2003 in country music

Encyclopedia : 2 : 20 : 200 : 2003 in country music

Contents

1 Events
2 Top hits of the year

2.1 Number one hits
2.2 Other major hits

3 Top new album releases
4 Births
5 Deaths
6 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
7 Major Awards

7.1 Grammy awards
7.2 Academy of Country Music
7.3 Country Music Association

8 Further reading
9 Other links
10 External links

Events

March 10 – During a concert in London, England, Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines said that the band was "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas" (referring to Maines' hometown of Lubbock and President Bush hailing from the same state). The comment sparked intense controversey and outrage among Americans, including a large share of country music fans.

Those who took offense to Maines' comments based their feelings on a number of grounds, including that the country was then on the verge of declaring war on Iraq (which happened less than two weeks later) and that Maines made the comments on foreign soil. Chicks' supporters, meanwhile, cited their right to free speech. Radio stations – perhaps riding the wave of fan sentiment – refuse to play their music on the air, including their then-current hit, "Travelin' Soldier" (which ironically was about a soldier who is about to go to war); some even sponsor anti-Dixie Chicks promotional events, such as disposing and destroying Chicks' compact discs and other merchandise. Maines, meanwhile, defended her stance during a televised interview with Diane Sawyer

Maines and her bandmates – Emily Robison and Martie Maguire – appeared nude (with private parts strategically covered) on the May 2 cover of Entertainment Weekly. Their bodies were covered with words such as "Saddam's Angels" and "Traitor." [link]

July – The Rascal Flatts video, "I Melt," comes under fire by conservative groups because it contains brief scenes of nudity. The video stars band member Joe Don Rooney and model Christina Auria. Groups called for the video to be banned from airplay on CMT and Great American Country. Eventually, Rascal Flatts released an edited version of the video, which aired during daytime hours on the two country music-oriented networks. [link]

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

(As certified by Billboard magazine)

Date	Song Name	Artist	Wks. No. 1	Spec. Note
January 11	"19 Somethin'"	Mark Wills	6
February 22	"The Baby"	Blake Shelton	3
March 15	"Man to Man"	Gary Allan	1
March 22	"Travelin' Soldier"	Dixie Chicks	1
March 29	"Brokenheartsville"	Joe Nichols	1
April 5	"Have You Forgotten?"	Darryl Worley	7
May 24	"Three Wooden Crosses"	Randy Travis	1
May 31	"I Believe"	Diamond Rio	2
June 14	"Beer For My Horses"	Toby Keith and Willie Nelson	6
July 26	"My Front Porch Looking In"	Lonestar	1
August 2	"Red Dirt Road"	Brooks & Dunn	1
August 9	"It's Five O' Clock Somewhere"	Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett	8	^{1, 2}
September 27	"What Was I Thinkin'"	Dierks Bentley	1
October 11	"Real Good Man"	Tim McGraw	2
October 25	"Tough Little Boys"	Gary Allan	2
November 8	"Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me"	Keith Urban	1
November 15	"I Love This Bar"	Toby Keith	5
December 20	"There Goes My Life"	Kenny Chesney	7

¹ – No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard magazine.
² – Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.

Other major hits

"99.9% Sure (Never Been Here Before)" – Brian McComas
"Almost Home" – Craig Morgan
"Back Seat of a Greyhound Bus" – Sara Evans
"Big Star" – Kenny Chesney
"Celebrity" – Brad Paisley
"Concrete Angel" – Martina McBride
"Cowboys Like Us" – George Strait
"Chrome" – Trace Adkins
"A Few Questions" – Clay Walker
"Fall Into Me" – Emerson Drive
"Forever and for Always" – Shania Twain
"Hell Yeah!" – Montgomery Gentry
"Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey's Song)" – Buddy Jewell
"Hurt" – Johnny Cash
"I Can't Be Your Friend" – Rushlow
"I Just Wanna Be Mad" – Terri Clark
"I Melt" – Rascal Flatts
"I Wish You'd Stay" – Brad Paisley
"I'm Gonna Take That Mountain" – Reba McEntire
"The Love Song" – Jeff Bates
"Love You Out Loud" – Rascal Flatts
"Lovin' All Night" – Patty Loveless
"Next Big Thing" – Vince Gill
"No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" – Kenny Chesney
"Picture" – Kid Rock with Sheryl Crow
"Raining On Sunday" – Keith Urban
"Rock You Baby" – Toby Keith
"She's My Kind of Rain" – Tim McGraw
"Speed" – Montgomery Gentry
"Stay Gone" – Jimmy Wayne
"Strong Enough to Be Your Man" – Travis Tritt
"Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa" – George Strait
"That'd Be Alright" – Alan Jackson
"Then They Do" – Trace Adkins
"There's No Limit" – Deana Carter
"This One's For the Girls" – Martina McBride
"'Til Nothing Comes Between Us" – John Michael Montgomery
"The Truth About Men" – Tracy Byrd and Friends
"Unusually Unusual" – Lonestar
"Up!" – Shania Twain
"Walk a Little Straighter" – Billy Currington
"Walkin' in Memphis" – Lonestar
"Wave on Wave" – Pat Green
"What a Beautiful Day" – Chris Cagle
"What The World Needs" – Wynonna Judd
"Wrinkles" – Diamond Rio
"You Can't Hide Beautiful" – Aaron Lines

Births

Deaths

April 22 - Felice Bryant, 77, songwriter
May 15 – June Carter Cash, 73, member of the Carter Family and wife of Johnny Cash (complications from heart surgery).
August 26 - Wilma Burgess, 64, country vocalist of the 1960s best known for "Misty Blue."
September 12 - Johnny Cash, 71, vastly influential singer/songwriter/guitarist whose music transcended musical boundaries (diabetic complications)
November 17 - Don Gibson, 75, influential songwriter (best known for "I Can't Stop Loving You") and singer who helped introduce the Nashville Sound (natural causes).
December 16 - Gary Stewart, 58, rough, outlaw-styled country singer known for his drinking songs ("She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles") (suicide).
December 22 - Dave Dudley, 75, best known for his 1960s-era truck driving songs, such as "Six Days on the Road" (heart attack).

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Floyd Cramer (1933–1997)
Carl Smith (born 1927)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

Academy of Country Music

Entertainer Of The Year -- Toby Keith
Song Of The Year -- "Three Wooden Crosses" - Randy Travis - Douglas Johnson, Kim Williams Williams
Single Of The Year -- "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" - Alan Jackson
Album Of The Year -- "Shock'n Y' All" - Toby Keith
Top Male Vocalist -- Toby Keith
Top Female Vocalist -- Martina McBride
Top Vocal Duo -- Brooks & Dunn
Top Vocal Group -- Rascal Flatts
Top New Artist -- Dierks Bentley
Video Of The Year -- "Beer For My Horses" - Toby Keith and Willie Nelson (Director: Michael Salomon)
Vocal Event Of The Year -- "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" - Alan Jackson

Country Music Association

External links

[Country Music Hall of Fame]

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