September 30th: On this day

1927
Born on this day in Nashville, was Pearl Dee Jones who with her husband became known as Carl Butler and Pearl. Between 1962 and 1969, the duo released several singles and charted thirteen times on the US country charts, reaching #1 in 1962 with their first single, "Don't Let Me Cross Over". Pearl died at the age of 60 on March 1, 1988.

1933
WLS radio in Chicago's popular program The National Barn Dance, one of the first country music radio programs, goes national with a move to NBC radio.

1945
Born on this day in in Linden, Texas was Richard Bowden from the country music duo Pinkard & Bowden. The act were the first country comedy act to have explicit content warnings on its albums and the duo were banned from appearing on The Nashville Network (now Paramount Network).

1950
The Grand Ole Opry was televised for the first time form the the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

1953
Born on this day in Thurmond in Memphis, Tennessee, was Deborah Allen who scored the 1983 crossover hit "Baby I Lied" which reached #4 on the country charts. Allen has also written hits for Janie Fricke, John Conlee, Patty Loveless, Tanya Tucker, The Whites and others.

1954
22 year-old Patsy Cline signed her first recording contract with Bill McCall of Four Star Records. The contract would only allowed her to record songs from the Four Star Records publishing company and also stipulated that Cline only sing country songs. She later left Four Star Records to sign with Decca Records, and her self-titled debut album on Decca was released in 1957.

1958
Born on this day in Philadelphia, Mississippi was Marty Stuart, country music singer-songwriter, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music. Stuart married country artist Connie Smith on July 8, 1997.

1963
Born on this day in in Danville, Kentucky was Eddie Montgomery one half of the Country duo Montgomery Gentry. Both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association named them Duo of the Year in 2000.

1965
Born on this day was Country singer Daron Norwood. Two singles off his debut album, "If It Wasn't For Her I Wouldn't Have You" and "Cowboys Don't Cry", both made the country Top 40. Norwood was found dead in his Hereford, Texas apartment by his landlord on the afternoon of July 22, 2015.

1992
Vince Gill and Garth Brooks were double-winners in the 26th annual Country Music Association awards at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House. Gill, who co-hosted the show with Reba McEntire also won Male Vocalist and Song of the Year, for "Look At Us". Mary Chapin Carpenter won Female Vocalist of the Year, Diamond Rio won Vocal Group of the Year and Single of The Year went to "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus.

1997
Randy Travis became the first artist to ink a deal with DreamWorks Records Nashville. His signing instantly raised the stock of the new country label.

1998
Faith Hill released "Let Me Let Go." The song which features background vocals by Vince Gill became her fifth US Country #1 single. The song was also remixed into a pop version and used as the soundtrack for the movie Message in a Bottle.

2006
George Strait finally broke Conway Twitty's record by scoring his record 41st #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart when "Give It Away" went to the top of the Country charts.

2006
The Farm Aid 2006, benefit concert took place at the Tweeter Center, Camden, New Jersey. Held to raise money for family farmers in the US, the concerts were organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young. Artists who appeared included: Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Jerry Lee Lewis, Los Lonely Boys, Arlo Guthrie, Gov't Mule, Steve Earle and Allison Moorer, Shelby Lynne, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jimmy Sturr & his Orchestra, Pauline Reese, and Danielle Evin.

2006
American bluegrass musician Josh Graves died age 79. Also known by the nicknames "Buck," and "Uncle Josh," he is credited with introducing the resonator guitar (commonly known under the trade name of Dobro) into bluegrass music shortly after joining Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1955.

2012
Jason Aldean admitted to having "acted inappropriately at a bar" with former American Idol contestant Brittany Kerr, responding to reports linking her and Aldean. In a statement, Kerr said she had suffered "a lapse in judgment" and "would like to sincerely apologize to everyone that has been affected by this." Aldean filed for divorce on April 26, 2013, citing irreconcilable differences. Aldean and Kerr married on March 21, 2015.

2012
Faith Hill became the first country artist to debut a song on Twitter when she posts "American Heart." For the Twitter debut, Hill responded to questions hashtagged #askfaith prior to her weekly performance on NBC Sunday Night Football that night. Prior to the official release, many local radio stations posted samples of her song or official music video on their websites.

2023
Luke Combs went to #1 on the Country singles chart with his version of the Tracy Chapman song "Fast Car". This made Chapman the first black woman to score a country #1 with a solo composition. At the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards in November 2023, Chapman notably became the first Black woman or Black songwriter to ever win a CMA Award, winning Song of the Year. Combs' version uses most of Chapman's original lyrics, including the line "I work in the market as a checkout girl".

2025
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman announced their divorce after 19 years of marriage. They married on 25 June 2006 and the divorce was finalized in January 2026 with both agreeing to a parenting plan and waving their rights to spousal and child support.