1971 in country music Information & 1971 in country music Links at HealthHaven.com

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1971.

[edit] Events

[edit] No dates

Seeking younger, more urban viewers, CBS cancels nearly all of its rural-themed programming. Among the most notable casualties:
- The Beverly Hillbillies – a sitcom which had aired since 1962, about the misadventures of an Appalachia clan who become oil tycoons.
- Green Acres – another sitcom about a New York attorney and his wife who move to the country and start farming.
- Hee Haw – the country music-variety show starring Roy Clark and Buck Owens.

Fans of Hee Haw were quickly soothed when the show entered syndication in the fall. The show was an immediate success, and viewers would continue to make their weekly visit to Kornfield County for the next 20 years.

Meanwhile, both The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres would continue to live on in syndication.

[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 30	Flesh and Blood	Johnny Cash	1
February 6	Joshua	Dolly Parton	1	^[A]
February 13	Help Me Make It Through the Night	Sammi Smith	3	^[C]
March 6	I'd Rather Love You	Charley Pride	3
March 27	After the Fire Is Gone	Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn	2
April 10	Empty Arms	Sonny James	4
May 8	How Much More Can She Stand	Conway Twitty	1
May 15	I Won't Mention It Again	Ray Price	3
June 5	You're My Man	Lynn Anderson	2
June 19	When You're Hot, You're Hot	Jerry Reed	5	^[A]
July 24	Bright Lights, Big City	Sonny James	1
July 31	I'm Just Me	Charley Pride	4
August 28	Good Lovin' (Makes It Right)	Tammy Wynette	2
September 11	Easy Loving	Freddie Hart	3	^{[1], [2], [A]} Returned to Number One on October 2.
September 18	The Year Clayton Delaney Died	Tom T. Hall	2
October 16	How Can I Unlove You	Lynn Anderson	3
November 6	Here Comes Honey Again	Sonny James	1
November 13	Lead Me On	Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn	1
November 20	Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)	Merle Haggard	2
December 4	Kiss an Angel Good Morning	Charley Pride	5

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.
C^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.

[edit] Canada

(as certified by RPM)

Date	Single Name	Artist	Wks. No.1	Spec. Note
January 9	Old Bill Jones	Mercey Brothers	1
January 16	(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden	Lynn Anderson	2	^[2] Fell to #6 on the week of January 23.
January 23	Flesh and Blood	Johnny Cash	4
February 27	Sing High, Sing Low	Anne Murray	1
March 6	A Woman Always Knows	David Houston	1	^[B]
March 13	Help Me Make It Through the Night	Sammi Smith	1	^[C]
March 20	A Stranger in My Place	Anne Murray	2
April 3	I'd Rather Love You	Charley Pride	1
April 10	Anyway	George Hamilton IV	1
April 17	Empty Arms	Sonny James	1
April 24	Man from the City	Humphrey and the Dumptrucks	1	^[C]
May 1	We Sure Can Love Each Other	Tammy Wynette	2
May 15	How Much More Can She Stand	Conway Twitty	1
May 22	I Won't Mention It Again	Ray Price	2	^[B]
June 5	The Final Hour	Hank Smith	1
June 12	I Wanna Be Free	Loretta Lynn	1
June 19	Hello Mom	Mercey Brothers	2
July 3	You're My Man	Lynn Anderson	1
July 10	When You're Hot, You're Hot	Jerry Reed	1	^[A]
July 17	Rise 'n' Shine	Dick Damron	1
July 24	Countryfied	George Hamilton IV	5
August 28	Sweet City Woman	The Stampeders	2	^[C]
September 11	I'm Just Me	Charley Pride	1
September 18	Good Lovin' (Makes It Right)	Tammy Wynette	1
September 25	When He Walks on You	Jerry Lee Lewis	1
October 2	Easy Loving	Freddie Hart	1	^[A]
October 9	Who Wrote the Words	Mercey Brothers	2	^[B]
October 23	Talk It Over in the Morning	Anne Murray	1
October 30	You're Lookin' at Country	Loretta Lynn	1
November 6	How Can I Unlove You	Lynn Anderson	1
November 13	Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms	Buck Owens	2
November 27	Where Do We Go from Here	Hank Smith	1
December 4	I Say a Little Prayer/ By the Time I Get to Phoenix	Anne Murray and Glen Campbell	1
December 11	Lead Me On	Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn	1
December 18	Kiss an Angel Good Morning	Charley Pride	2

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.

[edit] Other major hits

[edit] Singles released by American artists

"Always Remember” — Bill Anderson
"Another Night of Love" - Freddy Weller
"The Arms of a Fool" - Mel Tillis and the Statesiders
"Baby I'm Yours" - Jody Miller
"Bed of Roses" - Statler Brothers
"Better Move it on Home" - Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
"Brand New Mister Me" - Mel Tillis and the Statesiders
"Bridge Over Troubled Waters" - Buck Owens and the Buckaroos
"The Chair" - Marty Robbins
“Coat of Many Colors” — Dolly Parton
“Come Sundown” — Bobby Bare
"Comin' Down" — Dave Dudley
"Country Green" - Don Gibson
"Dissatisfied" — Bill Anderson and Jan Howard
"Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" - Barbara Mandrell
“Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)” — Glen Campbell
"Dream Lover" — Billy "Crash" Craddock
"Early Morning Sunshine" - Marty Robbins
"Fly Away Again" — Dave Dudley
"Good Enough to Be Your Wife" - Jeannie C. Riley
"Good Year For the Roses" – George Jones
“Gwen (Congratulations)” — Tommy Overstreet
“He’s So Fine” — Jody Miller
“I Don’t Know You Anymore” — Tommy Overstreet
"I Really Don't Want to Know" - Elvis Presley
“I Wanna Be Free” — Loretta Lynn
“I Wonder What She’ll Think About Me Leaving” — Conway Twitty
“I’d Rather Be Sorry” — Ray Price
"I'm Gonna Keep On Keep On Lovin' You" - Billy Walker
"(I've Got a) Happy Heart" - Susan Raye
"I've Got a Right to Cry" - Hank Williams Jr.
“Indian Lake” — Freddy Weller
“Just One Time” — Connie Smith
“Knock Three Times” — Billy “Crash” Craddock
"Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye" – Faron Young
"Living and Learning" - Mel Tillis and Sherry Bryce
"Maiden's Prayer" - David Houston
“Man in Black” — Johnny Cash
“Me and Paul” — Willie Nelson
“Me and You and a Dog Named Boo” — Stonewall Jackson
"Mr. Bojangles" – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
"Nashville" – David Houston
“Never Ending Song of Love” — Dickey Lee
"Oh Singer" - Jeannie C. Riley
"Padre" - Marty Robbins
“Philadelphia Fillies” — Del Reeves
“Pitty Pitty Patter” — Susan Raye
“Promised Land” — Freddy Weller
“Quits” — Bill Anderson
“Rainin’ in My Heart” — Hank Williams Jr. with The Mike Curb Congregation
"The Right Combination" - Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
"Right Won't Touch a Hand" — George Jones
"Rings" - Tompall & the Glaser Brothers
"Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms" - Buck Owens and the Buckaroos
“Ruby (Are You Mad)” — Buck Owens and the Buckaroos
"She's All I Got" – Johnny PayCheck
“Soldier’s Last Letter” — Merle Haggard and the Strangers
“Someday We’ll Look Back” — Merle Haggard and the Strangers
"Sometimes You Just Can't Win" - George Jones
“Step Aside” — Faron Young
“Take Me Home Country Roads” — John Denver
"Take My Hand" - Mel Tillis and Sherry Bryce
"Then You Walk In" - Sammi Smith
"There Goes My Everything" - Elvis Presley
“Touching Home” — Jerry Lee Lewis
"Treat Him Right" – Barbara Mandrell
"Watching Scotty Grow" — Bobby Goldsboro
"We Sure Can Love Each Other" — Tammy Wynette
"Where is My Castle" - Connie Smith
"A Woman Always Knows" - David Houston
"The Wonders You Perform" - Tammy Wynette
"You Better Move On" — Billy "Crash" Craddock
"You're Lookin' at Country" — Loretta Lynn

[edit] Singles released by Canadian artists

US	CAN	Single	Artist
	2	24 Hours from Tulsa	Tommy Graham
	2	The Bridge Came Tumbling Down	Stompin' Tom Connors
	11	Carry Me	The Stampeders
	4	Federal Grain Train	Russ Gurr
	3	Good Morning World	Julie Lynn
	8	Goofie Newfie	Roy Payne
	11	It Seems	Jim Roberts
	2	It Takes Time	Gary Buck
	6	It Takes Time	Anne Murray
	12	Kelly	Alan Moberg
	15	Love Now and Pay Later	Carroll Baker
	2	Luke's Guitar	Stompin' Tom Connors
	14	Mem'ries of Home	Carroll Baker
	17	The Moods of My Man	Honey West
14	12	The Mornin' After Baby Let Me Down	Ray Griff
	10	Nobody's Singing Them Cowboy Songs No More	Gordie Tapp
	18	Parliament Hill	Angus Walker
	2	R.R. #2	Family Brown
	15	Sault Ste. Marie	Original Caste
	14	Six Days of Paper Ladies	Humphrey and the Dumptrucks
	7	Skip a Rope	Mike Graham
	12	Tillsonburg	Stompin' Tom Connors
	16	(The Whole World's) Down on You	Jack Bailey
	13	Wrote a Song	The Rainvilles

[edit] Top new album releases

Bed of Rose's — Statler Brothers (Mercury)
Cedartown, Georgia — Waylon Jennings (RCA)
Coat of Many Colors — Dolly Parton (RCA)
"Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" — Johnny Cash (Columbia)
How Can I Unlove You - Lynn Anderson (Columbia)
I Wanna Be Free - Loretta Lynn (Decca)
In Search of a Song — Tom T. Hall (Mercury)
Joshua — Dolly Parton (RCA)
Man in Black — Johnny Cash (Columbia)
Pitty Pitty Patter - Susan Raye (Capitol)
Porter Wayne & Dolly Rebecca - Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton (RCA)
The Silver Tongued Devil and I — Kris Kristofferson (Monument)
Treat Him Right — Barbara Mandrell (Columbia)
A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World – Merle Haggard (Capitol)
Two of a Kind — Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton (RCA)
We Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn (Decca)
When You're Hot, You're Hot – Jerry Reed (RCA)
Yesterday's Wine — Willie Nelson (RCA)
You're My Man — Lynn Anderson (Columbia)

[edit] Births

February 5 — Sara Evans, female vocalist from the late 1990s-2000s.
April 26 — Jay DeMarcus, member of Rascal Flatts.
May 16 — Rick Trevino, Mexican-American singer who had several hits in the 1990s.
April 30 — Carolyn Dawn Johnson, singer-songwriter.
July 23 — Alison Krauss, bluegrass artist, vocalist and leader of Union Station

[edit] Deaths

February 7 — Dock Boggs, 73, influential old-time country singer.
June 12 — J. E. Mainer, 72, old-time fiddle player and early country music star.
August 20 — Tom Darby, 79, one half of the duo Darby and Tarlton, an early country music duo.

[edit] Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Arthur Edward Satherley (1889-1986)

[edit] Major awards

[edit] Grammy Awards

Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Help Me Make It Through the Night," Sammi Smith
Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "When You're Hot, You're Hot," Jerry Reed
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "After the Fire Is Gone," Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty
Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Snowbird," Chet Atkins
Best Country Song — "Help Me Make It Through the Night," Kris Kristofferson (Performer: Sammi Smith)

[edit] Juno Awards

Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Stompin' Tom Connors
Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Myrna Lorrie
Country Group or Duo of the Year — Mercey Brothers

[edit] Academy of Country Music

Entertainer of the Year — Freddie Hart
Song of the Year — "Easy Loving," Freddie Hart (Performer: Freddie Hart)
Single of the Year — "Easy Loving," Freddie Hart
Album of the Year — Easy Loving, Freddie Hart
Top Male Vocalist — Freddie Hart
Top Female Vocalist — Loretta Lynn
Top Vocal Duo — Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
Top New Male Vocalist — Tony Booth
Top New Female Vocalist — Barbara Mandrell

[edit] Country Music Association

Entertainer of the Year — Charley Pride
Song of the Year — "Easy Loving," Freddie Hart (Performer: Freddie Hart)
Single of the Year — "Help Me Make It Through the Night," Sammi Smith
Album of the Year — I Won't Mention It Again, Ray Price
Male Vocalist of the Year — Charley Pride
Female Vocalist of the Year — Lynn Anderson
Vocal Duo of the Year — Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
Vocal Group of the Year — Osborne Brothers
Instrumentalist of the Year — Jerry Reed
Instrumental Group of the Year — Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass

[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

[edit] External links

Country Music Hall of Fame

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