appearing are Tex Ritter and the Sons of the Pioneers. Top hits of the year Number-one hits United States (as certified by Billboard) 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. Note: Through October 13, several songs were simultaneous No. 1 hits on the separate "Most Played C&W by Jockeys" and "C&W Best Sellers in Stores" charts. Only one No. 1 per week is possible starting with the "Hot C&W Sides" chart, which begins October 20. Other major hits Top new album releases Foreign Love – Hank Locklin (RCA Victor) Sings the Songs that Made Him Famous – Johnny Cash (Sun) Births February 21 — Mary Chapin Carpenter, folk-styled country singer of the 1990s. February 24 — Sammy Kershaw, neotraditionalist of the 1990s and beyond. March 28 — Elisabeth Andreassen, Norwegian female country singer. May 23 — Shelly West, country singer of the 1980s, daughter of Dottie West. July 3 — Aaron Tippin, honky-tonk styled singer-songwriter of the 1990s and 2000s (decade). July 29 — Bobby Jensen, keyboardist from the Western Underground. July 30 — Neal McCoy, Asian country singer of the 1990s. September 6 — Jeff Foxworthy, comedian best known for "You Must Be a Redneck If ..." tagline; host of eponymously named countdown and "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" game show. September 16 — Terry McBride, lead singer of the 1990s trio McBride & the Ride. September 30 — Marty Stuart, neotraditionalist and Grand Ole Opry stalwart. October 10 — Tanya Tucker, teen-aged country star of the 1970s, who continued to be a major country star during the 1980s and 1990s. October 17 — Alan Jackson, neotraditionalist singer since the 1990s. October 25 — Mark Miller, lead singer of Sawyer Brown. December 28 — Joe Diffie, honky tonk-styled singer of the 1990s and early 2000s (decade) (d. 2020). Deaths September 12 – Rod Brasfield, 48, comedian who was immensely popular with Grand Ole Opry audiences (heart failure). 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,