2002 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2002.
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Events
- January 13 - CMT premieres CMT Crossroads, which features country music artists being paired with artists from other genres. The show has since become one of the channel's most successful programs; the first episode featured Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello.
- May 27 - Toby Keith releases "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)"; written in response to the death of Keith's father and the September 11, 2001 attacks, the song stirs up controversy for the line "We'll put a boot in your ass/It's the American way". Canadian-born newsman Peter Jennings and Dixie Chicks frontwoman Natalie Maines both express criticism of the song, with a feud with the latter lasting for a year.
- October 7 - Toby Keith begins airing in television spots as the spokesman for Ford, with his original composition, "Ford Truck Man", during that night's broadcast of Monday Night Football.
- November 19 – Shania Twain returned with her fourth album, Up!. It opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 874,000 copies; the album remained atop the chart until the new year.
- The Statler Brothers retire from touring and singing together at their Farewell Concert in Salem, Virginia. Jimmy Fortune continued his career as a solo artist.
Top hits of the year
The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs charts in 2002:
Top new album releases
The following albums placed within the Top 50 on the Top Country Albums charts in 2002:
Other top albums
Deaths
- February 13 – Waylon Jennings, 64, singer and guitarist (diabetic complications)
- March 3 – Harlan Howard, 74, songwriter
- May 26 – Orville Couch, 67, singer-songwriter (acute lymphoblastic leukemia)
Hall of Fame inductees
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Bill Carlisle (1908–2003)
- Porter Wagoner (1927–2007)
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Major awards
ARIA Awards
- Best Country Album – Barricades & Brickwalls (Kasey Chambers)
- ARIA Hall of Fame – Olivia Newton-John
Grammy Awards
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance – "Cry" (Faith Hill)
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance – "Give My Love to Rose" (Johnny Cash)
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal – "Long Time Gone" (Dixie Chicks)
- Best Country Collaboration with Vocals – "Mendocino County Line" (Willie Nelson featuring Lee Ann Womack)
- Best Country Instrumental Performance – "Lil' Jack Slade" (Dixie Chicks)
- Best Country Song – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" (Alan Jackson)
- Best Country Album – Home (Dixie Chicks)
- Best Bluegrass Album – Lost in the Lonesome Pines (Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys)
Juno Awards
- Country Recording of the Year – "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!", Shania Twain
CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards
- Video of the Year – "Young", Kenny Chesney
- Male Video of the Year – "Young", Kenny Chesney
- Female Video of the Year – "Blessed", Martina McBride
- Group / Duo Video of the Year – "Only in America", Brooks & Dunn
- Breakthrough Video of the Year – "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out", Chris Cagle
- Video Collaboration of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson Featuring Lee Ann Womack
- Hottest Video of the Year – "The Cowboy in Me", Tim McGraw
- Concept Video of the Year – "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)", Brad Paisley
- Fashion Plate Video of the Year – "Jezebel", Chely Wright
- "LOL" (Laugh Out Loud) Video of the Year – "I Wanna Talk About Me", Toby Keith
- Love Your Country Video of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)", Alan Jackson
- Video Director of the Year – "I Wanna Talk About Me", Toby Keith (Director: Michael Salomon)
- Video Visionary Award – Dixie Chicks
Americana Music Honors & Awards
- Album of the Year – Buddy & Julie Miller
- Artist of the Year – Jim Lauderdale
- Song of the Year – "She's Looking At Me" (Jim Lauderdale)
- Instrumentalist of the Year – Jerry Douglas
- Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award – Johnny Cash
- Lifetime Achievement: Songwriting – Billie Joe Shaver
- Lifetime Achievement: Performance – Emmylou Harris
- Lifetime Achievement: Executive – T Bone Burnett
Academy of Country Music
- Entertainer of the Year – Toby Keith
- Song of the Year – "I'm Movin' On", Rascal Flatts
- Single of the Year – "The Good Stuff," Kenny Chesney
- Album of the Year – Drive, Alan Jackson
- Top Male Vocalist – Kenny Chesney
- Top Female Vocalist – Martina McBride
- Top Vocal Duo – Brooks & Dunn
- Top Vocal Group – Rascal Flatts
- Top New Male Vocalist – Joe Nichols
- Top New Female Vocalist – Kellie Coffey
- Top New Vocal Duo or Group – Emerson Drive
- Video of the Year – "Drive (For Daddy Gene)", Alan Jackson (Director: Steven Goldmann)
- Vocal Event of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack
Canadian Country Music Association
- Fans' Choice Award – Terri Clark
- Male Artist of the Year – Paul Brandt
- Female Artist of the Year – Carolyn Dawn Johnson
- Group or Duo of the Year – Emerson Drive
- SOCAN Song of the Year – "Ten Million Teardrops", Jason McCoy, Tim Taylor
- Single of the Year – "I Don't Want You to Go", Carolyn Dawn Johnson
- Album of the Year – Small Towns and Big Dreams, Paul Brandt
- Top Selling Album – Scarecrow, Garth Brooks
- CMT Video of the Year – "I Don't Want You to Go", Carolyn Dawn Johnson
- Chevy Trucks Rising Star Award – Emerson Drive
- Roots Artist or Group of the Year – Jimmy Rankin
Country Music Association
- Entertainer of the Year – Alan Jackson
- Song of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson
- Single of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson
- Album of the Year – Drive, Alan Jackson
- Male Vocalist of the Year – Alan Jackson
- Female Vocalist of the Year – Martina McBride
- Vocal Duo of the Year – Brooks & Dunn
- Vocal Group of the Year – Dixie Chicks
- Musician of the Year – Jerry Douglas
- Horizon Award – Rascal Flatts
- Music Video of the Year – "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," Brad Paisley (Director: Peter Zavadil)
- Vocal Event of the Year – "Mendocino County Line", Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack
- Musician of the Year – Jerry Douglas
Further reading
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.