The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air on ABC on Sunday, March 10, live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. It will be the fourth time that Kimmel has hosted the awards show. Unfortunately, country music does not have a presence in this year’s nominees. However, in years past, several country music classics have been nominated in the Best Original Song category.
While a country song has never won an Oscar for Best Original Song, our genre did have some nominees through the years, and one country icon has been nominated for Best Original Song twice in her storied career.
No country singer has even been nominated for an Academy Award for acting. Many country singers today are involved in acting, including Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, and Randy Houser, to name a few. When Billy Bob Thornton joined the cast of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s 2021 series, 1883, it was a reunion for Tim and Billy Bob. The two worked together on the 2004 movie Friday Night Lights.
Tim said of Billy Bob’s appearance in 1883 as Jim Courtright, “Billy Bob was so fantastic.” McGraw credits Billy Bob with giving him some of the best acting advice he’s ever received. He said, “He was like the angel on my shoulder. The best advice he ever gave me is, if you think you’re not doing enough, you’re probably still doing too much.”
Actress Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for her portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter in 1980. Also, Jessica Lange was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Patsy Cline in 1985, although she did not win.
And let’s not forget Reese Witherspoon, a Nashville native and country music lover, won an Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter Cash from the Johnny Cash bio epic I Walked The Line in 2005. Joaquin Phoenix was nominated for an Oscar for portraying Johnny Cash in I Walk the Line the same year. Phoenix attended Cash’s funeral in Tennessee in 2003. Cash hand-picked Phoenix for the role after seeing his performance in Gladiator in 2000.
Let’s look at the Top five country songs nominated for an Academy Award over the years.
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5 - 2022 – "Somehow You Do" from the movie "Four Good days" - Reba McEntire (written by Diane Warren)
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Reba’s performance of this song at the 2022 Academy Awards was a highlight of the show. However, “No Time to Die” from the James Bond movie of the same name won, and the award went to Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell. Reba also performed at the Oscars in 1991. She performed “I’m Checkin’ Out” from Postcards From the Edge.
4 - 2006 – "Travelin' Thru" from the movie "Transamerica" - Dolly Parton (written by Dolly Parton)
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This was Dolly’s second Oscar nomination in the Best Original Song category. The 2006 Oscar went to the movie Hustle & Flow‘s song “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp” by Three 6 Mafia. In 1981, Parton was nominated but did not win the award for Best Original Song for “9 to 5” from the movie of the same name.
@minisuma Dolly Parton performing her song “Travlin’ Thru” at the 2005 Oscars. The song is from a Indie Film about a Trans Woman. The is called TRANSAMERA. And this song is beautiful! #dollyparton #oscars #transgender #jacknicholson #lgbtq #love
♬ original sound - minisuma3 - 1998 – "How Do I Live" from the movie "Con Air" - Trisha Yearwood (written by Diane Warren)
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Trisha performed at the Oscars and was introduced by Madonna. The Oscar for Best Original Song that year went to the movie Titanic’s “My Heart Will Go On,” sung by Celine Dion. Yearwood sang the movie’s song on the official soundtrack. However, that same year, LeAnn Rimes released her own version of “How Do I Live.”
2 - 1981 – "On The Road Again" from the movie "Honeysuckle Rose" - Willie Nelson (written by Willie Nelson)
Photo by Diane Freed
Willie’s first Oscar nomination, the Oscar for Best Original Song, went to “Fame” from the movie of the same name won. Irene Cara sang it. Nelson also acted in Honeysuckle Rose, playing a fictional country singer named Buck Bonham. Other actors in the film included Amy Irving and Dyan Cannon.
1 - 1981 – "9 to 5" from the movie "9 to 5" - Dolly Parton (written by Dolly Parton)
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Dolly’s first performance at the Academy Awards and even though it was one of the most popular songs of all-time. Perhaps Willie and Dolly split the vote from the country music fans in the Academy. Dolly played Doralee Rhodes in her first acting movie role in 9 to 5. When she came to the set the first day, unlike the other actors in the film, she had memorized the entire script and all of the actor’s parts to make sure she knew it well.
