Country-Musik 1996
Die Liste bietet eine Übersicht über das Jahr 1996 im Genre Country-Musik.

Ereignisse 
 Am 28. Juni fand die erste Ausgabe des Country Stampede Music Festivals (heute: Heartland Stampede Music Festival) statt.
 Im Mai veröffentlicht George Jones seine Autobiografie I Lived to Tell It All.
 Am 6. Oktober heirateten die beiden Country-Superstars Tim McGraw und Faith Hill.
 Am 23. November bittet Trace Adkins bei seinem Grand Ole Opry Debüt während der Show seine Freundin Rhonda Forlaw auf Knien um ihre Hand. Die Ehe, Adkins sechste, hielt 16 Jahre.
 Der deutschen Countryband Truck Stop wird die Goldene Stimmgabel verliehen.

Top Hits des Jahres

Year-End-Charts 
Dies ist die Top 10 der Year-End-Charts, die vom Billboard-Magazin erhoben wurde.

 One Way Ticket (Because I Can) – LeAnn Rimes
 Little Bitty – Alan Jackson
 The Fear of Being Alone – Reba McEntire
 That Ol’ Wind – Garth Brooks
 Big Love – Tracy Byrd
 Nobody Knows – Kevin Sharp
 Every Light in the House – Trace Adkins
 Friends – John Michael Montgomery
 Maybe We Should Just Sleep on It – Tim McGraw
 Her Man – Gary Allan

Nummer-1-Hits 
 6. Januar – Rebecca Lynn – Bryan White
 13. Januar – It Matters to Me – Faith Hill
 3. Februar – (If You're Not In It For Love) I'm Outta Here – Shania Twain
 17. Februar – Bigger Than the Beatles – Joe Diffie
 2. März – Wild Angels – Martina McBride
 9. März – I'll Try – Alan Jackson
 16. März – The Beaches of Cheyenne – Garth Brooks
 23. März – You Can Feel Bad – Patty Loveless
 6. April – To Be Loved by You – Wynonna Judd
 13. April – No News – Lonestar
 4. Mai – You Win My Love – Shania Twain
 18. Mai – My Maria – Brooks & Dunn
 8. Juni – Blue Clear Sky – George Strait
 22. Juni – Time Marches On – Tracy Lawrence
 13. Juli – No One Needs To Know – Shania Twain
 20. Juli – Daddy's Money – Ricochet
 3. August – Don't Get Me Started – Rhett Akins
 10. August – Carried Away – George Strait
 31. August – She Never Lets it Go to Her Heart – Tim McGraw
 14. September – Guys Do it All the Time – Mindy McCready
 21. September – So Much For Pretending – Bryan White
 5. Oktober – Living in a Moment – Ty Herndon
 12. Oktober – Believe Me Baby (I Lied) – Trisha Yearwood
 26. Oktober – Like the Rain – Clint Black
 16. November – Lonely Too Long – Patty Loveless
 23. November – Strawberry Wine – Deana Carter
 7. Dezember – Little Bitty – Alan Jackson
 28. Dezember – One Way Ticket (Because I Can) – LeAnn Rimes

Weitere Hits 
Die Auswahl beschränkt sich auf Songs, die in den Country-Billboard-Charts in die Top 20 gekommen sind.

Alben

Year-End-Charts 
Dies ist die Top 10 der Year-End-Charts, die vom Billboard-Magazin erhoben wurde.

 LeAnn Rimes – LeAnn Rimes
 Everything I Love – Alan Jackson
 Did I Shave My Legs for You? – Deana Carter
 What If It's You? – Reba McEntire
 The Greatest Hits – Clint Black
 The Woman in Me – Shania Twain
 Blue Clear Sky – George Strait
 Borderline – Brooks & Dunn
 What I Do the Best – John Michael Montgomery
 The Gift – Kenny Rogers

Nummer-1-Hits 
 6. Januar – Fresh Horses – Garth Brooks
 27. Januar – The Woman in Me – Shania Twain
 4. Mai – Borderline – Brooks & Dunn
 11. Mai – Blue Clear Sky – George Strait
 18. Mai – Borderline – Brooks & Dunn
 29. Juni – The Woman in Me – Shania Twain
 27. Juli – Blue – LeAnn Rimes
 16. November – Everything I Love – Alan Jackson
 30. November – What if It’s You – Reba McEntire
 7. Dezember – Everything I Love – Alan Jackson
 14. Dezember – Blue – LeAnn Rimes

Weitere Alben 
Die Auswahl beschränkt sich auf Alben, die in den Country-Billboard-Charts in die Top 20 gekommen sind.

Geboren 
 23. Juli – Danielle Bradbery, Gewinnerin der vierten Staffel von The Voice USA

Gestorben 
 17. Februar – Gus Hardlin (50), Sängerin, (All Tangled in Love mit Earl Thomas Conley)
 4. März – Minnie Pearl, 83, Grand Ole Opry Star, Komödiantin.
 3. Mai – Patsy Montana, 87, erste Country-Sängerin mit einem Millionenhit (I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart).
 16. Juni – Anthony Armstrong Jones, 47, Country-Sänger (Take a Letter Maria)
 22. August – Oliver Lynn, 69, Ehemann von Loretta Lynn
 9. September – Bill Monroe, 84, „Father of Bluegrass“
 10. Dezember – Faron Young, 64, bekannt als „The Hillbilly Heartthrob“ und „The Singing Sheriff“

Hall of Fames

Bluegrass Music Hall 
 Peter V. Kuykendall
 The Country Gentlemen
 Charlie Waller
 John Duffey
 Eddie Adcock
 Tom Gray

Country Music Hall of Fame 
 Patsy Montana (1908–1996)
 Buck Owens (1929–2006)
 Ray Price (1926–2013)

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame 
 Myrna Lorrie
 Larry Delaney

Die wichtigsten Auszeichnungen

Grammys 
 Best Female Country Vocal Performance – LeAnn Rimes – Blue
 Best Male Country Vocal Performance – Vince Gill – Worlds Apart
 Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group – Brooks & Dunn – My Maria
 Best Country Collaboration With Vocals – Alison Krauss & Union Station. – High Lonesome Sound
 Best Country Instrumental Performance – Chet Atkins – Jam Man
 Best Country Song – Bill Mack – Blue
 Best Country Album – Lyle Lovett – The Road To Ensenada
 Best Bluegrass Album – Todd Phillips – True Life Blues – The Songs Of Bill Monroe

Academy of Country Music 
 Entertainer Of The Year – Brooks & Dunn
 Song Of The Year – Blue, LeAnn Rimes, Bill Mack
 Single Of The Year – Blue, LeAnn Rimes
 Album Of The Year – Blue Clear Sky, George Strait
 Top Male Vocalist – George Strait
 Top Female Vocalist – Patty Loveless
 Top Vocal Duo – Brooks & Dunn
 Top Vocal Group – Sawyer Brown
 Top New Male Vocalist – Trace Adkins
 Top New Female Vocalist – LeAnn Rimes
 Top New Vocal Duo Or Group – Ricochet
 Video Of The Year – I Think About You, Collin Raye

ARIA Awards 
 Best Country Album – Home Fires (The Dead Ringer Band)

Country Music Association 
 Entertainer of the Year – Brooks & Dunn
 Male Vocalist of the Year – George Strait
 Female Vocalist of the Year – Patty Loveless
 Vocal Group of the Year – The Mavericks
 Vocal Duo of the Year – Brooks & Dunn
 Horizon Award – Bryan White
 Musician of the Year – Mark O’Connor
 Vocal Event of the Year – I Will Always Love You, Dolly Parton and Vince Gill
 Single of the Year – Check Yes or No, George Strait
 Song of the Year – Go Rest High on That Mountain, Vince Gill
 Album of the Year – Blue Clear Sky, George Strait
 Music Video of the Year – My Wife Thinks You're Dead, Junior Brown (director: Michael McNamara)

Juno Awards 
 Country Male Vocalist of the Year — Paul Brandt
 Country Female Vocalist of the Year — Shania Twain
 Country Group or Duo of the Year — The Rankin Family

RPM Big Country Awards 
 Canadian Country Artist of the Year — Shania Twain
 Best Country Album — The Woman in Me, Shania Twain
 Best Country Single — "Any Man of Mine", Shania Twain
 Top Male Vocalist — Charlie Major
 Top Female Vocalist — Shania Twain
 Top Group — Prairie Oyster
 Outstanding New Artist — Jason McCoy
 Top Country Composer(s) — Shania Twain

Einzelnachweise 

Musik 1996
1996