Together | T. G. Sheppard |
| 11 | 28 | Here We Are Again | The Statler Brothers |
| 25 | 11 | Hound Dog Man | Glen Campbell |
| 7 | 18 | How to Be a Country Star | The Statler Brothers |
| 10 | 18 | I Ain't Got No Business Doin' Business Today | Razzy Bailey |
| 3 | 2 | I Can't Feel You Anymore | Loretta Lynn |
| 16 | 33 | I Don't Do Like That No More | The Kendalls |
| 12 | 21 | I Don't Lie | Joe Stampley |
| 5 | 4 | I Had a Lovely Time | The Kendalls |
| 16 | 65 | I Hate the Way I Love It | Johnny Rodriguez and Charly McClain |
| 5 | 4 | I Just Can't Stay Married to You | Cristy Lane |
| 10 | 12 | I Know a Heartache When I See One | Jennifer Warnes |
| 26 | 10 | I Lost My Head | Charlie Rich |
| 18 | 40 | I Love How You Love Me | Lynn Anderson |
| 21 | 9 | I Will Survive | Billie Jo Spears |
| 20 | 55 | I'd Rather Go on Hurtin' | Joe Sun |
| 14 | 7 | I'll Love Away Your Troubles for Awhile | Janie Fricke |
| 3 | 2 | I'll Wake You Up When I Get Home | Charlie Rich |
| 13 | 8 | I'm Gonna Love You | Glen Campbell |
| 18 | 6 | I'm the Singer, You're the Song | Tanya Tucker |
| 14 | 16 | I've Been Waiting for You All of My Life | Con Hunley |
| 7 | 5 | I've Done Enough Dying Today | Larry Gatlin |
| 5 | 2 | I've Got a Picture of Us on My Mind | Loretta Lynn |
| 13 | 12 | If Everyone Had Someone Like You | Eddy Arnold |
| 4 | 8 | If I Could Write a Song (As Beautiful as You) | Billy "Crash" Craddock |
| 18 | — | If I Fell in Love with You | Rex Allen, Jr. |
| 10 | 45 | If I Give My Heart to You | Margo Smith |
| 6 | 33 | If Love Had a Face | Razzy Bailey |
| 6 | 9 | In No Time at All | Ronnie Milsap |
| 10 | 7 | Isn't It Always Love | Lynn Anderson |
| 12 | 13 | It's Time We Talk Things Over | Rex Allen, Jr. and The Byrds |
| 11 | 4 | Just Like Real People | The Kendalls |
| 10 | 10 | Just Long Enough to Say Goodbye | Mickey Gilley |
| 9 | 21 | The Lady in the Blue Mercedes | Johnny Duncan |
| 3 | 2 | Lay Down Beside Me | Don Williams |
| 14 | 17 | Liberated Woman | John Wesley Ryles |
| 16 | 25 | Lovin' On | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 2 | 3 | Lying in Love with You | Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius |
| 7 | 4 | Maybellene | George Jones and Johnny Paycheck |
| 9 | — | Me and My Broken Heart | Rex Allen, Jr. |
| 19 | 3 | Mississippi | Charlie Daniels |
| 20 | 65 | Mr. Jones | Big Al Downing |
| 11 | 20 | My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own | Debby Boone |
| 4 | 4 | My Own Kind of Hat | Merle Haggard |
| 8 | 62 | My Silver Lining | Mickey Gilley |
| 4 | 7 | My World Begins and Ends with You | Dave & Sugar |
| 17 | 13 | Next Best Feeling | Mary K. Miller |
| — | 10 | Nickels and Dimes | Nana Mouskouri |
| 17 | 38 | No Memories Hangin' Round | Rosanne Cash with Bobby Bare |
| 7 | 5 | No One Else in the World | Tammy Wynette |
| 10 | 33 | Nothing as Original as You | The Statler Brothers |
| 5 | 7 | The Official Historian on Shirley Jean Berrell | The Statler Brothers |
| 17 | — | The One Thing My Lady Never Puts Into Words | Mel Street |
| 7 | 20 | Only Love Can Break a Heart | Kenny Dale |
| 5 | 2 | Pick the Wildwood Flower | Gene Watson |
| 11 | 44 | Play Together Again, Again | Buck Owens with Emmylou Harris |
| 9 | 9 | Put Your Clothes Back On | Joe Stampley |
| 4 | 2 | Red Bandana | Merle Haggard |
| 13 | — | Reunited | Louise Mandrell and R. C. Bannon |
| 16 | 34 | Robinhood | Billy "Crash" Craddock |
| 18 | 34 | Rockin' My Life Away | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 14 | — | A Rusty Old Halo | Hoyt Axton |
| 16 | — | Sail On | Tom Grant |
| 4 | 20 | Save the Last Dance for Me | Emmylou Harris |
| 26 | 18 | Save the Last Dance for Me | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 10 | — | Say You Love Me | Stephanie Winslow |
| 18 | 17 | Second-Hand Satin Lady (And a Bargain Basement Boy) | Jerry Reed |
| 2 | 4 | Send Me Down to Tucson | Mel Tillis |
| 15 | 5 | September Song | Willie Nelson |
| 15 | 38 | Sharing | Kenny Dale |
| 3 | 6 | Should I Come Home (Or Should I Go Crazy) | Gene Watson |
| 10 | 26 | Simple Little Words | Cristy Lane |
| 20 | 42 | Since I Fell for You | Con Hunley |
| 17 | 22 | Slippin' Up, Slippin' Around | Cristy Lane |
| 6 | 8 | Slow Dancing | Johnny Duncan |
| 6 | 5 | Somebody Special | Donna Fargo |
| 11 | — | Someone Is Looking for Someone Like You | Gail Davies |
| 14 | 18 | Son of Clayton Delaney | Tom T. Hall |
| 13 | 26 | The Song We Made Love To | Mickey Gilley |
| 20 | 7 | Spanish Eyes | Charlie Rich |
| 6 | — | Stay with Me | Dave & Sugar |
| 26 | 13 | Steady as the Rain | Stella Parton |
| 7 | 17 | Still a Woman | Margo Smith |
| 19 | 46 | Sweet Dreams | Reba McEntire |
| 10 | 14 | Sweet Melinda | Randy Barlow |
| 7 | 6 | Sweet Summer Lovin' | Dolly Parton |
| 8 | 18 | Tell Me What It's Like | Brenda Lee |
| 5 | 3 | Texas (When I Die) | Tanya Tucker |
| 18 | 44 | That's the Only Way to Say Good Morning | Ray Price |
| 20 | 21 | There Is a Miracle in You | Tom T. Hall |
| 6 | 3 | There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In) | Elvis Presley |
| 6 | 6 | They Call It Making Love | Tammy Wynette |
| 20 | 15 | This Is a Love Song | Bill Anderson |
| 6 | 5 | Tonight She's Gonna Love Me (Like There Was No Tomorrow) | Razzy Bailey |
| 13 | 12 | Too Far Gone | Emmylou Harris |
| 18 | 59 | Touch Me (I'll Be Your Fool Once More) | Big Al Downing |
| 15 | 18 | Touch Me with Magic | Marty Robbins |
| 12 | 18 | Tryin' to Satisfy You | Dottsy |
| 6 | 51 | Two Steps Forward and Three Steps Back | Susie Allanson |
| 22 | 13 | Walking Piece of Heaven | Freddy Fender |
| 31 | 18 | Walking the Floor Over You | Ernest Tubb and Merle Haggard |
| 16 | — | What a Lie | Sammi Smith |
| 11 | 31 | When a Love Ain't Right | Charly McClain |
| 3 | 3 | When I Dream | Crystal Gayle |
| 12 | 3 | Whiskey River | Willie Nelson |
| 20 | 24 | Who Will the Next Fool Be | Jerry Lee Lewis |
| 8 | — | Wisdom of a Fool | Jacky Ward |
| 8 | 7 | Words | Susie Allanson |
| 18 | 35 | World's Most Perfect Woman | Ronnie McDowell |
| 5 | 11 | You Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 14 | 26 | You Can Have Her | George Jones and Johnny Paycheck |
| 10 | 8 | You Don't Bring Me Flowers | Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius |
| 4 | 20 | You Feel Good All Over | T. G. Sheppard |
| 12 | 28 | You Pick Me Up (And Put Me Down) | Dottie West |
| 11 | 26 | You Show Me Your Heart (And I'll Show You Mine) | Tom T. Hall |
| 20 | 24 | You Were Always on My Mind | John Wesley Ryles |
| 20 | 66 | You're a Part of Me | Charly McClain |
| 14 | — | You're My Kind of Woman | Jacky Ward |
| 16 | 27 | You've Got Somebody, I've Got Somebody | Vern Gosdin |
| 7 | 14 | Your Kisses Will | Crystal Gayle |
Singles released by Canadian artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 6 | The Ballad of the Duke | Dallas Harms |
| — | 13 | Bingo and Another World | Rex Hemeon |
| — | 5 | Build My Life Around You | Carroll Baker |
| — | 9 | Easy | Eddie Eastman |
| — | 20 | Easy Does It | Rondini |
| — | 10 | Every Woman | Van Dyke |
| — | 18 | Everyone's Laughin' but Me | Chris Nielsen |
| — | 9 | Four States to Go | Alex Fraser |
| — | 17 | Half of What You've Been to Me | R. Harlan Smith |
| — | 13 | Hell Bent for Mexico | Mercey Brothers |
| — | 12 | High on You | Dick Damron |
| — | 7 | I Picked a Daisy | Dallas Harms |
| — | 16 | Kelly Green | Glory-Anne Carriere |
| — | 16 | Love Catch Fire | Ian Kemp |
| — | 8 | Love Is Such an Easy Word to Say | Eddie Eastman |
| — | 3 | Love When It Leaves Here | Canadian Zephyr |
| — | 6 | Loving You | Mike Graham |
| — | 8 | Mes Amis O Canada | Laura Vinson |
| — | 15 | Mighty Big to Me | Alex Fraser |
| — | 6 | Rachel I'm Just Not That Strong | David Thompson |
| — | 7 | Silver and Shine | Dick Damron |
| — | 19 | Some Kind of Woman | The Good Brothers |
| — | 10 | Sorry and the Hobo | Orval Prophet |
| — | 4 | Stay with Me | Family Brown |
| — | 9 | Stranger | Mercey Brothers |
| 33 | 19 | Takes a Fool to Love a Fool | Burton Cummings |
| — | 15 | Time to Go | Terry Carisse |
| — | 9 | Willie Boy | Wayne Rostad |
| 100 | 6 | You Can't Make Love to a Memory | Iris Larratt |
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Christmas albums
| Single | Artist | Record Label |
|---|---|---|
| Light of the Stable | Emmylou Harris | Reprise |
| Pretty Paper | Willie Nelson | CBS |
- February 1 — Julie Roberts, country music singer-songwriter.
- April 24 — Rebecca Lynn Howard, pop-styled singer-songwriter of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- May 18 – David Nail, singer of the 2010s best known for "Let It Rain."
- June 10 — Lee Brice, singer-songwriter of the 2010 best for his hits "Love Like Crazy" and the number-one single "A Woman Like You" as well as his 2012 second studio album Hard 2 Love.
- July 24 – Jerrod Niemann, songwriter who wrote Garth Brooks' hit "Good Ride Cowboy" before achieving his own success with hits like "Lover, Lover."
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- January 8 — Sara Carter, 80, lead singer and member of the pioneering Carter Family.
- February 21 — Carl T. Sprague, 83, "The Original Singing Cowboy," active mainly in the 1920s.
- May 11 — Lester Flatt, 64, early bluegrass pioneer who, with Earl Scruggs, formed the Foggy Mountain Boys. (heart failure)
- November 29 — Jimmie Tarlton, 87, one half of Darby and Tarlton, an early country music duo.
- Hubert Long (1923–1972)
- Hank Snow (1914–1999)
Grammy Awards
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance — Blue Kentucky Girl, Emmylou Harris
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "The Gambler", Kenny Rogers
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", Charlie Daniels Band
- Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Big Sandy/Leather Britches", Doc Watson and Merle Watson
- Best Country Song — "You Decorated My Life", Debbie Hupp and Bob Morrison (Performer: Kenny Rogers)
Juno Awards
- Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Ronnie Prophet
- Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Carroll Baker
- Country Group or Duo of the Year — The Good Brothers
Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer of the Year — Willie Nelson
- Song of the Year — "It's a Cheating Situation", Sonny Throckmorton and Curly Putman (Performer: Moe Bandy)
- Single of the Year — "All the Gold in California", Larry Gatlin
- Album of the Year — Straight Ahead, Larry Gatlin
- Top Male Vocalist — Larry Gatlin
- Top Female Vocalist — Crystal Gayle
- Top Vocal Duo — Joe Stampley and Moe Bandy
- Top New Male Vocalist — R. C. Bannon
- Top New Female Vocalist — Lacy J. Dalton
Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — Willie Nelson
- Song of the Year — "The Gambler", Don Schlitz (Performer: Kenny Rogers)
- Single of the Year — "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", Charlie Daniels Band
- Album of the Year — The Gambler, Kenny Rogers
- Male Vocalist of the Year — Kenny Rogers
- Female Vocalist of the Year — Barbara Mandrell
- Vocal Duo of the Year — Kenny Rogers and Dottie West
- Vocal Group of the Year — The Statler Brothers
- Instrumentalist of the Year — Charlie Daniels
- Instrumental Group of the Year — Charlie Daniels Band
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- 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 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
- Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.
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