1987 in country music explained
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1987.
Events
- June 13 — Randy Travis' "Forever and Ever, Amen" spends three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It is the first multi-week chart-topping song since "Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)" by Ronnie Milsap spent two weeks atop the chart in September 1985; in that time span, 85 other songs had been No. 1. Only three other songs during the 1980s — all of them in 1980 — would spend more than two weeks at No. 1, owing much to how Billboard compiled the chart data at the time.
- September — Dolly Parton's TV variety series, Dolly, premieres on ABC in September. Despite strong ratings in its early weeks, the show was panned by critics and viewership declined. The series was cancelled at the end of the 1987–1988 season.
No dates
- 46-year-old singer-songwriter K.T. Oslin becomes the success story of the year with her hit "80s Ladies", a Grammy Award-winner which tells the story of three childhood friends who stay together through an era of social change. The song spawns an award-winning video and, despite only reaching No. 7 on the Hot Country Singles chart, was one of the most played songs of the year. Oslin's rise to fame in her mid-40s came at a time when mainstream country radio was beginning to shun older female artists for younger, more attractive stars.
Top hits of the year
See also: List of number-one country singles of 1987 (U.S.) and List of number-one country hits of 1987 (Canada).
Singles released by American artists
| US | CAN | Single | Artist |
|---|
| 7 | 4 | 80's Ladies | K. T. Oslin |
| 86 | 17 | Ain't No Cure for Love | Jennifer Warnes |
| 1 | 1 | All My Ex's Live in Texas | George Strait |
| 1 | 1 | Am I Blue | George Strait |
| 16 | 35 | American Me | S-K-O |
| 4 | — | Another World | Crystal Gayle and Gary Morris |
| 2 | 2 | Baby's Got a Hold on Me | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 1 | — | Baby's Got a New Baby | S-K-O |
| 4 | 8 | The Bed You Made for Me | Highway 101 |
| 10 | 9 | Bonnie Jean (Little Sister) | David Lynn Jones |
| 1 | 1 | Born to Boogie | Hank Williams, Jr. |
| 9 | 4 | Brilliant Conversationalist | T. Graham Brown |
| 1 | 1 | Can't Stop My Heart from Loving You | The O'Kanes |
| 6 | 1 | The Carpenter | John Conlee |
| 4 | 7 | Chains of Gold | Sweethearts of the Rodeo |
| 16 | 30 | Changin' Partners | Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers |
| 13 | 14 | Child Support | Barbara Mandrell |
| 5 | 3 | Cinderella | Vince Gill |
| 10 | 23 | Cowboy Man | Lyle Lovett |
| 3 | 7 | Crazy from the Heart | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 4 | — | Crazy Over You | Foster & Lloyd |
| 7 | 5 | Crime of Passion | Ricky Van Shelton |
| 1 | 2 | Cry Myself to Sleep | The Judds |
| 9 | 12 | Daddies Need to Grow Up Too | The O'Kanes |
| 10 | 10 | Deep River Woman | Lionel Richie with Alabama |
| 85 | 17 | Didn't You Go and Leave Me | Rosemary Sharp |
| 1 | 3 | Do Ya | K. T. Oslin |
| 4 | 5 | Domestic Life | John Conlee |
| 10 | 4 | Don't Be Cruel | The Judds |
| 1 | 1 | Don't Go to Strangers | T. Graham Brown |
| 20 | 19 | Don't Touch Me There | Charly McClain |
| 4 | 7 | A Face in the Crowd | Michael Martin Murphey and Holly Dunn |
| 2 | 2 | Fallin' for You for Years | Conway Twitty |
| 8 | 11 | Fallin' Out | Waylon Jennings |
| 7 | 5 | Fire in the Sky | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 1 | 1 | Fishin' in the Dark | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| 7 | 11 | Forever | The Statler Brothers |
| 1 | 1 | Forever and Ever, Amen | Randy Travis |
| 16 | 18 | Full Grown Fool | Mickey Gilley |
| 7 | 10 | Girls Ride Horses Too | Judy Rodman |
| 13 | 18 | Give Back My Heart | Lyle Lovett |
| 1 | 3 | Give Me Wings | Michael Johnson |
| 18 | 23 | God Will | Lyle Lovett |
| 8 | 10 | Goodbye's All We've Got Left | Steve Earle |
| 10 | 11 | Gotta Get Away | Sweethearts of the Rodeo |
| 9 | 6 | Gotta Have You | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 2 | 3 | Half Past Forever (Till I'm Blue in the Heart) | T. G. Sheppard |
| 6 | 6 | The Hand That Rocks the Cradle | Glen Campbell (with Steve Wariner) |
| 10 | — | Hard Livin' | Keith Whitley |
| 14 | 50 | Have I Got Some Blues for You | Charley Pride |
| 18 | 39 | He's Letting Go | Baillie & the Boys |
| 9 | 25 | Homecoming '63 | Keith Whitley |
| 17 | 12 | House of Blue Lights | Asleep at the Wheel |
| 1 | 1 | How Do I Turn You On | Ronnie Milsap |
| 1 | 3 | I Can't Win for Losin' You | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 1 | 1 | I Know Where I'm Going | The Judds |
| 14 | 19 | I Only Wanted You | Marie Osmond |
| 2 | 2 | I Prefer the Moonlight | Kenny Rogers |
| 2 | 2 | I Want to Know You Before We Make Love | Conway Twitty |
| 1 | 1 | I Will Be There | Dan Seals |
| 1 | 1 | I Won't Need You Anymore (Always and Forever) | Randy Travis |
| 10 | 24 | I'll Be the One | The Statler Brothers |
| 5 | 9 | I'll Be Your Baby Tonight | Judy Rodman |
| 2 | 1 | I'll Come Back as Another Woman | Tanya Tucker |
| 4 | 15 | I'll Never Be in Love Again | Don Williams |
| 1 | 1 | I'll Still Be Loving You | Restless Heart |
| 9 | 24 | If There's Any Justice | Lee Greenwood |
| 1 | 1 | It Takes a Little Rain (To Make Love Grow) | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 31 | 7 | It Won't Hurt | Dwight Yoakam |
| 8 | 12 | It's Only Over for You | Tanya Tucker |
| 2 | 3 | Julia | Conway Twitty |
| 1 | 3 | Kids of the Baby Boom | The Bellamy Brothers |
| 37 | 20 | Killbilly Hill | Southern Pacific |
| 1 | 2 | The Last One to Know | Reba McEntire |
| 1 | 1 | Leave Me Lonely | Gary Morris |
| 4 | 5 | Let the Music Lift You Up | Reba McEntire |
| 16 | 17 | Let's Do Something | Vince Gill |
| 7 | 3 | Little Sister | Dwight Yoakam |
| 8 | 1 | Little Ways | Dwight Yoakam |
| 1 | 1 | A Long Line of Love | Michael Martin Murphey |
| 10 | 7 | Love Can't Ever Get Better Than This | Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White |
| 2 | 3 | Love Me Like You Used To | Tanya Tucker |
| 6 | 5 | Love Reunited | The Desert Rose Band |
| 2 | 2 | Love Someone Like Me | Holly Dunn |
| 6 | 4 | Love, You Ain't Seen the Last of Me | John Schneider |
| 1 | 1 | Lynda | Steve Wariner |
| 1 | 1 | Make No Mistake, She's Mine | Kenny Rogers and Ronnie Milsap |
| 11 | 7 | Mama's Rockin' Chair | John Conlee |
| 1 | 1 | Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues | The Judds |
| 4 | 6 | Midnight Girl/Sunset Town | Sweethearts of the Rodeo |
| 1 | 2 | The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder | Michael Johnson |
| 1 | 1 | Mornin' Ride | Lee Greenwood |
| 19 | 37 | No Easy Horses | S-K-B |
| 2 | 1 | No Place Like Home | Randy Travis |
| 20 | 7 | Nowhere Road | Steve Earle |
| 1 | 1 | Ocean Front Property | George Strait |
| 9 | 17 | Oh Heart | Baillie & the Boys |
| 11 | — | Old Bridges Burn Slow | Billy Joe Royal |
| 2 | 2 | One for the Money | T. G. Sheppard |
| 1 | 1 | One Promise Too Late | Reba McEntire |
| 4 | 7 | Only When I Love | Holly Dunn |
| 9 | 9 | Plain Brown Wrapper | Gary Morris |
| 76 | 17 | Real Good Heartache | Rosemary Sharp |
| 1 | 1 | Right from the Start | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 3 | 5 | Right Hand Man | Eddy Raven |
| 8 | 6 | The Right Left Hand | George Jones |
| 16 | 14 | The Rock and Roll of Love | Tom Wopat |
| 1 | 1 | Rose in Paradise | Waylon Jennings |
| 6 | 18 | Rough and Rowdy Days | Waylon Jennings |
| 9 | 12 | Señorita | Don Williams |
| 4 | 3 | She Couldn't Love Me Anymore | T. Graham Brown |
| 9 | — | She Thinks That She'll Marry | Judy Rodman |
| 1 | 1 | She's Too Good to Be True | Exile |
| 1 | 1 | Shine, Shine, Shine | Eddy Raven |
| 1 | 1 | Small Town Girl | Steve Wariner |
| 1 | 1 | Snap Your Fingers | Ronnie Milsap |
| 1 | 5 | Somebody Lied | Ricky Van Shelton |
| 5 | 3 | Someone | Lee Greenwood |
| 1 | 1 | Somewhere Tonight | Highway 101 |
| 1 | 2 | Straight to the Heart | Crystal Gayle |
| 20 | — | Susannah | Tom Wopat |
| 37 | 19 | Sweet Little '66 | Steve Earle |
| 10 | 7 | Take the Long Way Home | John Schneider |
| 4 | 3 | Talkin' to the Moon | Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers |
| 7 | 4 | Tar Top | Alabama |
| 3 | 6 | Telling Me Lies | Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris |
| 1 | 2 | That Was a Close One | Earl Thomas Conley |
| 3 | 4 | Then It's Love | Don Williams |
| 1 | 2 | This Crazy Love | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 5 | 1 | Those Memories of You | Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris |
| 1 | 1 | Three Time Loser | Dan Seals |
| 6 | 10 | Till I'm Too Old to Die Young | Moe Bandy |
| 17 | 35 | Time In | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 1 | 1 | To Know Him Is to Love Him | Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris |
| 5 | 4 | Too Many Rivers | The Forester Sisters |
| 6 | 15 | Train of Memories | Kathy Mattea |
| 2 | 2 | Twenty Years Ago | Kenny Rogers |
| 1 | 1 | The Way We Make a Broken Heart | Rosanne Cash |
| 1 | 1 | The Weekend | Steve Wariner |
| 1 | 1 | What Am I Gonna Do About You | Reba McEntire |
| 9 | 7 | What Can I Do with My Heart | Juice Newton |
| 20 | 10 | When a Woman Cries | Janie Fricke |
| 2 | 1 | Whiskey, If You Were a Woman | Highway 101 |
| 1 | 1 | Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right) | Restless Heart |
| 15 | 24 | Why I Don't Know | Lyle Lovett |
| 1 | 3 | You Again | The Forester Sisters |
| 11 | — | You Haven't Heard the Last of Me | Moe Bandy |
| 1 | 1 | You Still Move Me | Dan Seals |
| 2 | 5 | You're My First Lady | T. G. Sheppard |
| 3 | 6 | You're Never Too Old for Young Love | Eddy Raven |
| 5 | — | You're the Power | Kathy Mattea |
| 1 | 1 | "You've Got" the Touch | Alabama |
| 12 | 13 | Your Love | Tammy Wynette | |
Singles released by Canadian artists
Top new album releases
See also: List of number-one country albums of 1987 (U.S.).
Other top albums
On television
Regular series
- Dolly (1987–1988, ABC)
- Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)
Specials
Births
- January 31 – Tyler Hubbard, member of Florida Georgia Line, a duo of the 2010s.
- May 7 – Russell Dickerson, country performer of the 2010s onward.
- May 21 – Cody Johnson, Texas country singer-songwriter of the 2010s onward ("'Til You Can't").
- August 16 – Dan Smyers, member of Dan + Shay, a rising duo of the 2010s.
- September 25 — Greg Bates, up-and-coming country singer of the early 2010s.
- October 17 – Jameson Rodgers, up-and-coming country singer-songwriter of the early 2020s.
Deaths
- June 25 – Boudleaux Bryant, 67, songwriter (with wife Felice) of many 1950s and 1960s hits.
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Major awards
Grammy Awards
Juno Awards
Academy of Country Music
ARIA Awards
(presented in Sydney on March 2, 1987)
Canadian Country Music Association
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
- Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.
Other links
External links
