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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1986.
Events
- January 18 — "American Country Countdown" with Bob Kingsley expands from three to four hours. Several new features — including a chronological playback of songs reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and a calendar feature (highlighting a birthday, or anniversary of a notable song or event in country music) — are added.
- June 25 — Jenifer Strait, the 13-year-old daughter of George Strait (who by now is one of country music's top performers) is killed in a car accident in San Marcos, Texas. Her father still refuses to talk about his daughter's death to this day.
- July 19 — Columbia Records drops Johnny Cash from the label's roster after 28 years.
No dates
- For the first time in its 42-year history, there is a new No. 1 song for each week of the year, according to Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles Chart.
- 1986 was a renaissance year in country music, with a host of "A New Traditionalist"-minded artists reinvigorating a genre that critics were saying had grown increasingly stagnant and pop-oriented. Among the most successful new artists: Holly Dunn, Judy Rodman, Ricky Van Shelton, Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam. Keith Whitley, another artist who had been around for a few years, has his first major hit early in the year. They – along with popular newcomers from earlier in the decade such as Alabama, George Strait and Reba McEntire, and longtime artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty – proved not only that country music was the music of the people, but also that the genre had real resiliency.
- After 17 years of playing co-host to Roy Clark, Buck Owens announces his departure from the still-popular "Hee Haw." Clark would soldier on alone for the next six years, with rotating guest stars each week.
Top hits of the year
Singles released by American artists
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!width="50"|<small>US</small>
!width="50"|<small>CAN</small>
!width="250"|Single
!width="150"|Artist
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|100% Chance of Rain
|Gary Morris
|-
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|5
|1982
|Randy Travis
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Ain't Misbehavin'
|Hank Williams, Jr.
|-
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|1
|All Tied Up
|Ronnie McDowell
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Always Have, Always Will
|Janie Fricke
|-
|align="center"|19
|align="center"|53
|Arlene
|Marty Stuart
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|16
|At the Sound of the Tone
|John Schneider
|-
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|2
|(Back to The) Heartbreak Kid
|Restless Heart
|-
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|7
|Back When Love Was Enough
|Mark Gray
|-
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|15
|Bad Love
|Pake McEntire
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Bop
|Dan Seals
|-
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|7
|Born Yesterday
|The Everly Brothers
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)
|Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|—
|Burned Like a Rocket
|Billy Joe Royal
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Cajun Moon
|Ricky Skaggs
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|5
|Cheap Love
|Juice Newton
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|1
|Come On In (You Did the Best You Could Do)
|The Oak Ridge Boys
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|4
|Count On Me
|The Statler Brothers
|-
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|4
|Country State of Mind
|Hank Williams, Jr.
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Cry
|Crystal Gayle
|-
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|—
|Daddy's Hands
|Holly Dunn
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Desperado Love
|Conway Twitty
|-
|align="center"|13
|align="center"|7
|The Devil's on the Loose
|Waylon Jennings
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|10
|Didn't We
|Lee Greenwood
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Diggin' Up Bones
|Randy Travis
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Don't Underestimate My Love for You
|Lee Greenwood
|-
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|9
|Doo-Wah Days
|Mickey Gilley
|-
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|35
|Down in Tennessee
|John Anderson
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|17
|Dreamland Express
|John Denver
|-
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|21
|Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye
|Charlie Daniels
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|15
|Easy to Please
|Janie Fricke
|-
|align="center"|20
|align="center"|47
|Every Night
|Pake McEntire
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)
|Dan Seals
|-
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|2
|Fast Lanes and Country Roads
|Barbara Mandrell
|-
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|8
|Feelin' the Feelin'
|The Bellamy Brothers
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|12
|A Friend in California
|Merle Haggard
|-
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|19
|A Girl Like Emmylou
|Southern Pacific
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Got My Heart Set on You
|John Conlee
|-
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|—
|Gotta Learn to Love Without You
|Michael Johnson
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)
|The Judds
|-
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|7
|Guitar Town
|Steve Earle
|-
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|2
|Guitars, Cadillacs
|Dwight Yoakam
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Happy, Happy Birthday Baby
|Ronnie Milsap
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|19
|Harmony
|John Conlee
|-
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|16
|Heart Don't Fall Now
|Sawyer Brown
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|2
|Heartbeat in the Darkness
|Don Williams
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Hearts Aren't Made to Break (They're Made to Love)
|Lee Greenwood
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Hell and High Water
|T. Graham Brown
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|6
|Hold On
|Rosanne Cash
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|1
|Home Again in My Heart
|Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|7
|Honky Tonk Crowd
|John Anderson
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|1
|Honky Tonk Man
|Dwight Yoakam
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Hurt
|Juice Newton
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|I Could Get Used to You
|Exile
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|4
|I Had a Beautiful Time
|Merle Haggard
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|7
|I Love You by Heart
|Sylvia & Michael Johnson
|-
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|—
|I Miss You Already
|Billy Joe Royal
|-
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|—
|I Tell It Like It Used to Be
|T. Graham Brown
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|2
|I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again
|T. Graham Brown
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|7
|I've Got a New Heartache
|Ricky Skaggs
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|In Love
|Ronnie Milsap
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|28
|In Over My Heart
|T. G. Sheppard
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|5
|It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy About You
|George Strait
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|It'll Be Me
|Exile
|-
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|7
|It's Just a Matter of Time
|Glen Campbell
|-
|align="center"|15
|align="center"|16
|Juliet
|The Oak Ridge Boys
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Just Another Love
|Tanya Tucker
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|2
|Just in Case
|The Forester Sisters
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|2
|Life's Highway
|Steve Wariner
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|2
|Little Rock
|Reba McEntire
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Living in the Promiseland
|Willie Nelson
|-
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|3
|Lonely Alone
|The Forester Sisters
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|—
|Love at the Five and Dime
|Kathy Mattea
|-
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|—
|Love Will Get You Through Times of No Money
|Girls Next Door
|-
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1
|Love's Gonna Get You Someday
|Ricky Skaggs
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Makin' Up for Lost Time (The Dallas Lovers' Song)
|Crystal Gayle and Gary Morris
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Mama's Never Seen Those Eyes
|The Forester Sisters
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|2
|Memories to Burn
|Gene Watson
|-
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|38
|Miami, My Amy
|Keith Whitley
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Mind Your Own Business
|Hank Williams, Jr.
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Morning Desire
|Kenny Rogers
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|2
|Never Be You
|Rosanne Cash
|-
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|11
|Nights
|Ed Bruce
|-
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|5
|No One Mends a Broken Heart Like You
|Barbara Mandrell
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her
|George Strait
|-
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|9
|Nothing but Your Love Matters
|Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|6
|Oh Darlin' (Why Don't You Care for Me No More)
|The O'Kanes
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|27
|Oklahoma Borderline
|Vince Gill
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|3
|Old Flame
|Juice Newton
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|6
|Old School
|John Conlee
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|On the Other Hand
|Randy Travis
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Once in a Blue Moon
|Earl Thomas Conley
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|2
|The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)
|George Jones
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|1
|One Love at a Time
|Tanya Tucker
|-
|align="center"|11
|align="center"|4
|Out Goin' Cattin'
|Sawyer Brown with Cat Joe Bonsall
|-
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|3
|Partners, Brothers and Friends
|Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
|-
|align="center"|18
|align="center"|24
|Perfect Stranger
|Southern Pacific
|-
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|3
|Please Be Love
|Mark Gray
|-
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|5
|Read My Lips
|Marie Osmond
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|19
|Reno Bound
|Southern Pacific
|-
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|5
|Repetitive Regret
|Eddie Rabbitt
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain
|The Judds
|-
|align="center"|15
|align="center"|14
|Rollin' Nowhere
|Michael Martin Murphey
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|4
|Savin' My Love for You
|Pake McEntire
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|4
|Second to No One
|Rosanne Cash
|-
|align="center"|15
|align="center"|7
|Shakin'
|Sawyer Brown
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|She and I
|Alabama
|-
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|3
|She Used to Be Somebody's Baby
|Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers
|-
|align="center"|22
|align="center"|18
|Shoe String
|Mel McDaniel
|-
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|15
|Since I Found You
|Sweethearts of the Rodeo
|-
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|—
|Slow Boat to China
|Girls Next Door
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|20
|Somebody Wants Me Out of the Way
|George Jones
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|2
|Sometimes a Lady
|Eddy Raven
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|3
|Stand a Little Rain
|Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
|-
|align="center"|12
|align="center"|5
|Stand on It
|Mel McDaniel
|-
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|11
|Starting Over Again
|Steve Wariner
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Strong Heart
|T. G. Sheppard
|-
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|21
|Super Love
|Exile
|-
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|34
|Sweeter and Sweeter
|The Statler Brothers
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|16
|Ten Feet Away
|Keith Whitley
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|2
|That Rock Won't Roll
|Restless Heart
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|9
|That's How You Know When Love's Right
|Nicolette Larson (with Steve Wariner)
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|There's No Stopping Your Heart
|Marie Osmond
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Think About Love
|Dolly Parton
|-
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|20
|Tie Our Love (In a Double Knot)
|Dolly Parton
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|11
|Til I Loved You
|Restless Heart
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Tomb of the Unknown Love
|Kenny Rogers
|-
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|3
|Too Many Times
|Earl Thomas Conley & Anita Pointer
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Too Much Is Not Enough
|The Bellamy Brothers with The Forester Sisters
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Touch Me When We're Dancing
|Alabama
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|—
|Until I Met You
|Judy Rodman
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|—
|Walk the Way the Wind Blows
|Kathy Mattea
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|2
|We've Got a Good Fire Goin'
|Don Williams
|-
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|7
|What You'll Do When I'm Gone
|Waylon Jennings
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|What's a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This)
|John Schneider
|-
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|27
|When It's Down to Me and You
|Charly McClain (with Wayne Massey)
|-
|align="center"|20
|align="center"|33
|When You Get to the Heart
|Barbara Mandrell (with The Oak Ridge Boys)
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|3
|Whoever's in New England
|Reba McEntire
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|5
|Will the Wolf Survive
|Waylon Jennings
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|13
|Wine Colored Roses
|George Jones
|-
|align="center"|16
|align="center"|19
|Working Class Man
|Lacy J. Dalton
|-
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|5
|Working Without a Net
|Waylon Jennings
|-
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|8
|You Are My Music, You Are My Song
|Charly McClain (with Wayne Massey)
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|You Can Dream of Me
|Steve Wariner
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|—
|You Can't Stop Love
|Schuyler, Knobloch & Overstreet
|-
|align="center"|24
|align="center"|20
|You Made a Rock of a Rolling Stone
|The Oak Ridge Boys
|-
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|3
|You Should Have Been Gone by Now
|Eddy Raven
|-
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|4
|You're Something Special to Me
|George Strait
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|You're Still New to Me
|Marie Osmond with Paul Davis
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|You're the Last Thing I Needed Tonight
|John Schneider
|-
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|2
|Your Memory Ain't What It Used to Be
|Mickey Gilley
|}
Singles released by Canadian artists
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!width="50"|<small>US</small>
!width="50"|<small>CAN</small>
!width="250"|Single
!width="150"|Artist
|-
|align="center"|91
|align="center"|9
|Being a Fool Again
|Audie Henry
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|15
|Call Me Up
|Rae Palmer
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|16
|Fiddlin' Man
|Whiskey Jack
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|13
|Forget About Me
|Anne Lord
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|4
|He's My Gentle Man
|Audie Henry
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|10
|Heads You Win (Tails I Lose)
|Anita Perras
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|8
|Hot on the Heels of Love
|The Haggertys
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|I'll Never Get Over You
|Anne Lord
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|13
|I'm Best at Lovin' You
|Murray McLauchlan
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|9
|I'm Taking Care of Myself
|Carroll Baker
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|5
|In My Arms Tonight
|Bootleg
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|9
|It's Times Like This
|Carol Martyn
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|18
|Love Crazy
|Gilles Godard
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|Love Sweet Love
|Terry Carisse
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|16
|Lovin' the Night Away
|Terry Sumsion
|-
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|Now and Forever (You and Me)
|Anne Murray
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|8
|Pretty Diamond Ring
|Mercey Brothers
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|9
|Reach Out and Touch Her
|Harvey Henry
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|14
|Rise Against the Wind
|Dick Damron with Ginny Mitchell
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|19
|Something Good
|Anita Perras with Tim Taylor
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|14
|Stealer of Hearts
|Ronnie Prophet
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|17
|Summer Nights
|The Ellis Family Band
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|6
|Take a Little Chance on Love
|Mercey Brothers
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|15
|Two Hearts in a Lonely Mind
|Jules
|-
|align="center"|80
|align="center"|8
|What If It's Right
|Family Brown
|-
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|18
|You Can't Hide from Love
|Stoker Bros
|}
Top new album releases
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! <small>US</small>
! Album
! Artist
! Record label
|-
| align="center"| 1
| #7
| George Strait
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Black & White
| Janie Frickie
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 22
| Born Yesterday
| The Everly Brothers
| Mercury/PolyGram
|-
| align="center"| 15
| Class of '55
| Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis,<br />Roy Orbison & Johnny Cash
| America/Smash
|-
| align="center"| 17
| Countrified
| John Anderson
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 7
| Four for the Show
| The Statler Brothers
| Mercury/PolyGram
|-
| align="center"| 2
| A Friend in California
| Merle Haggard
| Epic
|-
| align="center"| 16
| From the Pages of My Mind
| Ray Charles
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 20
| Girls Like Me
| Tanya Tucker
| Capitol
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Greatest Hits
| Alabama
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 2
| Greatest Hits
| Exile
| Epic
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Guitar Town
| Steve Earle
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
| Dwight Yoakam
| Reprise
|-
| align="center"| 9
| Harmony
| John Conlee
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 13
| Heroes
| Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 19
| I Only Wanted You
| Marie Osmond
| Capitol/Curb
|-
| align="center"| 15
| I Tell It Like It Used to Be
| T. Graham Brown
| Capitol
|-
| align="center"| 23
| Judy
| Judy Rodman
| MTM
|-
| align="center"| 25
| Just Can't Sit Down Music
| Mel McDaniel
| Capitol
|-
| align="center"| 21
| Looking Ahead
| Billy Joe Royal
| Atlantic America
|-
| align="center"| 9
| Love Will Find Its Way to You
| Lee Greenwood
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 3
| Love's Gonna Get Ya!
| Ricky Skaggs
| Epic
|-
| align="center"| 14
| Lyle Lovett
| Lyle Lovett
| Curb/MCA
|-
| align="center"| 17
| Merry Christmas Strait to You
| George Strait
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Montana Cafe
| Hank Williams, Jr.
| Curb/Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 9
| The O'Kanes
| The O'Kanes
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 12
| On the Front Line
| Dan Seals
| Capitol
|-
| align="center"| 15
| Out Among the Stars
| Merle Haggard
| Epic
|-
| align="center"| 8
| Out Goin' Cattin
| Sawyer Brown
| Capitol/Curb
|-
| align="center"| 13
| Partners
| Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 13
| Partners
| Willie Nelson
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 9
| Plain Brown Wrapper
| Gary Morris
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 1
| The Promiseland
| Willie Nelson
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 6
| Rabbitt Trax
| Eddie Rabbitt
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 8
| Seasons
| The Oak Ridge Boys
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 2
| Something to Talk About
| Anne Murray
| Capitol
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Storms of Life
| Randy Travis
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 12
| Straight to the Heart
| Crystal Gayle
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 11
| Surely You Joust
| Ray Stevens
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 8
| Sweethearts of the Rodeo
| Sweethearts of the Rodeo
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 17
| Take the Long Way Home
| John Schneider
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 16
| They Don't Make Them<br />Like They Used To
| Kenny Rogers
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 9
| Thirteen
| Emmylou Harris
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 3
| Too Many Times
| Earl Thomas Conley
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 1
| The Touch
| Alabama
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 10
| Twenty Years of Dirt
| Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 13
| Walk the Way the Wind Blows
| Kathy Mattea
| Mercury
|-
| align="center"| 1
| What Am I Gonna Do About You
| Reba McEntire
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Wheels
| Restless Heart
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Whoever's in New England
| Reba McEntire
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 1
| Will the Wolf Survive
| Waylon Jennings
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 5
| Wine Colored Roses
| George Jones
| Epic
|}
Other top albums
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! <small>US</small>
! Album
! Artist
! Record label
|-
| align="center"| 34
| All Tied Up in Love
| Ronnie McDowell
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 53
| American Vagabond
| William Lee Golden
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 59
| The Boys Are Back in Town
| The Maines Brothers Band
| Mercury/PolyGram
|-
| align="center"| 65
| Chance
| Chance
| Mercury/PolyGram
|-
| align="center"| 50
| Christmas Again
| The Oak Ridge Boys
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 65
| Christmas with Ronnie Milsap
| Ronnie Milsap
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 49
| Everybody Knows I'm Yours
| Jim Glaser
| MCA/Noble Vision
|-
| align="center"| 37
| Fallin' for You for Years
| Conway Twitty
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 47
| Fire at First Sight
| The Kendalls
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 29
| Floridays
| Jimmy Buffett
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 30
| The Girls Next Door
| Girls Next Door
| MTM
|-
| align="center"| 48
| Greatest Hits
| Vern Gosdin
| Compleat
|-
| align="center"| 27
| Greatest Hits Volume Two
| The Bellamy Brothers
| Curb/MCA
|-
| align="center"| 32
| Highway Diner
| Lacy J. Dalton
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 29
| Holly Dunn
| Holly Dunn
| MTM
|-
| align="center"| 26
| It Still Rains in Memphis
| T. G. Sheppard
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 35
| Killbilly Hill
| Southern Pacific
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 26
| L.A. to Miami
| Keith Whitley
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 34
| Marty Stuart
| Marty Stuart
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 62
| Memphis Sessions
| Rick Nelson
| Epic
|-
| align="center"| 53
| Moments
| Barbara Mandrell
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 66
| New Grass Revival
| New Grass Revival
| Capitol
|-
| align="center"| 29
| New Moves
| Don Williams
| Capitol
|-
| align="center"| 53
| Night Things
| Ed Bruce
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 40
| One and Only
| Mickey Gilley
| Epic
|-
| align="center"| 35
| Patty Loveless
| Patty Loveless
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 27
| Perfume, Ribbons & Pearls
| The Forester Sisters
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 56
| Portrait of a Singer
| Ray Price
| Step One
|-
| align="center"| 31
| Radio Gospel Favorites
| The Statler Brothers
| Mercury/PolyGram
|-
| align="center"| 40
| Reba Nell McEntire
| Reba McEntire
| Mercury/PolyGram
|-
| align="center"| 31
| Repossessed
| Kris Kristofferson
| Mercury/PolyGram
|-
| align="center"| 57
| Robin Lee
| Robin Lee
| Evergreen
|-
| align="center"| 40
| Rose of My Heart
| Nicolette Larson
| MCA
|-
| align="center"| 39
| Schuyler, Knobloch & Overstreet
| S-K-O
| MTM
|-
| align="center"| 70
| The Shoppe
| The Shoppe
| MTM
|-
| align="center"| 31
| Son of the South
| David Allan Coe
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 49
| Starting New Memories
| Gene Watson
| Epic
|-
| align="center"| 38
| Street Language
| Rodney Crowell
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 59
| Thank God for the Radio...<br />And All the Hits
| The Kendalls
| Mercury/PolyGram
|-
| align="center"| 35
| That Feeling Inside
| Mark Gray
| Columbia
|-
| align="center"| 54
| Think About Love
| Dolly Parton
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 46
| Tonight We Ride
| Michael Martin Murphey
| Warner Bros.
|-
| align="center"| 52
| Too Old to Grow Up
| Pake McEntire
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 28
| When Love Is Right
| Charly McClain & Wayne Massey
| Epic
|-
| align="center"| 26
| Wings
| Michael Johnson
| RCA
|-
| align="center"| 50
| Winners
| Donna Fargo
| Mercury/PolyGram
|}
On television
Regular series
- Hee Haw (1969–1993, syndicated)
Specials
Births
- February 2 — Blaine Larsen, 2000's (decade) singer better known for his single "How Do You Get That Lonely".
- March 23 — Brett Eldredge, singer of the 2010s best known for hits including "Don't Ya" and "Beat of the Music".
- April 1 — Hillary Scott, member of Lady Antebellum and daughter of Linda Davis.
- April 2 — Chris Janson, singer-songwriter known for his 2015 hit "Buy Me a Boat".
- June 18 — Jimmie Allen, singer-songwriter known for his late 2010s hits "Best Shot" and "Make Me Want To".
- June 28 — Kellie Pickler, sixth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol.
- August 16 — Ashton Shepherd, debuted in late 2007-early 2008 with her top 20 single "Takin' Off This Pain".
- September 10 — Ashley Monroe, singer-songwriter of the 2000s and 2010s and member of the Pistol Annies.
- September 19 — Chase Rice, singer of the 2010s best known for the hit "Ready Set Roll."
Deaths
- February 10 — Arthur E. Satherley, 96, music executive.
- May 30 — "Papa Joe" Brown, 60, founding member of Canadian country group Family Brown.
- June 20 — Whitey Ford, 85, beloved Grand Ole Opry comedian and storyteller.
- June 25 — Jenifer Strait, 13, daughter of George Strait (car accident).
- June 27 — Joe Maphis, 65, prolific guitarist and fiddler, prominently featured on the theme to "Bonanza" (cancer).
- December 5 — Carmol Taylor, 53, songwriter.
Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Duke of Paducah (1901–1986)
- Wesley Rose (1918–1990)
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Papa Joe Brown
Major awards
Grammy Awards
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "Whoever's in New England", Reba McEntire
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "Lost in the Fifties Tonight", Ronnie Milsap
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days)". The Judds
- Best Country Instrumental Performance — "Raisin' the Dickins", Ricky Skaggs
- Best Country Song — "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)", Jamie O'Hara (Performer: The Judds)
Juno Awards
- Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Murray McLauchlan
- Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Anne Murray
- Country Group or Duo of the Year — Prairie Oyster
Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer of the Year — Hank Williams, Jr.
- Song of the Year — "On the Other Hand", Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz (Performer: Randy Travis)
- Single of the Year — "On the Other Hand", Randy Travis
- Album of the Year — Storms of Life, Randy Travis
- Top Male Vocalist — Randy Travis
- Top Female Vocalist — Reba McEntire
- Top Vocal Duo — The Judds
- Top Vocal Group — The Forester Sisters
- Top New Male Vocalist — Dwight Yoakam
- Top New Female Vocalist — Holly Dunn
- Video of the Year — "Whoever's in New England", Reba McEntire (Directors: Jeff Schock and Jon Small)
Canadian Country Music Association
- Entertainer(s) of the Year — Family Brown
- Male Artist of the Year — Terry Carisse
- Female Artist of the Year — Anita Perras
- Group of the Year — Family Brown
- SOCAN Song of the Year — "Now and Forever", David Foster, Jim Vallance, Charles Randolph Goodrum (Performer: Anne Murray)
- Single of the Year — "Now and Forever," Anne Murray
- Album of the Year — Feel the Fire, Family Brown
- Top Selling Album — Hymns of Gold, Carroll Baker
- Vista Rising Star Award — J. K. Gulley
- Duo of the Year — Anita Perras and Tim Taylor
Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year — Reba McEntire
- Song of the Year — "On the Other Hand", Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz (Performer: Randy Travis)
- Single of the Year — "Bop", Dan Seals
- Album of the Year — Lost in the Fifties Tonight, Ronnie Milsap
- Male Vocalist of the Year — George Strait
- Female Vocalist of the Year — Reba McEntire
- Vocal Duo of the Year — Marie Osmond and Dan Seals
- Vocal Group of the Year — The Judds
- Horizon Award — Randy Travis
- Music Video of the Year — "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?", George Jones (Director: Marc Ball)
- Instrumentalist of the Year — Johnny Gimble
- Instrumental Group of the Year — The Oak Ridge Boys
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Country stars who got a star in 1986
the Everly Brothers
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
- Country Music Association
- Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame
References
External links
- Country Music Hall of Fame