From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2006.
Overview of the events of 2006 in country music
Events
[
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]
- January 14 ? With the song, "
She Let Herself Go
",
George Strait
scores his 40th No. 1 hit on the
Billboard
Hot Country Songs
chart, all of them solo. It ties a 20-year-old record for most No. 1's on the country chart, held by
Conway Twitty
(35 solo, five duet with
Loretta Lynn
).
- January 21 ?
Kix Brooks
, one half of the country superstar duo
Brooks & Dunn
, takes over as host of "
American Country Countdown
," succeeding longtime host
Bob Kingsley
.
- April ?
Hank Williams Jr.
is arrested in
Memphis, Tennessee
, for assault after attempting to choke a teenage waitress at a hotel there.
- May ?
People
reports on the
engagement
of
Keith Urban
and actress
Nicole Kidman
. The two are married on June 25. Also during the month,
Little Big Town
members Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild are wed; their marriage was announced in July.
- May 3 ?
Lynn Anderson
arrested in New Mexico after causing a traffic accident at a local intersection due to drunk driving. She was released the next day on bond. Anderson was taken to court later that year where all her previous charges were dropped, as long as she didn't commit any more offenses.
- May 21 ?
Grand Ole Opry
mainstay
Billy Walker
is killed in a car accident near
Fort Deposit, Alabama
, when the van he was riding in overturned along
Interstate 65
. Also killed in the wreck are Walker's wife, Bettie; and two member of his band. His 21-year-old grandson, Joshua Brooks, is critically injured. Walker was returning home from a show near
Gulf Shores, Alabama
.
[1]
- May 23 ?
The Tennessean
of
Nashville
reports plans by
Academy of Country Music
to move its awards show to April, after consistently being drubbed in the ratings by powerhouse
American Idol
. The ACMs, which aired May 24 on CBS, appeared opposite
Fox
's
American Idol
for the fourth year in a row.
[2]
- June 24 ? The first
Midsummer Day
country music festival in
Drottningstorp
is held.
[3]
- July 4 ?
Johnny Cash
releases
American V
which instantly hits #1.
- August 17 ? Los Angeles' lone country music station, KZLA-FM, switches its format to
urban pop
.
[4]
- August 19 ?
Keith Urban
's "
Once in a Lifetime
" becomes the highest-ever debuting song on the
Billboard
Hot Country Songs chart during the
Broadcast Data Systems
-era, ranking at No. 17 in its first week. "Lifetime" breaks the 10-month-old BDS-era standard set by "
Good Ride Cowboy
" by
Garth Brooks
.
- September 12 ?
Sara Evans
and professional partner
Tony Dovolani
begin competing on ABC's
Dancing with the Stars
, to rousing reviews. Evans' gig will last four weeks.
- September 18 ?
Willie Nelson
and several of his band members are charged with misdemeanor drug possession in Louisiana. State police had pulled Nelson's tour bus over for a routine commercial inspection and, after smelling a suspicious odor inside, searched the bus and found marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms.
[5]
- September 30 ?
George Strait
finally breaks
Conway Twitty
's record by scoring his record 41st No. 1 hit on the
Billboard
Hot Country Songs chart with "
Give It Away
".
- September 30 ? The documentary
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing
is released. The film chronicles the lives of the
Dixie Chicks
band members and the fallout that resulted after lead singer
Natalie Maines
made critical remarks about U.S. President
George W. Bush
during a 2003 concert in
London, England
.
- October 13 ? One day after abruptly leaving
Dancing with the Stars
, news breaks that Sara Evans was seeking a divorce from her husband, Craig Schelske. Allegations Evans levied against Schelske included his affair with the family's ex-nanny, that he watched and downloaded pornography in the house, and his removal of $275,000 from the couple's joint bank account on the day the divorce decree was filed.
[6]
- October 19 ? Keith Urban checks himself into a rehabilitation center for alcohol abuse.
[7]
- October 20 ?
Flicka
, an adaptation of the 1941 children's novel, hits the movie theaters.
Tim McGraw
is in the leading adult male role as Wyoming rancher Rob McLaughlin.
- November 6 ? The Country Music Association awards airs for the first time on ABC. The awards show had been on CBS since 1972. Keith Urban, who won the Male Vocalist of the Year, is absent due to his rehab stint, and co-host
Ronnie Dunn
read Urban's acceptance letter. Hall of Fame inductee
Kris Kristofferson
presented the inductions for 2006 inductees
George Strait
,
Harold Bradley
and
Sonny James
, each of whom gave brief acceptance speeches; Strait also performed his No. 1 hit "Give It Away."
[8]
Controversy reigned when
Faith Hill
appeared to react angrily after
Carrie Underwood
won the Female Vocalist of the Year award.
[9]
- December 3 ? The
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
honors
Dolly Parton
for her lifetime contributions to the arts.
No dates
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]
- No less than nine acts achieved their first No. 1 hit on the
Billboard
Hot Country Songs chart during 2006, the most since 1991. Those artists were
Carrie Underwood
,
Josh Turner
,
Bon Jovi
along with
Jennifer Nettles
of
Sugarland
,
Jack Ingram
,
Jason Aldean
,
Rodney Atkins
,
The Wreckers
,
Heartland
and
Sugarland
. Four of those acts ? Bon Jovi, Nettles, The Wreckers and Heartland ? turned the trick with their first charted country single. (Although she previously had two Top 5 hits and a Top 10 hit as a member of Sugarland,
Jennifer Nettles
made her first entry on the Hot Country Songs chart under her own name as part of a collaboration with
Bon Jovi
, which, in turn, also made their first Hot Country Songs chart entry. Their collaboration, "
Who Says You Can't Go Home
", ultimately peaked at No. 1 on that chart ? a first for both Nettles and Bon Jovi ? and as of late, it is the only No. 1 hit for either act there. Sugarland, Nettles' group, would eventually score
their
first career No. 1 hit on the same chart by the end of the year.)
- During that same 12-month time span, chart veteran
George Strait
extended his No. 1 string to a
Billboard
-best 41, beating
Conway Twitty
's record of 40 No. 1's, while
Dolly Parton
scored her 25th No. 1 (as part of a duet with
Brad Paisley
) and
Kenny Chesney
extended his string of No. 1's to 10.
Top hits of the year
[
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]
The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the
Hot Country Songs
or
Canada Country
charts in 2006:
Top new album releases
[
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]
The following albums placed within the Top 50 on the
Top Country Albums
charts in 2006:
Other top albums
[
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]
Deaths
[
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]
- March 23 ?
Cindy Walker
, 87, prolific songwriter ("You Don't Know Me," "
Cherokee Maiden
"). (extended illness)
- March 25 ?
Buck Owens
, 76, one of the pioneers of the Bakersfield Sound; co-host of
Hee Haw
. (
heart attack
)
- April 24 ?
Bonnie Owens
, 76, singer-songwriter and ex-wife of
Buck Owens
and
Merle Haggard
(complications from
Alzheimer's disease
).
- May 21 ?
Billy Walker
, 77, Grand Ole Opry legend best known for "Charlie's Shoes" and "Cross the Brazos at Waco" (
car accident
).
- August 14 ?
Johnny Duncan
, 67, country music stalwart of the 1970s, best known for a series of duets with
Janie Fricke
. (heart attack)
- October 14 ?
Freddy Fender
, 69,
Tex Mex
-styled singer-songwriter who achieved his greatest success in the mid-1970s ("
Before the Next Teardrop Falls
," "
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
"), and recorded with two Tejano bands. (
lung cancer
)
- November 1 ?
Buddy Killen
, 74, record producer and music publishing owner.
- December 22 ?
Dennis Linde
, 63, well-respected songwriter of hits for acts ranging from Elvis Presley and Roger Miller to Garth Brooks and the Dixie Chicks. (
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
)
Hall of Fame inductees
[
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]
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees
[
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]
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
[
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]
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
[
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]
Major awards
[
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]
Grammy Awards
[
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]
(presented February 11, 2007 in
Los Angeles
)
[10]
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance
? "
Jesus, Take the Wheel
",
Carrie Underwood
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance
? "
The Reason Why
",
Vince Gill
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
? "
Not Ready to Make Nice
,"
Dixie Chicks
- Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
? "
Who Says You Can't Go Home
",
Bon Jovi
with
Jennifer Nettles
- Best Country Instrumental Performance
? "
Whiskey Before Breakfast
",
Bryan Sutton
and
Doc Watson
- Best Country Song
? "Jesus, Take the Wheel",
Brett James
,
Hillary Lindsey
and
Gordie Sampson
- Best Country Album
?
Taking the Long Way
, Dixie Chicks
- Best Bluegrass Album
?
Instrumentals
,
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
Juno Awards
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]
(presented April 1, 2007 in
Saskatoon
)
[11]
CMT Music Awards
[
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]
(presented April 10 in
Nashville
)
[12]
- Video of the Year
? "
Better Life
",
Keith Urban
- Male Video of the Year
? "
Who You'd Be Today
",
Kenny Chesney
- Female Video of the Year
? "
Jesus, Take the Wheel
",
Carrie Underwood
- Group/Duo Video of the Year
? "
Skin (Sarabeth)
",
Rascal Flatts
- Breakthrough Video of the Year
? "Jesus, Take the Wheel", Carrie Underwood
- Collaborative Video of the Year
? "
Who Says You Can't Go Home
",
Bon Jovi
Featuring
Jennifer Nettles
- Hottest Video of the Year
? "
Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right
",
Billy Currington
- Most Inspiring Video of the Year
? "
When I Get Where I'm Going
",
Brad Paisley
Featuring
Dolly Parton
- Video Director of the Year
? "
Like We Never Loved at All
",
Faith Hill
Featuring
Tim McGraw
(Director:
Sophie Muller
)
- Johnny Cash Visionary Award
?
Hank Williams, Jr.
Americana Music Honors & Awards
[
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]
Academy of Country Music
[
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]
(presented May 15, 2007 in
Las Vegas
)
[13]
ARIA Awards
[
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]
(presented in Sydney on October 29, 2006)
Canadian Country Music Association
[
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]
(presented September 11 in
Saint John
)
[14]
Country Music Association
[
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]
(presented November 6 in
Nashville, Tennessee
)
[15]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
News of Billy Walker's death
from
CMT.com
- ^
ACMs eager to end role as 'Idol' sacrifice
,
The Tennessean
, May 23, 2006 (accessed May 24, 2006)
- ^
Peter Gustafsson (22 June 2008).
"Det har blivit en tradition att aka hit"
(in Swedish). J-nytt. Archived from
the original
on 2015-04-02
. Retrieved
26 June
2011
.
- ^
L.A. loses lone country music station
- ^
"Willie Nelson Cited for Drug Possession"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-03-30
. Retrieved
2009-03-03
.
- ^
Country Singer Sara Evans Cites Porn, Adultery and Abuse in Divorce Papers
- ^
Keith Urban Enters Rehab
Archived
2007-09-27 at the
Wayback Machine
, WCBS-TV, October 20, 2006 (accessed November 8, 2006)
- ^
Strait, James and Bradley tapped for Country Hall of Fame
,
CMT.com
(accessed August 30, 2006)
- ^
"Faith Hill Reaction Makes Headlines"
. Archived from
the original
on 2007-03-17
. Retrieved
2007-02-13
.
- ^
Grammy Award Winners
- ^
2007 Juno Award Winners
Archived
2007-09-27 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
2006 CMT Music Awards Winners
- ^
Academy of Country Music
- ^
"2006 CCMA Awards Winners"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2009-02-20
. Retrieved
2009-01-05
.
- ^
42nd Annual CMA Awards
Other links
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External links
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]