Home › Multilingual Archive Index › 1997 in country music
1997 in country music
See also: 1996 in country music, 1997 in music, other events of 1997, 1998 in country music, 1990s in music and the List of years in Country Music
Events
- "It's Your Love" sparks a renewed wave of songs that spend at least five weeks at No. 1, thanks in part to newer chart tracking methods and programming changes at country radio stations. However, as of 2007, no No. 1 song has approached the mega-week No. 1 status (i.e., spending at least 10 weeks at No. 1), a feat that was common through the early 1960s.
No dates
- Jimmie Rodgers is elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as an early influence).
- Trisha Yearwood and LeAnn Rimes both record the song "How Do I Live" for the movie Con Air. Producers from the film ask Rimes to record it first but feel her version isn't what they are looking for due to the performance itself and her young age. Yearwood then records the song and releases at the same time Rimes releases her song. Rimes version is shunned from the country charts but reaches No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yearwood's version, meanwhile, peaks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and also makes the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Top hits of the year
Number one hits
(as certified by Billboard magazine)
- 1 - No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard magazine.
- A - First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
- B - Last Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.
- C - Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.
Other major hits
Top new album releases
Other top albums
Deaths
- January 21 – Colonel Tom Parker, 87, manager of prolific country singers Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow, comedienne Minnie Pearl
- June 19 – Bobby Helms, 62, singer who enjoyed his peak popularity in 1957; best known for "Jingle Bell Rock."
- October 12 – John Denver, 53, country crossover artist of the 1970s; also a singer and songwriter (plane crash).
- December 27 - Amie Comeaux, 21, a newcomer artist of the mid '90s (car accident).
- December 31 – Floyd Cramer, 64, prolific session pianist.
Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
Major Awards
Grammy awards
Academy of Country Music
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.
Other links
External links