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1966 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1966.

List of years in country music (table)
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Events

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No dates

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  • The single "The Snakes Crawl at Night", by a then-unknown singer named "Country" Charley Pride, is released in the spring but does not chart. After the follow-up single "Before I Met You" also does not chart, a third single, "Just Between You and Me" is released in December and early in 1967 becomes the singer's first major hit, and the first top 10 country hit by an African-American singer in more than 20 years. Pride, who will later drop the "Country" moniker from his name (although disc jockeys will continue using it to this day), goes on to become the most successful black singer in country music history.

Top hits of the year

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Number-one hits

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United States

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(as certified by Billboard)

Date Single Name Artist Wks. No.1 Spec. Note
January 8 Giddyup Go Red Sovine 6
  • Sovine's first Number One hit in ten years since 1955's "Why Baby Why."
February 19 Waitin' in Your Welfare Line/
In the Palm of Your Hand
Buck Owens and the Buckaroos 7
April 9 I Want to Go with You Eddy Arnold 6
May 21 Distant Drums Jim Reeves 4
June 18 Take Good Care of Her Sonny James 2
July 2 Think of Me Buck Owens and the Buckaroos 6
August 13 Almost Persuaded David Houston 9 [1], [A]
  • The longest-running Number One country song by a male artist until Lonestar's single, "Amazed" in 1999.
October 15 Blue Side of Lonesome Jim Reeves 1
October 22 Open Up Your Heart Buck Owens and the Buckaroos 4
November 19 I Get the Fever Bill Anderson 1
November 26 Somebody Like Me Eddy Arnold 4
December 24 There Goes My Everything Jack Greene 8 [A]
Notes
  • 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
  • 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
  • A^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.

Canada

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(as certified by RPM)

Date Single Name Artist Wks. No.1 Spec. Note
January 3 Shadows of Your Heart Dianne Leigh 2 [A]
January 17 Iron Town Rhythm Pals 5 [A]
February 21 Don’t Knock on My Door The Canadian Sweethearts 1 [C]
February 28 This They Say Is Me Rhythm Pals 2 [B]
March 14 The Auctioneer Irwin Prescott 1 [C]
December 5 Whistling on the River Mercey Brothers 7 [A], [2]
  • Fell to #2 on the week of January 21, 1967.
Notes
  • 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
  • A^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
  • B^ Last RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
  • C^ Only RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.

Other major hits

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Singles released by American artists

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US Single Artist
2 Ain't Had No Lovin' Connie Smith
6 Almost Persuaded No. 2 Ben Colder
17 Anita, You're Dreaming Waylon Jennings
16 Another Story Ernest Tubb
13 At Ease Heart Ernest Ashworth
7 Baby Wilma Burgess
15 Baby Ain't That Fine Gene Pitney and Melba Montgomery
10 Back Pocket Money Jimmy C. Newman
10 Bad Seed Jan Howard
2 The Ballad of the Green Berets Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler
12 Blues Plus Booze (Means I Lose) Stonewall Jackson
12 A Born Loser Don Gibson
3 The Bottle Let Me Down Merle Haggard
18 Bottom of a Mountain Tex Williams
18 The Box It Came In Wanda Jackson
13 Catch a Little Raindrop Claude King
19 Coming Back to You The Browns
8 The Company You Keep Bill Phillips
14 Count Me Out Marty Robbins
14 Day for Decision Johnny Sea
4 Dear Uncle Sam Loretta Lynn
2 Don't Touch Me Jeannie Seely
12 Don't Touch Me Wilma Burgess
11 Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me) Ray Price
9 Early Morning Rain George Hamilton IV
3 England Swings Roger Miller
17 Everybody Loves a Nut Johnny Cash
5 Evil on Your Mind Jan Howard
2 Flowers on the Wall The Statler Brothers
5 Four-O-Thirty-Three George Jones
5 The Game of Triangles Bobby Bare, Norma Jean and Liz Anderson
14 Get Your Lie the Way You Want It Bonnie Guitar
10 Giddyup Go – Answer Minnie Pearl
11 Golden Guitar Bill Anderson
18 Guess My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Heart Conway Twitty
9 Happy to Be with You Johnny Cash
2 History Repeats Itself Buddy Starcher
6 How Long Has It Been Bobby Lewis
3 The Hurtin's All Over Connie Smith
5 Husbands and Wives Roger Miller
13 I Can't Keep Away from You The Wilburn Brothers
17 I Hear Little Rock Calling Ferlin Husky
4 I Love You Drops Bill Anderson
16 I'd Just Be Fool Enough The Browns
9 I'll Take the Dog Jean Shepard and Ray Pillow
18 I'm a Nut Leroy Pullins
6 I’m a People George Jones
9 I'm Living in Two Worlds Bonnie Guitar
13 I've Been a Long Time Leavin' (But I'll Be a Long Time Gone) Roger Miller
10 If Teardrops Were Silver Jean Shepard
7 If You Can't Bite, Don't Growl Tommy Collins
4 It Takes a Lot of Money Warner Mack
14 It's All Over (But the Crying) Kitty Wells
15 It's Only Love Jeannie Seely
2 Last Word in Lonesome Is Me Eddy Arnold
17 Little Buddy Claude King
13 Lonelyville Dave Dudley
15 Long Time Gone Dave Dudley
8 The Lovin' Machine Johnny Paycheck
13 Many Happy Hangovers to You Jean Shepard
16 The Men in My Little Girl's Life Archie Campbell
2 A Million and One Billy Walker
4 Misty Blue Wilma Burgess
14 My Dreams Faron Young
4 Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You) Connie Smith
19 One in a Row Willie Nelson
2 The One on the Right Is on the Left Johnny Cash
6 Put It Off Until Tomorrow Bill Phillips
20 Rainbows and Roses Roy Drusky
2 Room in Your Heart Sonny James
3 The Shoe Goes On the Other Foot Tonight Marty Robbins
3 Sittin' On a Rock (Crying in a Creek) Warner Mack
3 Skid Row Joe Porter Wagoner
2 Snowflake Jim Reeves
8 Someone Before Me The Wilburn Brothers
10 Stand Beside Me Jimmy Dean
5 Standing in the Shadows Hank Williams, Jr.
17 Stateside Mel Tillis
15 Steel Rail Blues George Hamilton IV
15 Stop the Start (Of Tears in My Heart) Johnny Dollar
5 Streets of Baltimore Bobby Bare
4 Sweet Thang Nat Stuckey
5 Swinging Doors Merle Haggard
8 Take Me George Jones
3 Talkin' to the Wall Warner Mack
17 Thank You Ma'am Ray Pillow
9 (That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me Waylon Jennings
17 Time to Bum Again Waylon Jennings
3 The Tip of My Fingers Eddy Arnold
2 Tippy Toeing The Harden Trio
3 Touch My Heart Ray Price
3 True Love's a Blessing Sonny James
17 The Twelfth of Never Slim Whitman
7 Unmitigated Gall Faron Young
12 Viet Nam Blues Dave Dudley
7 Walking on New Grass Kenny Price
7 A Way to Survive Ray Price
4 What Kinda Deal Is This Bill Carlisle
4 What We're Fighting For Dave Dudley
15 Where Is the Circus Hank Thompson
14 Where'd Ya Stay Last Night Webb Pierce
15 A Woman Half My Age Kitty Wells
9 Women Do Funny Things to Me Del Reeves
10 The World Is Round Roy Drusky
5 Would You Hold It Against Me Dottie West
16 Write Me a Picture George Hamilton IV
6 (Yes) I'm Hurting Don Gibson
2 You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man) Loretta Lynn
15 You Finally Said Something Good (When You Said Goodbye) Charlie Louvin

Singles released by Canadian artists

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US CAN Single Artist
3 Come Home Newfoundlander Tom Jim Garth
2 Goodbye My Friend Bob King
10 I Don't Never Odie Workman
18 I've Cried a Mile Hank Snow
7 Ice on the Road Graham Townsend
2 Lost Love Artie MacLaren
4 Loving You Again Johnny Burke
6 Muddy Water Bert Cuff
8 Play Me One More Country Song Ron McMunn
4 Rambling Shoes Bob King
3 Three Plays for a Quarter Ralph Carlson
2 Working on the Country Road Bob King

Top new album releases

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Single Artist Record Label
Bad Seed Jan Howard Decca
The Best of Bobby Bare Bobby Bare RCA
Born to Sing Connie Smith RCA
Confessions of a Broken Man Porter Wagoner RCA
Conway Twitty Sings Conway Twitty Decca
Distant Drums Jim Reeves RCA
Don't Touch Me Wilma Burgess Decca
Folk-Country Waylon Jennings RCA
The Girls Get Prettier Hank Locklin RCA
I Love You Drops Bill Anderson Decca
I Want to Go with You Eddy Arnold RCA
I'm a People George Jones Musicor
Jan Howard Sings Evil on Your Mind Jan Howard Decca
Jimmy Dean's Greatest Hits Jimmy Dean Columbia
Look Into My Teardrops Conway Twitty Decca
Many Happy Hangovers Jean Shepard Capitol
The Seely Style Jeannie Seely Monument
Somebody Like Me Eddy Arnold RCA
The Streets of Baltimore Bobby Bare RCA
Suffer Time Dottie West RCA
There Goes My Everything Jack Greene Decca
Wanda Jackson Salutes the Country Music Hall of Fame Wanda Jackson Capitol

Births

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Deaths

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  • July 1 — Slim Willet, 46, disc jockey and singer-songwriter (heart attack).

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

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Major awards

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Grammy Awards

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Academy of Country Music

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See also

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Further reading

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  • 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.
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