This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1985.
Events January — In radio, the United Stations Programming Network’s "Solid Gold Country," a country music spinoff of the oldies-focused "Solid Gold Scrapbook," switches from a three-hour-a-week show to a five-day-a-week program (with the option to air all five hours in as a weekly program). Under the new format, each hourly program covered a different topic, such as a profile on a singer, songwriter or producer; a look back at the popular songs from the current week in a past year, gold records from the current month and other topics under virtually every conceivable topic. The new program will run 8-1/2 years. May 6 - 20th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama, George Strait, and Reba McEntire win A story published in The New York Times declares that country music is "dead." However, a number of new acts – Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam among them – are working behind the scenes to change the trend. The Country Music Association Awards introduced a new award, Music Video of the Year. The first recipient was Hank Williams Jr.'s video for "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight."
Top hits of the year
Singles released by American artists USCANSingleArtist1140 Hour Week (For a Livin')Alabama11Ain't She Somethin' ElseConway Twitty88All Tangled Up in LoveGus Hardin822Angel in Your ArmsBarbara Mandrell11Baby Bye ByeGary Morris11Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans OnMel McDaniel11The Best Year of My LifeEddie Rabbitt55Betty's Bein' BadSawyer Brown37Between Blue Eyes and JeansConway Twitty1513Blue HighwayJohn Conlee15—Break AwayGail Davies1311CaliforniaKeith Stegall11Can't Keep a Good Man DownAlabama911Carolina in the PinesMichael Martin Murphey11The Chair George Strait11Country BoyRicky Skaggs11Country GirlsJohn Schneider53The Cowboy Rides AwayGeorge Strait11CrazyKenny Rogers11Crazy for Your LoveExile98Cry Just a Little BitSylvia1520Desperados Waiting for a TrainThe Highwaymen2016Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)Vern Gosdin11Dixie RoadLee Greenwood110Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your MindGeorge Strait85Doncha?T. G. Sheppard11Don't Call Him a CowboyConway Twitty35Don't Call It LoveDolly Parton226Drinkin' and Dreamin'Waylon Jennings2017Eye of a HurricaneJohn Anderson21Fallin' in LoveSylvia510The Fireman George Strait75The First Word in Memory Is MeJanie Fricke11Forgiving You Was EasyWillie Nelson175The Girl Most Likely ToB. J. Thomas11Girls Night OutThe Judds715Got No Reason Now for Goin' HomeGene Watson1513Hallelujah, I Love You SoGeorge Jones with Brenda Lee11Hang On to Your HeartExile610Have I Got a Deal for YouReba McEntire12Have MercyThe Judds1942Heart Don't Do This to MeLoretta Lynn815Heart TroubleSteve Wariner33Hello Mary LouThe Statler Brothers22High HorseNitty Gritty Dirt Band11HighwaymanThe Highwaymen11Honor BoundEarl Thomas Conley16How BlueReba McEntire11I Don't Know Why You Don't Want MeRosanne Cash 11I Don't Mind the Thorns (If You're the Rose)Lee Greenwood13I Fell in Love Again Last NightThe Forester Sisters14I Need More of YouThe Bellamy Brothers106I Never Made Love (Till I Made It with You)Mac Davis86I Wanna Hear It from YouEddy Raven53I Wanna Say YesLouise Mandrell109I Want Everyone to CryRestless Heart20—I'd Dance Every Dance with YouThe Kendalls11I'll Never Stop Loving YouGary Morris15I'm for LoveHank Williams Jr.107I'm Gonna Leave You TomorrowJohn Schneider1010I'm the One Mama Warned You AboutMickey Gilley2019If It Ain't LoveEd Bruce1222If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone)The Whites105If It Weren't for HimVince Gill1515If That Ain't LoveLacy J. Dalton1645If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's MeJimmy Buffett51In a New York MinuteRonnie McDowell1231It Ain't Gonna Worry My MindRay Charles and Mickey Gilley1912It Should Have Been Love by NowBarbara Mandrell & Lee Greenwood106It's a Short Walk from Heaven to HellJohn Schneider1518It's All Over NowJohn Anderson2049It's Time for LoveDon Williams1010Kern RiverMerle Haggard4—A Lady Like YouGlen Campbell98Lasso the MoonGary Morris1921The Legend and the ManConway Twitty16—LeonaSawyer Brown66Let It Roll (Let It Rock)Mel McDaniel1633Let Me Down EasyJim Glaser2320Let the Heartache RideRestless Heart23Lie to You for Your LoveThe Bellamy Brothers11Little ThingsThe Oak Ridge Boys55A Long and Lasting LoveCrystal Gayle11Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)Ronnie Milsap14—(Love Always) Letter to HomeGlen Campbell11Love Don't Care (Whose Heart It Breaks)Earl Thomas Conley11Love Is AliveThe Judds914Love TalksRonnie McDowell1014Major MovesHank Williams Jr.11Make My Life with YouThe Oak Ridge Boys823Maybe My BabyLouise Mandrell41Me Against the NightCrystal Gayle146Me and PaulWillie Nelson119Meet Me in MontanaMarie Osmond (with Dan Seals)2032The Mississippi Squirrel RevivalRay Stevens12Modern Day RomanceNitty Gritty Dirt Band22My Baby's Got Good TimingDan Seals99My Old Yellow CarDan Seals13My Only LoveThe Statler Brothers19—My Toot-TootRockin' Sidney12Natural HighMerle Haggard11Nobody Falls Like a FoolEarl Thomas Conley34Nobody Wants to Be AloneCrystal Gayle21Old HippieThe Bellamy Brothers43One Owner HeartT. G. Sheppard56Only in My MindReba McEntire98Operator, OperatorEddy Raven11A Place to Fall ApartMerle Haggard featuring Janie Fricke1012Pretty LadyKeith Stegall11Radio HeartCharly McClain11Real Love Dolly Parton (duet with Kenny Rogers)99Rollin' LonelyJohnny Lee1212Save the Last ChanceJohnny Lee11Seven Spanish AngelsRay Charles (with Willie Nelson)11She Keeps the Home Fires BurningRonnie Milsap1111She Used to Love Me a LotDavid Allan Coe11She's a MiracleExile622She's Comin' Back to Say GoodbyeEddie Rabbitt95She's Gonna Win Your HeartEddy Raven21She's My RockGeorge Jones22She's Single AgainJanie Fricke1911Size Seven Round (Made of Gold)George Jones with Lacy J. Dalton107Slow Burning MemoryVern Gosdin11Some Fools Never LearnSteve Wariner44Somebody Else's FireJanie Fricke18Somebody Should LeaveReba McEntire2614Someone Like YouEmmylou Harris21Something in My HeartRicky Skaggs624Sometimes When We TouchMark Gray & Tammy Wynette53Stand UpMel McDaniel11Step That StepSawyer Brown10—(That's What You Do) When You're in LoveThe Forester Sisters11(There's A) Fire in the NightAlabama724There's No Love in TennesseeBarbara Mandrell12There's No WayAlabama1937They Never Had to Get Over YouJohnny Lee1414Thing About YouSouthern Pacific with Emmylou Harris422This Ain't DallasHank Williams Jr.11Too Much on My HeartThe Statler Brothers11Touch a Hand, Make a FriendThe Oak Ridge Boys1418Two Old Cats Like UsRay Charles with Hank Williams Jr.31Used to BlueSawyer Brown23Walkin' a Broken HeartDon Williams1014Waltz Me to HeavenWaylon Jennings43Warning SignEddie Rabbitt31What I Didn't DoSteve Wariner86What She WantsMichael Martin Murphey1746When Givin' Up Was EasyEd Bruce146White LineEmmylou Harris32Who's Gonna Fill Their ShoesGeorge Jones59With Just One Look in Your EyesCharly McClain (with Wayne Massey)76Working ManJohn Conlee1027A World Without LoveEddie Rabbitt22Years After YouJohn Conlee2020You Can't Run Away from Your HeartLacy J. Dalton78You Make Me Feel Like a ManRicky Skaggs11You Make Me Want to Make You MineJuice Newton33You Turn Me On (Like a Radio)Ed Bruce108You're Going Out of My MindT. G. Sheppard96You've Got a Good Love Comin'Lee Greenwood107You've Got Something on Your MindMickey Gilley
Singles released by Canadian artists USCANSingleArtist—12Blue Moon CafeAlbert Hall—13Counting the I Love YousTerry Carisse7310Heaven KnowsAudie Henry—12Hold On to What You GotGilles Godard74I Don't Think I'm Ready for YouAnne Murray—18I Just Didn't Love You Very WellJohn Winters—9I'll Take Her Love AnytimeGeorge Carone—10I'm Glad We're Bad at SomethingRonnie Prophet & Glory-Anne Carriere—9If You Can't Stand the HeatCarroll Baker955It Always Hurts the First TimeCarroll Baker—19The Loneliest Star in TexasTerry Sumsion—7Love Is the ReasonMercey Brothers—9Magic in the MusicC-Weed Band—11She Saves Her Love for MeStoker Bros—18She's No LadyPaul Weber—17Sonny's DreamValdy—10Sweet BlueTerry Carisse7110Sweet SalvationAudie Henry—10Take Me Home MississippiJamie Warren—15That's When You Know It's OverTerry Sumsion21Time Don't Run Out on MeAnne Murray—17Two Broken HeartsTerry Carisse—12We Can Only PretendGeorge Carone—7We Won't Ever Say GoodbyeGilles Godard—10You Lifted Me High EnoughMercey Brothers
Top new album releases
{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! US ! Album ! Artist ! Record label |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | 40-Hour Week | Alabama | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 8 | Alabama Christmas | Alabama | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 25 | Amber Waves of Grain | Merle Haggard | Epic |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Anything Goes | Gary Morris | Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 8 | The Ballad of Sally Rose | Emmylou Harris | Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 7 | Centerfield | John Fogerty | Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 22 | Darlin', Darlin| David Allan Coe | Columbia |- | style="text-align:center;"| 7 | Don't Call Him a Cowboy | Conway Twitty | Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 24 | Favorite Country Hits | Ricky Skaggs | Epic |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Five-O | Hank Williams Jr. | Curb/Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 4 | The Forester Sisters | The Forester Sisters | Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 4 | Greatest Hits | George Strait | MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 25 | Get to the Heart | Barbara Mandrell | MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Greatest Hits | Earl Thomas Conley | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 4 | Greatest Hits | Lee Greenwood | MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | Ronnie Milsap | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 10 | Half Nelson | Willie Nelson | Columbia |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Greatest Hits Volume 2 | Hank Williams Jr. | Curb/Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | Hang On to Your Heart | Exile | Epic |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | The Heart of the Matter | Kenny Rogers | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 23 | High Country Snows | Dan Fogelberg | Full Moon/Epic |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Highwayman | The Highwaymen | Columbia |- | style="text-align:center;"| 10 | Howard & David | The Bellamy Brothers | Curb/MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | I Have Returned | Ray Stevens | MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 8 | Kern River | Merle Haggard | Epic |- | style="text-align:center;"| 7 | Last Mango in Paris | Jimmy Buffett | MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 4 | Let It Roll | Mel McDaniel | Capitol |- | style="text-align:center;"| 22 | Life Highway | Steve Wariner | MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Live in London | Ricky Skaggs | Epic |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Lost in the Fifties Tonight | Ronnie Milsap | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 17 | Love Is What We Make It | Kenny Rogers | Liberty |- | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | Me and Paul | Willie Nelson | Columbia |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | A Memory Like You | John Schneider | MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 13 | My Toot Toot | Rockin' Sidney | Epic |- | style="text-align:center;"| 17 | Nobody Wants to Be Alone | Crystal Gayle | Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 12 | Old Flame | Juice Newton | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 24 | Old Ways | Neil Young | Geffen |- | style="text-align:center;"| 20 | One Good Night Deserves Another | Steve Wariner | MCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 19 | One Step Closer | Sylvia | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Pardners in Rhyme | The Statler Brothers | Mercury/PolyGram |- | style="text-align:center;"| 9 | Partners, Brothers and Friends | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Warner Bros. |- | style="text-align:center;"| 15 | Radio Heart | Charly McClain | Epic |- | style="text-align:center;"| 9 | Real Love | Dolly Parton | RCA |- | style="text-align:center;"| 10 | Restless Heart | Restless Heart