1968 in country music

Last updated

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1968.

Contents

Events

No dates

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

United States

(as certified by Billboard)

DateSingle NameArtistWks. No.1CAN peakSpec. Note
January 20 Sing Me Back Home Merle Haggard 27
February 3 Skip a Rope Henson Cargill 5 [C]
March 9 Take Me to Your World Tammy Wynette 1
March 16 A World of Our Own Sonny James 3
April 6 How Long Will My Baby Be Gone Buck Owens 116
April 13 You Are My Treasure Jack Greene 1
April 20 Fist City Loretta Lynn 1
April 27 The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde Merle Haggard23
May 11 Have a Little Faith David Houston 1
May 18 I Wanna Live Glen Campbell 3 [2], [A]
  • Returned to Number One on June 15.
May 25 Honey Bobby Goldsboro 3 [C]
June 29 D-I-V-O-R-C-E Tammy Wynette3
July 20 Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash 4 [1]
  • Originally the B-side single of "So Doggone Lonesome" in 1956, "Folsom Prison Blues" was re-released as a live cut, becoming the more-remembered version of the song.
August 17 Heaven Says Hello Sonny James126
August 24 Already It's Heaven David Houston1
August 31 Mama Tried Merle Haggard4
September 28 Harper Valley PTA Jeannie C. Riley 3 [C]
  • Also peaked at Number One on the Billboard Pop and Adult Contemporary charts.
October 19 Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye Eddy Arnold 2 [B]
November 2 Next in Line Conway Twitty 12 [A]
  • Originally known as a Rock & Roll singer in the early 1960s, Conway Twitty crossed over into country music in the mid-1960s, with this song becoming the first of 45 Number One hits of his career.
November 9 I Walk Alone Marty Robbins 23
November 23 Stand by Your Man Tammy Wynette3
  • Released during the height of the women's rights movement, "Stand by Your Man" was often derided by many feminist supporters.
December 14 Born to Be with You Sonny James19
December 21 Wichita Lineman Glen Campbell2
  • Also reached Number Three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Number One on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
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.
  • B ^ Last Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
  • C ^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date.

Canada

(as certified by RPM)

DateSingle NameArtistWks. No.1U.S. peakSpec. Note
January 13Tell Me Not to Go Myrna Lorrie 2
January 27 By the Time I Get to Phoenix Glen Campbell 32 [A]
February 17Here Comes Heaven Eddy Arnold 12 [A]
February 24I Heard from a Heart Break Last Night Jim Reeves 19
March 2 Skip a Rope Henson Cargill 2 [C]
March 16 Take Me to Your World Tammy Wynette 1 [A]
March 23Rosanna's Going Wild Johnny Cash 32 [A]
April 13 A World of Our Own Sonny James 1 [A]
April 20Turn Down the MusicMyrna Lorrie2 [B]
May 4 You Are My Treasure Jack Greene 1 [C]
May 11 Fist City Loretta Lynn 1 [A]
May 18 Have a Little Faith David Houston 1
May 25 Wild Week-End Bill Anderson 12 [A]
June 1 Honey Bobby Goldsboro 2 [A]
June 15 I Wanna Live Glen Campbell2
June 29 D-I-V-O-R-C-E Tammy Wynette3
July 20 Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash2
  • RPM didn't publish on July 27 or August 12.
August 19 What's Made Milwaukee Famous
(Has Made a Loser Out of Me)
Jerry Lee Lewis 12 [A]
August 26 Already It's Heaven David Houston1
September 2 Dreams of the Everyday Housewife Glen Campbell23
September 16 Harper Valley PTA Jeannie C. Riley 2 [A]
September 30 Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line Waylon Jennings 12 [A]
October 7Applesauce Lynn Jones 2 [B]
October 21 Big Girls Don't Cry Lynn Anderson 112 [A]
October 28 I Just Came to Get My Baby Faron Young 18 [A]
November 4 Happy State of Mind Bill Anderson12
November 11 Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye Eddy Arnold1 [B]
November 18 When You Are Gone Jim Reeves17
November 25 Mama Tried Merle Haggard 1 [A]
December 2 Where Love Used to Live David Houston12
December 9 Stand by Your Man Tammy Wynette1
December 16 Little Arrows Leapy Lee 111 [C]
December 23 I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am Merle Haggard33 [2]
  • Fell to #2 on the week of January 13, 1969.
Notes
  • 2 ^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
  • A ^ First RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.
  • C ^ Only RPM No. 1 hit for that artist.

Other major hits

Singles released by American artists

USCANSingleArtist
2024Age of Worry Billy Walker
196 Ain't Got Time to Be Unhappy Bob Luman
1613Angry Words Stonewall Jackson
4 Another Place, Another Time Jerry Lee Lewis
1220Anything Leaving Town Today Dave Dudley
36 As Long as I Live George Jones
152 Autumn of My Life Bobby Goldsboro
77 Baby's Back Again Connie Smith
147Ballad of Two Brothers Autry Inman
16Be Proud of Your Man Porter Wagoner
11Blue Lonely Winter Jimmy C. Newman
218Born a Fool Freddie Hart
2035Born to Love YouJimmy C. Newman
2311The Cajun Stripper Jim Ed Brown
503The Canadian Railroad Trilogy/It's My Time George Hamilton IV
4117Christopher Robin The Stonemans
166 Count Your Blessings, Woman Jan Howard
155 Country Girl Dottie West
8 The Country Hall of Fame Hank Locklin
20 Cry, Cry, Cry Connie Smith
45 The Day the World Stood Still Charley Pride
4515Down in the Flood Flatt & Scruggs
22 The Easy Part's Over Charley Pride
1311The EnemyJim Ed Brown
155Find Out What's Happening Bobby Bare
8Flower of Love Leon Ashley
1815Foggy River Carl Smith
7218 For Loving You Skeeter Davis & Don Bowman
1010From Heaven to Heartache Bobby Lewis
3020 Gentle on My Mind Glen Campbell
5217Gypsy King Kitty Wells
2210Happy Street Slim Whitman
2418Harper Valley P.T.A. (Later That Same Day) Ben Colder
18Heaven Help the Working Girl Norman Jean
4Here Comes the Rain, Baby Eddy Arnold
1521Hey Daddy Charlie Louvin
132 Hey Little One Glen Campbell
717Holding on to Nothin'Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
1030 I Believe in Love Bonnie Guitar
42I Got You Waylon Jennings and Anita Carter
146I Keep Coming Back for MoreDave Dudley
2613I Promised You the World Ferlin Husky
278 I Still Believe in Love Jan Howard
11I'd Give the World (To Be Back Loving You) Warner Mack
10 I'll Love You More (Than You Need) Jeannie Seely
3811I'm Coming Back Home to Stay The Buckaroos
710I'm Gonna Move OnWarner Mack
1135I've Been There Before Ray Price
56I've Got You on My Mind Again Buck Owens
52The Image of Me Conway Twitty
1614 In Love Wynn Stewart
1220It's a Long, Long Way to Georgia Don Gibson
11 It's All Over David Houston and Tammy Wynette
33It's All Over but the Crying Hank Williams, Jr.
415It's OverEddy Arnold
249Jody and the Kid Roy Drusky
178Just Because I'm a WomanDolly Parton
4Just for YouFerlin Husky
17The Last Goodbye Dick Miles
74 The Last Thing on My Mind Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
43 Let the Chips Fall Charley Pride
736Let the World Keep on A-Turnin'Buck Owens and Buddy Alan
147Little Bit Later on Down the LineBobby Bare
633 Little Green Apples Roger Miller
228Little Things Willie Nelson
182Little World GirlGeorge Hamilton IV
54Looking at the World Through a Windshield Del Reeves
1011Love Is in the Air Marty Robbins
148Love Me Love Me Bobby Barnett
44Love Takes Care of Me Jack Greene
7 Love's Gonna Happen to Me Wynn Stewart
247Luzianna Webb Pierce
144Mental JourneyLeon Ashley
12 Milwaukee, Here I Come George Jones and Brenda Carter
2116Mother, May I Lynn Anderson and Liz Anderson
17My Can Do Can't Keep Up with My Want To Nat Stuckey
11My Goal for Today Kenny Price
819 No Another Time Lynn Anderson
712On Tap in the Can or in the Bottle Hank Thompson
98Plastic SaddleNat Stuckey
4 Promises, Promises Lynn Anderson
4518Raggedy Ann Charlie Rich
176Rainbows Are Back in StyleSlim Whitman
814 Ramona Billy Walker
1416Remembering Jerry Reed
196 Reno Dottie West
10Repeat After Me Jack Reno
113Row Row Row Henson Cargill
1018 Run Away Little Tears Connie Smith
8 Say It's Not You George Jones
22She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)Jerry Lee Lewis
67 She Wears My Ring Ray Price
1432She Went a Little Bit Further Faron Young
1020 Something Pretty Wynn Stewart
17Something Special Mel Tillis
4 Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp O. C. Smith
4117The Sounds of Goodbye Tommy Cash
13 Stop the Sun Bonnie Guitar
377 The Straight Life Bobby Goldsboro
18Sundown MaryBilly Walker
24Sweet Rosie JonesBuck Owens
3111Take Me Along with You Van Trevor
83Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go)Ray Price
95That's When I See the Blues (In Your Pretty Brown Eyes) Jim Reeves
105There Ain't No Easy RunDave Dudley
1618 There's a Fool Born Every Minute Skeeter Davis
2114 A Thing Called Love Jimmy Dean
2413TogethernessFreddie Hart
1621Town That Broke My HeartBobby Bare
1514Tupelo Mississippi FlashJerry Reed
10Undo the Right Johnny Bush
55Walk on Out of My MindWaylon Jennings
5We'll Get Ahead SomedayPorter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
18Weakness in a ManRoy Drusky
2518White Fences and Evergreen TreesFerlin Husky
185Wild BloodDel Reeves
2022Will You Visit Me on Sundays?Charlie Louvin
3 With Pen in Hand Johnny Darrell
14Wonderful World of WomenFaron Young
2 You've Just Stepped In (From Stepping Out on Me) Loretta Lynn
317 Your Squaw Is on the Warpath Loretta Lynn

Singles released by Canadian artists

USCANSingleArtist
8Blue Day Bob King
3Calgary Gary Buck
4Changing of the Seasons Myrna Lorrie
12Chaser for the Blues Bernie Early
6812Come on Home Debbie Lori Kaye
19For Breaking Up My Heart Wayne King
2Gonna Put Some Lovin' On You Lynn Jones
2Half a World Away Tommy Hunter
205The Late and Great Love (Of My Heart) Hank Snow
3Ride Ride RideDebbie Lori Kaye
19Such a Lovely Day Jeanie Ward
5014The Sugar from My Candy Ray Griff
16Thunderation Odie Workman
13The Wife You Save May Be Your Own Dianne Leigh

Top new album releases

SingleArtistRecord Label
The Best of Bobby Bare Vol. 2 Bobby Bare RCA
The Best of Wanda Jackson Wanda Jackson Capitol
Big Girls Don't Cry Lynn Anderson Chart
The Bottom of the Bottle Porter Wagoner RCA
Count Your Blessings, Woman Jan Howard Decca
Country Girl Dottie West RCA
Cream of the Crop Wanda Jackson and The Party Timers Capitol
Country Hall of Fame Hank Locklin RCA
D-I-V-O-R-C-E Tammy Wynette Epic
Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry Capitol
Happy State of Mind Bill Anderson Decca
Harper Valley PTA Jeannie C. Riley Plantation
Honey Bobby Goldsboro United Artists
I'll Love You More Jeannie Seely Monument
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison Johnny Cash Columbia
Just Because I'm a Woman Dolly Parton RCA
Liz Anderson Sings Her Favorites Liz Anderson RCA
Little Things Jeannie Seely Monument
The Many Moods of Wanda Jackson Wanda JacksonCapitol
My Love Song for You Hank LocklinRCA
Softly Hank LocklinRCA
Something Pretty Wynn Stewart Capitol
Walking in Love Land Eddy Arnold RCA
Wild Weekend Bill Anderson Decca

Births

Deaths

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Major awards

Grammy Awards

Academy of Country Music

Country Music Association

Further reading