2002 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2002.

Events

 * January 13 - CMT premieres CMT Crossroads, which features country music artists being paired with artists from other genres. The show has since become one of the channel's most successful programs; the first episode featured Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello.
 * May 27 - Toby Keith releases "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)"; written in response to the death of Keith's father and the September 11, 2001 attacks, the song stirs up controversy for the line "We'll put a boot in your ass/It's the American way". Canadian-born newsman Peter Jennings and Dixie Chicks frontwoman Natalie Maines both express criticism of the song, with a feud with the latter lasting for a year.
 * October 7 - Toby Keith begins airing in television spots as the spokesman for Ford, with his original composition, "Ford Truck Man", during that night's broadcast of Monday Night Football.
 * November 19 – Shania Twain returned with her fourth album, Up!. It opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 874,000 copies; the album remained atop the chart until the new year.


 * The Statler Brothers retire from touring and singing together at their Farewell Concert in Salem, Virginia. Jimmy Fortune continued his career as a solo artist.

Top hits of the year
The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs charts in 2002:

Top new album releases
The following albums placed within the Top 50 on the Top Country Albums charts in 2002:

Deaths

 * February 13 – Waylon Jennings, 64, singer and guitarist (diabetic complications)
 * March 3 – Harlan Howard, 74, songwriter
 * May 26 – Orville Couch, 67, singer-songwriter (acute lymphoblastic leukemia)

Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees

 * The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover
 * David Freeman

Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

 * Bill Carlisle (1908–2003)
 * Porter Wagoner (1927–2007)

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

 * Anne Murray
 * Art Snider
 * Bev Munro
 * D'Arcy Scott
 * Elmer Tippe

ARIA Awards

 * Best Country Album – Barricades & Brickwalls (Kasey Chambers)
 * ARIA Hall of Fame – Olivia Newton-John

Grammy Awards

 * Best Female Country Vocal Performance – "Cry" (Faith Hill)
 * Best Male Country Vocal Performance – "Give My Love to Rose" (Johnny Cash)
 * Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal – "Long Time Gone" (Dixie Chicks)
 * Best Country Collaboration with Vocals – "Mendocino County Line" (Willie Nelson featuring Lee Ann Womack)
 * Best Country Instrumental Performance – "Lil' Jack Slade" (Dixie Chicks)
 * Best Country Song – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" (Alan Jackson)
 * Best Country Album – Home (Dixie Chicks)
 * Best Bluegrass Album – Lost in the Lonesome Pines (Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys)

Juno Awards

 * Country Recording of the Year – "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!", Shania Twain

CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards

 * Video of the Year – "Young", Kenny Chesney
 * Male Video of the Year – "Young", Kenny Chesney
 * Female Video of the Year – "Blessed", Martina McBride
 * Group / Duo Video of the Year – "Only in America", Brooks & Dunn
 * Breakthrough Video of the Year – "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out", Chris Cagle
 * Video Collaboration of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson Featuring Lee Ann Womack
 * Hottest Video of the Year – "The Cowboy in Me", Tim McGraw
 * Concept Video of the Year – "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)", Brad Paisley
 * Fashion Plate Video of the Year – "Jezebel", Chely Wright
 * "LOL" (Laugh Out Loud) Video of the Year – "I Wanna Talk About Me", Toby Keith
 * Love Your Country Video of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)", Alan Jackson
 * Video Director of the Year – "I Wanna Talk About Me", Toby Keith (Director: Michael Salomon)
 * Video Visionary Award – Dixie Chicks

Americana Music Honors & Awards

 * Album of the Year – Buddy & Julie Miller
 * Artist of the Year – Jim Lauderdale
 * Song of the Year – "She's Looking At Me" (Jim Lauderdale)
 * Instrumentalist of the Year – Jerry Douglas
 * Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award – Johnny Cash
 * Lifetime Achievement: Songwriting – Billie Joe Shaver
 * Lifetime Achievement: Performance – Emmylou Harris
 * Lifetime Achievement: Executive – T Bone Burnett

Academy of Country Music

 * Entertainer of the Year – Toby Keith
 * Song of the Year – "I'm Movin' On", Rascal Flatts
 * Single of the Year – "The Good Stuff," Kenny Chesney
 * Album of the Year – Drive, Alan Jackson
 * Top Male Vocalist – Kenny Chesney
 * Top Female Vocalist – Martina McBride
 * Top Vocal Duo – Brooks & Dunn
 * Top Vocal Group – Rascal Flatts
 * Top New Male Vocalist – Joe Nichols
 * Top New Female Vocalist – Kellie Coffey
 * Top New Vocal Duo or Group – Emerson Drive
 * Video of the Year – "Drive (For Daddy Gene)", Alan Jackson (Director: Steven Goldmann)
 * Vocal Event of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack

Canadian Country Music Association

 * Fans' Choice Award – Terri Clark
 * Male Artist of the Year – Paul Brandt
 * Female Artist of the Year – Carolyn Dawn Johnson
 * Group or Duo of the Year – Emerson Drive
 * SOCAN Song of the Year – "Ten Million Teardrops", Jason McCoy, Tim Taylor
 * Single of the Year – "I Don't Want You to Go", Carolyn Dawn Johnson
 * Album of the Year – Small Towns and Big Dreams, Paul Brandt
 * Top Selling Album – Scarecrow, Garth Brooks
 * CMT Video of the Year – "I Don't Want You to Go", Carolyn Dawn Johnson
 * Chevy Trucks Rising Star Award – Emerson Drive
 * Roots Artist or Group of the Year – Jimmy Rankin

Country Music Association

 * Entertainer of the Year – Alan Jackson
 * Song of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson
 * Single of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson
 * Album of the Year – Drive, Alan Jackson
 * Male Vocalist of the Year – Alan Jackson
 * Female Vocalist of the Year – Martina McBride
 * Vocal Duo of the Year – Brooks & Dunn
 * Vocal Group of the Year – Dixie Chicks
 * Musician of the Year – Jerry Douglas
 * Horizon Award – Rascal Flatts
 * Music Video of the Year – "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," Brad Paisley (Director: Peter Zavadil)
 * Vocal Event of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack
 * Musician of the Year – Jerry Douglas

Other links

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