September — Lynn Anderson becomes a featured vocalist on The Lawrence Welk Show; earlier in the year, she signs her first national recording contract with Chart Records.
October — The first Country Music Association Awards are handed out at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium. The show is not televised.
No dates
For the first time in history, more than 20 No. 1 songs top the BillboardHot Country Singles chart in a 52-week timespan. It will mark the start of a new trend in country music: a proliferation of No. 1 songs in a given year, a trend that – thanks to changes in radio programming Billboard data compilation – peaks in 1986 when there is a new No. 1 song every week.
Dolly Parton joins Porter Wagoner's band, television series and road show. She and Wagoner record their first duets, releasing "The Last Thing on My Mind" (their first major hit together) late in the year. Parton will go on to become the first woman in country music to have top 10 hits in five different decades.
The Browns disband when sisters Maxine and Bonnie leave the group. Jim Ed Brown begins the second phase of his long career – as a solo recording artist. The move pays off, as he immediately scores with "Pop a Top."
December 26 — Audrey Wiggins, sister of John Wiggins, since the 1990s.
Deaths
January 1 — Moon Mullican, 57, known as the "King of the Hillbilly Piano Players", also widely known today for his hit "I'll Sail My Ship Alone" (heart attack).
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 (ISBN0-8118-3572-3)
Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN0-06-273244-7)
Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.