1998 in country music

Events

• January 10 — "Retro Country USA," a weekly two-hour syndicated radio program spotlighting major country hits of the 1980s, premieres. The show is initially hosted by Tampa radio personality Ken Cooper, and later "Big" Steve Kelly.
• February 25 — Johnny Cash's album, Unchained, wins a Grammy Award for Best Country Album. The album had been a critical success but was largely ignored by mainstream country radio, a fact Cash and producer Rick Rubin pick up on when they purchase a full-page advertisement in Billboard magazine. The ad, which appeared in March, featured a young Cash displaying his middle finger and sarcastically "thanking" radio for supporting the album.
• June 30 — The divorce of Vince and Janis Gill is finalized.
• December — The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts honors Willie Nelson for his lifetime contributions to the arts. Nelson is the first primarily country performer so honored.

  Top hits of the year

Singles released by American artists

Singles released by Canadian artists

Top new album releases

Other top albums

Deaths

• January 7 — Owen Bradley, 82, legendary record producer for top artists.
• January 17 — Cliffie Stone, 80, music executive and bassist.
• January 19 — Carl Perkins, 65, top picker and rockabilly artist.
• January 24 — Justin Tubb, 62, singer-songwriter who fused honky-tonk and rockabilly in the 1950s.
• February 19 — Grandpa Jones, 84, banjo player, old-time country/gospel singer, comedian and regular on "Hee Haw"
• February 25 — Rockin' Sidney Simien, 59, rhythm and blues, Zydeco, and soul musician best known to country audiences for his 1985 hit, "My Toot Toot."
• April 6 — Tammy Wynette, 55, top country female vocalist of the 1960s and 1970s, best known for hits "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and "Stand By Your Man."
• April 16 — Rose Maddox, 71, female honky-tonk and rockabilly pioneer who fronted the Maddox Brothers and Rose
• May 7 — Eddie Rabbitt, 56, prolific songwriter and pop-country vocalist who once had 35 Top 10 hits in as many releases.
• May 22 – Royce Kendall, 62, sang alongside daughter, Jeannie Kendall, of The Kendalls.
• June 10 — Steve Sanders, 45, member of the Oak Ridge Boys from 1987 to 1995; replaced and succeeded by William Lee Golden.
• July 6 — Roy Rogers, 86, actor, singer and "King of the Cowboys."
• October 2 — Gene Autry, 91, actor and "The Singing Cowboy".

  Hall of Fame inductees

Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees

• Carlton Haney
• Chubby Wise

  Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

• George Morgan
• Elvis Presley
• E.W. “Bud” Wendell
• Tammy Wynette

  Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees

• Ray Griff
• Bill Anderson

  Major awards

Grammy Awards

• Best Female Country Vocal Performance — "You're Still the One," Shania Twain
• Best Male Country Vocal Performance — "If You Ever Have Forever in Mind", Vince Gill
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — "There's Your Trouble", Dixie Chicks
• Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "Same Old Train", Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam
• Best Country Instrumental Performance — "A Soldier's Joy" Vince Gill and Randy Scruggs
• Best Country Song — "You're Still the One", Shania Twain and Robert John "Mutt" Lange
• Best Country Album — Wide Open Spaces, Dixie Chicks
• Best Bluegrass Album — Bluegrass Rules!, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

  Juno Awards

• Best Country Male Vocalist — Paul Brandt
• Best Country Female Vocalist — Shania Twain
• Best Country Group or Duo — Leahy

  Academy of Country Music

• Entertainer of the Year — Garth Brooks
• Song of the Year — "Holes in the Floor of Heaven", Steve Wariner and Billy Kirsch
• Single of the Year — "This Kiss", Faith Hill
• Album of the Year — Wide Open Spaces, Dixie Chicks
• Top Male Vocalist — Tim McGraw
• Top Female Vocalist — Faith Hill
• Top Vocal Duo or Group — Dixie Chicks
• Top New Male Vocalist — Mark Wills
• Top New Female Vocalist — Jo Dee Messina
• Top New Vocal Duo or Group — Dixie Chicks
• Video of the Year — "This Kiss", Faith Hill
• Vocal Event of the Year — "Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me", Faith Hill with Tim McGraw

  ARIA Awards

• Best Country Album' - My Own Sweet Time''

  Canadian Country Music Association

• CMT Maple Leaf Foods Fans' Choice Award — Shania Twain
• Male Artist of the Year — Paul Brandt
• Female Artist of the Year — Shania Twain
• Group or Duo of the Year — Leahy
• SOCAN Song of the Year — "Born Again in Dixieland," Jason McCoy, Naoise Sheridan, Denny Carr
• Single of the Year — "You're Still the One," Shania Twain
• Album of the Year — Come on Over, Shania Twain
• Top Selling Album — Come on Over, Shania Twain
• Video of the Year — "Don't Be Stupid ", Shania Twain
• Wrangler Rising Star Award — Bruce Guthro
• Vocal Collaboration of the Year — "Your Love", Michelle Wright and Jim Brickman

  Country Music Association

• Entertainer of the Year — Garth Brooks
• Song of the Year — "Holes in the Floor of Heaven", Steve Wariner and Billy Kirsch
• Single of the Year — "Holes in the Floor of Heaven", Steve Wariner
• Album of the Year — Everywhere, Tim McGraw
• Male Vocalist of the Year — George Strait
• Female Vocalist of the Year — Trisha Yearwood
• Vocal Duo of the Year — Brooks & Dunn
• Vocal Group of the Year — Dixie Chicks
• Horizon Award — Dixie Chicks
• Music Video of the Year — "This Kiss", Faith Hill
• Vocal Event of the Year — "You Don't Seem to Miss Me," Patty Loveless with George Jones
• Musician of the Year — Brett Mason

  RPM Big Country Awards

• Canadian Country Artist of the Year — Shania Twain
• Best Country Album — Come On Over, Shania Twain
• Best Country Single — "Little Ol' Kisses", Julian Austin
• Male Artist of the Year — Paul Brandt
• Female Artist of the Year — Terri Clark
• Group of the Year — Leahy
• Outstanding New Male Artist — Bruce Guthro
• Outstanding New Female Artist — Beverley Mahood
• Outstanding New Group or Duo — Montana Sky
• Canadian Country Video — "Little Ol' Kisses", Julian Austin
• Top Country Composer — Julian Austin