Country Music 1983

Top hits of the year

Number 1 hits

January 8 - "Can't Even Get the Blues" - Reba McEntire
January 15th - "Going Where the Lonely Go" - Merle Haggard
January 22nd - "(Lost His Love) On Our Last Date" - Emmylou Harris
January 29th - "Talk to Me" - Mickey Gilley
February 5th - "Inside" - Ronnie Milsap
February 12th - "'Til I Gain Control Again" - Crystal Gayle
February 19 - "Fakin 'Love" - TG Sheppard and Karen Brooks
February 26th - "Why Baby Why" - Charley Pride
March 5th - "If Hollywood Don't Need You" - Don Williams
March 12th - "The Rose" - Conway Twitty
March 19 - "I Wouldn't Change You If I Could" - Ricky Skaggs
March 26th - "Swingin '" - John Anderson
April 21st - "When I'm Away From You" - Bellamy Brothers
April 9 - "We've Got Tonight" - Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton
April 16 - "Dixieland Delight" - Alabama
April 23rd - "American Made" - Oak Ridge Boys
April 30th - "You're The First Time I've Thought About Leaving" - Reba McEntire
May 7th - "Jose Cuervo" - Shelly West
May 14th - "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" - BJ Thomas
May 21 - "Common Man" - John Conlee
May 28 - "You Take Me for Granted" - Merle Haggard
June 4th - "Lucille (You Won't Do Your Daddy's Will)" - Waylon Jennings
June 11th - "Our Love is on the Faultline" - Crystal Gayle
June 18th - "You Can't Run From Love" - Eddie Rabbitt
June 25th - "Fool For Your Love" - Mickey Gilley
July 2nd - "Love is on a Roll" - Don Williams
July 9 - "Highway 40 Blues" - Ricky Skaggs
July 16 - "The Closer You Get" - Alabama
July 23 - "Pancho and Lefty" - Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
July 30th - "I Always Get Lucky With You" - George Jones
August 6 - "Your Love's on the Line" - Earl Thomas Conley
August 13th - "He's a Heartache (Looking For a Place to Happen)" - Janie Fricke
August 20 - "Love Song" - Oak Ridge Boys
Aug 27 - "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation" - Ronnie McDowell
September 3rd - "A Fire I Can't Put Out" - George Strait
September 10th - "I'm Only in it For the Love" - John Conlee
September 17th - "Night Games" - Charley Pride
September 24th - "Baby What About You" - Crystal Gayle
October 11th - "New Looks From an Old Lover" - BJ Thomas
October 8th - "Don't You Know How Much I Love You" - Ronnie Milsap
October 15th - "Paradise Tonight" - Charly McClain and Mickey Gilley
October 22nd - "Lady Down on Love" - Alabama
October 29 - "Islands in the Stream" - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
November 12th - "Somebody's Gonna Love You" - Lee Greenwood
November 19th - "One of a Kind, Pair of Fools" - Barbara Mandrell
November 26th - "Holding Her and Loving You" - Earl Thomas Conley
December 3rd - "A Little Good News" - Anne Murray
December 10th - "Tell Me a Lie" - Janie Fricke
December 17th - "Black Sheep" - John Anderson
December 24th - "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" - Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers

More big hits

"Amarillo By Morning" - George Strait
"Everything's Beautiful in its Own Way" - Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson
"Flight 309 to Tennessee" - Shelly West
"Foolin '" - Johnny Rodriguez
"Going Downhill" - John Anderson
"Hard Candy Christmas" - Dolly Parton
"Hey Bartender" - Johnny Lee
"How Could I Love Her So Much" - Johnny Rodriguez
"IOU" - Lee Greenwood
"I Have Loved You Girl (But Not Like This Before)" - Earl Thomas Conley
"I Love Her Mind" - Bellamy Brothers
"Leave Them Boys Alone" - Hank Williams Jr. (with guests Ernest Tubb and Waylon Jennings )
"Midnight Fire" - Steve Wariner
"Nobody But You" - Don Williams
"Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely)" - Statler Brothers
"The Ride" - David Allen Coe
"Save Me" - Louise Mandrell
"Scarlet Fever" - Kenny Rogers
"Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love On Me)" - George Jones
"Snapshot" - Sylvia
"Stranger in My House" - Ronnie Milsap
"Tennessee Whiskey" - George Jones
"Touch Me (I'll Be Your Fool Once More)" - Tom Jones
"What Am I Gonna Do (With the Rest of My Life)" - Merle Haggard
"What She Don't Know Won't Hurt Her" - Gene Watson
"Why Do We Want What We Know We Can't Have" - Reba McEntire
"The Wind Beneath My Wings" - Gary Morris
"You've Got a Lover" - Ricky Skaggs

Albums (selection)

American Made - Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
The Closer You Get - Alabama (RCA)
Don't Cheat in Our Hometown - Ricky Skaggs (Sugar Hill)
Don't Make it Easy for Me - Earl Thomas Conley (RCA)
Even the Strong Get Lonely - Tammy Wynette (Epic / Sony)
Eyes That See In The Dark - Kenny Rogers (RCA)
Heart to Heart - Merle Haggard (Epic / CBS)
A Little Good News - Anne Murray (Capitol)
Lost in the Feeling - Conway Twitty (Warner Bros.)
Pancho & Lefty - Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson (Epic / CBS)
Right or Wrong - George Strait (MCA)
Shine On - George Jones (Epic / CBS)
Take it to the Limit - Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson (RCA)
That's the Way Love Goes - Merle Haggard (Epic / CBS)
Tougher Than Leather - Willie Nelson (Columbia / CBS)
Waylon and Company - Waylon Jennings (RCA)
We've Got Tonight - Kenny Rogers (Liberty)
Without a Song - Willie Nelson (Columbia / Sony)

Born

December 29 - Jessica Andrews

New members of the Country Music Hall of Fame

Little Jimmy Dickens

Significant awards

Academy of Country Music

Entertainer Of The Year - Alabama
Song Of The Year - "The Wind Beneath My Wings" - Gary Morris - Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar
Single Of The Year - "Islands In The Stream" - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
Album Of The Year - The Closer You Get - Alabama
Top Male Vocalist - Lee Greenwood
Top female vocalist - Janie Fricke
Top vocal duo - Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
Top Vocal Group - Alabama
Top New Male Vocalist - Jim Glaser
Top New Female Vocalist - Gus Hardin

Country Music Association

Entertainer of the Year - Alabama
Song Of The Year - "Always On My Mind" - J.Christopher / W.Carson / M.James
Single Of The Year - "Swingin" - John Anderson
Album Of The Year - The Closer You Get - Alabama
Male Vocalist Of The Year - Lee Greenwood
Female Vocalist Of The Year - Janie Fricke
Vocal Duo Of The Year - Merle Haggard / Willie Nelson
Vocal Group Of The Year - Alabama
Instrumentalist Of The Year - Chet Atkins
Horizon Award - John Anderson
Instrumental Group Of The Year - Ricky Skaggs Band