August 11th: On this day

1946
Born on this day in Versailles, Kentucky, was John Conlee, country music singer who between 1978 and 2004 scored a total of thirty-two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Conlee has scored seven #1 hits including, "Lady Lay Down," "Backside of Thirty," "Common Man," "I'm Only in It for the Love," and "Got My Heart Set on You."

1952
Hank Williams was fired from the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness. (After a fall suffered during a hunting trip in Tennessee early in the year, Williams started to consume painkillers, including morphine, and alcohol to ease the pain).

1960
Johnny Cash appeared at the Three Rivers Inn in Syracuse, New York during a four night run.

1968
A New Place in the Sun the ninth album by American singer-guitarist Glen Campbell was at #1 on the Country charts. The album spent 6 weeks at the top of the chart.

1973
Satin Sheets the second studio album by American country artist Jeanne Pruett wass at #1 on the Country charts. The album spent eight weeks at #1 on the Top Country Albums, becoming the second-longest running album on the chart by a female artist at the time.

1974
Born on this day in Charleston, West Virginia, was Rachel Proctor, country music artist who co-wrote Martina McBride's 2002 single "Where Would You Be". Her debut hit "Days Like This" which peaked at #24 on the country charts, was the first of four singles from her 2004 debut album Where I Belong.

1977
Born on this day was American singer-songwriter Hillary Lindsey. She has written and co-written songs for Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan. In 2006 and 2016, respectively, Lindsey won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song for Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and for Little Big Town's "Girl Crush".

1980
Johnny Cash sang a duet of his hit "Jackson" with Miss Piggy on The Muppet Show. He also got under the fur of Rowlf the dog with his song "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog."

1989
"Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" by Dolly Parton was at #1 on the country chart. Released as the first single from the album White Limozeen, the song was Parton's eighteenth #1.

1994
Tim McGraw was at #1 with his breakthrough album Not a Moment Too Soon. His second studio album reached #1 on Billboard's Top 200 chart and #1 on Billboard Country chart and stayed for 26 consecutive weeks. It was Billboard's best selling album of 1994. For all genres of that year, it was in the top five. The Academy of Country Music named it Album of the Year in 1994.

1998
Vince Gill released his eighth studio album The Key which became his first #1 Country Album. The album features the singles "If You Ever Have Forever in Mind," "Kindly Keep It Country," "Don't Come Cryin' to Me."

2005
Steve Earle married Allison Moorer at the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. It was the American singer, songwriters seventh wedding, and her second.

2008
Don Helms a steel guitarist best known as the steel guitar player of Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys died aged 81. Helms was a featured musician on over 100 Hank Williams recordings and went on to play on many classic country hits, including Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight," Stonewall Jackson's "Waterloo," the Louvin Brothers' "Cash on the Barrelhead," Lefty Frizzell's "Long Black Veil" and Loretta Lynn's "Blue Kentucky Girl."

2017
From A Room: Volume 1 the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton was at #1 on the Country chart. The album won the award for Album of the Year at the 51st Country Music Association Awards, and Best Country Album at the 60th Grammy Awards.

2024
"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey was at #1 on the Hot Country Songs charts. As it succeeded Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" at the top, it made for the first time in history that two consecutive black artists held the #1 position there. This song also made Shaboozey the first male black artist to chart at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts at the same time; Beyoncé had previously become the first black artist to do so with "Texas Hold 'Em".