June 8th: On this day

1938
Born on this day was American musician, songwriter Mack Vickery. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Waylon Jennings, George Thorogood, Johnny Cash, George Strait, Hank Williams Jr., and George Jones. Vickery died of a heart attack in Nashville, Tennessee on December 21, 2004 at the age of 66.

1951
Born on this day in Danville, Virginia, was guitarist and bluegrass musician Tony Rice. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rice died on December 25, 2020 age 69.

1963
"Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash made its debut at #28 on the singles charts. It went on to become his first #1 hit since the 1959 "Don't Take Your Guns To Town."

1964
Alton Delmore from The Delmore Brothers died. The Delmore Brothers were country music pioneers and stars of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930's had a profound impact on the history of country music and American popular music.

1969
Tammy Wynette was at #1 on the country charts with "Singing My Song" who she co-wrote with Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton. "Singing My Song" was Tammy Wynette's fifth #1 on the country charts as a solo artist and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the charts.

1974
Dolly Parton was at at #1 on the Billboard country singles chart with "I Will Always Love You". It was the second single from Parton's thirteenth solo studio album, Jolene.

1976
The novelty song "One Piece at a Time" by Johnny Cash was at #1 on the Country chart. The song tells of a man who works at General Motors in Detroit, Michigan, building Cadillacs and knowing that he will never be able to afford one. He and a co-worker decide to steal a Cadillac, using their assembly line jobs to obtain the parts via salami slicing. He takes the small parts home hidden in his large lunchbox; larger parts are smuggled out in his co-worker's motor home.

1981
Born on this day in Vista, California, was Sara Watkins, fidle player, with Nickel Creek, the bluegrass act. Watkins gained two Grammy nominations before she turned 20.

2003
Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" was ranked #1 in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs Of Country Music. Ex-husband George Jones was placed at #2, with "He Stopped Loving Her Today." Followed by "Crazy", Patsy Cline, "Ring of Fire", Johnny Cash, "Your Cheatin' Heart", Hank Williams, "Friends in Low Places", Friends in Low Places, "I Fall to Pieces", Patsy Cline, "Galveston", Glen Campbell, "Behind Closed Doors", Behind Closed Doors and "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson.

2010
George Strait was named the top country music artist of the past 25 years by Billboard magazine. Strait holds the record for most #1 albums, gold albums, platinum albums, and multi-platinum in the history of country music.

2014
Dolly Parton hand-delivered the millionth book from her UK Imagination Library reading initiative to a Liverpool child. The singer-songwriter gave a Braille copy of Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit to five-year-old Dylan Manifold while in the city to perform. It was the first book for blind and partially-sighted children the project had supplied in the UK. The Imagination Library, which runs in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, sees sponsors pay for pre-school children to receive a book every month. It originally launched in Parton's home county of Sevier, Tennessee in 1996.

2017
Country music singer, songwriter and producer Norro Wilson died age 79. Wilson had written numerous hits including songs for Charlie Rich, Charley Pride, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, and had also produced artists, including Joe Stampley, Margo Smith, Sara Evans, Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain.

2017
American country music singer-songwriter, producer Norris Wilson died age 79. 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.

2020
American country music singer-songwriter James Hand died age 67. After years of songwriting and performing locally in obscurity, he released his first album in 1997, when he was 45 years old.

2024
American songwriter Mark James died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 83. He wrote hits for B.J. Thomas, Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley, including Presley's hit single 'Suspicious Minds', (which he wrote with Johnny Christopher and Wayne Carson). Willie Nelson's version of 'Suspicious Minds won James a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and Grammy Award for Best Country Song for Nelson's version.