October 18th: On this day

1952
Hank Williams married Billie Jean Jones Eshlimar in Minden, Louisiana. The next day two public ceremonies were held at the New Orleans Civic Auditorium, where 14,000 seats were sold for each. After Williams's death, a judge ruled that the wedding was not legal because Jones Eshlimar's divorce had not become final until eleven days after she married Williams.

1967
Ode to Billie Joe the debut album by Bobbie Gentry was at #1 on the chart. It was the only album to displace The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from its 15-week reign at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. The recording of the title track "Ode to Billie Joe" generated eight Grammy nominations, resulting in three wins for Gentry and one win for arranger Jimmie Haskell.

1968
The second CMA Awards were held at Ryman Auditorium. Glen Campbell won Male Vocalist of The Year and Entertainer of the Year. Campbell was flown into the event as he was on location in Colorado filming "True Grit" with John Wayne. Tammy Wynette won Female Vocalist of the Year, Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison won Album of The Year, Chet Atkins won Instrumentalist of the Year award and Bobby Russell won Single of The Year for "Honey".

1971
George Jones and Tammy Wynette released "We Go Together", Jones' first album with Epic and his then wife Tammy Wynette. Jones' first album with producer Billy Sherrill went on to peak at #3 on the Country charts.

1979
Johnny Cash received the United Nations Humanitarian Award for his longstanding support for two children's homes in Jamaica and his work for the Youth For Christ Organisation. The ceremony was held at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville.

1980
Born on this day was Josh Gracin, country music singer who is a former member of the United States Marine Corps. He first gained public attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of the Fox Networks talent competition American Idol. His self-titled debut album was released in 2004 and it produced the #1 hit, "Nothin' to Lose."

1988
Randy Travis was back at #1 on the country chart with Always & Forever, his second album. Released from this album were the singles "Too Gone Too Long", "I Won't Need You Anymore (Always and Forever)", "Forever and Ever, Amen" and "I Told You So", all of which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

1988
Born on this day was American country music singer and songwriter Riley Green. Green has charted top-20 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts including "There Was This Girl", "I Wish Grandpas Never Died", "Half of Me" (with Thomas Rhett), and "Different 'Round Here" (with Luke Combs).

1990
Alabama released "Forever's as Far as I'll Go" the third single from their album Pass It On Down which went to #1 on the Country chart. It became the groups twenty-ninth #1 Country hit.

2010
Kenny Chesney was at #1 on the Country chart with his fourteenth studio album Hemingway's Whiskey. Four of the albums singles; "The Boys of Fall", "Somewhere with You", "Live a Little", and "Reality" have all hit #1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

2020
Dolly Parton was at #1 on the US Country chart with her forty-seventh solo studio album A Holly Dolly Christmas. This also became Parton's eighth album to top the chart.