July 9th: On this day

1907
Born on this day in Posey in Hopkins County, Texas, was Eddie Dean singer and actor, whom Roy Rogers and Gene Autry termed the best cowboy singer of all time. Dean was best known for "I Dreamed Of A Hill-Billy Heaven" (1955), which became an even greater hit for Tex Ritter in 1961. Dean died on March 4th 1999 aged 91.

1929
Born on this day in Mannford, Oklahoma, was Lee Hazlewood country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, his recordings have been praised as an essential contribution to a sound often described as "Cowboy Psychedelia." He died on Aug 4th 2007.

1929
Born on this day was American bluegrass musician Jesse McReynolds from the duo Jim & Jesse. The brothers had the 1967 Top 10 Country hit "Diesel on My Tail" and other hots include "Cotton Mill Man", "Are You Missing Me", and "Paradise". In 1964, they were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry after making several appearances as guest performers. He died on June 23, 2023.

1952
June Carter married the actor and composer Carl Smith. They had one child together, Carlene Carter. The couple divorced in 1956.

1953
Born on this day in Rock Hill, South Carolina, was David Ball, American country music artist. His highest-peaking chart entries are 1994's "Thinkin' Problem" and 2001's "Riding With Private Malone", both of which peaked at #2.

1954
During recording sessions at Sun studios in Memphis, Elvis Presley recorded a version of Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon Of Kentucky". Numerous artists have recorded the song, including John Fogerty, Patsy Cline, Ronnie Hawkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, Paul McCartney, Boxcar Willie, Ray Charles and Jerry Reed.

1961
Born on this day in Mount Airy, North Carolina was singer and composer of bluegrass music Ronnie Bowman best known for his work with the Lonesome River Band. Bowman also co-wrote "Nobody to Blame" on Chris Stapleton's Traveller album, "It's Getting Better All the Time" by Brooks & Dunn and "Never Wanted Nothing More" for Kenny Chesney.

1968
Tammy Wynette was at #1 on the US Country singles chart with "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." Written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, the song is a woman's perspective on the impending collapse of her marriage. The lyrics begin with an old parenting trick of spelling out words mothers and fathers hope their young children will not understand, they (the children) being not yet able to spell or comprehend the word's meaning. The original Tammy Wynette recording features in the films Five Easy Pieces and Brokeback Mountain.

1974
Born on this day in Savannah, Georgia was six-time Grammy Award-winning American record producer, songwriter Dave Cobb, best known for producing the work of The Highwomen, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile and John Prine.

1981
Born on this day in Waterloo, Iowa, was Emily West, country music artist, who debuted on Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in early 2008 with the single "Rocks in Your Shoes" and also scored a hit with "Blue Sky", a duet with Keith Urban, in 2010.

1996
Blue the debut studio album by American country music singer LeAnn Rimes was released in the United States. It peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200, and #1 on the Top Country Albums chart. Singles released from this album include, in order of release: "Blue", "Hurt Me", "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)", "Unchained Melody" and "The Light in Your Eyes".

2001
The Country Music Association unveiled 12 Hall of Fame honorees: Bill Anderson, Waylon Jennings, Sam Phillips, The Louvin Brothers, The Delmore Brothers, The Jordanaires, Webb Pierce, Don Gibson, The Everly Brothers, Don Law, Ken Nelson and Homer & Jethro.

2012
Carrie Underwood released "Blown Away" taken from her fourth studio album of the same name. The song became Underwood's 16th top ten single on the Country Airplay chart, a record among women in the tally's 68-year history. It also became the singer's 13th #1 on the Country chart.

2015
Luke Bryan caused controversy in an interview with Hits Double Daily for implying that Outlaw country artists (particularly Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson) had spent their career "laying in the gutter, strung out on drugs."

2023
One Thing at a Time the third album by American country music singer Morgan Wallen was at #1 on the US Country chart. The album was named the #1 album for 2023 in Billboard's year-end album chart, making Wallen the first country artist to capture both the year-end #1 positions for both album and single in the same year.

2024
Joe Bonsall tenor vocalist with The Oak Ridge Boys died due to complications of ALS in Hendersonville, Tennessee at the age of 76. The Oak Ridge Boys switched their focus to secular country music in the mid-70s, releasing a string of hit albums and singles that lasted into the early 1990s. Their discography comprises thirty-one studio albums and fifty-six singles.