Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Country Music Winners Back in the 11th Grammy Awards Remind Us Why We Love the ’60s!

by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

The 11th Grammy Awards was held in Los Angeles on March 12, 1969. The awards recognized accomplishments by artists during the year including that of our country singers. This included the Best Country Vocal Performance (Female), Best Country Performance (Male), Best Country Performance, Duo or Group, and Best Country Song.

The Best Country Vocal Performance – Female

The Best Country Vocal Performance – Female award during the 11th Grammy Awards was given to Jeannie C. Riley for her single “Harper Valley PTA.” 

Riley’s single narrates the story of Mrs. Johnson who has a daughter in Junior High school.  Mrs. Johnson received a letter from her daughter’s PTA secretary. The letter sent was a scolding about the way her daughter dresses which the school deemed inappropriate. She was also called out for her lifestyle of drinking and running around multiple men that alarmed the PTA and said that she wasn’t responsible for raising her daughter.

The letter outraged Mrs. Johnson and in return decided to pay the PTA a surprise visit. Coincidentally, the PTA was having a meeting that afternoon and Mrs. Johnson laid down several of their indiscretions that she had with the group.

  • Bobby Taylor had asked Mrs. Johnson for a date seven times and when rejected, had her wife accusing Mrs. Johnson to be an alcoholic and an adulteress.
  • Mr. Baker had his  secretary pregnant
  •  Widow Jones was an exhibitionist and a nymphomaniac
  • Mr. Harper, who was not there due to staying up late, was in Kelly’s Bar again.
  • Shirley Thompson also has drinking problems and was evident because of the smell of gin in her breath.

Mrs. Johnson then rebukes them for calling her an unfit mother and that the PTA members were a bunch of hypocrites.

The Best Country Vocal Performance – Male

The award was won by Johnny Cash for his song titled “Folsom Prison Blues.” Cash decided to write the song after seeing the movie “Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison” released in 1951.

Standing up for the oppressed was not a common feat for artists back then. Cash championed the oppressed through the different songs he recorded starting with Folsom Prison Blues. The song did not, however, dwell on how bad a person gets punished for his crimes but more on the circumstances which led him to commit atrocious acts.

Best Country Performance – Duo or Group

The award for Best Country Performance – Duo or Group was won by Flatt & Scruggs for their bluegrass song, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”

The song was used by the motion picture Bonnie and Clyde during car chase scenes in 1967. The original banjo arrangement would, later on, evolve with the sound of guitars and mandolins.

Best Country Song

The award went to “Little Green Apples” which was a song written by Bobby Russell and Roger Miller in 1968.

Russel wrote “Little Green Apples” together with “Honey” as his experimental compositions. Miller did the song’s first recording on January 24, 1968, in a session with Columbia Records, Nashville. The song was released as a lead single for the album “A Tender Look at Love.”  The song gave Miller his final Top Ten C&W hit and also his final top 40 crossovers hit.

The song was also covered by several artists, such as Patti Page. Page’s cover of the song was later released as a single in June 1968 peaking at the number 11 spot of the Easy Listening and affording Page the final Hot 100 appearance of her career at the 96th spot.

Hats Off to Our Country Singers During the 11th Grammy Awards!

Up to this date, the Grammy awards have recognized outstanding talents and artists that have made a valuable contribution to the music industry. This also recognized songs that have made significant effects on society by breaking norms and barriers.

Furthermore, being awarded a Grammy is one of the biggest feats that an artist could have in his or her entire career.

As for the 1969 awards, songs that resounded in the country music industry have truly been recognized, from the legendary Johnny Cash to the upcoming singers like Jeannie C. Riley and the commencement of a career for Roger Miller.

Latest Stories

Travis Tritt smiles in a black cowboy hat and shirt while performing "Good Ol' Boys" with a microphone in front of an American flag backdrop.

Travis Tritt Honors Waylon Jennings With Cover of “Good Ol’ Boys” Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard

Sometimes a song is so tied to a legend that when someone else picks it up, you’re half ready to wince, but then Travis Tritt walks up, tugs his hat ...

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton perform together in a bar setting for their duet “A Song to Sing.

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton’s “A Song to Sing” Duet Feels Like an Instant Classic

Sometimes country music gives you a line so pure it feels like it’s been here forever, and that’s exactly what Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton just pulled off with “A ...

Blake Shelton and Noah Cyrus standing side by side with microphones, performing their new country duet together.

Noah Cyrus Teams Up With Blake Shelton for New Country Duet and Fans Are Loving It

Sometimes country music needs a little shot of something wild, and Noah Cyrus just poured it straight into Blake Shelton’s glass. It’s not every day you see the Voice coach ...

George Strait performing on stage with his guitar and cowboy hat, pictured at a previous event not related to the upcoming Strait From the Heart benefit concert.

George Strait Will Play “Strait to the Heart” Benefit Concert to Raise Money for Flood Victims

Some kings wear crowns, some kings wear boots, and show up when the water’s rising. George Strait, the King of Country himself, is stepping up once again for the people ...

Blake Shelton smiles on stage with guitar and mic during Vegas show, putting his own spin on George Strait’s classic.

Blake Shelton Nails George Strait Classic With His Own Spin on “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”

Sometimes you don’t mess with a George Strait classic, unless you’re Blake Shelton standing under the Vegas lights with a grin that says you’re about to pay tribute and stir ...

Dolly Parton smiles during Khloé podcast interview, sitting by mic and lamp as she shares why she won't stop sharing faith.

Dolly Parton Says People Tell Her To Stop Talking About Her Faith But She Won’t Listen

If there’s one thing you can count on Dolly Parton for, it’s that she’ll say exactly what’s on her heart and not give a single rhinestone what anyone thinks. In ...

Little Mississippi boy in plaid shirt smiles at mic during preschool graduation where he recited New Testament books and sang a George Strait classic.

4-Year-Old Boy Recites New Testament Books Then Belts Out ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’

If there’s ever been a preschool graduation that screams “God bless the South,” this is it. Somewhere in Mississippi, a four-year-old kid just made the entire congregation beam with pride ...

Young George Strait smiling on stage playing guitar in 1987 when “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” hit No. 1 and proved he ran country.

On This Day in 1987, George Strait Hit No. 1 with ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’ and Proved He Ran Country

Sometimes a song just cements your throne forever, and for George Strait, it was a little tongue-in-cheek love letter that made every Texan proud to claim him as their king. ...

Scotty McCreery with his wife and both grandmothers, who he revealed passed away hours apart in a heartbreaking double loss.

Scotty McCreery Reveals Both His Grandmothers Died Hours Apart in Heartbreaking Double Loss

You just don’t see some country heartbreaks coming, and this one hit Scotty McCreery straight in the soul. This week, the North Carolina native and Opry favorite shared the gut-wrenching ...

Brooks & Dunn performing on stage together, fitting their story about admitting they struggled to get along for years.

Brooks and Dunn Admit They Struggled to Get Along for Years and Tried to Blow It Real Hard

Country music’s greatest duo was basically a bar fight waiting to happen. When Brooks & Dunn stormed out of the gate with “Brand New Man” in 1991, it looked like ...