1979 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1979.

Events

 * 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.

United States
(as certified by Billboard)


 * Notes
 * 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
 * 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)


 * Notes
 * 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by RPM.
 * 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
 * A^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
 * B^ Last RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
 * C^ Only RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.

Births

 * 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."

Deaths

 * 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.

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

 * 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

Other links

 * Country Music Association
 * Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame