| content |
Contents |
Events
- April 27 — A story in the New York Daily News reported a possible long-term relationship between Mindy McCready and baseball star Roger Clemens that began when she was 15 years old.[1] Though Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, acknowledged that McCready was a "close family friend," Hardin denied the affair and threatened to bring a defamation suit against him.[1]
- May 15 — People Magazine reported Canadian singer Shania Twain and her husband, music producer Robert Lange, had separated after 14 years of marriage. The couple were married in 1993 after Twain met Lang at the 1993 Fan Fair.[2]
Top hits of the year
Number one hits
United States
| Date | Single Name | Artist | Wks. No.1 | Spec. Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2 | Letter to Me | Brad Paisley | 4 | |
| March 1 | Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy) | Rodney Atkins | 2 | |
| March 15 | All-American Girl | Carrie Underwood | 2 | |
| March 29 | Small Town Southern Man | Alan Jackson | 2 |
|
| April 12 | You're Gonna Miss This | Trace Adkins | 3 | |
| May 3 | I Saw God Today | George Strait | 2 |
|
| May 17 | Just Got Started Lovin' You | James Otto | 2 | A
|
- A - First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
Canada
| Date | Single Name | Artist | Wks. No.1 | Spec. Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 4 | Letter to Me | Brad Paisley | 5 | 2
|
| January 11 | Our Song | Taylor Swift | 1 | 2
|
| February 15 | In My Next Life | Terri Clark | 1 |
|
| February 22 | All-American Girl | Carrie Underwood | 5 | |
| March 28 | You're Gonna Miss This | Trace Adkins | 3 | |
| April 18 | I Saw God Today | George Strait | 1 | |
| April 25 | Picture to Burn | Taylor Swift | 1 | |
| May 2 | I'm Still a Guy | Brad Paisley | 3 |
|
- 2 Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
Other major hits
United States
- A Reached #1 on U.S. Mediabase 24/7 country singles charts.
- B Current single(s).
Canada
Top new album releases
| US | CAN | Album | Artist | Record Label | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 35 Biggest Hits | Toby Keith | Show Dog | May 6 |
| 8 | 1 | Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends | Anne Murray | Manhattan/EMI | January 15 (US) |
| 2 | 11 | Backwoods Barbie | Dolly Parton | Dolly | February 26 |
| 3 | Beautiful Life | Doc Walker | Open Road | April 29 | |
| 2 | Country Hits 2008 | Various Artists | UMG Canada | April 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | Good Time | Alan Jackson | Arista Nashville | March 4 |
| 2 | 5 | Greatest Hits: Every Mile a Memory 2003-2008 | Dierks Bentley | Capitol Nashville | May 6 |
| 1 | Greatest Hits: Limited Edition | Tim McGraw | Curb | April 29 | |
| 18 | 55 | How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites From the Grand Ole Opry |
Various Artists | RCA | February 5 |
| 1 | 37 | Lady Antebellum | Lady Antebellum | Capitol Nashville | April 15 |
| 8 | 21 | Moment of Forever | Willie Nelson | Lost Highway | January 29 |
| 1 | 31 | My Life's Been a Country Song | Chris Cagle | Capitol Nashville | February 19 |
| 19 | 14 | Martina McBride: Live In Concert | Martina McBride | RCA Nashville | April 29 |
| 8 | Phil Stacey | Phil Stacey | Lyric Street | April 29 | |
| 3 | Prayer of a Common Man | Phil Vassar | Universal South | April 22 | |
| 16 | Sounds So Good | Ashton Shepherd | MCA Nashville | March 4 | |
| 7 | Starting Now | Chuck Wicks | RCA Nashville | January 22 | |
| 2 | Sunset Man | James Otto | Raybaw/Warner Bros. | April 8 | |
| 1 | 1 | Troubadour | George Strait | MCA Nashville | April 1 |
| 11 | Vintage Country: The Golden Age of Country Music | Various Artists | Sony BMG | March 25 | |
| 4 | 40 | We Weren't Crazy | Josh Gracin | Lyric Street | April 1 |
Other top albums
| US | CAN | Album | Artist | Record Label | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Angels & Outlaws | Aaron Watson | Thirty Tigers | April 1 | |
| 47 | The Best of The Johnny Cash TV Show | Johnny Cash | Sony BMG | January 8 | |
| 54 | The Best of SHeDAISY | SHeDAISY | Lyric Street | February 5 | |
| 27 | Blake Shelton: Collector's Edition | Blake Shelton | Warner Bros. | February 26 | |
| 33 | Broken In | Trent Willmon | Compadre | February 26 | |
| 26 | Classic Chris LeDoux | Chris LeDoux | Capitol Nashville | April 29 | |
| 64 | Coal | Kathy Mattea | Narada | April 1 | |
| 57 | Country's Got Hits | Various Artists | Time Life | February 5 | |
| Dancing with the Best of Marie Osmond | Marie Osmond | Curb | April 8 | ||
| 65 | The Definitive Collection | Terri Clark | Mercury Nashville | February 5 | |
| 25 | First Time in a Long Time | Deric Ruttan | On Ramp/EMI Canada | April 1 | |
| 70 | The Good Life | Justin Townes Earle | Bloodshot | March 25 | |
| 35 | Good Thing Going | Rhonda Vincent | Rounder | January 8 | |
| 67 | Hank Jr.: Collector's Edition | Hank Williams, Jr. | Curb | May 6 | |
| 29 | Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947 |
Ricky Skaggs | Skaggs Family | March 25 | |
| 44 | I Will Always Love You: 17 Inspirational Songs | Various Artists | Word | January 15 | |
| 32 | Jeff Bates | Jeff Bates | Black River | April 8 | |
| Love Revival | Reba McEntire | Hallmark/MCA Nashville | January 2 | ||
| 53 | A Love Song Collection | Kenny Rogers | Capitol Nashville | January 15 | |
| 63 | Love Songs | Billy Ray Cyrus | Mercury Nashville | January 29 | |
| 35 | 42 | Love Songs | Trisha Yearwood | MCA Nashville | January 15 |
| 67 | Mountain Tracks: Volume 5 | Yonder Mountain String Band | Frog Pad | April 15 | |
| 54 | Never Say Never | Alex J. Robinson | Dale Speaking | March 25 | |
| 46 | One Hell of a Ride | Willie Nelson | Lost Highway | April 1 | |
| 57 | The Steeldrivers | The Steeldrivers | Rounder | February 26 | |
| 69 | Stronger | Carlene Carter | Eleven Thirty | March 4 | |
| 68 | Super Hits | Kenny Chesney | BNA | March 18 | |
| 70 | Ultimate Grammy Collection: Contemporary Country |
Various Artists | Shout | January 8 |
Announced
| Album | Artist | Record Label | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around the Bend | Randy Travis | Warner Bros. | July 29 |
| Back to Tennessee | Billy Ray Cyrus | Walt Disney | TBA |
| Back When I Knew It All | Montgomery Gentry | Columbia Nashville | June 10 |
| Blood, Sweat, and Steel | The Road Hammers | Montage | June 24 |
| Carolina | Eric Church | Capitol Nashville | TBA |
| Carter's Chord | Carter's Chord | Show Dog | July 1 |
| Complicated Man | Billy Currington | Mercury | TBA |
| C'mon! | Keith Anderson | Columbia Nashville | June 24 |
| Dawn of a New Day | Crystal Shawanda | RCA Nashville | July 15 |
| Dustbowl Dreams | Bryan White | Covenant | TBA |
| From End to End | The Lost Trailers | BNA | TBA |
| The Future | Lonestar | Lonestar/CO5 | TBA |
| The Good Life | Andy Griggs | Montage | May 27 |
| I Walk Alone | Lorrie Morgan | Image | TBA |
| Julianne Hough | Julianne Hough | Mercury Nashville | May 20 |
| Jypsi | Jypsi | Arista Nashville | May 27 |
| Lonesome Town | Tanya Tucker | Tuckertime | TBA |
| Love on the Inside | Sugarland | Mercury Nashville | July 22 |
| My Next Life | Terri Clark | BNA | TBA |
| No Rules | Rebecca Lynn Howard | Saguaro Road | June 10 |
| Notes to the Coroner | Chely Wright | Vanguard | September 9 |
| One on One | Randy Owen | DMP | TBA |
| Perfectly Clear | Jewel | Valory | June 3 |
| Picture of Me | Lee Brice | Asylum-Curb | TBA |
| Rollin' with the Flow | Mark Chesnutt | Lofton Creek | June 24 |
| Time Flies | John Michael Montgomery | Stringtown | TBA |
| Unmistakable | Jo Dee Messina | Curb | TBA |
| Vagrants & Kings | Cory Morrow | Sustain | May 20 |
| The Very Best of Neal McCoy | Neal McCoy | Rhino | June 3 |
| Voices | Chris Young | RCA Nashville | August 26 |
| What Am I Waiting For | Heidi Newfield | Asylum-Curb | TBA |
| Wheels | Dan Tyminski | Rounder | June 17 |
Deaths
- January 6 — Ken Nelson, 96, record producer for artists including Hank Thompson, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and many others.
- April 22 — Paul Davis, 60, crossover artist whose collaborations with Marie Osmond and Tanya Tucker reached No. 1 in the 1980s. (heart attack)
- May 1 - Jim Hager, 61, country singer and actor who along with his twin brother Jon were regulars on Hee Haw from 1969 to 1986. (heart attack)
- May 5 - Jerry Wallace, 79, crossover artist who scored several country hits during the 1970's including the No. 1 "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry" in 1972. (congestive heart failure)
- May 8 - Eddy Arnold, 89, country and pop singer whose career spanned 7 decades. (natural causes)
- May 11 - Dottie Rambo, 74, southern gospel singer-songwriter. (bus accident)
Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
- Tom T. Hall (born 1936), singer and songwriter, known as "The Storyteller"
- Emmylou Harris (born 1947), neo-traditional singer and songwriter
- The Statler Brothers (Harold Reid (born 1939), Don Reid (born 1945), Phil Balsley (born 1939), Lew DeWitt (1938-1990), Jimmy Fortune (born 1955)), diverse country music group known for pop-styled, nostalgic and gospel songs.
- Ernest "Pop" Stoneman (1893-1968), singer, songwriter, and musician, patriarch of the family group The Stonemans
Major Awards
United States
Grammy awards
(Presented on February 10 in Los Angeles)
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance -- "Before He Cheats", Carrie Underwood
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance -- "Stupid Boy", Keith Urban
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal -- "How Long", Eagles
- Best Country Collaboration with Vocals -- "Lost Highway", Willie Nelson and Ray Price
- Best Country Instrumental Performance -- "Throttleneck", Brad Paisley
- Best Country Song -- "Before He Cheats", Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins
- Best Country Album -- These Days, Vince Gill
- Best Bluegrass Album -- The Bluegrass Diaries, Jim Lauderdale
CMT Music Awards
(Presented April 14 in Nashville)
- Video of the Year -- "Our Song", Taylor Swift
- Male Video of the Year -- "I Got My Game On", Trace Adkins
- Female Video of the Year -- "Our Song", Taylor Swift
- Group Video of the Year -- "Take Me There", Rascal Flatts
- Duo Video of the Year -- "Stay", Sugarland
- USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year -- "I Wonder", Kellie Pickler
- Collaborative Video of the Year -- "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore", Bon Jovi & LeAnn Rimes
- Performance of the Year -- "I Wonder", Kellie Pickler
- Supporting Character of the Year -- Rodney Carrington in "I Got My Game On"
- Wide Open Country Video of the Year -- "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)", Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
- Tearjerker Video of the Year -- "I Wonder", Kellie Pickler
- Comedy Video of the Year -- "Online", Brad Paisley
- Video Director of the Year -- Michael Salomon
Academy of Country Music
(To be presented May 18 in Las Vegas)
Country Music Association
Canada
Canadian Country Music Association
Further reading
- 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.
References
- ^ a b Thompson, Teri; Nanthaniel Vinton and Christian Red. "Sources: Roger Clemens had 10-year fling with country star Mindy McCready", NY Daily News, 2008-04-28. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
- ^ "Shania Twain & Husband Split", People Magazine, 2008-05-15. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
Other links
External links
