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This page indexes the individual year in country music pages. Each year is annotated with a significant event as a reference point.

2000s - 1990s - 1980s - 1970s - 1960s - 1950s - 1940s - 1930s - 1920s - Pre-1920s

• 2008 in country music
• 2007 in country music, Country music's big night at the Grammys; Garth Brooks' record breaking hit single. Deaths of Del Reeves, Porter Wagoner and Hank Thompson.
• 2006 in country music, George Strait's 41st No. 1 on the Billboard charts (53 including other charts); new host for "American Country Countdown." Death of Buck Owens.
• 2005 in country music, Carrie Underwood wins "American Idol"; Walk the Line biopic released.
• 2004 in country music, Invasion of the MuzikMafia; death of Opry star Skeeter Davis.
• 2003 in country music, Rascal Flatts "I Melt" video and Dixie Chicks controversies; deaths of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
• 2002 in country music, Toby Keith/Natalie Maines feud; comeback albums from Shania Twain, Faith Hill and The Dixie Chicks; death of Waylon Jennings.
• 2001 in country music, Tributes to those killed in September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
• 2000 in country music, Toby Keith's breakthrough; Vince Gill and Amy Grant marry; Kenny Rogers becomes the oldest singer to have a No. 1 song. Rascal Flatts Debut Album.

• 1999 in country music, Lonestar's "Amazed" spends eight weeks at No. 1, becomes major pop hit.
• 1998 in country music, Deaths of Tammy Wynette, Eddie Rabbitt, Carl Perkins and Gene Autry.
• 1997 in country music, Six weeks at No. 1 for "It's Your Love"; Shania Twain's Come On Over album was released.
• 1996 in country music, Marriage of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
• 1995 in country music, The rise of Shania Twain, death of Charlie Rich.
• 1994 in country music, Riding on the coat-tails of Garth Brooks' success, Nashville executives begin pushing more pop influenced country. The rise of Faith Hill, Tim McGraw. Johnny Cash makes a major comeback with the first of several albums with rock influences.
• 1993 in country music, Death of Conway Twitty; Marriage of Shania Twain to Robert Lange
• 1992 in country music, Hee Haw ends first-run production.
• 1991 in country music, Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks debuts at No. 1 on pop album chart, death of Dottie West
• 1990 in country music, Resurgence in multi-week No. 1s ("Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart," "Love Without End, Amen")

• 1989 in country music, chart debuts of Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson; death of Keith Whitley.
• 1988 in country music, chronicling the history of country music on compact disc (among the first being the Country USA series).
• 1987 in country music, Reba McEntire wins unprecedented fourth Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Country Music Association; K. T. Oslin becomes a star in her late forties, a first for a country female vocalist.
• 1986 in country music, Debuts of Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam and others reinvigorate country music.
• 1985 in country music, New York Times declares country music "dead."
• 1984 in country music, Willie Nelson, Julio Iglesias duet "To All the Girls I've Loved Before."
• 1983 in country music, CMT, The Nashville Network premiere on cable television; The Judds sign a national recording contract.
• 1982 in country music, Alabama wins first CMA "Entertainer of the Year" award.
• 1981 in country music, With the chart debuts of George Strait and Ricky Skaggs, neotraditional country is introduced and would feed the success of artists such as Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Keith Whitley, Clint Black, and Alan Jackson in the late 80's and early 90's.
• 1980 in country music, Urban Cowboy premieres, Dolly Parton becomes a major movie star with 9 to 5, two country songs nominated for best song Academy Award (Parton's "9 to 5" and Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again").

• 1979 in country music, Kenny Rogers releases his second signature story song, "Coward Of The County."
• 1978 in country music, Barbara Mandrell's decade-old career hits new heights with her first number one record; Kenny Rogers releases "The Gambler."
• 1977 in country music, Death of Elvis Presley; six weeks at No. 1 for Waylon Jennings' "Lukenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love);" Kenny Rogers makes comeback as solo country singer; Dolly Parton begins recording pop-oriented music instead of merely country.
• 1976 in country music, "Most Wanted Woman In Town" becomes Roy Head's first major C&W hit, The CB radio-song craze hits its peak; Wanted! The Outlaws released; Loretta Lynn's autobiography becomes a New York Times best seller.
• 1975 in country music, Backlash over John Denver being named CMA Entertainer of the Year; Willie Nelson becomes a major star fifteen years after his first recordings with his albun Redheaded Stranger.
• 1974 in country music, Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John racks up a string of country hits and stuns the industry by winning the Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year award. A group of veteran country performers form the short-lived Association of Country Entertainers in an attempt to keep country music "country."
• 1973 in country music, Grand Ole Opry moves from the Ryman Auditorium to its new house in Opryland, Murder of Stringbean; premiere of "American Country Countdown." Johnny Rodriguez becomes the first hispanic country star.
• 1972 in country music, Fan Fair debuts, Opryland USA opens, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album issued, 13-year-old Tanya Tucker becomes an overnight sensation.
• 1971 in country music, Television's rural purge. African-American singer Charley Pride named CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lynn Anderson tops pop charts around the world with her crossover music country hit "Rose Garden".
• 1970 in country music, Loretta Lynn records "Coal Miner's Daughter;" Conway Twitty "Hello Darlin';" together, their first duet, "After the Fire is Gone."

• 1969 in country music, Hee Haw premieres. Tammy Wynette's Stand by Your Man becomes an anthem of country music.
• 1968 in country music, Johnny Cash records at Folsom State Prison, Jeannie C. Riley socks it to the charts with Harper Valley PTA.
• 1967 in country music, First Country Music Association awards (non-televised this year only), chart debut of Dolly Parton, who later that year becomes a regular on The Porter Wagoner Show.
• 1966 in country music, Chart debuts of Lynn Anderson, Tammy Wynette.
• 1965 in country music,
• 1964 in country music, Plane crash kills Jim Reeves, chart debuts of Hank Williams Jr. and Dottie West.
• 1963 in country music, Plane crash kills Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins.
• 1962 in country music, Ray Charles releases Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
• 1961 in country music, Country Music Association announces creation of Country Music Hall of Fame, Patsy Cline has her first #1 hit called "I Fall to Pieces".
• 1960 in country music, Only four songs reach No. 1 on Billboard magazine country chart during the entire year, chart debut of Loretta Lynn.

• 1959 in country music, Buck Owens makes his metoric rise to the top of Country Music. A place he would hold for more than a decade. The peak of the saga song.
• 1958 in country music, Billboard magazine consolidates best-sellers and disc jockeys' charts into one all-encompassing C&W chart.
• 1957 in country music, Rock-flavored acts – Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Everly Brothers – dominate charts. Patsy Cline debuts on the charts.
• 1956 in country music, Ray Price, Marty Robbins, and Johnny Horton emerge and resurrect traditional country music after the influx of rock and roll threatens the heart of country music. Horton is new to the scene, while Robbins and Price each have had previous hits.
• 1955 in country music, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Elvis Presley have first national hits
• 1954 in country music, Elvis Presley makes first recordings, one and only appearance on Grand Ole Opry; the rise of the pedal steel guitar.
• 1953 in country music, Death of Hank Williams.
• 1952 in country music, The fall of Hank Williams; Kitty Wells has first solo female No. 1 song.
• 1951 in country music,
• 1950 in country music, 21 weeks at No. 1 for Hank Snow's "I'm Moving On."

• 1949 in country music, Hank Williams first giant hit, "Lovesick Blues."
• 1948 in country music, Eddy Arnold has five of the year's six new No. 1 songs, with "Boquet of Roses" and "Anytime" the biggest of the lot.
• 1947 in country music, Hank Williams has first national hit; Eddy Arnold spends 21 weeks at No. 1.
• 1946 in country music,
• 1945 in country music,
• 1944 in country music, Billboard magazine creates first national chart to track popularity of country music records.
• 1943 in country music,
• 1942 in country music, Musicians' strike and ban on recording; Acuff-Rose Music forms.
• 1941 in country music, Ernest Tubb's "Walking the Floor Over You."
• 1940 in country music,

• 1939 in country music,
• 1938 in country music,
• 1937 in country music,
• 1936 in country music,
• 1935 in country music,
• 1934 in country music,
• 1933 in country music, death of Jimmie Rodgers
• 1932 in country music,
• 1931 in country music,
• 1930 in country music,

• 1929 in country music,
• 1928 in country music,
• 1927 in country music, The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers make first recordings at Bristol, Tennessee.
• 1926 in country music,
• 1925 in country music, WSM signs on; first WSM Barn Dance.
• 1924 in country music, "The Prisoner's Song" recorded.
• 1923 in country music,
• 1922 in country music, First commercial recordings of country music
• 1921 in country music
• 1920 in country music

• Prior to 1920 in country music,

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