April 4th: On this day

1938
Born on this day in Scottsville, Kentucky, was Norro Wilson, country music singer, songwriter and producer. Wilson has written numerous hits including songs for Charlie Rich, Charley Pride, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, and has also produced artists, including Joe Stampley, Margo Smith, Sara Evans, Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain. He died on June 8th 2017 age 79.

1938
Born on this day American country music singer-songwriter, producer Norris Wilson. He was a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and wrote or co-wrote numerous hit songs during more than 40 years in the industry, including songs for Jean Shepard, Charlie Rich, Charley Pride, George Jones, and Tammy Wynette, among many others. He died on June 8, 2017.

1940
Born on this day was Sharon Sheeley. She wrote songs for Glen Campbell, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee, and Eddie Cochran. Her first song, "Poor Little Fool", was recorded by Ricky Nelson in 1958, and became Nelson's first US #1. At age 18, Sheeley was the youngest woman to write an American #1 hit.

1944
Born on this day in Walden, near Beaumont, Texas, was Bob McDill, songwriter who has written numerous songs for country music artists, including 31 #1 hits for artists including Anne Murray, Don Williams, Waylon Jennings, and Mickey Gilley.

1964
Buck Owens released "My Heart Skips a Beat" which peaked at #1 on the Country chart. The B-side "Together Again" features steel guitarist Tom Bromley's playing - which is considered one of the finest steel guitar solos in the history of country music.

1971
Born on this day in Saltville, Virginia, was Clay Davidson country music artist who released his debut album Unconditional in 2000. Its title track was a top 5 hit for him on the Billboard country charts, and the album produced two more Top 30 hits.

1977
Kenny Rogers was at #1 with "Lucille". An international hit, it reached #1 on the Billboard Country Singles chart and reached the top of the UK singles chart.

1978
Loretta Lynn performed "One's On The Way" on episode #308 of The Muppet Show. Because the Muppet Theatre is supposedly being fumigated, the entire show took place at a railroad station.

1995
The Road Goes on Forever by American country supergroup The Highwaymen was released, featuring the line-up of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. The album open's with the Steve Earle song "The Devil's Right Hand".

1996
Shania Twain was at #1 on the US country chart with The Woman in Me, her second studio album and her first with the majority of the songs co-written by her. It went onto become her biggest-selling recording at the time of its release, selling 4 million copies by the end of the year.

2006
Hank Williams Jr. surrendered to police on a warrant issued in an alleged assault on a hotel waitress last month. Holly Hornbeak, 19, told police she was waiting tables at the Peabody Hotel's lobby bar when the country superstar asked to kiss her and lifted her off the ground in a chokehold. The country singer cut short a hunting trip to return to Memphis and surrender to the sheriff's department. All charges were later dropped citing lack of evidence.

2008
The Statehouse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas hosted the Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey. The exhibit was on loan from the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville and ran until October 5, 2008.

2011
The American country music group Pistol Annies composed of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley gave its debut performance on the CBS special Academy of Country Music's Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country. The women gave themselves the nicknames "Lonestar Annie" (Lambert), "Hippie Annie" (Monroe), and "Holler Annie" (Presley).

2020
Songwriter Alex Harvey died age 79. Harvey's songs have been recorded by many other significant artists such as Alan Jackson, Cymarron, Three Dog Night, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmy Buffett, Anne Murray, Henry Mancini, Peggy Lee, and Sammy Davis Jr. Kenny Rogers alone recorded eighteen Alex Harvey songs.