This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1965.

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Contents 1 Events 1.1 No dates 2 Top hits of the year 2.1 Number one hits 2.1.1 United States 2.1.2 Canada 2.2 Other major hits 2.2.1 Singles released by American artists 2.2.2 Singles released by Canadian artists 3 Top new album releases 4 Births 5 Deaths 6 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees 7 Major awards 7.1 Grammy Awards 7.2 Academy of Country Music 8 Further reading 9 Other links 10 External links

[edit] Events

• January — Leo Fender, founder of Fender Guitars, sells his company to a subsidiary of Columbia Records for $13 million.
• February 17 — "The Tennessee Waltz" is declared the state song of Tennessee.
• October — Country Music Association president Tex Ritter awards Leo Fender the President's Award for "outstanding contributions to the sound of country music."
• October 5 — Johnny Cash is arrested in El Paso, Texas on federal drug charges. He pleads guilty and is given a 30-day suspended sentence and fined $1,000.^{[citation needed]}
• December — George Jones, his agent and band members are held for questioning in connection with a Houston, Texas murder investigation.^{[citation needed]} Lie detector tests clear them all.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] No dates

• Rock singer Conway Twitty makes his county music debut. His first few country singles and albums were met with "some" country DJs refusing to play them because he was a well known rock-n-roll singer.^{[citation needed]}
• Johnny Cash is banned from the Grand Ole Opry after an infamous concert where - in a drug-induced haze - he used a microphone to smash the floodlights.^{[citation needed]} He also walked offstage in the middle of a song.^{[citation needed]}
• The Vietnam War, which by now was making daily headlines, brings about the second wave of patriotic-themed songs. One of the first big songs was Johnnie Wright's "Hello Vietnam," a No. 1 hit in October. Late in the year, Dave Dudley records and releases "What We're Fighting For," an early response to the growing number of anti-Vietnam War protests.

The trend continues through the rest of the 1960s and early 1970s, with songs such as "Distant Drums" by Jim Reeves; "Ballad of the Green Berets" by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler; "Dear Uncle Sam" by Loretta Lynn; and others. By the late 1960s, the tone of the songs became darker, most notably the Mel Tillis-penned "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" (first a hit for Johnny Darrell, but more famously in 1969 by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition).

[edit] Top hits of the year

[edit] Number one hits

[edit] United States

(as certified by Billboard)

Date	Single Name	Artist	Wks. No.1	Spec. Note
January 23	You're the Only World I Know	Sonny James	4	Sonny's first Number One since "Young Love" in 1957.
February 20	I've Got a Tiger By the Tail	Buck Owens	5
March 27	King of the Road	Roger Miller	5	Also reached Number One on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and in the United Kingdom.
May 1	This Is It	Jim Reeves	2	[2] Returns to Number One May 29.
May 15	Girl on the Billboard	Del Reeves	2
June 5	What's He Doing in My World	Eddy Arnold	2	[1]
June 19	Ribbon of Darkness	Marty Robbins	1	Written by Gordon Lightfoot.
June 26	Before You Go	Buck Owens	6
August 7	The First Thing Ev'ry Morning (And the Last Thing Ev'ry Night)	Jimmy Dean	2	[B]
August 21	Yes, Mr. Peters	Roy Drusky with Priscilla Mitchell	2	[C]
September 4	The Bridge Washed Out	Warner Mack	1	[B]
September 11	Is it Really Over	Jim Reeves	3
October 2	Only You (Can Break My Heart)	Buck Owens	1
October 9	Behind the Tear	Sonny James	2	[2] Returns to Number One November 13.
October 23	Hello Vietnam	Johnnie Wright	3	[C] Originally half member of the duo Johnnie & Jack, Wright went solo following Jack's death in 1963. This song marked a feat Wright could not do with Jack, reach Number One. This was one of the first country music songs to discuss the conflicts about the Vietnam War.
November 20	May the Bird of Paradise Fly up Your Nose	Little Jimmy Dickens	2	[C]
December 4	Make the World Go Away	Eddy Arnold	3
December 25	Buckaroo	Buck Owens and the Buckaroos	2	[A] - The Buckaroos

[edit] Canada

(as certified by RPM)

Date	Single Name	Artist	Wks. No.1	Spec. Note
January 18	Hitch Hikin’	Dick Damron	2	[A]
February 1	Bitty Baby	Howard Sisters	3	[C]
February 22	Afraid	Donn Reynolds	2	[C]
March 8	Texas Leather and Mexican Lace	Bob King	8	[C]
April 26	I Wish That I Could Fall	Sandy Selsie	3	[2], [C] Returned to Number One on June 14.
May 10	Klondike Mike	Hal Willis	3	[B]
June 7	Skip, Hop and Wobble	Artie McLearen	1	[C]
June 21	Can’t Live with Him	Myrna Lorrie	1	[C]
June 28	Picking Up My Hat	Debbie Lori Kaye	9	[C]
August 30	Cathy Keep Playing	Stu Phillips	3	[C]
September 20	My Good Life	Cy Anders	3	[C]
October 18	Break the News to Liza	Gary Buck	2	[A]
November 1	My Tennessee Baby	Danny Harrison	3	[C]
November 22	Marjolaina	Jimmy James	6	[C]

[edit] Other major hits

[edit] Singles released by American artists

• "Blue Kentucky Girl" — Loretta Lynn
• "A Dear John Letter" — Bobby Bare and Skeeter Davis
• "Don't You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me?" — Ray Price
• "Engine Engine #9" — Roger Miller
• "(From Now On All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers" — Roy Drusky
• "(From Now On All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers" — Merle Haggard
• "Green, Green Grass of Home" — Porter Wagoner
• "I Can't Remember" - Connie Smith
• "I'll Keep Holding On (Just to Your Love)" — Sonny James
• "I Wouldn't Buy a Used Car From Him" — Norma Jean
• "If I Talk to Him" - Connie Smith
• "It's Alright" - Bobby Bare
• "Kansas City Star" — Roger Miller
• "Love Bug" - George Jones
• "Meanwhile, Down at Joe's" — Kitty Wells
• "One Dyin' and a Buryin'" - Roger Miller
• "The Other Woman (in My Life)" — Ray Price
• "Queen of the House" — Jody Miller
• "See the Big Man Cry" - Charlie Louvin
• "Sittin' In An All Night Cafe" - Warner Mack
• "Ten Little Bottles" - Johnny Bond
• "Then and Only Then" — Connie Smith
• "Things Have Gone to Pieces" - George Jones
• "A Tombstone Every Mile" — Dick Curless
• "Truck Drivin' Son of a Gun" — Dave Dudley

[edit] Singles released by Canadian artists

CAN	Single	Artist
5	Backstreets of Life	Gary Buck
10	Badger Bodine	Lennie Siebert
6	Big Treaty	Scotty Stevenson
2	Born to Love	Danny Coughlin
5	Bottoms Up	Jimmy James
6	Bring on My Love	Mac Wiseman
2	Cadillacin' Around	Angus Walker
2	Come on in Mr. Heartache	Lennie Siebert
6	Country Corn	Jimmy Doyle
2	Do You Wish You Were Free	Myrna Lorrie
10	Don't Lead Me On	Ray Griff
2	Everybody's Looking at My	Jimmy James
4	Freckles, Freckles	Skip Evans
3	Girl with the Sad Lonely Look	Bob King
2	Golden Rocket	Dick Nolan
2	Golden Years	Ray Griff
10	Heartache No. 5	Sharon Strong
3	I'll Count Every Hour	Pat Hervey
2	I'm Not Sayin'	Gordon Lightfoot
9	If Loving You Did This	Ruthie McLean
3	Isle of Newfoundland	Bert Cuff
6	Just Look Behind You	Gary Buck
4	Little Tot	Art Young
2	Lookin' Back to See	The Canadian Sweethearts
4	Lorelei	Donn Reynolds
3	The Man	Lorne Greene
7	Nickel Piece of Candy	Wimmen
6	Nighthawk	Gary Buck
7	Nopper the Topper	Hal Willis
4	Saddle Shootin' Buddy	Johnny Rocker
10	Seven Days a Week	Bert Cuff
2	She Taught Me How to Yodel	Donn Reynolds
4	Sittin' and Thinkin'	Jerry Hatton
6	Spring Rains	Rita Curtis
5	Stand Upon the Mountain	The Canadian Sweethearts
4	A Taste of Love	Doug Hutton
7	That's the Way It Happens	Sandy Selsie
6	This Old Heart	Dusty King
8	Twisting the Pick	Roy Penney
6	Victim of Love	Jimmy James
2	What Will Tomorrow Bring	Danny Coughlin
6	Weeping Willow Tree	Ray Griff
6	Wrapped Around Your Finger	MacKay Brothers

[edit] Top new album releases

• Before You Go/No One But You - Buck Owens (Capitol)
• Behind the Tear - Sonny James (Capitol)
• Breakin' In Another Heart - Hank Thompson (Capitol)
• Bright Lights and Country Music - Bill Anderson (Decca)
• Chet Atkins Picks on the Beatles - Chet Atkins (RCA)
• Connie Smith - Connie Smith (RCA)
• Country Willie: His Own Songs - Willie Nelson (RCA)
• Cute 'n' Country - Connie Smith (RCA)
• Doodle oo Doo Doo - Del Reeves (United Artists )
• The Easy Way - Eddy Arnold (RCA)
• From This Pen - Bill Anderson (Decca)
• Girl On The Billboard - Del Reeves (United Artists)
• Golden Hits - Roger Miller (Smash)
• Here Comes My Baby - Dottie West (RCA)
• Hot Rod Lincoln - Johnny Bond (Starday)
• I Heard the Bluebirds Sing - The Browns (RCA)
• I Want to Live and Love - Carl Smith (Columbia)
• I'll Keep Holding On - Sonny James (Capitol)
• I've Got a Tiger By the Tail - Buck Owens (Capitol)
• The Instrumental Hits of Buck Owens and His Buckaroos - Buck Owens and the Buckaroos (Capitol)
• Kisses Don't Lie - Carl Smith (Columbia)
• Luckiest Heartache in Town - Hank Thompson (Capitol)
• Many Happy Hangovers - Jean Shepard (Capitol)
• My Favorite Guitars - Chet Atkins (RCA)
• My World - Eddy Arnold (RCA)
• Pretty Miss Norma Jean - Norma Jean (RCA)
• Sings Jim Reeves - Del Reeves (United Artists)
• Skeeter Sings Standards - Skeeter Davis (RCA)
• Ten Little Bottles - Johnny Bond (RCA)
• The Thin Man From West Plains - Porter Wagoner (RCA)
• Three Shades of Brown - The Browns (RCA)
• When Love is Gone - The Browns (RCA)
• You're the Only World I Know - Sonny James (Capitol)
• Your Favorite Country Hits - Hank Snow (RCA)

[edit] Births

• January 20 — John Michael Montgomery, honky tonk-styled singer of the 1990s and 2000s; younger brother of Eddie Montgomery (of Montgomery Gentry).
• July 16 — Craig Morgan, singer-songwriter since the 2000s.
• August 7 — Raul Malo, lead singer of the alternative country band The Mavericks.
• August 28 — Shania Twain, mega country star since the latter half of the 1990s.

[edit] Deaths

• June 20 — Ira Louvin, 41, tenor half of 2001 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees The Louvin Brothers.

[edit] Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

• Ernest Tubb (1914-1984)

[edit] Major awards

[edit] Grammy Awards

• Best Country and Western Vocal Performance, Female — "Queen of the House," Jody Miller
• Best Country and Western Vocal Performance, Male — "King of the Road," Roger Miller
• Best Country and Western Single — "King of the Road," Roger Miller
• Best Country and Western Album — The Return of Roger Miller, Roger Miller
• Best Country and Western Artist — The Statler Brothers

[edit] Academy of Country Music

• Top Male Vocalist — Buck Owens
• Top Female Vocalist — Bonnie Owens
• Top Vocal Duo — Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens
• Top New Male Vocalist — Merle Haggard
• Top New Female Vocalist — Kaye Adams

[edit] 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.

[edit] Other links

• Country Music Association
• Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

[edit] External links

• Country Music Hall of Fame