23-Mar-1870 |
Born on this day in
Fannin County,
Georgia was Fiddlin'
John Carson who
became the first
"hillbilly" artist
to play on the
radio, when he
performed on
Atlanta's WSB. It
was reported by the
Atlanta Journal that
Carson's fame
quickly spread all
over the United
States following his
broadcast at WSB. |
7-Oct-1870 |
Born on this day in
Smartt Station,
Tennessee, was Uncle
Dave Macon also
known as "The Dixie
Dewdrop" who was an
old-time banjo
player, singer,
songwriter, and
comedian. Known for
his chin whiskers,
plug hat, gold
teeth, and
gates-ajar collar,
he gained regional
fame as a vaudeville
performer in the
early 1920s before
becoming the first
star of the Grand
Ole Opry in the
latter half of the
decade. He died on
March 22nd 1952. |
31-Oct-1878 |
Born on this day was
the acclaimed early
country and folk
music performer
Samantha Bumgarner
from Dillsboro,
North Carolina. In
1924, accompanied by
guitarist Eva Davis,
she traveled to New
York City and
recorded about a
dozen songs for
Columbia Records.
The recordings are
also notable for
being the first use
of a 5-string banjo
on a recording. She
died on December 24,
1960. |
8-Oct-1882 |
Born on this day in
Knoxville,
Tennessee, was
Haywire Mac, (Harry
McClintock), an
American singer and
poet, best known for
his song "Big Rock
Candy Mountain",
which was featured
in the movie O
Brother, Where Art
Thou? The song
reached #1 on
Billboard's
"Hillbilly Hits"
chart in 1939.
Having worked as a
cowboy himself,
McClintock was one
of the few "country"
singers who had an
authentic background
from which to draw.
McClintock died on
April 24, 1957.
|
20-Nov-1887 |
Born on this day in
Delaney, Arkansas,
was Eck Robertson,
fiddle player,
mostly known for
commercially
recording the first
country music songs
in 1922 with Henry
Gilliland. He died
on Feb 15th 1975. |
19-Oct-1889 |
Born on this day in
Bristol, England,
was Art Satherley,
record producer and
A&R man who joined
Columbia Records in
1930 and
subsequently became
one of the most
successful country
music promoters in
the genre's early
history. Among those
he produced were
Gene Autry, Bob
Wills, Hank Penny,
Lefty Frizzell, Carl
Smith, Marty Robbins
and Roy Acuff.
Satherley died on 10
Feb 1986. |
4-Aug-1890 |
Born on this day in
Oswego, Kansas, was
Carson Robison,
country music singer
and songwriter.
Although his impact
is generally
forgotten today, he
played a major role
in promoting country
music in its early
years through
numerous recordings
and radio
appearances. He was
also known as
Charles Robison and
sometimes composed
under the pseudonym
Carlos B. McAfee. He
died on March 24,
1957. |
15-Dec-1891 |
Born on this day in
Maces Spring,
Virginia, was
American musician
and founding member
of The Carter Family
A. P. Carter who was
inducted into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1970.
Carter was inducted
as part of The
Carter Family in the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1970 and in 1993,
his image appeared
on a US postage
stamp honoring the
Carter Family.
Carter died on 7th
Nov 1960. |
22-Mar-1892 |
Born on this day in
Spray, now part of
Eden, Rockingham
County, was Charlie
Poole, old time
banjo player and
country musician and
the leader of the
North Carolina
Ramblers, an
American old-time
string band that
recorded many
popular songs
between 1925 to
1930. Poole's life
ended on May 21 1931
after a 13-week
drinking bender. He
had been invited to
Hollywood to play
background music for
a film. According to
some reports, he was
disheartened by the
slump in record
sales due to the
Depression. |
22-May-1892 |
Born on this day in
Independence,
Missouri, was Ralph
Peer an American
talent scout,
recording engineer
and record producer.
He is credited with
what is often called
the first country
music recording,
Fiddlin' John
Carson's disc
"Little Old Log
Cabin In The
Lane"/"That Old Hen
Cackled and The
Rooster's Goin' To
Crow". In August
1927, while talent
hunting in the
southern states, he
recorded both Jimmie
Rodgers and the
Carter Family in the
same session at a
makeshift studio in
Bristol, Tennessee,
known as the Bristol
Sessions. This
momentous event
could be described
as the genesis of
country music as we
know it today. Peer
died on 19 Jan 1960. |
22-May-1892 |
|
25-May-1893 |
Born on this day in
Monarat (Iron
Ridge), Carroll
County, Virginia,
was Ernest Stoneman
who is ranked among
the prominent
recording artists of
country music's
first commercial
decade. On February
12, 2008, Ernest
"Pop" Stoneman was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame. |
9-Nov-1895 |
Born on this day in
Attica, Indiana,
George D. Hay, the
founder of the
original Grand Ole
Opry radio program
on WSM-AM in
Nashville,
Tennessee, from
which the country
music stage show of
the same name
evolved. The show
was originally named
WSM Barn Dance, and
Hay billed himself
as "The Solemn Old
Judge." |
24-Aug-1897 |
Born on this day in
Evansville, Indiana,
was Fred Rose an
American Hall of
Fame songwriter
and music publishing
executive. Along
with Hank Williams
and the "Father of
Country Music",
Jimmie Rodgers, Fred
Rose was one of the
three charter
members of the
Country Music
Hall of Fame
when it opened in
1961. He was
inducted into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1970 and
into the
Songwriters Hall
of Fame in 1985.
Rose died on
December 1, 1954. |
8-Sep-1897 |
Born on this day in
Geiger, Alabama, was
Jimmie Rodgers,
singer, songwriter,
who was among the
first country music
superstars and
pioneers, Rodgers
was also known as
"The Singing
Brakeman", "The Blue
Yodeler", and "The
Father of Country
Music." Rodgers sold
over 12 million
records and was the
first person to be
elected into the
Country Music
Hall Of Fame.
Rodgers died on 26th
May 1933.
|
21-Jul-1898 |
Born on this day in
Copper Creek,
Virginia, was
Country music
musician, singer and
songwriter Sara
Carter, lead singer
on most of the
recordings of the
historic Carter
Family act in the
1920s and 1930s.
Carter was inducted
as part of the
Carter Family in the
Country Music
Hall of Famein
1970 along with Bill
Monroe. In 1993,
her image appeared
on a US postage
stamp honoring the
Carter Family.
Carter died on Jan
8th 1979 aged 80. |
11-Sep-1899 |
Born on this day,
was Jimmie Davis,
singer, songwriter,
who served two
nonconsecutive terms
as the 47th Governor
of Louisiana
(1944-1948 and
1960-1964). Davis
was a nationally
popular country
music and gospel
singer from the
1930s into the
1960s, occasionally
recording and
performing as late
as the early 1990s.
He is a member of
the Country Music
Hall of Fame and
The Louisiana
Music Hall of
Fame. Davis died
on November 5, 2000. |
14-Dec-1899 |
Born on this day in
Smith County,
Tennessee was DeFord
Bailey, country
music star from the
1920s until 1941.
Bailey was both the
first performer to
be introduced as
playing on the Grand
Ole Opry and also
the first
African-American
performer on the
show. He played
several instruments
but is best known
for his harmonica
tunes. He died on
July 2nd 1982 aged
82. |
12-May-1901 |
Born on this day in
De Soto, Missouri,
was The Duke of
Paducah (Benjamin
Francis Ford), an
American country
comedian, radio host
and banjo player
popular from the
1940s to the 1960s.
He was elected to
the Country Music
Hall of Fame in
February 1986. He
died on 20 June
1986. |
8-Feb-1902 |
Born on this day
born in Yoakum,
Texas was country
music record
producer and
entrepreneur Pappy
Daily who co-founded
the Texas-based
record label Starday
Records where he
worked with George
Jones, Melba
Montgomery and Roger
Miller. In the
mid-1950s, when
Starday signed up
George Jones, Daily
became a key figure
in country music.
Daily died on
December 5, 1987. |
6-May-1903 |
Born on this day in
Taylorsville,
Kentucky, was Cliff
Carlisle, American
country and blues
singer. Carlisle was
a yodeler and was a
pioneer in the use
of the Hawaiian
steel guitar in
country music. He
died on April 5th
1983. |
15-Sep-1903 |
Born on this day in
Maynardville,
Tennessee, was Roy
Acuff, who became
synonymous with the
Grand Ole Opry
following his 1938
debut. In 1962, he
became the first
living inductee into
the Country Music
Hall of Fame.
Acuff is often
credited with moving
the genre from its
early string band
and "hoedown" format
to the star
singer-based format
that helped make it
internationally
successful. He died
in Nashville on
November 23, 1992 of
congestive heart
failure.
|
12-Jan-1905 |
Born on this day,
was Woodward Maurice
Ritter, better known
as Tex Ritter, the
American country
music singer and
movie actor who was
popular from the
mid-1930s into the
1960s. He was the
first artist signed
with the
newly-formed Capitol
Records in 1944,
where he scored a
hit with "I'm
Wastin' My Tears on
You". Ritter died on
January 2, 1974. |
6-Mar-1905 |
Born on this day
near near Kosse,
Texas was James
Robert Wills, better
known as the
American Western
swing musician Bob
Wills who is
considered by music
authorities as the
co-founder of
Western swing. Wills
who was also a
member of The Texas
Playboys died on
May 13, 1975. |
4-May-1905 |
Born on this day,
was Al Dexter (born
Clarence Albert
Poindexter), who was
an American country
musician and
songwriter who
helped popularize
the style of honky
tonk. Best known for
his 1944 hit "Pistol
Packin' Mama,"
Dexter who died on
January 28, 1984 was
inducted into the
Texas Country
Music Hall Of
Fame in 2010. |
20-Jun-1907 |
Born on this day in
Timbo, Arkansas, was
Jimmy Driftwood who
was a prolific
songwriter and
musician, most
famous for his songs
"The Battle of New
Orleans" (which won
the 1960
Grammy Award
for Song of the
Year), and
"Tennessee Stud".
Eddy Arnold, Johnny
Cash, Hawkshaw
Hawkins, Homer and
Jethro all covered
his songs. He died
of a heart attack on
July 12, 1998 in
Fayetteville,
Arkansas aged 91. |
9-Jul-1907 |
Born on this day in
Posey in Hopkins
County, Texas, was
Eddie Dean singer
and actor, whom Roy
Rogers and Gene
Autry termed the
best cowboy singer
of all time. Dean
was best known for
"I Dreamed Of A
Hill-Billy Heaven"
(1955), which became
an even greater hit
for Tex Ritter in
1961. Dean died on
March 4th 1999 aged
91. |
29-Sep-1907 |
Born on this day,
was Orvon Grover
Autry, better known
as Gene Autry, who
gained fame as The
Singing Cowboy on
radio, in movies (he
appeared in almost
100 films) and
television for more
than three decades
beginning in the
1930s, his signature
song is "Back in the
Saddle Again". Autry
was the owner of the
Los
Angeles/California
Angels Major League
Baseball team from
1961 to 1997. He
died three days
after his 91st
birthday at his home
in Studio City,
California on
October 2, 1998.
|
11-Feb-1908 |
Born on this day was
Roba Stanley,
country music singer
who has been said to
be the first woman
to record country
music, (others have
pointed out that
Samantha Bumgarner
and Eva Davis
recorded a session
three months before
Roba). She died on
June 8, 1986. |
13-Apr-1908 |
Born on this day in
Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada, was Bob
Nolan, singer,
songwriter, and
actor. He was a
founding member of
the Sons of the
Pioneers, and
composer of numerous
Country music and
Western music songs,
including the
standards "Cool
Water" and "Tumbling
Tumbleweeds." |
20-Oct-1908 |
Born on this day in
Kellyville, Texas
was Stuart Hamblen
who was one of
American radio's
first singing
cowboys wrote "This
Ole House", which
has been covered by
many artists
including Rosemary
Clooney, Jimmy Dean,
Boxcar Willie, Bill
Black, and UK singer
Shakin' Stevens.
Hamblen died in
Santa Monica,
California on March
8th 1989 of brain
cancer. |
30-Oct-1908 |
Born on this day
Beaudry, Arkansas,
was Patsy Montana
country music
singer, songwriter
and actress. Montana
was the first female
country performer to
have a
million-selling
single with her
signature song "I
Want to Be a
Cowboy's
Sweetheart", and is
a member of the
Country Music
Hall of Fame.
She died on 3 May
1996 aged 87. |
10-Nov-1908 |
Born on this day was
American country
music producer Paul
Cohen. He was
chiefly responsible
for Nashville's
emergence as the
country music
recording capital
and the Nashville
Sound and was a
long-time Decca
Records executive.
As President of the
Country Music
Association (CMA),
Cohen was on hand
when the Country
Music Hall of Fame
opened in 1967.
Kitty Wells, Webb
Pierce, Brenda Lee,
Patsy Cline, and
Bobby Helms were
among the new acts
signed and produce
by Cohen. He died on
April 1, 1970. was
an |
19-Dec-1908 |
Born on this day in
Wakefield, Kentucky
southeast of
Louisville, was Bill
Carlisle, country
music singer,
songwriter, comedian
and guitarist
popular in the late
1940s and 1950s but
who influenced the
genre for more than
50 years. Carlisle
was elected to the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
September 2002. He
died on March 17th
2003. |
25-Dec-1908 |
Born on this day in
Elkmont, Alabama,
was Alton Delmore
from The Delmore
Brothers, the
country music
pioneers and stars
of the Grand Ole
Opry in the 1930s.
The Delmore
Brothers, together
with other brother
duos such as the
Louvin Brothers, the
Blue Sky Boys, the
Monroe Brothers
(Birch, Charlie and
Bill Monroe), the
McGee Brothers, and
The Stanley
Brothers, had a
profound impact on
the history of
country music and
American popular
music. Delmore died
on June 8th 1964. |
3-Mar-1909 |
Born on this day in
Tifton, Georgia was
Johnny Barfield a
country and old-time
music performer,
best known for his
1939 recording of
"Boogie Woogie", the
first country
boogie. He died on
16 January 1974,
aged 64. |
29-Mar-1909 |
Born on this day
near Corrigan, Polk
County, Texas was
Moon Mullican,
country and western
singer, songwriter,
and pianist. He is
associated with the
hillbilly boogie
style which greatly
influenced
rockabilly and in
1945, put together
his own band, the
Showboys. He scored
the 1950 #1 hit
"I'll Sail My Ship
Alone." Mullican
died on January 1,
1967 aged 57. |
10-May-1909 |
Born on this day in
Nickelsville,
Virginia, was
Maybelle Carter,
country musician.
She is best known as
a member of the
historic Carter
Family act in the
1920s and '30s and
also as a member of
Mother Maybelle and
the Carter Sisters.
Maybelle Carter was
inducted as part of
The Carter Family in
the Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1970. In 1993, her
image appeared on a
US postage stamp
honoring the Carter
Family. She died on
Oct 23rd 1978 aged
69. |
10-Aug-1909 |
Born on this day was
American inventor
and founder of the
Fender Musical
Instruments
Corporation Leo
Fender. The Fender
Telecaster became
important in country
music in ‘The
Bakersfield Sound’
in the 1960s, and
the emerging Outlaw
scene. The
Bakersfield Sound
made the Telecaster
cool. Leo Fender
died on March 21,
1991 of
complications from
Parkinson's disease. |
17-Jun-1910 |
Born on this day,
was Clyde Julian
Foley, better known
as Red Foley, the
American singer,
radio and TV
personality became
one of the biggest
country music stars
after World War II,
selling over 25
million records.
Foley also hosted
the first popular
country music series
on network
television, The
Ozark Jubilee,
from 1955 to 1960.
Foley died on
September 19, 1968.
Hank Williams, Jr.
who had been with
him the day he died,
later wrote and
record (as Luke the
Drifter, Jr.) "I Was
With Red Foley (The
Night He Passed
Away)". |
14-Jul-1910 |
Born on this day in
Christian County,
Missouri, was Slim
Wilson, singer,
songwriter,
bandleader, and
radio and TV
personality who was
a cornerstone of
country music in the
Ozarks for more than
50 years. He died on
July 15, 1990. |
22-Aug-1910 |
Born on this day in
Smithville,
Mississippi, was Rod
Brasfield, a
comedian who was
prominently featured
on the Grand Ole
Opry from 1947 until
his death in 1958.
In 1987, he was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame.
Brasfield died
12 Sept 1958. |
29-Sep-1910 |
Born on this day in
Ladonia in Fannin
County, Texas, was
Bill Boyd, American
Western style singer
and guitarist. He
was a member of The
Cowboys Ramblers who
made more than 225
recordings between
1934-1951. The band
had their own
popular radio show,
The Bill Boyd
Ranch House. In
1935, the Cowboy
Ramblers had a huge
hit with their
recording of "Under
the Double Eagle". |
17-Dec-1910 |
Born on this day,
was Spade Cooley,
American Western
swing musician, big
band leader, actor,
and television
personality. His
career ended in 1961
when he was arrested
and convicted for
the murder of his
second wife, Ella
Mae Evans. Cooley
died on November 23,
1969. |
19-Jan-1911 |
Born on this day in
Caledonia,
Minnesota, was Ken
Nelson, record
producer and A&R man
for Capitol Records
who was responsible
for country music's
growth during the
post-World War II
era. During his
years with Capitol,
he produced many of
the genre's most
notable and
successful hits, by
artists including
Merle Travis, Gene
Vincent, Ferlin
Husky, Jean Shepard,
Hank Thompson and
the many #1 country
hits known as the
Bakersfield Sound by
Merle Haggard, Buck
Owens, along with
many others. Nelson
was inducted into
the Country Music
Hall of Fame in
2001. He died on 6
Jan 2008 aged 96. |
12-Feb-1911 |
Born on this day in
Washington, D.C. was
Stephen H. Sholes a
prominent recording
executive with RCA
Victor. He was
responsible for
recruiting such
talent as Chet
Atkins, Eddy Arnold,
The Browns, Hank
Locklin, Homer and
Jethro, Hank Snow,
Jim Reeves, and Pee
Wee King. In 1955,
he signed Elvis
Presley for RCA
Victor.
|
11-Mar-1911 |
Born on this day in
Comanche County,
Texas, was Cowboy
Slim Rinehart. He
was among the first
of the "Singing
cowboys" of the
1930s and 40s (whose
ranks included
Jimmie Rodgers, Gene
Autry, and Roy
Rogers among
others). He died on
October 28, 1948 in
Michigan in a car
accident. Rinehart
was inducted into
the Texas Country
Music Hall of
Fame in October
1996, in recognition
of his being a
pioneer of the Texas
music scene. |
13-Sep-1911 |
Born on this day in
Rosine, Kentucky,
was Bill Monroe,
American mandolinist
who helped create
the style of music
known as bluegrass.
The genre takes its
name from his band,
the "Blue Grass
Boys", named for
Monroe's home state
of Kentucky. He is
often referred to as
'The Father of
Bluegrass'. Monroe
died on Sept 9th
1996. |
5-Nov-1911 |
Born on this day in
Cincinnati, Ohio,
was Roy Rogers,
singer and cowboy
actor, one of the
most heavily
marketed and
merchandised stars
of his era, as well
as being the
namesake of the
Roy Rogers
Restaurants
franchised
chain. He and his
wife Dale Evans, his
golden palomino,
Trigger, and his
German Shepherd dog,
Bullet, were
featured in more
than 100 movies &
The Roy Rogers
Show. The show
ran on radio for 9
years before moving
to TV from 1951 -
1957. Rogers died
of congestive heart
failure on July 6,
1998, he was
residing in Apple
Valley, California.
|
14-Jul-1912 |
Born on this day in
Okfuskee County,
Oklahoma, was
singer-songwriter
Woody Guthrie. His
best-known song is
"This Land Is Your
Land." Many of his
recorded songs are
archived in the
Library of
Congress and
many Country artists
have acknowledged
Guthrie as a major
influence. |
2-Sep-1912 |
Born on this day was
Johnnie Lee Wills
the younger brother
of Bob Wills. He
played banjo with
Bob as a member of
the Texas Playboys
starting in 1934. In
1949 he saw his
greatest success
with songs such as
"Rag Mop" and "Peter
Cotton Tail". |
25-Oct-1912 |
Born on this day in
Centerville, in
Hickman County,
Tennessee, was
Minnie Pearl,
country comedian who
appeared at the
Grand Ole Opry for
more than 50 years
(from 1940 to 1991)
and on the
television show
Hee Haw from
1969 to 1991. Pearl
died on 4 March 1996
aged 83. |
30-Oct-1912 |
Born on this day was
American A&R
director, record
producer and
musician Lee
Gillette. He signed,
and produced most of
Capitol's country
stars in the
immediate post-war
period, including
Tex Ritter, Jack
Guthrie, Jimmy
Wakely, Merle
Travis, Tex Williams
and Tennessee Ernie
Ford. He died on
August 20, 1981 age
68. |
31-Oct-1912 |
Born on this day in
Uvalde, Texas, was
Dale Evans, film
star and
singer-songwriter.
She was the third
wife of singing
cowboy Roy Rogers.
From 1951 to 1957,
Evans and her
husband starred in
the highly
successful
television series
The Roy Rogers
Show, in which
they continued their
cowboy and cowgirl
roles, with her
riding her trusty
buckskin horse,
Buttermilk. She
died on February 7,
2001 aged 88. |
8-Dec-1912 |
Born on this day,
was Jack Stapp who
was an influential
country music
manager. He
co-wrote, with Harry
Stone, the popular
song "Chattanooga
Shoe Shine Boy."
Stapp was inducted
into the Country
Music Hall of
Fame in 1989. |
27-Jun-1913 |
Born on this day in
Marshall, Arkansas
was Elton Britt,
country music
guitarist and
singer-songwriter.
He recorded over 60
albums for RCA and
other labels in more
than a 30-year span,
and is best known
for such hit songs
as "Someday (You'll
Want Me to Want
You)," "Detour,"
"Chime Bells,"
"Maybe I'll Cry Over
You," "Pinto Pal,"
and the
million-selling
wartime hit "There's
a Star-Spangled
Banner Waving
Somewhere". Britt
died on June 22,
1972. |
15-Jul-1913 |
Born on this day in
Jefferson Township
in Adams County,
Ohio was Cowboy
Copas (Lloyd Estel
Copas), who had the
1960 #1 hit
"Alabam". The
American country
music singer was
popular from the
1940s until his
death in the 1963
plane crash that
also killed country
stars Patsy Cline
and Hawkshaw Hawkins
on March 5, 1963. |
20-Oct-1913 |
Born on this day in
Henderson County,
Kentucky, was
Grandpa Jones an
American banjo
player and "old
time" country and
gospel music singer.
He is a member of
the Country Music
Hall of Fame.
Jones died on 19 Feb
1998 aged 84. |
9-Feb-1914 |
Born on this day,
was Ernest Tubb,
nicknamed the Texas
Troubadour, who was
an American singer
and songwriter and
one of the early
pioneers of country
music. His biggest
hit song, "Walking
the Floor Over You"
from 1941, marked
the rise of the
honky tonk style of
music. Tubb died on
September 6th 1984.
|
16-Feb-1914 |
Born on this day in
Howard County,
Arkansas, was Jimmy
Wakely, actor and
country Western
music vocalist, and
one of the last
singing cowboys.
During the 1930s,
1940s and 1950s, he
released records,
appeared in several
B-Western movies,
appeared on radio
and television and
even had his own
series of comic
books. His duet
singles with
Margaret Whiting
from 1949-51
produced a string of
hits, including
1949's #1 hit on the
US country charts
and pop music
charts, "Slippin'
Around." Wakely died
on September 23,
1982. |
18-Feb-1914 |
Born on this day in
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, was
Julius Frank Anthony
Kuczynski who became
better known as Pee
Wee King. The
American country
music songwriter is
best known for
co-writing "The
Tennessee Waltz",
which was a hit for
both Cowboy Copas,
Patti Page and
Petula Clark. He
died of a heart
attack in
Louisville,
Kentucky, aged 86 on
March 7, 2000.
|
9-May-1914 |
Born on this day in
Brooklyn, Queens
County, Nova Scotia,
was Hank Snow,
(Clarence Eugene
Snow), who scored
more than 70 singles
on the
Billboard
country charts from
1950 until 1980,
including "I'm
Moving On", "I Don't
Hurt Anymore", and
"Hello Love". He is
a member of both the
Canadian Country
Music Hall of
Fame and the
Music Hall of
Fame. Snow died
on December 20,
1999.
|
13-May-1914 |
Born on this day in
Mount Juliet,
Tennessee, was
Johnnie Wright, the
singer-songwriter
who worked with Jack
Anglin in the duo
Johnnie & Jack, who
had the 1965 #1 hit
"Hello Vietnam",
which was used as
the opening theme in
the film Full
Metal Jacket. He
died on Sept 27th
2011. |
19-Jun-1914 |
Born on this day in
Overton County,
Tennessee, was
Lester Flatt,
bluegrass musician
best known for his
work in the
Bluegrass duo The
Foggy Mountain Boys.
He was also known as
"Flatt and Scruggs,"
with banjo picker
Earl Scruggs who
performed "The
Ballad of Jed
Clampett", which was
used as the theme
for the television
show The Beverly
Hillbillies. He
also released many
solo and
collaboration works
and hed been a
member of Bill
Monroe's band during
the 1940s. He died
on May 11th 1979. |
22-Aug-1914 |
Born on this day in
Lizard Lick, North
Carolina, was Connie
B. Gay renowned as a
"founding father"
and "major force" in
country music. He is
credited for coining
the country music
genre, which had
previously been
called hillbilly
music. Gay was the
founding president
of the Country
Music Association
(CMA) and
co-founder of the
Country Music
Hall of Fame and
Museum. Gay died
on 3 Dec 1989. |
28-Nov-1914 |
Born on this day in
Bellevue, Texas was
Cecil Brower a
classically trained
American jazz
violinist who became
an architect of
Western swing in the
1930s. He was a
renowned Nashville
session musician and
performed with some
of the biggest names
in country music
including Patsy
Cline until his
death at age 50
while a member of
Jimmy Dean's band.
He died on November
21, 1965. |
8-Dec-1914 |
Born on this day,
was Floyd Tillman
American country
musician who, in the
1930s and 1940s,
helped create the
Western swing and
honky tonk genres.
Tillman was inducted
into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1970 and
the Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1984. Tillman's only
#1 song as a singer
was "They Took the
Stars Out of Heaven"
which reached the
top of the charts in
1944. |
13-Jan-1915 |
Born on this day in
Decatur, Illinois,
was American country
music
singer-songwriter
Jenny Lou Carson,
the first woman to
write a #1 country
music hit, (the 1945
hit "You Two-Timed
Me One Time Too
Often"). From 1945
to 1955 she was one
of the most prolific
songwriters in
country music. |
20-May-1915 |
Born on this day was
American musical
arranger, trumpeter,
band leader, and
musical director
Bill McElhiney. As a
performer, his most
notable contribution
was the signature
trumpet parts on
Johnny Cash's "Ring
of Fire". He was one
of the most
prominent musical
arrangers in
Nashville during the
1960s and 1970s,
doing arrangements
for Brenda Lee ("I'm
Sorry"), Patsy
Cline, Roy Orbison,
Danny Davis, Marty
Robbins, and Dolly
Parton. He died on 9
February 2002. |
1-Jun-1915 |
Born on this day in
Enville, Oklahoma,
was Johnny Bond best
known for his 1947
hit "Divorce Me
C.O.D.", one of his
seven top ten hits
on the
Billboard
country charts. In
1965, at the age of
50, he scored the
biggest hit of his
career with the
comic "Ten Little
Bottles", which
spent four weeks at
#2. Bond's other
hits include "So
Round, So Firm, So
Fully Packed"
(1947), "Oklahoma
Waltz" (1948), "Love
Song in 32 Bars"
(1950), "Sick Sober
and Sorry" (1951)
and "Hot Rod
Lincoln" (1960).
Bond died on 12 June
1978. |
16-Jul-1915 |
Born on this day was
country music
comedian and
entertainer Speck
Rhodes best known
for his appearances
on the Porter
Wagoner television
show. Rhodes died
March 19, 2000 age
84. |
4-Sep-1915 |
Born on this day,
was Dick Thomas,
American singing
cowboy and actor. He
was best known for
his 1945 single
"Sioux City Sue," a
#1 country hit and
#16 pop hit that
year which later
became a country
music standard and
was included in a
Gene Autry movie.
Thomas died on
November 22, 2003. |
21-Oct-1915 |
Born on this day,
was American record
producer Owen
Bradley, who, along
with Chet Atkins and
Bob Ferguson, was
one of the chief
architects of the
1950s and 1960s
Nashville sound in
country music and
rockabilly, working
with artists such as
Patsy Cline, Brenda
Lee, Loretta Lynn,
and Conway Twitty. |
13-Nov-1915 |
Born on this day was
Jack Guthrie,
songwriter and
performer whose
rewritten version of
the Woody Guthrie
song "Oklahoma
Hills" was a hit in
1945. The two
musicians were
cousins. |
20-Jun-1916 |
Born on this day
near Mena, Arkansas
was David Luke
Myrick who became
known professionally
as T. Texas Tyler,
best known for his
1948 hit, "The Deck
of Cards". |
4-Jul-1916 |
Born on this day in
Annville, Jackson
County, Kentucky,
was David Akeman
better known as
Stringbean (or
String Bean),
American country
music banjo player
and comedy musician
best known for his
role on the hit
television show,
Hee Haw. On
November 10, 1973,
Akeman and his wife
were murdered by
burglars at their
rural Tennessee home
in 1973 after they
returned home after
he performed at the
Grand Ole Opry. |
3-Dec-1916 |
Born on this day in
Elkmont, Alabama,
was Rabon Delmore
from The Delmore
Brothers, the
country music
pioneers and stars
of the Grand Ole
Opry in the 1930s.
The Delmore
Brothers, together
with other brother
duos such as the
Louvin Brothers, the
Blue Sky Boys, the
Monroe Brothers
(Birch, Charlie and
Bill Monroe), the
McGee Brothers, and
The Stanley
Brothers, had a
profound impact on
the history of
country music and
American popular
music. Delmore died
on Dec 4th 1952. |
3-Jan-1917 |
Born on this day in
Houston, was Leon
McAuliffe who played
steel guitar for Bob
Wills' Texas
Playboys from
1935-1942. He scored
his own instrumental
hit in 1949 with
"Panhandle Rag." |
15-Feb-1917 |
Born on this day
near Adairsville,
Georgia, was Wally
Fowler singer,
manager, and music
promoter and
businessman. He
founded the Oak
Ridge Quartet, a
gospel act that
eventually became
the Oak Ridge Boys.
He was known as The
Man with a Million
Friends and Mr.
Gospel Music, he
died on June 3rd
1994. |
1-Mar-1917 |
Born on this day in
Stockton,
California, was
Cliffie Stone,
singer, musician,
record producer,
music publisher, and
radio and TV
personality who was
pivotal in the
development of
California's
thriving country
music scene after
World War II during
a career that lasted
six decades. He was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1989. |
23-Jul-1917 |
Born on this day in
Decatur, IL, was
Judy Martin, country
music singer,
performing from the
early 30's to the
late 40's on the
WLS-AM's National
Barn Dance in
Chicago. She was the
second wife of
Country Music
Hall of Fame
member Red Foley. On
November 17, 1951
Foley died at her
Nashville home from
an overdose of
sleeping pills aged
34. |
23-Aug-1917 |
Born on this day in
Ramsey, Illinois,
was Sollie Paul
Williams who became
known as the
American Western
swing musician Tex
Williams. He is best
known for his
talking blues style
and had the 1947
novelty hit with
"Smoke! Smoke!
Smoke! (That
Cigarette)" which he
co-wrote with Merle
Travis. Williams
died of pancreatic
cancer on October
11, 1985. |
29-Nov-1917 |
Born on this day in
Rosewood, Kentucky
was Merle Travis.
The American country
and Western singer,
songwriter known for
his hit "Sixteen
Tons". Travis'
guitar style became
known as "Travis
picking", and his
songs often
discussed the life
and exploitation of
coal miners in the
lyrics. Travis who
was was inducted
into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1970 and
elected to the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1977 died on October
20, 1983.
|
13-Dec-1917 |
Born on this day in
Lamar, Colorado, was
Wesley Tuttle,
country music
singer. He relearned
to play the guitar
and ukulele after
losing all but the
thumb and one finger
on his left hand. He
contributed the
yodeling to the
"Silly Song" in Walt
Disney's Snow White
and the Seven
Dwarfs, and later
backed Tex Ritter on
guitar. He married
actress Marilyn
Myers in 1946 and
acted with her in
several Western
films, in addition
to recording the
duet "Never" with
her. Tuttle died on
September 29, 2003. |
30-Dec-1917 |
Born on this day in
Lamar, Colorado, was
Wesley Tuttle the
country music
singer. He was
raised in California
and took up music
when he was four
years old,
relearning to play
the guitar and
ukulele after losing
all but the thumb
and one finger on
his left hand. He
contributed the
yodeling to the
"Silly Song" in Walt
Disney's Snow White
and the Seven
Dwarfs, and later
backed Tex Ritter on
guitar. Tuttle died
on September 29,
2003. |
11-Feb-1918 |
Born on this day in
Chicago, Illinois,
was Wesley Rose,
music industry
executive and record
producer. Rose was a
important part of
the development of
the country music
industry. He was a
driving force behind
the creation of the
Country Music
Association. |
15-Feb-1918 |
Born on this day in
the Florida
Panhandle, was
Lawrence Hankins
Locklin better known
as Hank Locklin. A
member of the Grand
Ole Opry for nearly
50 years, Locklin
had a long recording
career and scored
the hits, "Please
Help Me, I'm
Falling", "Send Me
the Pillow That You
Dream On" and
"Geisha Girl".
Locklin died on
March 8, 2009.
|
15-May-1918 |
Born on this day
near Henderson,
Tennessee, was
Richard Edward
Arnold, who became
known as Eddy
Arnold. So-called
'Nashville sound'
innovator of the
late 1950s, Arnold
scored 147 songs on
the Billboard
country music
charts, second only
to George Jones and
has sold more than
85 million records.
He co-wrote with
Cindy Walker the
country and pop
standard "You Don't
Know Me" which
became a hit for Ray
Charles in 1962. He
died in a nursing
home in Nashville,
on May 8, 2008,
exactly one week
before his 90th
birthday. |
17-Jul-1918 |
Born on this day in
Charleston, West
Virginia was Woodrow
Wilson Sovine better
known as Red Sovine,
the country music
singer associated
with truck driving
songs. The most
famous example is
his 1976 #1 hit
"Teddy Bear". He was
killed on April 4,
1980 after he
suffered a heart
attack while driving
his Ford van in
Nashville, which
caused him to crash. |
20-Jul-1918 |
Born on this day
near Mexia east of
Waco, Texas, was
Cindy Walker the
prolific American
songwriter, singer
who wrote hits such
as "Distant Drums",
"Bubbles in My
Beer", "Cherokee
Maiden" and "You
Don't Know Me".
Walker who was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1997 and into the
Texas Heritage
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in March
2011 also had the
1944 hit with "When
My Blue Moon Turns
to Gold Again".
|
16-Oct-1918 |
Born on this day,
was Stoney Cooper,
an American country
star and member of
the Grand Ole Opry.
He was a master of
the fiddle and the
guitar. Cooper died
on March 22 1977
aged 58. |
13-Feb-1919 |
Born on this day in
Bristol, Tennessee,
was Ernest Jennings
Ford better known as
Tennessee Ernie
Ford. The television
host scored an
unexpected hit in
1955 with his
rendition of Merle
Travis' "Sixteen
Tons". Ford died on
October 17, 1991
exactly 36 years
after "Sixteen Tons"
was released, and
one day shy of the
first anniversary of
his induction into
the Country Music
Hall of Fame. |
30-Aug-1919 |
Born on this day in
Nashville, Tennessee
was Ellen Muriel
Deason who became
known as Kitty
Wells. Her 1952 hit
"It Wasn't God Who
Made Honky Tonk
Angels", made her
the first female
country singer to
top the US country
charts, and turned
her into the first
female country star.
In 1976, she was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame; as
of 2011 - at the age
of 92 - is its
oldest living
member. Wells'
accomplishments
earned her the
moniker, 'The Queen
of Country Music.' |
1-Dec-1919 |
Born on this day in
Dublin, Texas was
Slim Willet (Winston
Lee Moore), disc
jockey, musician,
and songwriter who
had the 1952 US
Country #1 "Don't
Let the Stars Get in
Your Eyes". |
10-Dec-1919 |
Born on this day in
in Camargo, Oklahoma
was Eddie Miller,
songwriter, in the
country music genre.
He co-wrote "Release
Me" covered by Patti
Page (1954), Ray
Price (1954), and
Kitty Wells (1954)
and Engelbert
Humperdinck (1967).
He was the founder
of the Country and
Western Music
Academy in
Hollywood, as well
as a co-founder of
the Nashville
Songwriters
Association
International. He
died on April 11,
1977 age 57. |
25-Dec-1919 |
Born on this day in
China Grove, North
Carolina was
bluegrass musician
Curly Seckler. He
played with Lester
Flatt and Earl
Scruggs in their
band the Foggy
Mountain Boys from
1949 to 1962. He
died in his sleep on
December 27, 2017,
just two days after
his 98th birthday. |
13-Feb-1920 |
Born on this day in
Shellman, Georgia,
was Boudleaux
Bryant, songwriter
with his wife
Felice. They wrote
The Everly Brothers
hits, "Bye Bye
Love", "All I Have
To Do Is Dream" and
"Wake Up Little
Susie" as well as
"Raining In My
Heart", which was a
hit for Buddy Holly.
Many other artists
have recorded their
songs including
Charley Pride, Gram
Parsons, Ray
Charles, Jim Reeves,
Red Foley. Bryant
died on June 25th
1987. |
9-Mar-1920 |
American musician
Jerry Byrd. He
played the lap steel
guitar in country
and Hawaiian music,
as well as a
singer-songwriter
and the head of a
music publishing
firm. He was
important to the
early career of
Dolly Parton being
one of the first to
sign her. The list
of artists that Byrd
played or recorded
with included Hank
Williams, Ernest
Tubb, Patsy Cline
and Red Foley and
countless others. He
died on April 11,
2005, of Parkinson's
disease at 85 in
Honolulu, Hawaii. |
10-Mar-1920 |
Born on this day in
Conasauga,
Tennessee, was
Kenneth C. "Jethro"
Burns, American
country musician,
comedian, and
mandolin player. He
was better known by
his stage name
Jethro from his
years with Henry D.
Haynes as part of
the comedic musical
duo Homer and
Jethro. In 2001,
Burns and Haynes
were inducted into
the Country Music
Hall of Fame. |
14-Jul-1920 |
Born on this day was
American songwriter
Marijohn Wilkin. She
was famous in
country music for
writing a number of
hits. Wilkin won
numerous awards over
the years and was
referred to as "The
Den Mother of Music
Row." Wilkin may be
most famous for "One
Day at a Time",
often considered the
biggest gospel song
of the 1970s. She
wrote the song in
1973 with some
assistance from Kris
Kristofferson. She
died on October 28,
2006. |
27-Jul-1920 |
Born on this day
near Knoxville,
Tennessee, was Henry
D. "Homer" Haynes,
American entertainer
who gained fame on
radio and television
as Homer of the
country music comedy
duo Homer and Jethro
with Kenneth C.
Burns for 35 years
beginning in 1936.
The pair recorded
more than 50 albums
during their career
and won a
Grammy for
the best comedy
performance in 1959
for "The Battle of
Kookamonga," a
parody of Johnny
Horton's "Battle of
New Orleans."
Haynes, who owned
Fender Stratocaster
serial number 0001,
died on August 8,
1971 of a heart
attack in Hammond,
Indiana. |
4-Sep-1920 |
Born on this day was
Harold Bradley
"Shot" Jackson best
known for playing
Dobro and pedal
steel guitar. He
joined the Bailes
Brothers on KWKH's
Louisiana Hayride
program, playing
Dobro. After the
Bailes Brothers
Jackson stayed
behind, playing with
artists like Webb
Pierce, Jimmie
Osborne, George
Jones and Red
Sovine. Jackson was
also responsible for
introducing Willie
Nelson to his
favorite lifelong
guitar, Trigger. He
died on January 24,
1991. |
19-Dec-1920 |
Born on this day in
Bolt, West Virginia,
was Little Jimmy
Dickens, famous for
his humorous novelty
songs, his small
size, 4'11" (150
cm), and his
rhinestone-studded
outfits. He scored
the 1965 #1 "May the
Bird of Paradise Fly
Up Your Nose", and
has been a member of
the Grand Ole Opry
for 60 years and is
a member of the
Country Music
Hall of Fame. He
died on Jan 2nd 2015
at the age of 94. |
7-Feb-1921 |
Born on this day in
Valley Head, West
Virginia, was Wilma
Lee Cooper American
bluegrass-based
country music
entertainer. Wilma
Lee and Stoney
Cooper had success
in the late 1950s
and early 1960s
scoring seven hit
records between 1956
and 1961, with four
top ten hits on
Billboard
charts, notably "Big
Midnight Special"
and "There's a Big
Wheel." He died on
Sept 13 2011 aged
90.
|
20-Feb-1921 |
Born on this day in
Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania. was
Mervin Shiner.
Several of his
songs, such as "Why
Don't You Haul Off
and Love Me", which
made the top ten on
the Country &
Western chart and
"Peter Cottontail,"
achieved success and
opened doors for
him, allowing him to
perform with
renowned artists
like Hank Williams
and Minnie Pearl.
Shiner died in
Tampa, Florida, on
October 23, 2023, at
the age of 102. |
19-Mar-1921 |
American
gospel-country music
singer Martha
Carson. She made
her solo-single
debut with
"Satisfied", in 1951
a gospel song she
had written in
response to audience
disapproval over her
divorce. The
combination of
Carson's powerful
alto voice and the
song's backbeat
formed one of the
blocks on which
early rock & roll
was built. The song
featured backup by
Chet Atkins.
Although the song
was not a hit at
first, it gained
momentum
continuously over
the next several
years. Carson died
on 16 December 2004
age 83. |
1-Apr-1921 |
Born on this day in
Clinton, South
Carolina was Country
guitarist Arthur
Smith, best known
for the theme tune
from the 1972 film
Deliverance,
He was one of the
most influential
guitar-players in
country and early
rock 'n' roll. He
found fame with his
1948 single "Guitar
Boogie" and enjoyed
other hits including
"Feudin' Banjos" in
1955. When the
Warner Bros film
studio used a cover
version and renamed
it "Dueling Banjos"
for
Deliverance,
he sued them and won
substantial
royalties. He died
at his home from
natural causes at
the age of 93 just 2
days after his 93rd
birthday. |
10-Apr-1921 |
Born on this day in
Erick, Oklahoma, was
Sheb Wooley, the
singer, songwriter
and actor best known
for his 1958 novelty
song "Purple People
Eater". He played
Ben Miller, brother
of Frank Miller in
the film High
Noon, Travis
Cobb in The
Outlaw Josey
Wales, and also
had a co-starring
role as scout Pete
Nolan in the
television program
Rawhide. He
died in Nashville,
Tennessee on
September 16th 2003. |
13-May-1921 |
Born on this day in
Dora, Alabama, was
Terry Fell who
started his record
career in 1945 as a
member of Billy
Hughes band. During
his first session
for RCA in
Hollywood, he
recorded a song that
would become a hit.
Although the A-side,
"Don't Drop It", was
underplayed, the
B-side, "Truck
Drivin Man", became
a classic,
especially in the
trucker country
music scene. Many
artists have covered
the song including;
Ricky Nelson, Boxcar
Willie, Charley
Pride, Conway
Twitty, Jimmy
Martin, The Flying
Burrito Brothers,
George Hamilton IV,
Glen Campbell, New
Riders of the Purple
Sage, Willie Nelson,
David Allan Coe,
Leon Russell and
Toby Keith. |
20-May-1921 |
Lawyers for Texan
Tyler Pride
announced he had
filed suit to share
in the estate of
country music legend
Charley Pride. In
the process, the
public became aware
that Charley Pride
had fathered a child
outside his marriage
in the 1970s.
According to Tyler,
his mother met Pride
when she was a
flight attendant,
and their affair
went on for ten
years. |
8-Aug-1921 |
Born on this day in
West Monroe,
Louisiana, was Webb
Pierce who became
one of the most
popular American
honky tonk vocalists
of the 1950s,
charting more #1
hits than any other
country artist
during the decade.
His best know hit
"In The Jailhouse
Now," stayed on the
charts for 37 weeks
in 1955. Pierce died
after a long battle
with pancreatic
cancer on February
24, 1991. |
17-Aug-1921 |
Born on this day was
American country
singer and harmonica
player Wayne Raney.
His longtime musical
associate was
Lonnie Glosson and
the two men
established a
harmonica mail order
business which sold
millions of
harmonicas and
played a major role
in turning the
harmonica into a
widely popular
instrument. His 1949
single, "Why Don't
You Haul Off and
Love Me", was a #1
country hit. He died
on January 23, 1993. |
22-Dec-1921 |
Born on this day in
Huntington, West
Virginia, was
Hawkshaw Hawkins,
country music singer
popular from the
1950s into the early
60s and known for
his rich, smooth
vocals and music
drawn from blues,
boogie and honky
tonk. Hawkins died
in the 1963 plane
crash that also
killed country stars
Patsy Cline and
Cowboy Copas. |
26-Mar-1922 |
Jeff Carson died
from a heart attack
at a hospital in
Franklin, Tennessee,
at the age of 58. He
had charted fourteen
singles on the
Billboard
country charts,
including the #1 hit
"Not on Your Love."
He retired from
music in 2009 and
became a police
officer. |
4-Jun-1922 |
Born on this day in
London, Ontario was
Canadian entertainer
Gordie Tapp. He is
best known as a
radio and television
presenter, comedian
and longtime cast
member of the
television series
Hee Haw. Tapp
was inducted into
the Canadian Country
Music Hall of Fame
in 1990. He died on
December 18, 2016 at
the age of 94. |
24-Jul-1922 |
Born on this day in
Troy, Tennessee was
country music singer
and songwriter
Lawton Williams. His
major label debut,
in 1951 on Coral,
was "Everlastin'
Love"/"Lovin'
Overtime." He became
in demand as a
songwriter, Hank
Locklin recorded his
"Geisha Girl" and
"Color Of The
Blues", co-written
with George Jones,
was a country #10
for Jones. Williams
died on July 27,
2007 age 85. |
26-Jul-1922 |
Born on this day in
Lundale, West
Virginia, was Jim
Foglesong country
music producer and
executive from the
1950s until the
1990s, based in
Nashville He signed
many artists, among
them Barbara
Mandrell, Don
Williams, Garth
Brooks, Donna Fargo,
Reba McEntire, The
Oak Ridge Boys, Con
Hunley, George
Strait, Tanya
Tucker, Sawyer
Brown, Suzy Bogguss,
and Kevin Morris. He
was inducted into
the Country Music
Hall of Fame in
2004. |
20-Dec-1922 |
Born on this day in
Surrey Hills,
Victoria, Australian
country singer,
songwriter Geoff
Mack. He wrote the
song "I've Been
Everywhere" which
became popular in
North America when
adapted for Hank
Snow. More than 130
cover versions of
the song have since
been recorded. |
5-Jan-1923 |
Born on this day
near Florence,
Alabama, was Sam
Phillips,
businessman, record
executive, record
producer and DJ who
most notably founded
Sun Studios and Sun
Records in Memphis,
Tennessee. Through
Sun, Phillips
discovered such
recording talent as
Howlin' Wolf, Carl
Perkins, Jerry Lee
Lewis and Johnny
Cash. The height of
his success
culminated in his
launching of Elvis
Presley's career in
1954. Philips was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
October 2001. He
died on 30 July
2003. |
5-Feb-1923 |
Born on this day in
Keithville,
Louisiana, was
Claude King, singer
and songwriter, best
known for his
million selling 1962
hit, "Wolverton
Mountain". Written
with Nashville
veteran Merle
Kilgore, the song is
based on a real
character, Clifton
Clowers, an uncle of
Kilgore's who lived
on Wolverton
Mountain north of
Morrilton, Arkansas.
King died at his
home in Shreveport
on March 7, 2013, at
the age of ninety.
|
28-Feb-1923 |
Born on this day, in
Pike County,
Alabama, was Audrey
Williams. She met
Hank Williams in
1943 at the age of
20, and the couple
married before a
Justice of the Peace
at a gas station
near Andalusia,
Alabama in December
1944. She died from
heart failure
related to her years
of alcohol and drug
use on 4th November
1975 at the age of
52. Audrey is
mentioned in the
song by Johnny Cash
featuring Waylon
Jennings: "The Night
Hank Williams Came
To Town" as "How'd
They Get Miss Audrey
In That Gown." |
25-Mar-1923 |
Born on this day in
Seattle, Washington,
was Bonnie Guitar,
Country-Pop Singer.
She is best
remembered for her
1957 Country-Pop
crossover hit "Dark
Moon". She became
one of the first
female Country Music
singers to have
songs crossover from
the Country charts
to the Pop charts.
She died on January
13th 2019 age 95. |
2-Jul-1923 |
Born on this day, in
Maces Spring,
Virginia, was
Janette Carter who
was the last
surviving child of
A.P. and Sara
Carter, of Carter
Family musical fame.
In 1976, she and
community members
built an 880-seat
amphitheater, the
Carter Family Fold,
beside the store her
father operated in
Southwestern
Virginia. Today, the
Carter Family Fold
attracts more than
50,000 visitors a
year. She died on
22nd Jan 2006 aged
82. |
20-Aug-1923 |
Born on this day in
Galloway, Texas was
American country
music
singer-songwriter
James Travis Reeves
who became known as
Jim Reeves,
(Gentleman Jim).
With records
charting from the
1950s to the 1980s,
he became well known
as a practitioner of
the Nashville sound.
Reeves who scored
over ten Country
music #1's died in a
plane crash on 31st
July 1964 aged 40.
He is a member of
both the Country
Music and
Texas Country
Music Halls of
Fame.
|
17-Sep-1923 |
Born on this day in
Mount Olive,
Alabama, was Hank
Williams (born Hiram
King Williams). The
American
singer-songwriter
and musician is
regarded as one of
the most important
country music
artists of all time.
Williams recorded 35
singles (five
released
posthumously) that
would place in the
Top 10 of the
Billboard
Country &
Western Best Sellers
chart, including 11
that ranked #1.
During his last
years Williams's
consumption of
alcohol, morphine
and painkillers
severely compromised
his professional
life. Williams died
aged 29 on January
1, 1953.
|
6-Jan-1924 |
Born on this day in
Shelby, North
Carolina, was Earl
Scruggs the American
musician noted for
perfecting and
popularizing a
3-finger
banjo-picking style
(now called Scruggs
style). Worked with
Bill Monroe in the
"Blue Grass Boys",
scored the hit as
Flatt and Scruggs
with "The Ballad of
Jed Clampett" for
the TV show The
Beverly
Hillbillies in
1962. Scruggs died
from natural causes
on March 28, 2012,
in a Nashville
hospital.
|
20-Jan-1924 |
Born on this day in
Tampa, Florida, was
Ottis Dewey Whitman,
Jr. who became known
professionally as
Slim Whitman. The
American country
music singer and
songwriter, known
for his yodelling
abilities has sold
in excess of 120
million albums. His
1955 hit single
"Rose Marie" held
the Guinness
World Record for
the longest time
at#1 on the UK
charts until Bryan
Adams broke the
record in 1991.
Beatle George
Harrison cited
Whitman as an early
influence, stating;
"The first person I
ever saw playing a
guitar was Slim
Whitman". He died on
June 19th 2013.
|
25-Jan-1924 |
Born on this day,
American pedal steel
guitarist and record
producer Speedy West
who was part of the
regular Capitol
Records backing band
for Tennessee Ernie
Ford and many
others. He also
played on Loretta
Lynn's first single.
He died on November
15, 2003. |
16-Feb-1924 |
Born on this day in
Orlinda, Tennessee
was music executive
Jo Walker-Meadow.
She served as
Executive Director
of the Country Music
Association (CMA)
from 1962 to 1991.
During her tenure,
she created the
first Country Music
Hall of Fame and
Museum.
Walker-Meador died
of a stroke in
Nashville on August
16, 2017 age 93. |
29-Mar-1924 |
Born on this day on
Akron, Ohio was
country musician and
songwriter Jimmy
Work best known for
the country standard
"Making Believe"
recorded by many
artists including
Kitty Wells, Johnny
Cash, Don Gibson,
Roy Acuff, Lefty
Frizzell, Wanda
Jackson, Dolly
Parton, Emmylou
Harris and Merle
Haggard. He died on
December 22, 2018,
at the age of 94. |
21-Apr-1924 |
Born on this day in
Section, Alabama,
was Ira Louvin,
country music
singer, mandolinist
and songwriter and
one half of The
Louvin Brothers who
helped popularize
close harmony, a
genre of country
music. In 2001, the
Louvin brothers were
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame.
Ira Louvin died on
June 20th 1965. |
28-Jun-1924 |
Born on this day in
Waverly, Tennessee
was George Morgan,
American country
music singer who had
the 1949 US #1 hit
"Candy Kisses". In
1974, Morgan was the
last person to sing
on the stage of the
Ryman Auditorium
before the Grand Ole
Opry moved to the
new Grand Ole Opry
House. A week later
he was the first to
sing on stage at the
venue. He died on
July 7, 1975. |
3-Aug-1924 |
Born on this day in
Gleason in northwest
Tennessee, was
Gordon Stoker. He
was a member of the
world-famous
Jordanaires and was
heard on records by
artists such as
Elvis Presley, Patsy
Cline and Jim
Reeves. The
Jordanaires were the
background group on
the majority of
Presley's records
and also appeared on
classic records such
as Cline's "Crazy,"
Reeves' "Four
Walls," and Loretts
Lynn's "Coal Miners'
Daughter". He died
on March 27th 2013. |
19-Sep-1924 |
Born on this day in
Toronto, Ontario,
was Canadian
comedian, actor,
director,
journalist, author,
playwright and
composer Don Harron.
He is perhaps best
known for the
comedic character
Charlie Farquharson
from the country
music television
show, Hee
Haw. He died on
January 17, 2015 age
90. |
5-Mar-1925 |
Born on this day in
Moultrie, Georgia
was American country
music guitarist
Jimmy Bryant.
Waylon Jennings had
a hit with his song
"Only Daddy That'll
Walk the Line".
Bryant died on
September 22nd 1980
at the age of 55. |
12-Apr-1925 |
Born on this day in
Rains, Carbon
County, Utah, was
Ned Miller, known
for his hit single,
"From a Jack to a
King", a crossover
hit in 1962 which
reached the Top 10
on the country music
chart. Ricky Van
Shelton later had a
#1 hit with his
version of the song.
He died on March 18,
2016 age 90. |
30-Apr-1925 |
Born on this day in
Los Angeles,
California, was
Johnny Horton, most
famous for his
semi-folk, so-called
"saga songs" which
began the
"historical ballad"
craze of the late
1950s and early
1960s. With them, he
had several major
successes, most
notably during 1959
with the song "The
Battle of New
Orleans" (written by
Jimmy Driftwood)
which was awarded
the 1960
Grammy Award
for Best Country &
Western Recording.
Horton was killed in
a car crash near
Milano, Texas
involving a truck on
November 5, 1960.
|
23-May-1925 |
Born on this day in
Crimora, Virginia
was Mac Wiseman, who
worked as a sideman
for Bill Monroe and
Flatt & Scruggs as
well as releasing
his own solo
bluegrass records
for the Dot label.
Wiseman also serves
as a founding member
of the Country
Music
Association and
joined the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
2014. He died on
February 24th 2019. |
2-Jul-1925 |
Born on this day, in
Wichita, Kansas, was
Marvin Rainwater,
country and
rockabilly singer
and songwriter who
had several hits
during the late
1950s, including
"Gonna Find Me a
Bluebird" and "Whole
Lotta Woman." He was
known for wearing
Native
American-themed
outfits on stage and
was 25 percent
Cherokee. Rainwater
died on Sept 17
2013.
|
7-Aug-1925 |
Born on this day,
was Felice Bryant,
songwriter with her
husband Boudleaux.
They wrote the
Everly Brothers
hits, "All I Have To
Do Is Dream", "Bye
Bye Love", "Wake Up
Little Susie" and
"Raining In My
Heart" a hit for
Buddy Holly. Many
other artists have
recorded their songs
including Charley
Pride, Gram Parsons,
Ray Charles, Jim
Reeves, and Red
Foley. |
15-Aug-1925 |
Born on this day in
Boaz, Alabama, was
Rose Maddox country
singer-songwriter
and fiddle player,
who was the lead
singer with the
Maddox Brothers and
Rose before a
successful solo
career. Dolly Parton
credits Maddox as an
early influence.
Maddox died on April
15th 1998. |
28-Aug-1925 |
Born on this day in
Benton, Illinois,
was Billy Grammer,
country music singer
and accomplished
guitar player. He
recorded the
million-selling
"Gotta Travel On",
which made it onto
both the country and
pop music charts in
1959. Grammer would
become a regular
performer on the
Grand Ole Opry,
eventually
designing, and
marketing his
namesake guitar
after co-founding a
guitar company, in
Nashville,
Tennessee. He died
on Aug 10th 2011. |
3-Sep-1925 |
Born on this day in
Waco, Texas, was
Henry William
Thompson, who became
known as Hank
Thompson. His career
which spanned seven
decades saw him sell
over 60 million
records worldwide.
He was a leader in
the music industry
with accomplishments
including the first
music-based
television show to
be broadcast in
color, the first
artist to travel
with sound and
lighting systems and
the first to record
a live album.
Thompson died from
lung cancer, on
November 6, 2007
aged eighty-two. |
26-Sep-1925 |
Born on this day in
Glendale, Maricopa
County, Arizona, was
Martin David
Robinson, who became
known as Marty
Robbins, the
American singer,
songwriter, and
multi-instrumentalist.
One of the most
popular and
successful country
and Western singers
of his era,
releasing over 50
singles and 100
albums. Robbins died
of a heart attack on
December 8, 1982.
|
28-Nov-1925 |
The Grand Ole Opry
started as the WSM
Barn Dance in the
new fifth-floor
radio studio of the
National Life &
Accident Insurance
Company in downtown
Nashville. Some of
the bands regularly
on the show during
its early days
included Bill
Monroe, the Possum
Hunters (with Dr.
Humphrey Bate), the
Fruit Jar Drinkers,
the Crook Brothers,
the Binkley
Brothers' Dixie
Clodhoppers, Uncle
Dave Macon, Sid
Harkreader, Deford
Bailey, Fiddlin'
Arthur Smith, and
the Gully Jumpers. |
3-Dec-1925 |
Born on this day in
Cantwell, Missouri
was Ferlin Husky, an
early American
country music
singer. He had two
dozen Top 20 hits in
the Billboard
country charts
between 1953 and
1975 including his
version of "Wings of
a Dove". He died on
17th March 2011. |
18-Dec-1925 |
Born on this day,
was James Carter, an
American amateur
singer and several
times an inmate of
the Mississippi
prison system. He
was paid $20,000,
and credited, for a
four-decade-old
lead-vocalist
performance used on
the soundtrack to
the film O
Brother, Where Art
Thou? Folk
music historian Alan
Lomax had recoded
the imates
(including Carter),
in 1959, singing and
chopping logs in
time to music.
Carter died on
November 26, 2003
aged 77. |
21-Dec-1925 |
Born on this day,
American session
musician Floyd
Chance (often
credited as
Lightnin' Chance).
He played bass on
many successful
country and pop
records, especially
in the 1950s and
1960s. His bass
playing can be heard
on classic country
music recordings
including: 'Your
Cheatin' Heart'
(Hank Williams);
'Bye Bye Love' (The
Everly Brothers);
'It's Only Make
Believe' (Conway
Twitty)" and 'Poetry
In Motion' (Johnny
Tillotson) along
with recordings by
Patsy Cline and
Willie Nelson.
Chance died on 11
April 2005 having
suffered from cancer
and Alzheimer's
disease. |
2-Jan-1926 |
Born on this day was
Harold Bradley,
American country and
pop guitarist. As a
session musician
into the 1970s, he
performed on
hundreds of albums
by country stars
such as Patsy Cline,
Willie Nelson, Roy
Orbison, Elvis
Presley and Slim
Whitman. Bradley was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
2006. He died on
January 31st 2019
age 93. |
12-Jan-1926 |
Born on this day in
Perryville, Texas,
was Ray Price,
singer, songwriter
and guitarist. His
wide-ranging
baritone has often
been praised as
among the best male
voices of country
music. He was
elected to the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1996. Price died on
16th Dec 2013 aged
87 at his ranch
outside Mount
Pleasant, Texas.
|
31-Mar-1926 |
Born on this day was
Tommy Jackson,
American fiddle
player, regarded as
"one of the finest
fiddle players of
all time". He played
on hundreds of
country records from
the 1940s to the
1970s, and it has
been claimed that he
"has probably been
heard on more
country records than
any other musician".
Jackson played on
many of Hank
Williams' classic
recordings. He died
on December 9, 1979. |
17-Apr-1926 |
American old-time
banjo player,
singer, songwriter,
and comedian Uncle
Dave Macon was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. Macon was
known for his chin
whiskers, plug hat,
gold teeth, and
gates-ajar collar;
he gained regional
fame as a vaudeville
performer in the
early 1920s before
becoming the first
star of the Grand
Ole Opry. |
30-May-1926 |
Born in Tyler, Texas
was Fiddler Johnny
Gimble. Named
Instrumentalist of
the Year five times
by the Country Music
Association, his
credits include work
with Bob Wills,
Willie Nelson, Moe
Bandy and George
Strait. He died at
his home in Dripping
Springs, Texas on
May 9, 2015, aged
88. |
1-Jun-1926 |
Born on this day in
Mount Airy, North
Carolina was Andy
Griffith actor,
Grammy
Award-winning
Southern-gospel
singer, and writer.
His most successful
release was the 1996
I Love to Tell
the Story: 25
Timeless Hymns,
which won a
Grammy Award
for Best Southern,
Country or Bluegrass
Gospel Album at the
1997 Grammy
Awards. Griffith
died on July 3rd
2012. |
19-Jun-1926 |
American country
music and blues star
Deford Bailey was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. He was one
of the first
performers to be
introduced on
Nashville radio
station WSM's Grand
Ole Opry, the first
African-American
performer to appear
on the show, and the
first performer to
record his music in
Nashville. |
26-Jun-1926 |
Born on this day in
Burdine, Kentuck was
Kenneth Baker fiddle
player best known
for his 25-year
tenure with Bill
Monroe and his group
The Blue Grass Boys.
The Dixie Chicks
cover his song
"Salty" on their
debut album Thank
Heavens for Dale
Evans. He died
on July 8, 2011 due
to complications
from a stroke. |
24-Jul-1926 |
American Old-time
fiddle player and
string band leader
Sid Harkreader was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. He was an
early member of the
Grand Ole Opry, at
first accompanying
banjoist Uncle Dave
Macon and later
performing on the
program with his own
band. |
27-Aug-1926 |
Born on this day in
Butcher Holler, KY
was Oliver Lynn, an
American talent
manager and country
music figure, best
known as the husband
of country music
legend Loretta Lynn.
Doolittle was
instrumental in
developing Lynn's
musical talent and
country music
career, purchasing
her first guitar,
getting her first
radio appearances,
and serving as her
de facto talent
manager for many
years. He died on
August 22, 1996. |
2-Nov-1926 |
Born on this day in
Copeville, Texas,
was Charlie Walker
country musician,
Walker worked as a
disc jockey in the
early 1950s before
signing with Decca
Records. His first
hit, "Only You, Only
You" was co-written
with Jack Newman and
reached #9 on the
country chart in
1956. Walker later
reached #2 with a
Harlan Howard song,
"Pick Me Up On Your
Way Down". He died
on September 12,
2008. |
3-Nov-1926 |
Born on this day was
American guitarist
Ray Edenton.
Considered one of
Nashville's most
prolific studio
musicians, Edenton
played on more than
12,000 recording
sessions as a member
of The Nashville
A-Team. His first
appearance on a
major hit was on
Webb Pierce's 1953
single "There Stands
the Glass and also
played on Marty
Robbins' "Singing
the Blues", and
Roger Miller's "King
of the Road". He
died on September
21, 2022. |
21-Dec-1926 |
Born on this day,
was Freddie Hart,
country musician and
songwriter
best-known for his
#1 hit "Easy
Loving," which won
the Country Music
Association Song
of the Year award in
1971 and 1972. He
died on October 27th
2018 age 91. |
13-Jan-1927 |
Born on this day in
Roseau, Minnesota,
was American country
music singer,
songwriter Liz
Anderson. She
received two
Grammy Award
nominations in 1967,
for "Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance" for her
Top 5 hit, the
self-penned "Mama
Spank" and with
Bobby Bare and Norma
Jean for "Best
Country Vocal -
Group" for another
top 5 hit "The Game
of Triangles".
Anderson also wrote
many of the early
hits for her
daughter, Lynn
Anderson. Liz
Anderson died on Oct
31st 2011. |
13-Feb-1927 |
Born on this day was
American bluegrass
musician Jim
McReynolds from the
duo Jim & Jesse. The
brothers had the
1967 Top 10 Country
hit "Diesel on My
Tail" and other hots
include "Cotton Mill
Man", "Are You
Missing Me", and
"Paradise". He died
on December 31,
2002. |
25-Feb-1927 |
Born on this day in
Southwest Virginia,
was Ralph Stanley
also known as Dr.
Ralph Stanley,
bluegrass artist,
known for his
distinctive singing
and banjo playing.
His work was
featured in the 2000
film O Brother,
Where Art Thou?,
in which he
sings the
Appalachian dirge "O
Death." That song
won him a 2002
Grammy Award
in the category of
Best Male Country
Vocal Performance.
Stanley died on June
23 2016 aged 89. |
28-Feb-1927 |
Born on this day in
New Brockton,
Alabama was Don
Helms a steel
guitarist best known
as the steel guitar
player of Hank
Williams' Drifting
Cowboys. 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." He
died on August 11,
2008. |
15-Mar-1927 |
Born on this day in
Maynardville,
Tennessee was Carl
Smith, better known
as "Mister Country".
Smith was the
husband of June
Carter (later June
Carter Cash) and the
father of Carlene
Carter. He was one
of country's most
successful male
artists during the
1950s, with 30 Top
10 Billboard
hits, including 21
in a row. Smith died
on January 16, 2010. |
2-Jun-1927 |
Born on this day in
Knoxville,
Tennessee, was Carl
Butler who with his
wife 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".
He died of a heart
attack on September
4, 1992.
|
3-Jun-1927 |
Born on this day was
Boots Randolph,
American musician
best known for his
1963 saxophone hit
"Yakety Sax".
Randolph was a
prolific session
musician and member
of the Nashville
A-Team, performing
on numerous notable
recordings by
artists including
Chet Atkins, Elvis
Presley, Roy
Orbison, Brenda Lee,
and Al Hirt. On July
3, 2007, Randolph
died at Skyline
Medical Center in
Nashville, after
suffering a brain
hemorrhage. |
7-Jul-1927 |
Born on this day in
Henagar, Alabama,
was Charlie Louvin,
singer and
songwriter. He is
best known as one of
the Louvin Brothers,
and was a member of
the Grand Ole Opry
since 1955. In 2001,
the Louvin brothers
were inducted into
the Country Music
Hall of Fame.
Charlie Louvin died
on 26 Jan 2011. |
27-Jul-1927 |
Born on this day was
American country
musician and
guitarist Velma
Smith. She was the
lone female member
of the RCA Studio
B's "A-team" of
studio musicians
during the era of
the Nashville Sound.
She played rhythm
guitar on numerous
top hits such as
Eddy Arnold's "Make
the World Go Away",
Jim Reeves' "I Love
You Because" and
Hank Locklin's
"Please Help Me, I'm
Falling". Smith died
on July 31, 2014. |
3-Aug-1927 |
Ralph Peer, a
representative of
the Victor
Talking Machine
Company held
auditions for local
musicians in
Bristol, Tennessee
which saw Jimmie
Rodgers auditioning
for Peer in an empty
warehouse. The
following day
Rodgers completed
his first session
for Victor,
recording two songs:
"The Soldier's
Sweetheart" and
"Sleep, Baby,
Sleep". For the test
recordings, Rodgers
received $100. |
4-Aug-1927 |
Jimmie Rodgers
recorded for the
first time in
Bristol, Tennessee,
singing "Sleep,
Baby, Sleep" and
"The Soldier's
Sweetheart" during
an afternoon session
with producer Ralph
Peer at a furniture
store at 408 State
Street. Among the
first country music
superstars and
pioneers, Rodgers
was also known as
The Singing
Brakeman, The Blue
Yodeler, as well as
The Father of
Country Music. |
12-Aug-1927 |
Born on this day, in
West Plains,
Missouri was Porter
Wagoner, Country
singer known for his
flashy Nudie and
Manuel suits and
blond pompadour. In
1967, he introduced
a then little known
Dolly Parton on his
long-running
television show.
Also known as Mr.
Grand Ole Opry,
Wagoner has scored
over 80 US singles
from 1954-1983. He
died from lung
cancer on October
28, 2007. |
29-Aug-1927 |
Born on this day
near Big Mamou,
Louisiana was Jimmy
Yves Newman, better
known as Jimmy C.
Newman (the C stands
for Cajun), the
American singer and
a long time star of
the Grand Ole Opry.
Newman died of
cancer, in
Nashville, on June
21, 2014. |
8-Sep-1927 |
Born on this day, in
Detroit, Michigan,
was Harlan Howard,
American songwriter.
In a career spanning
six decades, Howard
wrote songs,
recorded by a
variety of different
artists including
"Fall to Pieces",
co-written with Hank
Cochran and recorded
by Patsy Cline.
Howard was inducted
into the Country
Music Hall of
Fame in 1997. He
died on March 3,
2002. |
19-Sep-1927 |
Born on this day was
Helen Carter,
American country
music singer. The
eldest daughter of
Maybelle Carter, she
performed with her
mother and her
younger sisters,
June Carter and
Anita Carter, as a
member of Mother
Maybelle and the
Carter Sisters, a
pioneering all
female country/folk
music group. The
group was also known
as The Carter
Family. She died on
June 2nd 1998 aged
70. |
27-Sep-1927 |
Born on this day in
Tellico Plains,
Monroe County,
Tennessee was Josh
Graves. 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. He deid on 30
September 2006. |
30-Sep-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. |
2-Oct-1927 |
Born on this day in
Billings, Missouri
was Leon Rausch "the
voice" of "Bob Wills
and his Texas
Playboys. Rausch
died on May 14,
2019, in Fort Worth,
Texas age 91. |
13-Oct-1927 |
Born on this day in
Memphis, Tennessee
was singer,
arranger, composer,
pianist, and music
producer Anita Kerr.
She worked on
sessions as the
Anita Kerr Singers
with many artists as
well as a producer
working with artists
including Patsy
Cline, Jim Reeves,
Red Foley, Hank
Snow, Brenda Lee,
Pat Boone, Rosemary
Clooney, Roy
Orbison, and Willie
Nelson. Kerr died on
October 10, 2022, in
Carouge, Geneva,
Switzerland, at the
age of 94, just 3
days short of her
95th birthday. |
8-Nov-1927 |
Born on this day was
Patti Page. Page's
signature song,
"Tennessee Waltz",
recorded in 1950,
was one of the
biggest-selling
singles of the 20th
century, and is also
one of the nine
official state songs
of Tennessee. She
was the best-selling
female artist of the
1950s and sold over
100 million records.
Page died aged 85 on
Jan 1st 2013.
|
10-Dec-1927 |
The phrase 'Grand
Ole Opry' was first
uttered on-air. That
night Barn
Dance followed
the NBC Red
Network's Music
Appreciation Hour,
a program of
classical music and
selections from
Grand Opera
presented by
classical conductor
Walter Damrosch.
That night, Damrosch
remarked that "there
is no place in the
classics for
realism," In
response, Opry
presenter George Hay
said:
"Friends, the
program which just
came to a close was
devoted to the
classics. Doctor
Damrosch told us
that there is no
place in the
classics for
realism. However,
from here on out for
the next three
hours, we will
present nothing but
realism. It will be
down to earth for
the 'earthy'." |
15-Dec-1927 |
Born on this day in
Guilford, Missouri,
was Jerry Wallace
country and pop
singer. Between 1958
and 1964, Wallace
charted nine hits on
the Billboard
Hot 100, including
the #8 "Primrose
Lane." He died on
May 5, 2008. |
30-Dec-1927 |
Born on this day in
Willow Springs,
Missouri was country
music songwriter and
record producer Bob
Ferguson. He worked
for nearly 30 years
at RCA's Studio B in
Nashville producing
hundreds of albums
for artists such as
Chet Atkins, Dolly
Parton, and Porter
Wagoner. Ferguson is
also best known for
writing the
bestselling songs
"On the Wings of a
Dove" and "The
Carroll County
Accident." He died
age 73 on July 22,
2001. |
8-Jan-1928 |
Born on this day in
Tennessee, was
Luther Perkins,
guitarist who played
an essential role in
defining Johnny
Cash's
"boom-chicka-boom"
rockabilly sound.
Perkins is lauded in
the title of Cash's
Top 10 1959 single
"Luther Played The
Boogie". Perkins
died in a house fire
on Aug 3rd 1968
after he apparently
went to sleep in the
living room of his
home while holding a
lit cigarette.
|
17-Jan-1928 |
Born on this day was
American session
guitarist Grady
Martin. Member of
the legendary
Nashville A-Team, he
played guitar on
hits ranging from
Roy Orbison's "Oh,
Pretty Woman", Marty
Robbins' "El Paso"
and Loretta Lynn's
"Coal Miner's
Daughter". During a
50-year career,
Martin backed such
names as Elvis
Presley, Buddy
Holly, Woody
Guthrie, Arlo
Guthrie, Johnny
Cash, Patsy Cline,
Joan Baez and J. J.
Cale. He died on 3
December 2001. |
31-Mar-1928 |
Born on this day in
Corsicana, Texas,
was Lefty Frizzell
(born William
Orville Frizzell).
The American country
music singer and
songwriter of the
1950s, became an
influence on later
stars including
Merle Haggard,
Willie Nelson,
George Jones, John
Fogerty and Roy
Orbison, (who as a
part of the
Traveling Wilburys
chose the name
"Lefty Wilbury" to
honor his musical
hero). Frizzell died
on July 19, 1975. |
3-Apr-1928 |
Born on this day in
Shelby, North
Carolina, was Don
Gibson, songwriter
and country musician
who was nicknamed
'The Sad Poet'
because he
frequently wrote
songs that told of
loneliness and lost
love. Gibson, who
made his first
recordings in 1948,
penned such country
standards as "Sweet
Dreams", "Oh
Lonesome Me" and "I
Can't Stop Loving
You", (which has
been recorded by
over 700 artists,
most notably by Ray
Charles in 1962)
Gibson enjoyed a
string of country
hits from 1957 into
the early 1970s. He
died from natural
causes on November
17, 2003. |
21-Apr-1928 |
Born on this day in
Lafayette,
Tennessee, was
American country
music guitar player,
Hillous Butrum, best
known as being a
member of Hank
Williams' Drifting
Cowboys. He died on
April 27th 2002. |
25-Apr-1928 |
Born on this day in
Kinard, Florida was
Vassar Clements,
American jazz,
swing, and bluegrass
fiddler. He gained
recognition with
bluegrass duo Flatt
and Scruggs on the
popular theme to the
hit television
sitcom The Beverly
Hillbillies. In his
50-year career he
played with artists
ranging from Woody
Herman and the Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band to
the Grateful Dead,
Linda Ronstadt, and
Paul McCartney, and
earned at least five
Grammy Award
nominations and
numerous
professional
accolades. He died
on August 16, 2005,
aged 77, of lung
cancer. |
1-May-1928 |
Born on this day
near outside
Hackleburg, Alabama,
was James Loden who
became known as
Sonny James, best
known for his 1957
hit, "Young Love".
Dubbed the Southern
Gentleman, James has
had 72 country and
pop chart hits from
1953 to 1983,
including a
five-year streak of
16 straight among
his 23 #1 hits.
James died on 22 Feb
2016 aged 87. |
3-May-1928 |
Born on this day in
Spencer, Wisconsin,
was Dave Dudley,
country music singer
best-known for his
truck-driving
country anthems of
the 1960s and 1970s
including the 1963,
hit "Six Days on the
Road". He died on
December 22, 2003.
|
5-May-1928 |
Born on this day in
Bessemer City, North
Carolina, was
Marshall Grant,
upright bassist and
electric bassist
with Johnny Cash's
original backing
duo, the Tennessee
Two, in which Grant
and electric
guitarist Luther
Perkins played. The
group became known
as The Tennessee
Three in 1960, with
the addition of
drummer W. S.
Holland. Grant also
served as road
manager for Cash and
his touring show
company. He died on
August 7, 2011. |
9-Jun-1928 |
Born on this day was
Sheldon "Shelly"
Kurland. He was a
violinist and
musical arranger who
worked as a session
musician in
Nashville and
provided
arrangements for a
number of prominent
country musicians
including Johnny
Cash, Waylon
Jennings, Willie
Nelson, Dolly
Parton, George
Burns, and Jimmy
Buffett. He died on
6 January 2010. |
10-Aug-1928 |
Born on this day in
Olton, Texas was
Jimmy Ray Dean the
American country
music singer,
television host, and
businessman who had
the 1961 country
crossover hit "Big
Bad John". Dean
became a national
television
personality in the
late 50's with his
television series,
The Jimmy Dean
Show and is also
famous as the
creator of the
'Jimmy Dean sausage
brand'. Dean died of
natural causes at
the age of 81, on
June 13, 2010. |
16-Sep-1928 |
Born on this day in
Duncan, Oklahoma was
American steel
guitar player and
songwriter Ralph
Mooney. He was
inducted into the
Steel Guitar Hall of
Fame in 1983 and was
the original steel
guitarist in Merle
Haggard's band, The
Strangers and Waylon
Jennings's band, The
Waylors. Mooney
co-wrote "Crazy
Arms" with Chuck
Seals; the song was
Ray Price's first #1
country hit in 1956.
Mooney died on March
20, 2011. |
2-Oct-1928 |
The first
professional
recordings in
Nashville took place
as DeFord Bailey
layed down eight
tracks in Victor
Records (later RCA)
Studios. He started
his career in the
1920s and was one of
the first performers
to be introduced on
Nashville radio
station WSM's Grand
Ole Opry, and
becoming alongside
Uncle Dave Macon one
of the programs most
famous performers.
He was the first
African-American
performer to appear
on the show, and the
first performer to
record his music in
Nashville. |
15-Nov-1928 |
Born on this day in
Audubon, Iowa, was
C. W. McCall
(William Dale Fries,
Jr.), singer,
activist and
politician known for
his truck-themed
outlaw country songs
who had the 1975 US
Country #1 and
cross-over hit
"Convoy." |
15-Dec-1928 |
Born on this day in
Huntsville, Alabama
was Ernest Ashworth
who charted several
singles on
Billboard Hot
Country Songs,
including the #1
"Talk Back Trembling
Lips" and six other
top ten hits. He
died on March 2,
2009. |
15-Dec-1928 |
Born on this day,
was Jerry Wallace
country and pop
singer who between
1958 and 1964,
scored nine hits on
the Billboard
Hot 100, including
the #1 "If You Leave
Me Tonight I'll
Cry". |
23-Dec-1928 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was Buddy
Harman who as a
session musician
played drums on over
18,000 sessions for
artists such as
Elvis Presley, Patsy
Cline, Dolly Parton,
Brenda Lee, Tammy
Wynette, Loretta
Lynn, Roy Orbison,
Chet Atkins, Marty
Robbins, Roger
Miller, Johnny Cash,
Willie Nelson,
Waylon Jennings,
George Jones, Kenny
Rogers, Merle
Haggard, Reba
McEntire, and many
more. He died on
August 21, 2008. |
14-Jan-1929 |
Born on this day in
Ralls, Texas, was
William Marvin
Walker, better known
as Billy Walker the
country music singer
and guitarist. He is
best-known for his
1962 hit, "(I'd Like
to Be In) Charlie's
Shoes". Nicknamed
The Tall Texan,
Walker had more than
30 charted records
during a nearly
60-year career and
was a longtime
member of the Grand
Ole Opry. Walker was
killed on May 21,
2006 in a car
accident when the
van he was driving
back to Nashville
after a performance
in Foley, Alabama
veered off
Interstate 65 in
Fort Deposit and
overturned. |
5-Feb-1929 |
Born on this day,
was Hal Blaine,
session drummer
known for his work
with the Wrecking
Crew in California.
Blaine has played on
50 #1 hits and
worked with numerous
artists including
Glen Campbell, Elvis
Presley, John
Denver, The Byrds,
Simon & Garfunkel,
The Carpenters, and
The Beach Boys. |
27-Mar-1929 |
Born on this day was
Don Warden, American
country musician and
manager best known
for his years on
The Porter
Wagoner Show and
as the manager of
Wagoner and Dolly
Parton. Warden was
inducted into the
Steel Guitar Hall
of Fame in 2008.
He died on March
11th 2017 age 87. |
26-Apr-1929 |
Born on this day in
Fort Smith, Arkansas
was Johnny Mosby
from husband and
wife country music
vocal duo Johnny and
Jonie Mosby. They
placed seventeen
singles on the
country music charts
between 1963 and
1973 the highest
peaks being "Trouble
in My Arms" and
"Just Hold My Hand.
He died on February
19, 2018. |
4-Jun-1929 |
Born on this day was
American country
music songwriter,
singer, and radio
host Bill Mack. His
best-known song is
"Blue," one of LeAnn
Rimes' biggest hits.
The song won Mack
the Grammy Award for
Best Country Song in
1997. Mack also
wrote "Drinking
Champagne," which
has been recorded by
numerous artists. He
died on July 31,
2020. |
23-Jun-1929 |
Born on this day,
was June Carter
Cash, country
singer, and wife of
Johnny Cash. She had
hits with Johnny
Cash including,
"Ring Of Fire",
"Jackson", "If I
Were A Carpenter".
She played the
guitar, banjo,
harmonica, and
autoharp, and acted
in several films and
television shows.
Carter Cash won five
Grammy
Awards. She died
15th May 2003 aged
73.
|
9-Jul-1929 |
Born on this day in
Mannford, Oklahoma,
was Lee Hazlewood
country and pop
singer, songwriter,
and record producer,
his recordings have
been praised as an
essential
contribution to a
sound often
described as "Cowboy
Psychedelia." He
died on Aug 4th
2007. |
9-Jul-1929 |
Born on this day was
American bluegrass
musician Jesse
McReynolds from the
duo Jim & Jesse. The
brothers had the
1967 Top 10 Country
hit "Diesel on My
Tail" and other hots
include "Cotton Mill
Man", "Are You
Missing Me", and
"Paradise". In 1964,
they were invited to
join the Grand Ole
Opry after making
several appearances
as guest performers.
He died on June 23,
2023. |
1-Aug-1929 |
Born on this day was
American bluegrass
fiddler Mack Magaha,
best known as a
member of Porter
Wagoner's band, and
a long-time backup
player in the
pioneering bluegrass
band, Reno and
Smiley. He wrote "I
know You're Married
But I Love You
Still" which was
recorded by Reno &
Smiley and later
covered by artists
such as Bill
Anderson, Rodney
Crowell, Patty
Loveless and Travis
Tritt. He died on
August 15, 2003. |
12-Aug-1929 |
Born on this day in
Sherman, Texas was
Buck Owens, Jr.,
singer and
guitarist, who
scored twenty 21 #1
hits on the
Billboard
country music charts
and pioneered what
has come to be
called the
Bakersfield sound a
reference to
Bakersfield,
California. Owens
died in his sleep of
an apparent heart
attack on March 25th
2006. |
1-Oct-1929 |
Born on this day in
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma was country
singer Bonnie Owens
who was married to
Buck Owens and later
Merle Haggard. In
1965 Haggard and
Owens recorded the
song "Just Between
the Two of Us", a
duet and probably
Owens's best known
hit. She died on
April 24, 2006. |
4-Oct-1929 |
Born on this day in
Mora, Missouri, was
Leroy Frank Van
Dyke, the American
country music
singer. He has
recorded more than
500 songs, his best
known hits, are "The
Auctioneer" (which
sold over 2.5
million copies),
from 1956 and "Walk
On By" from 1961,
(which was named by
Billboard in
1994 as the biggest
country single of
all time, based on
sales, plays and
weeks in the
charts). |
7-Jan-1930 |
Born on this day in
Maryville,
Tennessee, was Jack
Greene the country
musician nicknamed
the "Jolly Green
Giant". His best
known song is the
1966 #1 hit "There
Goes My Everything."
He died at home on
March 14, 2013, from
complications of
Alzheimer's disease
two months after his
83rd birthday. |
13-Mar-1930 |
Born on this day in
West Plains,
Missouri, was Jan
Howard country
music singer and
Grand Ole Opry star.
Howard's biggest hit
and signature song
is the 1966 country
hit "Evil on Your
Mind", which peaked
at #5 on the
Billboard
country charts.
Howard died on March
28, 2020 age 91
fifteen days after
her 91st birthday,
in Gallatin,
Tennessee. |
22-Jun-1930 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, Georgia,
was Roy Drusky,
singer who was
popular from the
1960s through the
early 1970s. Known
for his baritone
voice. His
highest-charting
single was the #1
"Yes Mr. Peters", a
duet with Priscilla
Mitchell. He died on
September 23, 2004. |
7-Jul-1930 |
Born on this day in
Hardy, Arkansas was
Doyle Wilburn who
was one half of the
country music duo
The Wilburn
Brothers. In
addition to being
successful artists,
the Wilburns formed
the Wil-helm Talent
Agency in the early
1960s and were
instrumental in
launching the
careers of many
country music
legends, most
notably Loretta
Lynn. He died on
October 16, 1982. |
16-Jul-1930 |
Jimmie Rodgers
recorded "Blue Yodel
No. 9" with an
uncredited Louis
Armstrong on trumpet
and his wife Lil
Hardin Armstrong on
piano. The song was
later selected as
one of The Rock
and Roll Hall of
Fame's 500 Songs
that Shaped Rock and
Roll. |
23-Sep-1930 |
Born on this day in
Albany, Georgia, was
Ray Charles who
helped racially
integrate country
and pop music during
the 1960s. His 1962
album, Modern
Sounds in Country
and Western
Music and its
sequel Modern
Sounds in Country
and Western Music,
Vol. 2, helped
to bring country
into the mainstream
of music. His
version of the Don
Gibson song, "I
Can't Stop Loving
You" topped the Pop
chart for five
weeks. Charles died
on June 10, 2004 due
to acute liver
disease at his home
in Los Angeles,
California.
|
25-Sep-1930 |
Born on this day,
was Shel
Silverstein,
American poet,
singer-songwriter,
cartoonist,
screenwriter, and
author of children's
books. He wrote
Tompall Glaser's
highest-charting
solo single "Put
Another Log on the
Fire", "One's on the
Way" (a hit for
Loretta Lynn), and
wrote one of Johnny
Cash's best known
whimsical hits, "A
Boy Named Sue."
Other songs
co-written by
Silverstein include
"The Taker" by
Waylon Jennings and
hits for Dr. Hook &
The Medicine
Show.
|
28-Sep-1930 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer and
songwriter Tommy
Collins.
Active primarily
during the 1950s
through the 1970s,
Collins was
instrumental in
helping create the
Bakersfield sound of
the country music
genre. He enjoyed a
string of hits
during the mid-1950s
including "It
Tickles" and "Watcha
Gonna Do Now". He
died March 14, 2000,
at his home in
Ashland City,
Tennessee. |
24-Oct-1930 |
Born on this day in
Sabine Pass, Texas
was musician,
songwriter, and disc
jockey J. P.
Richardson Jr, known
as The Big Bopper.
His best known
compositions include
"Chantilly Lace" and
"White Lightning",
the latter of which
became George Jones'
first #1 hit in
1959. Richardson was
killed in a plane
crash in Iowa on
February 3 1959,
along with fellow
musicians Buddy
Holly and Ritchie
Valens. |
28-Oct-1930 |
Born on this day in
Hampton, Arkansas,
was Tommy Tomlinson,
guitarist, (The
Tomlinson family
resided on a farm
located just a few
miles away from
Johnny Cash's farm
between Kingsland
and Tinsman).
Tomlinson played
with Hank Williams
in the late 40's,
early 50's, Johnny
Horton, Jim Reeves,
Claude King, and
Marty Robbins. He
died on April 8,
1982. |
4-Nov-1930 |
Henry Horton was
re-elected to a
third term as
governor of
Tennessee, USA.
Immediately,
Nashville residents
began withdrawing
money from
Caldwell-affiliated
banks en masse,
because Horton and
the Caldwell Bank
had both been
involved in a
scandal involving
awarding contracts
without bids. The
story of the scandal
would inspire the
song "The Wreck Of
The Tennessee Gravy
Train" by Uncle Dave
Macon. |
11-Nov-1930 |
Born on this day in
Cowpens, South
Carolina, was Hank
Garland a Nashville
studio guitarist who
performed with
Johnny Cash, Elvis
Presley, Patsy
Cline, Roy Orbison
and many others. At
the age of 19,
Garland recorded his
million-selling hit
"Sugarfoot Rag." He
died on 27 December
2004. |
20-Nov-1930 |
Born on this day in
Princeton, Jackson
County, Alabama, was
Curly Putman, Jr.,
songwriter. His
biggest success was
"Green, Green Grass
of Home" (1964, sung
by Porter Wagoner),
which was covered by
Elvis Presley,
Johnny Darrell, Gram
Parsons, Joan Baez,
Jerry Lee Lewis,
Johnny Cash, Roberto
Leal, Merle Haggard,
Bobby Bare, Joe Tex,
Nana Mouskouri, and
Tom Jones. He also
co-wrote
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E" with
Bobby Braddock. He
died on October 30,
2016 aged 85. |
28-Nov-1930 |
Born on this day in
Waco, Texas, A.L.
was "Doodle" Owens,
country music
songwriter and
singer He had a long
songwriting
partnership with
Dallas Frazier, with
whom he wrote "All I
Have to Offer You
(Is Me)" (1969),
"(I'm So) Afraid of
Losing You Again"
(1969), I Can't
Believe That You've
Stopped Loving
Me"(1970) and "Then
Who Am I" (1974),
all #1 country hits
for Charley Pride.
In the 1980s Owens
wrote many songs
with fellow
songwriter Dennis
Knutson for George
Jones and other
artists. Owens died
on Nov 28 1999.
|
13-Dec-1930 |
Born on this day was
Buck White from
American country
music vocal group
The Whites. The
Whites became
members of the Grand
Ole Opry in 1984 and
were current
regulars on the
program in
Nashville,
Tennessee. The
Whites can be heard
on the O Brother,
Where Art Thou?
soundtrack with the
song "Keep on the
Sunny Side". |
1-Jan-1931 |
Born on this day was
Bobbie Lee Nelson
American pianist and
singer, the elder
sister of Willie
Nelson, and a member
of his band, Willie
Nelson and Family.
When she was five,
her grandmother
taught her to play
keyboards with a
pump organ. Nelson
died in Austin,
Texas, on March 10,
2022, at the age of
91. |
17-Feb-1931 |
Uncle Jimmy Thompson
died of pneumonia.
He was an American
old-time fiddle
player and
singer-songwriter
best remembered as
the first performer
to play on
Nashville's Grand
Ole Opry (then
called the WSM Barn
Dance), appearing
with founder and
host George D. Hay
on the evening of
November 28, 1925.
His cantankerous and
eccentric
personality and his
fiddle skills have
made him one of the
best-known icons of
early country music. |
16-Mar-1931 |
Born on this day in
Chillicothe,
Missouri, was
Shirley Collie
Nelson, country
music and rockabilly
singer, yodeler,
guitarist and
songwriter. From
1963 to 1971, she
was the second wife
of country star
Willie Nelson. She
died on January 27,
2010, aged 78,
following a long
illness. |
28-Mar-1931 |
Born on this day was
American bluegrass
musician Benny
Williams. A
multi-instrumentalist,
he sang and played
fiddle, guitar,
banjo, autoharp, and
mandolin. He played
in Porter Wagoner's
in-house band, the
Wagonmasters, as a
guitarist. He died
on October 11, 2007. |
5-Apr-1931 |
Born on this day,
was Jack Henderson
Clement, (nicknamed
'Cowboy' Jack
Clement). Clement
worked with future
stars such as Roy
Orbison, Carl
Perkins and Johnny
Cash, but most
importantly, he
discovered and
recorded Jerry Lee
Lewis. Clement wrote
the song "Ballad of
a Teenage Queen"
that became a
crossover hit for
Johnny Cash. He died
on August 8, 2013 at
his home in
Nashville, Tennessee
after suffering from
liver cancer. |
21-Apr-1931 |
Born on this day,
was Carl Robert
Belew, American
country music singer
and songwriter.
Belew recorded for
Decca, RCA Victor,
and MCA in the 1950s
through 1970s,
charting 11 times on
Hot Country Songs.
He also wrote
singles for Johnnie
& Jack, Eddy Arnold,
Jim Reeves, Waylon
Jennings and others.
Belew died on
October 31, 1990. |
27-Apr-1931 |
Born on the day was
Maxine Brown. She
performed with
siblings Jim Ed and
Bonnie Brown as The
Browns. The
siblings' first
chart single "Here
Today and Gone
Tomorrow" peaked at
#7 in 1955, and in
1956, their
recording of "I Take
the Chance" was a #2
hit on the country
charts. She died on
January 21st 2019
age 87. |
7-May-1931 |
Born on this day in
Loyall, Kentucky was
country music
songwriter Jerry
Chestnut. His hits
include "Good Year
for the Roses"
(recorded by Alan
Jackson, George
Jones and Elvis
Costello) and
"T-R-O-U-B-L-E"
(recorded by Elvis
Presley in 1975, and
Travis Tritt in
1992.) Chesnut died
in Nashville on
December 15, 2018 at
the age of 87. |
24-May-1931 |
Born on this day,
was Clint Ballard,
Jr., American
songwriter who wrote
two Billboard
Hot 100 #1 hits.
The first was "Game
of Love" by Wayne
Fontana and The
Mindbenders in 1965,
the second was the
1975 hit, "You're No
Good" by Linda
Ronstadt. |
26-Jul-1931 |
Born on this day in
Rutherford County,
North Carolina was
Country Music Hall
of Fame member Fred
Foster. He is
credited as producer
behind all of Roy
Orbison’s biggest
hits including "Oh,
Pretty Woman", "Only
the Lonely" and
"Crying" and also
produced major hits
for Dolly Parton,
Willie Nelson, Ray
Stevens and Kris
Kristofferson. He
died on February
20th 2019 age 87. |
1-Sep-1931 |
Born on this day in
Sterrett, Texas, was
American country
music singer Boxcar
Willie. "Boxcar
Willie" was
originally a
character in a
ballad he wrote, but
he later adopted it
as his own stage
name. He died on
April 12, 1999,
interstate 35E and
Farm to Market Road
664 in Red Oak,
Texas was renamed
Boxcar Willie
Memorial
Overpass. |
12-Sep-1931 |
Born on this day in
Saratoga, Texas, was
George Jones the
country music singer
who has scored more
than 150 hits during
his career, both as
a solo artist and in
duets with other
artists. Jones who
married Tammy
Wynette in 1969, and
has had 15 US #1
country hits, is
celebrated by some
of his fans as the
hard-drinkin',
fast-livin'
spiritual-son of his
idol, Hank Williams.
Jones missed so many
engagements that he
gained the nickname
of "No-Show Jones."
Jones died on 26th
April 2013 aged 81.
|
8-Nov-1931 |
Born on this day in
Bremen, Georgia was
music industry
executive and
producer Harold
Shedd best known for
his role as producer
of the country group
Alabama as well as
Reba McEntire,
Shania Twain and
Toby Keith. |
24-Nov-1931 |
Born on this day
near Owasso,
Oklahoma was
American rockabilly
and swing musician
Tommy Allsup. He
worked with Buddy
Holly and Bob Wills
& His Texas
Playboys. Allsup was
touring with Holly,
Ritchie Valens, and
J.P. "The Big
Bopper" Richardson
when he
serendipitously lost
a fateful coin toss
with Valens for a
seat on the plane
that crashed,
killing Valens,
Holly, Richardson,
and pilot Roger
Peterson on February
3, 1959. As a
producer he worked
with Asleep at the
Wheel, Willie Nelson
and Roy Orbison. He
died on January 11,
2017 age 85. |
30-Nov-1931 |
Born on this day in
Hardy, Arkansas was
Teddy Wilburn who
was one half of the
country music duo
The Wilburn
Brothers. In
addition to being
successful artists,
the Wilburns formed
the Wil-helm Talent
Agency in the early
1960s and were
instrumental in
launching the
careers of many
country music
legends, most
notably Loretta
Lynn. He died on
November 24, 2003. |
7-Dec-1931 |
American bluegrass
musician Bobby
Osborne. He was the
co-founder (with his
brother Sonny) of
the Osborne
Brothers, a member
of the Grand Ole
Opry and the
International
Bluegrass Music Hall
of Fame. Osborne
died on 27 June
2023, at a hospital
in Gallatin,
Tennessee, at the
age of 91. The
Osborne Brothers had
a hit with “Rocky
Top” in 1967 which
was named an
official Tennessee
state song in 1982.
In 1973 the Osborne
Brothers became the
first bluegrass
group to perform at
the White House. |
30-Dec-1931 |
Born on this day in
Dry Ridge, Kentucky,
was Skeeter Davis
one of the first
women to achieve
major stardom in the
country music field
as a solo vocalist,
she was an
acknowledged
influence on Tammy
Wynette and Dolly
Parton. Davis died
on Sept 19 2004.
|
26-Jan-1932 |
Born on this day in
Henderson, Texas,
was Claude Gray
country music
singer-songwriter
and guitar picker
best known for his
1960 hit "Family
Bible," which has
been covered by many
different artists. |
25-Feb-1932 |
Born on this day in
Shreveport,
Louisiana, was Faron
Young, singer and
songwriter from the
early 1950s into the
mid-1980s. The honky
tonk singer scored
hits including "Live
Fast, Love Hard, Die
Young" and "If You
Ain't Lovin' (You
Ain't Livin')".
Depressed that the
music industry had
turned its back on
him, Young shot
himself on December
9, 1996 and died in
Nashville the
following day.
|
26-Feb-1932 |
Born on this day in
Kingsland, Arkansas,
was Johnny Cash, US
country singer,
songwriter who was
considered one of
the most influential
musicians of the
20th century.
Although he is
remembered as a
country icon, his
songs spanned other
genres including
rock and roll and
rockabilly and
blues, folk, and
gospel. This
crossover appeal won
Cash the rare honor
of induction in the
Country Music
Hall of Fame, the
Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame, and the
Gospel Music Hall
of Fame. During
the last stage of
his career, Cash
covered songs by
several late
20th-century rock
artists, most
notably "Hurt" by
Nine Inch Nails.
Cash died of
respiratory failure
on September 12th
2003, aged 71. |
26-Feb-1932 |
|
17-Mar-1932 |
Born on this day in
Fort Fairfield,
Maine, was Dick
Curless
country-music
singer, a pioneer of
the trucking music
genre, commonly
known as the "Baron
of Country Music."
He was easily
distinguished
because of the patch
he usually wore over
his right eye. In
1965, Curless
recorded one of the
biggest hits of his
career, "A Tombstone
Every Mile," which
cracked the top-5 on
the Billboard
country charts
and propelled him to
national fame. He
died on May 25th
1995.
|
7-Apr-1932 |
Born on this day in
Gans, Oklahoma, was
Cal Smith, country
musician, most
famous for his 1972
#1 hit "The Lord
Knows I'm Drinking"
and his 1974 hit
"Country Bumpkin,"
which received the
Song of the Year
Award from both the
Academy of
Country Music
and the Country
Music
Association.
Smith died on
October 10, 2013. |
9-Apr-1932 |
Born on this day,
was "the King of
Rockabilly", Carl
Perkins, American
musician who
recorded most
notably at Sun
Records Studio in
Memphis, Tennessee,
and is known for his
song "Blue Suede
Shoes". Perkins'
songs were recorded
by many artists
including: Elvis
Presley, The
Beatles, Jimi
Hendrix, and Johnny
Cash. He died on
January 19, 1998. |
14-Apr-1932 |
Born on this day in
Butcher Hollow,
Kentucky, was
Loretta Lynn,
country singer, who
became the first
woman to be named
Country Music
Artist Entertainer
Of The Year.
Since her first #1
"Fist City", in 1967
she has scored
another 15 chart
toppers. Her
best-selling 1976
autobiography was
made into an
Academy Award
winning film,
Coal Miner's
Daughter,
starring Sissy
Spacek and Tommy Lee
Jones in 1980.
|
14-Apr-1932 |
Born on this day in
Erath, Louisiana,
was singer
songwriter D. L.
Menard who was known
as the "Cajun Hank
Williams", (whom he
met in 1951 at the
Teche Club shortly
before Williams's
death). In 1993, his
album Le Trio Cadien
was nominated for a
Grammy Award.
Menard died on July
27, 2017 age 85. |
14-Jul-1932 |
Born on this day in
Sparta, North
Carolina, was Del
Reeves, singer, best
known for his
"girl-watching"
novelty songs of the
1960s including
"Girl on the
Billboard" and "The
Belles of the
Southern Bell". He
is also known for
his 1968 trucker's
anthem, "Looking At
The World Through A
Windshield". Reeves
died on January 1st
2007. |
8-Aug-1932 |
Born on this day in
Dover, Florida, was
Mel Tillis, country
music singer who
scored the 1972 US
#1 'I Ain't Never'.
Tills is also known
for his hits "Good
Woman Blues", and
"Coca-Cola Cowboy".
Though he always
spoke with a
stammer, it never
affected his
singing voice.
Tillis died on
November 19 2017 age
82. |
8-Sep-1932 |
Born on this day in
Winchester,
Virginia, was Patsy
Cline, country music
singer. Her hits
began in 1957 with
Donn Hecht's and
Alan Block's
"Walkin' After
Midnight", Hank
Cochran's and Harlan
Howard's "I Fall to
Pieces", Hank
Cochran's "She's Got
You", Willie
Nelson's "Crazy" and
ended in 1963 with
Don Gibson's "Sweet
Dreams". She died
aged 30 on 5 March
1963 at the height
of her career in a
private plane crash.
She was one of the
most influential,
successful and
acclaimed female
vocalists of the
20th century. Ten
years after her
death, in 1973, she
became the first
female solo artist
inducted to the
Country Music
Hall of Fame. |
8-Sep-1932 |
|
8-Oct-1932 |
Born on this day was
Nashville-based
American record
producer and pedal
steel guitar player
Pete Drake. He was
one of the most
sought-after backup
musicians of the
1960s, Drake played
with Dolly Parton
and on such hits as
Lynn Anderson's
"Rose Garden",
Charlie Rich's
"Behind Closed
Doors", Bob Dylan's
"Lay Lady Lay", and
Tammy Wynette's
"Stand by Your Man".
He died on 29 July
1988. |
11-Oct-1932 |
Born on this day
near McMinnville,
Tennessee, was
Dottie West, country
music singer and
songwriter. Along
with Patsy Cline and
Loretta Lynn, West
is considered one of
the genre's most
influential and
groundbreaking
female artists. Her
career started in
the early 1960s,
with her Top 10 hit,
"Here Comes My Baby
Back Again," which
won her a
Grammy Award
for Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance in 1965.
She died in hospital
on September 4, 1991
after being involved
in a car crash a few
days earlier when
she was on her way
to perform at the
Grand Ole Opry. |
21-Oct-1932 |
Born on this day in
Chandler, Arizona
was country music
guitarist Roy
Nichols. He is best
known as the lead
guitarist for Merle
Haggard's band The
Strangers for more
than two decades. He
was known for his
guitar technique, a
mix of fingerpicking
and pedal steel-like
bends. Nichols is
considered one of
the founders of the
country music
subgenre the
“Bakersfield
Sound”. He died on
July 3, 2001. |
6-Nov-1932 |
Born on this day in
Tabor City, North
Carolina was
Stonewall Jackson
who achieved his
greatest fame during
country's "golden"
honky tonk era in
the 1950s and early
1960s when he scored
the #1 hits
"Waterloo" and "B.J.
the D.J." He died at
the age of 89 on 4
December 20201. |
6-Nov-1932 |
Born on this day was
American drummer
Paul English. He was
Willie Nelson's
long-time drummer
and was the titular
"Paul" of the Willie
Nelson album Me and
Paul as well as the
title track of that
album. English also
had a role in
Nelson's movie Red
Headed Stranger
(1986). He died on
11 Feb 2020 after a
bout of pneumonia
age 87. |
13-Nov-1932 |
Born on this day in
Florence, Alabama
was Buddy Killen,
record producer and
music publisher, and
a former owner of
Trinity Broadcasting
Network, and the
largest country
music publishing
business, before he
sold it in 1989. He
worked with artists
such as Faith Hill,
Trace Adkins, Kenny
Chesney, Rascal
Flatts, Reba
McEntire and Bill
Anderson. Killen
died in Nashville,
Tennessee on
November 1, 2006. |
30-Nov-1932 |
Born on this day in
Nashville, Tennessee
was session
musician Bob Moore.
He was a member of
the Nashville A-Team
during the 1950s and
1960s and performed
on over 17,000
recording sessions.
By age 15 he was
playing double bass
on a tent show tour
with a Grand Ole
Opry musical group
and later played
bass on almost all
of Patsy Cline's
Decca sessions. |
9-Dec-1932 |
Born on this day in
Boone County, West
Virginia, was Billy
"Edd" Wheeler,
American songwriter,
performer, and
writer. He has
written songs
performed by over 90
different artists
including Judy
Collins, Jefferson
Airplane, Bobby
Darin, The Kingston
Trio, Johnny Cash,
Neil Young, Kenny
Rogers, Hazel
Dickens, and Elvis
Presley. With Roger
Bowling he co-wote
"Coward of the
County" a hit for
Kenny Rogers. He
died at his home in
Swannanoa, North
Carolina, on
September 16, 2024,
at the age of 91. |
14-Dec-1932 |
Born on this day in
Colt Arkansas, was
Charlie Rich, singer
and musician. In the
latter part of his
life, Rich who
acquired the
nickname The Silver
Fox is best
remembered for his
1973 hits, "Behind
Closed Doors" and
"The Most Beautiful
Girl". After "The
Most Beautiful
Girl", #1 hits came
quickly, as five
songs topped the
country charts in
1974. Rich died in
his sleep on July
25, 1995 aged 62.
|
11-Jan-1933 |
Born on this day in
Karnes City, Texas,
was Goldie Hill. She
became one of the
first women to reach
the top of the
country music charts
with her 1953 #1
hit, "I Let the
Stars Get In My
Eyes". Along with
Kitty Wells, she
helped set the
standard for later
women in country
music. Hill died
from complications
of cancer on
February 24th, 2005.
|
10-Mar-1933 |
Born on this day,
was Ralph Emery a
country music disc
jockey and
television host from
Nashville,
Tennessee. He gained
national fame
hosting the
syndicated
television music
series, Pop! Goes
the Country,
from 1974 to 1980
and the nightly
Nashville Network
television program,
Nashville
Now, from 1983
to 1993. |
31-Mar-1933 |
Born on this day in
Maces Spring,
Virginia, was
singer Anita Carter,
who played upright
bass with her
sisters Helen Carter
and June Carter Cash
as The Carter
Sisters. The trio
joined the Grand Ole
Opry radio show in
1950 and opened
shows for Elvis
Presley, and joined
The Johnny Cash Show
in 1971. She scored
two Top Ten hits in
1951 with "Down The
Trail of Achin'
Hearts" with Hank
Snow and "Blue Bird
Island" and she
reached the Top Ten
again in 1968 with
"I Got You" with
Waylon Jennings. She
died on July 29th
1999 aged 66. |
15-Apr-1933 |
Born on this day in
Meherrin, Virginia,
was Roy Clark,
musician and
performer best known
for hosting Hee
Haw, a
nationally televised
country variety
show, from
1969-1992. Clark who
scored the 1973
country #1 hit "Come
Live with Me", also
appeared in episodes
of The Beverly
Hillbillies as
"Cousin Roy." He
died on November
15th 2018 age 85. |
29-Apr-1933 |
Born on this day in
Abbott, Texas, was
Willie Nelson,
country music
singer, songwriter,
author, poet, actor,
and activist. (He
was born on April
29, 1933, but his
birth was recorded
by doctor F. D. Sims
on April 30). Nelson
was one of the main
figures of outlaw
country, a subgenre
of country music
that developed at
the end of the 1960s
as a reaction to the
conservative
restrictions of the
Nashville sound.
Nelson has acted in
over 30 films,
co-authored several
books, and has been
involved in activism
for the use of
biofuels and the
legalization of
marijuana. Along
with Neil Young and
John Mellencamp, he
set up Farm
Aid in 1985 to
assist and increase
awareness of the
importance of family
farms. |
29-Apr-1933 |
|
24-May-1933 |
Jimmie Rodgers made
his last recordings
in New York City in
which he recorded
"Mississippi Delta
Blues" and "Years
Ago". After years of
fighting
tuberculosis,
Rodgers was so
weakened during the
sessions that he
needed to rest on a
bed between songs.
Rodgers died two
days later from a
pulmonary hemorrhage
while staying at the
Taft Hotel; he was
only 35 years old. |
26-May-1933 |
Jimmie Rodgers,
singer, songwriter,
who was among the
first country music
superstars and
pioneers, died while
staying at the Taft
Hotel; he was only
35 years old.
Rodgers was also
known as "The
Singing Brakeman",
"The Blue Yodeler",
and "The Father of
Country Music."
Rodgers sold over 12
million records and
was the first person
to be elected into
the Country Music
Hall Of Fame. |
7-Jun-1933 |
Born on this day in
Morrisville,
Missouri Winford was
Wynn Stewart, the
country music
performer who was
one of the
progenitors of the
Bakersfield sound
and an inspiration
to such greats as
Buck Owens and Merle
Haggard. Stewart
scored the 1967 #1
hit "It's Such a
Pretty World Today".
Stewart suddenly
died of a heart
attack on July 17,
1985. |
20-Jun-1933 |
Born on this day in
Greenville,
Mississippi, was Ben
Peters, country
music songwriter who
wrote many #1 songs.
Charley Pride
recorded 40 of his
songs and 4 of them
went to #1 on the
American country
charts. Peters was
inducted into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1980.
Peters was briefly a
recording artist
himself; his only
charting hit was
"San Francisco is a
Lonely Town", which
hit #46 on the
country charts in
1969. He died in
Nashville,
Tennessee, on May
25, 2005. |
15-Jul-1933 |
Born on this day in
Rouyn-Noranda,
Quebec was Canadian
country singer Hal
Willis. His famous
country single was
"The Lumberjack," an
international hit
that sold over 1.5
million copies. In
1965, it peaked at
#5 on the
Billboard
country charts in
the USA. This
success was such a
phenomenon that he
was nicknamed "Mr.
Lumberjack." Willis
died on September 4,
2015. |
15-Aug-1933 |
Born on this day,
was Bobby Helms,
American country
music singer best
known for his 1957
hit, "Jingle Bell
Rock". He died on
June 19, 1997 of
emphysema at his
home in
Martinsville,
Indiana, he was 63. |
1-Sep-1933 |
Born on this day in
Friars Point,
Mississippi, was
Conway Twitty (born
Harold Lloyd
Jenkins). Twitty
held the record for
the most #1 singles
of any act with 55
#1 Billboard
country hits until
George Strait broke
the record in 2006.
Twitty who scored
his first #1 in 1958
with "It's Only Make
Believe" died on
June 5, 1993 in
Springfield,
Missouri, at Cox
South Hospital two
months before the
release of what
would be his final
studio album,
Final
Touches.
|
3-Sep-1933 |
Born on this day in
Spalding, Nebraska,
was Tompall Glaser,
who recorded as a
solo artist and with
his brothers Chuck
and Jim in the trio
Tompall & the Glaser
Brothers. He scored
the 1975 solo hit
with Shel
Silverstein's "Put
Another Log on the
Fire", which peaked
at #21 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles and
appeared with Willie
Nelson, Waylon
Jennings, and Jessi
Colter on the album
Wanted! The
Outlaws. Glaser
died August 13, 2013
in Nashville,
Tennessee, aged 79,
after a long
illness.
|
30-Sep-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. |
27-Oct-1933 |
Born on this day in
Shreveport,
Louisiana, was
pianist Floyd
Cramer, who was one
of the architects of
the "Nashville
sound". He was known
for his "slip note"
piano style, where
an out-of-key note
slides into the
correct note. In
2003 Floyd Cramer
was inducted into
both the Country
Music Hall of
Fame and the
Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame. He
died on Dec 31st
1997. |
21-Nov-1933 |
Born on this day in
Paul's Valley,
Oklahoma, was Jean
Shepard, honky tonk
singer, songwriter,
who has scored the
hits "Second Fiddle
(To An Old Guitar),"
"A Satisfied Mind"
and a Ferlin Husky
duet, "A Dear John
Letter." In 2005,
Shepard celebrated
50 years as a member
of the Opry and is
the longest-living
female member of the
Opry to date. She
died on September
25, 2016 aged 82. |
8-Dec-1933 |
Born on this day in
Canton, Ohio, was
Dick Glasser,
singer, songwriter,
and record producer.
His biggest hit as a
songwriter was
"Angels in the Sky."
By the 1970s he was
managing MGM
Records' country
music division in
Nashville and there
he produced C. W.
McCall's #1 record
"Convoy," a
worldwide hit for
the company. |
17-Dec-1933 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta in Cass
County, Texas, was
Nat Stuckey country
singer. He recorded
for various labels
between 1966 and
1978, charting in
the top 10 of Hot
Country Songs with
"Sweet Thang",
"Plastic Saddle",
"Sweet Thang and
Cisco" and "Take
Time to Love Her."
He died on Aug 24th
1988. |
22-Dec-1933 |
Born on this day in
Clay County,
Kentucky, was
singer, songwriter,
and record producer
Ray Pennington. He
is known for writing
the song "I'm a
Ramblin' Man", which
gave Waylon Jennings
his second #1
Country hit.
Pennington was also
the founder of the
independent Step One
Records label. He
died at home on
October 7, 2020
after entering a
garage that had
caught fire. |
27-Dec-1933 |
Born on this day in
Elaine, Arkansas was
session pedal steel
guitar player John
Hughey. He has
worked with various
country music acts,
most notably Vince
Gill and Conway
Twitty. A member of
the Pedal Steel
Guitar Hall of Fame,
Hughey was known for
a distinctive
playing style called
"crying steel",
which focused
primarily on the
higher range of the
guitar. He died on
November 18, 2007
age 73. |
31-Dec-1933 |
Born on this day was
Fred Carter Jr. an
American guitarist,
singer, producer and
composer. He was
part of Nashville's
'A Team' and played
with Kenny Rogers,
Joan Baez, Simon &
Garfunkel, Slim
Whitman, Floyd
Cramer, Sonny James,
Hank Snow, Faron
Young, Johnny Horton
and Jim Reeves. He
died on July 17,
2010 age 76. |
6-Jan-1934 |
Born on this day in
Sanford, Florida was
Bobby Lord, country
music
singer-songwriter
popular in the 1950s
and 1960s. In 1960,
Lord moved to
Nashville, where he
was immediately
offered a spot on
the Grand Ole Opry.
He continued
appearing on the
Opry well into the
1970s. He died on
February 16, 2008. |
6-Mar-1934 |
Born on this day in
in Higley, Arizona
was country
singer-songwriter
Red Simpson, best
known for his
trucker-themed
songs. His first #1
hit was with "Sam's
Place," recorded by
Buck Owens. Simpson
died on January 8,
2016. |
31-Mar-1934 |
Born on this day in
Durham, North
Carolina, was
songwriter John D.
Loudermilk. His hits
include "Indian
Reservation," by
Paul Revere & The
Raiders; "Abilene,"
by George Hamilton
IV; and "Tobacco
Road" (a hit for The
Nashville Teens in
1964). He died on
September 21, 2016
aged 82. |
1-Apr-1934 |
Born on this day in
Sparkman, Arkansas,
was Jim Ed Brown,
singer who achieved
fame in the 1950s
with his two sisters
as a member of The
Browns. He later had
a successful solo
career from 1965 to
1974, followed by a
string of major duet
hits with Helen
Cornelius who had
the 1976 US Country
#1 hit "I Don't Want
to Have to Marry
You". Brown is
currently the host
of the Country
Music Greats Radio
Show, a
syndicated country
music program from
Nashville,
Tennessee. He died
from lung cancer at
the age of 81 on
June 11 2015. |
23-Apr-1934 |
Born on this day in
San Antonio, Texas,
was Vivian Liberto
the first wife of
Johnny Cash, and the
mother of
singer-songwriter
Rosanne Cash. During
their courtship,
Cash and Liberto
wrote each other
over 10,000 pages of
love letters,
forming the basis of
her autobiography,
titled I Walked
the Line: My Life
with Johnny,
which was
published in 2007.
She died on May 24,
2005. |
5-Aug-1934 |
Born on this day,
was Vern Gosdin,
nicknamed "The
Voice" by his peers.
He had 19 top-ten
solo hits on the
Country music charts
from the late 1970s
through the early
1990s, including
three #1's: "I Can
Tell By the Way You
Dance (You're Gonna
Love Me Tonight)",
"Set 'Em Up Joe" and
"I'm Still Crazy".
Gosdin died on 28th
April 2009.
|
9-Aug-1934 |
Born on this day in
Chickasha, Okla, was
Wyatt Merle Kilgore,
American singer,
songwriter, and
manager who co-wrote
(with June Carter),
"Ring Of Fire",
which became a hit
for Johnny Cash,
ending Cash's
three-year career
slump, staying at #1
on the country chart
for seven weeks in
1963. Kilgore
started his career
in country music as
a teenage gofer for
Hank Williams and
ended as the manager
of Hank Williams Jr.
Kilgore died on
February 6, 2005.
|
20-Aug-1934 |
Born on this day was
'Sneaky' Pete
Kleinow, US
country-rock steel
guitar player. He
was one of the
original members of
the Flying Burrito
Brothers with the
Byrds' Chris Hillman
and Gram Parsons and
also worked with
John Lennon and Joni
Mitchell. He died
6th Jan 2007 aged
72. |
14-Sep-1934 |
Born on this day in
Brownfield, Texas,
was Don Walser, was
known as a unique,
award-winning
yodeling "Texas
country music
legend." He was
known for
maintaining a
catalog of older,
obscure country
music and cowboy
songs and kept alive
old 1940s and 1950s
tunes by country
music pioneers such
as Bob Wills and
Eddie Arnold. He
died on September
20, 2006. |
24-Oct-1934 |
Born on this day in
Whitney, Texas was
country songwriter
and musician Sanger
D. Shafer. He wrote
numerous hits for
stars such as George
Jones, Lefty
Frizzell, and George
Strait. Three
divorces helped him
with his song
writing in the 1980s
when Shafer wrote
"Does Fort Worth
Ever Cross Your
Mind" (1985; with
Darlene Shafer) and
"All My Ex's Live in
Texas" (1987 with
his fourth wife
Lyndia J.) Shafer
died after a long
illness on January
12, 2019, at the age
of 84. |
8-Jan-1935 |
Born on this day in
East Tupelo,
Mississippi, was
Elvis Presley.
Before emerging as
the "King of Rock &
Roll," Presley made
inroads in country,
where he returned
during his latter
years. He was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1998. Presley died
on Aug 16th 1977. |
19-Jan-1935 |
Born on this day in
Joinerville, Texas
was Charlie Waller,
lead singer and
guitarist for the
legendary bluegrass
band the Country
Gentlemen. Waller
was inducted into
the International
Bluegrass Music Hall
of Honor in
1996. He died on
August 18, 2004. |
17-Feb-1935 |
Born on this day in
Houston, Texas, was
Johnny Bush, country
music singer,
songwriter, and
drummer. Bush,
nicknamed the
"Country Caruso," is
best known for his
distinctive voice
and as the writer of
"Whiskey River," a
top-ten hit for
himself and Willie
Nelson's signature
song. Bush died at a
hospital in San
Antonio on October
16, 2020 age 85. |
27-Feb-1935 |
Born on this day in
Woodville,
California was steel
guitarist Norm
Hamlet a member of
Merle Haggard's The
Strangers band for
the past 49 years.
He became an
influential part of
the Bakersfield
sound and has won
many awards,
including induction
into the Western
Swing Society Hall
of Fame in
Sacramento,
California, and the
Steel Guitar Hall of
Fame. |
7-Apr-1935 |
Born on this day,
was Bobby Bare, who
scored over 30 US
Country hits
including his only
Country #1 hit in
1974, "Marie
Laveau", (which was
written by written
by Shel
Silverstein). In
1998, he formed the
band, Old Dogs, with
his friends Jerry
Reed, Mel Tillis and
Waylon Jennings. |
22-Apr-1935 |
Born on this day in
Saltillo, Tennessee,
was W. S. "Fluke"
Holland, drummer who
worked extensively
with numerous rock
and roll musicians,
beginning with Carl
Perkins, but became
well known as the
drummer with Johnny
Cash's succession of
backing bands: The
Tennessee Three, The
Great Eighties
Eight, and The
Johnny Cash Show
Band. Holland played
drums on the 1955
Sun Records
recording of "Blue
Suede Shoes" by
Perkins. He died at
his home in Jackson,
Tennessee on
September 23, 2020
at the age of 85. |
2-Aug-1935 |
Born on this day,
was Hank Cochran,
American country
music singer and
songwriter. Starting
during the 1960s,
Cochran was a
prolific songwriter
in the genre,
including major hits
by Patsy Cline, ("I
Fall to Pieces."),
Ray Price, Eddy
Arnold, Merle
Haggard, George
Strait and others.
Cochran was also a
recording artist
between 1962 and
1980, scoring seven
times on the
Billboard
country music
charts, with his
greatest solo
success being "Sally
Was a Good Old
Girl". He died on
July 15, 2010 aged
74. |
20-Aug-1935 |
Born on this day in
San Antonio, Texas
was Justin Tubb, the
oldest son of
legendary country
singer Ernest Tubb.
He scored two duets
with Goldie Hill,
("Looking Back to
See" and "Sure Fire
Kisses"). A year
later, at the age of
20, he was made a
member of the Grand
Ole Opry. He penned
many hit songs for
other performers,
including "Keeping
Up with the
Joneses", "Love Is
No Excuse", and
"Lonesome 7-7203", a
hit for Hawkshaw
Hawkins. |
23-Sep-1935 |
Bob Wills and the
Texas Playboys made
their first
recordings in
Dallas, Texas,
produced by Don Law
and Art Satherley of
the American Record
Corporation. Wills'
later recording of
"Ida Red" served as
a model for Chuck
Berry's decades
later version of the
same song -
"Maybellene" |
25-Sep-1935 |
Born on this day in
St. Louis, Missouri,
was Royce Kendall,
singer from the duo,
The Kendalls who
released 16 albums
including the #1
hits "Heaven's Just
a Sin Away," "Sweet
Desire" and "Thank
God for the Radio".
She died on May 22,
1998. |
29-Sep-1935 |
Born on this day,
was Jerry Lee Lewis,
rock and roll and
country music
singer-songwriter
and pianist, known
by the nickname "The
Killer". Lewis is
the last surviving
pioneers of '50s
rock 'n' roll music
and the last
surviving member of
Sun Records' Million
Dollar Quartet and
the Class of '55
album, which
altogether included
Johnny Cash, Carl
Perkins, Roy Orbison
and Elvis Presley. |
5-Oct-1935 |
Born on this day in
Coushatta,
Louisiana, was
Margie Singleton,
country music singer
and songwriter. In
the 1960s, she was a
popular duet and
solo recording
artist, working with
country stars George
Jones and Faron
Young. Singleton had
her biggest hit with
Young called
"Keeping Up With The
Joneses" in 1964. |
21-Oct-1935 |
Born on this day in
Rowe, Virginia, was
Mel Street. From
1968 to 1972, Street
hosted his own show
on a Bluefield, West
Virginia television
station. He recorded
his first single,
"Borrowed Angel," in
1970 for a small
regional record
label. A larger
label, Royal
American Records,
picked it up in
1972, and it became
a top-10
Billboard
hit. He recorded the
biggest hit of his
career, "Lovin' on
Back Streets", in
1973. He committed
suicide by a
self-inflicted
gunshot wound, on
October 21, 1978,
his 43rd birthday. |
30-Nov-1935 |
Born on this day was
American songwriter
and record producer
George Richey.
Richey was a
mainstay of the
Nashville country
music community. In
the 1970s, he
co-wrote "Keep Me in
Mind," a #1 country
hit for Lynn
Anderson in 1973. He
also co-wrote hits
for future wife
Tammy Wynette and
Wynette's
then-husband, George
Jones, including
Jones's "A Picture
of Me (Without You)"
and "The Grand
Tour," and Wynette's
"'Til I Can Make It
On My Own" and "You
and Me", among many
other artists.
Richey served as a
session musician for
recordings by Marty
Robbins, Ringo Starr
and Lefty Frizzell.
He died on July 31,
2010 aged 74. |
9-Dec-1935 |
Born on this day, in
Bossier City in
northwestern
Louisiana, was David
Houston, country
music singer. His
peak in popularity
came between the
mid-1960s through
the early 1970s,
scoring 7 hits
including the 1970
US #1 hit Baby,
Baby (I Know You're
a Lady). Houston
died on November 30,
1993. |
11-Dec-1935 |
Born on this day,
was Tom Brumley,
American steel
guitarist who played
with Buck Owens and
the Buckaroos in the
1960s, contributing
to the group's
"Bakersfield sound",
and later spent a
decade with Rick
Nelson. Brumley died
on February 3, 2009. |
2-Jan-1936 |
Born on this day in
Fort Worth, Texas,
was Roger Miller the
singer, songwriter,
musician and actor,
best known for his
honky
tonk-influenced
novelty songs. His
best known songs
included the
chart-topping
country/pop hits
"King of the Road",
"Dang Me" and
"England Swings",
all from the
mid-1960s. A
lifelong cigarette
smoker Miller died
on October 25, 1992
of lung and throat
cancer at the age of
56.
|
11-Jan-1936 |
Born on this day in
Garrard County,
Kentucky, was Jody
Payne best known as
a longtime guitarist
in Willie Nelson's
band, The Family.
Payne died on Aug
10th 2013. |
24-Jan-1936 |
Born on this day in
Cameron Parish,
Louisiana, was Doug
Kershaw, fiddle
player, singer and
songwriter who had
the 1969 hit "Diggy
Liggy Lo." |
9-Feb-1936 |
Born on this day in
Saint John, New
Brunswick, was
Stompin' Tom Connors
one of Canada's most
prolific and
well-known country
and folk
singer-songwriters.
He is credited with
writing more than
300 songs and
released four dozen
albums, with total
sales of nearly 4
million copies.
Connors died aged 77
in his home in
Ballinafad, Ontario
on March 6, 2013. |
29-Feb-1936 |
Born on this day in
Midway, Pennsylvania
was Keyboard player
Charles Cochran. He
became a prominent
Nashville session
musician, playing on
hits by Crystal
Gayle, Johnny Cash,
Waylon Jennings,
Charley Pride and
Don Williams. He
died June 7, 2007 in
a two-car crash in
Nashville,
Tennessee, after a
driver ran a stop
sign. |
9-Mar-1936 |
Born on this day in
Ferriday, Louisiana,
was Mickey Gilley,
American country
music singer and
musician and the
cousin of Jerry Lee
Lewis, Carl McVoy,
Jim Gilley and Jimmy
Swaggart. Among his
biggest hits is
"Room Full of
Roses," "Don't the
Girls All Get
Prettier at Closing
Time," and the
remake of the Soul
hit "Stand by Me".
Gilley died on May
7, 2022, of
complications from
bone cancer. |
22-Apr-1936 |
Born on this day in
Pike County,
Arkansas, was Glen
Campbell, country
singer, songwriter,
actor, TV presenter.
Hits include "By the
Time I Get to
Phoenix", "Wichita
Lineman", and
"Rhinestone Cowboy."
He was a touring
member of The Beach
Boys, filling in for
an ailing Brian
Wilson in 1964 and
1965. His guitar
playing can be heard
on "Strangers in the
Night" by Frank
Sinatra, "You've
Lost That Lovin'
Feelin'" by The
Righteous Brothers
and "I'm a Believer"
by The Monkees.
Campbell became a
patient at an
Alzheimer's
long-term care and
treatment facility
in 2014 and died of
the disease in
Nashville, Tennessee
on August 8, 2017 at
the age of 81. |
23-Apr-1936 |
Born on this day,
was Roy Orbison,
singer, songwriter,
who had a 1964 UK &
US #1 single with
"Pretty Woman" plus
over 20 US & 30 UK
Top 40 singles.
Orbison grew up in
Texas and began
singing in a
rockabilly/country
and western band in
high school until he
was signed by Sun
Records in Memphis.
As a member of
Traveling Wilburys,
he had a 1988 UK #21
single with "Handle
With Care". Orbison
died on December 6th
1988. |
18-May-1936 |
Born on this day in
Covington, Georgia
was Leon Ashley who
is known mainly for
his #1 hit "Laura
(What's He Got That
I Ain't Got)", which
topped the country
singles charts in
September 1967.
Ashley made chart
history as the first
country artist to
have a #1 hit with a
song he wrote,
published and sang.
Ashley died on Oct
20th 2013.
|
25-May-1936 |
Born on this day in
Olive Hill,
Kentucky, was Tom T.
Hall, country music
singer-songwriter.
Hall has written 11
#1 hit songs, with
26 more that reached
the Top 10,
including "Harper
Valley PTA" a hit
for Jeannie C. Riley
in 1968. He became
known as 'The
Storyteller,' due to
his storytelling
skills in his
songwriting. He died
on 20 August 2021
from a
self-inflicted
gunshot wound to the
head. |
12-Jun-1936 |
American harmonica
player and string
band leader Humphrey
Bate died of a heart
attack. He was the
first musician to
play old-time music
on Nashville-area
radio. Bate and his
band, which had been
given the name "Dr.
Humphrey Bate & His
Possum Hunters" by
Opry founder George
D. Hay, were
regulars on the
Grand Ole Opry until
Bate's death in
1936. |
22-Jun-1936 |
Born on this day in
Brownsville, Texas,
was Kris
Kristofferson,
musician, actor, and
writer, known for
such hits as "Me and
Bobby McGee", "For
the Good Times",
"Sunday Mornin'
Comin' Down", and
"Help Me Make It
Through the Night".
In 1985,
Kristofferson joined
fellow country
artists Waylon
Jennings, Willie
Nelson and Johnny
Cash in forming the
country music
supergroup "The
Highwaymen". In
2004, Kristofferson
was inducted into
the Country Music
Hall of Fame. He
died on 28 September
2024 age 88. |
30-Jun-1936 |
Born on this day,
was Doyle Holly,
American musician
best known as the
bass guitar player
of the country music
band Buck Owens and
the Buckaroos and
for his solo hit
songs "Queen Of The
Silver Dollar" and
"Lila". The
Buckaroos had more
than 30 Top 40
singles on the
country music charts
in the 1960s and
early 1970s, with 21
#1 hits such as
"I've Got a Tiger By
the Tail," "Love's
Gonna Live Here,
"and "Act
Naturally." Their
sound influenced
later artists such
as Creedence
Clearwater Revival,
Jackson Browne, The
Eagles, The
Derailers and the
Desert Rose Band.
Holly died on
January 13, 2007. |
17-Sep-1936 |
Born on tis day was
American songwriter
Dewayne Blackwell.
His songs include
"Mr. Blue", a 1959
hit for the
Fleetwoods; "I'm
Gonna Hire a Wino to
Decorate Our Home",
a 1982 hit for David
Frizzell; and
"Friends in Low
Places", a 1990 hit
for Garth Brooks.
His songs have been
recorded by the
Everly Brothers, Roy
Orbison and Bobby
Vinton. He died on
May 23, 2021. |
21-Sep-1936 |
Born on this day in
Memphis, Tennessee,
was Dickey Lee, best
known for the 1960s
teenage tragedy
songs "Patches" and
"Laurie (Strange
Things Happen)." He
also scored the 1975
US Country #1
"Rocky." |
28-Oct-1936 |
Born on this day in
Wilmington, North
Carolina, was
Charlie Daniels who
is known for his #1
country hit "The
Devil Went Down to
Georgia"; Daniels
has been active as a
singer since the
early 1950s and was
inducted into the
Grand Ole Opry on
January 24, 2008. He
died on July 6, 2020
age 83 of a
hemorrhagic stroke. |
29-Oct-1936 |
Hank Snow auditioned
with the Canadian
division of RCA
Victor in Montreal,
Quebec which led to
the release of his
first record with
"The Prisoned
Cowboy" on one side
and "Lonesome Blue
Yodel" on the other.
Snow signed with the
label, staying for
more than 45 years.
During his career
that spanned nearly
50 years, he
recorded 140 albums
and charted more
than 85 singles. |
5-Nov-1936 |
Born on this day,
was Billy Sherrill,
record producer and
arranger who is most
famous for his
association with a
number of country
artists, most
notably Tammy
Wynette. Sherrill
and business partner
Glenn Sutton are
regarded as the
defining influences
of the
countrypolitan
sound, a smooth
amalgamation of pop
and country music
that was hugely
popular during the
late 1960s and
throughout the '70s.
Sherrill died on 4
Aug 2015 after a
short illness at the
age of 78. |
12-Dec-1936 |
Born on this day in
Caruthersville,
Missouri, was Reggie
Young, lead
guitarist in the
American Sound
Studios Band (aka
The Memphis Boys),
and is a leading
session musician. He
played on various
recordings with
artists such as
Elvis Presley,
Willie Nelson,
Waylon Jennings,
Johnny Cash, Jerry
Lee Lewis, Merle
Haggard, and George
Strait. He died on
January 18 2019 age
82. |
4-Jan-1937 |
Born on this day in
Huntland, Tennessee,
was Lorene Mann,
American country
music singer and
songwriter. She is
known for her duets
with Justin Tubb and
Archie Campbell.
Mann was a
co-founder of the
Nashville
Songwriters
Association
International
(NSAI). She appeared
in the movies
Music City
USA and W.W.
and the Dixie
Dancekings. Mann
died aged 76 on May
24, 2013. |
14-Jan-1937 |
Born on this day in
Beaumont, Texas, was
Billie Jo Spears,
country music singer
who reached the
top-10 of the
Country music charts
five times between
1969 and 1977, her
biggest hit being
the 1975 "Blanket on
the Ground." She
died of cancer aged
73 on December 14th,
2011.
|
27-Jan-1937 |
Born on this day in
Mishawaka, Indiana
was pedal steel
guitarist, Buddy
Emmons. He was
widely regarded as
the world's foremost
pedal steel
guitarist of his day
and was inducted
into the Steel
Guitar Hall of Fame
in 1980. He recorded
with artists
including Linda
Ronstadt, The Everly
Brothers, Ernest
Tubb, John Hartford,
Ray Price, Judy
Collins, and Ray
Charles. Emmons died
of a heart attack in
Nashville, Tennessee
on July 21, 2015. |
30-Jan-1937 |
Born on this day in
Pell City, Alabama,
was Jeanne Pruett,
Country music singer
and Grand Ole Opry
star, best-known for
her 1973
chart-topping hit,
"Satin Sheets." |
1-Feb-1937 |
Born on this day in
Brownie, Muhlenberg
County, Kentuck, was
singer, songwriter
Don Everly. The
Everly Brothers
scored 4 #1 Country
hits in the late
50's; "Bye Bye
Love", "Wake Up
Little Susie", "Bird
Dog" and "All I Have
to Do Is Dream"
Their song "When
Will I Be Loved"
later became hits
for Reba McEntire
and Linda Ronstadt,
respectively. The
Everly Brothers were
elected to
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
2001. |
6-Mar-1937 |
Born on this day was
Ben Keith, American
musician and record
producer. Known
primarily for his
work as a pedal
steel guitarist with
Neil Young, Keith
was a fixture of the
Nashville country
music community in
the 1950s and 1960s
before working with
numerous successful
rock, country and
pop artists
including CS&N,
Linda Ronstadt,
Emmylou Harris,
Willie Nelson, Patsy
Cline, Waylon
Jennings, Tompall
Glaser and Anne
Murray. He died on
July 26, 2010 age
73. |
20-Mar-1937 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, Georgia,
was Jerry Reed,
country music
singer, guitarist,
songwriter, and
actor who appeared
in more than a dozen
films. His signature
songs included
"Guitar Man,", "A
Thing Called Love,"
(both of which were
covered by Elvis
Presely), "When
You're Hot, You're
Hot" "Ko-Ko Joe",
"East Bound and
Down" (the theme
song for the 1977
blockbuster
Smokey and the
Bandit, in which
Reed co-starred),
and "She Got the
Goldmine (I Got the
Shaft)". Reed died
on Aug 31st 2008. |
20-Mar-1937 |
Born on this day in
London, Ontario, was
Tommy Hunter,
Canadian country
music performer,
known as "Canada's
Country Gentleman".
Hunter was inducted
into the Canadian
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1984 and in 1986, he
was made a Member of
the Order of Canada. |
6-Apr-1937 |
Born on this day in
Oildale, California,
was country music
songwriter, singer,
and guitarist Merle
Haggard. Along with
Buck Owens, Haggard
and his band The
Strangers helped
create the
Bakersfield sound,
which is
characterized by the
unique twang of
Fender Telecaster
guitar and the
unique mix with the
traditional country
steel guitar sound.
Haggard who was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall of Fame and
Museum in 1994
has scored 38 US #1
Country hits.
Haggard died on the
morning of April 6,
2016, his 79th
birthday, of
complications from
pneumonia at his
home in Palo Cedro,
California. |
4-Jun-1937 |
Born on this day in
San Benito, Texas,
was Country musician
Freddy Fender who
had the 1975 US
Country #1 hit
"Before the Next
Teardrop Falls" and
is known for his
work in the groups
Los Super Seven and
the Texas Tornados.
Fender died on 14th
October 2006.
|
12-Jun-1937 |
Born on this day,
was Chips Moman,
American record
producer, guitarist,
and songwriter. As a
record producer,
Moman is known for
recording Elvis
Presley, Willie
Nelson, Gary
Stewart, Tammy
Wynette and Ronnie
Milsap. Moman died
on 13 June 2016, the
day after his 79th
birthday. |
15-Jun-1937 |
Born on this day in
Littlefield, Texas,
was Waylon Jennings,
singer, songwriter,
and musician.
Jennings, who once
worked as a DJ,
played bass with
Buddy Holly,
Jennings
unintentionally
missing flying with
Holly, The Big
Bopper and Ritchie
Valens on the flight
on which they died.
In 1976 he released
the album Wanted!
The Outlaws with
Willie Nelson,
Tompall Glaser and
Jessi Colter, which
became the first
platinum country
music album, and he
was also a member of
the country
supergroup The
Highwaymen with
Willie Nelson, Kris
Kristofferson and
Johnny Cash.
Jennings, who died
on 13th February 13,
2002, was also the
narrator for the TV
show the Dukes of
Hazzard. |
15-Jun-1937 |
|
30-Jun-1937 |
Born on this day was
American singer and
songwriter Larry
Henley. He was best
known for co-writing
(with Jeff Silbar)
the 1989 hit record
"Wind Beneath My
Wings." He co-wrote
with Red Lane "'Til
I Get It Right" for
Tammy Wynette, later
covered by Barbra
Streisand and Kenny
Rogers. Other #1
country hits were
his songs "Is It
Still Over?" (Randy
Travis), "Lizzie and
the Rainman" (Tanya
Tucker), and "He's a
Heartache (Looking
for a Place to
Happen)" (Janie
Fricke). Other songs
included "Shotgun
rider" for Delbert
McClinton; "You're
Welcome to Tonight"
by Lynn Anderson and
Gary Morris; and
"The World Needs a
Melody" by The
Carter Family with
Johnny Cash. He died
in Nashville,
Tennessee on 18 Dec
2014 age 77. |
4-Jul-1937 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer, music
publisher, Raymond
Pillow. In his
career, he had 18
singles on the
Billboard
country songs chart,
with his
highest-peaking song
being the #9 single
"I'll Take the Dog",
a duet with Jean
Shepard. Pillow died
in Nashville,
Tennessee, on March
26, 2023, at the age
of 85. |
4-Jul-1937 |
Born on this day was
Ray Pillow, American
country music
singer, music
publisher, and
artists and
repertoire (A&R)
representative. In
his career, he had
18 singles on the
Billboard country
songs chart, with
his highest-peaking
song being #9 single
"I'll Take the Dog",
a duet with Jean
Shepard. |
5-Jul-1937 |
Born on this day was
Bobby Thompson,
American banjoist
and guitarist. He
worked as a session
musician from the
1960s through 1980s
and recorded with
Johnny Cash, Loretta
Lynn, Dolly Parton,
Reba McEntire,
Willie Nelson,
Charley Pride, Jimmy
Buffett, Neil Young,
among others. He
died on May 18, 2005
age 67. |
19-Jul-1937 |
Born on this day in
Winston-Salem, North
Carolina, was George
Hamilton IV,
country musician.
Hamilton's
breakthrough hit was
the 1961 song
"Before this Day
Ends". His biggest
hit came two years
later with
"Abilene", another
song penned by
Loudermilk and Bob
Gibson. The song
spent four weeks at
#1 on
Billboard's
country singles
chart. Hamilton died
on Sept 17th 2014
after he suffered a
major heart attack. |
26-Aug-1937 |
Born on this day in
Lubbock, Texas was
Don Bowman the
American country
music singer,
songwriter, comedian
and radio host. He
was best known for
co-writing the hits
"Just To Satisfy
You" and "Wildwood
Weed" and played an
important role in
Waylon Jennings
getting recording
contracts. He was
the original host of
American Country
Countdown and the
first Country Music
Association Comedian
of the Year. He died
on June 5th 2013. |
28-Aug-1937 |
Born on this day,
was Joe Osborn,
American bass guitar
player known for his
work as a session
musician and one
time member of The
Wrecking Crew. He
worked with Kenny
Rogers, Mel Tillis,
and Hank Williams,
Jr. One count listed
Osborn as bassist on
fifty-three #1 hits
on the country
charts. |
9-Sep-1937 |
Born on this day was
American songwriter
Don Pfrimmer. He is
best known for
co-writing many
modern hits
including "Meet in
the Middle" by
Diamond Rio and "My
Front Porch Looking
In" by Lodestar. He
died of leukaemia on
December 7, 2015 age
78. |
10-Sep-1937 |
Born on this day in
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma was country
singer Tommy
Overstreet, Often
known simply as
"T.O." His highest
charting hit was
1972's "Ann (Don't
Go Runnin')," which
went to #2. He died
on Nov 2 2015. |
28-Sep-1937 |
Born on this day,
was Glenn Sutton,
country music
songwriter and
producer. Born Royce
Glenn Sutton in
Hodge, Louisiana, he
was one of two chief
architects of the
countrypolitan sound
(the other being
Sutton's frequent
songwriting partner
Billy Sherrill). He
co-wrote Tammy
Wynette's first
major hit single,
"Your Good Girl's
Gonna Go Bad," along
with Tammy's #1
record, "I Don't
Wanna Play House."
He was equally well
known as a producer,
particular for his
former wife Lynn
Anderson. Glenn
produced her most
famous single, "Rose
Garden," which hit
#1 on the country
charts and #3 on the
pop charts. |
28-Sep-1937 |
|
4-Oct-1937 |
Born on this day was
American steel
guitarist Lloyd
Green. He is noted
for his extensive
country music
recording session
career in Nashville
performing on 116 #1
country hits
including Tammy
Wynette's
“D-I-V-O-R-C-E”
(1968), Charlie
Rich's “Behind
Closed Doors”
(1973), The Oak
Ridge Boys’
“Elvira” (1981),
and Alan Jackson's
“Remember When”
(2004). |
19-Oct-1937 |
Born on this day in
Manila, Arkansas was
Country/rockabilly
singer Jerry Jaye.
He is known for a
hit '60s cover of
Fats Domino's "My
Girl Josephine." |
20-Oct-1937 |
Born on this day in
Maud, Oklahoma was
Wanda Lavonne
Jackson, singer,
songwriter, pianist
and guitarist who
had success in the
mid-1950s and 60s as
one of the first
popular female
rockabilly singers
and a pioneering
rock and roll
artist. She is known
to many as the Queen
(or First Lady) of
Rockabilly. Jackson
moved to a
successful career in
mainstream country
music with a string
of hits between 1966
and 1973, including
"Tears Will Be the
Chaser for Your
Wine", "A Woman
Lives for Love" and
"Fancy Satin
Pillows".
|
29-Oct-1937 |
American bluegrass
musician Sonny
Osborne. He was the
co-founder (with his
brother Bobby) of
the Osborne
Brothers, a member
of the Grand Ole
Opry and the
International
Bluegrass Music Hall
of Fame. They are
probably best known
for their 1967
country hit song,
"Rocky Top". Osborne
died on October 24,
2021. |
1-Nov-1937 |
Born on this day in
Columbia, South
Carolina, was James
William Anderson III
better known as
singer, songwriter
and television
personality Bill
Anderson. He has
released more than
40 studio albums and
has reached #1 on
the country charts
seven times: In
1995,
Billboard
magazine named four
Anderson
compositions -"City
Lights," "Once A
Day," "Still," and
"Mama Sang A Song" -
among the top 20
country songs of the
past 35 years, more
than any other
songwriter. |
30-Nov-1937 |
Born on this day in
Santa Rita, New
Mexico was American
record producer and
former rockabilly
singer Jimmy Bowen.
He produced hits for
Frank Sinatra, Dean
Martin and Sammy
Davis, Jr., and went
on to work with many
country acts
including Glen
Campbell, Kenny
Rogers, Hank
Williams, Jr., The
Oak Ridge Boys, Reba
McEntire, George
Strait and Garth
Brooks. |
16-Dec-1937 |
Born on this day in
Spalding, Nebraska,
was Jim Glaser,
country music artist
who charted several
singles on the Hot
Country Songs
charts, including
the #1 hit "You're
Gettin' to Me
Again". He died on
April 6th 2019 age
81. |
26-Dec-1937 |
Born on this day in
Calumet, Quebec, was
Canadian American
country musician and
comedy performer
Ronnie Prophet.
Prophet died on 2
March 2018 at his
home in Florida
following cardiac
and kidney failure
age 80. |
30-Dec-1937 |
Born on this day in
New York City, was
John Hartford,
country and
bluegrass composer
and musician known
for his mastery of
the fiddle and
banjo, as well as
for his witty
lyrics. He also
invented his own
shuffle tap dance
move, and clogged on
an amplified piece
of plywood while he
played and sang.
Hartford died on
June 4 2001. |
18-Jan-1938 |
Born on this day in
Spring City,
Tennessee, was
Hargus Melvin "Pig"
Robbins, American
session keyboard and
piano player. Having
played on records
for artists such as
George Jones, Alan
Jackson, Merle
Haggard, Loretta
Lynn, David Allan
Coe, George Hamilton
IV and Conway
Twitty, Robbins
became a prominent
session
instrumentalist in
Nashville. He was
also blind, having
lost his sight when
he was four years
old, due to an
accident involving
his father's knife.
Robbins died on
January 30, 2022, at
the age of 84. |
30-Jan-1938 |
Born on this day in
Wellston, Oklahoma,
was Norma Jean,
country music singer
who was a member of
The Porter
Wagoner Show
from 1961-1967. She
had 13 country
singles in
Billboard's
Country Top 40
between 1963 and
1968, recorded
twenty albums for
RCA Victor between
1964 and 1973, and
received two
Grammy
nominations. |
9-Feb-1938 |
Born on this day in
Charleston, West
Virginia was Wayne
Moss. The guitar
player, bassist,
record producer and
songwriter is best
known for his
session work in
Nashville playing
with Lefty Frizzell,
Waylon Jennings,
Kris Kristofferson,
Dolly Parton,
Charley Pride
and Linda Ronstadt. |
17-Feb-1938 |
Born on this day in
Spartanburg, South
Carolina, was Buck
Trent, country music
instrumentalist who
invented the
electric banjo. He
was a member of
Porter Wagoner's
"Wagon Masters" from
1962 to 1973. He
played on Dolly
Parton's 'I Will
Always Love You' and
'Jolene'. Trent died
on October 9, 2023,
at the age of 85. |
26-Feb-1938 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer and
songwriter Jan
Crutchfield. He is
best known for
writing "Statue of a
Fool", which was
first recorded in
1969 by Jack Greene
and was a #1 hit on
the Hot Country
Songs charts for
him. Versions of the
song by Brian
Collins and Ricky
Van Shelton also
charted in the top
10. He died on
October 30, 2012. |
10-Mar-1938 |
Born on htis day in
Chattanooga,
Tennessee was Norman
Blake a traditional
stringed instrument
artist and
songwriter. He is
half of the
eponymous Norman &
Nancy Blake band
with his wife, Nancy
Blake. For ten
years, he toured and
recorded with Johnny
Cash and became a
member of the house
band on Johnny
Cash's TV show.
Blake played on the
album Raising Sand
by Robert Plant and
Alison Krauss, which
won five Grammy
Awards, and on the
soundtrack O
Brother, Where Art
Thou?, which won a
Grammy for Album of
the Year. |
11-Mar-1938 |
Born on this day was
American composer,
director, producer,
and screenwriter
Joseph Brooks. He
wrote "You Light Up
My Life" a #1 hit
for Debby Boone
(which stayed at the
top of the charts
for ten consecutive
weeks in 1977). In
his later years he
became the subject
of an investigation
after being accused
of a series of
casting-couch rapes.
He was indicted in
2009, but killed
himself on May 22,
2011, before his
trial. |
12-Mar-1938 |
Born on this day,
was Lew DeWitt,
Country singer,
songwriter with The
Statler Brothers who
had the 1984 US
Country #1 hit
"Elizabeth". DeWitt
who had suffered
from from Crohn's
disease died on 15th
August 1990. |
18-Mar-1938 |
Born on this day in
Sledge, Mississippi,
was Charley Pride
who has had
thirty-nine #1 hits
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. His greatest
success came in the
1970s, when he
became the
best-selling
performer for RCA
Records since Elvis
Presley. Pride
became the first
Black country
musician to be
inducted into the
Grand Ole Opry. Over
the past thirty
years, Pride has
remained one of the
Top 20 best-selling
country artists of
all-time. His
incredible legacy
includes 36 #1 hit
singles, with over
70 million albums
sold. Pride died in
Dallas on December
12, 2020, of
complications which
were related to
COVID-19. He was 86
years old. |
25-Mar-1938 |
Born on this day,
Hoyt Axton, US
singer, songwriter
and actor who wrote
songs for Elvis
Presley, Three Dog
Night, John Denver,
Ringo Starr and Glen
Campbell. Had his
own hits with "When
The Morning Comes"
and "Flash Of Fire".
Acting roles
included Bionic
Woman and McCloud.
Axton died of a
heart attack on
October 26th 1999,
aged 61. |
2-Apr-1938 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was
singer-songwriter
Warner Mack. Mack
had many hits on the
country charts from
the late 1950s to
the early 1970s,
including the 1965
#1 hit "The Bridge
Washed Out". Mack
died on March 1,
2022, in Nashville,
at the age of 86 |
4-Apr-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. |
4-Apr-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. |
10-Apr-1938 |
Born on this day in
Jayton, Texas was
steel guitar player
Weldon Myrick. He
was a member of the
group of session
musicians known as
The Nashville A-Team
and played on many
songs for artists
such as: Charley
Pride, Reba
McEntire, Kris
Kristofferson, Chet
Atkins, Dolly
Parton, Loretta
Lynn, Tammy Wynette,
George Strait and
Johnny Cash. Myrick
died on June 2,
2014. |
5-May-1938 |
Born on this day was
Roni Stoneman,
American bluegrass
banjo player and
comedian widely
known as a cast
member on the
country music show
Hee Haw. She was the
youngest daughter of
Ernest V. "Pop"
Stoneman, patriarch
of the Stoneman
Family, one of the
most famous family
groups in early
country music. She
died on February 22,
2024. |
19-May-1938 |
Born on this day was
American session
guitarist, and later
record producer Chip
Young. He was famous
for his thumb-style
guitar picking and
played on records by
Eddy Arnold, Bobby
Bare, Waylon
Jennings, George
Jones, Kris
Kristofferson, Jerry
Lee Lewis, Charlie
Louvin, Charlie
McCoy, Ronnie
Milsap, Willie
Nelson, The Oak
Ridge Boys and Dolly
Parton. He died on
20 December 2014. |
31-May-1938 |
Born on this day in
Greenfield, Ohio,
was Johnny Paycheck,
(Donald Eugene
Lytle), singer and
Grand Ole Opry
member most famous
for recording the
David Allan Coe song
"Take This Job and
Shove It", which was
a US Country #1 in
1978. Paycheck died
on February 19,
2003. |
8-Jun-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. |
28-Jul-1938 |
Born on this day in
DuBois, Pennsylvania
was Buddy Spicher,
American country
music fiddle player.
He is a member of
The Nashville A-Team
of session
musicians, and is
Grammy-nominated. He
was nominated as
Instrumentalist of
the Year by CMA in
1983 and 1985. He
was the first
fiddler in the
"Nashville Cats"
series of the
Country Music Hall
of Fame (August,
2008). He recorded
with virtually every
major country star
of the sixties,
seventies, and early
eighties, including
Faron Young, Johnny
Paycheck Little
Jimmy Dickens, Reba
McEntire, George
Jones, Don Williams,
Dolly Parton,
Crystal Gayle,
Loretta Lynn, Bob
Wills, Asleep at the
Wheel, Willie
Nelson, George
Strait and Emmylou
Harris. |
31-Jul-1938 |
Born on this day in
Sparkman, Arkansas
was Bonnie Brown.
The American country
music singer was a
member of the
Browns, a trio
popular in the
1950s. Signed by RCA
Victor in 1956, the
trio scored their
biggest hit with
their folk-pop
single "The Three
Bells". Brown died
on July 16, 2016
aged 77. |
4-Aug-1938 |
Born on this day was
American drummer and
percussionist Kenny
Malone. He provided
percussion on the
hits "Jolene" by
Dolly Parton in
1973, and "Don't It
Make My Brown Eyes
Blue" by Crystal
Gayle in 1977 and
recorded with many
artists including
Johnny Cash, Don
Williams, Emmylou
Harris, Charley
Pride and Merle
Haggard. He died on
August 26, 2021 age
83. |
18-Aug-1938 |
Born on this day in
North Little Rock,
Arkansas, was Allen
Reynolds, producer.
Best known for
producing virtually
every album by Garth
Brooks, he also
produced Crystal
Gayle's "Don't It
Make My Brown Eyes
Blue". |
21-Aug-1938 |
Born on this day in
Houston, Texas, was
Kenny Rogers,
singer-songwriter,
record producer,
actor, and
entrepreneur. He has
charted more than
120 hit singles
across various music
genres, topping the
country and pop
album charts for
more than 200
individual weeks in
the US alone. He was
voted the "Favorite
Singer of All-Time"
in a 1986 joint poll
by readers of both
USA Today and
People.
|
5-Oct-1938 |
Born on this day in
Dublin, Texas, was
Johnny Duncan singer
who scorded the 1977
US #1 Country hit
"It Couldn't Have
Been Any Better." In
his career, he
released fourteen
studio albums,
producing more than
thirty chart
singles, including,
"She Can Put Her
Shoes Under my Bed
(Anytime)." Duncan
died on August 14,
2006. |
14-Oct-1938 |
Born on this day in
Iron City,
Tennessee, was Melba
Montgomery, country
music singer best
known for duet hit
recordings in the
1960s with country
music singer George
Jones and her 1974
US #1 hit "No
Charge." Melba has
written songs for
such artists as
George Strait, Reba
McEntire, Randy
Travis, George
Jones, Patty
Loveless, Travis
Tritt, Tracy Byrd,
and Terri Clark. |
16-Nov-1938 |
Born on this day in
Bighill, Madison
County, Kentucky,
was Troy Seals,
singer, songwriter,
and guitarist. He is
a member of the
prominent Seals
family of musicians
that includes, Jim
Seals (of Seals and
Crofts) and Dan
Seals (of England
Dan & John Ford
Coley) and Brady
Seals (Little Texas
and Hot Apple Pie).
Seals has played
guitar on numerous
sessions and has
collaborated on
compositions with
Waylon Jennings,
Vince Gill, Will
Jennings and others.
He has had three
co-written
compositions
nominated for the
Country Music
Association
'Song of the Year'
award: "Seven
Spanish Angels"
(1985), "Lost in the
Fifties Tonight"
(1986), and "If You
Ever Have Forever In
Mind" (1999). |
22-Dec-1938 |
Born on this day was
American actor,
musician, poet Red
Steagall. In 1974,
he discovered a
then-unknown Reba
McEntire and signed
her to Mercury
Records the
following year.
Steagall co-wrote
the song "Here We Go
Again", most notably
recorded by Ray
Charles. |
31-Dec-1938 |
Born on this day was
American country
music and gospel
singer Marilyn
Sellars who had
several hits during
the mid-1970s most
notably the original
version of "One Day
at a Time" in 1974. |
12-Jan-1939 |
Born on this day in
Brewton, Alabama,
was William Lee
Golden, singer with
The Oak Ridge Boys.
Golden was inducted
into the Country
Music Hall of Fame
in 2015 as a member
of the Oak Ridge
Boys. Golden is
widely known for his
waist-length beard
and hair, and has
become one of the
most recognizable
faces in the
entertainment
industry. |
19-Jan-1939 |
Born on this day,
was Phil Everly,
singer, songwriter,
with the
country-influenced
rock and roll
performers The
Everly Brothers.
They scored 4 #1
Country hits in the
late 50's; "Bye Bye
Love", "Wake Up
Little Susie", "Bird
Dog" and "All I Have
to Do Is Dream"
Their song "When
Will I Be Loved"
later became hits
for Reba McEntire
and Linda Ronstadt,
respectively. Phil
Everly died on Jan
3rd 2014. |
24-Jan-1939 |
Born on this day in
Clarkdale, Georgia,
was Ray Stevens,
country and pop
singer-songwriter.
Stevens recorded
perhaps his most
famous hit, "The
Streak," which poked
fun at the
early-1970s fad of
running nude in
public, known as
"streaking." In
1975, he released
the Grammy
winning "Misty,"
which became his
biggest country hit
(reaching #3 on the
country charts).
|
1-Feb-1939 |
Born on this day was
American bluegrass
musician Del
McCoury. He sang
lead vocals and
played rhythm guitar
for Bill Monroe's
Blue Grass Boys in
1963. He was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry on October
25, 2003. |
9-Feb-1939 |
Born on this day in
Brooklyn, New York,
was Barry Mann,
songwriter, and part
of a successful
songwriting
partnership with his
wife, Cynthia Weil.
The pair wrote "Here
You Come Again" a
hit for Dolly Parton
in 1977. |
9-Feb-1939 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer,
songwriter and
guitarist, Red Lane.
His most
widely-known songs
include, "'Til I Get
It Right" (recorded
by Tammy Wynette,
1973), "Country
Girl" (Dottie West),
"The Eagle" (Waylon
Jennings, George
Strait), "My Own
Kind of Hat" (Merle
Haggard, Alan
Jackson), "Blackjack
County Chain"
(Willie Nelson,
Waylon Jennings),
"Tell Me Something
Bad About Tulsa"
(George Strait).
Lane died of cancer
in Nashville on July
1, 2015. He was 76. |
14-Feb-1939 |
Born on this day in
La Fayette, Alabama,
was Razzy Bailey
American country
music artist, who
scored the 1980 #1
single "Loving Up a
Storm". Bailey has
had three double
sided #1's in
succession on the
Country charts, a
feat never
accomplished by any
other artist. |
19-Mar-1939 |
Born on this day in
Weatherford, Texas,
was Bob Kingsley,
the longtime on-air
personality and the
host of syndicated
radio show Bob
Kingsley's Country
Top 40. He died
at his home in
Weatherford, Texas
on October 17, 2019
age 80. |
9-Apr-1939 |
Born on this day in
Dayton, Ohio, was
Margo Smith, singer
who in the 1970's
scored two US #1
Country hits, "Don't
Break the Heart That
Loves You" and "It
Only Hurts for a
Little While." She
is also considered a
"world class
yodeler". Smith died
on January 23, 2024,
in Franklin,
Tennessee, at the
age of 84, from
complications of a
stroke she suffered
two days earlier. |
18-Apr-1939 |
Born on this day in
Wellington, Texas,
was Glen Hardin,
piano player and
arranger. He was a
member of the house
band at the Palamino
Club in North
Hollywood, called
"Country Music's
most important West
Coast club" by the
Los Angeles
Times. It
featured such
performers as Buck
Owens, Johnny Cash,
Patsy Cline, Linda
Ronstadt, Hoyt Axton
and Willie Nelson.
He became a member
of the Shindogs with
a young Glen
Campbell and James
Burton. |
18-Apr-1939 |
Born on this day in
Datto, Arkansas, was
Bill Rice, country
music singer and
songwriter. Rice has
written songs for
artists such as
Johnny Paycheck,
Reba McEntire,
Charley Pride and
Jerry Lee Lewis.
Rice has had more
awards from the
American Society of
Composers, Authors
and Publishers
than any other
songwriter. |
20-Apr-1939 |
Born on this day in
Jacksonville,
Florida, was Johnny
Tillotson, singer
and songwriter who
scored the 1964
Country #4 hit "It
Keeps Right On
A-Hurtin'."
|
25-May-1939 |
Born on this day in
Fayetteville, North
Carolina was
guitarist Jimmy
Capps. He was a
member of the Grand
Ole Opry house band
and The Nashville
A-Team. He performed
on standards the
likes of Rogers'
"The Gambler," Tammy
Wynette's "Stand By
Your Man," George
Jones' "He Stopped
Loving Her Today"
and Strait's
"Amarillo By
Morning." Capps died
on June 2 2020 age
81. |
27-May-1939 |
Born on this day in
Floydada, Texas, was
Don Williams,
country singer,
songwriter and a
2010 inductee to the
Country Music
Hall of Fame.
After seven years
with the folk-pop
group Pozo-Seco
Singers, he began
his solo career in
1971, singing
popular ballads and
amassing 17 #1 hits
including the 1974
#1 "I Wouldn't Want
to Live If You
Didn't Love Me".
Williams died at his
home in Alabama on 8
September 2017 aged
78. |
16-Jun-1939 |
Born on this day in
Greensboro, North
Carolina, was Billy
"Crash" Craddock. He
first gained
popularity in
Australia in the
1950s with a string
of rockabilly hits,
including the
Australian #1 hit
"Boom Boom Baby".
Switching to country
music, he gained
popularity in US in
the 1970s with a
string of top ten
country hits,
several of which
were #1 hits,
including "Broken
Down in Tiny
Pieces", "Rub It
In", and "Ruby
Baby". Craddock is
known to fans as
"Mr. Country Rock"
for his uptempo
rock-influenced
style of country
music. |
19-Jul-1939 |
Born on this day in
Okemah, Oklahoma,
was Billy Parker
country music disc
jockey and singer.
He was named Disc
Jockey of the Year
by the Country
Music
Association in
1974 and by the
Academy of
Country Music in
1975, 1977, 1978 and
1984. Between 1976
and 1989, Parker
charted more than
twenty singles on
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart. |
8-Aug-1939 |
Born on this day,
was Phil Balsley,
Country singer,
songwriter with The
Statler Brothers who
had the 80's US
Country #1 hits
'Elizabeth' and "Do
You Know You Are My
Sunshine". |
8-Aug-1939 |
Born on this day in
Birmingham, Alabama
was Nashville studio
musician Henry
Strzelecki. He
performed with Chet
Atkins, Waylon
Jennings, Willie
Nelson, Eddy Arnold,
Bob Dylan, Johnny
Cash, Ronnie Milsap,
Merle Haggard, and
many others.
Strzelecki was
struck by a car in
Nashville on
December 22 and died
of his injuries on
December 30, 2014. |
16-Aug-1939 |
Born on this day in
Corsicana, Texas,
was Billy Joe
Shaver, country
music singer and
songwriter. Shaver's
1973 album Old
Five and Dimers Like
Me is a classic
in the outlaw
country genre.
Shaver's 2007 album
country gospel style
Everybody's
Brother was
Grammy
nominated. Many of
the songs are duets
with artists such as
Johnny Cash, Kris
Kristofferson and
Tanya Tucker. Shaver
died on October 28,
2020, from a massive
stroke at the age of
81. |
16-Aug-1939 |
Born on this day in
Brooklyn New York
City was singer,
banjo player, and
multi-instrumentalist,
Eric Weissberg whose
most commercially
successful recording
was his banjo solo
in "Dueling Banjos,"
featured as the
theme of the film
Deliverance (1972)
and released as a
single that reached
#2 in the United
States and Canada in
1973. He died on
March 22 2020 age
80. |
21-Aug-1939 |
Born on this day in
Dubberly in south
Webster Parish near
Minden, Louisiana,
was James Burton,
guitarist. Since the
1950s, Burton has
recorded and
performed with an
array of notable
singers, including
Bob Luman, Dale
Hawkins, Ricky
Nelson, Elvis
Presley, Johnny
Cash, Merle Haggard,
Glen Campbell, John
Denver, Gram
Parsons, Emmylou
Harris, Jerry Lee
Lewis, Roy Orbison
and Vince Gill.
James Burton is also
known as the "Master
of the Telecaster." |
21-Aug-1939 |
Born on this day,
was Harold Reid,
Country singer,
songwriter with The
Statler Brothers who
had the 80's US
Country #1 hits
"Elizabeth" and "Do
You Know You Are My
Sunshine." He died
on April 25 2020 age
80. |
5-Sep-1939 |
Born on this day in
Akron, Ohio, was
David Allan Coe
songwriter, outlaw
country music singer
and guitarist. His
best-known
compositions are the
#1 successes "Would
You Lay With Me (In
a Field of Stone),"
which was covered by
Tanya Tucker; and
"Take This Job and
Shove It," which was
later covered by
Johnny Paycheck. |
23-Oct-1939 |
Bill Monroe
auditioned for the
Grand Ole Opry at
the WSM Radio
studios in
Nashville,
performing "Foggy
Mountain Top," "Mule
Skinner Blues" and
"Fire On The
Mountain." He passed
the audition and
made his debut five
days later. |
27-Oct-1939 |
Born on this day in
Spiro, Oklahoma, was
Dallas Frazier,
country musician and
songwriter who had
success in the 1950s
and 60s. His tunes
were recorded by
George Jones (who
recorded an entire
album of Frazier's
songs in 1968),
Willie Nelson,
Brenda Lee, Charley
Pride, Merle
Haggard, Elvis
Presley, Rodney
Crowell. Many of the
songs became hits
into the 1980s;
examples include the
Oak Ridge Boys cover
of "Elvira" and
Emmylou Harris's
version of "Beneath
Still Waters". Anne
Murray with Glen
Campbell, George
Strait, Randy
Travis, and Patty
Loveless have all
also recorded
Frazier tunes. He
died in Gallatin,
Tennessee, on
January 14, 2022, at
the age of 82. |
27-Oct-1939 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was Ruby
Wright, country
music
singer-songwriter.
Wright was the
daughter of country
singers Kitty Wells
and Johnnie Wright.
She sang with her
parents as a young
girl and in the
mid-1950s, she
became part of an
all-girl trio, Nita,
Rita and Ruby.
Wright died on
September 27, 2009. |
17-Nov-1939 |
Aged 16, Hank
Williams made one of
his very first stage
appearnces when he
played at Weoka High
School in Alabama. |
29-Dec-1939 |
Born on this day in
Keiser, Arkansas was
Ed Bruce. He is best
known for writing
the 1975 song
"Mammas Don't Let
Your Babies Grow Up
to Be Cowboys" and
recording the 1982
country hit "You're
the Best Break This
Old Heart Ever Had".
He also co-starred
in the television
series Bret Maverick
with James Garner
during the 1981-82
season. He died on
January 8, 2021 age
81. |
8-Jan-1940 |
Born on this day,
was Cristy Lane,
country music and
gospel music singer,
best known for a
number of major
country hits in the
late 70s and the
early 1980s,
including her cover
version of the song,
"One Day at a Time". |
23-Jan-1940 |
Born on this day in
Moorhead,
Mississippi, was
Johnny Russell
country singer,
songwriter, and
comedian best known
for his song "Act
Naturally", which
was made famous by
Buck Owens, who
recorded it in 1963,
and The Beatles in
1965. His songs have
been recorded by
Burl Ives, Jim
Reeves, Dolly
Parton, Emmylou
Harris, and Linda
Ronstadt. He died on
July 3 2001.
|
28-Feb-1940 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, Georgia,
was Joe South,
singer-songwriter
and guitarist who
has written many
well known songs
including the 1971
Lynn Anderson hit
"(I Never Promised
You A) Rose Garden."
which was a hit in
16 countries
worldwide. South has
also played guitar
with Aretha
Franklin, Bob Dylan
and Simon &
Garfunkle as well as
scoring his own hit
with "Games People
Play" in 1968. South
died aged 72 on 5
Sept 2012. |
4-Apr-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. |
5-Apr-1940 |
Born on this day in
Dyess, Arkansas, was
Tommy Cash,
singer-songwriter
and younger brother
of Johnny Cash.
While in the army,
he was a disc jockey
for the American
Forces Radio Network
and then played with
Hank Williams, Jr.,
and later gained a
record deal from
Musicor Records in
1965. A year later,
he joined United
Artists Records and
just missed the
Country Top 40 in
1968 with "The
Sounds of Goodbye."
Cash died on
September 13, 2024,
at the age of 84. |
19-Apr-1940 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was Bobby
Russell, singer and
songwriter. Between
1966 and 1973, he
charted five singles
on the Hot Country
Songs charts.
"Little Green
Apples" won Russell
the 1969
Grammy Award
for Song of the Year
and the
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Song. |
22-Apr-1940 |
Born on this day in
Vancouver, British
Columbia, was
Canadian country
music singer and
songwriter Ray
Griff. He has
written many major
hits including
"Canadian Pacific"
for George Hamilton
IV, "Who's Gonna
Play This Old Piano"
for Jerry Lee Lewis,
and "Baby" for Wilma
Burgess. Others who
have had major hit
records with Griff
songs include Faron
Young, Porter
Wagoner & Dolly
Parton, Bob Luman,
Gene Watson, and
Johnny Duncan. Griff
died on March 9,
2016 aged 75. |
7-Jun-1940 |
Born on this day in
Pontypridd, South
Wales, UK, was Tom
Jones, singer who
scored the 1977 US
#1 Country hit "Say
You'll Stay Until
Tomorrow". Jones is
famous for his
version of "Green,
Green Grass of Home"
which was a
world-wide hit in
1966. |
23-Jun-1940 |
Born on this day in
Melbourne, Australia
was Diana Trask,
country and pop
singer. She charted
eighteen singles on
the country charts,
of which the highest
was the #13 "Lean It
All on Me" in 1974. |
28-Jun-1940 |
The movie Grand
Ole Opry debuted
at Nashville's
Paramount Theater,
starring Roy Acuff
and the Smoky
Mountain Boys, Uncle
Dave Macon and Opry
founder George D.
Hay. |
6-Jul-1940 |
Born on this day in
Titusville,
Pennsylvania, was
Jeannie Seely
country music singer
and Grand Ole Opry
star. She is best
known for her 1966
Grammy
award-winning
Country hit, "Don't
Touch Me", which
peaked at #2 on the
country charts. |
5-Aug-1940 |
Born on this day in
Lakeland, Florida,
was Bobby Braddock,
country music
songwriter and
record producer. A
member of the
Country Music
Hall of Fame and
the Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame, Braddock
has contributed
numerous hit songs
during more than 40
years in the
industry, including
13 #1 hit singles,
one of which is
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E"
which he co-wrote
with Curly Putman. |
10-Aug-1940 |
Born on this day in
Shreveport,
Louisiana was record
producer, songwriter
and guitar player
Jerry Kennedy. A
recipient of four
Grammys, Kennedy’s
Dobro and guitar
playing have been
featured on the
albums of artists as
varied as Elvis
Presley, Bob Dylan,
Kris Kristofferson
and Ringo Starr.
Another work done by
Kennedy on Dobro was
Jeannie C. Riley's
1968 hit "Harper
Valley PTA." Kennedy
has also produced
memorable hits for
Roger Miller, Reba
McEntire, The
Statler Brothers and
Tom T. Hall. |
10-Aug-1940 |
Born on this day in
Fort Smith, Arkansas
was Jonie" Shields
from husband and
wife country music
vocal duo Johnny and
Jonie Mosby. They
placed seventeen
singles on the
country music charts
between 1963 and
1973 the highest
peaks being "Trouble
in My Arms" and
"Just Hold My Hand.
In 1992 at age 52,
Jonie Mosby became
the oldest woman to
have a baby through
in vitro
fertilization as she
gave birth to a son
Morgan Bradford
Mitchell by second
husband, Donald
Mitchell. |
19-Aug-1940 |
Born on this day was
English singer,
songwriter and
record producer
Roger Cook who has
written many hit
records for other
recording artists.
In 1997, Cook became
the first British
songwriter to enter
the Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame. Cook wrote
"Talking in Your
Sleep" (a hit for
Crystal Gayle in
1978), and "Love Is
on a Roll" for Don
Williams). |
4-Nov-1940 |
Born on this day in
Lubbock, Texas, was
Delbert McClinton,
singer-songwriter,
guitarist, harmonica
player, and pianist.
His highest-peaking
single was "Tell Me
About It", a 1992
duet with Tanya
Tucker which reached
#4 on the Country
chart. Emmylou
Harris had a #1
country hit in 1978
with McClinton's
"Two More Bottles of
Wine."
|
24-Nov-1940 |
Born on this day n
Jackson,
Mississippi, was
Johnny Carver, known
for his 1973 hit
cover of Tony
Orlando's "Tie a
Yellow Ribbon Round
the Ole Oak Tree." |
29-Nov-1940 |
Born on this day in
Houston, Texas was
songwriter Mark
James. 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.
James died at his
home in Nashville,
Tennessee, on June
8, 2024, at the age
of 83. |
9-Jan-1941 |
Born on this day in
Three Rivers, Texas,
was singer Roy Head
best known for his
1965 hit record
"Treat Her Right".
He died on September
21, 2020 following a
heart attack. |
18-Jan-1941 |
Born on this day in
Marianna, Florida,
was Bobby Goldsboro
who had a string of
Pop and Country hits
during the 1960s and
1970s, including his
signature #1 classic
"Honey," which sold
over one million
copies in the United
States. In 1995, he
created the
fifty-two episode
children's
television series
The Swamp
Critters of Lost
Lagoon.
Goldsboro voiced all
the characters,
wrote all the
scripts, and played
all the musical
instruments.
|
25-Jan-1941 |
Born on this day,
near New Albany,
Mississippi, was
Bobby Wood, session
musician and
songwriter most
famous for his work
as the Memphis Boys
keyboardist. He
wrote Crystal
Gayle's "Half The
Way" and Ronnie
Milsap's "He Got
You," and plays on
Elvis Presley's "In
the Ghetto",
"Suspicious Minds"
and "Always On My
Mind." |
5-Feb-1941 |
Born on this day in
Oklahoma, was Henson
Cargill country
music singer best
known for the 1968
#1 hit, "Skip a
Rope". He died on
March 24, 2007. |
18-Mar-1941 |
Born on this day in
Roxboro, North
Carolina, was singer
Margie Bowes. She
had a top 10 country
hit, "Poor Old
Heartsick Me", in
1959. Bowes died on
October 22, 2020 age
79 in Brentwood,
Tennessee after an
extended illness. |
28-Mar-1941 |
Born on this day in
Oak Hill, West
Virginia, Charlie
McCoy, session
musician noted for
his work on a wide
variety of
instruments. In his
career, McCoy has
backed several
notable musicians
including Bob Dylan,
Johnny Cash, Tom
Astor, Elvis
Presley, Chet Atkins
and Ween. He has
also recorded
thirty-seven studio
albums. |
2-Apr-1941 |
Born on this day was
American country
music songwriter
Sonny Throckmorton.
He has had more than
1,000 of his songs
recorded by various
country singers. He
was named Songwriter
of the Year by the
Nashville
Songwriters
Association
International in
1978, 1979 and 1980. |
9-Apr-1941 |
Born on this day in
Knox City, Texas,
was singer Kay
Adams. In the 1960s,
Adams arrived on the
country scene with
the songs "Six Days
a Waiting," "Old
Heart Get Ready,"
"Anymore," "Honky
Tonk Heartache" and
"She Didn't Color
Daddy." At the
inaugural
Academy of Country
Music Awards ,
in 1965, Adams was
named Top New Female
Vocalist. |
21-Apr-1941 |
Born on this day in
Robards, Kentucky
was
singer-songwriter
Jim Owen. Several
artists had chart
hits with his songs.
These included "Too
Lonely Too Long" and
"One More Drink"
(both Mel Tillis),
"Little Boy’s
Prayer" (Porter
Wagoner), "Sweet
Baby On My Mind"
(June Stearns),
"Southern Loving"
and "Broad Minded
Man" (both Jim Ed
Brown), "The
Telephone" (Jerry
Reed) and arguably
the best-known of
all, "Louisiana
Woman, Mississippi
Man" (Conway Twitty
and Loretta Lynn).
Charlie Daniels once
called Jim Owen
country music's
least known country
superstar. He died
on March 7 2020. |
1-Jun-1941 |
Born on this day in
Greenwood, Arkansas
was songwriter and
recording artist
Wayne Kemp, who
penned hit tunes for
George Strait,
George Jones and
Johnny Cash, among
many others. He died
at Macon County
General Hospital in
Lafayette, Tennessee
on March 9th 2015.
One of his most
well-known songs
gave Johnny Cash his
1976 #1 hit "One
Piece at a Time" and
also co-wrote "Love
Bug" for George
Jones. |
14-Aug-1941 |
Born on this day in
Elkhart, Indiana was
singer Connie Smith.
She began her career
in 1963 after
winning a local
talent contest near
Columbus, Ohio,
which attracted the
attention of country
songwriter Bill
Anderson. Her first
#1 hit was with her
debut single "Once A
Day" released in
1964. Smith won
Billboards
Most Promising
Female Country
Artist in 1964. |
15-Aug-1941 |
Born on this day,
was Don Rich,
country musician who
helped develop the
Bakersfield sound in
the early 1960s. He
was a noted
guitarist and
fiddler, and a
member of the
Buckaroos, the
backing band of
country singer Buck
Owens. Rich died on
July 17, 1974. |
18-Sep-1941 |
Born on this day in
Marietta, Georgia,
was country singer
Priscilla Mitchell.
In the 1960s, with
country singer Roy
Drusky, she recorded
a series of hits,
their best-selling
recordings being
country music
"cheating songs",
including their
biggest hit
together, "Yes Mr.
Peters", released in
1965, becoming #1 on
the country charts. |
26-Sep-1941 |
Born on this day in
El Dorado, Arkansas,
was David Frizzell,
country music singer
the younger brother
of country music
legend Lefty
Frizzell. Frizzell
scored his only solo
#1 country single
with "I'm Gonna Hire
a Wino to Decorate
Our Home", which was
nominated for Song
of the Year in the
1982 Grammy
Awards. |
17-Oct-1941 |
Born on this day in
Portsmouth, Ohio,
was Earl Thomas
Conley, country
music
singer-songwriter.
In the 1980s and
into the 1990s,
Conley charted more
than thirty singles
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, of which
eighteen reached#1.
Conley's eighteen #1
country singles
during the 1980s
marked the most #1
hits by any artist
in any genre during
that decade.
Conley's music has
been referred to as
"thinking man's
country" because the
narrator looks into
the heart and soul
of his characters in
each song. He died
on April 10th 2019. |
6-Nov-1941 |
Born on this day in
Monahans, Texas, was
Guy Clark,
Grammy Award
winning country
musician, songwriter
who has released
more than twenty
albums, and his
songs have been
recorded by other
artists including
Jerry Jeff Walker,
Jimmy Buffett, Ricky
Skaggs, Steve
Wariner, and Rodney
Crowell. Clark won
the 2014
Grammy Award
for Best Folk Album:
My Favorite
Picture Of You.
Clark died on May
17, 2016 aged 74. |
25-Nov-1941 |
Born on this day,
was songwriter and
keyboardist, Bobby
Wood who wrote
Crystal Gayle's
"Half The Way" and
Ronnie Milsap's "He
Got You" as well as
recording with Kris
Kristofferson, Garth
Brooks, George
Jones, and Tammy
Wynette. |
27-Nov-1941 |
Born on this day, in
Brooklyn, New York,
was Eddie Rabbitt,
singer-songwriter
and musician who as
a songwriter in the
late 1960s, wrote
such hits as
"Kentucky Rain" for
Elvis Presley in
1970 and "Pure Love"
for Ronnie Milsap.
Rabbitt also had the
1976 US #1 Country
hit with "Drinkin'
My Baby (Off My
Mind)". He died from
lung cancer at the
age of 56 on 7th May
1998.
|
29-Nov-1941 |
Born on this day in
Phoenix, Arizona,
was Jody Miller,
country music singer
who in 1965 released
an answer record to
Roger Miller's hit
"King of the Road",
titled "Queen of the
House" (which became
her signature hit,
peaking at #5 on the
country singles
chart). Miller won
the Grammy
award for Best
Female Country Vocal
Performance for the
song in 1966. Miller
died on October 6,
2022, she was 80
years old. |
6-Dec-1941 |
Born on this day in
Monroe City,
Missouri, was Helen
Cornelius, country
singer-songwriter
and actress, best
remembered for a
series of hit duets
with Jim Ed Brown,
many of which
reached the US
country singles top
ten during the late
1970s and early
'80s, including the
1976 #1 hit "I Don't
Want to Have to
Marry You". |
26-Dec-1941 |
Born on this day in
Puryear, Tennessee,
was Rattlesnake
Annie, country
singer and
songwriter. She
earned her nickname
as a child from her
respect of snakes.
She recorded her
debut album,
Rattlesnakes and
Rusty Water, on her
own label,
Rattlesnake Records.
At the time, it was
unusual for a woman
to play guitar in
public, and it was
also rare for a
woman to produce her
own songs. |
21-Jan-1942 |
Born on this day,
was Mac Davis,
country music
singer, songwriter,
and actor His early
work writing for
Elvis Presley
produced multiple #1
hits (including
"Memories", "In The
Ghetto", and the
latently popular "A
Little Less
Conversation"). He
died age 78 on
September 29, 2020,
following heart
surgery. |
26-Jan-1942 |
Born on this day in
Los Angeles,
California was Dave
Rowland from the
country music trio
Dave & Sugar. They
charted 16 times on
the Billboard
country charts,
including three #1
hits: "The Door Is
Always Open", "Tear
Time" and "Golden
Tears". |
4-Mar-1942 |
Born on this day in
in Paris, Arkansas
was American
guitarist Bob
Wootton. He joined
Johnny Cash's
backing band, the
Tennessee Three,
after original lead
guitarist Luther
Perkins, died in a
house fire. He was
Cash's guitarist for
nearly thirty years.
Wootton died on
April 9, 2017 age
75. |
16-Mar-1942 |
Born on this day in
Oneonta, New York,
was Jerry Jeff
Walker, country
music singer and
songwriter who is
most famous for
writing the song
"Mr. Bojangles" and
was a leading figure
in the outlaw
country music
movement. He died of
throat cancer on
October 23, 2020,
age 78. |
19-Mar-1942 |
Born on this day in
Tyler, Texas, was
singer-songwriter
Richard Dobson. He
was part of the
outlaw country
movement and spent
time in the 1970s
with Townes Van
Zandt, Mickey White,
Rex "Wrecks" Bell,
Guy Clark, Steve
Earle, Rodney
Crowell, and
"Skinny" Dennis
Sanchez. He died of
cancer on December
16, 2017, aged 75. |
23-Mar-1942 |
American violinist
Carol Gorodetzky.
She fromed The
Nashville String
Machine a musical
collective
comprising of
session musicians,
based in Nashville,
Tennessee. Members
of the group have
been credited on
over 1,000
recordings dating
from 1972 to the
present time.
Gorodetzky died in
2023. |
26-Mar-1942 |
Born on this day,
was Larry Butler,
country music
producer,
songwriter. From the
mid-1970s through
the 1980s, he worked
with Kenny Rogers.
These albums include
Kenny Rogers
(1976), The
Gambler (1978),
Gideon (1980)
and I Prefer The
Moonlight
(1987). Butler is
the only Nashville
producer to win the
Grammy Award
for Producer of the
year. |
2-Apr-1942 |
Born on this day in
Lawton, Oklahoma,
was Leon Russell,
(Claude Russell
Bridges), musician
and songwriter.
Russell played piano
with "The Wrecking
Crew" the top L.A.
session musicians of
the 1960s, as well
as working with many
other artists
including Willie
Nelson, The Byrds,
and Bob Dylan. |
3-Apr-1942 |
Born on this day in
in Valdosta, Georgia
was pop and country
singer Billy Joe
Royal. His most
successful record
was "Down in the
Boondocks" in 1965.
His first hit on the
country music chart
was in 1984 with
"Burned Like a
Rocket." |
5-May-1942 |
Born on this day in
Tremont, Mississippi
was Tammy Wynette.
Known as the first
lady of country
music. Her
best-known song,
"Stand by Your Man",
was one of the
biggest selling hit
singles by a woman
in the history of
the country music
genre. Later in her
career Wynette had
the 1991 hit
"Justified and
Ancient" with The
KLF which became a
#1 hit in eighteen
countries. She died
from cardiac
arrhythmiaon aged 55
on 6th April 1998.
|
8-May-1942 |
Born on this day in
Buffalo, New York,
was Jack Blanchard
who with his wife,
Misty Morgan had
hits in 1970s,
including the
charting albums
Birds of a
Feather and
Two Sides of Jack
and Misty.
Between 1969 and
1976, the duo also
released fourteen
singles, including
"Tennessee Bird
Walk", a #1 hit. |
9-May-1942 |
Born on this day in
Hodgenville,
Kentucky, was Bobby
Lewis, country music
singer-songwriter.
Between 1963 and
1985, Lewis released
ten albums and
charted more than
twenty-five songs on
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart. His biggest
hit, "How Long Has
It Been," peaked at
#6 in 1966. |
12-May-1942 |
Born on this day in
Cape Girardeau,
Missouri, was Billy
Swan, singer,
songwriter best
known for his 1974
US Country #1 and
crossover hit
single, "I Can
Help". Swan also
penned country songs
for numerous
artists, including
Conway Twitty,
Waylon Jennings, and
Mel Tillis.
|
15-May-1942 |
Born on this day in
Crossett, Arkansas,
was K.T. Oslin,
country music singer
and songwriter who
is known for a
series of top-ten
country hits during
the late 1980s and
early 1990s, four of
which topped the
chart including her
1990 hit "Come Next
Monday." She died
on December 21,
2020, a week after
being diagnosed with
COVID-19. She was 78
years old. |
14-Jul-1942 |
Born on this day in
Cleveland, Ohio, was
Rory Bourke,
songwriter. His
songwriting career
took off in the
early 1970s and he
soon racked up
tracks recorded by
Charlie Rich, Elvis
Presley, Billy Crash
Craddock, Lynn
Anderson, Olivia
Newton-John, and
many others. His
most successful song
was "The Most
Beautiful Girl",
co-written with
Billy Sherrill and
Norro Wilson,
Rourke's other hit
songs include "A
Little Good News,"
(Anne Murray), "You
Look So Good in
Love" (George
Strait), "I Know a
Heartache When I See
One" (Jennifer
Warnes), and "Come
Next Monday" (K.T.
Oslin).
|
6-Aug-1942 |
Born on this day was
singer songwriter
Bob Morrison. More
than 350 of his
songs have been
recorded. His most
successful
compositions are the
Grammy-winning Kenny
Rogers song, "You
Decorated My Life"
and the
Grammy-nominated
"Lookin' for Love,"
the theme song for
the 1980 John
Travolta film, Urban
Cowboy, recorded by
Johnny Lee. Morrison
was ASCAP's "Country
Songwriter of the
Year" in 1978, 1980,
1981 and 1982 and
was inducted into
the Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 2016. |
7-Aug-1942 |
Born on this day in
Hugo, Oklahoma, B.
J. Thomas. His 1966,
album with The
Triumphs I'm So
Lonesome I Could
Cry sold over
one million copies.
He is best known for
his version of the
Burt Bacharach/Hal
David song
"Raindrops Keep
Fallin' on My Head",
which was featured
in the 1969 film
Butch Cassidy and
the Sundance
Kid. In 1975 he
scored the US
Country #1 "(Hey
Won't You Play)
Another Somebody
Done Somebody Wrong
Song." |
6-Sep-1942 |
Born on this day in
Checotah, Oklahoma,
was Mel McDaniel,
country music
artist. His
chart-making years
were mainly the
1980s with his hits
from that era
including "Louisiana
Saturday Night",
"Big Ole Brew",
"Stand Up", and the
#1 "Baby's Got Her
Blue Jeans On". He
died on March 31,
2011. |
27-Oct-1942 |
Born on this day,
was Lee Greenwood,
country music artist
who has charted more
than 35 singles on
the Billboard
country music
charts. Greenwood is
best known for his
single "God Bless
the USA", which was
popular when it was
originally released
in 1984, and became
popular again after
the 9/11 attacks
becoming his highest
charting pop hit,
reaching #16 on the
Billboard Hot
100.
|
8-Nov-1942 |
Born on this day in
Florence, Alabama,
was Donnie Fritts,
session musician and
songwriter. Fritts
has been Kris
Kristofferson's
keyboardist for over
forty years as of
2013. In 2008, he
was inducted into
the Alabama Music
Hall of Fame.
Songs which he wrote
have been recorded
by Charlie Rich and
Jerry Lee Lewis. He
died on August 27th
2019 age 76. |
7-Jan-1943 |
Born on this day in
Vienna, Missouri was
country singer Leona
Williams. She was a
backing musician for
Loretta Lynn and
Merle Haggard, to
whom she was married
between 1978 and
1983. She also
charted eight times
on Hot Country
Songs, with her only
Top 40 hit being a
duet with Haggard
titled "The Bull and
the Beaver." |
16-Jan-1943 |
Born on this day in
Robbinsville, North
Carolina, was Ronnie
Milsap, country
music singer and
pianist. He became
country music's
first well-known
blind singer, and
one of the most
successful and
versatile country
"crossover" singers
of his time scoring
the crossover hits,
"It Was Almost Like
a Song," "Smoky
Mountain Rain,"
"(There's) No
Gettin' Over Me," "I
Wouldn't Have Missed
It for the World,"
"Any Day Now," and
"Stranger in My
House." He is
credited with six
Grammy Awards
and 40 #1 country
hits.
|
26-Jan-1943 |
Born on this day in
Mangum, Oklahoma was
pastor, singer,
songwriter, producer
and television host
Gary McSpadden. He
was a member of the
The Oak Ridge Boys
and sang with Jake
Hess and the
Imperials before
launching his solo
career in 1979. He
died on April 15,
2020 age 77. |
4-Feb-1943 |
Born on this day in
Sheffield, Alabama,
was session
guitarist and record
producer Jimmy
Johnson. He worked
with hundreds of
artists including:
Billy "Crash"
Craddock, Oak Ridge
Boys, Ronnie Milsap,
Delbert McClinton,
Eddie Rabbitt and
Willie Nelson. He
died from kidney
failure in 2019 at
the age of 76. |
7-Feb-1943 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer Tony
Booth. He
participated in Buck
Owens' "Bakersfield
sound" revolution.
He also received the
Most Promising Male
Vocalist of The Year
from the Academy of
Country Music in
1972. |
19-Feb-1943 |
Born on this day in
Corinth, Mississippi
was Bobby Emmons who
as a songwriter
wrote hits for
George Strait ("So
Much Like My Dad"),
Waylon Jennings
("Luckenbach,
Texas," "Women Do
Know How to Carry
On" and "Wurlitzer
Prize") and Tanya
Tucker ("Love Me
Like You Used To").
Emmons who was a
member of Bill
Black's Combo from
1960-63 died on
February 23rd 2015. |
16-Mar-1943 |
Born on this day in
Killen, Alabama was
David Paul Briggs,
keyboardist, record
producer, arranger,
composer, and studio
owner. Briggs is one
of an elite core of
Nashville studio
musicians known as
"the Nashville
Cats". Artists he
worked with include
Elvis Presley,
Johnny Cash, Dolly
Parton, Waylon
Jennings, Tony Joe
White, Roy Orbison,
J. J. Cale, Kris
Kristofferson, Gary
Stewart and Charley
Pride. |
17-Mar-1943 |
Born on this day
American
singer-songwriter
Jim Weatherly. His
notable songs
include the 1974 hit
"The Need to Be" and
"Midnight Train to
Georgia" a #1 hit
single for Gladys
Knight & the Pips.
He died from natural
causes age 77 on
February 3, 2021. |
18-Mar-1943 |
Born on this day,
was Dennis Linde,
best known for
writing the 1972
Elvis Presley hit,
"Burning Love".
Linde wrote numerous
hit songs for mainly
country music
singers, beginning
with hits for Roger
Miller and Roy
Drusky in 1970. In
2000, his song for
the Dixie Chicks,
"Goodbye Earl",
stirred some
controversy for its
take on spousal
abuse. Linde also
wrote tunes that
were recorded by
Tanya Tucker, Gary
Morris, Don
Williams, The Judds,
Alan Jackson, Mark
Chesnutt and Garth
Brooks. He died at
Vanderbilt
University Medical
Center on December
22, 2006 aged 63. |
29-Mar-1943 |
Born on this day in
Detroit, Michigan,
was Randy Barlow.
Between 1976 and
1983, he released
four albums and
charted twenty
singles on the US
country charts
including "Slow and
Easy", "No Sleep
Tonight", "Fall in
Love with Me
Tonight", and "Sweet
Melinda". He died of
cancer on July 30,
2020, at the age of
77. |
24-Apr-1943 |
Born on this day in
Camden, New Jersey,
was Richard Anthony
Sterban, singer with
The Oak Ridge Boys
who scored the 1978
US Country #1 "I'll
Be True To You."
Sterban was inducted
into the Country
Music Hall of Fame
in 2015 as a member
of the Oak Ridge
Boys. |
29-Apr-1943 |
Born on this day in
Taylortown, Texas,
was Duane Allen,
singer with The Oak
Ridge Boys. Of The
Oak Ridge Boys'
singles, seventeen
reached #1 on the
Billboard country
singles charts. Two
of these songs,
"Elvira" and "Bobbie
Sue", were also Top
40 pop and Adult
Contemporary hits.
Allen was inducted
into the Country
Music Hall of Fame
in 2015 as a member
of the Oak Ridge
Boys. |
25-May-1943 |
Born on this day in
Phoenix, Arizona,
was Jessi Colter
country music artist
who is best known
for her
collaboration with
her husband, Waylon
Jennings and for her
1975 country-pop
crossover hit "I'm
Not Lisa". |
31-May-1943 |
Born on this in
Denver, Colorado was
Wayne Carson,
country musician,
songwriter, and
record producer. He
played percussion,
piano, guitar, and
bass. His most
famous songs as a
writer include "Neon
Rainbow", "The
Letter", and "Always
on My Mind" (written
with Mark James and
Johnny Christopher).
Carson died on July
20, 2015, aged 72 |
6-Jun-1943 |
Born on this day in
Springhill, Webster
Parish, Louisiana,
was Joe Stampley,
singer who had the
1973 US #1 hit with
"Soul Dog" and the
1975 US #1 country
hit with "Roll On
Big Mama." |
5-Aug-1943 |
Born on this day in
Orange County,
California, was
Sammi Smith, country
music singer and
songwriter best
known for her 1971
country/pop
crossover hit, "Help
Me Make It Through
the Night", which
was written by Kris
Kristofferson. She
became one of the
few women in the
outlaw country
movement during the
1970s. She died on
February 12, 2005. |
8-Aug-1943 |
Born on this day in
Alamosa, Colorado,
was Michael Johnson,
pop, country and
folk
singer-songwriter
and guitarist best
known for his 1978
hit song "Bluer Than
Blue" and his two #1
country hits from
1986, "Give Me
Wings" and "The Moon
Is Still Over Her
Shoulder". He also
co-wrote "Cain's
Blood", the debut
single of 1990s
country group 4
Runner. He died on
July 25, 2017 age
72. |
4-Sep-1943 |
Curley Williams was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American country and
western musician is
best-known for the
song "Half As Much"
which was also a big
hit for Hank
Williams. |
6-Sep-1943 |
Whilst hanging out
backstage at the
Montgomery Municipal
Auditorium, Hank
Williams offered to
go out on stage to
retrieve Hardrock
Gunter's guitar who
had just finished
his set. Hank walked
onto the stage and
picked it up, and
played a few songs,
bringing the house
down! |
13-Sep-1943 |
Born on this day in
Florence, Alabama
was drummer and
record producer
Jerry Carrigan. He
first achieved
widespread
recognition by being
part of the original
Muscle Shoals Rhythm
Section in Muscle
Shoals, Alabama. He
recorded with Elvis
Presley, Johnny
Cash, Charley Pride,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray
Stevens, Kenny
Rogers, George Jones
and many others. He
died on June 22nd
age 75. |
25-Sep-1943 |
Born on this day in
Rochester,
Minnesota, was
singer-songwriter
Joe Sun. He charted
fourteen singles on
the Hot Country
Songs charts. His
highest was his 1978
debut single, the
#14 "Old Flames
Can't Hold a Candle
to You." He died on
October 25, 2019 age
76. |
11-Oct-1943 |
Born on this day,
was Gene Watson,
country singer, best
known for his
signature song
"Farewell Party" and
the 1975 hit "Love
in the Hot
Afternoon," and his
1982 hit "Fourteen
Carat Mind." Watson
has scored six
Country #1's, 23 top
tens and over 75
charted singles. |
15-Oct-1943 |
Born on this day,
was American drummer
and session musician
Larrie Londin. He
played on more hit
records during his
career than any
other drummer, with
the possible
exception of the
legendary session
drummer Hal Blaine.
Londin moved to
Nashville in 1969,
and grew to be
regarded as
Nashville's top
session drummer and
played with a wide
range of artists,
including Emmylou
Harris, Charley
Pride, Randy Travis,
Porter Wagoner,
Dolly Parton, Albert
Lee, Larry Carlton,
Merle Haggard, Hank
Snow, Jerry Reed,
Rosanne Cash, Reba
McEntire, KT Oslin,
Vince Gill, Ricky
Skaggs, Hank
Williams, Jr., Chet
Atkins, Ronnie
Milsap, and many
others. He died on
August 24, 1992. |
21-Dec-1943 |
Born on this day in
Lingen,
Herefordshire,
England, was
guitarist Albert Lee
who was a member of
Emmylou Harris' The
Hot Band and has
also worked with
Rosanne Cash, Dolly
Parton and Carlene
Carter. |
31-Dec-1943 |
Born on this day in
Roswell, New Mexico,
was John Denver
(Henry John
Deutschendorf, Jr.),
singer, songwriter,
activist, and
humanitarian. Denver
recorded and
released over 300
songs, earning him
12 gold and 4
platinum albums with
his signature songs
"Sunshine on My
Shoulders", "Take Me
Home, Country
Roads", "Leaving on
a Jet Plane", "Rocky
Mountain High",
"Annie's Song" and
"Calypso". Denver
was killed on
October 12, 1997 at
the age of 53 when
his experimental
Rutan Long-EZ plane,
crashed into the
Pacific Ocean near
Pacific Grove,
California. |
12-Feb-1944 |
Born on this day in
Meridian,
Mississippi, was Moe
Bandy who had the
1974 Country top 10
album It Was
Always So Easy
and the 1979 Country
#1 hit "I Cheated Me
Right Out of You." |
27-Feb-1944 |
Born on this day in
in Shamrock, Texas
was songwriter Gene
Price. He is noted
for his songwriting
association with
Buck Owens and was
also a member of
Merle Haggard's
backing band The
Strangers. He died
on August 13, 2013. |
7-Mar-1944 |
Born on this day in
Fort Worth, Texas,
was Townes Van Zandt
singer-songwriter.
His music has been
covered by such
notable and varied
musicians as Bob
Dylan, Lyle Lovett,
Steve Earle, Cowboy
Junkies, Andrew
Bird, Alison Krauss,
and Gillian Welch.
He died on January
1, 1997. |
4-Apr-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. |
27-Apr-1944 |
Born on this day,
was Herb Pedersen,
musician, guitarist,
banjo player, and
singer-songwriter
who has worked with
numerous musicians
including Earl
Scruggs, The
Dillards, Smokey
Grass Boys, Gram
Parsons, Emmylou
Harris, Dan
Fogelberg, Stephen
Stills, Linda
Ronstadt, Kris
Kristofferson, John
Prine, Jackson
Browne, and John
Denver. He was also
a member of The
Desert Rose Band who
had the 1988 US
Country #1 hit "He's
Back and I'm Blue."
|
28-May-1944 |
Born on this day in
Letcher County,
Kentucky, was Gary
Stewart, country
musician and
songwriter known for
his distinctive
vibrato voice and
his southern rock
influenced, outlaw
country sound.
During the mid-1970s
Time magazine
described him as the
"king of honkytonk."
His biggest hit was
the 1975 US #1
Country hit "She's
Actin' Single (I'm
Drinkin' Doubles)."
Stewart died of a
self-inflicted
gunshot wound on
December 16, 2003 a
few weeks after his
wife had died from
pneumonia.
|
28-May-1944 |
Born on this day in
Big Pond, Cape
Breton County, was
Rita MacNeil,
Canadian country and
folk singer. Her
biggest hit, "Flying
On Your Own", was a
crossover Top 40 hit
in 1987 and was
covered by Anne
Murray. In 1990, she
was the bestselling
country artist in
Canada, outselling
even Garth Brooks
and Clint Black. She
was also the only
female singer ever
to have three
separate albums
chart in the same
year in Australia. |
18-Jun-1944 |
Born on this day in
Jasper, Alabama was
singer Sandy Posey.
She had her first
hit with "Born a
Woman", which
reached #12 on the
Hot 100 in August
1966. It sold over
one million copies
and was awarded a
gold disc. Posey
died from
complications of
dementia at her home
in Lebanon,
Tennessee, on July
20, 2024, at the age
of 80. |
21-Jun-1944 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer and
songwriter Kenny
O'Dell. He was best
known for writing
the #1 country hits
"Behind Closed
Doors" (recorded by
Charlie Rich, 1973)
and "Mama He's
Crazy" (The Judds,
1984). O'Dell who
was inducted into
the Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame died on
March 27, 2018 age
73. |
11-Jul-1944 |
Born on this day in
Boscobel, Wisconsin,
was Bobby G. Rice,
country music
singer-songwriter.
Between 1970 and
1988, Rice released
nine albums and
charted thirty songs
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. His biggest
hit, "You Lay So
Easy On My Mind,"
peaked at #3 in
1973. |
20-Jul-1944 |
Born on this day in
Humboldt, Tennessee,
was T. G. Sheppard,
(born Billy Neal
Browder), country
music singer, who
had 15 #1 hits
during the 1970s and
1980s. Sheppard
owned a small chain
of now-defunct
restaurants under
the name of "T.G.'s
North of the Border
Cafe and Cantina,"
in Gatlinburg and
Chattanooga,
Tennessee. |
27-Jul-1944 |
Born on this day in
Chickasaw County,
Mississippi, was
Bobbie Gentry,
singer-songwriter
notable as one of
the first female
country artists to
compose and produce
her own material.
Gentry rose to
international fame
with her intriguing
Southern Gothic
narrative "Ode to
Billie Joe" in 1967.
The track spent four
weeks at #1 on the
Billboard Hot
100 chart and sold
over three million
copies all over the
world. Her album
Fancy brought
her a Grammy
nomination for Best
Female Pop Vocal
Performance.
|
19-Aug-1944 |
Born on this day in
Lafayette,
Louisiana, was Eddy
Raven, who is known
for his
Cajun-influenced
country music. He
has charted more
than thirty-five
singles in his
career, including
the #1 hits "I Got
Mexico", "Shine,
Shine, Shine", "I'm
Gonna Get You", "Joe
Knows How to Live",
"In a Letter to You"
and "Bayou Boys", as
well as several more
Top Ten hits,
including seventeen
consecutive Top Tens
between 1984 and
1990. |
4-Oct-1944 |
Born on this day was
Larry Collins best
known for being a
part of The Collins
Kids duo with his
sister Lorrie, being
mentored by Joe
Maphis, and for his
fast and energetic
guitar playing.
Collins went on to
write and produce
hits for many well
known country music
stars, and is most
notable for
co-writing the 1972
hit "Delta Dawn" and
the 1981 country hit
"You're the Reason
God Made Oklahoma".
He died on 5 Jan
2024 age 79. |
8-Oct-1944 |
Born on this day in
Eugene, Oregon, was
Susan Raye, country
music singer. She
enjoyed great
popularity during
the early and mid
1970's and chalked
up seven top 10 and
nineteen top 40
country hits. Raye
was a protegee of
country music singer
Buck Owens. Owens
and Raye recorded a
number of hit albums
and singles
together. |
24-Oct-1944 |
Born on this day was
American country
singer, guitarist
Ray Downs, best
known for his
appearances on the
syndicated Porter
Wagoner
television show. He
also played with
Country Music legend
Marty Robbins and
recorded under the
names Ray Stark as
well as Jason
Williams. Ray is now
a novelist with
three novels and
hundreds of short
stories to his
credit. |
1-Nov-1944 |
Born on this day was
Kinky Friedman,
American Texas
Country singer,
songwriter,
novelist, humorist,
politician and
former columnist for
Texas
Monthly. His
cover of Chinga
Chavin's "Asshole
from El Paso", a
parody of Merle
Haggard's "Okie from
Muskogee" is,
perhaps, his most
famous song. He died
on June 27, 2024,
from complications
of Parkinson's
disease. He was 79. |
27-Nov-1944 |
Born on this day,
was Sammy Creason,
American session
drummer who played
with many artists
including Kris
Kristofferson, Bob
Dylan, Willie
Nelson, Delbert
McClinton, Rita
Coolidge, Billy
Swan, Hoyt Axton,
Gene Clark, Jimmy
Buffett, and Jerry
Jeff Walker.
Creason died on 21
December 1995. |
3-Dec-1944 |
Born on this day in
Leslie County,
Kentucky, was Roger
Bowling, Nashville
based songwriter.
His best known songs
included "Lucille"
(co-written with Hal
Bynum), and "Coward
of the County"
(co-written with
Billy Ed Wheeler),
both recorded by
Kenny Rogers, and
"Blanket on the
Ground", "What I've
Got In Mind", and
"57 Chevrolet",
which were recorded
by Billie Jo Spears.
He died on December
26, 1982 in Georgia.
|
4-Dec-1944 |
Born on this day,
was Chris Hillman,
one of the original
members of The Byrds
which in 1965
included Roger
McGuinn, Gene Clark,
David Crosby, and
Michael Clarke.
Along with frequent
collaborator Gram
Parsons, Hillman was
a key figure in the
development of
country rock,
virtually defining
the genre through
his seminal work in
The Byrds and The
Flying Burrito
Brothers and later
became the leader of
the country rock act
Desert Rose Band who
had the 1988 US
Country #1 hit "He's
Back and I'm Blue." |
4-Dec-1944 |
Eddy Arnold held his
first recording
session at the WSM
radio studios in
Nashville, where he
recorded his first
hit, "Each Minute
Seems A Million
Years," which went
on to become a #5
hit. |
11-Dec-1944 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, Georgia,
was Brenda Lee. At 4
ft. 9 inches tall
(approximately 145
cm), she received
the nickname 'Little
Miss Dynamite' in
1957 after recording
the song "Dynamite";
and was one of the
earliest pop stars
to have a major
contemporary
international
following. In 1997,
she was inducted
into the Country
Music Hall of
Fame. |
15-Dec-1944 |
Hank Williams
married Audrey
Sheppard, their son,
Randall Hank
Williams, who would
achieve fame in his
own right as Hank
Williams, Jr., was
born on May 26,
1949. The marriage
ended in divorce on
May 29, 1952. |
24-Dec-1944 |
Born on this day in
Savannah, Georgia,
was Michael Curb,
musician, record
company executive,
and NASCAR and IRL
race car owner.
Founder of Curb
Records whose roster
has included many
successful country
music artists, such
as Tim McGraw, LeAnn
Rimes, Hank
Williams, Jr.,
Wynonna, the Bellamy
Brothers, Steve
Holy, the Judds, Hal
Ketchum, Jo Dee
Messina, Rio Grand,
Jim Stafford and Ray
Stevens. A
Republican, he
served as the 42nd
Lieutenant Governor
of California from
1979-1983 under
Democratic Governor
Edmund G. "Jerry"
Brown, Jr. He was
acting governor of
California while
Brown spent time
outside of
California pursuing
presidential
ambitions. |
25-Dec-1944 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, Georgia was
musician and
producer Emory Gordy
Jr. He has worked
with many artists
including Steve
Earle and he
accompanied Gram
Parsons and Emmylou
Harris on Parson's
Grievous
Angel album. |
30-Dec-1944 |
Bob Wills and His
Texas Playboys
appeared at the
Grand Ole Opry.
According to the
Opry, drums and
horns were not
considered to be
part of country
music. Wills' band
at the time
consisted of two
fiddlers, two bass
fiddles, two
electric guitars, an
amplified electric
steel guitar, and a
trumpet, as well as
drums, with which
the drummer played
in the Dixieland
style. |
4-Jan-1945 |
Born on this day was
JayDee Maness,
American pedal steel
guitarist who is a
veteran session
musician in Los
Angeles. He is known
for his work with
Gram Parsons, the
Byrds, Buck Owens
and the Buckaroos,
Ray Stevens, Vince
Gill, and the Desert
Rose Band. Maness
received The Academy
of Country Music's
"Steel Guitarist of
the Year" award 18
times and was
inducted into the
Steel Guitar Hall of
Fame in 2003. |
17-Jan-1945 |
Red Foley became the
first country
performer to record
in Nashville,
Tennessee. During
the session at
WSM-AM's
Studio B, he
recorded "Tennessee
Saturday Night",
"Blues in the Heart"
and "Tennessee
Border". |
14-Mar-1945 |
Born on this day,
was Michael Martin
Murphey,
singer-songwriter
and multiple
Grammy
nominee, Murphey has
six gold albums,
including Cowboy
Songs, the first
album of cowboy
music to achieve
gold status since
Gunfighter
Ballads and Trail
Songs by Marty
Robbins in 1959.
Known for the hit
singles "Wildfire",
"Carolina in the
Pines", "What's
Forever For", "A
Long Line of Love",
"What She Wants",
and "Don't Count the
Rainy Days". Murphey
is also the author
of New Mexico's
state ballad, "The
Land of
Enchantment".
|
1-Apr-1945 |
Born on this day was
an American drummer
and arranger Kenny
Buttrey. According
to CMT, he was "one
of the most
influential session
musicians in
Nashville history".
He died on 12
September 2004 age
59. |
9-Apr-1945 |
Born on this day in
Knoxville, Tennessee
was singer Con
Hunley. He achieved
more than 20 charted
hits, including
"Weekend Friend",
"No Relief In
Sight", and "Oh
Girl". |
1-May-1945 |
Born on this day in
Lafayette,
Tennessee, was Rita
Coolidge, singer and
songwriter. She met
Kris Kristofferson
at Los Angeles
airport when they
were both catching
the same flight to
Tennessee and he got
off in Memphis with
her rather than go
on to his originally
intended stop in
Nashville; the two
married in 1973.
With him, she
recorded several
duet albums and
earned the duo a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Performance by a Duo
or Group with Vocal
in 1974 for "From
the Bottle to the
Bottom", and in 1976
for "Lover Please".
|
2-May-1945 |
Born on this day in
Dallas, Texas was
singer. R. C.
Bannon. His
highest-charting
single was his 1979
cover of the Peaches
& Herb hit
"Reunited," with his
wife Louise
Mandrell. Bannon
co-wrote songs for
Ronnie Milsap, Bobby
G. Rice, Barbara
Mandrell and Steve
Azar. |
6-May-1945 |
Born on this day in
Amarillo, Texas, was
Jimmie Dale Gilmore,
country singer,
songwriter. In 1994,
Gilmore teamed up
with Willie Nelson
to contribute
"Crazy" to the AIDS
benefit album Red
Hot + Country
produced by the Red
Hot Organization. |
23-May-1945 |
Born on this day in
Buffalo, New York,
was Misty Morgan who
with her husband
Jack Blanchard had
hits in 1970s,
including the
charting albums
Birds of a
Feather and
Two Sides of Jack
and Misty.
Between 1969 and
1976, the duo also
released fourteen
singles, including
"Tennessee Bird
Walk", a #1 hit. She
died from cancer on
January 1 2021 age
75. |
5-Jun-1945 |
Born on this day,
was Don Reid,
Country singer,
songwriter with The
Statler Brothers who
had the 80's US
Country #1 hits
"Elizabeth" and "Do
You Know You Are My
Sunshine". |
20-Jun-1945 |
Born on this day in
Springhill, Nova
Scotia, was Anne
Murray, the Canadian
singer whose albums
have sold over 54
million copies.
Murray became the
first Canadian
female solo singer
to reach #1 on the
US charts, and also
the first to earn a
Gold record for one
of her signature
songs, "Snowbird".
She is also the
first woman and the
first Canadian to
win "Album of the
Year" at the
Country Music
Association
Awards for her
1984 album A
Little Good
News.
|
20-Jul-1945 |
Born on this day in
Los Angeles,
California was
singer-songwriter
Kim Carnes.
Successes as a
songwriter include
co-writing the #1
duet "The Heart
Won't Lie" with
Donna Weiss,
recorded by Vince
Gill and Reba
McEntire, and
co-writing the songs
for Kenny Rogers'
1980 concept album
Gideon. |
7-Aug-1945 |
Born on this day in
Vancouver, British
Columbia was
musician and
songwriter Kerry
Chater, best known
as a member of Gary
Puckett & The Union
Gap, but also a
successful Nashville
songwriter for many
years penning such
#1 hits as "You're
the First Time I've
Thought About
Leaving" for Reba
McEntire, "If I Had
You" for Alabama and
"You Look So Good in
Love" for George
Strait. |
30-Aug-1945 |
Born on this day
songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist
Fred Tackett best
known as a member of
the band Little
Feat. Tackett has
recorded with
various Country
stars including:
Kenny Rogers, Bonnie
Raitt, Vince Gill
and Dolly Parton. |
29-Sep-1945 |
Jimmy Wakely was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American actor,
songwriter, country
music vocalist was
one of the last
singing cowboys. He
produced a string of
hits, including
1949's #1 hit
"Slippin' Around". |
30-Sep-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). |
19-Oct-1945 |
Born on this day in
Anson, Texas, was
Jeannie C. Riley
(born Jeanne Carolyn
Stephenson, country
music and gospel
singer who is best
known for her 1968
country #1 and pop
hit "Harper Valley
PTA". In 1980, she
published her
autobiography,
From Harper
Valley to the
Mountain Top.
|
1-Nov-1945 |
Born on this day in
Kerang, Victoria,
was John Williamson,
Australian country
music
singer-songwriter.
Williamson has
released over forty
albums, and has
received twenty-six
Golden Guitar
trophies at the
Country Music
Awards of
Australia. |
10-Nov-1945 |
Born on this day in
Mount Airy, North
Carolina, was Donna
Fargo country music
singer-songwriter,
who is best known
for a series of Top
10 country hits in
the 1970s, including
"The Happiest Girl
In the Whole USA",
"Superman" and
"Funny Face." |
19-Dec-1945 |
Born on this day,
was John McEuen,
multi-instrumentalist
(banjo, guitar,
mandolin, fiddle,
piano), and one of
the earliest members
of The Nitty Gritty
Dirt Band as well as
a solo perfomer who
has also worked with
various artists
including Dolly
Parton, Willie
Nelson, Johnny Cash,
June Carter Cash,
Jerry Jeff Walker,
and Alison Krauss. |
11-Jan-1946 |
Born on this day in
Ashland, Kentucky,
was Naomi Judd,
country music
singer, songwriter,
and activist. With
her daughter,
Wynonna Judd, Naomi
formed country
music's most famous
mother, daughter
team, The Judds
scored twenty top-10
hits including
fifteen #1's and
have sold over 20
million albums. On
April 30, 2022, Judd
died from a
self-inflicted
gunshot wound at her
home in Leiper's
Fork, Tennessee; she
was 76 years old. |
19-Jan-1946 |
Born on this day in
Sevierville,
Tennessee, was Dolly
Parton,
singer-songwriter,
author,
multi-instrumentalist,
actress. She is one
of the most
successful female
country artists of
all time; with an
estimated 100
million albums sold.
Known as "The Queen
of Country Music",
She has starred in
the movies 9 to
5, The Best Little
Whorehouse in Texas,
Steel Magnolias,
Straight Talk,
Unlikely Angel
and Joyful Noise.
|
2-Feb-1946 |
Born on this day in
Darby, Florida, was
Howard Bellamy,
singer, songwriter
of The Bellamy
Brothers. The duo
had success in the
1970s and 1980s,
starting with the
release of their
crossover hit "Let
Your Love Flow" in
1976, a #1 single on
the Billboard
Hot 100. Starting in
the late 1970s, the
Bellamy Brothers
found success in
country music as
well, charting
twenty #1 singles.
|
27-Feb-1946 |
Al Dexter was at #1
on the US Country
singles chart with
"Guitar Polka". The
track spent a total
of 16 weeks on
Billboard's
list as the "Most
Played Juke Box Folk
Record" in 1946. |
16-Mar-1946 |
American banjo
player and old time
country music singer
Grandpa Jones was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. In the
fall of 1968, Jones
became a charter
cast member on the
long-running
television show Hee
Haw. |
20-Mar-1946 |
Born on this day was
Douglas B. Green,
American musician,
arranger,
award-winning
Western music
songwriter, and
Grand Ole Opry
member. He has
worked with many
artists from Bill
Monroe's Blue Grass
Boys to Miranda
Lambert. |
8-Apr-1946 |
Al Dexter and His
Troopers were at #1
on the US Country
singles chart with
"Guitar Polka". The
track spent a total
of 16 weeks on
Billboard's
list as the "Most
Played Juke Box Folk
Record" in 1946.
Dexter owned a bar
in the 1930s and
helped popularize
the style of country
music known as
'honky tonk', when
he recorded "Honky
Tonk Blues" at his
first recording
session in 1936.
|
13-Apr-1946 |
Red Foley was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. For more
than two decades,
Foley was one of the
biggest stars of the
genre, selling more
than 25 million
records. His 1951
hit, "Peace in the
Valley", was among
the first
million-selling
gospel records. A
Grand Ole
Opry veteran
until his death,
Foley also hosted
the first popular
country music series
on network
television, Ozark
Jubilee, from 1955
to 1960. |
5-May-1946 |
Born on this day in
in Springfield,
Missouri was
American
singer-songwriter
and author Steve
Cash. A founding
member of the Ozark
Mountain Daredevils
who are most widely
known for their
singles "If You
Wanna Get to Heaven"
in 1974 and "Jackie
Blue" in 1975. Cash
died on October 14
2019. |
13-Jun-1946 |
Born on this day was
Paul Buckmaster
British cellist,
arranger, conductor
and composer. He
worked with many
artists including
Carrie Underwood,
Kenny Rogers, Keith
Urban, Tim McGraw,
Faith Hill, Dwight
Yoakam and Taylor
Swift. He died on 7
November 2017 age
71. |
3-Jul-1946 |
Born on this day in
Texas City, Texas,
was Johnny Lee
country music singer
whose 1980 single,
"Lookin' for Love"
spent three weeks at
the top of the
Billboard
country singles
chart in 1980 He
racked up a series
of country hits in
the early and
mid-80s. |
15-Jul-1946 |
Born on this day in
Tucson, Arizona, was
Linda Ronstadt,
singer,who has won
eleven Grammy
Awards and two
Academy of
Country Music
awards. Ronstadt has
collaborated with
many Country artists
including both Gram
Parsons and Dolly
Parton. Her first
Country #1 was in
1975 with her
version of the
Everly Brothers hit,
"When Will I Be
Loved."
|
11-Aug-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." |
15-Aug-1946 |
Born on this day in
Elk City, Oklahoma,
was Jimmy Webb,
songwriter. His
country hits include
"Highwayman," by
Waylon Jennings,
Willie Nelson,
Johnny Cash and Kris
Kristofferson; and
"Wichita Lineman"
and "By The Time I
Get To Phoenix," by
Glen Campbell. "By
the Time I Get to
Phoenix" was the
third most performed
song in the fifty
years between 1940
to 1990. Webb is the
only artist ever to
have received
Grammy Awards
for music, lyrics,
and orchestration.
|
1-Sep-1946 |
Born on this day in
the Isle Of Man,
England, was Barry
Gibb, singer,
songwritter and
member of The Bee
Gees. With his
brothers he wrote
"Islands in the
Stream" which became
a world-wide #1 hit
for Kenny Rogers and
Dolly Parton in
1983. The Gibbs
originally wrote the
song for Marvin Gaye
in an R&B style,
only later to change
it for the Kenny
Rogers album Eyes
That See In The
Dark. |
14-Sep-1946 |
Hank Williams
auditioned for
Nashville's Grand
Ole Opry at the
recommendation of
Ernest Tubb, but was
rejected. Three
years later he was
eventually inducted
into the Grand
Ole Opry on June
11, 1949. |
16-Sep-1946 |
Born on this day in
Hampton, Arkansas,
was Wood Newton,
songwriter and
musician based in
Nashville,
Tennessee. In 1978
and 1979, Newton
charted the singles
"Last Exit for
Love", "Lock, Stock
& Barrel" and "Julie
(Do I Ever Cross
Your Mind?)". He
later became a
songwriter for other
artists, with his
credits including
Razzy Bailey's #1
single "Midnight
Hauler". |
2-Oct-1946 |
Born on this day was
Jo-El Sonnier,
American
singer-songwriter
and accordionist who
performed country
music and Cajun
music. Sonnier
charted several
minor singles on the
Billboard country
charts in the late
1970s. By the late
1980s, he had signed
to RCA Records,
breaking through
with the Top Ten
hits "No More One
More Time" and a
cover of Richard
Thompson's
"Tear-Stained
Letter". He died on
January 13, 2024 age
77. |
10-Oct-1946 |
Born on this day was
US folk and country
singer John Prine.
He released his
debut album in 1971,
and put out 19
studio albums in
all. While wider
mainstream success
eluded him for
years, he earned a
sizeable following,
including some of
the 20th century’s
greatest
songwriters. Bob
Dylan said in 2009:
“Prine’s stuff
is pure Proustian
existentialism.
Midwestern mind
trips to the nth
degree. And he
writes beautiful
songs.” He died
aged 73 on April 7,
2020 due to
complications from
Covid-19. |
13-Oct-1946 |
Born on this day in
Bloomsburg,
Pennsylvania, was
Lacy J. Dalton
country singer and
songwriter known for
her gritty, powerful
vocals. Dalton had a
number of hits in
the 1980s, including
"Takin' It Easy,"
"Crazy Blue Eyes"
and "16th Avenue." |
27-Oct-1946 |
Born on this day was
Steve Hardin,
American songwriter,
keyboardist, and
harmonica and
clavinet player best
known as the writer
of top-ten country
hits "I Love My
Truck" (#10, Glen
Campbell) and
"Breakin' Down"
(#10, Waylon
Jennings). |
5-Nov-1946 |
Born on this day in
Winter Haven,
Florida, was Gram
Parsons, singer,
songwriter. He was a
member of The
International
Submarine Band, The
Byrds, Flying
Burrito Brothers and
released the 1973
solo album
Grievous
Angel. Parsons
died on 19th
September 1973 from
a heroin overdose
aged 26. |
18-Nov-1946 |
Born on this day in
Groveton, Texas, was
Jacky Ward, country
music artist.
Between 1972 and
1982, he charted
more than fifteen
singles His
highest-peaking
single, "A Lover's
Question", reached
#3 on the charts in
1978. |
20-Nov-1946 |
Born on this day in
Athens, Alabama, was
Roger Murrah,
songwriter and music
publisher who has
written hits for
artists including
Waylon Jennings,
Alan Jackson, Al
Jarreau, and
Alabama. Murrah was
inducted into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1995. |
11-Dec-1946 |
After signing a deal
with Sterling
Records, during his
first recording
session, Hank
Williams recorded
the songs "Wealth
Won't Save Your
Soul", "Calling
You", "Never Again",
and "When God Comes
and Gathers His
Jewels."
|
11-Dec-1946 |
Born on this day was
American record
producer and pianist
Tony Brown. A former
member of the Stamps
Quartet and backing
musician for Emmylou
Harris, Brown is
known primarily for
his production work
with Reba McEntire,
Vince Gill, and
George Strait. |
25-Dec-1946 |
Born on this day was
Jimmy Buffett,
singer-songwriter,
film producer, and
businessman. He is
best known for his
music, which often
portrays an "island
escapism" lifestyle.
Together with his
Coral Reefer Band.
He has a devoted
base of fans known
as "Parrotheads".
Buffett died on
September 1, 2023,
at age 76, at his
home in Sag Harbor,
New York, due to
complications from
Merkel-cell
carcinoma, a rare
and aggressive skin
cancer, with which
he had been
diagnosed four years
earlier. |
16-Jan-1947 |
Born on this day in
in Abbeville,
Louisiana was James
"Sandy" Pinkard from
the country music
duo Pinkard &
Bowden. Among his
hits as a writer
were "You're the
Reason God Made
Oklahoma" (a duet by
Shelly West and
David Frizzell),
"Coca Cola Cowboy"
by Mel Tillis, and
"Blessed Are the
Believers" by Anne
Murray. |
13-Feb-1947 |
Hank Williams
recorded "My Love
for You (Has Turned
to Hate)" in
Nashville with Fred
Rose producing and
featuring Tommy
Jackson (fiddle),
Dale "Smokey" Lohman
(steel guitar), Zeke
Turner (electric
guitar), and Louis
Innis (bass). The
track became his
third single
released on Sterling
Records in April
1947. |
27-Mar-1947 |
Tex Williams
recorded "Smoke!
Smoke! Smoke! (That
Cigarette)" at Radio
Recorders in
Hollywood,
California. The song
which was co-written
with Merle Travis
and produced by Lee
Gillette, spent 15
weeks at #1 on the
country chart in
1947. The song can
be heard in the
opening of the 2006
film, Thank You
for Smoking. |
2-Apr-1947 |
Born on this day in
Birmingham, Alabama,
was Emmylou Harris,
singer-songwriter
and musician. She
has released many
chart-topping albums
and singles over the
course of her
career, winning 12
Grammy
Awards. Her first
Country #1 was in
1976 with her
version of the Buck
Owens song "Together
Again." |
20-Apr-1947 |
Born on this day in
Lexington, Tennessee
was ountry music
songwriter and
record producer
Buddy Cannon. He is
known primarily for
his work with Willie
Nelson and as Kenny
Chesney's record
producer, for which
he won the Academy
of Country Music's
Producer of the Year
award in 2006. |
21-Apr-1947 |
Hank Williams
recorded "Move It On
Over" at Castle
Studio, Nashville.
The song was
Williams' first
major hit, reaching
#4 on the
Billboard
Singles chart and is
considered one of
the earliest
examples of rock and
roll music. Many
others have recorded
and performed the
song a notably hit
version was by
Travis Tritt in the
1990s. |
24-Apr-1947 |
Born on this day was
American songwriter
and musician Richard
Fagan who had six
top ten singles and
18 charted singles
on the
Billboard
Country charts. His
songs have been
recorded by Neil
Diamond, George
Strait, John Michael
Montgomery, Clay
Walker, Ricochet,
Hank Williams, Jr.,
George Jones, Shania
Twain, Patty
Loveless, Collin
Raye, Shenandoah,
The Crickets, and
many others. He
wrote two of John
Michael Montgomery's
singles: "Be My Baby
Tonight" and "Sold
(The Grundy County
Auction Incident)".
Fagan died aged 69
on August 5, 2016. |
24-May-1947 |
Born on this day,
was Mike Reid who is
a retired
professional
American football
linebacker, as well
as a country music
artist who played
for the Cincinnati
Bengals. He scored
the 1991 US Country
#1 hit "Walk Of
Faith." |
28-May-1947 |
Born on this day in
Milwaukee, was
Leland Sklar, bass
guitarist and film
score composer who
has contributed to
over 2,000 albums as
a session musician,
including albums by
Reba McEntire, The
Oak Ridge Boys,
Dolly Parton, Linda
Ronstadt, George
Strait, Jimmy Webb,
Kris Kristofferson,
Merle Haggard, Vince
Gill, Glen Campbell
and Clint Black. |
13-Jun-1947 |
Born on this day in
Hazard, Kentucky,
was Mary Lou Turner,
country music
artist. Between 1976
and 1977, she
recorded two duet
albums with Bill
Anderson, and
charted four duets
with him. One of
their duets,
"Sometimes", reached
#1 in 1976. |
28-Jun-1947 |
Born on this day was
American songwriter
Kim Williams who
wrote hits for Randy
Travis, Joe Diffie,
Reba McEntire, Garth
Brooks and many
others. Williams was
named ASCAP's
Country Songwriter
of the Year in 1994,
won the Country
Music
Association's
Song of the Year
award (for "Three
Wooden Crosses") in
2003, and was
inducted into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 2012.
Williams died on
February 11, 2016. |
7-Jul-1947 |
Born on this day in
Hot Springs,
Arkansas was
songwriter, pianist,
and producer Randy
Goodrum. A Grammy
award-nominated
writer and Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame inductee,
Goodrum has written
#1 songs in each of
the four decades
since his first #1
hit, 1978's "You
Needed Me." |
11-Jul-1947 |
Hank Williams went
into Castle Studio,
Nashville and
recorded versions of
"My Sweet Love Ain't
Around", "The Blues
Come Around",
"Mansion On The
Hill", and I'll Be A
Bachelor 'Til I
Die". |
11-Jul-1947 |
Born on this day in
Detroit, Michigan
was
singer-songwriter
Jeff Hanna best
known for his
association with the
Nitty Gritty Dirt
Band. In 2006, his
composition "Bless
the Broken Road",
co-written with
Marcus Hummon and
Bobby Boyd in 1994,
won a Grammy Award
for Best Country
Song. It has been
recorded by the
Nitty Gritty Dirt
Band, Marcus Hummon,
and, in the Grammy
year, Rascal Flatts. |
19-Jul-1947 |
Born on this day in
Minneapolis,
Minnesota, was
Bernie Leadon,
musician and
songwriter, best
known as a founding
member of the
Eagles. Prior to the
Eagles, he was a
member of two
pioneering and
highly influential
country rock bands,
Dillard & Clark and
the Flying Burrito
Brothers. |
22-Jul-1947 |
Born on this day in
Gilmer, Texas, was
Don Henley singer,
songwriter and
drummer, best known
as a founding member
of the Eagles. In
1970, he moved to
Los Angeles to
record an album with
his early band,
Shiloh, while living
at the home of
fellow Texan Kenny
Rogers; the album
was produced by
Kenny Rogers.
Shortly thereafter,
Henley met Glenn
Frey. They both
became members of
Linda Ronstadt's
backup band. The
Eagles have sold
over 120 million
albums worldwide.
|
26-Jul-1947 |
Born on this day in
in Windsor,
Connecticut was
guitarist Al
Anderson who has
penned hits for
George Strait -
"Love's Gonna Make
It Alright," Diamond
Rio's
"Unbelievable,"
LeAnn Rimes' "Big
Deal" and The
Mavericks' "All You
Ever Do Is Bring Me
Down. " |
4-Aug-1947 |
Hank Williams
recorded "On the
Banks of the Old
Ponchartrain" during
sessions at Castle
Studio, Nashville.
According to
biographer Colin
Escott, Ramona
Vincent, a crippled
woman, wrote the
words of the song as
a poem and sent it
to Williams, who put
a melody to it. The
track became the
singer's second
single on MGM
Records, released in
September 1947. |
23-Aug-1947 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer Rex
Elvie Allen Jr. (the
son of Rex Allen).
He had hits with
"Goodbye" (1974),
"I'm Gettin Good at
Missing You
(Solitaire)" (1977),
"Lonely Street"
(1977). |
2-Sep-1947 |
Born on this day in
Valencia,
California, was Jay
Huguely, song
writer, actor who
enjoyed a run of
popularity as a
novelty recording
artist in the 1970s,
who as Cledus
Maggard & the
Citizen's Band had
the 1975 US #1
Country hit with
"The White Night." |
9-Sep-1947 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, Georgia,
was Freddy Weller,
country music
artist. His biggest
solo hit as an
artist was "Games
People Play," which
peaked at #2 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart in 1969;
"Promised Land" and
"Indian Lake," both
1971, peaked at #3.
|
20-Sep-1947 |
American country,
bluegrass and gospel
singer Lily Isaacs
from bluegrass
Southern gospel
group The Isaacs. On
August 10, 2021,
they were invited to
become members of
the Grand Ole Opry. |
23-Sep-1947 |
Born on this day,
was Pat Alger,
songwriter, singer
and guitarist who in
1991, was voted
Songwriter of the
Year by the
Nashville
Songwriter's
Association
International.
He wrote hits for
Garth Brooks like
"Unanswered
Prayers", "What
She's Doing Now",
"The Thunder Rolls"
and "That Summer."
He also wrote hits
for Hal Ketchum,
"Small Town Saturday
Night," and for
Trisha Yearwood,
"Like We Never Had A
Broken Heart." |
23-Sep-1947 |
Born on this day was
American actress and
singer Mary Kay
Place. She is best
known for portraying
Loretta Haggers on
the television
series Mary Hartman,
Mary Hartman. Place
also recorded three
studio albums one in
the Haggers persona,
which included the
Top Ten country
music hit "Baby
Boy". |
26-Sep-1947 |
Born on this day in
Grand Forks, North
Dakota, was Lynn
Anderson, country
music singer known
for a string of hits
throughout the 1970s
and early 1980s,
most notably her
Grammy
Award-winning,
worldwide mega-hit,
"(I Never Promised
You A) Rose
Garden."
Anderson was named
Billboard
Magazine's Female
Artist of the Decade
(1970-1980).
Anderson died on
July 30th 2015 aged
67. |
6-Nov-1947 |
Hank Williams recut
a version of his
song "Honky Tonkin'"
during sessions at
Castle Studio,
Nashville. Waylon
Jennings later
recorded his version
of the song for his
1992 album Ol'
Waylon Sings Ol'
Hank. |
7-Nov-1947 |
Hank Williams
recorded "My Sweet
Love Ain't Around"
with Fred Rose
producing at Castle
Studio, Nashville.
The track became his
third single on MGM
Records released in
January 1948. |
10-Nov-1947 |
Born on this day in
Mountain City,
Tennessee, was Dave
Loggins, singer,
songwriter widely
remembered for his
1974 composition
"Please Come to
Boston", which was a
top 10 hit in the US
for him, and was
subsequently covered
by numerous other
artists. The cousin
of singer/songwriter
Kenny Loggins, he
was inducted into
the Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1995.
Loggins died in
Nashville on July
10, 2024, at the age
of 76. |
19-Dec-1947 |
Born on this day in
South Whitley,
Indiana, was Janie
Fricke, country
music singer, best
remembered for a
series of country
music hits in the
early to mid 1980s.
She won the
Country Music
Association's
Female Vocalist of
the Year awards in
1982 and 1983. |
2-Jan-1948 |
Born on this day in
Indiana, was Don Von
Tress, singer,
songwriter who wrote
Achy Breaky Heart."
Originally titled
"Don't Tell My
Heart" it was
recorded by The Oak
Ridge Boys and The
Marcy Brothers, its
name was later
changed to "Achy
Breaky Heart" and
recorded by Billy
Ray Cyrus on his
1992 album Some
Gave All. |
10-Jan-1948 |
Loretta Webb married
Oliver Vanetta Lynn,
commonly known as
"Doolittle", "Doo"
or "Mooney" (for
running moonshine),
after courting for a
month. Mooney was 21
years old; Loretta
was 15. In an effort
to break free of the
coal mining
industry, the couple
moved from Butcher
Hollow to the
logging community of
Custer, Washington
when she was 16
years old and seven
months pregnant with
the first of their
six children. Over
the course of their
often-tumultuous
nearly 50-year
marriage, Doolittle
was instrumental in
developing Lynn's
musical talent and
country music
career. |
13-Jan-1948 |
The first country
music TV show,
Midwestern
Hayride,
premiered on
WLW
Cincinnati. Inspired
by the
Shreveport-based
Louisiana
Hayride, the
show was originally
called Boone
County Jamboree
(named for nearby
Boone County in
Northern Kentucky).
In 1951,
Midwestern
Hayride was
picked up by
NBC-TV as a
summer replacement
for Sid Caesar's
Your Show of
Shows. |
14-Jan-1948 |
Born on this day in
St. Louis, Missouri,
was Joseph Henry "T
Bone" Burnett,
musician,
songwriter, and
record producer.
Burnett has produced
artists such as Roy
Orbison, Lisa Marie
Presley, John
Mellencamp, Los
Lobos, Counting
Crows, Elton John &
Leon Russell, Elvis
Costello and his
wife Diana Krall,
Natalie Merchant and
The Wallflowers as
well as Tony Bennett
and k.d. lang.
Burnett won
Grammy Awards
for the O
Brother, Where Art
Thou? soundtrack
and for his work
with Alison Krauss
and Robert Plant on
the 2007 album
Raising Sand. |
8-Feb-1948 |
Born on this day in
McCamey, Texas, was
Dan Seals, (the
younger brother of
Seals & Crofts
member Jim Seals),
who first gained
fame as the "England
Dan" half of the
soft rock duo
England Dan and John
Ford Coley. After
the duo disbanded,
Seals began a solo
career in country
music and throughout
the 1980s and into
the early 1990s,
released 16 studio
albums and charted
more than 20 singles
on the country
charts, eleven of
which reached #1,
including: "Meet Me
in Montana" (with
Marie Osmond),
"Bop", "You Still
Move Me", "I Will Be
There", "Three Time
Loser", and "Good
Times". He died on
March 25, 2009. |
23-Feb-1948 |
Born on this day was
American country
music guitarist and
singer Thomas Bresh.
He was active from
the 1970s and
charted multiple
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. As a
videographer, Bresh
has shot, produced,
and edited projects
for Hank Thompson,
Lyle Lovett, Brooks
& Dunn, George
Jones, Tanya Tucker
and Jerry Reed. He
died on May 23,
2022. |
6-Mar-1948 |
American songwriter
and musician Peter
McCann. He was known
for writing
successful pop and
country songs,
including his 1977
solo hit 'Do You
Wanna Make Love'.
His songs have been
recorded by Lynn
Anderson, Karen
Carpenter, Crystal
Gayle, Mickey
Gilley, Lee
Greenwood, Nicolette
Larson, Reba
McEntire, Anne
Murray, The Oak
Ridge Boys, K.T.
Oslin, Buck Owens,
and Kenny Rogers. He
died on 26 January
2023 age 74. |
3-Apr-1948 |
Bob Wills and the
Texas Playboys
appeared for the
inaugural broadcast
of the Louisiana
Hayride on KWKH,
broadcasting from
the Municipal
Auditorium in
Shreveport,
Louisiana. During
its heyday from 1948
to 1960 helped to
launch the careers
of some of the
greatest names in
American country and
western music. |
18-Apr-1948 |
Earl Scruggs married
Louise Certain in
Gaffney, South
Carolina, two months
after leaving Bill
Monroe's band. She
later became the
manager of Flatt &
Scruggs. |
21-Apr-1948 |
Born on this day,
was Paul Lavon
Davis, singer and
songwriter, best
known for his 1977
hit "I Go Crazy",
(which once held the
record for the
longest chart run on
the Billboard
Hot 100 after
spending 40 weeks on
the charts). His
highest-charting pop
hit was the #6 "'65
Love Affair." In the
mid 1980s, he also
had two country #1
hits as a guest
vocalist on songs by
Marie Osmond and
Tanya Tucker. He
died of a heart
attack on April 22,
2008 a day after his
60th birthday. |
2-May-1948 |
Born on this day in
Seminole, Texas, was
Larry Gatlin,
singer, songwriter
best known for
teaming up with his
brothers Steve and
Rudy in the late
1970s, becoming one
of country music's
most successful acts
of the 1970s and
1980s. Gatlin scored
a total of 33 Top 40
singles. Their
biggest hits
together include,
"Broken Lady", "All
the Gold in
California",
"Houston (Means I'm
One Day Closer to
You)."
|
4-May-1948 |
Born on this day,
was Tim DuBois, who
wrote the satire on
divorce, "She Got
the Goldmine (I Got
the Shaft)", which
was a #1 US Country
hit for Jerry Reed
in 1982.
He also co-wrote
"Love in the First
Degree" a #1 hit for
Alabama in 1981.
DuBois has earned
five #1 singles and
24 top-ten singles.
|
18-May-1948 |
Born on this day in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, was
Joe Bonsall, singer
with The Oak Ridge
Boys. He was the
tenor vocalist of
the country and
gospel vocal quartet
from 1973 to 2023.
Bonsall died due to
complications of ALS
in Hendersonville,
Tennessee, on July
9, 2024, at the age
of 76. |
5-Jun-1948 |
Born on this day in
Broken Bow,
Oklahoma, was Gail
Davies
singer/songwriter
and the first female
record producer in
the history of
country music. She
is also the daughter
of country singer
Tex Dickerson and
the younger sister
of songwriter Ron
Davies. During the
1970s and 1980s she
scored numerous Top
10 and Top 20
Billboard
hits becoming one of
country music's most
influential artists. |
21-Jun-1948 |
Born on this day in
Aiken, South
Carolina, was Leon
Everette country
music artist.
Everette reached top
10 on the Hot
Country Songs charts
with the singles
"Over", "Giving Up
Easy", "Hurricane",
"Midnight Rodeo",
"Just Give Me What
You Think Is Fair",
"Soul Searchin'",
"My Lady Loves Me
(Just as I Am)" and
"I Could'a Had You". |
15-Jul-1948 |
Born on this day
American musician
Owen Hale best known
for playing drums
with Lynyrd Skynyrd
as well as a studio
drummer in
Nashville, TN
appearing on many
records by Patty
Loveless, Doug Stone
and Toby Keith among
others. |
24-Jul-1948 |
American country
music singer Roy
Acuff announced his
intention to run for
governor of
Tennessee. Running
as the Republican
candidate, he later
lost to Democratic
candidate Gordon
Browning in the
November election. |
7-Aug-1948 |
Hank Williams made
his debut on
Louisiana
Hayride
broadcast from the
Shreveport Municipal
Memorial Auditorium
in Shreveport,
Louisiana,
performing "Move It
On Over," and "I
want to Live and
Love." |
25-Sep-1948 |
American country
music singer George
Morgan was inducted
into the Grand
Ole Opry. He is
best known for his
1949 hit single
"Candy Kisses". He
also had several
hits based on a
"rose" theme: "Room
Full of Roses", "Red
Roses for a Blue
Lady", and "Red
Roses From the Blue
Side of Town". |
26-Sep-1948 |
Born on this day in
Cambridge, England,
was Olivia
Newton-John,
Australian singer,
songwriter, and
actress. Her music
has been successful
in multiple genres
including pop,
country, and adult
contemporary and has
sold an estimated
100 million records
worldwide and has
scored 3 Country #1
albums. |
2-Oct-1948 |
Born on this day in
Biloxi, Mississippi,
was Chris Ledoux,
singer-songwriter,
bronze sculptor and
rodeo champion.
During his career
LeDoux recorded 36
albums (many
self-released) which
have sold more than
six million copies
in the US. Ledoux
was nominated for a
Grammy Award
and the Academy
of Country Music
Music Pioneer
Award. He died
on March 9, 2005 |
16-Oct-1948 |
Born on this day was
American musician,
record producer and
label-head Jim Ed
Norman. As an
arranger and
producer, he was one
of the principal
architects of the
distinctive sound of
West Coast 1970s pop
and country rock. He
was President of
Warner Bros Records
Nashville from 1984
to 2004 working with
the likes of Randy
Travis, Faith Hill,
Blake Shelton,
Travis Tritt, Dwight
Yoakam and Hank
Williams Jr. |
6-Nov-1948 |
Little Jimmy Dickens
was inducted into
the Grand Ole
Opry. Famous for
his humorous novelty
songs, his small
size (4'10") and his
rhinestone-studded
outfits (which he is
given credit for
introducing into
live country music
performances). He
started as a member
of the Grand Ole
Opry in 1948 and was
inducted into the
Country Music Hall
of Fame in 1983.
Before his death he
was the oldest
living member of the
Grand Ole Opry. |
16-Nov-1948 |
Born on tbis day was
American
singer-songwriter
Larry Cordle. He is
most famous for his
song "Murder on
Music Row" which was
recorded by George
Strait and Alan
Jackson and received
the Country Music
Association Award
for Vocal Event of
the Year, and CMA
nomination for Song
of the Year, in
2000. Cordle has
written songs for
Garth Brooks, The
Oak Ridge Boys,
Ricky Skaggs,
Loretta Lynn, George
Strait and Trisha
Yearwood. |
7-Dec-1948 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer Gary
Morris who charted a
string of
countrypolitan-styled
hit songs throughout
the 1980s including
the 1983 ballad "The
Wind Beneath My
Wings", and five #1
hits. |
22-Dec-1948 |
Hank Williams went
into E.T. Herzog
Studio, Cincinatti
Ohio and recorded
various tracks
including "There'll
Be No Teardrops
Tonight", "Lovesick
Blues", and "Lost On
The River". |
25-Dec-1948 |
Born on this day,
was Country singer
Barbara Mandrell,
named Country
Music
Association
entertainer of the
year in 1979, 1980 &
1981, who scored the
1977 US #1 Country
single "Sleeping
Single In A Double
Bed." |
27-Dec-1948 |
Born on this day in
Oneida, Kentucky,
was Les Taylor,
country music artist
who was the lead
singer and rhythm
guitarist of
country-pop band
Exile. He performed
with the group until
1989, when he left
to pursue a solo
career. As a
songwriter, Taylor
has had his songs
recorded by Travis
Tritt and Shelby
Lynne. He also
co-wrote Janie
Fricke's #1 single,
"It Ain't Easy Bein'
Easy." |
22-Jan-1949 |
Born on this day,
was James Preston
'J.P.' Pennington,
American musician,
known primarily as a
co-founding member
of the country pop
band Exile who
scored the 1984 US
Country #1 hit "Woke
Up In Love."
|
28-Jan-1949 |
Born on this day in
Pautaxant, Maryland,
was Eddie Bayers,
session drummer who
has worked with may
artists including:
George Strait, Elvis
Presley, George
Jones, Garth Brooks,
Reba McEntire, Alan
Jackson, Glen
Campbell and Dolly
Parton. |
1-Mar-1949 |
Working at
Nashville's Castle
Recording Studio,
Hank Williams
recorded "Mind Your
Own Business,"
"Honky Tonk Blues,"
"You're Gonna Change
(Or I'm Gonna
Leave)" and "Lost
Highway". |
2-Mar-1949 |
Hank Williams
recorded "You're
Gonna Change (Or I'm
Gonna Leave)" at
Castle Studio,
Nashville with Fred
Rose producing. It
was released as a
single on MGM
Records in September
1949 and reached #4
on the country
singles chart. |
20-Mar-1949 |
During sessions at
Castle Studios in
Nashville Hank
Williams recorded
"Wedding Bells"
which later peaked
at #2 on the country
singles chart in
1949. |
31-Mar-1949 |
The first 45-rpm
disc, "Texarkana
Baby" by country &
western singer Eddy
Arnold, was issued
by RCA in the US. It
was made of green
vinyl, as part of an
early attempt to
color-code singles
according to the
genre of music they
featured. Others
included red for
classical music and
yellow for
children's songs. |
6-Apr-1949 |
Hank Williams' first
publicity photos
were taken in
Shreveport. The
photo which was
later used for the
Hank Williams stamp
issued in 1993 as
part of the Legends
of American Music
was taken on this
day. |
21-Apr-1949 |
Roy Rogers had his
handprints embedded
in concrete in front
of Grauman's Chinese
Theatre in
Hollywood,
California. His
horse, Trigger, also
had its hoof prints
cast for posterity. |
4-May-1949 |
Born on this day in
Sevierville,
Tennessee, was
Stella Parton
country singer and
songwriter. She is a
younger sister of
Dolly Parton, and
musician and
businessman Randy
Parton. She charted
during the mid-to
late-1970s, her
biggest hit being
1975's "I Want to
Hold You In My
Dreams Tonight". |
26-May-1949 |
Born on this day in
Shreveport,
Louisiana, was
Randall Hank
Williams, better
known as Hank
Williams, Jr. His
musical style is
often considered a
blend of Southern
rock, blues, and
traditional country.
He is the son of
country music
pioneer Hank
Williams and the
father of Hank
Williams III.
|
11-Jun-1949 |
25 year-old Hank
Williams was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry where he
became the first
performer to receive
six encores. On
August 11, 1952, he
was dismissed and
membership revoked
for habitual
drunkenness and
missing shows. |
17-Jun-1949 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was
Russell Smith,
country music
singer-songwriter.
Formerly the lead
singer of the
Amazing Rhythm Aces,
Smith penned #1
songs for Randy
Travis ("Look Heart,
No Hands"), T.
Graham Brown ("Don't
Go to Strangers"),
Don Williams
("Heartbeat in the
Darkness"), and
Ricky Van Shelton
("Keep It Between
the Lines"). He died
age 70 on July 12th
2019. |
20-Jun-1949 |
Born on this day in
Tuskegee, Alabama,
was Lionel Richie,
singer, songwriter
and one time member
of the Commodores.
Kenny Rogers scored
the 1980 crossover
country hit with the
Richie written and
produced track
"Lady". Richie
released his tenth
studio album,
Tuskegee in
2012 which features
13 of his hit songs
performed as duets
with country stars
including
Sugarland's Jennifer
Nettles, Jason
Aldean, Tim McGraw,
Blake Shelton,
Darius Rucker,
Rascal Flatts, Kenny
Chesney, Billy
Currington, Little
Big Town, Shania
Twain, Kenny Rogers,
Willie Nelson and
Jimmy Buffett. The
album returned him
to the top of the
Billboard 200
chart, his first #1
album there for more
than 25 years. |
4-Jul-1949 |
Born on this day in
Shreveport,
Louisiana, was James
Stroud, drummer and
record producer. He
has worked with
Eddie Rabbitt,
Conway Twitty, Eddy
Raven, Clint Black,
John Anderson, Clay
Walker, Toby Keith
and Tim McGraw. |
23-Aug-1949 |
Born on this day was
American musician
Dennis Robbins who
first made himself
known as a guitarist
in the band Rockets.
After his departure
from The Rockets, he
began a career in
country music,
recording three
major-label albums
and several singles
of his own, in
addition to writing
hit singles for
Highway 101,
Shenandoah and Garth
Brooks. |
25-Aug-1949 |
Born on this day in
Kingston, New York
was country singer,
songwriter Henry
Paul who was a
member of the
Southern rock band
Outlaws and is also
a founding member of
the country band
BlackHawk. |
27-Aug-1949 |
Born on this day in
Fort Payne, Alabama,
was Jeff Cook
guitarist and
singer, songwriter
best known as one of
the founding members
of Alabama who have
scored over 30 US
Country #1 hits. He
died on November 7,
2022, at the age of
73. |
30-Aug-1949 |
Hank Williams went
into Herzog Studio
in Cincinnati to
record "I'm So
Lonesome I Could
Cry". Williams wrote
the song originally
intending that the
words be spoken,
rather than sung.
The song about
loneliness was
largely inspired by
his troubled
relationship with
wife Audrey Sheppard
and was released as
the B side to "My
Bucket's Got a Hole
in It" which was a
#2 hit in 1949.
|
7-Sep-1949 |
"Lovesick Blues" by
Hank Williams with
His Drifting Cowboys
was at #1 on the US
singles chart. The
song first appeared
in the 1922 musical
Oh, Ernest
and was recorded by
Emmet Miller in 1928
and later by country
music singer Rex
Griffin. |
18-Sep-1949 |
Born on this day in
Buffalo, NY, was
Greg Leisz,
songwriter who plays
guitar, dobro,
mandolin, lap steel
and pedal steel
guitar. Leisz has
worked with many
artists including
Dwight Yoakam,
Alison Krauss,
Emmylou Harris and
John Fogerty.
|
5-Oct-1949 |
Country pop singer
B.W. Stevenson was
born Louis Charles
Stevenson in Dallas,
Texas. |
7-Oct-1949 |
Born on this day in
Queens, New York,
was Kieran Kane,
country music artist
who between 1986 and
1990, with Jamie
O'Hara comprised The
O'Kanes, a duo which
charted seven
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts, including
the #1 single "Can't
Stop My Heart from
Loving You". |
23-Nov-1949 |
Born on this day in
Cheverly, Maryland,
was country music
songwriter Charlie
Black who has
written singles for
Anne Murray, Gary
Morris, Earl Thomas
Conley, Johnny
Paycheck, and Phil
Vassar. In 1991, the
Nashville
Songwriters
Association
International
inducted Black into
its hall of fame. |
10-Dec-1949 |
Billboard launched a
"Country & Western
Records Most Played
by Folk Disk
Jockeys" chart - the
first chart ever to
track a song's
popularity by radio
airplay. The first
#1 song on the new
chart was "Mule
Train" by Tennessee
Ernie Ford. |
11-Dec-1949 |
American old-time
fiddler and an
early-recorded
country musician
Fiddlin' John Carson
died aged 81. He
wrote more than 150
songs in his life
but only nine were
ever copyrighted
which led to several
copyright issues
with both Okeh
Records and other
musicians during his
active career. |
13-Dec-1949 |
Born on this day was
American country
musician Randy
Yeuell Owen. He is
best known for his
role as the lead
singer of Alabama,
that saw tremendous
mainstream success
throughout the 1980s
and 1990s. Alabama
became the most
successful band in
country music,
releasing over 20
gold and platinum
records, dozens of
#1 singles, and
selling over 75
million records
during their career. |
22-Dec-1949 |
Born on this day in
the Isle Of Man,
England, was Robin
Gibb, singer,
songwritter and
member of The Bee
Gees. With his
brothers he wrote
"Islands in the
Stream" which became
a world-wide #1 hit
for Kenny Rogers and
Dolly Parton in
1983. The Gibbs
originally wrote the
song for Marvin Gaye
in an R&B style,
only later to change
it for the Kenny
Rogers album Eyes
That See In The
Dark. |
25-Dec-1949 |
Born on this day in
Quitman, Texas was
actress Sissy
Spacek. She recorded
vocals for the
soundtrack album of
Coal Miner's
Daughter, which
peaked at #2 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums Chart
and garnered her a
nomination for the
Grammy Award for
Best Female Country
Vocal Performance. |
1-Jan-1950 |
Born on this in in
Boise, Idaho was
Steve Ripley from
the country rock
band The Tractors
who were nominated
for two Grammy
Awards and won the
Country Weekly 1995
Golden Pick Award
for Favorite New
Group. Ripley died
from cancer on
January 3rd, 2019
two days after his
69th birthday. |
3-Jan-1950 |
Sun Studio was
opened by Sam
Phillips at 706
Union Avenue in
Memphis, Tennessee.
It was originally
called Memphis
Recording Service,
sharing the same
building with Sun
Records.
Rock-and-roll,
country music, and
rockabilly artists,
including Johnny
Cash, Elvis Presley,
Carl Perkins, Roy
Orbison, Charlie
Feathers, Ray
Harris, Warren
Smith, Charlie Rich,
and Jerry Lee Lewis,
recorded there
throughout the mid
to late 1950s |
7-Jan-1950 |
Hank Snow was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
Canadian-American
country music
guitarist, singer,
and songwriter
recorded 140 albums,
and charted more
than 85 singles on
the Billboard
country charts from
1950 until 1980. His
#1 hits include the
self-penned songs
"I'm Moving On",
"The Golden Rocket",
and "The Rhumba
Boogie". |
9-Jan-1950 |
Hank Williams
recorded "Long Gone
Lonesome Blues",
"Why Don't You Love
Me" and "My Son
Calls Another Man
Daddy" during
sessions at Castle
Studios, Nashville.
"Long Gone Lonesome
Blues" later became
Hank Williams'
second #1 on the
Country & Western
chart and stayed on
the charts for
twenty-one weeks,
with five weeks at
the top of the
Country & Western
chart. |
15-Jan-1950 |
Born on this day in
Bexar, Arkansas, was
David Lynn Jones,
country music
singer-songwriter.
Between 1987 and
1994, Jones released
four studio albums.
His highest charting
single, "Bonnie Jean
(Little Sister),"
peaked at #10 in
1987. |
24-Jan-1950 |
Born on this day in
Bartlesville,
Oklahoma was Becky
Hobbs country music
singer, songwriter
and pianist who has
charted multiple
singles on the
Country charts,
including the #10
hit "Let's Get Over
Them Together", a
duet with Moe Bandy. |
28-Jan-1950 |
Born on this day in
New York City, New
York, was Barbi
Benton, model,
actress and singer.
Best known for her
years as a regular
on the country
variety series
Hee Haw,
appearing in comic
sketches with other
cast members. Her
record "Brass
Buckles" (1975) was
a top-five hit on
Billboard's
country singles
chart. She was
featured on the
cover of Playboy
Magazine several
times (initially
credited as Barbi
Klein) and in nude
photo layouts. |
14-Feb-1950 |
The #1 best selling
Country record
"Chattanoogie Shoe
Shine Boy" by Red
Foley became the
first Country hit
cross over record on
the Pop Best Seller
chart. |
16-Feb-1950 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was Paul
Worley, American
record producer and
session guitarist,
known primarily for
his work in country
music. Formerly a
vice president at
Sony BMG Worley has
worked for Big &
Rich, and is most
widely known as the
co- producer (with
Victoria Shaw) of
the self-titled
debut album of Lady
Antebellum (2008),
as the co-writer
(with Lady
Antebellum) of their
global hit, "Need
You Now." He also
discovered the Dixie
Chicks and, with
Blake Chancey,
co-produced their
first two albums.
|
24-Feb-1950 |
Born on this day was
American country
music
singer-songwriter
and the vice
president of A&R at
Capitol Records
Larry Willoughby.
His debut album,
Building Bridges,
was released in 1984
and three singles
were released from
the album, including
the title track,
which was
Willoughby's only
single to reach the
Top 60 of the
Billboard chart. It
was covered in 2006
by Brooks & Dunn,
whose version peaked
at #4. He died on
January 14 2021 age
73. |
6-Mar-1950 |
Born on this day was
country music
songwriter Sam
Hogin. He was
nominated for the
Country Music
Association's Song
of the Year award in
1981 for "I Believe
in You" (co-written
with Roger Cook) and
a hit for Don
Williams and in 1998
for "A Broken Wing"
a hit for Martina
McBride. He died on
August 9, 2004. |
25-Mar-1950 |
Born on this day,
was Ronald Dean
"Ronnie" McDowell,
country music artist
who had the 1977 hit
"The King Is Gone",
a tribute to Elvis
Presley, who had
died not long before
the single's
release. McDowell
has charted more
than thirty Top 40
hits on the
Billboard
country music
charts. Two of his
singles, "Older
Women" and "You're
Gonna Ruin My Bad
Reputation" peaked
at #1 on the country
charts. |
27-Apr-1950 |
Born on this day was
American
singer-songwriter
Kacey Jones. She
co-wrote the Mickey
Gilley hit "I'm the
One Mama Warned You
About" (credited as
Gayle Zeiler), and
found success as a
performer through
the band Ethel & The
Shameless Hussies.
Jones died on
September 1, 2016
after a long battle
with cancer. |
29-Apr-1950 |
Carl Smith was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American country
singer known as
"Mister Country",
was one of the
genre's most
successful male
artists during the
1950s, scoring 30
top-10 Billboard
hits. In 1952, Smith
married June Carter,
with whom he had
daughter Carlene;
the couple divorced
in 1956. His eldest
daughter Carlene was
also the
stepdaughter of
fellow Johnny Cash. |
9-May-1950 |
Born on this day in
Macon, Georgia was
Country singer Randy
Howard who was part
of the Outlaw
Country movement
that spawned Waylon
Jennings, Willie
Nelson, Johnny
Paycheck and more.
His released his
debut album, Now and
Then, in 1976. He
was killed in a
gunfight with a
bounty hunter at the
age of 65 on June 11
2015. |
13-May-1950 |
The Carter Sisters
was inducted into
the Grand Ole
Opry. The Carter
Sisters and Mother
Maybelle with Chet
Atkins released its
first record on
February 2, 1949,
and the group
recorded many
singles in the
1950s. After A.P.
Carter's death in
1960, Maybelle
officially renamed
the girls' group
"The Carter Family".
In 1963 The Carter
Family began working
as part of the
Johnny Cash road
show. |
20-May-1950 |
George Jones married
his first wife
Dorothy Bonvillion,
the couple divorced
slightly more than a
year later. |
14-Jun-1950 |
Hank Williams
recorded "They'll
Never Take Her Love
from Me" during
sessions at Castle
Studio, Nashville.
The song was later
released as the
flipside to
Williams' "Why
Should We Try
Anymore." |
27-Jun-1950 |
Born on this day was
American country
musician,
singer-songwriter,
Clay Blaker. His
songs have been
recorded by many
artists, including
George Strait, Tim
McGraw, The
Derailers, LeAnn
Rimes, Doug Sahm and
Johnny Mathis. |
7-Jul-1950 |
Johnny Cash signed
up for the Air
Force, taking basic
training at Lackland
Air Force Base in
Texas. Assigned as
Radio Intercept
Operator to Air
Force base in
Landsberg, Germany,
Cash organized a
band of five
servicemen who share
his C&W tastes as
the 'Landsberg
Barbarians,' as he
learns to play the
guitar. |
25-Jul-1950 |
During his first
recording session at
Jim Beck's Studio on
1101 Ross Avenue in
Dallas, Lefty
Frizzell recorded
"If You've Got The
Money I've Got The
Time," "I Love You A
Thousand Ways" and
"Shine, Shave,
Shower (It's
Saturday)." Beck is
credited with
discovering Frizzell
which led to his
first major
recording contract. |
7-Aug-1950 |
Born on this day in
Crosby, Texas, was
Rodney Crowell,
Grammy
Award-winning
guitarist and
producer who played
guitar and sang for
three years in
Emmylou Harris' "Hot
Band". He was
married to Rosanne
Cash (daughter of
Johnny Cash); from
1979 to 1992 who
together had the
1988 Country #1 hit
"It's Such a Small
World."
|
8-Aug-1950 |
Born on this day in
Toledo, Ohio, was
Jamie O'Hara,
country music artist
who between 1986 and
1990, with Kieran
Kane comprised The
O'Kanes, a duo which
charted seven
singles on the
Billboardi
Hot Country Singles
charts, including
the #1 single "Can't
Stop My Heart from
Loving You". He died
from cancer on
January 7, 2021 age
70. |
19-Aug-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits Snow
scored throughout
his career. |
30-Aug-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits
Snow scored
throughout his
career. |
31-Aug-1950 |
Hank Williams
recorded "Moanin'
the Blues" during
sessions at Castle
Studio, Nashville
which became his
fourth #1 single on
MGM Records.
"Moanin' the Blues"
is one of only two
songs that feature
Williams working
with drums; the
other is "Kaw-Liga." |
5-Sep-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits Snow
scored throughout
his career.
|
7-Sep-1950 |
Born on this day was
American country
music songwriter
Mark Sanders. He has
written 15 #1 hits,
including the famous
Lee Ann Womack
single "I Hope You
Dance", co-written
with Tia Sillers.
Sanders' first
songwriting credits
included tracks on
Garth Brooks' 1990
album No
Fences. He also
wrote singles for
Diamond Rio, Tracy
Lawrence, and John
Anderson. |
9-Sep-1950 |
American country
music singer and
songwriter Sonny
James had his career
interrupted by the
Korean War when his
Alabama Army
National Guard unit
was activated. After
military service in
Korea, James moved
to Nashville, where
he spent a week
staying with Chet
Atkins and his wife. |
16-Sep-1950 |
Born on this day in
Darby, Florida, was
David Bellamy,
singer, songwriter
of The Bellamy
Brothers. The duo
had success in the
1970s and 1980s,
starting with the
release of their
crossover hit "Let
Your Love Flow" in
1976, a #1 single on
the Billboard
Hot 100. Starting in
the late 1970s, the
Bellamy Brothers
found success in
country music as
well, charting
twenty #1 singles. |
24-Sep-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits
Snow scored
throughout his
career. |
27-Sep-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits Snow
scored throughout
his career. |
30-Sep-1950 |
The Grand Ole Opry
was televised for
the first time form
the the Ryman
Auditorium in
Nashville,
Tennessee. |
2-Oct-1950 |
Born on this day was
American songwriter
Danny Mayo best
known for writing
country hits for
artists such as
Alabama, Tracy Byrd,
Pirates of the
Mississippi and
Confederate
Railroad. He died
from a heart attack
on October 2, 1999,
his 49th birthday
celebration party. |
3-Oct-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits Snow
scored throughout
his career. |
9-Oct-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits
Snow scored
throughout his
career. |
16-Oct-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits Snow
scored throughout
his career. |
30-Oct-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country
singles chart with
"I'm Movin' On". It
stayed at the top of
the charts for a
record breaking 21
weeks, and was the
first of seven #1
Billboard
country hits
Snow scored
throughout his
career |
12-Nov-1950 |
Born on this day was
Barbara Fairchild,
Country Music,
Gospel Music Singer,
who is best known
for her 1973 Country
#1 hit "The Teddy
Bear Song". The
track was the first
in a series of
Fairchild songs
where childhood
themes were used to
express dismay over
broken
relationships, her
follow-up hit
was"Kid Stuff."
|
13-Nov-1950 |
Hank Snow was at #1
on the Country music
singles charts with
"I'm Moving On". The
song, stayed at the
top of the charts
for 21 weeks and was
the first of seven
#1 Billboard
country hits Snow
scored throughout
his career. |
2-Dec-1950 |
Born on this day was
American country
music artist John
Wesley Ryles. He
made his debut in
1968 with the single
"Kay", a Top Ten hit
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles. |
7-Dec-1950 |
Born on this day was
Canadian
country-folk artist
Ron Hynes, best
known for the songs
"Sonny's Dream" and
"Cryer's Paradise".
Hynes died of
cancer on November
19, 2015 aged 64. |
20-Dec-1950 |
Born on this day in
Walden, New York was
A. J. Masters. The
American country
music singer charted
eight singles on Hot
Country Songs
between 1985 and
1987, also writing
singles for John
Berry, Faith Hill,
and Jennifer Hanson.
Masters died aged 64
on January 12, 2015. |
21-Dec-1950 |
During recording
sessions at Castle
Studio, Nashville,
Hank Williams record
"Cold Cold Heart",
"Dear John", "Just
Waiting" and "Men
With Broken Hearts".
|
9-Jan-1951 |
Born on this day in
Paintsville,
Kentucky was Crystal
Gayle (Brenda Gail
Webb), country music
singer best known
for her 1977
country-pop hit,
"Don't It Make My
Brown Eyes Blue". An
award-winning
singer, Gayle has
accumulated 18 #1
country hits during
the 1970s and 1980s.
She was also famous
for her once nearly
floor-length hair.
|
3-Mar-1951 |
Born on tbis day in
Youngstown, Ohio was
country music
songwriter Bob
DiPiero. He has
written 15 US #1
hits and several Top
20 singles for the
likes of Tim McGraw,
The Oak Ridge Boys,
Reba McEntire, Vince
Gill, Faith Hill,
Montgomery Gentry,
Brooks & Dunn and
George Strait.
DiPiero was once
married to country
music artist Pam
Tillis. |
14-Mar-1951 |
Born on this day was
Zella Lehr, American
singer and
entertainer. She had
a hit with her cover
of Dolly Parton's
"Two Doors Down"
(which charted for
Lehr in late 1977,
before Parton
herself had released
the song as a
single) and in 1980
was nominated by the
Academy of
Country Music
and Cashbox
Magazine for the
'Most Promising
Female Vocalist'
award. |
16-Mar-1951 |
During recording
sessions at Castle
Studio, Nashville,
Hank Williams
recorded "I Can't
Help It If I'm Still
In Love With You"
and "Hey Good
Lookin'". Since its
original recording
"Hey Good Lookin'"
has been covered by
a variety of artists
including Ray
Charles on his 1962
album Modern
Sounds in Country
and Western
Music.
|
16-Mar-1951 |
Born on this day,
was Ray Benson the
front man of the
Western swing band
Asleep at the Wheel
who have released
more than 20 albums
and earned 9
Grammy
awards. |
20-Apr-1951 |
Born on this day in
Buffalo, New York
was keyboardist
Steve Nathan known
for his session work
in Muscle Shoals and
Nashville studios.
He was named
"Keyboardist of the
Year" by
MusicRow
Magazine for 13
consecutive years
and has worked with
some of the biggest
names in Country
music including:
Faith Hill, George
Strait, Toby Keith,
Willie Nelson, Keith
Urban, Reba McEntire
and Tim McGraw to
name but a few. |
21-May-1951 |
Hank Williams was
admitted to North
Louisiana Sanitarium
in Shreveport for
treatment of his
alcoholism and his
back problem. He
released three days
later. Years of back
pain, alcoholism,
and prescription
drug abuse severely
compromised
Williams' health. |
23-May-1951 |
Born on this day in
Riverside,
California, was
Judy Rodman, Country
Music Singer. In the
mid-80s, she scored
the US Country #1
hit "Until I Met
You." She also won
the Academy of
Country Music's
"Top New Female
Vocalist" award in
1985. |
26-May-1951 |
Born on this day was
American country
music songwriter and
singer Richard
Leigh. He is best
known for penning
the 1978 Grammy
Award winning song
"Don't It Make My
Brown Eyes Blue"
sung by Crystal
Gayle. Mickey
Gilley, Reba
McEntire, Barbara
Mandrell, Steve
Wariner, Don
Williams, Kathy
Mattea and Dixie
Chicks have all had
hits with his songs. |
8-Jun-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. |
28-Jun-1951 |
Born on this day
Lubbock, Texas, was
Lloyd Maines,
country music record
producer, musician
and songwriter. Best
known as a pedal
steel player, Maines
is a
multi-instrumentalist
who has toured and
recorded as a member
of the Joe Ely Band.
Maines won a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Album in 2003 as
producer of the
Dixie Chicks' album,
Home. As the
father of Natalie
Maines, lead singer
of the Dixie Chicks,
he was instrumental
in bringing the
current lineup of
bandmates together
in 1995. |
21-Jul-1951 |
Lefty Frizzell was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry.
Frizzell has been
cited as influencing
prominent country
singers like George
Jones, Merle
Haggard, Roy
Orbison, and Willie
Nelson. He was the
first artist to
achieve four songs
in the top ten on
the Country Music
Billboard charts at
one time. |
22-Jul-1951 |
Born on this day
American guitarist
and record producer
Richard Bennett. He
has worked with
Rodney Crowell,
Vince Gill, Steve
Earle, Emmylou
Harris, Marty
Stuart, The Bellamy
Brothers, Pistol
Annies and Miranda
Lambert. |
13-Aug-1951 |
Hank Williams was at
#1 on
Billboard's
country chart with
"Hey, Good Lookin'".
His version of the
song was inducted
into the Grammy
Hall of Fame in
2001. Since its
original 1951
recording it has
been covered by a
variety of artists
including, Ray
Charles, Jo
Stafford, The
Mavericks and Jimmy
Buffett. |
13-Aug-1951 |
Born on this day
near Louisville,
Kentucky was fiddle
player,
multi-instrumentalist,
and country music
and bluegrass artist
Hoot Hester. Hester
had played backup
for a number of
country music
artists, among them
Alabama, Hank
Williams Jr., Conway
Twitty, Randy
Travis, Bill Monroe,
Vern Gosdin, and
Ricky Van Shelton as
well as a longtime
member of the Grand
Ole Opry's staff
band. He died on
August 30, 2016 age
65. |
5-Sep-1951 |
Born on this day in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, was
American rock and
country music
drummer Jamie
Oldaker. He recorded
with musicians such
as the Bellamy
Brothers, Asleep at
the Wheel, Vince
Gill, J. J. Cale and
Willie Nelson. He
died on July 16,
2020 age 68. |
9-Sep-1951 |
Born on this day
Lodi, Wisconsin, was
Tom Wopat, actor and
singer. He first
achieved fame as
Luke Duke in the
long-running 1979
television series
The Dukes of
Hazzard. He
scored a handful of
hits on the country
charts including the
1988 "A Little Bit
Closer." |
9-Oct-1951 |
Born on this day was
American
singer/songwriter
and music publisher
Kye Fleming. She is
best known for
writing a series of
hit songs in the
1980s and making
productive
collaborations with
artists Ronnie
Milsap and Barbara
Mandrell. Some of
Fleming's most
successful songs
include: "I Was
Country When Country
Wasn't Cool",
"Sleeping Single in
a Double Bed",
"Smoky Mountain
Rain". |
23-Oct-1951 |
Born on this day in
Pulaski, Tennessee,
was David Wills,
singer-songwriter.
Wills wrote George
Strait's "If You're
Thinking You Want a
Stranger (There's
One Coming Home)"
and Garth Brooks'
"Wild Horses." |
31-Oct-1951 |
"Always Late (with
Your Kisses)"
co-written and
recorded by Lefty
Frizzell was at #1
on the Country
charts. The song
which spent 13 weeks
at the top of the
charts has also been
recorded by Merle
Haggard and Dwight
Yoakam. |
7-Nov-1951 |
Born on this day,
was harmonica
player, Mickey
Raphael who is best
known for his work
with Willie Nelson.
He has also recorded
with Vince Gill,
Emmylou Harris, Leon
Russell, Bonnie
Raitt, Kenny Wayne
Shepherd, Maria
Muldaur, Kenny
Chesney, and Neil
Young. |
14-Nov-1951 |
Hank Williams made
his first national
TV appearance, on
CBS-TV's The
Perry Como Show,
performing "Hey,
Good Lookin'". The
following week,
Perry Como opened
his show by doing
his own version of
"Hey Good Lookin'"
and then apologized
to Hank for doing
so. |
17-Nov-1951 |
Judy Martin the
second wife of
Country Music Hall
of Fame member Red
Foley and the
grandmother of
Christian country
music singer Debby
Boone died from an
overdose of sleeping
pills. |
10-Dec-1951 |
Born on this day in
Sabinal, Texas, was
Johnny Rodriguez who
became the first
famous Latin
American country
music singer,
infusing his music
with Latin sounds.
He had the 1973 US
#1 Country hit "You
Always Come Back to
Hurting Me." |
12-Dec-1951 |
Born on this day was
American country
music artist LaCosta
Tucker. The sister
of country singer
Tanya Tucker,
LaCosta charted
several singles of
her own in the 1970s
on the Billboard
country singles
charts, including
the #3 "Get on My
Love Train." |
13-Dec-1951 |
After on-going back
problems, Hank
Williams underwent a
"spine fusion"
operation at
Vanderbilt
University Hospital
in Nashville. |
18-Dec-1951 |
Born on this day was
drummer Hugh Wright
co-founder of Boy
Howdy who charted
seven singles on the
Country singles
chart in the 1990's.
He died of natural
causes on September
25, 2015 age 63. |
10-Jan-1952 |
Audrey Williams
filed for divorce
from Hank Williams
for the second time
in four years. |
12-Jan-1952 |
Born on this day in
Danville, Virginia,
was Ricky Van
Shelton, country
music artist who
between 1986 and
2006, charted more
than twenty singles
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, including
ten #1: "Somebody
Lied", "Life Turned
Her That Way",
'Don't We All Have
the Right", "I'll
Leave This World
Loving You", "From a
Jack to a King" (a
cover of the Ned
Miller hit), "Living
Proof", "I've Cried
My Last Tear for
You", "Rockin'
Years" (a duet with
Dolly Parton), "I Am
a Simple Man", and
"Keep It Between the
Lines". |
18-Feb-1952 |
Born on this day in
Lakehurst, New
Jersey, was Juice
Newton pop and
country singer,
songwriter and
guitarist. To date,
Newton has received
five Grammy
Award nominations
and scored the 1981
Country #1 single
"The Sweetest Thing
(I've Ever Known)." |
29-Feb-1952 |
Born on the day in
Midland, Texas, was
songwriter, record
producer and
recording artist
Billy Joe Walker Jr.
He composed singles
for Eddie Rabbitt,
including "I Wanna
Dance with You",
"That's Why I Fell
in Love with You"
and "B-B-B-Burnin'
Up with Love".
Walker died
following a period
of declining health
on July 25, 2017. |
17-Mar-1952 |
Born on this day in
Minneapolis,
Minnesota, was Susie
Allanson, American
country music singer
and actress who
scored the 1978 hit
"We Belong
Together." |
26-Mar-1952 |
Hank Williams
appeared on The
Kate Smith Evening
Hour TV show
performing "Hey Good
Lookin'". He later
joined in with the
rest of the cast
singing his own "I
Saw The Light".
Footage from this
show was later used
for the "There's A
Tear In My Beer"
video some 37 years
later. |
26-Mar-1952 |
Born on this day in
Lakeland, Florida
was musician Monte
Yoho. He is best
known as being a
member of Outlaws,
working with The
Bellamy Brothers and
Blackhawk. |
13-Apr-1952 |
Born on this day in
Bowling Green,
Kentucky, was Sam
Bush, an American
bluegrass mandolin
player who has
worked with many
artists including:
Leon Russell, Doc
Watson, Linda
Ronstadt, Dolly
Parton, Pam Tillis,
Kathy Mattea and
Garth Brooks. |
26-Apr-1952 |
American
gospel-country music
singer Martha
Carson was inducted
into the Grand
Ole Opry. She
had a series of
minor hits that
included "Journey to
the Sky", "This Ole
House", and "Saints
and Chariot", a
combination of two
old favorites that
Elvis Presley later
covered in concert. |
3-May-1952 |
Kitty Wells recorded
"It Wasn't God Who
Made Honky Tonk
Angels". Wells was
disenchanted with
her career prospects
and was considering
retirement, but
agreed to the
session at Owen
Bradley's studio
because of the $125
union scale
recording payment.
"It Wasn't God Who
Made Honky Tonk
Angels" was an
answer song to Hank
Thompson's "The Wild
Side of Life", and
its lyrical
treatment of
seductive, wayward
women. It became the
first #1
Billboard
country hit for a
solo female artist. |
3-May-1952 |
|
17-May-1952 |
Born on this day in
Los Angeles,
California was
guitarist Pat Flynn.
He joined the
progressive New
Grass Revival in
1981, eventually
becoming a studio
musician and playing
on hits by Randy
Travis, Lee Ann
Womack, Kathy
Mattea, George
Strait and Conway
Twitty, among
others. Pat wrote
and performed on
Garth Brooks' hit
single "Do What You
Gotta Do". |
18-May-1952 |
Born on this day in
Poteet, Texas, was
George Strait,
country music
singer, actor, and
producer. Strait who
is referred to as
the "King of
Country," is known
for his unique style
of western swing
music, bar-room
ballads, honky-tonk
style. Strait holds
the world record for
more #1 hit singles
than any other
artist in the
history of music on
any chart or in any
genre, having
recorded 60 #1 hit
singles.
|
12-Jun-1952 |
Born on this day in
Kirksville, Indiana,
was Junior Brown,
country guitarist
and singer. Brown's
signature instrument
is the "guit-steel"
double neck guitar,
a hybrid of electric
guitar and lap steel
guitar. In 1996 he
won the CMA
Country Music Video
of the Year for his
video, "My Wife
Thinks You're Dead,"
which featured
6-foot-7-inch
Gwendolyn
Gillingham.
|
19-Jun-1952 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer Bobby
Borchers. He charted
nine times within
the Top 40 of the
Hot Country Songs
charts, including
the #7 "Cheap
Perfume and
Candlelight" in
1977. |
24-Jun-1952 |
Born on this day was
Steuart Smith
American guitarist
and
multi-instrumentalist,
vocalist, writer and
producer. He is a
touring member of
the Eagles, where he
has performed as one
of the lead
guitarists since
2001 and has worked
with Vince Gill,
Rodney Crowell, Don
Henley and others. |
9-Jul-1952 |
June Carter married
the actor and
composer Carl Smith.
They had one child
together, Carlene
Carter. The couple
divorced in 1956. |
12-Jul-1952 |
Born on this day in
Rogersville,
Alabama, was Randy
McCormick, keyboard
player who co-wrote
Eddie Rabbitt's
"Suspicions" and
Conway Twitty's
"Crazy In Love."
McCormick has also
worked with George
Strait, Ricky Van
Shelton and Jamie
O'Neal. |
27-Jul-1952 |
Hank Thompson was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"Wild Side Of Life".
Spending 15 weeks at
#1 on the
Billboard
country charts, the
song solidified
Thompson's status as
a country music
superstar and
inspired the answer
song, "It Wasn't God
Who Made Honky Tonk
Angels" by Kitty
Wells. |
30-Jul-1952 |
Born on this day in
Tracy, Minnesota was
songwriter and music
publisher Dennis
Morgan. His first
songwriting success
was "Sleeping Single
in a Double Bed", a
#1 hit for Barbara
Mandrell in 1978.
Morgan was inducted
into the
Nashville
Songwriters
Foundation's
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 2004. |
11-Aug-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). |
17-Aug-1952 |
Hank Williams was
arrested in
Alexander City,
Alabama
for public
drunkeness. The
famous and much used
photo of Hank
Williams shirtless
was taken as he was
let out of jail
later in the day. |
23-Aug-1952 |
Kitty Wells became
the first female
solo artist to score
a #1 hit on the
Billboard country
charts with "It
Wasn't God Who Made
Honky Tonk Angels."
The song, an answer
to Hank Thompson's
"The Wild Side of
Life," spent two
weeks atop the chart
and forever changed
how women were seen,
both in song and
professionally. |
29-Aug-1952 |
Born on this day in
Durham, North
Carolina, was Don
Schlitz, country
music songwriter who
has earned two
Grammys, as
well as four
ASCAP Country
Songwriter of the
Year awards. Since
1993, Schlitz has
also been a member
of the Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame. Schlitz'
first hit as a
songwriter was Kenny
Rogers' "The
Gambler", which
became a crossover
country hit in 1978.
Garth Brooks, Randy
Travis, Johnny Cash,
Tanya Tucker and The
Judds have all
recorded his songs.
|
6-Sep-1952 |
Born on this day in
Fairborn, Ohio, was
Buddy Miller,
country singer,
songwriter,
musician, recording
artist and producer,
who has toured as
lead guitarist for
Emmylou Harris's
Steve Earle, Linda
Ronstadt, Patty
Griffin and Gillian
Welch. |
8-Sep-1952 |
Born on this day in
Niagara Falls, New
York, was Gary
Baker, country music
singer and
songwriter who was
once a member of The
Shooters. He has
written songs for
John Michael
Montgomery, Alabama
and others. His song
"I swear", recorded
by both All 4-One
and John Michael
Montgomery has sold
more than 20 million
copies
internationally, and
won the 1995
Grammy for
"Best Country Song." |
13-Sep-1952 |
Webb Pierce was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American country
music vocalist,
songwriter and
guitarist of the
1950s, was one of
the most popular of
the genre, charting
more #1 hits than
any other country
and western
performer during the
decade. |
17-Sep-1952 |
Born on this day was
American musician,
singer and
songwriter Steve
Sanders. He was best
known as being the
replacement for
William Lee Golden,
the baritone in The
Oak Ridge Boys. He
died from a
self-inflicted
gunshot wound to the
head on June 10th
1998. |
21-Sep-1952 |
Born o this day was
American country
singer Kenny Starr.
Between 1973 and
1978 he charted 13
singles and for much
of the 1970s was a
member of Loretta
Lynn's touring band,
the Coal Miners.
Starr's biggest hit
was a cover of David
Geddes's single "The
Blind Man in the
Bleachers". |
23-Sep-1952 |
Hank Williams
recorded "Kaw-Liga",
"Your Cheatin'
Heart", and "Take
These Chains from My
Heart", in what
became the musicians
last ever recording
session. |
11-Oct-1952 |
Born on this day in
Northfield,
Minnesota, was
Paulette Carlson,
country
singer-songwriter
who rose to fame in
the 1980s as the
founder and lead
vocalist for the
country band Highway
101. With Highway
101, she charted
four #1 hit singles,
and seven Top 10
hits. |
18-Oct-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. |
24-Oct-1952 |
Born on this day in
Vicksburg,
Mississippi was Mark
Gray, singer,
songwriter and a
member of Exile
between 1979 and
1982. Gray's solo
career includes
three albums and
eight Top 40 hits,
of which the
highest-peaking is
the #6 Tammy Wynette
duet "Sometimes When
We Touch". Gray also
co-wrote "Take Me
Down" and "The
Closer You Get",
both of which became
#1 hits for Alabama.
He died on December
2, 2016. |
29-Oct-1952 |
Hank Williams was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
"Jambalaya (On The
Bayou)." Named for
a Creole and Cajun
dish, jambalaya, it
spawned numerous
cover versions and
has since achieved
popularity in a
number of music
genres. The song
spent 14 weeks at
the top of the
chart. Over the
past few decades,
the Cajun French
version has been
performed by many
Cajun bands
including Aldus
Roger and Jo-El
Sonnier.
|
28-Dec-1952 |
Hank Williams played
at a private
Musicians Union
benefit held at the
Elite Cafe
Montgomery. The last
known photo of Hank
alive was taken at
this show. Hank
perfomed
"Jambalaya," "You
Win Again," "Cold
Cold Heart" and
"Lovesick Blues." |
30-Dec-1952 |
Hank Williams loaded
up his '52 Cadillac
with his guitar,
stage suits and
other things he
would need for this
short tour that
would take him up
through West
Virginia and Ohio.
At around 11:30am
Charles Carr, a 19
year old college
freshman Hank had
hired to drive him,
left his mothers
boarding house on N.
McDonough St. in
Montgomery, Alabama.
Hank was wearing
dark blue pants, a
white button up
shirt, a tie and a
navy blue overcoat.
It was unseasonably
cold over the south
that day as a snow
storm covered the
entire southeastern
united states. |
31-Dec-1952 |
Hank Williams was
scheduled to perform
at the Municipal
Auditorium in
Charleston, West
Virginia but due to
an ice storm in the
Nashville area,
Williams could not
fly, so he hired
Charles Carr, to
drive him to the
concert. When they
arrived at the
Andrew Johnson Hotel
in Knoxville,
Tennessee, Williams
complained of
feeling unwell and
saw a doctor. Carr
and Williams checked
out of the hotel,
and at around
midnight in Bristol,
Virginia, Carr
stopped at a small
all-night restaurant
and asked Williams
if he wanted to eat.
Williams said he did
not, and those are
believed to be his
last words. Carr
later stopped for
fuel at a gas
station in Oak Hill,
West Virginia, where
he realized that
Williams was dead. |
1-Jan-1953 |
American
singer-songwriter
and musician Hank
Williams died aged
29. Williams is
regarded as one of
the most important
country music
artists of all time.
35 of his singles
(five released
posthumously) were
placed in the Top 10
of the Billboard
Country & Western
Best Sellers chart,
including 11 that
ranked #1, including
"Cold, Cold Heart,"
"Hey, Good Lookin',"
"I'll Never Get Out
of This World
Alive," and "Your
Cheatin' Heart."
During his last
years Williams's
consumption of
alcohol, morphine
and painkillers
severely compromised
his professional
life. |
4-Jan-1953 |
The funeral of Hank
Williams took place
at the Montgomery
Auditorium. An
estimated 20,000 to
25,000 people passed
by the silver
coffin, and the
auditorium was
filled with 2,750
mourners. His
funeral was said to
have been far larger
than any ever held
for any other
citizen of Alabama.
Williams had died in
the back of his
Cadillac travelling
to a concert in
Ohio. |
18-Jan-1953 |
Jim Reeves recorded
"Mexican Joe" at
KWKH, Shreveport,
Louisiana.
Accompanying Reeves
were the Circle O
Ranch Boys. When
released in March of
this year it became
Reeves' first major
success nationally
and would eventually
pave the way to
superstardom. The
single hit #1 on the
country charts for
six weeks and spent
a total of twenty
six weeks on the
chart. |
19-Jan-1953 |
Marty Robbins was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. Robbins
was one of the most
popular and
successful country
and western singers
for most of his
nearly four-decade
career, which
spanned from the
late 1940s to the
early 1980s. He was
also an early outlaw
country pioneer. |
24-Jan-1953 |
Hank Williams was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "I'll
Never Get Out Of
This World Alive",
knocking himself
from the top of the
charts with his
previous single
"Jambalaya (On The
Bayou)". Williams
scored another two
#1's this year with
"Kaw-Liga" and "Take
These Chains From My
Heart". |
26-Jan-1953 |
Born on this day in
Lake Charles,
Louisiana, was
Lucinda Williams,
rock, folk, blues
and country music
singer and
songwriter who wrote
"Passionate Kisses"
the Grammy
winning song
made famous by the
1993 single version
by Mary Chapin
Carpenter.
|
27-Jan-1953 |
Born on this day was
American country
music songwriter Tom
Douglas. He has
written Top 10
Billboard Country
hits for John
Michael Montgomery,
Martina McBride, Tim
McGraw, ("Grown Men
Don't Cry" and
"Southern Voice,"),
Lady Antebellum, ("I
Run to You."),
Miranda Lambert,
Kenny Chesney and
others. |
10-Feb-1953 |
Born on this day was
Fred Mollin,
American and
Canadian record
producer, musician,
film and TV
composer, music
director, music
supervisor, and
songwriter. Mollin
has worked with many
artists including
Willie Nelson, Vince
Gill, Glen Campbell,
Crosby and Nash, Art
Garfunkel, Jackson
Browne and Linda
Ronstadt. |
5-Mar-1953 |
Born on this day in
San Antonio, Texas
was
singer-songwriter
Aaron Barker. He has
written#1 songs for
George Strait ("Baby
Blue", "Love Without
End, Amen", "Easy
Come, Easy Go") and
Lonestar ("What
About Now"). He was
inducted into the
Texas Heritage
Songwriters' Hall of
Fame in 2007. |
6-Apr-1953 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer Dottsy
Brodt Dwyer (known
as Dottsy). She
charted thirteen
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart,
including the 1977
Top Ten "(After
Sweet Memories) Play
Born to Lose Again." |
9-Apr-1953 |
Born on this day in
Greenwich, New York,
was Hal Ketchum,
country singer,
songwriter. His 1991
album Past the
Point of Rescue
is his most
commercially
successful, having
been certified gold
and between 1991 and
2006, Ketchum scored
seventeen entries on
the Hot Country
Songs charts.
Ketchum died at his
home in Fischer,
Texas on November
23, 2020 at the age
of 67. |
11-Apr-1953 |
Hank Williams' "Your
Cheatin' Heart" was
at #1 in the
Billboard
country chart. The
story goes that
Williams was
prompted to write
the song when
thinking about his
first wife, Audrey
Williams, while
driving around with
his second, Billie
Jean Jones who she
is supposed to have
written down the
lyrics for him
whilst sat in the
passenger seat. The
song was record
during his last ever
recording sessions,
on September 23,
1952 and had been
released the
following year,
shortly after he
died.
|
28-Apr-1953 |
Born on this day in
Jackson,
Mississippi, was
Fred Knoblock,
singer, songwriter.
Prior to his solo
career, Knoblock had
been a member of
Let's Eat, a 1970s
rock band. He later
wrote George
Strait's "Meanwhile"
and Lorrie Morgan's
"Back In Your Arms
Again." |
7-May-1953 |
Born on this day in
Gainesville, Georgia
was country music
songwriter John
Jarrard. He wrote
songs for Alabama,
George Strait, Don
Williams, and
others. Jarred died
on February 1, 2001
of respiratory
failure. |
26-May-1953 |
The first Jimmie
Rodgers Memorial
Festival was held to
honor the
anniversary of
Rodgers' death. The
festival in
Meridian,
Mississippi became
an annual event. |
1-Jun-1953 |
Born on this day in
Coleman, Texas, was
Ronnie Dunn, country
music artist, best
known for being one
half of the duo
Brooks & Dunn who
have won more
Country Music
Association
awards and
Academy of
Country Music
awards than any act
in the history of
country music. The
duo scored the 1991
US Country #1 hit
"Brand New Man."
|
23-Jun-1953 |
Born on this day, in
Chockie, Oklahoma,
was Pake McEntire,
the oldest brother
of Reba McEntire and
Susie Luchsinger.
His biggest chart
hit was the 1986,
"Savin' My Love for
You" which peaked at
#3. |
6-Jul-1953 |
Born on this day in
Seguin, Texas, was
Nanci Griffith,
American singer,
guitarist, and
songwriter. Griffith
has recorded duets
with many artists,
among them Emmylou
Harris, Don McLean,
Jimmy Buffett,
Dolores Keane,
Willie Nelson, and
Darius Rucker. |
9-Jul-1953 |
Born on this day in
Rock Hill, South
Carolina, was David
Ball, American
country music
artist. His
highest-peaking
chart entries are
1994's "Thinkin'
Problem" and 2001's
"Riding With Private
Malone", both of
which peaked at #2. |
3-Aug-1953 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was Randy
Scruggs, (the middle
son of Earl
Scruggs). Scruggs
has worked with many
artists, including
The Talbot Brothers,
Waylon Jennings,
George Strait and
Emmylou Harris. He
has won a
Grammy Award
and was twice named
"Musician of the
Year" at the
Country Music
Association
Awards. Scruggs
died on April 17th
2018. |
5-Aug-1953 |
Born on this day in
Whitewright, Texas
was fiddle and
mandolin player,
session musician,
and composer Larry
Franklin. He has
worked with Lee Ann
Womack, Martina
McBride, Alan
Jackson, Vince Gill,
Ray Price, Mel
Tillis, and Miranda
Lambert among
others. While a
member of Asleep at
the Wheel, Franklin
won three Grammy
awards. |
8-Aug-1953 |
Born on this day in
Detroit, Michigan,
was Todd Cerney,
songwriter and
musician. He
composed "Good
Morning Beautiful",
a 2002 five-week
country #1 hit for
Steve Holy
(co-written with
Zack Lyle). In
October 2009, Kenny
Rogers and Dolly
Parton reunited for
the first time in 25
years to sing "Tell
Me That You Love
Me," a duet that
Cerney co-wrote.
Cerney died in
Nashville, Tennessee
on March 14, 2011
from melanoma, a
disease with which
he had first been
diagnosed with in
November 2010,
following a brain
seizure. He was 57
years old. |
19-Aug-1953 |
The wife of Hank
Williams Billie Jean
signed an agreement
accepting and out of
court settlement of
US$30,000 in a deal
that required she
stopped making
appearances billing
herself as "Mrs.
Hank Williams". She
was also orderd to
reveal the location
of Williams'
Tennessee Walking
Horse, and the
return of a saddle
and three suitcases
that belonged to
him. With the
agreement, Hank's
first with Lilly
became the legal
guardian of the
estate on behalf of
Hank Williams, Jr.
Williams and Billie
Jean were married by
a justice of the
peace in Minden,
Louisiana but after
Williams' death, a
judge ruled that the
wedding was not
legal because Jones'
divorce had not
become final until
11 days after she
married Williams. |
22-Aug-1953 |
Goldie Hill was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. She was
one of the first
women in country
music, and became
one of the first
women to reach the
top of the country
music charts with
her #1 1953 hit, "I
Let the Stars Get In
My Eyes". Along with
Kitty Wells and Jean
Shepard she helped
set the standard for
later women in
country music. |
16-Sep-1953 |
Born on this day in
Monroe, Louisiana
was Michael Rhodes
bass player, known
for his session
work. Rhodes has
worked with Rodney
Crowell, Wynonna
Judd, Dixie Chicks,
Reba McEntire, Tanya
Tucker, Hank
Williams, Jr.,
Rosanne Cash, Vince
Gill, Dolly Parton,
Randy Travis, Faith
Hill, Toby Keith,
and Kenny Chesney.
Rhodes died on March
4, 2023, at the age
of 69 of pancreatic
cancer. |
18-Sep-1953 |
Born on this day in
Louisville,
Mississippi, was
Carl Jackson,
country and
bluegrass musician
who played in Glen
Campbell's band for
12 years. Jackson's
first Grammy
was awarded in 1992
for his duet album
with John Starling
titled Spring
Training. In
2003 Jackson
produced the
Grammy
Award-winning CD
titled Livin',
Lovin', Losin':
Songs of the Louvin
Brothers - a
tribute to Ira and
Charlie Louvin. He
also recorded one of
the songs on the CD,
a collection of
duets featuring such
artists as James
Taylor, Alison
Krauss, Dolly
Parton, Johnny Cash,
Emmylou Harris, and
others. |
19-Sep-1953 |
Patsy Cline married
contractor Gerald
Cline. The couple
divorced on July 4,
1957, the
dissolution of the
marriage was blamed
on their
considerable age
difference and on
the conflict between
her desire to sing
professionally and
his desire that she
adopt the
conventional role of
a housewife. |
30-Sep-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. |
12-Oct-1953 |
Born on this day in
Lexington, North
Carolina, was Terry
McMillan, country
musician who played
harmonica and
percussion. He
became a very
in-demand session
musician working
with, Ray Charles,
Dolly Parton, Garth
Brooks, George
Jones, Merle
Haggard, Reba
McEntire, Randy
Travis, Johnny Cash,
Roy Orbison, Kenny
Chesney, Emmylou
Harris, Waylon
Jennings, Trisha
Yearwood, and Dixie
Chicks. He died at
the age of 53 on 2
Feb 2007. |
17-Oct-1953 |
Carl Butler was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. Carl
Butler and Pearl
were an American
country music
husband-and-wife
duo. Between 1962
and 1969, the duo
released several
singles and charted
thirteen times on
the U.S. country
charts, #1 in 1962
with their first
single, "Don't Let
Me Cross Over". The
Butlers were also
among the earliest
supporters of Dolly
Parton, with whom
they had worked in
Knoxville in the
1950s, and they
helped to get her
established in
Nashville in the
early 1960s. |
3-Nov-1953 |
"I Forgot More Than
You'll Ever Know" by
The Davis Sisters
was at #1 on the
Country chart.
Written by Cecil
Null, it was the
first hit for the
duo of Skeeter Davis
and Betty Jack (Jack
was killed in an
automobile accident
the week the record
was released). The
song was a
blockbuster hit, and
the only #1 country
song by a female
duet until the rise
of The Judds some
thirty years later. |
4-Nov-1953 |
Born on this day in
Hamilton, Ohio was
singer, songwriter
Van Stephenson. He
scored three US
Billboard Hot
100 hits in the
1980s as a solo
artist, and later
became vocalist in
the country music
band BlackHawk.
Stephenson died of
cancer on April 8,
2001. |
22-Nov-1953 |
Born on this day was
record producer and
guitarist John
Jennings. He was
best known for his
work with Mary
Chapin Carpenter as
well as working with
Indigo Girls, the
Rankin Family,
Cheryl Wheeler, Iris
DeMent, and George
Jones. Jennings
died of kidney
cancer on October
16, 2015 aged 62. |
12-Dec-1953 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta GA and
raised in NC, was
country music
songwriter Byron
Hill. Inducted in
the Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 2018, Hill
wrote hits including
“Fool Hearted
Memory” for George
Strait, “Pickin’
Up Strangers” for
Johnny Lee, “Born
Country” for
Alabama,
“Politics,
Religion, And Her”
for Sammy Kershaw,
“Nothing On But
The Radio” for
Gary Allan,
“High-Tech
Redneck” for
George Jones,
“Alright
Already” for Larry
Stewart, “If I Was
A Drinkin’ Man”
for Neal McCoy,
“Lifestyles Of The
Not So Rich And
Famous” for Tracy
Byrd, and many
others. |
15-Dec-1953 |
Born on this day was
American country
singer-songwriter
Randy Parton, the
younger brother of
Dolly Parton. He had
the 1981 hits "Hold
Me Like You Never
Had Me" and "Shot
Full of Love". He
died from cancer on
January 21, 2021 age
67. |
17-Dec-1953 |
Born on this day was
Sharon White from
American country
music vocal group
The Whites. The
Whites became
members of the Grand
Ole Opry in 1984 and
were current
regulars on the
program in
Nashville,
Tennessee. The
Whites can be heard
on the O Brother,
Where Art Thou?
soundtrack with the
song "Keep on the
Sunny Side". |
2-Jan-1954 |
Born on this day in
Pasadena, California
was songwriter,
composer, session
pianist John Barlow
Jarvis. He has
worked with many
artists including:
Garth Brooks, Tammy
Wynette, Shania
Twain, Bob Seger,
Hank Williams Jr,
George Strait, Reba
McEntire and Jimmy
Buffett. |
5-Jan-1954 |
Born on this day in
Binger, Oklahoma was
songwriter Verlon
Thompson. His songs
have been covered by
many notable
musicians,
including: Kenny
Rogers, Randy
Travis, Trisha
Yearwood, Jimmy
Buffett, Alan
Jackson, Miranda
Lambert and Guy
Clark. |
19-Jan-1954 |
George Jones
recorded "No Money
in This Deal" and
"Play It Cool, Man".
"No Money in This
Deal" became his
debut country song
released on February
18, 1954 with
Starday Records. The
songs became the
first recordings to
be of a little over
900 that Jones would
record during his
61-year career. |
24-Jan-1954 |
Born on this day in
Dayton, Ohio, was
Glenn Worf, a
prolific Nashville
session bassist.
Throughout his
career, Worf has
recorded with
numerous performers
including Trace
Adkins, Billy Ray
Cyrus, Alan Jackson,
Wynonna Judd, Toby
Keith, Martina
McBride, Reba
McEntire, Tim
McGraw, Miranda
Lambert, Kenny
Rogers, Sugarland,
Shania Twain, Keith
Urban, Lee Ann
Womack, and Tammy
Wynette. |
18-Feb-1954 |
George Jones
released his debut
single "No Money in
This Deal" on
Starday Records. The
song became the
first recording to
be of a little over
900 that Jones would
record during his
61-year career. |
20-Feb-1954 |
"Slowly" by Webb
Pierce became the
first #1 song on
Billboard's country
charts to feature
the pedal steel
guitar. (His biggest
hit was "In the
Jailhouse Now,"
which charted for 37
weeks in 1955).
|
1-Mar-1954 |
Born on this day, in
Cleveland, Ohio, was
Catherine Bach,
actress, known for
playing Daisy Duke
in the television
series The Dukes
of Hazzard that
aired on the
CBS
television network
from 1979 to 1985.
The producers were
looking for a Dolly
Parton-lookalike;
despite not looking
like what they were
searching for, she
was hired on the
spot. At the hight
of the show a poster
of 'Daisy' in her
cut-off jeans sold
over 5 million
copies. |
31-Mar-1954 |
Born on this day was
American guitarist
and singer Greg
Martin from country
rock and Southern
rock band The
Kentucky
Headhunters. Their
1989 album
Pickin' on
Nashville won a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Performance in 1991. |
25-Apr-1954 |
Born on this day in
Sumter, South
Carolina was
American country
music artist Rob
Crosby. Between 1990
and 1996, he charted
eight singles on the
Hot Country Singles
& Tracks charts.
Crosby has written
songs from many
artists including
Lady Antebellum,
Carl Perkins, Brooks
& Dunn, Restless
Heart, Martina
McBride, Eric
Paslay, Darryl
Worley, Boy Howdy,
Ty Herndon and Don
Williams. |
4-May-1954 |
Born on this day in
1954, in Fremont,
Nebraska, was
singer, songwriter,
guitarist, and
trumpeter, Don King
who in the 1970s and
1980s charted more
than fifteen hit
singles on the
Billboard
country music
charts. King toured
with many artists,
such as Alabama,
Reba McEntire, John
Anderson, The Oak
Ridge Boys, Conway
Twitty, and Tammy
Wynette. |
29-May-1954 |
George Jones
released "Play It
Cool, Man" on
Starday Records. It
is the oldest
recording to be
included on his
debut album released
in 1956. |
31-May-1954 |
Born on this day in
Detroit, Michigan,
was Paul Franklin,
multi-instrumentalist,
known mainly for his
work as a steel
guitarist. Franklin
has worked with many
well known acts
during his career,
including Barbara
Mandrell, Rodney
Crowell, George
Strait, Alan
Jackson, Faith Hill,
Shania Twain, Reba
McEntire, Patty
Loveless, and Kathy
Mattea. |
11-Jun-1954 |
Born on this day was
Johnny Neel American
vocalist,
songwriter, and
musician based in
Nashville,
Tennessee. He was a
member of the Allman
Brothers Band and
the Dickey Betts
Band. Neel's songs
have also been
recorded by Delbert
McClinton,
Montgomery Gentry,
Keith Whitley,
Travis Tritt, The
Oak Ridge Boys and
Restless Heart. |
12-Jun-1954 |
Ferlin Husky was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. In the
1950s and '60s, his
hits included "Gone"
and "Wings of a
Dove", each reaching
#1 on the country
charts. Between 1953
and 1975, he had 11
top 10 hits, two
dozen top 20 hits
and a total of 50
songs in Billboard
magazine's top 100
country songs. |
15-Jun-1954 |
Born on this day in
Miami, Florida, was
Terri Gibbs, country
music artist who was
born blind. Between
1980 and 1990, she
recorded seven
studio albums,
including four for
MCA Records and one
for Warner Bros.
Records. She also
charted thirteen
singles on the
Billboard
country singles
charts in that
timespan, including
her debut single
"Somebody's
Knockin'", which
reached #8 on the
country charts. |
19-Jun-1954 |
"I Don't Hurt
Anymore" by Hank
Snow began a 20 week
run at #1 on the
Country Best Seller
list. Also on the
chart, "One by One"
by Red Foley and
Kitty Wells began a
21 week run at #2 on
same chart, managing
a single week at #1
later in the year. |
1-Jul-1954 |
Born on this day in
Ashland, Kentucky,
was Keith Whitley,
country music singer
who charted 19
singles on the
Billboard
country charts,
including five
consecutive #1's:
"Don't Close Your
Eyes", "When You Say
Nothing at All",
"I'm No Stranger to
the Rain", "I Wonder
Do You Think of Me"
and "It Ain't
Nothin'". He died on
May 9, 1989, the
cause of death was
determined to be
acute ethanolism
(alcohol poisoning).
|
9-Jul-1954 |
During recording
sessions at Sun
studios in Memphis,
Elvis Presley
recorded a version
of Bill Monroe's
"Blue Moon Of
Kentucky". Numerous
artists have
recorded the song,
including John
Fogerty, Patsy
Cline, Ronnie
Hawkins, Jerry Lee
Lewis, LeAnn Rimes,
Paul McCartney,
Boxcar Willie, Ray
Charles and Jerry
Reed.
|
13-Jul-1954 |
Born on this day in
Corpus Christi,
Texas, was Louise
Mandrell country
music singer. She is
the younger sister
of country singer
Barbara Mandrell,
and older sister of
actress Irlene
Mandrell. |
18-Jul-1954 |
Born on this day,
was Ricky Skaggs,
country and
bluegrass singer,
musician, producer,
and composer, who
was the 1982
Country Music
Association
singer of the year.
He scored the US
country #1 single
'Crying My Heart Out
Over You'. |
7-Aug-1954 |
Johnny Cash married
Vivian Liberto at St
Ann's Catholic
Church in Memphis.
The couple had four
daughters: Rosanne
(born May 24, 1955);
Kathleen (born April
16, 1956); Cindy
(born July 29,
1958); and Tara
(born August 24,
1961). The couple
divorced in late
1967. During their
courtship, Cash and
Liberto wrote each
other over 10,000
pages of love
letters, forming the
basis of her
autobiography,
titled I Walked
the Line: My Life
with Johnny,
which was
published in 2007. |
4-Sep-1954 |
After a two-week
courtship, George
Jones married his
second wife
eighteen-year-old
Shirley Ann Corley. |
9-Sep-1954 |
Elvis Presley played
at the opening of
the Lamar-Airways
Shopping Center in
Memphis Tennessee.
Johnny Cash was in
the audience and
after the show met
Elvis for the first
time. |
21-Sep-1954 |
Alabama governor
Gordon Persons
officially
proclaimed today -
September 21st the
official Hank
Williams Day. |
25-Sep-1954 |
George Jones
released his third
single "You All
Goodnight" on
Starday Records. The
song was recorded in
the living room of
Quinn at 5628 Brock
Street in Houston
with just one
microphone that hung
down from the wooden
ceiling beams. |
30-Sep-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. |
2-Oct-1954 |
Elvis Presley makes
his one and only
appearance at the
Grand Ole Opry,
where he sang "Blue
Moon Of Kentucky."
It doesn't go over
well with the crowd,
which does not
approve of his take
on traditional
country music. The
Opry's talent
director, Jim Denny,
reportedly tells
Presley he should go
back to driving a
truck. Elvis swears
never to return. |
30-Oct-1954 |
Born on this day in
St. Louis, Missouri,
was Jeannie Kendall,
singer from the duo
The Kendalls who
released 16 albums
including the #1
hits "Heaven's Just
a Sin Away," "Sweet
Desire" and "Thank
God for the Radio". |
30-Oct-1954 |
Born on this day in
Arabi, Georgia, was
T. Graham Brown,
country music artist
who has recorded
over a dozen studio
albums, and has
charted more than
twenty singles on
the Billboard
Hot Country
Songs charts. Three
of these singles -
"Hell and High
Water" and "Don't Go
to Strangers" from
1986, and "Darlene"
from 1988, reached
#1.
|
13-Nov-1954 |
A Billboard disc
jockey poll reported
that U.S. disc
jockeys were playing
11 percent country
on radio stations,
compared to 42
percent pop and 5
percent rhythm and
blues. |
19-Nov-1954 |
Faron Young was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. Known as
the "Hillbilly
Heartthrob", and
following a singing
cowboy film role as
the "Young Sheriff
", Young's singles
charted for more
than 30 years. He
had the
chart-topping
singles "Hello
Walls" and "It's
Four in the
Morning". |
20-Nov-1954 |
Bartenders in
Hammond, Indiana
requesed that disc
jockeys at WJOB
radio stop playing
Ferlin Husky's "The
Drunken Driver,"
about an intoxicated
driver who causes a
crash that kills two
children; the song
"is hurting
business," the union
claimed. |
1-Dec-1954 |
Fred Rose an
American Hall of
Fame songwriter
and music publishing
executive died.
Along with Hank
Williams and the
"Father of Country
Music", Jimmie
Rodgers, Fred Rose
was one of the three
charter members of
the Country Music
Hall of Fame
when it opened in
1961. He was
inducted into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1970 and
into the
Songwriters Hall
of Fame in 1985. |
3-Dec-1954 |
Born on this day was
Paul Gregg, bass
guitar, background
vocals with Restless
Heart. 26 of their
singles have entered
the Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, including
six that reached #1. |
13-Dec-1954 |
Born on this day in
Orlando, Florida,
was John Anderson,
country music artist
who has charted more
than 40 singles on
the Billboard
country music
charts, including
five #1's, "Wild and
Blue", "Swingin'",
"Black Sheep",
"Straight Tequila
Night", and "Money
in the Bank". He has
also recorded
twenty-two studio
albums on several
labels.
|
25-Dec-1954 |
Born on this day in
Noblesville,
Indiana, was Steve
Wariner, country
music singer,
songwriter and
guitarist who has
charted more than
fifty singles on the
Billboard
country singles
charts, including
ten #1 hits: "All
Roads Lead to You",
"Some Fools Never
Learn", "You Can
Dream of Me",
"Life's Highway",
"Small Town Girl",
"The Weekend",
"Lynda", "Where Did
I Go Wrong", and "I
Got Dreams", and
"What If I Said", a
duet with Anita
Cochran.
|
29-Dec-1954 |
Born on this day in
Creston, Iowa was
drummer and session
musician John
Robinson. He has
worked with many
Country artists
including Clint
Black, Martina
McBride, Toby Keith,
Wynona Judd, Crystal
Gayle, Faith Hill as
well as Michael
Jackson's
multiplatinum Off
the Wall album
and the charity
single "We Are the
World." |
31-Dec-1954 |
Born on this day in
Aylmer, Quebec, was
Charlie Major
Canadian country
music artist. He was
blinded in one eye
as a result of a
pellet gun accident
when he was 12.
Through the 1990s,
he won the Juno
Award as Country
Male Vocalist of the
Year for two years
in a row. |
1-Jan-1955 |
Lester Flatt and
Earl Scruggs were
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American bluegrass
duo of singer and
guitarist Lester
Flatt and banjo
player Earl Scruggs
had been members of
Bill Monroe's band,
the Bluegrass Boys. |
14-Jan-1955 |
George Jones
released "What Am I
Worth", one of the
fourteen songs
included on Jones'
debut album with
Starday Records in
1957. The single
gave Jones his
second Country hit
when it peaked at #7
on the charts. |
17-Jan-1955 |
Born on this day, at
Fort Monroe in
Hampton, Virginia,
was Steve Earle,
singer, songwriter.
His song "Mustang
Wine" was due to be
recorded by Elvis
Presley in 1975, but
Presley did not turn
up for the recording
session and was
later released as a
single by Carl
Perkins. His gritty
1986 album Guitar
Town album
became an
influential signpost
for the alt-country
movement. Earle has
been married seven
times, including
twice to the same
woman. |
18-Jan-1955 |
Born on this day in
Lynwood, California,
was Kevin Costner
actor, producer and
singer. Costner is
the singer in Kevin
Costner & Modern
West, a country rock
band which he
founded with the
encouragement of his
wife Christine. |
22-Jan-1955 |
Ozark Jubilee
aired for the first
time on
ABC-TV, which
became the first
popular country
music show on
network TV. Hosted
by Red Foley many
acts including Patsy
Cline, Eddy Arnold,
Johnny Cash, Merle
Travis, Slim
Whitman, Cowboy
Copas, George Jones,
George Hamilton IV,
Buck Owens, Jim
Reeves and Faron
Young all appeared
on the show. Music
executive Si Siman
convinced Red Foley
to host the show
and the deal was set
over a bottle of
Jack Daniel's
whiskey at the
Andrew Jackson Hotel
in Nashville,
Tennessee. |
27-Jan-1955 |
Born on this day was
American guitarist
and singer Richard
Young from country
rock and Southern
rock band The
Kentucky
Headhunters. Their
1989 album
Pickin' on
Nashville won a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Performance in 1991. |
27-Jan-1955 |
Born on this day was
Cheryl White from
American country
music vocal group
The Whites. The
Whites became
members of the Grand
Ole Opry in 1984 and
were current
regulars on the
program in
Nashville,
Tennessee. The
Whites can be heard
on the O Brother,
Where Art Thou?
soundtrack with the
song "Keep on the
Sunny Side". |
26-Feb-1955 |
The Louvin Brothers
were inducted into
the Grand Ole
Opry. The
American musical duo
helped popularize
the vocal technique
of close harmony in
country and
country-rock.
Rolling Stone ranked
the Louvin Brothers
#4 on its list of
the 20 Greatest Duos
of All Time. |
11-Mar-1955 |
Born on this day,
was Jimmy Fortune,
Country singer,
songwriter with The
Statler Brothers who
had the 80's US
Country #1 hits
'Elizabeth' and "Do
You Know You Are My
Sunshine". |
17-Mar-1955 |
Born on this day in
Newton, Mississippi,
was Paul Overstreet
country music singer
and songwriter who
has charted two #1
hits. He has also
written singles for
several other
country acts,
including #1 hits
for Randy Travis,
Blake Shelton, and
Keith Whitley, as
well as hits for The
Judds and Kenny
Chesney. |
22-Mar-1955 |
Born on this day was
American country
music artist James
House. Originally a
member of a group
called the House
Band, he later
penned singles for
Diamond Rio and
Dwight Yoakam,
before he charted
two Top 40 singles
on the Billboard
country chart,
including the Top 10
hit "This Is Me
Missing You". |
26-Mar-1955 |
Born on this day,
was Dean Dillon,
country music artist
who between 1982 and
1993, recorded six
studio albums on
various labels, and
charted several
singles on the
Billboard
country charts.
Dillon has continued
to write several hit
songs for other
artists, most
notably George
Strait. He is the
father of country
music songwriter,
Jessie Jo Dillon,
and the two often
collaborate. |
28-Mar-1955 |
Born on this day
outside of Kiowa,
Oklahoma, Reba
McEntire, country
music artist and
actress who has
scored 35 #1 singles
and released over 25
albums. Sometimes
referred to as "The
Queen of Country",
she has sold more
than 70 million
albums worldwide as
well as starring in
her television
sitcom, Reba
for which she was
nominated for the
Golden Globe
Award for Best
Performance in a
Television
Series-Musical or
Comedy. |
4-May-1955 |
Born on this day in
Winthrop,
Massachusetts was
Robert Ellis Orrall
singer, songwriter,
and record producer
who has penned #1
singles for
Shenandoah and Clay
Walker and has also
written hits for
Reba McEntire,
Taylor Swift, and
Lindsay Lohan. In
1991 he charted the
singles "Boom! It
Was Over" and "A
Little Bit of Her
Love", from his
first country music
album, Flying
Colors. |
12-May-1955 |
Born on this day,
was Kix Brooks III,
country music
artist, best known
for being one half
of the duo Brooks &
Dunn who have won
more Country
Music
Association
awards and
Academy of
Country Music
awards than any act
in the history of
country music. |
24-May-1955 |
Born on this day in
Memphis, Tennessee,
was American
singer-songwriter
and author, Rosanne
Cash, the eldest
daughter of country
music icon Johnny
Cash and his first
wife, Vivian Liberto
Cash Distin. She won
a Grammy in
1985 for "I Don't
Know Why You Don't
Want Me", and has
received twelve
other Grammy
nominations. She has
had 11 #1 country
hit singles, 21 Top
40 country singles
and two gold
records.
|
6-Jun-1955 |
Born on this day,
was Curtis Wright,
American country
music artist. He
made his debut in
1989 with the single
"She's Got a Man on
her Mind". By 1994,
he and frequent
songwriting partner
Robert Ellis Orrall
had formed a duo
known as Orrall &
Wright who wrote
Ronnie Milsap's #1
single "A Woman in
Love". |
18-Jun-1955 |
Faron Young's
signature hit, "Live
Fast, Love Hard, Die
Young," peaked at #1
on the
Billboard
country chart. The
song idea came to
Joe Allison while
watching a gangster
movie starring John
Derek. Allison
explained, "All
through this picture
he said, 'I want to
die young and leave
a good-looking
corpse.' |
1-Jul-1955 |
Patsy Cline made her
network television
debut on the
short-lived
television version
of the Grand Ole
Opry on ABC-TV. |
10-Jul-1955 |
Born on this day in
Easton,
Pennsylvania, was
Stan Munsey,
songwriter and one
of several
writer-musicians to
emerge out of the
Muscle Shoals,
Alabama music scene.
His songs have sold
more than 12 million
worldwide and has
penned tunes for
Alabama, Shenandoah,
The Statler
Brothers, Glen
Campbell, Shania
Twain, Tim McGraw,
The Kinleys, Butch
Baker, Lorrie
Morgan, Suzy
Bogguss, Barbara
Mandrell, Lee
Greenwood, Jonathan
Edwards, Mel
McDaniel, Charly
McClain, Wayne
Massey, Ty Herndon,
Collin Raye, John
Michael Montgomery,
Marty Raybon, and
Marie Osmond. |
15-Jul-1955 |
Slim Whitman's "Rose
Marie" became an
international smash
hit, debuting on the
UK charts and
quickly rising to
#1. The song's
11-week run in pole
position stood as
one of the longest
runs for many years
on the UK charts. |
30-Jul-1955 |
Johnny Cash recorded
his first version of
"Folsom Prison
Blues" at the Sun
Recording Studio in
Memphis, Tennessee.
Cash was inspired to
write this song
after seeing the
movie Inside the
Walls of Folsom
Prison (1951)
while serving in
West Germany in the
United States Air
Force at Landsberg,
Bavaria (itself the
location of a famous
prison). |
1-Aug-1955 |
Johnny Cash was part
of a 5-date Webb
Pierce package tour
with Elvis Presley
and Wanda Jackson,
which played the
opeening night at
the Mississippi-
Alabama Fairgrounds
in Tupelo,
Mississippi. |
6-Aug-1955 |
Hank Snow, Lefty
Frizzell, Eddie
Dean, Freddie Hart
and The Collins Kids
performed the
first-ever country
concert at Los
Angeles' Hollywood
Bowl with the Los
Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra. |
17-Aug-1955 |
Born on this day in
Long Beach,
California, was
Kevin Welch, country
music artist who has
charted five singles
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. |
27-Aug-1955 |
George Jones
recorded "Why Baby
Why" at Gold Star
Studios, Houston,
Texas. The song
became Jones' first
chart single
(peaking at #4),
following several
unsuccessful singles
released during the
prior year on
Starday Records. |
10-Sep-1955 |
At the age of 20,
Justin Tubb was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. He was the
oldest son of
country singer
Ernest Tubb, known
for popular songs
like "Walking the
Floor Over You". |
17-Sep-1955 |
George Jones
released "Why Baby
Why" on Starday
Records. It became
Jones' first chart
single, following
several unsuccessful
singles released
during the prior
year when it peaked
at #4 on the
Billboard
country charts. |
24-Sep-1955 |
Born on this day in
Oak Park, Illinois,
was American female
singer-songwriter
Lane Brody, best
known for her 1984
Billboard
topping country hit,
"The Yellow Rose" (a
duet with country
music singer Johnny
Lee), and for the
Oscar
nominated song "Over
You" from the film
Tender
Mercies. She is
the first female in
country music to
have an Oscar
nominated hit
from a soundtrack
album. Besides "The
Yellow Rose", Brody
has eleven other
chart singles on the
country charts. |
26-Sep-1955 |
Born on this day
country singer and
songwriter Carlene
Carter, (the
daughter of June
Carter and her first
husband, Carl
Smith). She has
released twelve
albums and over
twenty singles,
including three #3
peaking hits on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. |
9-Oct-1955 |
Johnny Cash played
the first night of a
week long tour
appearing with Elvis
Presley, Floyd
Cramer, Jimmy Newman
and Porter Wagoner
at the Cheery
Springs Dance Hall,
Cherryspring. |
11-Oct-1955 |
Elvis Presley, Carl
Perkins and Johnny
Cash kicked off an
eleven date tour of
the Southern US
states in Abilene,
Texas. |
12-Oct-1955 |
The Chrysler
Corporation
introduced high
fidelity record
players for their
1956 line-up of
cars. The unit
measured about four
inches high and less
than a foot wide and
mounted under the
instrument panel.
The seven-inch discs
spun at 16 2/3 rpm
and required almost
three times the
number of grooves
per inch as an LP. A
set of 35 classical
recordings were
available that
provided between 45
and 60 minutes of
uninterrupted music.
The players would be
discontinued in
1961. |
22-Oct-1955 |
American country
music singer and
songwriter Jim
Reeves was inducted
into the Grand
Ole Opry. Known
as "Gentleman Jim",
his songs continued
to chart for years
after his death in a
plane crash in 1964.
Reeves was elected
posthumously to the
Country Music Hall
of Fame during 1967,
which honored him by
saying, "The velvet
style of 'Gentleman
Jim Reeves' was an
international
influence. His rich
voice brought
millions of new fans
to country music
from every corner of
the world." |
29-Oct-1955 |
Slim Whitman was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American country
music
singer-songwriter
and guitarist was
known for his
yodeling abilities
and his use of
falsetto. He sold
over 70 million
records during a
career that spanned
more than seven
decades. His
prolific output
included more than
100 albums and
around 500 recorded
songs. |
1-Nov-1955 |
Born on this day in
Wichita Falls,
Texas, was Keith
Stegall, country
music recording
artist and record
producer. Stegall
charted thirteen
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, with the
highest-peaking
being 1985's "Pretty
Lady." |
10-Nov-1955 |
The Wilburn Brothers
were inducted into
the Grand Ole
Opry. They first
attracted attention
as child performers,
beginning in 1937,
in an act called The
Wilburn Children.
Roy Acuff discovered
them and brought
them to the Grand
Ole Opry in 1940. In
addition to being
successful artists,
the Wilburns formed
the Wil-helm Talent
Agency in the early
1960s and were
instrumental in
launching the
careers of many
country music
legends, most
notably Loretta
Lynn. |
10-Nov-1955 |
Elvis Presley
attended the fourth
Country Music
Disc Jockey
Convention in
Nashville Tennessee.
Back at his hotel
Mae Boren Axton
played him a demo of
a new song she had
written with Tommy
Durden called
"Heartbreak Hotel."
Presley released the
track as a single on
January 27, 1956,
his first on his new
record label RCA
Victor. The song
gave him his his
first #1 pop record. |
12-Nov-1955 |
Billboard
magazine's annual
disc jockey poll
voted Elvis Presley
as the most
promising country
and western artist. |
9-Dec-1955 |
Elvis Presley, Carl
Perkins and Johnny
Cash kicked off an
eleven date tour of
the Southern US
states in Abilene,
Texas.
|
12-Dec-1955 |
Johnny Cash, Carl
Perkins and Elvis
Presley all appeared
at the National
Guard Armory,
Armory, Mississippi. |
1-Jan-1956 |
George Jones won the
Billboard Award for
Most Promising New
Country Vocalist. |
7-Jan-1956 |
Johnny Cash started
a regular Saturday
night spot on the
Louisiana
Hayride,
broadcast from the
Auditorium in
Shreveport,
Louisiana. |
11-Jan-1956 |
Born on this day was
Robert Earl Keen,
American
singer-songwriter.
His songs have also
been covered by
several different
artists including
George Strait, Joe
Ely, Lyle Lovett,
The Highwaymen,
Nanci Griffith, and
the Dixie Chicks. |
13-Jan-1956 |
Born on this day in
Neptune Township,
New Jersey was
singer, songwriter
Greg Trooper. Many
artists covered
Trooper's songs,
including Vince
Gill, Steve Earle
and Robert Earl
Keene. He died on
January 15th 2017
just two days after
his 61st Birthday. |
18-Jan-1956 |
Born on this day was
Mark Collie,
American singer,
songwriter,
musician, actor,
producer and
tireless advocate
and fundraiser for
Type 1 diabetes
study. Sixteen of
his singles have
charted on Hot
Country Songs,
including the top
ten hits "Even the
Man in the Moon Is
Cryin'" and "Born to
Love You". Collie
has also written
songs for Aaron
Tippin, Garth
Brooks, Tim McGraw,
and JT Hodges. |
23-Jan-1956 |
Born on this day in
Dayton, Ohio, was
singer-songwriter
Harley Allen who
penned Alan
Jackson's "Between
The Devil And Me"
and John Michael
Montgomery's "The
Little Girl", as
well as songs for
Garth Brooks, Don
Williams, Linda
Ronstadt and George
Jones. Allen died of
lung cancer on March
30, 2011 at his home
in Brentwood,
Tennessee. |
20-Feb-1956 |
Born on this day,
James Salestrom
American
singer-songwriter.
Salestrom was the
lead singer of the
band Timberline from
1971 to 1977.
Salestrom performed
in Dolly Parton's
band from 1979 to
1991. As a solo
artist, he performed
in shows around the
world. He died from
cancer at his home
in Arvada, Colorado,
on November 22,
2023, at the age of
67. |
23-Feb-1956 |
11-year-old Brenda
Lee turned down $30
to sing on a
Swainsboro radio
station to see Red
Foley and a visiting
Jubilee promotional
unit at Bell
Auditorium. A local
disc jockey
convinced Foley to
hear her sing before
the show. He was
stunned and agreed
to let Lee perform
"Jambalaya" that
night. Lee was later
booked to make her
network debut for to
sing "Jambalaya" on
the second "Junior
Jubilee" edition of
the show. |
26-Mar-1956 |
Born on this day in
Memphis, Tennessee,
was Charlotte Denise
"Charly" McClain,
country music
singer, best known
for series of
Country hits during
the 1980s Including,
"Who's Cheatin'
Who," "Sleeping With
the Radio On," and
"Radio Heart." |
2-Apr-1956 |
Johnny Cash recorded
his classic song, "I
Walk the Line",
which became his
first #1
Billboard
country hit.
Released in May of
this year it
remained on the
charts for over 43
weeks, and sold over
2 million copies.
The unique chord
progression for the
song was inspired by
backwards playback
of guitar runs on
Cash's tape recorder
while he was in the
Air Force stationed
in Germany.
|
21-Apr-1956 |
Patsy Cline made her
second appearance on
the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee.
The show gave her
the opportunity to
choose her own
material for a
national audience.
Cline
made a total of
sixteen appearances
on the Jubilee. The
series helped
popularize country
music in America's
cities and suburbs
drawing more than
nine million
viewers. |
26-Apr-1956 |
Born on this day was
American musician
Dave Pomeroy. He has
played electric and
acoustic bass for
many world renowned
artists including
Trisha Yearwood,
Emmylou Harris, Toby
Keith, Neil Diamond,
Billy Ray Cyrus, Tom
Paxton, George
Jones, Shelby Lynne,
Earl Scruggs and
Asleep At The Wheel. |
30-Apr-1956 |
Born on this day in
Washington, D.C.,
was Terry Gregory,
country music
singer-songwriter.
Gregory's debut
album, Just Like
Me, was released
in 1981 by Handshake
Records. Its first
single, the title
track, reached the
Top 20 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
1-May-1956 |
Johnny Cash released
his classic song, "I
Walk the Line",
which became his
first #1
Billboard
country hit and
remained on the
charts for over 43
weeks, selling over
2 million copies.
The unique chord
progression for the
song was inspired by
backwards playback
of guitar runs on
Cash's tape recorder
while he was in the
Air Force stationed
in Germany. |
25-May-1956 |
Born on this day
Cindy Cashdollar,
steel guitar and
Dobro artist.
Cashdollar received
five Grammy awards
while playing for
eight years with
Asleep at the Wheel.
In 2006, she toured
with Van Morrison
promoting his
country and western
album, Pay the
Devil. |
28-May-1956 |
Born on this day in
Warren, Ohio, Jerry
Douglas, lap steel
player and record
producer who has
worked with Ray
Charles, Dolly
Parton, Alison
Krauss, Clint Black
and others. Douglas
has received
thirteen
Grammy Awards
and has won the
Country Music
Association's
'Musician of the
Year' award three
times, |
28-May-1956 |
Born on this day in
Waxahachie, Texas
was session musician
and record producer
Brent Rowan. He also
played guitar for
Alabama, Alan
Jackson, Chris
LeDoux, Clay Walker,
Confederate
Railroad, and
others. In 1989,
Rowan was awarded
Guitarist of the
Year by the
Academy of
Country Music. |
1-Jun-1956 |
Born on this day in
Houston Texas, was
Lisa Hartman Black,
American singer and
actress. She
achieved her most
notable success with
a duet with her
husband Clint Black,
entitled "When I
Said I Do". It
reached #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles &
Tracks charts in
1999 and was
nominated for a
Grammy Award. |
7-Jun-1956 |
Born on this day in
Cooper City,
Florida, was Larry
Boone, American
country music
artist. His
highest-charting
single, "Don't Give
Candy to a
Stranger", reached
#10 in 1988. Boone
has also co-written
several singles for
other country music
artists, including a
#1 single for Kathy
Mattea, "(Burnin'
Old Memories)", and
Top Ten hits for Don
Williams, Tracy
Lawrence, Rick
Trevino and
Lonestar.
|
19-Jun-1956 |
Born on this day, in
Newnan, Georgia, was
Doug Stone, country
music artist who had
the 1991 US #1
Country hit "In A
Different Light."
Stone made his
acting debut in the
film Gordy. |
19-Jun-1956 |
Born on this day in
Nacogdoches, Texas,
was Jim Collins,
country music
singer-songwriter.
Between 1985 and
1998, Collins
released three
studio albums. As a
songwriter, Collins
has had more than
fifty of his songs
cut, including
singles by Kenny
Chesney ("She Thinks
My Tractor's Sexy",
"The Good Stuff",
"Everybody Wants to
Go to Heaven"), Chad
Brock ("Yes!"),
Jason Aldean ("Big
Green Tractor"), and
Gretchen Wilson ("I
Don't Feel Like
Loving You Today").
"The Good Stuff" was
Billboard's
#1 country single of
2002.
|
7-Jul-1956 |
Johnny Cash was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. He was
expelled in 1965 for
breaking the stage
lights with his
microphone stand
during an Opry
performance. Cash
was reconciled in
1968 and remained a
member the rest of
his life. |
14-Jul-1956 |
Elvis Presley
started a two week
run at #1 on the
Country charts with
"I Want You, I Need
You, I Love You". In
this year Elvis also
scored 3 more #1's
with "I Forgot To
Remember To Forget",
"Heartbreak Hotel",
and "Don't Be
Cruel", giving Elvis
26 weeks at the top
of the charts in
1956. |
26-Jul-1956 |
Born on this day in
Clinton, Oklahoma
was record producer
Scott Hendricks who
has produced over 30
country music
artists. His
productions have
garnered 116 Top
10s, and 75 #1 hits.
Acts for whom
Hendricks has
produced include
Restless Heart, John
Michael Montgomery,
Brooks & Dunn, Trace
Adkins, Alan
Jackson, Faith Hill,
Blake Shelton, Jana
Kramer and Dan +
Shay. |
4-Aug-1956 |
Jimmy C. Newman was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. Dolly
Parton has long
credited Newman with
enabling her first
appearance on the
Grand Ole Opry, in
1959, describing how
when she appeared at
the Opry unannounced
at age 13, asking to
sing, Newman
relinquished one of
his two allotted
slots to allow
Parton to perform. |
25-Aug-1956 |
George Jones was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. For the
last two decades of
his life, Jones was
frequently referred
to as "the greatest
living country
singer", "The
Rolls-Royce of
Country Music", and
had more than 160
chart singles to his
name from 1955 until
his death in 2013.
Years of alcoholism
compromised his
health and led to
his missing many
performances,
earning him the
nickname "No Show
Jones." |
30-Aug-1956 |
Born on this day in
Minneapolis,
Minnesota, was Dan
Truman, piano and
keyboards with
Diamond Rio. Their
1991 single "Meet in
the Middle", made
them the first band
ever to send a debut
single to #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. The band
charted 32 more
singles between then
and 2006, including
four more that
reached #1: "How
Your Love Makes Me
Feel" (1997), "One
More Day" (2001),
"Beautiful Mess"
(2002), and "I
Believe" (2003). |
7-Sep-1956 |
Born on this day in
Van Nuys, Los
Angeles was
songwriter Diane
Warren. She has won
a Grammy
Award, an
Emmy Award, a
Golden Globe
Award, three
consecutive
Billboard
Music Awards for
Songwriter of the
Year, and has been
nominated for eleven
Academy
Awards. Warren has
written songs for
many Country artists
including: LeAnn
Rimes, Travis Tritt,
Trisha Yearwood,
Carrie Underwood and
Faith Hill. |
13-Sep-1956 |
Born on this day in
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, was
David Mansfield,
violinist, mandolin
player, guitarist,
pedal steel guitar
player, and
composer. Mansfield
has worked with many
artists including,
Bob Dylan, T-Bone
Burnett, Johnny
Cash, Nanci
Griffith, Roger
McGuinn, Sam
Phillips, and Dwight
Yoakam. |
20-Sep-1956 |
Touring North
America, Johnny Cash
appeared at the
Memorial Coliseum in
Corpus Christi,
Texas. |
22-Sep-1956 |
Born on this day,
was Debby Anne
Boone, singer and
actress best known
for her 1977 hit,
"You Light Up My
Life," which spent
ten weeks at #1 on
the Billboard
Hot 100 chart and
won her the
Grammy Award
for Best New Artist
the following year.
Boone also scored
the 1980 #1 hit,
"Are You on the Road
to Lovin' Me Again". |
22-Sep-1956 |
Born on this day in
Fort Oglethorpe,
Georgia was June
Forester from the
American country
music vocal group
The Forester
Sisters, consisting
of sisters Kathy,
June, Kim and
Christy Forester.
The quartet had
commercial success
in the 1980s,
charting fifteen Top
Tens on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart,
including the Number
Ones "I Fell in Love
Again Last Night",
"Just in Case",
"Mama's Never Seen
Those Eyes". |
26-Sep-1956 |
Elvis Presley
returned to his
hometown of Tupelo,
Mississippi, to play
the
Mississippi-Alabama
Fair and Dairy Show.
One of the many
obsessed teenage
girls in the
audience is Wynette
Pugh, who goes on to
stardom as Tammy
Wynette. Security
issues soon made
small-time
appearances like
this impossible for
Elvis. |
29-Sep-1956 |
Born on this day was
Bob Carlisle,
singer, songwriter.
He performed with
several bands, most
notably Allies and
Billy Thermal, but
is best known for
his hit song
"Butterfly Kisses",
which appeared on
his third solo
album. |
29-Sep-1956 |
Rose Maddox was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American country
singer-songwriter
and fiddle player,
was the lead singer
with the Maddox
Brothers and Rose
before a successful
solo career. Her
musical styles
blended hillbilly
music, rockabilly
and gospel. She was
noted for her
"reputation as a
lusty firebrand",
and her "colorful
Western costumes";
she was one of the
earliest clients of
Hollywood tailor,
Nathan Turk. |
1-Oct-1956 |
George Jones
released his debut
album "Grand Ole
Opry's New Star".
Jones wrote or
co-wrote all
fourteen songs on
the album, which
included three of
his early top-10
country hits: "Why
Baby Why", "What Am
I Worth", and "You
Gotta Be My Baby". |
4-Oct-1956 |
George Jones
released "Just One
More" which peaked
at #3 on the Country
charts giving the
singer his biggest
hit to date. "Just
One More" is one of
the earliest
examples of the
"hard" drinking
songs for which
Jones would become
famous. The song
describes a lonely,
self-pitying man who
is drinking to
forget his worries. |
23-Oct-1956 |
Born on this day in
Pikeville, Kentucky,
was Dwight Yoakam.
The country singer,
actor and film
director, who is
most famous for his
pioneering country
music has sold over
25 million records
with 5
Billboard # 1
Albums, 12 Gold
Albums, and 9
Platinum Albums.
Yoakam is the most
frequent musical
guest in the history
of The Tonight
Show and has
also starred in many
films, most notably
in critically
acclaimed
performances as an
ill-tempered,
abusive, live-in
boyfriend in
Sling
Blade.
|
3-Nov-1956 |
Stonewall Jackson
was inducted into
the Grand Ole
Opry. The
American country
music singer and
musician achieved
his greatest fame
during country's
"golden" honky tonk
era in the 1950s and
early 1960s. |
8-Nov-1956 |
During recording
sessions, Patsy
Cline laid down four
songs including
Walkin' After
Midnight, which
was written for and
rejected by singer
Kay Starr.
Originally Cline was
not fond of
Walkin' After
Midnight, but
after making a
compromise with her
label, she recorded
it and it became
Cline's first major
hit single. |
9-Nov-1956 |
Born on this day was
British session
keyboardist, record
producer,
songwriter, Kevin
Savigar. He has
contributed to a
wide range of
recordings for
artists such as Bob
Dylan, George
Harrison, John
Mellencamp, Willie
Nelson and Randy
Newman. |
10-Nov-1956 |
George Jones was
named the most
promising country
and western artist,
according to
Billboard
magazine's annual
nationwide disc
jockey poll. |
17-Nov-1956 |
Marty Robbins
started a seven week
run at #1 on the
Country singles
chart with "Singing
The Blues". |
18-Nov-1956 |
Born on this day,
was Laura Lynch,
singer-songwriter,
and founding member
of the Dixie Chicks.
Of the Dixie Chicks'
twenty-five singles,
six have reached #1
on the
Billboard
country singles
chart:
Lynch left the group
in 1995. |
4-Dec-1956 |
The Million Dollar
Quartet legend was
born when a Memphis
newspaper
photographed Johnny
Cash and Elvis
Presely who had
dropped in on a Carl
Perkins session (for
"Matchbox") at Sun
Studios, with Jerry
Lee Lewis as piano
sideman. |
7-Dec-1956 |
Born on this day was
Carlos Vega
Cuban-born Los
Angeles-based
session drummer. He
worked with many
artists including
Olivia Newton-John,
Bonnie Raitt, Kenny
Rogers, Vince Gill
and Linda Ronstadt.
He died of a
self-inflicted
gunshot wound on
April 7 1998. |
9-Dec-1956 |
Born on this day in
Kokomo, Indiana, was
Sylvia Jane Kirby,
country music singer
and songwriter. More
commonly known by
the singular name
Sylvia, she enjoyed
crossover music
success with the
song "Nobody" in
1982. |
17-Dec-1956 |
Born on this day was
American upright
bass player Roy
Huskey Jr. Huskey
performed alongside
musicians such as
Chet Atkins, Garth
Brooks, Johnny Cash,
Vince Gill, George
Jones, Steve Earle,
Doc Watson and many
others. He died on 6
September 1997. |
21-Dec-1956 |
Born on this day in
Abilene, Texas, was
Lee Roy Parnell,
country music and
blues artist,
singer, songwriter.
His highest-charting
hits are "What Kind
of Fool Do You Think
I Am" (1992),
"Tender Moment"
(1993), and "A
Little Bit of You"
(1995), all of which
peaked at #2. |
30-Dec-1956 |
Born on this day in
Aledo, Illinois
country music singer
and songwriter Suzy
Bogus. In the 1990s,
six of her songs
were Top 10 hits.
She won Top New
Female Vocalist from
the Academy of
Country Music
and the
Horizon Award
from the Country
Music Association. |
4-Jan-1957 |
Born on this day
near Pikeville,
Kentucky, was Patty
Loveless, country
music singer,
songwriter who has
charted more than
forty singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, including
five #1's including
the 1988 "Timber,
I'm Falling in
Love."
|
5-Jan-1957 |
Patsy Cline started
recording what would
become her
self-titled debut
studio album with
Owen Bradley
producing. The first
single from the
album, "Walkin'
After Midnight,"
peaked at #2 on the
Country charts when
released. |
19-Jan-1957 |
Johnny Cash
performed on The
Jackie Gleason
Show (almost one
year to the week
after Elvis),
following the
success of his #1
Country hit "There
You Go." |
21-Jan-1957 |
Patsy Cline made her
debut appearance on
Arthur Godfrey's
Talent Scouts TV
show in New York
City. The day of the
show, she met with
the show's producer
Janette Davis. Cline
had chosen "A Poor
Man's Roses (Or a
Rich Man's Gold)" to
perform on the
program, but Davis
preferred "Walkin'
After Midnight".
Cline initially
refused to perform
it, but ultimately
agreed to it. Davis
also suggested Cline
wore a cocktail
dress instead of the
cowgirl outfit
created by her
mother. Cline won
the program's
contest that night. |
4-Feb-1957 |
Satisfied
Mind the debut
studio album by
American country
music singer Porter
Wagoner was released
by RCA Victor. The
album's first
single, "Company's
Comin'", peaked at
#7 on the US
Billboard Country
Singles chart. The
second single, "A
Satisfied Mind"
peaked at #1. |
11-Feb-1957 |
After making an
appearance on Arthur
Godfrey's Talent
Scouts TV show
performing "Walkin'
After Midnight" (and
winning the
contest), Decca
Records
rush-released the
song as a single. It
became Cline's first
major hit single,
reaching #1 on the
Billboard
country music chart
and #12 on its pop
chart. |
23-Feb-1957 |
Porter Wagoner was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American country
music singer known
for his flashy Nudie
and Manuel suits and
blond pompadour
introduced singer
Dolly Parton on his
television show, The
Porter Wagoner Show.
She became part of a
well-known vocal duo
with him from the
late 1960s to the
early 1970s. Known
as Mr. Grand Ole
Opry, Wagoner
charted 81 singles
from 1954 to 1983. |
11-Apr-1957 |
Born on this day in
Troutman, North
Carolina, was
country singer,
songwriter Jim
Lauderdale. Since
1986 he has released
nineteen studio
albums and artists
who have recorded
his material include
George Strait, Vince
Gill and Patty
Loveless. |
12-Apr-1957 |
Born on this day in
Norman, Oklahoma,
was Vince Gill,
country
singer-songwriter
and
multi-instrumentalist.
Gill was a member of
country rock band
Pure Prairie League
in the 1970s, and
then went solo in
1983. Gill has
recorded more than
twenty studio
albums, charted over
forty singles on the
Billboard
charts and has sold
more over 22 million
albums. He has been
honored by the
Country Music
Association with
18 CMA
Awards,
including two
Entertainer of the
Year awards and five
Male Vocalist
Awards. Gill has
also been awarded 27
Grammy
Awards.
|
5-May-1957 |
Born on this day was
Anthony Crawford
American
multi-instrumentalist,
singer and
songwriter, who has
worked with many
well-known musicians
in the studio,
onstage and as a
songwriter. He has
toured with Dwight
Yoakam, Vince Gill,
the Pegi Young Band,
Nicolette Larson and
Blackhawk. |
20-May-1957 |
Don Gibson was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. Gibson
wrote such country
standards as "Sweet
Dreams" and "I Can't
Stop Loving You",
and enjoyed a string
of country hits ("Oh
Lonesome Me") from
1957 into the
mid-1970s. Gibson
was nicknamed "The
Sad Poet" because he
frequently wrote
songs that told of
loneliness and lost
love. |
14-Jun-1957 |
Born on this day in
Paducah, Kentucky,
was Chad Cromwell,
drummer who has
recorded and toured
with may acts
including, Neil
Young, Vince Gill,
Lady Antebellum,
Diana Krall, Willie
Nelson, Jackson
Browne, Trisha
Yearwood, Miranda
Lambert, Bonnie
Raitt, Rodney
Crowell, and Marty
Stuart. |
22-Jun-1957 |
Patsy Cline her
fourth appearance on
the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee
performing "Walkin'
After Midnight" and
"Try Again". Cline
made a total of
sixteen appearances
on the Jubilee. The
series helped
popularize country
music in America's
cities and suburbs
drawing more than
nine million
viewers. |
23-Jun-1957 |
Born on this day,
was American country
music artist Keith
Palmer who co-wrote
Reba McEntire's 1991
single "For My
Broken Heart."
Palmer died on June
13th 1996. |
25-Jun-1957 |
Born on this day in
Binghamton, New
York, was Tim
Malchak country
music
singer-songwriter.
Malchak partnered
with Dwight Rucker
in 1982 to form the
country music duo
Malchak & Rucker.
Together, they
became the first
black/white duo in
country music
history with a
charting single
"Just Like That." |
15-Jul-1957 |
Born on this day in
Red Bay, Alabama,
was Mac McAnally,
country music
singer-songwriter,
session musician and
record producer. His
ninth chart entry
came in late
2008-early 2009 as a
guest vocalist on
Kenny Chesney's #1
cover of his 1990
single "Down the
Road". He is also a
member of Jimmy
Buffett's backing
band, The Coral
Reefer Band. |
24-Jul-1957 |
Born on this day was
Pam Tillis country
music
singer-songwriter
and actress, (she is
the daughter of
country music singer
Mel Tillis).
Originally a demo
singer in Nashville,
Tennessee, she
scored the 1991 hit
"Don't Tell Me What
to Do", and has
since charted more
than 30 singles on
the US
Billboard
country charts,
including her only
#1 single, 1995's
"Mi Vida Loca (My
Crazy Life)". |
2-Aug-1957 |
Born on this day was
Jeff White American
bluegrass
guitarist/mandolinist,
songwriter, record
producer. White has
performed and
produced albums with
many artists
including: Alison
Krauss, Vince Gill,
The Chieftains, Lyle
Lovett, Tim O'Brien,
The Travelin'
McCourys, Michael
Cleveland and The
Earls Of Leicester.
White won the 57th
Annual Grammy
Awards, for Best
Bluegrass Album with
The Earls of
Leicester. |
4-Aug-1957 |
Johnny Cash
completed recoding
sessions for his
debut album,
Johnny Cash with
His Hot and Blue
Guitar. The
album contained four
of his hit singles:
"I Walk the Line,"
"Cry! Cry! Cry!,"
"So Doggone
Lonesome," and
"Folsom Prison
Blues." This was the
first LP ever issued
on Sam Phillips' Sun
Records label.
|
5-Aug-1957 |
The self-titled
debut album by Patsy
Cline was released,
which would be one
of three studio
albums Cline would
record during her
lifetime. The album
produced two
singles, "Walkin'
After Midnight," and
"I Don't Wanta." |
10-Aug-1957 |
Patsy Cline made her
fifth appearance on
the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee.
She sang her new
single, "Three
Cigarettes (In an
Ashtray)" and "Try
Again". Cline
made a total of
sixteen appearances
on the Jubilee. The
series helped
popularize country
music in America's
cities and suburbs
drawing more than
nine million
viewers. |
22-Aug-1957 |
Born on this day in
San Antonio, Texas,
was Holly Dunn,
country music artist
who first found fame
with her 1986 Top-10
hit "Daddy's Hands"
from her self-titled
debut album. Dunn
has charted more
than a dozen country
singles, two of
which ("Are You Ever
Gonna Love Me", "You
Really Had Me
Going") reaching the
#1 spot. Dunn died
on November 14,
2016. |
6-Sep-1957 |
Born on this day in
Dallas, Texas was
country music
songwriter Liz Rose
best known for her
work with Taylor
Swift. She has
co-written twenty of
Swift's songs,
including "You
Belong with Me",
which was nominated
for a Grammy
Award for Song
of the Year,
"Teardrops on My
Guitar" and "White
Horse", which won
Swift and her a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Song in 2010. |
15-Sep-1957 |
Patsy Cline married
her second husband
Charlie Dick. The
pair met in 1956
while Cline was
performing with a
local Virginia band.
Following Cline's
death in 1963, Dick
married country
artist Jamey Ryan in
1965. |
21-Sep-1957 |
Born on this day in
Fayetteville,
Arkansas was
songwriter -
producer Mark
Wright. Reba
McEntire, Amy Grant,
and Kenny Rogers
have all covered his
songs, and has
produced hits for
Lee Ann Womack, Gary
Allan, Mark
Chesnutt, Brooks &
Dunn and Gretchen
Wilson. |
10-Oct-1957 |
Born on this day,
was Tony Arata,
singer-songwriter,
his songs have been
recorded by Garth
Brooks, ("The
Dance"), Patty
Loveless, Trisha
Yearwood, Jim
Glaser, Reba
McEntir, Hal
Ketchum, Oak Ridge
Boys, Randy Travis
and Emmylou Harris. |
11-Oct-1957 |
Johnny Cash with
His Hot and Blue
Guitar was
released in the US.
The singer's debut
album contained four
of his hit singles:
"I Walk the Line,"
"Cry! Cry! Cry!,"
"So Doggone
Lonesome," and
"Folsom Prison
Blues." This was the
first LP ever issued
on Sam Phillips' Sun
Records label. |
14-Oct-1957 |
The Everly Brothers
were at #1 on the
country singles
chart with "Wake Up
Little Susie."
Written by Felice
and Boudleaux Bryant
the song was banned
in such places as
Boston, although the
song does not state
that Susie and her
boyfriend had sexual
relations. Indeed,
it strongly implies
that they did not! |
1-Nov-1957 |
Born on this day in
Houston, Texas, was
Lyle Lovett,
singer-songwriter
and actor. Lovett
has won four
Grammy
Awards, including
Best Male Country
Vocal Performance
and Best Country
Album. It's Not
Big It's Large
was released in
2007, where it
debuted and peaked
at #2 on the Top
Country Albums
chart. |
14-Nov-1957 |
Born on this day in
Bronxville, New
York, was Gretchen
Peters, singer and
songwriter. She
moved to Nashville
in the late 1980s
and there, she found
work as a
songwriter,
composing hits for
Martina McBride,
Etta James, Trisha
Yearwood, Patty
Loveless, George
Strait, Anne Murray
and others. Peters
has released studio
albums of her own,
the title track of
her 1996 debut album
The Secret of
Life was
recorded by Faith
Hill in 1999.
|
2-Dec-1957 |
"Jailhouse Rock" by
Elvis Presley was at
#1 on the
Billboard
magazine country
charts. The Leiber
and Stoller song
which was from his
third motion picture
of the same name
featured Mike
Stoller as a piano
player. "Jailhouse
Rock" later became
the first song to
debut at #1 in Great
Britain. |
5-Dec-1957 |
Patsy Cline appeared
on the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee
where she sang "Make
Believe", a duet
with Red Foley; "I
Don't Wanna Know";
and "Then You'll
Know". During the
program, Foley
presented Cline with
The Billboard's Most
Promising County &
Western Female
Artist award, and
Music Vendor
magazine's award for
Greatest Achievement
in Records in 1957
(for "Walkin' After
Midnight"). |
6-Jan-1958 |
Jerry Lee Lewis was
at #1 on the
Billboard
country chart with
"Great Balls Of
Fire". The song
which was recorded
at Sun Studio in
Memphis, Tennessee,
featured in the 1957
movie
Jamboree. |
6-Jan-1958 |
Johnny Cash released
"Ballad of a Teenage
Queen". Taken from
his 1958 album
Sings the Songs
That Made Him
Famous, the song
which is just 2
minutes and 13
seconds long gave
Cash his third #1
country hit. |
12-Jan-1958 |
Wilma Lee Cooper was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. She was a
guitarist, banjo
player and vocalist,
and was given the
title of "First Lady
of Bluegrass". Her
last solo
performance on the
Opry was at the
Ryman Auditorium on
February 24, 2001. |
15-Jan-1958 |
George Jones
released "Color of
the Blues" which
reached #7 on the
country singles
chart. The song
written by Jones and
Lawton Williams
became his sixth Top
10 Country chart
hit. |
25-Jan-1958 |
Marty Robbins was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "The
Story of My Life"
which was written by
Burt Bacharach and
Hal David.
|
21-Feb-1958 |
Merle Haggard was
transferred to San
Quentin Prison,
after a failed
escape attempt from
Bakersfield Jail.
During his time at
the proson, Haggard
started to run a
gambling and brewing
racket with his
cellmate. One time,
after he was caught
drunk, he was sent
for a week to
solitary
confinement. Haggard
had been arrested in
1957 shortly after
he tried to rob a
Bakersfield
roadhouse. |
21-Feb-1958 |
Born on this day in
Princeton, New
Jersey, was Mary
Chapin Carpenter,
folk and country
music singer,
songwriter.
Carpenter has won
five Grammy
Awards and is the
only artist to have
won four consecutive
Grammy Award
for Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance, which
she received from
1992 to 1995. |
21-Feb-1958 |
Patsy Cline appeared
on the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee.
The show gave her
the opportunity to
choose her own
material for a
national audience.
Cline made a total
of sixteen
appearances on the
Jubilee. The series
helped popularize
country music in
America's cities and
suburbs drawing more
than nine million
viewers. |
24-Feb-1958 |
Born on this day in
Kaplan in Acadiana,
was Sammy Kershaw,
country music artist
who has scored over
twenty-five US
Country hits
including the 1993
#1 hit "She Don't
Know She's
Beautiful". |
14-Apr-1958 |
Don Gibson's "Oh
Lonesome Me" was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country chart. The
track, which was
produced by Chet
Atkins, topped the
country chart for
eight
non-consecutive
weeks in addition to
reaching #7 on the
Billboard Hot
100. Both Johnny
Cash and Neil Young
have recorded
versions of the
song. |
21-Apr-1958 |
US country music
singer Marvin
Rainwater was at #1
on the UK singles
chart with "Whole
Lotta Woman".
Rainwater was a
full-blooded
Cherokee Indian,
known for wearing
Native
American-themed
outfits on stage.
|
26-Apr-1958 |
Patsy Cline appeared
on the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee.
The show gave her
the opportunity to
choose her own
material for a
national audience.
Cline made a total
of sixteen
appearances on the
Jubilee. The series
helped popularize
country music in
America's cities and
suburbs drawing more
than nine million
viewers. |
19-May-1958 |
Johnny Cash released
"Guess Things Happen
That Way". Written
by Jack Clement, the
single, a song about
'a man struggling
after the love of
his life has left
him', was Johnny
Cash's fourth #1 on
the country chart
spending eight weeks
at the top and a
total of twenty-four
weeks on the chart.
|
23-May-1958 |
Born on this day in
Cleveland, Ohio, was
Shelly West, country
music singer. Her
mother was the
country music star
Dottie West, whose
career spanned three
decades. Shelly is
best known for
having hit duets
with David Frizzell,
and for their #1 hit
"You're the Reason
God Made Oklahoma".
She also was a
successful solo
artist, having her
own #1 hit, "Jose
Cuervo" in 1983. |
31-May-1958 |
Johnny Cash appeared
at the Grand Ole
Opry in Nashville,
Tennessee. The Grand
Ole Opry started as
the WSM Barn
Dance in the new
fifth-floor radio
studio of the
National Life &
Accident Insurance
Company in downtown
Nashville on
November 28, 1925. |
3-Jul-1958 |
Born on this day in
Pensacola, Florida,
was Aaron Tippin,
country music artist
and record producer.
His debut single,
"You've Got to Stand
for Something"
became a popular
anthem for American
soldiers fighting in
the Gulf War. Tippin
also scored the 1992
US Country #1 hit
"There Ain't Nothin'
Wrong with the
Radio."
|
8-Jul-1958 |
Born on this day was
American drummer and
singer Fred Young
from country rock
and Southern rock
band The Kentucky
Headhunters. Their
1989 album
Pickin' on
Nashville won a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Performance in 1991. |
17-Jul-1958 |
Johnny Cash recorded
his final session
for Sun Records,
recording two
tracks; "Down The
Street To 301" and
"I Forgot To
Remember To Forget." |
24-Jul-1958 |
Johnny Cash started
recoding session for
his third album
The Fabulous
Johnny Cash
which was
released in November
1958 by the Columbia
label, after Cash's
departure from Sun
Records. |
30-Jul-1958 |
Born on this day in
Jacksonville, Texas,
was Neal McCoy,
country music
singer. His 1993
singles "No Doubt
About It" and "Wink"
from his
platinum-certified
album No Doubt
About It both
topped the US
Country charts. |
30-Jul-1958 |
Johnny Cash started
recoding session for
his fourth album
Greatest! Six
out of the twelve
songs featured on
the album became
singles, with "Get
Rhythm" topping the
Country charts and
becoming the most
successful one. |
18-Aug-1958 |
Don Gibson scored
his second Country
#1 hit with "Blue
Blue Day" which
remained on the
Country charts for a
total of six months. |
14-Sep-1958 |
Born on this day in
Harlingen, Texas,
was
singer-songwriter,
Beth Nielsen Chapman
who has written many
Country hits
including:
co-songwriter of
Faith Hill's "This
Kiss", Trisha
Yearwood ("Down On
My Knees", "You Say
You Will", "Trying
to Love You"),
Martina McBride
("Happy Girl"),
Willie Nelson
("Nothing I Can Do
About It Now",
"Ain't Necessarily
So", "If My World
Didn't Have You").
|
30-Sep-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. |
10-Oct-1958 |
Born on this day in
Seminole, Texas, was
Tanya Tucker, female
country music artist
who had her first
hit, "Delta Dawn",
in 1972 at the age
of 13 and hit songs
such as 1973's
"What's Your Mama's
Name?", "Blood Red
and Goin' Down,"
1975's "Lizzie and
the Rainman," and
1988's "Strong
Enough to Bend".
Tucker starred in
her own reality
show,
Tuckerville,
on The Learning
Channel in 2005. It
ran for two seasons
for a total of 18
episodes.
|
13-Oct-1958 |
Billboard
discontinued the
"C&W Best Sellers in
Stores" and "Most
Played C&W by
Jockeys" charts.
Starting with the
October 20 issue,
there is one
all-encompassing
"Hot C&W Sides"
chart. The new chart
has 30 positions,
and "City Lights" by
Ray Price was the
first #1 song. |
17-Oct-1958 |
Born on this day in
Newnan, Georgia, was
Alan Jackson,
country music
singer, who has
recorded over a
dozen studio albums.
More than 50 of his
singles have
appeared on
Billboard's
list of the "Top 30
Country Songs", for
which of Jackson's
entries, 35 were #1
hits. He is the
recipient of 2
Grammys, 16
CMA Awards,
17 ACM Awards
and is also a member
of the Grand Ole
Opry. |
22-Oct-1958 |
Born on this day in
Sweetwater,
Tennessee was
American country
music singer
guitarist Butch
Baker who played on
the 1987 Hank
Williams, Jr. single
"Young Country" from
the Born to
Boogie album. |
13-Nov-1958 |
Johnny Cash Sings
the Songs That Made
Him Famous was
released in the US,
the singer,
songwriters second
album. "There You
Go" from the album
was a country #1
hit.
|
26-Nov-1958 |
Johnny Cash, made
his debut on the US
country chart when
"Cry! Cry! Cry!"
made it to #14. His
next seven singles
would all make the
country top 10, with
"I Walk the Line"
and "There You Go"
both hitting #1. |
26-Dec-1958 |
Johnny Cash topped a
country and western
concert at the
Showboat Hotel in
Las Vegas, Nevada;
also appearing on
the same bill were
Tex Ritter and the
Sons of the
Pioneers. |
28-Dec-1958 |
Born on this day in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, was
Joe Diffie, country
music singer known
for his ballads and
novelty songs.
Diffie has scored
five #1 singles:
"Home", "If the
Devil Danced (In
Empty Pockets)",
"Third Rock from the
Sun", "Pickup Man"
and "Bigger Than the
Beatles". He's also
co-wrotten singles
for Holly Dunn, Tim
McGraw and Jo Dee
Messina, as well as
recording with Mary
Chapin Carpenter and
George Jones. He
died on March 29
2020 from
complications of
COVID-19. |
1-Jan-1959 |
Johnny Cash played a
free concert for the
inmates of San
Quentin Prison,
California. One of
the audience members
was 19 year-old
Merle Haggard, who
was in the midst of
a 15 year sentence
(he served three
years) for grand
theft auto and armed
robbery. |
7-Jan-1959 |
Born on this day in
Herrin, Illinois,
was David Lee Murphy
country singer,
songwriter, who
scroed the 1995 US
Country #1 hit "Dust
On The Bottle." |
20-Jan-1959 |
George Jones
released his sixth
studio album
Country Church
Time which
includes multiple
early gospel
recordings by Jones.
The album wasn't
received well, and
did not chart, due
in large part to the
lackluster sound of
Starday and Mercury
Records during the
1950s. |
27-Jan-1959 |
Johnny Horton
recorded "The Battle
Of New Orleans"
during an evening
session at the
Bradley Film &
Recording Studio on
Nashville's Music
Row. The song
describes the 1815
Battle of New
Orleans from the
perspective of an
American soldier;
the lyrics are
evidently intended
to be comical. The
song, which was
written by Jimmy
Driftwood, has been
recorded by many
artists but the
singer most often
associated with this
song is Johnny
Horton.
|
3-Feb-1959 |
J. P. Richardson Jr,
better known as The
Big Bopper was
killed in a plane
crash in Iowa along
with fellow
musicians Buddy
Holly and Ritchie
Valens. His best
known compositions
include "Chantilly
Lace" and "White
Lightning", the
latter of which
became George Jones'
first #1 hit in
1959. |
9-Feb-1959 |
Mercury Records
released "White
Lightning" by George
Jones, which became
the first #1 single
of his career. In
his 1997
autobiography, I
Lived To Tell It
All, Jones
mentions the fact
that the recording
process of "White
Lightning" was
extremely lengthy
after he arrived for
the recording
session under the
influence of a great
deal of alcohol and
it took him
approximately 80
takes just to record
his vocals. |
22-Feb-1959 |
The Western series
The Rebel was
aired for the first
time on TV. The show
would run until Sept
1961, with the theme
song being sung by
Johnny Cash. |
26-Feb-1959 |
Born on this day in
Ringgold, Louisiana
was songwriter Kenny
Beard. He wrote
songs for Trace
Adkins, Tracy
Lawrence, and Aaron
Tippin. His first
hit as a songwriter
was "Doghouse" by
John Conlee. Beard
died of natural
causes on October 1,
2017 age 58. |
27-Feb-1959 |
Billy Grammer was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. He
recorded the
million-selling
"Gotta Travel On",
which made it onto
both the country and
pop music charts in
1959. Grammer would
become a regular
performer on the
Grand Ole Opry,
eventually
designing, and
marketing his
namesake guitar
after co-founding a
guitar company, in
Nashville,
Tennessee. |
2-Mar-1959 |
Born on this day,
was Larry Stewart,
country music
singer, best known
for his role as lead
singer of the
country pop band
Restless Heart. In
1993, Stewart left
the band for a solo
career, recording
four solo albums and
charting eight
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts before
reuniting with
Restless Heart in
2002. His
highest-charting
solo single was
"Alright Already",
which peaked at #5
in 1993. |
15-Apr-1959 |
Johnny Cash and the
Tennessee Two played
their first show in
Australia when they
kicked off a tour at
Melbourne Festival
Hall. This was the
first time Cash had
appearred live
outside of the US. |
20-Apr-1959 |
Goldband Records
released "Puppy
Love" by a 13-year
old Dolly Parton, a
song that was
recorded two years
earlier when she was
just eleven years
old. The song didn't
chart, but was later
to be a hit in 1972
for Donny Osmond. |
27-Apr-1959 |
Born on this day in
Bellshill, Scotland
was Sheena Easton,
singer and actress.
Sheena Easton is the
only artist in the
history of the US
Billboard charts to
have a top 5 hit on
each of the
Billboards key
charts
consecutively:
"Morning Train
(9-5)" (Pop, Adult
Contemporary), "We
Got Tonight" w/Kenny
Rogers (Country),
"Telefone (Long
Distance Love
Affair)" (Dance),
and "Sugar Walls"
(R&B). |
4-May-1959 |
Born on this day in
Marshville, North
Carolina, was Randy
Travis, singer and
actor. Since 1985,
he has recorded 20
studio albums and
charted over 20 #1
hits. Considered a
pivotal figure in
the history of
country music,
Travis broke through
in the mid-1980s
with the release of
his album Storms
of Life, which
sold more than three
million copies. The
album established
him as a major force
in the
Neotraditional
country movement.
|
13-May-1959 |
Born on this day was
Country music
songwriter Allen
Shamblin. Randy
Travis, Bonnie
Raitt, Rascal
Flatts, Miranda
Lambert, Keith Urban
and John Michael
Montgomery have all
recorded his songs.
"The House that
Built Me",
co-written with Tom
Douglas, was
recorded by Miranda
Lambert and she won
the Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance Grammy
for the recording. |
26-May-1959 |
George Jones
released his seventh
studio album
White Lightning
and Other
Favourites. The
track "White
Lightning" which
gave Jones a #1 hit
single was written
by The Big Bopper
("J. P."
Richardson), who was
killed in a plane
crash in Iowa in
1959, along with
fellow musicians
Buddy Holly and
Ritchie Valens. |
13-Jun-1959 |
Roy Drusky was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The
American country
music singer and
songwriter popular
from the 1960s
through the early
1970s was known for
his baritone voice
and for
incorporating the
Nashville sound and
for being one of the
first artists to
record a song
written by Kris
Kristofferson ("Jody
and the Kid"). His
highest-charting
single was the #1
"Yes, Mr. Peters", a
duet with Priscilla
Mitchell. |
21-Jun-1959 |
Born on this day in
South Charleston,
West Virginia, was
Kathy Mattea,
singer, songwriter,
who has recorded
seventeen albums and
has charted more
than thirty singles
on the
Billboard Hot
Country charts. This
total includes the
#1 hits "Goin'
Gone", "Eighteen
Wheels and a Dozen
Roses", "Come From
the Heart" and
"Burnin' Old
Memories."
|
27-Jun-1959 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was
Lorrie Morgan,
country music
singer, (the
daughter of George
Morgan, the country
music singer who
charted several hit
singles between 1949
and his death in
1975). Lorrie scored
the 1989 single,
"Trainwreck of
Emotion," and since
then, has charted
more than 25 singles
on the
Billboard Hot
Country hits
including three #1
hits: "Five
Minutes," "What Part
of No" and "I Didn't
Know My Own
Strength." Morgan
has been married to
three different
country singers:
Keith Whitley, Jon
Randall and Sammy
Kershaw.
|
13-Jul-1959 |
Born on this day in
Van Wert, Ohio, was
Brent Mason, one of
the most recorded
guitarists in
history. He is a
Grammy Award
winner, a 12-time
winner of the
Academy of
Country Music
Guitarist of the
Year Award and a
two-time winner of
the CMA Award
Musician of the
Year. He was
discovered by
guitarist Chet
Atkins and has since
worked with many
artists including;
George Strait, Alan
Jackson, Shania
Twain, David Gates,
Zac Brown Band,
Scotty McCreary, and
Blake Shelton. Mason
also co-wrote
McBride & the Ride's
"Hurry Sundown". |
20-Jul-1959 |
Born on this day in
Del Rio, Texas, was
Radney Foster,
singer-songwriter
and music producer.
Initially a
songwriter in
Nashville,
Tennessee, Foster
made his recording
debut as part of the
Foster & Lloyd duo,
recording three
studio albums and
with nine singles on
the country charts.
His songs have been
recorded by Gary
Allan, Sara Evans,
Keith Urban and Jack
Ingram. |
4-Aug-1959 |
American country
music singer and
songwriter Skeeter
Davis was inducted
into the Grand
Ole Opry. Davis
was one of the first
women to achieve
major stardom in the
country music field
as a solo vocalist,
she was an
acknowledged
influence on Tammy
Wynette and Dolly
Parton and was
hailed as an
"extraordinary
country/pop singer"
by The New York
Times music critic
Robert Palmer. |
7-Aug-1959 |
Born on this day in
Tucson, Arizona, was
Michael Peterson,
country music
singer, songwriter.
His 1997 self-titled
debut album,
produced five Top 40
hits on the
Billboard Hot
Country charts,
including the #1 hit
"From Here to
Eternity". |
22-Aug-1959 |
Born on this day in
Brooklyn, New York
was songwriter Liz
Hengber. She wrote
"For My Broken
Heart', a #1 for
Reba McEntire, as
well as other songs
for Reba and hits
for Andy Griggs,
Trick Pony, Bucky
Covington and other
artists. |
25-Aug-1959 |
Born on this day in
Mechanicsville,
Virginia, was Tim
Mensy, country music
artist. Initially,
he was a member of
the band Bandana, in
which he charted
several singles on
the Hot Country
Songs charts in the
1980s. He later
co-wrote the single
"Mama Knows,"
recorded by
Shenandoah and
released in 1989. |
2-Sep-1959 |
Born on this day
born in Miami,
Florida, was Paul
Deakin, drummer and
founder member of
The Mavericks who
charted 14 singles
on the
Billboard
country charts. |
14-Sep-1959 |
Born on this day in
Aiken, South
Carolina, was John
Berry country
singer, songwriter,
who has recorded
over fifteen studio
albums, and scored
the 1994 US #1
single "Your Love
Amazes Me." |
17-Sep-1959 |
Johnny Cash made his
first appearance on
UK television when
he appeared on
Boy Meets
Girl. Cash
appeared solo, as
his backing group
the Tennessee Two
who, under UK
Musicicans Union
rules, were not
allowed to accompany
Cash. |
28-Sep-1959 |
Born on this day in
Voorheesville, New
York, was Billy
Montana,
singer-songwriter.
His songs have been
recorded by Garth
Brooks, ("More Than
a Memory"), Sara
Evans, ("Suds in the
Bucket"), Jo Dee
Messina, Tim McGraw,
Martina McBride,
Sister Hazel and
Kenny Rogers, among
others. |
13-Oct-1959 |
Born on this day in
Ogden, Utah, was
Marie Osmond singer,
actress, doll
designer, and a
member of the show
business family The
Osmonds. She scored
a US #1 hit in 1973
with her version of
the country pop
ballad "Paper
Roses." |
7-Nov-1959 |
Patsy Cline appeared
on the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee.
She sang "Walkin'
After Midnight" and
"Come on In", and
also "Let's Go to
Church" as a duet
with Slim Wilson.
Cline made a total
of sixteen
appearances on the
Jubilee. The series
helped popularize
country music in
America's cities and
suburbs drawing more
than nine million
viewers. |
11-Nov-1959 |
Born on this day was
American session
musician, producer,
and songwriter
Jimmie Lee Sloas. He
has wrked with
artists such as
Garth Brooks, Carrie
Underwood, Keith
Urban, LeAnn Rimes,
Kellie Pickler and
Reba McEntire. His
father, Dave, was a
member of the
popular bluegrass
group, The Sloas
Brothers. His older
brother, David,
served as Tammy
Wynette's lead
guitarist from the
early 1980s until
her death. |
29-Nov-1959 |
At the 2nd Annual
Grammy Awards
held at Los Angeles
and New York, (the
first televised
Grammy Award
ceremony), Best
Country & Western
Performance went to
Johnny Horton for
"The Battle of New
Orleans." |
7-Dec-1959 |
Patsy Cline appeared
on the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee.
She sang "Got a Lot
of Rhythm in My
Soul" and "Lovesick
Blues", and duets
with Ferlin Husky
("Let it Snow") and
Red Foley ("Winter
Wonderland"). Cline
made a total of
sixteen appearances
on the Jubilee. The
series helped
popularize country
music in America's
cities and suburbs
drawing more than
nine million
viewers. |
8-Dec-1959 |
Born on this day was
Marty Raybon,
singer, songwriter
from Shenandoah who
had the 1990 US
Country #1 hit
single with "Next to
You, Next to Me."
Before leaving
Shenandoah in 1997,
he and his brother
Tim formed a duo
known as the Raybon
Brothers, which had
crossover success
that year with the
hit single
"Butterfly Kisses." |
22-Dec-1959 |
Born on this day was
Mark Bright American
country music
producer and
songwriter. Bright
has produced records
and co-written songs
for many artists
including: Reba
McEntire, Sara
Evans, Scotty
McCreery, Lonestar,
Peter Cetera, Brad
Paisley, Luke Bryan,
Carrie Underwood and
Keith Urban. |
1-Jan-1960 |
Billy Walker was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. The singer
and guitarist best
known for his 1962
hit, "Charlie's
Shoes" was nicknamed
The Tall Texan.
Walker had more than
30 charting records
during a nearly
60-year career. |
9-Jan-1960 |
Patsy Cline was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. Cline is
considered one of
the most influential
vocalists of the
20th century and was
one of the first
country music
artists to cross
over into pop music.
Her first recordings
took place under the
direction of Four
Star Records.
Cline's first
single, "A Church, a
Courtroom, Then
Goodbye," was
released in July
1955. Four Star
issued 17 singles
during Cline's four
years recording with
them. However, only
"Walkin' After
Midnight" (1957)
became a major hit,
reaching #2 on the
Billboard country
songs chart. |
19-Jan-1960 |
Ralph Peer an
American talent
scout, recording
engineer and record
producer died aged
67. He is credited
with what is often
called the first
country music
recording, Fiddlin'
John Carson's disc
"Little Old Log
Cabin In The
Lane"/"That Old Hen
Cackled and The
Rooster's Goin' To
Crow". In August
1927, while talent
hunting in the
southern states he
recorded both Jimmie
Rodgers and the
Carter Family in the
same session at a
makeshift studio in
Bristol, Tennessee,
known as the Bristol
Sessions. |
2-Feb-1960 |
Loretta Lynn signed
her first contract
on with Zero Records
which saw her
recoding tracks tat
United Western
Recorders in
Hollywood,
California. |
6-Feb-1960 |
George Hamilton IV
was inducted into
the Grand Ole
Opry. Hamilton's
breakthrough hit was
the 1961 song
"Before this Day
Ends". His biggest
hit came two years
later with
"Abilene". The song
spent four weeks at
number one on
Billboard's country
singles chart |
8-Feb-1960 |
Jim Reeves was at
#1 on the country
singles
Billboard
chart with "He'll
Have To Go". Reeves
recorded what became
one of country
music's biggest hits
ever after listening
to a version
recorded by singer
Billy Brown. The
song, written by Joe
and Audrey Allison,
was inspired after
the couple were
having difficulty
communicating by
telephone. The
first verse set the
tone: "Put your
sweet lips a little
closer to the
phone/Let's pretend
that we're together
all alone/I'll tell
the man to turn the
juke box way down
low/And you can tell
your friend there
with you he'll have
to go." |
10-Feb-1960 |
Born on this day in
Gallipolis, Ohio,
was Lionel
Cartwright, country
music artist.
Between 1988 and
1992, Cartwright
charted twelve
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts, including
the 1991 #1 "Leap of
Faith". He also
charted in the Top
Ten on the same
chart with "Give Me
His Last Chance", "I
Watched It All (On
My Radio)" and "My
Heart Is Set on
You". |
7-Mar-1960 |
Born on this day was
American guitarist
Chris Rodriguez. He
worked with many
artists including
Vince Gill, Faith
Hill, Wynonna Judd,
Kenny Loggins, Dolly
Parton and Shania
Twain. |
6-Apr-1960 |
Born on this day was
American musician,
singer and
songwriter Warren
Haynes. He is best
known for his work
as longtime
guitarist with the
Allman Brothers
Band. He co-wrote
"Two of a Kind,
Workin' on a Full
House" recorded by
Garth Brooks and has
also worked with
Dolly Parton. |
8-Apr-1960 |
Born on this day in
Mount Kisco, New
York, was John
Schneider III, actor
and singer best
known for his
portrayal of Bo Duke
in the 1980s
American television
series The Dukes
of Hazzard, and
as Jonathan Kent on
Smallville, a
2001 television
adaptation of
Superman.
Alongside his acting
career, Schneider
performed as a
country singer in
the 1980s, releasing
nine studio albums
which gave him hits
such as: "I've Been
Around Enough to
Know", "Country
Girls", "What's a
Memory Like You
(Doing in a Love
Like This)" and
"You're the Last
Thing I Needed
Tonight", all of
which reached the
top of the
Billboard
country singles
charts. |
25-Apr-1960 |
Jim Reeves was at #1
on the US singles
chart with "He'll
Have to Go," which
spent a total of 14
consecutive weeks at
the top of the
charts and was one
of just five
different titles to
occupy the chart's
summit during 1960. |
12-May-1960 |
Johnny Cash guest
starred with comics
Homer & Jethro on
the NBC TV The
Ford Show,
presented by
Tennessee Ernie
Ford. |
4-Jun-1960 |
Patsy Cline appeared
on the networked TV
show Ozark Jubilee.
Cline played
"Lovesick Blues" and
"How Can I Face
Tomorrow", and sang
"I'm Hogtied Over
You" with Cowboy
Copas and "Rueben,
Reuben" with June
Valli and Eddy
Arnold. Cline made a
total of sixteen
appearances on the
Jubilee. The series
helped popularize
country music in
America's cities and
suburbs drawing more
than nine million
viewers. |
24-Jun-1960 |
Born on this day in
Slaughters,
Kentucky, was Chris
Knight,
singer-songwriter
who has had a
successful career
writing songs that
have been recorded
by Confederate
Railroad, John
Anderson, and Randy
Travis among others. |
11-Aug-1960 |
Johnny Cash appeared
at the Three Rivers
Inn in Syracuse, New
York during a four
night run. |
22-Aug-1960 |
Born on this day in
De Queen, Arkansas,
was country music
singer, Collin Raye
who made his debut
on the American
country music scene
in 1991 with the
release of his debut
album All I Can
Be, which
produced his first
#1 hit in "Love,
Me". |
27-Aug-1960 |
The last ever
Louisiana
Hayride show was
broadcast. What
started as a country
music radio show and
later became a
television show was
broadcast from the
Shreveport Municipal
Memorial Auditorium
in Shreveport,
Louisiana, that from
1948 to 1960 helped
to launch the
careers of some of
the greatest names
in American country
& western music. The
creators of the show
took the name from
the 1941 book with
that title by
Harnett Thomas Kane. |
15-Sep-1960 |
Johnny Cash Sings
Hank Williams
was released in
the US, the singer,
songwriters seventh
studio. Contrary to
what the title might
suggest, only the
first four out of
the twelve tracks on
the album were
written by Williams
himself, with most
of the others being
versions of Cash's
self-penned songs. |
26-Sep-1960 |
Born on this day in
Bryan, Texas, was
Doug Supernaw,
country music artist
who had the 1993 US
#1 single "I Don't
Call Him Daddy." He
died at his home on
November 13, 2020,
age 60 from lung and
bladder cancer. |
15-Oct-1960 |
Loretta Lynn made
her first appearance
on the Grand Ole
Opry. In a press
conference she said,
"I've played in a
million places, but
the Grand Ole Opry
is different." Lynn
has been a member of
The Grand Ole Opry
for over years,
since joining on
September 25, 1962. |
5-Nov-1960 |
Johnny Horton was
killed in a car
crash near Milano,
Texas involving a
truck. He had
several major
successes, most
notably during 1959
with the song "The
Battle of New
Orleans" (written by
Jimmy Driftwood)
which was awarded
the 1960
Grammy Award
for Best Country &
Western Recording. |
12-Nov-1960 |
Hank Locklin was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. His
signature song
"Please Help Me, I'm
Falling" spent a
total of 14 weeks at
the top of country
charts and went to
#8 on the Billboard
Hot 100 pop music
chart. Billboard's
100th anniversary
issue listed it as
the second most
successful country
single of the rock
and roll era. It
sold over one
million copies. |
15-Nov-1960 |
Born on this day,
was Dann Huff,
American session
musician,
singer-songwriter
and producer. Since
the 1990s Huff has
been working as a
producer for various
bands and artists
some of which
include Faith Hill,
Rascal Flatts,
Taylor Swift and
Reba McEntire. Duff
has won several
awards, including
the Musician of the
Year award in 2001,
2004, and 2016 at
the Country Music
Association Awards
and the Producer of
the Year award in
2006 and 2009 at the
Academy of Country
Music. |
16-Nov-1960 |
Patsy Cline recorded
"I Fall to Pieces"
which the following
year became Cline's
first #1 hit on the
Country charts, and
her second hit
single to cross over
onto the Pop charts.
It was the first of
a string of songs
that would be
written by Hank
Cochran and Harlan
Howard. The song was
ranked at #7 on
CMT's
television special
of the 100
Greatest Songs in
Country Music.
|
24-Nov-1960 |
Born on this day was
Edgar Meyer,
American bassist and
composer. In 2011,
Meyer collaborated
on The Goat Rodeo
Sessions with Yo-Yo
Ma, Stuart Duncan,
and Chris Thile. The
album won two 2013
Grammy Awards. Meyer
was honored with his
fifth Grammy Award. |
6-Dec-1960 |
"Wings of a Dove" by
Ferlin Husky was at
#1 on the Country
charts, his third
and final chart
topper. Written by
Bob Ferguson, in
1987, Broadcast
Music
Incorporated
(BMI) awarded
Ferguson with the
"million air" plays
for the "Wings of a
Dove." |
15-Dec-1960 |
Born on this day was
American bassist and
singer Doug Phelps
from country rock
and Southern rock
band The Kentucky
Headhunters. Their
1989 album
Pickin' on
Nashville won a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Performance in 1991. |
28-Dec-1960 |
Born on this day in
Washington, DC, was
Marcus Hummon,
country music
artist. Hummon has
co-written songs for
many country music
artists, including
Top 40 singles for
Tim McGraw, Wynonna
Judd, and Alabama,
as well as three #1
country hits:
"Cowboy Take Me
Away" by Dixie
Chicks, "Born to
Fly" by Sara Evans,
and "Bless the
Broken Road" by
Rascal Flatts. |
28-Dec-1960 |
Born on this day was
Marty Roe, guitarist
and singer with
Diamond Rio. Their
1991 single "Meet in
the Middle", made
them the first band
ever to send a debut
single to #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. The band
charted 32 more
singles between then
and 2006, including
four more that
reached #1: "How
Your Love Makes Me
Feel" (1997), "One
More Day" (2001),
"Beautiful Mess"
(2002), and "I
Believe" (2003). |
5-Jan-1961 |
Born on this day in
Beaumont, Texas, was
Mark Nesler,
singer-songwriter
who wrote Tim
McGraw's "Just To
See You Smile,"
George Strait's
"Living And Living
Well," Aaron
Tippin's "For You I
Will", Darryl
Worley's "I Miss My
Friend" and Keith
Urban's 2008 single
"You Look Good in My
Shirt". |
5-Jan-1961 |
Born on this day in
Paragould, Arkansas
was singer and
songwriter Iris
DeMent a two-time
Grammy
nominated singer and
songwriter. |
30-Jan-1961 |
Decca Records
released "I Fall to
Pieces" by Patsy
Cline. Taken from
her 1961 studio
album, Patsy
Cline Showcase.
"I Fall to Pieces"
was Cline's first #1
hit on the Country
charts, and her
second hit single to
cross over onto the
Pop charts. It was
the first of a
string of songs that
would be written by
Hank Cochran and
Harlan Howard.
|
1-Mar-1961 |
Born on this day in
Arlington Heights,
Illinois, was Davis
Daniel, country
music artist. Seven
of his singles
entered the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts, including
the Top 40 hits
"Picture Me", "For
Crying Out Loud" and
"Fighting Fire with
Fire." |
11-Mar-1961 |
Born on this day in
Batavia, Illinois
was Patrick
Bergeson, guitarist,
harmonica player and
occasional
songwriter. Based in
Nashville, he is
best known for his
live and session
work with Chet
Atkins, Lyle Lovett,
Suzy Bogguss and Les
Brers. In 1997, he
married musician
Alison Krauss; they
divorced in 2001. |
19-Mar-1961 |
Marty Robbins was at
#1 with "Don't
Worry" his seventh
Country chart
topper, (which
stayed at #1 for ten
weeks). "Don't
Worry" is an early
example of guitar
distortion after
session guitarist
Grady Martin, using
a faulty channel in
the mixing-desk for
his six-string bass,
created a distorted
sound. Although
Martin didn't like
the sound, Robbins'
producer left the
guitar track as it
was. |
2-Apr-1961 |
Born on this day in
Lepanto, Arkansas,
was Buddy Jewell who
was the first winner
on the USA Network
talent show
Nashville Star.
His self-titled
Country #1 album,
produced the singles
"Help Pour Out the
Rain (Lacey's Song)"
and "Sweet Southern
Comfort". |
23-Apr-1961 |
Red Foley was
acquitted of federal
income tax evasion
charges in a trial
that ended with a
hung jury. His
highly successful
Country TV show
Ozark Jubilee
was canceled
partly because of
the charges. |
22-May-1961 |
Born on this day in
Dayton, Ohio was
bassist Dana
Williams from
Diamond Rio,
(originally known as
the Grizzly River
Boys). Their 1991
single "Meet in the
Middle", made them
the first band ever
to send a debut
single to #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. |
1-Jun-1961 |
Born on this day was
American country
music songwriter
Monty Powell best
known for
collaborating with
Keith Urban, and for
producing albums by
Diamond Rio. Other
artists who recorded
Powell's songs
include Tracy Byrd,
Chris Cagle, Billy
Ray Cyrus, Tim
McGraw, Collin Raye
and Restless Heart. |
14-Jun-1961 |
Patsy Cline and her
brother Sam Hensley,
Jr. were both
seriously injured in
a car accident
outside the Madison
High School in
Nashville. During
her two month
hospital stay, her
song "I Fall to
Pieces" gave the
singer her first
Country #1 and also
became a huge
country-pop
crossover hit.
|
8-Jul-1961 |
Born on this day in
Clinton, Oklahoma,
was Toby Keith,
country music
singer-songwriter,
record producer and
actor. His debut
"Should've Been a
Cowboy", topped the
US country charts
and was the most
played country song
of the 1990s. The
song has received
three million spins
since then. In June
2022, Keith
announced that he
had been diagnosed
with stomach cancer,
he died in his sleep
in Oklahoma, on 5
February 2024, at
the age of 62. |
9-Jul-1961 |
Born on this day in
Mount Airy, North
Carolina was singer
and composer of
bluegrass music
Ronnie Bowman best
known for his work
with the Lonesome
River Band. Bowman
also co-wrote
"Nobody to Blame" on
Chris Stapleton's
Traveller album,
"It's Getting Better
All the Time" by
Brooks & Dunn and
"Never Wanted
Nothing More" for
Kenny Chesney. |
10-Jul-1961 |
"Heartbreak U.S.A."
by Kitty Wells was
at #1 on the US
Country singles
chart. The track
became Kitty Wells
third and final #1
staying at the top
spot for four weeks
and spending
twenty-three weeks
on the chart. |
22-Jul-1961 |
Patsy Cline was
brought onstage at
the Grand Ole Opry
in a wheelchair to
tell her fans that
she would be back
singing soon. Cline
had been seriously
injured in a car
accident outside the
Madison High School
in Nashville the
previous month. |
28-Jul-1961 |
Born on this day was
American country and
adult contemporary
artist Ray Vega, who
performed with his
brother, Robert, as
The Vega Brothers. |
29-Jul-1961 |
Patsy Cline appeared
at The Cimarron
Ballroom in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. The show
was recorded and
later released in
1997 as the album
Live At The
Cimarron
Ballroom. The
ticket price for the
show was $1.50. |
5-Aug-1961 |
Born on this day in
Seattle, Washington,
was Mark O'Connor,
bluegrass, jazz and
country violinist,
fiddler, composer
and music teacher.
He was named
Musician of the Year
by the Country
Music
Association six
years in a row (from
1991 to 1996). |
5-Aug-1961 |
Born on this day in
Columbus, Georgia,
was Tim Wilson,
stand-up comedian
and country music
artist. He scored
the 1993 hit "Garth
Brooks Has Ruined My
Life." Wilson died
of a heart attack on
February 26, 2014. |
15-Aug-1961 |
Born on this day in
Woodside,
California, was Paul
Jefferson, country
music artist who has
had his songs
recorded by Keith
Urban, Little Texas
and Buddy Jewell,
among others. He
also co-wrote Aaron
Tippin's #1 song
"That's as Close as
I'll Get to Loving
You." |
16-Aug-1961 |
Patsy Cline recorded
"Crazy". The ballad
composed by Willie
Nelson became one of
her signature tunes
and gave Cline a #2
country hit in 1962.
Nelson originally
wrote the song for
country singer Billy
Walker, but Walker
turned it down. The
song's eventual
success helped
launch Nelson as a
performer as well as
a songwriter. |
18-Aug-1961 |
Born on this day in
Woodland Hills,
California was
Canadian music video
and film director
Steven Goldmann. His
innovative direction
of Faith Hill’s
This Kiss took top
prize with the
Country Music
Association, Academy
of Country
Music. Goldmann
also directed the
feature film
Broken
Bridges,
starring Toby Keith.
He died on April 30,
2015 age 53. |
21-Aug-1961 |
American Western
swing singer Spade
Cooley was convicted
of first-degree
murder by a jury.
Cooley had suspected
his second wife,
Ella Mae Cooley of
repeatedly being
unfaithful, (she had
an affair with Roy
Rogers), and he
murdered her at
their home in front
of their 14-year-old
daughter. It was
said that after he
had beaten her to
death he crushed a
lighted cigarette
against her skin to
see whether she was
dead. Cooley had
scored over 6 top 10
Country hits in the
1940's. |
21-Aug-1961 |
Patsy Cline recorded
her version of the
Willie Nelson song
"Crazy" during
sessions at Bradley
Film and Recording
Studio, Nashville.
Patsy Cline's
husband had first
heard the song on
the juke box at
Tootsie's Orchid
Lounge in Nashville,
and later played it
to his wife who
absolutely hated it
because Nelson's
demo "spoke" the
lyrics ahead of and
behind the beat.
Cline's producer,
Owen Bradley,
arranged it in the
ballad form in which
it was recorded. |
22-Aug-1961 |
Willie Nelson
recorded "Touch Me"
at Bradley Studios,
Nashville,
Tennessee. Leveraged
by the success of
his songs, Nelson
moved to Nashville
in 1960. Through
songwriter Harlan
Howard, Nelson was
signed to write for
Pamper Music, and to
a recording contract
with Liberty
Records.
Nelson recorded the
song during his
first recording
session with
producer Joe Allison
and "Touch Me" was
released as his
second single for
the label. Following
the success of his
previous top-ten
duet with Shirley
Collie, the song
reached number seven
on Billboard's Hot
Country Singles,
becoming Nelson's
first solo chart
success. |
25-Aug-1961 |
Born on this day in
Flatwoods, Kentucky,
was Billy Ray Cyrus,
country music
singer, songwriter
and actor, best
known for his 1992
US #1 single "Achy
Breaky Heart,"
(which was
originally titled
"Don't Tell My
Heart"). His 1992
debut album Some
Gave All has
been certified 9 x
Multi-Platinum in
the US and is the
longest time spent
by a debut artist at
#1 on the
Billboard
chart. From 2001 to
2004, Cyrus starred
in the television
show Doc. The
show was about a
country doctor who
moved from Montana
to New York City. In
late 2005, he began
to co-star in the
Disney Channel
series Hannah
Montana with his
daughter Miley
Cyrus. |
25-Aug-1961 |
The first recordings
for the
Sentimentally
Yours began at
the Bradley Film and
Recording Studios in
Nashville. This
would become Patsy
Cline's final studio
album she would
release before her
death in a plane
crash less than a
year later. Out of
the twelve songs
this album consisted
of, only two songs
were new songs,
"She's Got You" and
the "She's Got
You"'s flip side,
"Strange". The ten
remaining tracks
were cover versions
of standards. |
26-Aug-1961 |
Born on this day in
Minneapolis,
Minnesota, was Jimmy
Olander, guitarist
with Diamond Rio,
who had hits with,
"Meet In The
Middle," "One More
Day" and "How Your
Love Makes Me Feel". |
27-Aug-1961 |
Born on this day in
Burbank, California,
was Jeffrey Steele,
country music singer
and songwriter who
formed the band Boy
Howdy, and along
with recording his
own material, Steele
has become a
prolific Nashville
songwriter, having
co-written more than
sixty hit songs for
such artists as
Montgomery Gentry,
Tim McGraw, ("The
Cowboy in Me"),
Faith Hill, LeAnn
Rimes, Rascal
Flatts, ("These
Days" and "What
Hurts the Most"),
Billy Ray Cyrus, and
others.
|
7-Sep-1961 |
George Jones scored
his second Country
#1 single with
"Tender Years." The
song spent seven non
consecutive weeks at
#1 and a total of 32
weeks on the Country
chart. |
14-Sep-1961 |
The Porter Wagoner
Show premiered on
September 14, 1961.
Wagoner invited
Dolly Parton to
perform on his hit
syndicated
television show and
Parton stayed with
the show for 7
years. Their
on-screen chemistry
was immediate and
fans quickly
embraced them and
their music. The
show’s popularity
grew and became the
#1 syndicated show
in American. Each
30-minute episode
generally featured
performances by
Porter, Dolly and a
special guest. |
16-Oct-1961 |
Decca records
released "Crazy" by
Patsy Cline. The
ballad, composed by
Willie Nelson gave
Cline a #2 country
hit in 1962. Nelson
originally wrote the
song for country
singer Billy Walker,
but Walker turned it
down. The song's
eventual success
helped launch Nelson
as a performer as
well as a
songwriter. It spent
21 weeks on the
chart for Cline, and
eventually became
one of her signature
tunes. |
2-Nov-1961 |
Born on this day in
Edmonton, Alberta,
was k.d. lang,
Canadian pop and
country
singer-songwriter
who won a
Grammy Award
in 1989 for Best
Country Vocal
Collaboration for
"Crying" (shared
with Roy Orbison)
and in 1990 for Best
Female Country Vocal
Performance for
"Absolute Torch and
Twang."
|
15-Nov-1961 |
Born on this day in
Lake Charles,
Louisiana, was
country music artist
Steve Kolander. His
1994 his self-titled
album produced two
singles on the Hot
Country Songs
charts. |
27-Nov-1961 |
Decca Records
released Patsy's
Cline's second
studio album
Showcase
which was produced
by Owen Bradley. The
album produced two
singles that became
hits on both the
Billboard country
and pop charts. The
first, "I Fall to
Pieces," became
Cline's first #1 hit
on the country chart
and also reached the
Top 15 on the pop
Top 100 in 1961. The
follow-up single,
"Crazy," was nearly
as big of a hit as
"I Fall to Pieces,"
peaking in the top
five on the
Billboard country
chart. |
29-Nov-1961 |
The Grand Ole Opry
went to Carnegie
Hall, for a special
event which benefits
the Musicians' Aid
Society. Patsy
Cline, Grandpa
Jones, Bill Monroe,
Minnie Pearl, Marty
Robbins, Jim Reeves,
Faron Young and The
Jordanaires all
appeared. |
7-Dec-1961 |
Born on this day was
American country
music singer Dawn
Sears. She worked as
a backing vocalist
in Vince Gill's
band, and recorded
four solo studio
albums, of which two
were released on
major labels. She
had one single that
charted on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. She died on
December 11, 2014. |
4-Jan-1962 |
George Jones
recorded "She Thinks
I Still Care" which
later became his
third Country #1
hit. The song has
been recorded by
multiple artists,
including Connie
Francis, Anne
Murray, Elvis
Presley and Patty
Loveless. |
10-Jan-1962 |
Patsy Cline released
"She's Got You" as
the follow-up to her
last hit "Crazy".
Penned by Hank
Cochran, the single
peaked at #1 on the
Country charts and
has since been
covered by many
artists including
Rosanne Cash, Ricky
Van Shelton, LeAnn
Rimes, and Jimmy
Buffett. |
13-Jan-1962 |
Born on this day in
Sarepta, north
Louisiana, was Trace
Adkins, country
music artist who has
charted more than 20
singles on the
Billboard
country music
charts, including
the #1 hits "(This
Ain't) No Thinkin'
Thing", "Ladies Love
Country Boys", and
"You're Gonna Miss
This."
|
29-Jan-1962 |
Patsy Cline released
her third EP which
featured four new
songs from her
recording sessions
under Decca Records
the previous year.
"Crazy", "Foolin'
'Round","Who Can I
Count on", and
"South of the Border
(Down Mexico Way)." |
4-Feb-1962 |
Born on this day in
Long Branch, New
Jersey, was Clint
Black, country music
singer-songwriter,
record producer,
multi-instrumentalist
and actor. Black
made his debut with
his Killin'
Time album,
which produced four
#1 singles on the
US Billboard
Hot Country Singles
charts. He has
amassed more than 30
singles on the US
country charts (of
which 13 have
reached #1). Black
has also ventured
into acting, having
made a cameo
appearance in the
1994 film
Maverick, as
well as a starring
role in 1998's
Still Holding On:
The Legend of
Cadillac Jack.
|
5-Feb-1962 |
The first days
recording sessions
for Ray Charles'
Modern Sounds in
Country and Western
Music took place
at Capitol Studios
in New York City.
Regarded by many
critics as Charles's
best studio album,
the albums lead
single, "I Can't
Stop Loving You",
became a huge hit on
country music radio
stations and the
record has now
shipped over 500,000
copies in the United
States alone.
|
6-Feb-1962 |
Born on this day in
Lubbock, Texas, was
Richie McDonald
country music
singer, songwriter
who from 1992 until
his departure in
2007, was the lead
singer of Lonestar.
McDonald co-wrote
several of the
band's singles, and
sang lead on all but
one of them.
Lonestar scored the
1996 US Country #1
hit "No News."
|
7-Feb-1962 |
Born on this day
Tulsa, Oklahoma, was
Garth Brooks,
country singer, who
had the 1991 US #1
album Ropin' The
Wind which spent
70 weeks on the US
chart, and the 1994
UK #13 single "The
Red Strokes." Brooks
is the biggest
selling artist of
the 90's with over
60 million sales.
According to the
RIAA he is
the second
best-selling solo
albums artist in the
United States of all
time behind Elvis
Presley (overall is
third to the Beatles
and Elvis Presley)
with 128 million
units sold. |
7-Feb-1962 |
Patsy Cline made her
debut on Pet Milk
Grand Ole Opry
when she performed
her 1961 Top 10 hit
"Crazy" (written by
a little-known
songwriter named
Willie Nelson), as
well as her 1962 hit
"She's Got You." |
11-Feb-1962 |
Born on this day in
Kennett, Missouri,
was Sheryl Crow,
singer, songwriter
and actress. In
2013, Crow signed a
recording contract
with Warner Music
Nashville and, a few
months later,
released "Easy", the
first single from
the upcoming album,
which became her
first top twenty
country radio hit. |
15-Feb-1962 |
The second set of
recording sessions
for Ray Charles'
Modern Sounds in
Country and Western
Music took place
at United Recording
Studios in
Hollywood,
California.
Modern Sounds
and the albums lead
single, "I Can't
Stop Loving You",
were both certified
gold by the
Recording
Industry Association
of America in
1962, as each record
had shipped 500,000
copies in the United
States. |
2-Mar-1962 |
Born on this day in
Meridian,
Mississippi, was Ty
Herndon, country
music singer who
scored the 1995 US
#1 hit single "What
Mattered Most". He
later scored two
other chat toppers:
"Living in a Moment"
and "It Must Be
Love". |
2-Apr-1962 |
Born on this day in
Quincy, Florida, was
Billy Dean, Country
singer, songwriter
who first gained
national attention
after appearing on
the television
talent competition
Star Search.
He guested on the
Kenny Rogers 2000 US
#1 Country hit with
Alison Krauss "Buy
Me A Rose." |
14-Apr-1962 |
George Jones
released "She Thinks
I Still Care" which
became his third
Country #1 hit.
Jones first heard
the song when Jack
Clement played it
for him at Gulf
Coast Studio in
Beaumont. Many
artists have
recorded the song
including Merle
Haggard on his 1969
LP A Portrait of
Merle Haggard
and Glen Campbell on
his 1972 album
Glen Travis
Campbell. |
16-Apr-1962 |
Patsy Cline made an
appearance on Pet
Milk Grand Ole
Opry which
included renditions
of "Strange" and
"Imagine That." |
20-Apr-1962 |
Decca Records
released Patsy
Cline's second EP of
the year - "She's
Got You" which
contained two new
songs: the title
track (written by
Hank Cochran), and
"Strange" which was
written by Fred
Burch and Mel
Tillis. |
29-May-1962 |
At the 4th Annual
Grammy Awards
held at Chicago, Los
Angeles and New York
Jimmy Dean won Best
Country & Western
Recording for "Big
Bad John." |
27-Jun-1962 |
Hank Snow recorded
"I've Been
Everywhere" at RCA
Studio B in
Nashville. The song
which was written by
Australian country
singer Geoff Mack in
1959, was also made
popular by Lucky
Starr in 1962 and
has been covered by
Lynn Anderson,
Asleep at the Wheel
and Johnny Cash. |
1-Jul-1962 |
Claude King was at
#1 on the Country
chart with
"Wolverton
Mountain." The hit
that established his
career was a rewrite
of the original
version by Merle
Kilgore, which was
based on a real
character named
Clifton Clowers who
lived on the
mountain north of
Morrilton, Arkansas. |
13-Jul-1962 |
Born on this day in
Manhattan, New York
City, Victoria Shaw,
country music
artist. As well as
releasing four
studio albums, she
has co-written four
#1 singles for other
country music
artists, including
John Michael
Montgomery's "I Love
the Way You Love
Me", which won the
1993 Academy of
Country Music
award for Song of
the Year. She
co-wrote "The River"
with Garth Brooks on
his Ropin' the
Wind album. With
Paul Worley, she
also co-produced the
debut album of Lady
Antebellum.
|
13-Jul-1962 |
American bluegrass
singer, songwriter,
and
multi-instrumentalist
Rhonda Vincent.
Vincent is an
eight-time Grammy
nominee, winning the
Grammy Award for
Best Bluegrass Album
in 2017. In 2020,
she was inducted as
a member of the
Grand Ole Opry. |
6-Aug-1962 |
Patsy Cline released
Sentimentally
Yours her third
studio album. The
album featured two
of Cline's major
hits that year. The
first single, "She's
Got You" became a #1
hit on the Country
Chart and crossed
over into the Pop
chart to #14,
becoming another
major crossover hit
for Cline. The
second single, a
cover of
"Heartaches",
charted only on the
Pop Chart. The album
was the final studio
album Cline would
release before her
death. |
6-Aug-1962 |
|
7-Aug-1962 |
Patsy Cline released
her third studio
album
Sentimentally
Yours, the final
album Cline recorded
before her death in
a plane crash less
than a year later.
Also on this day
Patsy Cline appeared
on Pet Milk Grand
Ole Opry
performing "A
Church, A Courtroom,
Then Goodbye",
"You're Stronger
Than Me," and "So
Wrong." |
7-Aug-1962 |
Born on this day in
Hartford, Connecticu
was Alison Brown,
banjo player,
guitarist, composer,
and producer. She
has won and has been
nominated for
several Grammy
awards and has
worked with many
artists including
Alison Krauss and
Blake Shelton. |
18-Aug-1962 |
Born on this day was
Audie Blaylock,
American singer,
guitarist,
mandolinist and
composer in the
bluegrass tradition.
Allen was an
accomplished country
music songwriter
(for Garth Brooks,
John Michael
Montgomery, and
others). He died on
January 10, 2024 age
61. |
22-Aug-1962 |
Willie Nelson
started recording
his first album
...And Then I
Wrote at Quonset
Hut Studio in
Nashville after
signing with Liberty
Records. Nelson
started the
recording sessions
during the night,
lasting until the
morning of the
following day. |
23-Aug-1962 |
Born on this day in
San Antonio, Texas
was Emilio Navaira,
singer-songwriter of
Tejano and country
music. (He was
called the "Garth
Brooks of Tejano").
Navaira charted six
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles &
Tracks charts. He
died of a a massive
heart attack on May
16th, 2016. |
11-Sep-1962 |
Born on this day,
was Blake Chancey
American record
producer and music
business executive,
(the son of record
producer and label
executive Ron
Chancey, who signed
George Strait and
Jimmy Buffett, and
produced the Oak
Ridge Boys). Chancey
worked with and
developed Dixie
Chicks, Ricochet,
Montgomery Gentry,
as well as
overseeing the A&R
of many other
artists on the
roster. He went on
to produce Waylon
Jennings, Billy Ray
Cyrus, Little Big
Town and Mary Chapin
Carpenter and many
other Sony artists. |
20-Sep-1962 |
Born on this day in
Cumberland Gap,
Tennessee, was
singer-songwriter
Steve Gulley. He was
one of the founding
members of the band
Mountain Heart and
he went on to form
Grasstowne and later
Steve Gulley & New
Pinnacle, along with
recording solo and
collaboration
albums. He appeared
on the Grand Ole
Opry more than 90
times. Gulley died
on August 18, 2020
age 57. |
24-Sep-1962 |
Patsy Cline released
her third and final
EP, So
Wrong/You're
Stronger Than
Me. This was the
final EP released in
her lifetime, as she
would be killed in a
plane crash less
than a year later in
March 1963. The
other two tracks
were, "Heartaches
and a version of the
Hank Williams song
"Your Cheatin'
Heart." George
Strait covered
"You're Stronger
Than Me" on his 2000
album George
Strait.
|
24-Sep-1962 |
Singer Jerry
Scoggins, Lester
Flatt, and Earl
Scruggs recorded
"The Ballad of Jed
Clampett" for the TV
show The Beverly
Hillbillies,
which was released
October 12, 1962.
The theme song
became an immediate
country music hit
and was played at
the beginning and
end of each episode.
Flatt and Scruggs
appeared in several
episodes as family
friends of the
Clampetts in the
following years. |
25-Sep-1962 |
Patsy Cline appeared
on Pet Milk Grand
Ole Opry
performing "When I
Get Through With You
(You'll Love Me
Too)" and "Why Can't
He Be You." |
26-Sep-1962 |
The Beverly
Hillbillies TV
comedy starring
Buddy Ebsen, Irene
Ryan, Donna Douglas,
and Max Baer, Jr.
was aired for the
first time. The
show's theme song,
"The Ballad of Jed
Clampett", was
written by producer
and writer Paul
Henning and
originally performed
by bluegrass artists
Flatt and Scruggs. |
7-Oct-1962 |
Born on this day in
Birmingham, Alabama,
was Dale Watson,
country, Texas
Country singer,
guitarist, and
songwriter. |
20-Oct-1962 |
American country
music and honky-tonk
singer and
guitarist, Leroy Van
Dyke was inducted
into the Grand
Ole Opry. Dyke
was catapulted into
country music fame
in 1956 with his
composition "The
Auctioneer",
co-written with
Buddy Black, which
sold over 2.5
million records. He
wrote the song about
the life of his
cousin, National
Auctioneers
Association Hall of
Famer Ray Sims. |
26-Oct-1962 |
Singer songwriter
Kristen Hall was
born in Gross
Pointe, Michigan.
She becomes a
founding member of
the trio Sugarland,
but left the group
at the end of 2005. |
27-Oct-1962 |
American country
music singer and
songwriter Sonny
James was inducted
into the Grand
Ole Opry. Best
known for his 1957
hit, 'Young Love'
James had 72 country
and pop charted
releases from 1953
to 1983, including
an unprecedented
five-year streak of
16 straight
Billboard Hot
Country #1 singles
among his 26
Billboard Hot
Country #1 hits. |
3-Nov-1962 |
Billboard renamed
its Hot C&W Sides
chart "Hot Country
Singles," a name it
will keep for the
next 27 years. The
chart length
remained 30
positions. |
15-Nov-1962 |
All Aboard the
Blue Train by
Johnny Cash was
released in the US,
the singer,
songwriters
fourteenth album,
which featured,
"Folsom Prison
Blues", and "Rock
Island Line". |
23-Nov-1962 |
Patsy Cline became
the first woman in
country music to
headline her own
show in Las Vegas at
the Mint Casino,
(the sign from which
can still be seen at
its new home on Pico
Boulevard near La
Brea in Los
Angeles). Cline was
paid $36,500 for the
five week
engagement. |
26-Nov-1962 |
Born on this day in
Dotson, Texas was
singer Linda Davis
who scored three
minor country
singles as one half
of the duo Skip &
Linda. As a solo
artist Davis has
recorded five studio
albums, her highest
chart entry was
"Does He Love You",
her 1993 duet with
Reba McEntire, which
reached #1 on the
Billboard
country charts and
won both singers the
Grammy for
Best Country Vocal
Collaboration. Davis
is the wife of the
country singer Lang
Scott and the mother
of Hillary Scott,
the co-lead singer
of Lady Antebellum. |
10-Dec-1962 |
Waylon Jennings
married his second
wife Lynne Jones.
The couple divorced
in 1967. He later
composed the song
"This Time" about
the trials and
tribulations of his
marriages and
divorces. |
27-Dec-1962 |
Born on this day, in
Pecos, Texas, was
Jeff Bryant,
drummer. He has
contributed to
several hits with
Ricochet who won the
Academy of
Country Music's
top vocal group
honor in 1996 and
1998. He was forced
to leave the group
in 1999, suffering
from carpal tunnel
syndrome. |
30-Dec-1962 |
Singer Brenda Lee
was hurt when she
attempted to rescue
her poodle, Cee Cee
from her burning
house in Nashville.
Lee's nine-room
home, valued at
$37,000 was
destroyed along with
$25,000 worth of
clothing. Cee Cee
later died of smoke
inhalation. |
1-Jan-1963 |
Loretta Lynn
released her debut
studio album
Loretta Lynn
Sings on Decca
Records. The album
featured Lynn's
first top 10 Country
hit, "Success" which
was released the
previous year. |
23-Jan-1963 |
The theme song for
The Beverly
Hillbillies TV
show "The Ballad of
Jed Clampett" by
Jerry Scoggins, who
was accompanied by
bluegrass musicians
Lester Flatt and
Earl Scruggs was at
#1 on the US Country
charts. During the
original run of
The Beverly
Hillbillies,
special lyrics were
written and inserted
into the closing
theme, advertising
regular sponsors
such as Kellogg's
cereals and Winston
cigarettes.
|
4-Feb-1963 |
Patsy Cline started
what would be her
last recordings at
Bradley Studios
cutting a dozen
tracks including
"Love Letters In The
Sand", "Crazy Arms",
and "The Blue Moon
Of Kentucky." |
9-Feb-1963 |
Born on this day, in
Marietta, Georgia,
was Travis Tritt,
Grammy
winning, country
music singer who has
charted more than
forty times on the
Hot Country Songs
charts, including
five #1's: "Help Me
Hold On," "Anymore,"
"Can I Trust You
with My Heart,"
"Foolish Pride" and
"Best of
Intentions." He
received two
Grammy
Awards, both for
Best Country
Collaboration with
Vocals: in 1992 for
"The Whiskey Ain't
Workin'," a duet
with Marty Stuart,
and again in 1998
for "Same Old
Train", a
collaboration with
Stuart and nine
other artists.
|
28-Feb-1963 |
Patsy Cline made the
final television
appearance of her
career when she
appeared on The
Glenn Reeves
Show singing
"San Antonio Rose"
and "I Fall To
Pieces". She died
tragically in a
plane crash just
five days later at
the age of 30. |
3-Mar-1963 |
Patsy Cline
performed at a
benefit at the
Soldiers and Sailors
Memorial Hall,
Kansas City, Kansas,
along with George
Jones, George Riddle
and The Jones Boys,
Billy Walker, Dottie
West, Cowboy Copas
and Hawkshaw
Hawkins. The concert
was in aid of the
family of disc
jockey "Cactus" Jack
Call who had died in
an automobile crash
a little over a
month earlier. This
was the last
perfomance by Cline
who died in a plane
crash two days
later. |
5-Mar-1963 |
Patsy Cline, Cowboy
Copus and Hawkshaw
Hawkins were all
killed when the
plane they were
travelling in flew
into severe weather
and crashed in a
forest near Camden,
Tennessee, 90 miles
from the
destination. The
Country artists had
left for Nashville
in a Piper Comanche
piloted by Copas'
son-in-law (and
Cline's manager),
Randy Hughes. The
three had perfromed
at a benefit concert
at the Soldiers and
Sailors Memorial
Hall in Kansas City,
Kansas for the
family of disc
jockey Cactus Jack
Call, who had died
the previous
December in an
automobile
accident.
|
10-Mar-1963 |
Born on this day,
was Frederick Jay
"Rick", Rubin,
American record
producer. Rubin was
the co-founder of
Def Jam Records and
also established
American Recordings
who released Johnny
Cash's American
Recordings
(1994), a record
including six cover
songs and new
material written by
others for Cash at
Rubin's request. The
album was a critical
and commercial
success, and helped
revive Cash's
career. Rubin
introduced Cash to
Nine Inch Nails'
"Hurt", and the
resulting cover
version of it on
The Man Comes
Around would
become a defining
song of Cash's later
years.
|
13-Mar-1963 |
Born on this day in
Doniphan, Missouri,
was Billy Yates,
singer, songwriter.
Yates co-wrote
George Jones'
singles "I Don't
Need Your Rockin'
Chair" and
"Choices". |
25-Mar-1963 |
Born on this day in
York, Pennsylvania,
was Robbie Fulks,
alternative country
singer-songwriter
who has released 12
albums over a career
spanning more than
25 years. |
25-Mar-1963 |
Johnny Cash recorded
the June
Carter/Merle Kilgore
song "Ring Of Fire."
The song was
originally recorded
by June's sister
Anita Carter, on her
1963 album Folk
Songs Old and
New as "(Love's)
Ring of Fire". Cash
claimed he had a
dream where he heard
the song accompanied
by "Mexican
trumpets". It became
the biggest hit of
Johnny Cash's
career, staying at
#1 on the charts for
seven weeks. |
29-Mar-1963 |
Texas Ruby, of the
duo Curly Fox and
Texas Ruby, was
killed in a trailer
fire while Fox was
performing in
Nashville, Tennessee
on the Grand Ole
Opry. The singer had
fallen asleep
smoking in their
mobile home and was
killed in the
resulting fire. |
29-Apr-1963 |
Born on this day in
Thomasville,
Georgia, was
Stephanie Bentley,
country music artist
who found success as
a songwriter, having
penned Faith Hill's
1999 crossover
single "Breathe", as
well as Martina
McBride's 2002 Top 5
hit "Concrete
Angel". |
8-May-1963 |
Born on this day in
Greenwood, South
Carolina, was Keith
Harling, country
music artist. He
made his debut in
1998 with the album
Write It in
Stone which
produced four hit
singles including
"Papa Bear". |
15-May-1963 |
At the 5th Annual
Grammy Awards
held Chicago, Los
Angeles and New
York, Burl Ives won
Best Country &
Western Recording
for "Funny Way of
Laughin'." |
27-May-1963 |
Hawkshaw Hawkins was
at #1 on the US
country chart with
"Lonesome 7-7203".
Written by Justin
Tubb it was the
final single release
of his career, three
days after its
release, Hawkins
died in an airplane
crash which also
killed Patsy Cline
and Cowboy Copas.
Two weeks after
Hawkins' death, the
song reached the top
of the charts for a
four-week run. |
27-May-1963 |
Dottie West recorded
"Let Me off at the
Corner" at RCA
Victor Studios.
Written by Lou
Meredith and Larry
Kronberg and
produced by Chet
Atkins it was
released in August
1963 and became the
first single to
chart in West's
music career,
reaching the top 40
and the top 30 of
the American country
chart. |
8-Jun-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." |
10-Jun-1963 |
Four months
following her death,
Decca Records
released The
Patsy Cline
Story, a double
album compilation
consisting of Patsy
Cline's best-known
songs between 1961
and 1963. |
15-Jun-1963 |
Buck Owens scored
his first #1 single
with "Act
Naturally". The song
has been covered by
many other artists,
including Loretta
Lynn, Dwight Yoakam,
and The Beatles. In
1989, Owens and
Ringo Starr teamed
up for a brand-new
version, also
creating a
lighthearted music
video for it, with
them playing
bumbling versions of
themselves playing
cowboys in a western
being filmed. |
31-Jul-1963 |
Born on this day in
Ocala, Florida, was
Chad Brock, Country
music singer,
songwriter and DJ
who scored the 2000
US #1 Country hit
"Yes!" |
17-Aug-1963 |
American country and
folk music vocal
trio The Browns was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. They are
best known for their
1959
Grammy-nominated
hit, "The Three
Bells". |
22-Aug-1963 |
Born on this day in
Dawson Springs,
Kentucky, was Mila
Mason, country music
artist. She made her
debut in 1996 with
the release of her
debut album
That's Enough of
That, which
produced three hit
singles. She also
co-wrote Mindy
McCready's 2002
single "Maybe, Maybe
Not". |
4-Sep-1963 |
Born on this day in
Bakersfield,
California, was Noel
Haggard the son of
country music legend
Merle Haggard who
released his debut
album, One
Lifetime, in
1997. |
6-Sep-1963 |
Born on this day in
Beaumont, Texas, was
Mark Chesnutt,
country music singer
who scored the 1991
US Country #1 single
with his version of
"Brother Jukebox",
(which Don Everley
had recorded in
1977). |
19-Sep-1963 |
Born on this day in
Bunker Hill,
Mississippi, was
Jeff Bates American
country music
artist. His two RCA
albums accounted for
seven chart singles
on the
Billboard
country charts, of
which three reached
top 40: "The Love
Song", "I Wanna Make
You Cry" and "Long,
Slow Kisses". |
19-Sep-1963 |
The Jimmy Dean
Show aired for
the first time on
ABC-TV. An
hour-long weekly
series, the variety
program featured
country performers
such as Charlie
Rich, Roger Miller,
Eddy Arnold, Connie
Smith, Buck Owens,
Jim Reeves, Red
Buttons, and Johnny
Cash. The Jimmy Dean
Show, also gave
puppeteer Jim Henson
his first national
media exposure, best
known as the creator
of The
Muppets. |
30-Sep-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. |
16-Oct-1963 |
Lefty Frizzell
recorded "Saginaw,
Michigan". When
released in November
of this year the
single was
Frizzell's sixth and
final #1 on the
country chart.
"Saginaw, Michigan"
spent a total of 23
weeks on the country
chart and earned
Frizzell a Grammy
Award nomination. |
31-Oct-1963 |
Buck Owens was at #1
on the Country
singles chart with
"Love's Gonna Live
Here", which spent
sixteen weeks at the
top spot and a total
of thirty weeks on
the chart. After
"Love's Gonna Live
Here" finished its
16-week stay, no
other song would
spend more than 10
weeks at #1 for 49
years. |
1-Nov-1963 |
Born on this day in
Culpeper, Virginia,
was Big Kenny,
country music
singer. He and John
Rich comprise the
duo Big & Rich,
which has recorded
three studio albums.
Kenny has also
written or
co-written singles
for Gretchen Wilson,
Jason Aldean,
McBride & the Ride
and Tim McGraw. His
first solo single,
"Long After I'm
Gone," was released
in 2009.
|
6-Nov-1963 |
Born on this day in
Terre Haute, Indiana
was session musician
and country
guitarist J. T.
Corenflos. He worked
on demos in the
mid-1990s with Kenny
Chesney and had also
worked with Jean
Shepard and Joe
Stampley before
joining the band
Palomino Road in
1992. He died on
October 24, 2020 age
56. |
7-Nov-1963 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was Robin
Lee Bruce, country
music artist who
scored the #12 hit
on Hot Country Songs
in 1990 with a cover
of Alannah Myles'
single "Black
Velvet" and has
written album cuts
for LeAnn Rimes and
Jo Dee Messina, as
well as other
artists.
|
13-Nov-1963 |
Born on this day was
American record
producer Frank
Liddell, (who is
married to singer
Lee Ann Womack).
Liddell has won the
Academy of
Country Music's
Album of the Year
award three times
for production on
the Miranda Lambert
albums: Crazy
Ex-Girlfriend,
in 2008,
Revolution in
2010, and for
Four the
Record in 2012. |
16-Nov-1963 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, Georgia,
was Keith Burns,
guitarist and singer
from Trick Pony who
scored eight singles
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, including
four Top 20 hits:
"Pour Me," "On a
Night like This,"
"Just What I Do" and
"On a Mission." |
5-Dec-1963 |
Born on this day,
was Ty England,
American country
music singer and
guitarist. Initially
a member of Garth
Brooks' band,
England began his
solo career in 1995,
recording a
self-titled debut
album on RCA
Records. A second
album, Two Ways
to Fall,
followed in 1996.
England has also
charted six singles
on the country
charts. His
highest-charting
single was his debut
single, "Should've
Asked Her Faster", a
#3 hit in late 1995. |
16-Dec-1963 |
Born on this day in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, was
Jeff Carson, country
music artist who was
originally a session
musician in Branson,
Missouri and later a
demo singer. He has
charted fourteen
singles on the
Billboard
country charts,
including the #1 hit
"Not on Your Love."
He retired from
music in 2009 and
became a police
officer. Carson died
from a heart attack
at a hospital in
Franklin, Tennessee,
on March 26, 2022,
at the age of 58. |
24-Dec-1963 |
"Love's Gonna Live
Here" by Buck Owens,
was at #1 on the
Country chart.
Spending sixteen
weeks at the top
spot and a total of
thirty weeks on the
chart, after "Love's
Gonna Live Here"
finished its 16-week
stay at #1, no other
song would spend
more than 10 weeks
at #1 for 49 years.
On January 12, 2013,
"We Are Never Ever
Getting Back
Together" by Taylor
Swift would become
the first song to
spend at least 10
weeks at #1. |
11-Jan-1964 |
Ring Of Fire The
Best of Johnny
Cash became the
first #1 album when
Billboard
debuted their
Country Album Chart.
It was his
sixteenth album in
total and the first
compilations album
by Cash. |
1-Feb-1964 |
Buck Owens' hit,
"Love's Gonna Live
Here," finished its
16-week run at #1 on
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart. To date, it
is the most recent
song to spend 10 or
more weeks atop the
chart.
|
3-Feb-1964 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was
Matraca Berg,
country music singer
and songwriter.
Besides recording
her own material,
Berg has written
hits for T.G.
Sheppard, Karen
Brooks, Trisha
Yearwood, Deana
Carter and others.
In 2008 she was
inducted into the
Nashville
Songwriters Hall of
Fame. |
24-Feb-1964 |
Born on this day in
Boone, North
Carolina was Chris
Austin, singer.
Austin was most
known for playing
guitar and fiddle
for Ricky Skaggs's
and Reba McEntire's
road bands. Austin
toured with McEntire
until an airplane
carrying Austin and
six other members of
McEntire's band, and
her road manager
crashed into a
nearby mountain on
March 16, 1991,
after taking off
from an airport in
San Diego,
California, killing
all on board. Austin
was aged 27. |
1-Mar-1964 |
Born on this day in
Martinsville,
Virginia, was
Clinton Gregory,
country and
bluegrass singer,
songwriter, and
fiddler. His highest
charting single is
the 1991 "Play,
Ruby, Play", which
reached #25. |
2-Mar-1964 |
American bluegrass
music duo Jim &
Jesse was inducted
into the Grand
Ole Opry. The
brothers had the
1967 Top 10 Country
hit "Diesel on My
Tail" and other hots
include "Cotton Mill
Man", "Are You
Missing Me", and
"Paradise". |
6-Mar-1964 |
Born on this day in
Redlands,
California, was Skip
Ewing. Artists who
have recorded
Ewing's songs
include Conway
Twitty, George
Jones, Kenny Rogers,
George Strait,
Willie Nelson, Kenny
Chesney, Clint
Black, Collin Raye,
Diamond Rio, Reba
McEntire, Tim
McGraw, Trisha
Yearwood, Randy
Travis and Merle
Haggard |
7-Mar-1964 |
Ernest Ashworth was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. He
recorded two studio
albums in his career
and charted several
singles on Billboard
Hot Country Songs,
including the #1
"Talk Back Trembling
Lips" and seven
other top ten hits.
In 1992, Ashworth
was inducted into
the Alabama Music
Hall of Fame. |
4-Apr-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. |
11-Apr-1964 |
Born on this day, in
Greenville,
Mississippi, was
Steve Azar, country
music singer,
songwriter who
scored the 2002 US
Country #2 "I Don't
Have to Be Me ('Til
Monday)", which was
the lead-off single
from his second
studio album,
Waitin' on
Joe. |
14-Apr-1964 |
Born on this day in
Quantico, Virginia,
was Stuart Duncan,
bluegrass musician
who plays the
fiddle, mandolin,
guitar and banjo.
Duncan has played
with numerous well
known performers
including George
Strait, Dolly
Parton, Reba
McEntire and Alison
Krauss. |
18-Apr-1964 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US Country
singles charts with
"Understand Your
Man." The song which
enjoyed a 6 week run
at the top of the
charts borrowed
parts of the melody
from Bob Dylan's
"Don't Think Twice,
It's All Right."
|
27-Apr-1964 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US country
chart with Ring
of Fire: The Best
of. This album
collects tracks from
singles and an EP
released between
1959 and 1963,
Cash's first years
on the Columbia
label. Ring of
Fire was the
first #1 album when
Billboard debuted
their Country Album
Chart on January 11,
1964. |
11-May-1964 |
Hank Williams Jr.
begins three days of
recording with MGM
labelmate Connie
Francis at
Nashville's Columbia
Recording Studio.
The first song they
tackle was
"Wolverton
Mountain," written
by Bocephus' future
manager, Merle
Kilgore. |
12-May-1964 |
Connie Francis and
Hank Williams Jr,
recorded "Singing
The Blues", "Wabash
Cannonball", "Blue
Blue Day" and "If
You've Got The
Money" at Columbia
Recording Studio,
Nashville,
Tennessee. |
21-May-1964 |
Buck Owens was at #1
on the country
charts with "My
Heart Skips a Beat",
Owens's third chart
topper. "My Heart
Skips a Beat" spent
seven
non-consecutive
weeks at the top
with a total of
twenty-six weeks on
the chart. The
B-side, "Together
Again", also hit #1
on the country chart
both replacing and
being replaced by
"My Heart Skips a
Beat" from the top
spot.
|
28-May-1964 |
Born on this day in
Lynchburg, Virginia,
was Phil Vassar,
country music
singer, songwriter
who has co-written
singles for several
country artists,
including Tim McGraw
("For a Little
While", "My Next
Thirty Years"), Jo
Dee Messina ("Bye,
Bye", "I'm
Alright"), Collin
Raye ("Little Red
Rodeo"), and Alan
Jackson ("Right on
the Money"). In
1999, he was named
by American
Society of
Composers, Authors
and Publishers
as Country
Songwriter of the
Year. |
30-May-1964 |
Born on this day in
Ashland, Kentucky,
was Wynonna Judd,
country music
singer. Her solo
albums and singles
are all credited to
the singular name
Wynonna. Wynonna
first rose to fame
in the 1980s
alongside her
mother, Naomi, in
the country music
duo The Judds who
scored 14 #1 hits.
After The Judds
disbanded in 1991,
Wynonna began a solo
career, seeing her
first three singles,
"She Is His Only
Need", "I Saw the
Light" and "No One
Else on Earth" all
reaching #1 on the
US country singles
chart.
|
1-Jun-1964 |
I Walk the
Line the
nineteenth studio
album by Johnny Cash
was released on
Columbia Records.
The album peaked at
#1 on the Country
album charts. |
8-Jun-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. |
4-Jul-1964 |
Buck Owens was at #1
on the Country
singles chart with
"My Heart Skips a
Beat", Owens's third
#1. The B-side,
"Together Again",
also hit #1 on the
country chart both
replacing and being
replaced by "My
Heart Skips a Beat"
from the top spot. |
16-Jul-1964 |
Country singer
Connie Smith
recorded her debut
single, "Once A
Day," at RCA's
Studio B in
Nashville. Released
in August 1964,
topping the
Billboard country
music chart for
eight weeks between
late 1964 and early
1965. It was the
first debut single
by a female artist
to reach #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs. |
17-Jul-1964 |
Born on this day in
Kingston Springs,
Tennessee, was Craig
Morgan country music
singer, songwriter.
A veteran of the
United States Army,
Morgan began his
musical career in
2000 releasing his
self-titled debut
album. In 2005 he
scored "That's What
I Love About
Sunday," which spent
four weeks at the
top of the
Billboard
country charts.
|
22-Jul-1964 |
Hank Snow, with
producer Chet
Atkins, recorded "In
The Misty
Moonlight", "I Saw A
Man" and other
tracks, at RCA
Victor Studio,
Tennessee. The band
on the session
includes guitarists
Harold Bradley and
Jerry Shook, steel
guitarist Joseph
Tanner, bassist
Junior Huskey,
drummer Buddy
Harman, pianist
Hargus Robbins,
vibraphonist Joe
Layne plus The Anita
Kerr Singers. |
30-Jul-1964 |
Born on this day in
California was Banjo
player Ron Block. He
joined Alison Krauss
+ Union Station in
1991, performing on
"When You Say
Nothing At All,"
plus The Soggy
Bottom Boys' "I Am A
Man Of Constant
Sorrow" and Vince
Gill's "High
Lonesome Sound." |
31-Jul-1964 |
A private aircraft
piloted by Jim
Reeves crashed
during a
thunderstorm near
Nashville,
Tennessee. Both
Reeves and business
partner Dean Manuel
were killed in the
crash; their bodies
are found two days
later following a
massive search for
the two missing men.
Reeves became known
as a practitioner of
the Nashville sound
(a mixture of older
country-style music
with elements of
popular music) and
his songs continued
to chart for years
after his death.
|
2-Aug-1964 |
After an intense
search the bodies of
Jim Reeves and Dean
Manuel were found in
the wreckage of an
aircraft and, at
1:00 p.m. local
time, radio stations
across the United
States announced
Reeves' death
formally. The
single-engine
Beechcraft Debonair
aircraft, with
Reeves at the
controls had crashed
42 hours earlier
during a
thunderstrom.
Thousands of people
traveled to pay
their last respects
at his funeral two
days later. The
coffin, draped in
flowers from fans,
was driven through
the streets of
Nashville and then
to Reeves' final
resting place near
Carthage, Texas. |
8-Aug-1964 |
Dottie West was
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry. A
distinguished figure
in the country
genre, West was
among several people
who helped to
elevate the platform
of female country
artists. She was
also known for
mentoring
up-and-coming
artists and being
the first woman to
win a country music
accolade from the
Grammy Awards. In
1973, she released a
single version of a
commercial jingle
originally used by
The Coca-Cola
Company. Entitled
"Country Sunshine",
the song became
West's biggest hit,
reaching #2 on the
country chart. |
17-Aug-1964 |
Born on this day in
Los Angeles,
California, was
Maria McKee, singer
and songwriter who
is best known for
her work with Lone
Justice and her 1990
UK solo
chart-topping hit,
"Show Me Heaven".
Many country atrists
have covered her
songs including The
Dixie Chicks, "Am I
the Only One (Who's
Ever Felt This
Way?)", and Dwight
Yoakam who with
Maria McKee recorded
"Bury Me" on his
debut album
Guitars,
Cadillacs, Etc.,
Etc.
|
22-Aug-1964 |
Following the
reluctance of radio
stations to play the
latest Johnny Cash
single "The Ballad
Of Ira Hayes", Cash
him-self took out a
full page ad in
Billboard
lambasting their
lack of support. The
ad read: "DJ's,
Station managers,
owners etc, where
are your guts? I'm
not afraid to sing
hard, bitter lines
that the son of
Oliver LaFarge
wroteClassify Me,
Categorize Me,
STIFLE me, but it
won't work."
|
1-Sep-1964 |
Born on this day in
Houston, Texas, was
Charlie Robison,
country music
singer, songwriter.
His biggest hits
including "My
Hometown" released
in 2000. He married
Emily Erwin of The
Dixie Chicks in
1999. The couple
divorced on August
6, 2008 after nine
years of marriage.
Robison died after
suffering from
cardiac arrest at a
San Antonio, Texas
hospital on
September 10, 2023,
at the age of 59. |
3-Sep-1964 |
Jim Reeves had his
first of six
posthumous #1's on
the US country chart
with his version of
"I Guess I'm Crazy",
which spent seven
weeks at the top and
a total of
twenty-four weeks on
the chart. The song
was first recorded
in 1955 by Tommy
Collins. |
19-Sep-1964 |
Born on this day in
Monticello, Georgia,
was Trisha Yearwood,
country music
artist. Best known
for her ballads
about vulnerable
young women from a
female perspective.
She scored the 1997
song "How Do I
Live", which was
initially released
on the soundtrack of
the film, Con
Air.
|
1-Oct-1964 |
Bitter Tears:
Ballads of the
American Indian
by Johnny Cash was
released in the US.
His twentienth album
release was a
concept album, with
the tracks on the
album focusing
exclusively on the
history of and
problems facing
Native Americans in
the US. Cash had
been convinced that
his ancestry
included members of
the Cherokee tribe,
and this partly
served as
inspiration for
recording Bitter
Tears, but later
on as he began
researching his
ancestry, he
actually had no
Cherokee ancestry,
but Scottish,
English, and
Scots-Irish
ancestry. |
31-Oct-1964 |
Born on this day in
Memphis, Tennessee,
was Darryl Worley,
country music artist
whose six albums
have produced 18
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, including
three #1's: "I Miss
My Friend", "Have
You Forgotten?", and
"Awful, Beautiful
Life", from 2002,
2003 and 2004-2005,
respectively. "Have
You Forgotten?"
spent seven weeks at
#1. Nine other
singles have reached
the Top 40.
|
12-Nov-1964 |
Born on this day in
Tillamook, Oregon,
was Jerry Kilgore,
country music artist
who as well as
releasing solo
albums has written
singles for Tracy
Byrd and John
Michael Montgomery,
("Cover You in
Kisses"). |
14-Nov-1964 |
Born on this day in
Statesville, North
Carolina, was Rockie
Lynne country music
artist. His
self-titled debut
album released in
2006 produced three
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, including
the top 30 hit
"Lipstick". |
28-Nov-1964 |
"Once a Day," by
Connie Smith,
started an
eight-week stay at
#1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. To date, it
is the
longest-running
chart topper by a
solo female act and
was the first debut
single by a female
country artist to
reach #1. The song
also held the record
for the most weeks
spent at #1 by a
female country
artist until it was
surpassed by by
Taylor Swift's "We
Are Never Ever
Getting Back
Together" in
December 2012. |
1-Dec-1964 |
Buck Owens recorded
"I've Got A Tiger By
The Tail" and
"Cryin' Time" during
recording sessions
at the Capitol
Recording Studios in
Hollywood,
California. Owens
later said he got
the idea for "I've
Got A Tiger By The
Tail" after seeing
an Esso gas station
sign with the
company's slogan at
the time, "Put a
tiger in your tank."
|
2-Dec-1964 |
Buck Owens and his
Buckaroos were at
the top of the US
Country charts with
Together
Again. The album
featured the chart
topping single "My
Heart Skips a Beat",
Owen's third #1 hit. |
18-Dec-1964 |
Born on this day was
American country
music artist Cledus
T. Judd. Known
primarily for his
parodies of popular
country music songs,
he has been called
the "Weird Al"
Yankovic of country
music. His highest
chart peak is the
#48 "I Love NASCAR",
a parody of Toby
Keith's 2003 single
"I Love This Bar". |
5-Jan-1965 |
Dottie West recorded
"Gettin' Married Has
Made Us Strangers",
at RCA Victor
Studios in
Nashville,
Tennessee. Written
by Gary Geld and
Pete Udell and
produced by Chet
Atkins it was
released in March
1965 as the first
single from her
second album
Dottie West
Sings. The song
became a top 30
chart single on the
US country music
chart. |
13-Jan-1965 |
"Once a Day" by
American country
artist Connie Smith
was at #1 on the US
country music chart.
It was the first
debut single by a
female country
artist to reach #1,
and to date holds
the record for the
most weeks (eight),
spent at #1 by a
female country
artist. |
20-Jan-1965 |
Born on this day in
Danville, Kentucky,
was John Michael
Montgomery, country
singer, songwriter
who has produced
more than thirty
singles on the
Billboard
country charts,
including two #1
country singles of
the year: "I Swear"
(1994) and "Sold
(The Grundy County
Auction Incident)"
(1995). |
17-Feb-1965 |
"The Tennessee
Waltz" was declared
the state song of
Tennessee. Written
by Redd Stewart and
Pee Wee King the
song was first
released in 1947 by
Cowboy Copas. The
song also became a
multimillion seller
in 1950 by Patti
Page. |
18-Mar-1965 |
Buck Owens was at #1
on the Country
singles charts with
"I've Got a Tiger By
the Tail" which
became one of Owens'
signature songs and
showcases of the
Bakersfield sound in
the genre. Owens got
the idea for the
song after seeing an
Esso gas station
sign with the
company's slogan at
the time, "Put a
tiger in your tank."
|
27-Mar-1965 |
Roger Miller was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "King Of
The Road." The song
has been covered by
many other artists,
including George
Jones, Dean Martin,
Boxcar Willie, Randy
Travis, the Statler
Brothers, Rufus
Wainwright & Teddy
Thompson, The
Proclaimers and
Jerry Lee Lewis.
|
13-Apr-1965 |
Roger Miller won
five trophies at the
seventh annual
Grammy Awards,
taking away, Best
New Country &
Western Artist; C&W
Album, for Dang
Me/Chug-A-Lug
and C&W Single, Song
and Male Vocal, for
"Dang Me", his
novelty song whose
"jazzy instrumental
section" helped make
it "the
quintessential
example of Miller's
lighthearted humor".
Best Country &
Western Vocal
Performance - Female
went to Dottie West
for "Here Comes My
Baby." |
20-Apr-1965 |
Roger Miller was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "King Of
The Road." The song
has been covered by
many other artists,
including George
Jones, Dean Martin,
Boxcar Willie, Randy
Travis, the Statler
Brothers, Rufus
Wainwright & Teddy
Thompson, The
Proclaimers and
Jerry Lee Lewis. |
11-May-1965 |
Johnny Cash was
arrested and held
overnight at the
city jail in
Starkville,
Mississippi. The
event inspired Cash
to write the song
"Starkville City
Jail".
|
13-May-1965 |
Born on this day in
Dunedin, Florida,
was Lari White,
country music artist
and actress. Three
of her singles
having reached Top
Ten: "That's My
Baby" and "That's
How You Know (When
You're In Love)" and
"Now I Know." She
died on January 23
20198 age 52 after a
battle with
peritoneal cancer. |
19-May-1965 |
Roger Miller
received a gold
single for "King Of
The Road", which was
was Miller's fifth
single for Smash
Records. |
31-May-1965 |
Del Reeves was at #1
on the country
charts with "Girl on
the Billboard". The
novelty song was
Reeves' fourth entry
on the country chart
and his only #1
single. "Girl on the
Billboard" which
spent two weeks at
the top of the
charts has become
one of many country
standards about
lust.
|
11-Jun-1965 |
Buck Owens had the
#1 country album
with I've Got A
Tiger By The
Tail. Owens
later said he got
the idea for "I've
Got A Tiger By The
Tail" after seeing
an Esso gas station
sign with the
company's slogan at
the time, "Put a
tiger in your tank." |
13-Jun-1965 |
Born on this day in
Turkey, Texas, was
American country
music
singer-songwriter
Joe Barnhill who
along with Wayne
Perry wrote "Not a
Moment Too Soon," a
#1 hit for Tim
McGraw in 1994. |
20-Jun-1965 |
Ira Louvin from The
Louvin Brothers was
killed in a car
crash. His fourth
wife, Anne Young,
and he were on the
way home from a
performance in
Kansas City when
they came to a
section of
construction on
Highway 70 outside
of Williamsburg,
Missouri, where
traffic had been
reduced down to one
lane. A drunken
driver struck their
car head-on, and
both Ira and Anne
were killed
instantly. At the
time, a warrant for
Ira's arrest had
been issued on a DUI
charge. Rolling
Stone ranked the
Louvin Brothers #4
on its list of the
20 Greatest Duos of
All Time. |
10-Jul-1965 |
Born on this day was
American country
music artist Ken
Mellons who released
his self-titled
debut album in 1994.
This album produced
the single "Jukebox
Junkie", a Top Ten
hit on the Hot
Country Songs
charts. |
13-Jul-1965 |
Born on this day was
Neil Thrasher,
country music singer
and songwriter.
Between 1995 and
1997, he and Kelly
Shiver comprised the
duo Thrasher Shiver.
Thrasher has written
several singles for
other artists, such
as Jason Aldean,
Rascal Flatts, Kenny
Chesney, Diamond
Rio, Reba McEntire
and Montgomery
Gentry. Thrasher
received an ASCAP
Songwriter of
the Year award in
2004. |
21-Jul-1965 |
Born on this day,
was Sidney Cox,
banjo, dobro,
guitar, vocals with
The Cox Family, who
were featuted on the
soundtrack to the
2000 film O
Brother, Where Art
Thou? |
29-Jul-1965 |
Buck Owens was at #1
on the US Country
charts with "Before
You Go ". The single
was Owens' seventh
release to hit #1 on
the US country
singles chart where
it spent six weeks
at the top and total
of twenty weeks on
the chart. |
7-Aug-1965 |
Born on this day
Miami, Florida, was
Raul Malo lead
singer of country
music group The
Mavericks and the
co-writer of many of
their singles, as
well as Rick
Trevino's 2003
single "In My
Dreams". |
28-Aug-1965 |
Born on this day in
Windsor, Ontario,
was Shania Twain,
Canadian country pop
singer-songwriter.
Her 1997 album
Come On Over,
became the
best-selling album
of all time by a
female musician in
any genre, and the
best-selling country
album of all time
selling more than 40
million copies
worldwide. Twain
has won 5 Grammy
Awards and 27
BMI
Songwriter
awards and is
sometimes referred
to as "The Queen of
Country Pop", she is
one of the most
commercially
successful artists
of all time, having
sold over 80 million
albums.
|
13-Sep-1965 |
Buck Owens had the
#1 country album
"I've Got A Tiger By
The Tail" Owens
later said he got
the idea for "I've
Got A Tiger By The
Tail" after seeing
an Esso gas station
sign with the
company's slogan at
the time, "Put a
tiger in your tank." |
17-Sep-1965 |
Buck Owens and his
Buckaroos were at #1
on the Country
singles chart with
"I've Got a Tiger by
the Tail". The song
was one of Owens'
signature songs and
showcases of the
Bakersfield sound in
the genre. |
28-Sep-1965 |
Dottie West recorded
"Before the Ring on
Your Finger Turns
Green" at RCA Victor
Studios Nashville.
Written by Felice
and Boudleaux Bryant
and produced by Chet
Atkins it was
released in November
1965 as the first
single from the
singers thrid album
album Suffer
Time. It became
West's seventh
charting single and
sixth top 40 single
on the Country
charts. |
30-Sep-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. |
5-Oct-1965 |
Johnny Cash was
arrested crossing
the Mexican border
into El Paso, Texas
after customs
officials found
100's of pills in
his guitar case. He
received a suspended
jail sentence and a
$1,000 fine. |
15-Oct-1965 |
Born on this day in
Los Angeles,
California, was Dean
Miller, country
music artist, (the
son of Roger
Miller). He has
scored four singles
on the Hot Country
Songs charts as well
as writing singles
for Trace Adkins and
Terri Clark. |
24-Oct-1965 |
Jim Reeves was at #1
on the Country music
album chart with "Up
Through The Years".
Reeves was killed in
a plane crash the
previous year on
July 31, 1964 after
they encountered a
violent thunderstorm
en route to
Nashville in a
single-engine
Beechcraft Debonair
aircraft, with
Reeves at the
controls. |
3-Nov-1965 |
Johnny Wright was at
#1 on the Country
chart with "Hello
Vietnam." The
single, with backing
vocals from his
wife, Kitty Wells,
was later used as
the opening theme in
the 1987 Stanley
Kubrick film Full
Metal Jacket. |
21-Nov-1965 |
American violinist
Cecil Brower died
age 50. He became an
architect of Western
swing in the 1930s
and was a renowned
Nashville session
musician and
performed with some
of the biggest names
in country music
including Patsy
Cline. In 1955,
Brower became a
regular performer on
ABC-TV's Ozark
Jubilee in
Springfield,
Missouri for several
years. |
22-Nov-1965 |
Little Jimmy Dickens
was at #1 on the
Country chart with
the novelty song,
"May the Bird of
Paradise Fly Up Your
Nose." Neal Merritt,
who wrote the song,
said it was inspired
by one of the many
comic putdowns
uttered by host
Johnny Carson on
The Tonight
Show. |
24-Nov-1965 |
Born on this day was
American mandolin
player Adam Steffey.
He has performed
with such artists as
Kenny Chesney, Clint
Black, Vince Gill,
Dolly Parton, the
Dixie Chicks, James
Taylor and Rhonda
Vincent. |
2-Dec-1965 |
Born on this day was
American country
music songwriter
Casey Beathard who
has co-written
singles for several
country music
recording artists,
including Top Ten
singles for Gary
Allan, Billy Ray
Cyrus, Trace Adkins,
Kenny Chesney and
Eric Church. In 2004
and 2008, he
received
Broadcast Music,
Inc.'s Songwriter of
the Year award
for his
contributions. |
28-Dec-1965 |
Johnny Cash pleaded
guilty to drug
possession in El
Paso, Texas, where
he was arrested in
October with over
1,000 pills. A
related newspaper
photo stated the Ku
Klux Klan was to
boycott Cash
concerts under the
misguided premise
that Cash's wife was
black. |
3-Jan-1966 |
Jack Greene was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "There
Goes My Everything",
which spent 7 weeks
at the top of the
chart. The song won
several awards,
including "Single of
the Year" and "Song
of the Year" at the
very first
CMA Awards.
|
4-Jan-1966 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,Tennessee,
was Deana Carter
country music artist
who broke through in
1996 with the
release of debut
album Did I Shave
My Legs for
This?, which has
seen sales of over
five million in the
US. |
18-Jan-1966 |
Red Sovine was at #1
on the US Country
charts with "Giddyup
Go", which is the
tale of an emotional
father-son reunion
at a highway truck
stop. American
country comedienne
Minnie Pearl
recorded an answer
version titled
"Giddyup Go Answer."
A departure from her
usual comic
recordings, Pearl
told the story from
the perspective of
the manager of the
truck stop where the
father-son reunion
takes place.
|
19-Feb-1966 |
Buck Owens was at #1
on the country
singles chart with
Waitin' in Your
Welfare Line.
The single was
Owens' tenth #1 on
the US country music
chart and the track
spent seven weeks at
the top and a total
of eighteen weeks on
the country chart. |
12-Mar-1966 |
Dottie West released
the single "Would
You Hold It Against
Me" as the second
single from the
album Suffer
Time. Co-written
with her
then-husband Bill,
the song became
West's biggest hit
of the year, peaking
at #5 on the Hot
Country Songs list
in 1966 and was
West's biggest hit
as a solo artist
that decade. |
15-Mar-1966 |
At this years
Grammy Awards
at Chicago, Los
Angeles, Nashville
and New York, Roger
Miller won six
Awards, five of them
related to his hit
"King of the Road".
The Best New Country
& Western Artist
went to The Statler
Brothers. |
24-Mar-1966 |
Buck Owens was at #1
on the Country
charts with "Waitin'
in Your Welfare
Line." Owens' tenth
#1 spent seven weeks
at the top and a
total of eighteen
weeks on the country
chart. |
18-Apr-1966 |
Eddy Arnold was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
"I Want to Go with
You" which was
written by country
music
singer-songwriter
Hank Cochran. |
26-Apr-1966 |
Born on this day in
Tarrant County,
Texas, was Jeff
Huskins, country
fiddle and keyboard
player, producer,
and record label
founder and one time
member of Little
Texas who scored the
1994 US Country #1
hit "My Love". |
7-May-1966 |
Johnny Cash kicked
off his first ever
UK tour at the
Empire in Liverpool,
with The Statler
Brothers opening the
show, followed by
June Carter. |
13-May-1966 |
Born on this day in
Charleston, South
Carolina, was Darius
Rucker, lead singer
and rhythm guitarist
of the rock band
Hootie & the
Blowfish who had the
2008 US Country #1
hit "Don't Think I
Don't Think About
It." Rucker won the
Country Music
Association's
New Artist of the
Year in 2009. Rucker
scored two US
Country #1's in 2010
with "Come Back
Song', and "This".
|
15-May-1966 |
Jim Reeves was at #1
on the country
charts with "Distant
Drums." The track
provided the US
singer with his only
UK #1 hit - albeit
posthumously - in
1966, some two years
after his death in a
plane crash on 31
July 1964. The song
remained in the UK
charts for 45 weeks. |
16-May-1966 |
Born on this day in
Santa Monica,
California, was
Scott Reeves. He
appeared as an actor
in the TV series
The Young And The
Restless, and
later formed Blue
County with Aaron
Benward, who had a
hit with "Good
Little Girls" in
2004. He also
co-wrote Toby
Keith's hit "Made In
America". |
29-May-1966 |
Jim Reeves was at #1
on the US Country
charts with "Distant
Drums." This was
Reeves' only UK #1
hit - albeit
posthumously - in
1966, some two years
after his death in a
plane crash on 31
July 1964. The song
remained in the UK
charts for 45 weeks. |
30-May-1966 |
Dolly Parton married
Carl Thomas Dean in
Ringgold, Georgia.
She had met Dean at
the Wishy-Washy
Laundromat two years
earlier on her first
day in Nashville. On
May 30, 2011, the
couple celebrated
their 45th marriage
anniversary. |
3-Jun-1966 |
Born on this day in
Sydney, Australia,
was Jamie O'Neal,
country singer and
songwriter. Her 2000
debut album,
Shiver
featured the
back-to-back #1
singles "There Is No
Arizona" and "When I
Think About Angels". |
11-Jun-1966 |
Born on this day,
was Texas country
music
singer-songwriter
Bruce Robison who
has written several
songs which have
become hits for
other artists
including:
"Travelin' Soldier,"
the Dixie Chicks,
(reached #1 on the
Country charts);
"Angry All the
Time," (recorded by
Tim McGraw and Faith
Hill in 2001, also
reached #1 on the
country charts); and
"Wrapped," (recorded
in 2006 by George
Strait, also reached
#1). |
15-Jun-1966 |
Born on this day in
Fort Worth, Texas,
was Michael Britt,
guitarist and singer
with Lonestar who
first charted in
late 1995 with the
single "Tequila
Talkin'," the first
of 27 singles on the
country charts. Nine
of the band's
singles have reached
#1 on this chart.
Their biggest hit
was 1999's "Amazed",
a crossover hit that
reached #1 on both
the country charts
and the
Billboard Hot
100, becoming the
first single to do
so since Kenny
Rogers and Dolly
Parton's "Islands in
the Stream" in 1983. |
28-Jun-1966 |
Merle Haggard
recorded "The Bottle
Let Me Down" at the
Capitol Recording
Studio in Hollywood.
Released as a single
in August of this
year, the track
peaked at #3 on the
US Billboard
Hot Country Singles.
|
28-Jun-1966 |
Born on this day in
Nashville, Tennessee
was Bobby Bare Jr.
American
singer-songwriter,
(the son of country
musician Bobby Bare,
Sr.). In 1974, when
Bobby was only
eight, he and his
father were both
nominated for a
Grammy for the song
'Daddy What If',
which was written by
Shel Silverstein. |
18-Jul-1966 |
Buck Owens was at #1
on the US Country
charts with "Think
Of Me." The singer
and songwriter who
had 21 #1 hits on
the Billboard
country music charts
with his band the
Buckaroos, pioneered
what came to be
called the
Bakersfield sound.
|
29-Jul-1966 |
Born on this day in
Sharon, Kansas, was
Martina McBride,
country music singer
and songwriter who
scored the 1996 US
Country #1 single
"Wild Angels".
McBride has been
called the "Celine
Dion of Country
Music" for her
big-voiced ballads
and soprano range.
|
1-Aug-1966 |
During recording
sessions, Merle
Haggard recorded
"The Fugitive"
(later titled "I'm a
Lonesome Fugitive"),
at the Capitol
Recording Studio in
Hollywood,
California. The song
which was written by
Liz Anderson and
Casey Anderson,
(parents of country
star Lynn Anderson),
became one of the
most closely
associated with the
early part of his
career.
|
6-Aug-1966 |
George Jones scored
his first Country #1
album with I'm a
People, his 24th
album release spent
two weeks at the top
of the charts. |
14-Aug-1966 |
"Almost Persuaded"
by David Houston was
at #1 on the Country
chart. The song
spent nine weeks at
#1 and has since
gone on to become a
country standard.
For 46 years and two
months, no #1 song
matched the
chart-topping
longevity of "Almost
Persuaded," until
Taylor Swift's "We
Are Never Ever
Getting Back
Together" notched
its ninth week atop
the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
chart the week of
December 15, 2012. |
19-Aug-1966 |
Born on this day in
Jacksonville, Texas,
was Lee Ann Womack,
country singer,
songwriter. Her 2000
single, "I Hope You
Dance" was a major
crossover music hit,
reaching #1 on the
Billboard
Country Chart and
the Top 15 of the
Billboard Hot
100, becoming her
signature song. |
29-Aug-1966 |
Born on this day in
Perryville,
Arkansas, was
American musician
Shawn Camp who has
found success as a
songwriter, having
co-written hit
singles for many
country music
artists, including
Garth Brooks, Josh
Turner, Brooks &
Dunn, and Blake
Shelton, although he
continues to record
his own material as
well. |
12-Sep-1966 |
Loretta Lynn
released You
Ain't Woman
Enough which
became her first #1
album on the US
Billboard Hot
Country Albums
chart, as well as
her first album to
chart on the
Billboard Top LPs
chart. The album's
only single, "You
Ain't Woman Enough",
was released in May
1966 and became
Lynn's biggest hit
up to that point,
peaking at #2 on the
US Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
21-Sep-1966 |
Born on this day in
Big Spring, Texas,
was Ronna Reeves,
female country music
singer. Between 1990
and 1998, she
released five studio
albums, she has also
charted five singles
on the Hot Country
Songs charts. |
23-Sep-1966 |
Dolly Parton
recorded "Dumb
Blonde". It was
released as a single
on November 7, 1966,
by Monument Records
and was included on
Parton's 1967 debut
album, Hello, I'm
Dolly. The song
is notable for being
Parton's first song
to chart on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart, peaking at
#24. Parton
re-recorded the song
with Miranda Lambert
in 2018 for the
Dumplin' soundtrack
album. |
28-Sep-1966 |
Born on this day in
Asheville, North
Carolina, was
country
singer-songwriter
Matt King who scored
the 1998 hit "A
Woman's Tears". |
3-Oct-1966 |
Merle Haggard
released the album
Swinging
Doors which went
on to peak at #1 on
the Country charts.
The album is
sometimes called
Swinging Doors
and The Bottle Let
Me Down,
although the second
half of this title
is actually an
advertisement for
the other big single
on the album |
5-Oct-1966 |
Loretta Lynn
recorded "Don't Come
Home A-Drinkin'
(With Lovin' on Your
Mind)." The song was
Lynn's first #1
country hit and she
became only the
seventh solo female
vocalist record to
hit that position up
to that time as well
as the first to
score a #1 written
by the woman herself
(the song being
co-written by
Loretta and her
sister Peggy Sue. |
6-Oct-1966 |
Born on this day in
Midwest City,
Oklahoma, was Tim
Rushlow, country
music artist.
Between 1991 and
1997, Rushlow was
co-lead vocalist of
the country music
band Little Texas.
After Little Texas
disbanded in 1997,
Rushlow began a solo
career and scored
the 2000 top 10 hit
"She Misses Him." |
22-Oct-1966 |
At the age of 48,
Eddy Arnold became
the youngest (to
that time) living
inductee into the
Country Music Hall
of Fame. |
7-Nov-1966 |
Dolly Parton
released the single
"Dumb Blonde" on
Monument Records.
The song is notable
for being Parton's
first song to chart
on the Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart, peaking at
#24. Parton
re-recorded the song
with Miranda Lambert
in 2018 for the
Dumplin' soundtrack
album. |
14-Nov-1966 |
Loretta Lynn was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with You
Ain't Woman Enough.
The lead single,
and title track
became Lynn's
biggest hit up to
that point peaking
at #2. Martina
McBride covered the
song for her 2005
album
Timeless. |
12-Dec-1966 |
Merle Haggard
released the single
"The Fugitive"
(later titled "I'm a
Lonesome Fugitive"
on the album), which
became Haggard's
first #1 hit on the
country chart.
Although not written
by Haggard, the song
became one of the
most closely
associated with the
early part of his
career, as it drew
upon his then
still-relatively
recent prison term
for burglary. |
17-Dec-1966 |
Born on this day,
was Tracy Byrd,
country music
singer, songwriter,
who broke through on
the country music
scene with his 1993
single "Holdin'
Heaven", which
reached #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles &
Tracks charts.
Although he did not
land a second #1
until 2002's "Ten
Rounds with Jose
Cuervo", Byrd has
charted more than
thirty hit singles
in his career,
including eleven
additional Top Ten
hits. He has also
released nine studio
albums and two
greatest-hits
albums.
|
11-Jan-1967 |
Johnny Cash and June
Carter recorded
their duet
"Jackson", which
went on to win the
couple a
Grammy Award
in 1968 for Best
Country & Western
Performance Duet.
Written in 1963 by
Billy Edd Wheeler
and Jerry Leiber,
Nancy Sinatra and
Lee Hazlewood also
scored a hit with
the song. |
6-Feb-1967 |
Born on this day in
South Lyon,
Michigan, was Anita
Cockerham, country
music singer,
songwriter,
guitarist and record
producer who made
her debut on the US
country charts with
her first album
Back to You.
It produced the hit
single "What If I
Said", a duet with
country music artist
Steve Wariner, which
reached #1 in 1998. |
10-Feb-1967 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
music chart with his
seventh album By
the Time I Get to
Phoenix. The
title track which
was written by Jimmy
Webb was originally
recorded by Johnny
Rivers in 1965.
Campbell's version
reached #2 on the US
Country charts in
1968, and won two
Grammy
Awards, for Best
Vocal Performance,
Male and Best
Contemporary Male
Solo Vocal
Performance.
|
16-Feb-1967 |
American country
music performer
Smiley Burnette
(Lester Alvin
Burnett ), died from
leukemia aged 55. He
also appeared as a
comedic actor in
Western films and on
radio and TV,
playing sidekick to
Gene Autry, Roy
Rogers, and other
B-movie cowboys. He
was a prolific
singer-songwriter
who wrote more than
400 songs. His
Western classic,
'Ridin' Down the
Canyon (To Watch the
Sun Go Down)', was
later recorded by
Willie Nelson,
Riders in the Sky,
and Johnnie Lee
Wills. His career,
beginning in 1934,
spanned four
decades, including a
regular role on
CBS-TV's Petticoat
Junction in the
Sixties. |
2-Mar-1967 |
Country music
winners at the 9th
Annual Grammy
Awards held at
Chicago, Los
Angeles, Nashville
and New York
included; Best
Country & Western
Vocal Performance -
Female went to
Jeannie Seely for
"Don't Touch Me",
and the Best Country
and Western Vocal
Performance, Male
went to David
Houston for "Almost
Persuaded." |
4-Mar-1967 |
"Jackson" a duet by
Johnny Cash and June
Carter (with Carl
Perkins, guitar)
entered the C&W
chart, going on to
peak at #2. The song
was quickly covered
by Nancy Sinatra and
Lee Hazlewood which
gave them a pop hit
three months later.
|
6-Mar-1967 |
Winners at the
second Academy
of Country Music
Awards hosted by
Lorne Green
included: Top Female
Vocalist of the
Year, Bonnie Guitar,
Top Male Vocalist of
the Year, Merle
Haggard, Top Vocal
Group,
Bonnie Owens and
Merle Haggard, Most
Promising Female
Vocalist of the
Year
Cathie Taylor, Most
Promising Male
Vocalist of the
Year, Billy Mize and
Most Promising Vocal
Group went to Bob
Morris and Faye
Hardin. |
1-Apr-1967 |
The Country Music
Hall of Fame and
Museum opened on
Music Row (Sixteenth
Avenue and Division
Street) in
Nashville. The
Museum opened in a
$37 million
landmark, new
building in May 2001
located on the west
bank of the
Cumberland River,
just a few steps
from the historic
Ryman Auditorium. |
5-Apr-1967 |
Born on this day in
Lexington, Kentucky
was Troy Gentry, one
half of the duo
Montgomery Gentry
who scored three
platinum selling
albums and were
inducted into the
Grand Ole
Opry in 2009.
Gentry died in a
helicopter crash on
September 8, 2017
while taking a
helicopter tour of
Medford, New Jersey,
where he and
Montgomery were set
to perform that
evening. |
17-Apr-1967 |
Born on this day was
Matthew Chamberlain,
American session
drummer, record
producer and
songwriter. He has
played with various
artists, including
Willie Nelson,
Shelby Lynne,
Miranda Lambert and
Bob Dylan. |
21-Apr-1967 |
Johnny Cash appeared
at the McElroy
Auditorium,
Walterloo, Iowa
along with June
Carter, The
Tennessee Three, The
Carter Family, The
Statler Brothers and
Carl Perkins. |
1-May-1967 |
Born on this day in
Delhi, Louisiana,
was Tim McGraw
country singer and
actor. Many of
McGraw's albums and
singles have topped
the country music
charts with total
album sales in
excess of 40 million
units in the US.
McGraw had 11
consecutive albums
debut at #1 on the
Billboard
albums charts, as
well as twenty-one
singles hitting #1
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart.
He is married to
country singer Faith
Hill and is the son
of former baseball
player Tug McGraw.
|
8-May-1967 |
"Something Fishy" by
Dolly Parton was
released as a single
by Monument Records.
It would be included
on Parton's 1967
debut album,
Hello, I'm
Dolly. The song
peaked at # 17 on
the Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart, becoming
Parton's first top
20 hit. |
10-May-1967 |
Born on this day in
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
was country and pop
music songwriter
Barry Dean. He has
written multiple #1
singles including
“Pontoon” and
“Day Drinking”
(Little Big Town).
He has been
nominated for a
Grammy for Best
Country Song on Tim
McGraw's "Diamond
Rings and Old
Barstools." |
17-May-1967 |
Working at the
Capitol Recording
Studio in Hollywood,
Glen Campbell
recorded "Gentle On
My Mind," a song
written by John
Hartford and
arranged by Leon
Russell. The song
went on to win won
four Grammy Awards
the following year
and became the theme
to the television
variety show, The
Glen Campbell
Goodtime Hour
between 1969 and
1972. |
17-Jun-1967 |
Born on this day in
Germantown,
Tennessee was Rivers
Rutherford, country
music songwriter. He
has written several
#1 country hits,
including "Ain't
Nothing 'bout You"
by Brooks & Dunn,
"If You Ever Stop
Loving Me" by
Montgomery Gentry,
and "When I Get
Where I'm Going" by
Brad Paisley and
Dolly Parton. Other
acts Rutherford has
co written for
include: Tim McGraw,
Faith Hill, Kenny
Chesney and Toby
Keith. |
20-Jun-1967 |
Born on this day,
Dan Tyminski,
American bluegrass
composer, vocalist,
and instrumentalist
with Alison Krauss
and Union Station
who has also
released the solo
albums Carry Me
Across the Mountain
(2000) and Wheels
(2008). |
11-Jul-1967 |
Following his
departure from the
New Christy
Minstrels the day
before, Kenny Rogers
formed The First
Edition with his
friends Thelma
Camacho, Mike Settle
and Terry Williams -
also from The New
Christy Minstrels. |
15-Jul-1967 |
Born on this day was
American country
music artist Elbert
West. Initially a
session songwriter
in Nashville, West
saw his first chart
success in the 1990s
as a co-writer on
singles for country
singer Tracy
Lawrence, including
the #1's "Sticks and
Stones" and "Can't
Break It to My
Heart". West
co-wrote album
tracks for other
artists, including
tracks for Tim
McGraw and John
Michael Montgomery.
West died on May 18,
2015. |
18-Sep-1967 |
Dolly Parton
released her debut
studio album
Hello, I'm
Dolly. The first
single from the
album, "The Little
Things", was
released in June
1966 and failed to
chart. "Dumb Blonde"
was released as a
single in November
1966 and gave Parton
her first top 40
hit, peaking at #24
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. The album's
third single,
"Something Fishy",
was released in May
1967 and peaked at
#17, becoming
Parton's first top
20 hit. The album's
two hit singles are
largely credited
with bringing Parton
to the attention of
Porter Wagoner, who,
in September 1967,
would invite Parton
to join his band and
appear on his weekly
television show. |
21-Sep-1967 |
Born on this day in
Ridgeland,
Mississippi, was
Faith Hill, country
singer, songwriter
known both for her
commercial success
and her marriage to
fellow country star
Tim McGraw. Hill has
sold over 40 million
records worldwide
and scored eight #1
singles and three #1
albums on the US
Country charts. Her
Soul2Soul II
Tour 2006 with
McGraw became the
highest-grossing
country tour of all
time. In 2009
Billboard
named her as the
#1 Adult
Contemporary artist
of the decade
2000-2009.
|
25-Sep-1967 |
Little-known country
singer Dolly Parton
made her first
appearance on The
Porter Wagoner Show,
singing two songs
from her debut
album: "Dumb Blonde"
and "Something
Fishy." She became
the full-time
replacement for the
program's longtime
singer, Norma Jean.
Parton stayed on the
show for seven years
and recorded string
of popular duet
albums with Wagoner. |
2-Oct-1967 |
Born on this day in
New York City, was
singer-songwriter
Gillian Welch, who
performed on two
songs of the O
Brother, Where Art
Thou?
Soundtrack. |
3-Oct-1967 |
Woody Guthrie died
in Queens New York
after a 15-year
struggle with
Huntington's
disease. The folk
singer/songwriter
influenced the
social content of
several 20th-century
genres, including
country. In 1988 he
was inducted into
the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, and in
2000 he was honored
with the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement
Award. |
18-Oct-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.
|
20-Oct-1967 |
The first CMA awards
were presented at an
untelevised ceremony
at the Nashville
Municipal
Auditorium. The
Entertainer of the
Year award went to
Eddy Arnold that
night, Song of The
Year went to Dallas
Frazier for "There
Goes My Everything"
and Loretta Lynn won
Female Entertainer
of The Year. |
23-Oct-1967 |
Glen Campbell
recorded his version
of "By the Time I
Get to Phoenix" at
Capitol Studios,
Hollywood,
California. The song
which was written by
Jimmy Webb was
originally recorded
by Johnny Rivers in
1965. Campbell's
version reached #2
on the Hot Country
charts and and won
two awards at the
10th Annual
Grammys. |
26-Oct-1967 |
Born on this day in
Whangarei, New
Zealand, was Keith
Urban, country music
singer, songwriter
and guitarist whose
commercial success
has been mainly in
the United States
and Australia. In
1991, he released a
self-titled debut
album, and charted
four singles in
Australia before
moving to the United
States in 1992.
Eventually, Urban
found work as a
session guitarist
before starting a
band known as The
Ranch. Since 2006,
he has been married
to actress Nicole
Kidman.
|
29-Oct-1967 |
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the Country
chart with "I Don't
Wanna Play House".
Written by Billy
Sherrill and Glenn
Sutton, the song
became Tammy
Wynette's first #1
country song as a
solo artist. The
recording earned
Wynette the 1968
Grammy Award
for Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance. |
3-Dec-1967 |
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"Stand By Your Man".
It proved to be the
most successful
record of Wynette's
career and is one of
the most covered
songs in the history
of country music.
The song was placed
at #1 on
CMT's list of
the Top 100
Country Music
Songs. |
5-Dec-1967 |
Born on this day in
La Mirada,
California, was Gary
Allan, American
country music artist
who had the 2001
album Alright
Guy which
contained the
singles "The One,"
"Man of Me," and
"Man to Man," the
latter of which
became his first
Billboard #1
hit. |
11-Dec-1967 |
Recording sessions
for Just Because
I'm a Woman the
second solo studio
album by Dolly
Parton took place at
RCA Studio B in
Nashville,
Tennessee. It was
released on April
15, 1968, by RCA
Victor. The album
which was produced
by Bob Ferguson
peaked at #22 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums
chart. |
27-Dec-1967 |
Born on this day in
Midland, Texas,
songwriter Jim
Beavers who wrote
Tim McGraw's "Felt
Good On My Lips,"
Toby Keith's "Red
Solo Cup," Luke
Bryan's "Drink A
Beer" and Josh
Turner's "Why Don't
We Just Dance." |
9-Jan-1968 |
Loretta Lynn
recorded "Fist City"
which when released
topped the Country
music charts. The
song was inspired by
her husband's
dalliances with
other women who
pursued him while
she was busy
touring. It is one
of several songs
that got Lynn banned
from the radio in
the 1960s for her
controversial
themes. |
11-Jan-1968 |
Glen Campbell
recorded "I Wanna
Live" at Capitol
Studios, Hollywood,
California. When
released in March of
this year the song
became his first of
five #1's on the
Country singles
chart. |
13-Jan-1968 |
Johnny Cash played a
show, which was
recorded, for his
forthcoming live
album At Folsom
Prison, near
Sacramento,
California in front
of 2,000 inmates.
When released, the
lead single, "Folsom
Prison Blues" (an
update of his 1956
hit) became one of
the most famous
recordings of his
career. |
15-Jan-1968 |
Just Between You
and Me the first
collaborative studio
album by Porter
Wagoner and Dolly
Parton was released
by RCA Victor. It
peaked at #8 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums chart
and spawned one
single, "The Last
Thing on My Mind",
which peaked at #7
on the Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart. |
24-Jan-1968 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "Sing Me
Back Home", his
third chart topper.
It was also recorded
live by the Byrds on
There Is a
Season as well
as the Grateful Dead
who included the
song in their live
set. |
27-Jan-1968 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, Texas, was
Tracy Lawrence,
country music singer
whose debut album
Sticks and
Stones was
released in 1991,
which produced his
first chart single
and first #1 hit in
its title track. |
1-Feb-1968 |
Johnny Cash spent
the day visiting
several hospitals in
Memphis including
the sick and wounded
at the Navy Hospital
in Millington,
Tennesse, many of
whom had just
returned home from
Vietnam. |
22-Feb-1968 |
Johnny Cash proposed
to tour partner June
Carter during a
concert in London,
Ontario. She said
yes. The couple
married on March 1,
1968, in Franklin,
Kentucky and had one
child together, John
Carter Cash, born
March 3, 1970. Cash
and Carter continued
to work together and
tour for 35 years
until Carter's death
in 2003. Cash died
four months later. |
29-Feb-1968 |
Johnny Cash and June
Carter won a
Grammy for
Best C&W Performance
for "Jackson" at the
10th annual
Grammy
awards. Written in
1963 by Billy Edd
Wheeler and Jerry
Leiber the song was
also a pop hit
single by Nancy
Sinatra and Lee
Hazlewood. The song
is about a married
couple who find
(according to the
lyrics) that the
"fire" has gone out
of their
relationship. The
song relates the
desire of both
partners to travel
to Jackson where
they each expect to
be welcomed as
someone far better
suited to the city's
lively night life
than the other is.
|
1-Mar-1968 |
Johnny Cash married
June Carter. Johnny
had proposed to June
while onstage in
London, Ontario the
previous month. Cash
and Carter continued
to work together and
tour for 35 years
until Carter's death
in 2003. Cash died
four months later. |
4-Mar-1968 |
Winners at the third
Academy of
Country Music
Awards hosted by
Pat Buttram
included: Man of the
Year - Joey Bishop,
Top Female Vocalist
of the Year - Lynn
Anderson,
Top Male Vocalist of
the Year - Glen
Campbell, Top Vocal
Group - Sons of the
Pioneers, Most
Promising Female
Vocalist of the Year
- Bobbie Gentry,
Most Promising Male
Vocalist of the Year
- Jerry Inman and
Bonnie Owens and
Merle Haggard won
Top Duo of the Year. |
15-Mar-1968 |
The Byrds' record
label, Columbia
Records, had
arranged for the
group to be allowed
to perform at the
Ryman Auditorium,
however, when the
band took the stage
the audience's
response was
immediately hostile,
resulting in
derisive heckling,
booing and mocking
calls of "tweet,
tweet." The Byrds
further outraged the
Opry establishment
by breaking with
accepted protocol
when they performed
Parsons' song
"Hickory Wind"
instead of the Merle
Haggard song "Life
in Prison", as had
been announced by
Tompall Glaser. |
22-Mar-1968 |
Tammy Wynette
recored her version
of the Bobby
Braddock and Curly
Putman song
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E"
which went on to top
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart in June of
this year.
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E" is a
woman's perspective
on the impending
collapse of her
marriage. The lyrics
begin with an old
parenting trick of
spelling out words
mothers and fathers
hope their young
children will not
understand. |
26-Mar-1968 |
Born on this day in
Knoxville,
Tennessee, was Kenny
Chesney country
music singer and
songwriter. Chesney
has recorded 15
albums which have
produced more than
30 Top Ten singles
on the US
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, 20 of which
climbed to the top
of the charts.
|
15-Apr-1968 |
Dolly Parton
released her second
studio album Just
Because I'm a
Woman. The
album's title track
became the only
single from the
album. Released in
June 1968 it peaked
at #17 on the US
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
15-Apr-1968 |
Loretta Lynn
released her twelfth
solo studio album
Fist City
which became Lynn's
second album to top
the Country chart.
The first single
from the album,
"What Kind of a Girl
(Do You Think I Am)"
was released in
August 1967 and
peaked at #5 on the
US Hot Country
Singles chart. The
second single, "Fist
City", was released
in January 1968 and
peaked at #1 on the
chart, making it
Lynn's second #1
hit. |
19-Apr-1968 |
Born on this day was
American singer
Rebekka Ruth
Bramlett the
daughter of Delaney
and Bonnie Bramlett,
of the music duo
Delaney & Bonnie.
She has worked with
many artidts
including Faith
Hill, Trace Adkins,
Dwight Yoakam, Kenny
Chesney, Vince Gill
and Hank Thompson. |
26-Apr-1968 |
Born on this day was
Fiddler Joe
Caverlee. He joined
the Cincinnati-bred
Yankee Grey, a
high-voltage act
that earns hits with
"Another Nine
Minutes" and "All
Things Considered". |
3-May-1968 |
Born on this day in
Modesto, California,
was Shane Minor
country music
artist. He has
written hits for
other artists,
including the #1
singles "Beautiful
Mess" by Diamond
Rio, "Brand New
Girlfriend" by Steve
Holy, and "Live a
Little" by Kenny
Chesney. |
9-May-1968 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the Country
charts with "The
Legend of Bonnie and
Clyde". Written by
Haggard and Bonnie
Owens It was
released as the
first single and
title track from the
album The Legend
of Bonnie and
Clyde. The song
was Haggard's fourth
1# and spent two
weeks at #1 and a
total of 14 weeks on
the country chart. |
10-May-1968 |
Born on this day in
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, was Jeff
Wood, country music
artist. He penned
"Cowboy Love", a Top
5 hit for John
Michael Montgomery
in 1996. |
20-May-1968 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 on the Country
album charts with
The Country
Way. Pride went
on to score
thirty-nine #1 hits
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts. His greatest
success came in the
early-to mid-1970s,
when he became the
best-selling
performer for RCA
Records since Elvis
Presley. |
25-May-1968 |
Bobby Goldsboro was
at #1 on the Country
chart with "Honey,"
also known as "Honey
(I Miss You)."
Written by Bobby
Russell, who first
produced it with
former Kingston Trio
member Bob Shane.
Then he gave it to
American singer
Bobby Goldsboro who
recorded it for his
tenth album. "Honey"
spent five weeks at
#1 on the
Billboard Hot
100 Singles Chart. |
27-May-1968 |
Glen Campbell
recored "Wichita
Lineman" at Capitol
Records Hollywood,
California.
Campbell's version,
which appeared on
his 1968 album of
the same name,
reached #3 on the US
pop chart, and in
addition, the song
topped the American
country music chart
for two weeks. |
5-Jun-1968 |
Born on this day in
Columbia, Missouri,
was Brett James,
singer, songwriter
and record producer.
As a solo artist in
1995, James charted
three singles and
released a
self-titled debut
album that year.
Since the early
2000s, James has
become known
primarily as a
songwriter for other
country and pop
music artists. Among
his compositions is
Carrie Underwood's
2006 #1 hit "Jesus,
Take the Wheel,"
which received
Grammy Awards
for Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance and Best
Country Song. |
29-Jun-1968 |
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E."
Written by Bobby
Braddock and Curly
Putman, the song is
a woman's
perspective on the
impending collapse
of her marriage. The
original Tammy
Wynette recording
features in the
films Five Easy
Pieces and
Brokeback
Mountain. |
1-Jul-1968 |
Tammy Wynette
released her third
studio album
D-I-V-O-R-C-E
which peaked at #1
on the
Billboard
Country Albums
chart, becoming
Wynette's first
album to top the
chart. The album's
single,
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E",
(written by Bobby
Braddock and Curly
Putman), was
released on April
19, 1968, and peaked
at #1 on the Country
Singles chart,
Wynette's fourth
song to top the
chart. |
2-Jul-1968 |
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E" by
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the Counrty
charts. Country
music historian Bill
Malone wrote that
Wynette's own
tumultuous life
(five marriages)
"encompassed the
jagged reality so
many women have
faced." Therefore,
he asserts that
Wynette identified
so well with
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E". |
9-Jul-1968 |
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"D-I-V-O-R-C-E."
Written by Bobby
Braddock and Curly
Putman, the song is
a woman's
perspective on the
impending collapse
of her marriage. The
lyrics begin with an
old parenting trick
of spelling out
words mothers and
fathers hope their
young children will
not understand, they
(the children) being
not yet able to
spell or comprehend
the word's meaning.
The original Tammy
Wynette recording
features in the
films Five Easy
Pieces and
Brokeback
Mountain. |
20-Jul-1968 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the country
charts with "Folsom
Prison Blues" Cash
had performed the
song at Folsom
Prison itself on
January 13, 1968 and
this version was
eventually released
on the At Folsom
Prison album. |
29-Jul-1968 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US Country
music singles charts
with "Folsom Prison
Blues". Cash was
inspired to write
the song after
seeing the movie
Inside The Walls
of Folsom Prison
(1951) while serving
in West Germany in
the United States
Air Force. |
5-Aug-1968 |
American country
guitarist Luther
Perkins died at the
age of 40 as a
result of severe
burns and smoke
inhalation. Perkins
fell asleep at home
in his den with a
cigarette in his
hand. He was dragged
from the fire
unconscious with
severe second and
third degree burns.
Perkins never
regained
consciousness. He
worked with Johnny
Cash and The Carter
Family and featured
on the live album
Johnny Cash at
Folsom Prison. |
5-Aug-1968 |
Born on this day in
Montreal, Quebec,
Canada, was Terri
Clark, Canadian
country music
singer, songwriter,
who has scored over
twenty singles,
including six #1's.
"If I Were You",
"Poor Poor Pitiful
Me", "Emotional
Girl" and "In My
Next Life" which all
topped the country
charts in Canada. |
11-Aug-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. |
19-Aug-1968 |
Born on this day in
Greensboro, North
Carolina, was Mark
McGuinn, He made his
debut in 2001 with
the single "Mrs.
Steven Rudy", a Top
10 hit on the US
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
22-Aug-1968 |
George Jones and
Tammy Wynette
announced their
forthcoming
marriage, which took
place six months
later. |
28-Aug-1968 |
Tammy Wynette
recorded "Stand By
Your Man" at Epic
studios after an
idea that came from
producer, Billy
Sherrill. Wynette
and Sherril
completed the song
in 15 minutes. It
proved to be the
most successful
record of Wynette's
career and is one of
the most covered
songs in the history
of country music.
The song was placed
at #1 on
CMT's list of
the Top 100 Country
Songs. The song has
appeared in various
films, including:
Five Easy Pieces,
The Blues Brothers,
The Crying Game,
Sleepless in
Seattle, Four
Weddings and a
Funeral and
GoldenEye.
|
9-Sep-1968 |
Recording sessions
for In the Good
Old Days (When Times
Were Bad) the
third solo studio
album by Dolly
Parton began at RCA
Studio B in
Nashville,
Tennessee. The album
peaked at #15 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums
chart. The album's
title track was the
only single released
from the album and
it peaked at #25 on
the Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart. |
9-Sep-1968 |
Just the Two of
Us the second
collaborative studio
album by Porter
Wagoner and Dolly
Parton was released
on September 9,
1968, by RCA Victor.
It peaked at #5 on
the Billboard Top
Country Albums chart
and the album
spawned three
singles. "Holding on
to Nothin'" and
"We'll Get Ahead
Someday" were both
top ten hits on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart. |
18-Sep-1968 |
Porter Wagnor
recorded "The
Carroll County
Accident" a song
written by Bob
Ferguson. It was a
hit for Wagoner and
became one of his
signature songs.
"The Carroll County
Accident" won CMA's
Song of the Year in
1969. |
27-Sep-1968 |
Flatt & Scruggs play
the Avalon Ballroom
in San Francisco,
bringing bluegrass
to a city known for
its psychedelic
sound. "The hippies
were coming up and
touching Scruggs and
saying 'You're for
real,'" producer Bob
Johnston recalls. |
18-Oct-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". |
19-Oct-1968 |
Born on this day was
Rodney Scott
Carrington, an
American stand-up
comedian, actor, and
country music
artist. He has
released six
major-label studio
albums and a
greatest-hits
package. |
22-Oct-1968 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
music album chart
with his sixth
studio release,
Gentle on My
Mind. The title
track written by
John Hartford, won
two 1968
Grammy Awards
and received over 5
million radio plays.
Campbell used
"Gentle on My Mind"
as the theme to his
television variety
show, The Glen
Campbell Goodtime
Hour between
1969 and 1972.
|
22-Oct-1968 |
Born on this day in
Killen, Alabama, was
Marsha Thornton,
country music
singer. Between 1990
and 2003, she
released three
studio albums, with
her first two
released on MCA
Records; she has
also issued four
singles on the Hot
Country Songs
charts. Her highest
peaking single was
"A Bottle of Wine
and Patsy Cline",
which reached #59 in
1990. |
22-Oct-1968 |
Born on this day in
Mobile, Alabama, was
Shelby Lynne, singer
and songwriter.
Lynne appeared on
TNN's country
music show
Nashville Now
in 1987, her first
recording was a duet
with George Jones,
"If I Could Bottle
This Up", which
became a top-50 hit
in 1988. The success
of the 1999 album
I Am Shelby
Lynne led to her
winning the
Grammy Award
for Best New Artist,
even though she had
been active in the
music industry for
some time. She
appeared in the film
Walk The Line
playing the role of
Carrie Cash.
|
9-Nov-1968 |
Marty Robbins was at
#1 on the Country
chart with "I Walk
Alone", Robbins'
thirteenth #1. At
least four other
country artists
recorded "I Walk
Alone" for albums
released in 1969:
Loretta Lynn's
Your Squaw Is on
the Warpath,
Kitty Wells'
Guilty
Street, David
Houston's Where
Love Used to
Live, and Willie
Nelson's My Own
Peculiar Way. |
10-Nov-1968 |
Born on this day in
DeRidder, Louisiana,
was Chris Cagle,
country singer,
songwriter. Cagle
made his debut on
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
& Tracks with the
single "My Love Goes
On and On", the
first single from
his debut album
Play It Loud.
The album, which was
certified gold in
the US, also
produced the 2000
Top 10 hit "Laredo"
and "I Breathe In, I
Breathe Out", his
only #1 hit. |
19-Nov-1968 |
Jeannie C. Riley was
at #1 on the US
Country album chart
with Harper
Valley PTA. The
title track "Harper
Valley PTA" became a
hit for Riley and
went to #1 on both
the Billboard
Pop and Country
singles charts, a
feat not repeated
until 1981 when
Dolly Parton
released "9 to 5". |
23-Nov-1968 |
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on
Billboard
country chart with
"Stand By Your Man".
The song was
selected by the
Library of
Congress as a
2010 addition to the
National Recording
Registry, which
selects recordings
annually that are
"culturally,
historically, or
aesthetically
significant".
|
30-Nov-1968 |
Glen Campbell
started a five-week
run at #1 on the US
album chart with
Wichita
Lineman. In
2004, Rolling
Stone magazine's
list of the 500
Greatest Songs of
All Time ranked
"Wichita Lineman" at
#192. |
9-Dec-1968 |
During recording
sessions at Capitol
Recording Studios in
Los Angeles, Merle
Haggard recorded
"Hungry Eyes" which
was featured on his
1969 album A
Portrait of Merle
Haggard and when
released as a single
became a Country #1
and one of the most
famous of his
career. |
20-Dec-1968 |
Born on this day in
in Cleveland, Ohio
was session
musician and
producer Tom
Bukovac. He has
played on over 500
albums including
projects by Bob
Seger, Vince Gill,
Hank Williams Jr.,
Sheryl Crow, Don
Henley, Carrie
Underwood, Rascal
Flatts, Keith Urban,
Willie Nelson,
Martina McBride,
Faith Hill, Kenny
Loggins, Reba
Mcintyre, Blake
Shelton, LeAnn Rimes
and Florida Georgia
Line. |
21-Dec-1968 |
Glen Campbell topped
the US album chart
with Wichita
Lineman.
Although the LP
would stay on the
chart for 46 weeks,
it would be
Campbell's only No.1
album. The title
track which was
written by American
songwriter Jimmy
Webb reached #3 on
the US singles
chart. Webb wrote
"Wichita Lineman" in
response to
Campbell's urgent
phone request for a
"place"-based or
"geographical" song
to follow up "By the
Time I Get to
Phoenix". His
lyrical inspiration
came while driving
through the high
plains of the
Oklahoma panhandle
past a long line of
telephone poles, on
one of which perched
a lineman speaking
into his handset. |
26-Dec-1968 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with "Wichita
Lineman". Jimmy
Webb's inspiration
for the lyrics came
while driving
through Washita
County in northern
Oklahoma. Webb was
driving through an
endless litany of
telephone poles,
each looking exactly
the same as the
last. Then, in the
distance, he noticed
the silouette of a
solitary lineman
atop a pole. Webb
then "put himself
atop that pole and
put that phone in
his hand" as he
considered what the
lineman was saying
into the receiver.
|
27-Dec-1968 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "Wichita
Lineman". It has
been referred to as
"the first
existential country
song".
|
31-Dec-1968 |
Billboard magazine
reports that this
year, for the first
time, US total music
sales have topped
one billion dollars.
Glenn Campbell
scored six #1 albums
in 1968. His total
of 19 weeks at #1
was the most by any
artist, more than
twice that achieved
by any other act. |
3-Jan-1969 |
Born on this day in
La Mesa, California,
was Nikki Nelson,
country music singer
who replaced
Paulette Carlson as
lead vocalist in
Highway 101,
(featuring on their
album Bing Bang
Boom). |
4-Jan-1969 |
Dolly Parton became
a member of The
Grand Ole Opry. |
4-Jan-1969 |
In the issue of
Billboard
dated January 4,
Glen Campbell was at
#1 with the album
Wichita
Lineman, the
record's sixth week
in the top spot. The
album remained at #1
through the issue of
Billboard
dated April 12 and
its run of 20
consecutive weeks
atop the chart was
the longest achieved
since the listing
was first published
in 1964. When the
album was finally
displaced from the
top of the chart it
was by another of
Campbell's albums,
Galveston,
which remained at #1
for 12 consecutive
weeks, meaning that
Campbell had held
the top spot without
interruption for 32
weeks. |
9-Jan-1969 |
Glen Campbell
recorded "Galveston"
at Capitol Studios,
Hollywood,
California. The
Jimmy Webb song gave
Campbell his third
US Country #1 hit.
The song, released
in February 1969,
was perceived as
being a Vietnam War
protest song. |
10-Jan-1969 |
Johnny cash was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with his
version of the Carl
Perkins song, "Daddy
Sang Bass." The
record was nominated
in the CMA
awards category of
Single of the Year
by the Country
Music
Association in
1969. |
12-Jan-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with
Wichita
Lineman his
twelfth album. The
Jimmy Webb penned
title track reached
#3 on the US pop
chart. Webb's
inspiration for the
lyrics came while
driving through
Washita County in
rural southwestern
Oklahoma. Heading
westward on a
straight road into
the setting sun,
Webb drove past a
seemingly endless
line of telephone
poles, each looking
exactly the same as
the last. Then, in
the distance, he
noticed the
silhouette of a
solitary lineman
atop a pole.
|
13-Jan-1969 |
Tammy Wynette
released her fourth
studio album
Stand by Your
Man which peaked
at #2 on the
Billboard
Country Albums
chart. The album's
single, "Stand by
Your Man", (written
by Billy Sherrill,
and Wynette), was
released on
September 20, 1968,
and peaked at #1 on
the Country Singles
chart, Wynette's
fifth song to top
the chart. |
15-Jan-1969 |
Elvis Presley
recorded the Mac
Davis-penned "Don't
Cry Daddy" at the
American Studios in
Memphis. In 1997
Lisa Marie Presley
made a video of
"Don't Cry Daddy"
where she sings it
as a duet with her
dad. This video was
presented on August
16, 1997, at the
tribute concert that
marked the 20th
anniversary of
Elvis' death. |
22-Jan-1969 |
Glen Campbell was
awared the first
gold single of his
career, for "Wichita
Lineman." |
27-Jan-1969 |
Loretta Lynn
released the single
"Woman of the World"
which became the
singers third #1 on
the country charts.
The track was taken
from her LP Woman
of the World / To
Make a Man. |
29-Jan-1969 |
The Glen Campbell
Goodtime Hour
premiered on
CBS, for what
would be a
three-year run.
Guests for the first
episode were singer,
Bobbie Gentry,
songwriter John
Hartford, ("Gentle
On My Mind"), The
Smothers Brothers
and comedian Pat
Paulsen. |
3-Feb-1969 |
Dolly Parton
released her third
studio album In
the Good Old Days
(When Times Were
Bad). The
album's only single
the title track
released in October
1968 peaked at #25
on the US Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart. |
16-Feb-1969 |
George Jones and
Tammy Wynette
married in Ringgold,
Georgia, after
telling others that
their marriage was
in August 1968. They
quickly earnt the
titles such as "The
First Couple of
Country Music,"
"Country's
Sweethearts," and
"The President and
First Lady." |
17-Feb-1969 |
After having spent
three days recording
tracks for his
forthcoming
Nashville
Skyline album,
Bob Dylan was joined
by Johnny Cash, and
the pair recorded
"Girl From The North
Country" together,
which was also
included on the
album. The song was
written following
his first trip to
England in December,
1962. It has been a
matter of debate as
to which, if any, of
Dylan's former
girflriends inspired
the song: Echo
Helstrom, Bonnie
Beecher or Suze
Rotolo. |
17-Feb-1969 |
Born on this day in
Dallas, Texas was
country music
singer, songwriter,
Jon Randall. He
co-wrote the song
"Whiskey Lullaby",
which became a Top 5
hit when Brad
Paisley recorded it
as a duet with
Alison Krauss. |
24-Feb-1969 |
Johnny Cash recorded
his second live
album behind prison
walls at San Quentin
State Prison. The
resulting album
At San
Quentin,
contained his hit "A
Boy Named Sue."
During the concert,
the song "San
Quentin", about an
inmate's loathing
for the prison,
received such an
enthusiastic
response that Cash
immediately played
an encore. The
concert was also
taped for television
broadcast. |
24-Feb-1969 |
Capitol records
released "Galveston"
by Glen Campbell.
Written by Jimmy
Webb the song was a
#4 hit on the
Billboard Hot
100 and #1 on the
country music chart
for Campbell. In
2003, the song
ranked #8 in
CMT's 100
Greatest Songs in
Country Music. |
8-Mar-1969 |
"Only the Lonely" a
song written by
written by Roy
Orbison and Joe
Melson gave country
singer Sonny James a
#1 hit on the
Billboard
country music
charts. |
12-Mar-1969 |
Country music
winners at the 11th
Annual Grammy
Awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
Jeannie C. Riley for
"Harper Valley
P.T.A.", Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Johnny Cash for
"Folsom Prison
Blues", Best Country
Performance, Duo or
Group - Vocal or
Instrumental - Flatt
& Scruggs for "Foggy
Mountain Breakdown",
and Best Country
Song - Bobby Russell
(songwriter) for
"Little Green
Apples" performed by
Roger Miller / O.C.
Smith. |
17-Mar-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with his
12th album
Wichita
Lineman, which
went on to spend a
total of 46 weeks on
the chart. The Jimmy
Webb penned title
track came while
driving through
Washita County in
rural southwestern
Oklahoma. Heading
westward on a
straight road into
the setting sun,
Webb drove past a
seemingly endless
line of telephone
poles, each looking
exactly the same as
the last. Then, in
the distance, he
noticed the
silhouette of a
solitary lineman
atop a pole. |
28-Mar-1969 |
Born on this day in
Knoxville,
Tennessee, Rodney
Atkins. Signed to
Curb Records in
1996, he charted his
first single on the
Billboard
country chart in
1997, but did not
release an album
until 2003's
Honesty,
which included the
#4 hit "Honesty
(Write Me a List)". |
29-Mar-1969 |
Born on this day in
Hamilton, Ohio,
Brady Seals, (the
cousin of Jim Seals
of Seals & Crofts)
and Dan Seals and
Johnny Duncan. Seals
made his debut in
1988 as co-lead
vocalist and
keyboardist in
Little Texas, he
later formed the
band Hot Apple Pie
who recorded a
self-titled debut
album for DreamWorks
Records and charted
three country
singles, including
the #26 hit
"Hillbillies." |
9-Apr-1969 |
Bob Dylan released
his ninth studio
album Nashville
Skyline, which
embraced country
music. Twenty seven
minutes long and
with liner notes by
Johnny Cash, (who
also appeared on the
record), at the time
of release it was
dismissed by some
critics as
lightweight, but
included "Lay, Lady,
Lay", a major hit
single for Dylan.
|
16-Apr-1969 |
Johnny Cash recorded
the first of his
ABC-TV weekly shows
Hello...I'm
Johnny Cash at
the Ryman
Auditorium, kicking
off with "Folsom
Prison Blues." The
show, which featured
guests Glen
Campbell, Jeannie C.
Riley and Joe Tex,
became the fifth
episode to be aired. |
19-Apr-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the
Billboard
Country chart with
the Jimmy Webb song
"Galveston". The
song describes a
soldier waiting to
go into battle who
thinks of the woman
he loves and his
hometown of
Galveston, Texas. In
2003, this song
ranked #8 in
CMT's 100
Greatest Songs in
Country Music. |
20-Apr-1969 |
Born on this day in
Bethel Acres,
Oklahoma, was Wade
Hayes, singer,
songwriter, who
scored the 1995 US
#1 single "Old
Enough to Know
Better." In 2003, he
founded the duo
McHayes with Alan
Jackson's fiddle
player Mark McClurg. |
27-Apr-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with his
twelfth studio album
Galveston.
The album was a
major hit for
Campbell and
generated the #1 hit
single. The album
also replaced his
previous release
Wichita
Lineman at the
top of the charts
giving Campbell a
run of 26 weeks at
the top of the
charts in this year.
|
28-Apr-1969 |
Winners at the
Academy of Country
Music Awards
hosted by Dick Clark
at The Palladium,
Hollywood included:
Man of the Year -
Tom Smothers, Top
Female Vocalist of
the Year - Cathie
Taylor, Top Male
Vocalist of the Year
- Glen Campbell, Top
Vocal Group - Johnny
Mosby and Jonie
Mosby,
Most Promising
Female Vocalist of
the Year
- Cheryl Poole and
Most Promising Male
Vocalist of the Year
went to Ray Sanders. |
1-May-1969 |
Bob Dylan recorded
an appearance for
The Johnny Cash
Show at the
Ryman Auditorium in
Nashville,
Tennessee. After two
solo numbers from
Dylan, Johnny Cash
joined him for a
rendition of "Girl
From The North
Country." In this
primetime show, Cash
enjoyed booking
contemporary
performers as
guests; Neil Young,
Kenny Rogers and The
First Edition (who
appeared a record
four times on his
show), James Taylor,
Ray Charles and Eric
Clapton were all
booked to appear on
forthcoming shows. |
2-May-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
the Jimmy Webb song
"Galveston", which
also made #4 on the
Billboard Hot
100. The song is now
considered as the
official anthem of
Galveston Island and
the City of
Galveston, Texas. |
7-May-1969 |
Bob Dylan's album
Nashville
Skyline was
certified gold by
the RIAA. It
contains "Tonight
I'll Be Staying Here
With You," cited in
the Country Music
Foundation's
"Heartaches By The
Number" among
country's 500
all-time greatest
singles. |
11-May-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country album chart
with
Galveston.
The singers
thirteenth studio
album spent 11 weeks
at #1 and 26 weeks
on the chart. The
title track written
by Jimmy Webb,
describes a soldier
waiting to go into
battle who thinks of
the woman he loves
and his hometown of
Galveston, Texas. |
14-May-1969 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the country
charts with "Hungry
Eyes" one of the
most famous of his
career. "Hungry
Eyes" is a tribute
to Oklahomans and
others who lived in
labor camps during
the Great
Depression, the time
period in which this
song is set.
|
16-May-1969 |
Roger Miller
recorded a version
of the Kris
Kristofferson and
Fred Foster song "Me
and Bobby McGee".
His version peaked
at #12 on the
Country charts in
August of this year.
|
22-May-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country album
chart with
Galveston.
The singers
thirteenth studio
album spent 11 weeks
at #1 and 26 weeks
on the chart. The
title track written
by Jimmy Webb,
describes a soldier
waiting to go into
battle who thinks of
the woman he loves
and his hometown of
Galveston, Texas. |
26-May-1969 |
Bill Anderson was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
"My Life (Throw it
Away If I Want To)".
Despite spending
just two weeks atop
the Billboard
Hot Country
Singles chart, "My
Life (Throw it Away
If I Want To)" was
named the #1 song of
1969. Several other
songs - most notably
Johnny Cash's "Daddy
Sang Bass" and "A
Boy Named Sue," and
Merle Haggard's
"Okie from Muskogee"
- had longer runs at
#1. |
2-Jun-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country album chart
with
Galveston.
The singers
thirteenth studio
album spent 11 weeks
at #1 and 26 weeks
on the chart. The
title track written
by Jimmy Webb,
describes a soldier
waiting to go into
battle who thinks of
the woman he loves
and his hometown of
Galveston, Texas. |
4-Jun-1969 |
Johnny Cash released
At San
Quentin, his
31st overall album
and a recording of a
live concert given
by Cash to the
inmates of San
Quentin State
Prison. As well as
being released on
record the concert
was filmed by
Granada Television
from the UK. The
album was a
follow-up to Cash's
previous live album,
the critically
acclaimed and
commercially
successful At
Folsom Prison. |
7-Jun-1969 |
The Johnny Cash
Show premiered
on ABC TV; from the
Grand Ole Opry with
special guest Bob
Dylan and the
regular cast,
Tennessee Three,
June Carter and
Carter Family,
Statler Brothers,
and Carl Perkins,
stepping in for
Luther Perkins, (who
has just died
accidentally in
house fire). Bob
Wootton became a
permanent
replacement in
Cash's band, and a
mainstay for the
next three decades. |
8-Jun-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.
|
11-Jun-1969 |
True Grit the
American western
film directed by
Henry Hathaway,
starring John Wayne
and Glen Campbell
was released. The
film gave Campbell a
Golden Globe
nomination for 'Most
Promising Newcomer'. |
14-Jun-1969 |
Special guests on
the second edition
of The Johnny
Cash ABC
television music
variety show
included, Gordon
Lightfoot, Dan
Blocker, Joey
Scarbury, The Carter
Family and The
Statler Brothers. |
18-Jun-1969 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country album chart
with
Galveston.
The singers
thirteenth studio
album spent 11 weeks
at #1 and 26 weeks
on the chart. The
album features
session drummer Hal
Blaine who has
played on 50 #1 hits
and worked with
numerous artists
including Elvis
Presley, John
Denver, The
Ronettes, Simon &
Garfunkel, The
Carpenters, and The
Beach Boys. |
21-Jun-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show
included, Eddie
Albert, Jerry Reed
and Linda Ronstadt. |
5-Jul-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's Johnny
Cash ABC television
music variety show
included, Buffy
Sainte-Marie, Doug
McClure and The
Cowsills. Johnny
performed a version
of "Custer Don't
Ride Very Good Any"
with Buffy
Sainte-Marie. |
12-Jul-1969 |
Glen Campbell
appeared as a
special guest on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show along
with Joe Tex and
Jeannie C. Riley.
Glenn performed
"Some Day Little
Girl" and "Take My
Hand For Awhile". |
16-Jul-1969 |
Sonny James was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"Running Bear."
Johnny Preston first
sang the song in
1959 with background
vocals by The Big
Bopper and George
Jones, who did the
"Indian chanting" of
"UGO UGO" during the
three verses, as
well as the "Indian
war cries".
|
19-Jul-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show
included, Ed Ames,
Roy Clark, The
Monkees and Joni
Mitchell. Cash
introduced The
Monkees by playing
the first verse of
their hit "Last
Train To
Clarksville" with
The Monkees on
backing vocals, The
Monkees then
performed a version
of the Johnny Cash
song "Everybody
Loves a Nut", with
Cash. |
26-Jul-1969 |
Johnny Cash released
the single, "A Boy
Named Sue", a song
written by Shel
Silverstein. Cash
was at the height of
his popularity when
he recorded the song
live at California's
San Quentin State
Prison at a concert
on February 24,
1969. The song tells
the tale of a young
man's quest for
revenge on a father
who abandoned him at
3 years of age and
whose only
contribution to his
entire life was
naming him Sue.
|
2-Aug-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show
included, O.C.
Smith, Merle
Haggard, Merrilee
Rush and Carl
Perkins. Merle
played "The
Fugitive/The Highway
Is My Home" and a
version of Jimmie
Rodgers' "No Hard
Times," then joined
Cash for a duet on
"Sing Me Back Home." |
4-Aug-1969 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with At San
Quentin a
recording of a live
concert given to the
inmates of San
Quentin State
Prison. The album
was nominated for a
number of
Grammy
Awards, including
Album of the Year
and won Best Male
Country Vocal
Performance for "A
Boy Named Sue." |
9-Aug-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television
music variety show
included, Diana
Trask, Pat Boone who
sand a duet "Peace
In The Valley" with
Cash and Tom T. Hall
who played "The
Ballad of $40." |
12-Aug-1969 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 on the Country
charts with 'All I
Have to Offer You
(Is Me)'. In doing
so he accomplished a
feat not done in 25
years: an African
American entertainer
having a #1 hit on
the Billboard
country chart. The
last song by a black
performer to reach
the summit was "Is
You Is Or Is You
Ain't My Baby" by
Louis Jordan, in
July 1944. Pride
became the third
black singer to have
a #1 country hit
(the Nat King
Cole-led King Cole
Trio had a #1 hit
earlier in 1944). |
16-Aug-1969 |
Merle Haggard's
"Workin' Man Blues"
was at #1 on the
Billboard
country singles
chart. The song is
Haggard's tribute to
a core group of his
fans: The American
blue-collared
working man. |
16-Aug-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show
included, O.C.
Smith, (who
performed "Son Of A
Hickory Holler's
Tramp" with Cash),
Kenny Rogers and The
First Edition, (who
performed "Ruby,
Don't Take Your Love
To Town"), Melanie
and Grandpa Jones. |
19-Aug-1969 |
Born on this day in
Beaumont, Texas, was
Clay Walker, Jr.
country music
artist. His 1993
debut single "What's
It to You," reached
#1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts, as did its
follow-up, 1994's
"Live Until I Die."
Both singles were
included on Walker's
self-titled debut
album, also released
in 1993. |
23-Aug-1969 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country singles
chart with "A Boy
Named Sue". The song
tells the tale of a
young man's quest
for revenge on a
father who abandoned
him at 3 years of
age and whose only
contribution to his
entire life was
naming him Sue,
commonly a feminine
name, which results
in the young man
suffering from
ridicule and
harassment by
everyone he meets in
his travels. Also on
this day Chet Atkins
appeared as the
special guest on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show. |
23-Aug-1969 |
Born on this day in
Kingsport,
Tennessee, was Barry
Bales, bassist who
became a member of
Alison Krauss'
bluegrass band,
Union Station,
performing on "When
You Say Nothing At
All" and The Soggy
Bottom Boys' "I Am A
Man Of Constant
Sorrow". |
30-Aug-1969 |
Roger Miller was the
special guest on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show. Roger
performed "Me And
Bobby Magee" and a
short comedy version
of "I Walk The
Line". |
5-Sep-1969 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with At San
Quentin a
recording of a live
concert given to the
inmates of San
Quentin State
Prison. The album,
which spent 20 weeks
at the top of the
chart, was nominated
for a number of
Grammy
Awards,
including Album of
the Year and won
Best Male Country
Vocal Performance
for "A Boy Named
Sue." |
6-Sep-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash ABC
television music
variety show
included, Charley
Pride and Ian &
Sylvia. Charlie
performed a medley;
Tribute to Hank
Williams with Johnny
Cash. |
16-Sep-1969 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country singles
chart with "A Boy
Named Sue". The song
tells the tale of a
young man's quest
for revenge on a
father who abandoned
him at 3 years of
age and whose only
contribution to his
entire life was
naming him Sue,
commonly a feminine
name, which results
in the young man
suffering from
ridicule and
harassment by
everyone he meets in
his travels. |
20-Sep-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show
included, Cass
Elliot, Ramblin'
Jack Elliot, The
Staple Singers and
Tommy Cash. Jack
Elliot performed "If
I Were A Carpenter"
then he and Cash
dueted on "Take Me
Home." |
27-Sep-1969 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television
music variety show
included, Roy
Orbison, Creedence
Clearwater Revival,
(who performed "Bad
Moon Rising"), Phil
Harris and Bobbi
Martin. Roy Orbison
performed a version
of "Pretty Woman"
with Cash and
"Crying". |
28-Sep-1969 |
Born on this day, in
Gary, Indiana, was
Karen Fairchild,
singer, songwriter
with Little Big
Town, who have
charted over 12
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs charts
and scored the 2010
#1 album The
Reason Why. |
29-Sep-1969 |
Capitol Records
released "Okie from
Muskogee" by Merle
Haggard. The song
which became one of
the most famous of
his career was
written by Haggard
after being released
from San Quentin
Prison. He said that
he became
disheartened
watching Vietnam War
protests and
incorporated that
emotion and
viewpoint into song. |
29-Sep-1969 |
Dolly Parton
released her fourth
studio album, My
Blue Ridge Mountain
Boy, which gave
the singer her first
top 10 hit of the
album chart,
(peaking at #6). The
man in the corner of
the album cover is
her reclusive
longtime husband,
Carl Dean. |
3-Oct-1969 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US Country
music album chart
with At San
Quentin which
was a live concert
given to the inmates
of San Quentin State
Prison, the
follow-up to Cash's
previous live album,
the critically
acclaimed At
Folsom Prison.
The album was
nominated for a
number of
Grammy
Awards, including
Album of the Year
and won Best Male
Country Vocal
Performance for "A
Boy Named Sue".
|
6-Oct-1969 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with At San
Quentin a
recording of a live
concert given to the
inmates of San
Quentin State
Prison. The album,
which spent 20 weeks
at the top of the
chart was nominated
for a number of
Grammy
Awards, including
Album of the Year
and won Best Male
Country Vocal
Performance for "A
Boy Named Sue."
|
8-Oct-1969 |
Sonny James was at
#1 on the Country
charts with his
version of "Since I
Met You Baby",
James' third cover
song released during
1969, (the other two
being "Only the
Lonely" and "Running
Bear"). Supposedly
recorded live (the
song's introduction
and fade out
features a cheering
audience), the
audience was added
to the studio
recording. |
12-Oct-1969 |
Born on this day in
York, Pennsylvania,
was Martie Maguire,
singer-songwriter,
violin and gutar
with the Dixie
Chicks and Court
Yard Hounds. Of the
Dixie Chicks'
twenty-five singles,
six have reached #1
on the
Billboard
country singles
chart: "There's Your
Trouble", "Wide Open
Spaces", "You Were
Mine", "Cowboy Take
Me Away", "Without
You", and "Travelin'
Soldier".
|
13-Oct-1969 |
Born on this day in
Valdosta, Georgia,
was Rhett Akins,
Country singer,
songwriter who
scored the 1996 US
Country #1 hit
"Don't Get Me
Started." Akins has
written singles for
other country music
singers, primarily
as one-third of the
songwriting team The
Peach Pickers
alongside Dallas
Davidson and Ben
Hayslip. |
14-Oct-1969 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US Country
music album chart
with At San
Quentin, which
was a live concert
given to the inmates
of San Quentin State
Prison the follow-up
to Cash's previous
live album, the
critically acclaimed
At Folsom
Prison. The
album was nominated
for a number of
Grammy
Awards, including
Album of the Year
and won Best Male
Country Vocal
Performance for "A
Boy Named Sue". |
15-Oct-1969 |
Born on this day was
Kimberly Roads from
Little Big Town. All
of their albums have
accounted for over
20 singles on Hot
Country Songs and
Country Airplay,
including the No. 1
singles "Pontoon",
"Girl Crush", and
"Better Man." |
15-Oct-1969 |
The third CMA Awards
show took place at
The Ryman
Auditorium. Johnny
Cash won Entertainer
of the Year, Male
Vocalist of the Year
and Album of The
Year for Johnny Cash
at San Quentin.
Tammy Wynette won
Female Vocalist of
the Year (for the
third year running)
and songwriter Bob
Ferguson won Single
of The Year for "The
Carroll County
Accident" a hit for
Porter Wagoner. |
26-Oct-1969 |
Waylon Jennings
married Country
singer Jessi Colter
in Phoenix, Arizona
(his third
marriage). The
couple remained
together until
Jennings's death in
2002. |
10-Nov-1969 |
Johnny Cash broke
the attendance
record at the Maple
Leaf Gardens,
Toronto, playing
before 18,106
people, the largest
indoor crowd that
Cash had performed
for. The record
gross of $93,000
outdistanced even
The Beatles. |
15-Nov-1969 |
Earl Scruggs played
his Grammy
winning "Foggy
Mountain Breakdown"
on an open-air stage
in Washington, D.C.,
at the Moratorium to
End the War in
Vietnam, becoming
one of the very few
bluegrass or
country-western
artists to give
support to the
anti-war movement.
The march attracted
over 500,000
demonstrators
against the war,
including many
performers and
activists. |
23-Nov-1969 |
The state of
California agreed to
parole American
Western swing singer
Spade Cooley (he had
served eight years
for murdering his
wife), one of the
conditions was that
he played a benefit
concert for the
Deputy Sheriffs
Association of
Alameda County.
During the
intermission, after
a standing ovation,
Cooley suffered a
fatal heart attack
in the backstage
area. |
27-Nov-1969 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with At San
Quentin a
recording of a live
concert given to the
inmates of San
Quentin State
Prison. The album
was nominated for a
number of
Grammy
Awards, including
Album of the Year
and won Best Male
Country Vocal
Performance for "A
Boy Named Sue." |
5-Dec-1969 |
Johnny Cash appeared
at Madison Square
Garden in New York
City. The concert
was recorded and
released as an album
in 2002 (making it
his 86th overal
album release). |
23-Dec-1969 |
Merle Haggard
recorded "The
Fightin' Side Of Me"
in Los Angeles at
the Capitol
Recording Studios.
The following, "The
Fightin' Side of Me"
was nominated for
Song of the Year and
Single of the Year
by the Country
Music
Association. |
1-Jan-1970 |
Johnny Cash released
his 33rd album
Hello, I'm Johnny
Cash on Columbia
Records which peaked
at #1 on the Country
charts. "If I Were a
Carpenter", a famous
duet with Cash's
wife, June Carter
Cash taken from the
album earned the
couple a Grammy
Award for Best
Country Performance
by a Duo or Group
with Vocal in 1971,
the song also
reached #2 on the
Country charts. |
3-Jan-1970 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 with the
compilation album
The Best of
Charley Pride,
the record's third
week in the top
spot. It remained
the atop the chart
for a further 10
weeks before being
displaced by Okie
from Muskogee by
Merle Haggard. Pride
would go on to
achieve two further
#1's during the
year. |
21-Jan-1970 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show
included, Arlo
Guthrie, Jose
Feliciano (who
performed a duet
with Cash on "I
Guess Things Happen
That Way"), and
Bobbie Gentry who
performed "Fancy
(Don't Let Me Down)"
and a duet with Cash
on "On The Banks Of
The Old
Pontchartrain." |
28-Jan-1970 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show
included, Glen
Campbell, Marty
Robbins and Nancy
Ames. |
2-Feb-1970 |
Dolly Parton
released her fifth
solo studio album
The Fairest of
Them All which
peaked at #13 on the
US Billboard
Hot Country LP's
chart. The album's
only single, "Daddy
Come and Get Me",
was released in
December 1969. |
11-Feb-1970 |
Special guests on
this week's
Johnny Cash
ABC television music
variety show
included, Ray
Charles, Neil
Diamond and Tammy
Wynette. Ray Charles
performed a version
of "Ring Of Fire",
and a short version
of "Walk The Line." |
18-Feb-1970 |
Born on this day,
was Raine Maida,
Canadian musician
best known as being
the lead vocalist
and primary
songwriter of the
alternative rock
band Our Lady Peace.
Maida began a solo
career in 2006,
releasing his first
solo album The
Hunters Lullaby
in 2007. He also
self-produced Our
Lady Peace's seventh
studio album,
Burn Burn, in
2009. |
21-Feb-1970 |
Born on this day in
Chattanooga,
Tennessee, was Eric
Heatherly, country
music artist who had
the 2000 top 20
Country hit
"Swimming in
Champagne." |
3-Mar-1970 |
Born on this day,
was John Carter Cash
American country
singer-songwriter,
author and producer,
the only child that
Johnny Cash and June
Carter Cash had
together. His half
siblings include
Rosanne Cash,
Carlene Carter and
Rosie Nix Adams. He
began his work as a
music producer with
his mother June
Carter Cash on her
album, Press
On, which won a
Grammy in
1999, then went on
to work under Rick
Rubin as Associate
Producer on his
father Johnny Cash's
Grammy
winning records
American III:
Solitary Man and
American IV: The
Man Comes
Around, the
latter receiving
three CMA
awards. |
9-Mar-1970 |
The fourth
collaborative studio
album by Porter
Wagoner and Dolly
Parton Porter
Wayne and Dolly
Rebecca was
released by RCA
Victor. The album
which was produced
by Bob Ferguson
peaked at #4 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums
chart. The single
from the album "Just
Someone I Used to
Know" was nominated
for Best Country
Performance by a Duo
or Group at the 12th
Annual Grammy
Awards. |
11-Mar-1970 |
Country music
winners at the 12th
annual Grammy
awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance "A Boy
Named Sue" Johnny
Cash, Best Albums
Notes went to Johnny
Cash (for Bob
Dylan's Nashville
Skyline) and
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
went to Tammy
Wynette for "Stand
By Your Man."
|
14-Mar-1970 |
Born on this day in
Knoxville,
Tennessee, was
Kristian Bush, folk
rock and country
musician. From 1990
to 2001, Kristian
was a member of the
folk rock duo Billy
Pilgrim along with
Andrew Hyra. After
leaving Billy
Pilgrim, Bush joined
Kristen Hall in the
group Sugarland. The
group Sugarland were
the next act
scheduled to appear
onstage at the
Indiana State Fair
stage collapse of
August 13, 2011. |
15-Mar-1970 |
Merle Haggard was
at #1 on the Country
chart with "The
Fightin' Side of
Me." It was released
in December 1969 as
the first single and
title track from the
album The
Fightin' Side of
Me. The song
became one of the
most famous of his
career.
|
23-Mar-1970 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with "The
Fightin' Side of
Me", one of the most
famous of his
career. In reference
to his own 2002
patriot song,
"Courtesy of the
Red, White, & Blue
(The Angry
American)", Toby
Keith once called
this song "the
original Angry
American song."
|
29-Mar-1970 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the Country
album chart with
Hello, I'm Johnny
Cash, his 33rd
album release. The
album featured "If I
Were a Carpenter",
the famous duet with
his wife, June
Carter Cash, which
earned the couple a
Grammy
Award for Best
Country Performance
by a Duo or Group
with Vocal in 1971.
|
1-Apr-1970 |
American country
music producer Paul
Cohen died age 61.
He was chiefly
responsible for
Nashville's
emergence as the
country music
recording capital
and the Nashville
Sound and was a
long-time Decca
Records executive.
As President of the
Country Music
Association (CMA),
Cohen was on hand
when the Country
Music Hall of Fame
opened in 1967.
Kitty Wells, Webb
Pierce, Brenda Lee,
Patsy Cline, and
Bobby Helms were
among the new acts
signed and produce
by Cohen. In an
unprecedented
gesture, Nashville's
Music Row offices
closed for a
memorial service a
week later (April
7), but the lasting
testimony to his
memory and
importance came with
his posthumous
election to the
Country Music Hall
of Fame in 1976. |
7-Apr-1970 |
The single
"Tennessee Bird
Walk" by the country
music
husband-and-wife duo
Jack Blanchard &
Misty Morgan was at
#1 on the country
chart. "Tennessee
Bird Walk" is a
novelty song
theorizing on the
effects of removing
the wings, feathers,
singing ability, and
common sense from
birds.
|
13-Apr-1970 |
Marty Robbins
received the Man of
the Decade Award
from the Academy
of Country Music.
The Grammy
Award winner
had suffered a major
heart attack earlier
in the year.
|
13-Apr-1970 |
Winners at the 5th
Academy of
Country Music
Awards hosted by
Buddy Ebson
included: Bob Wills
who won the Pioneer
Award, The Jim
Reeves Memorial
Award went to Joe
Allison, Tammy
Wynette won Top
Female Vocalist of
the Year, Merle
Haggard won Top Male
Vocalist of the Year
and Song of the Year
went to Merle
Haggard for
"Okie From
Muskogee". |
17-Apr-1970 |
Jim Reeves was at #1
on the Country
singles chart with
"He'll Have to Go".
Reeves recorded what
became one of
country music's
biggest hits ever
after listening to a
version recorded by
singer Billy Brown.
The track was first
released to country
radio as the B-side
of the intended hit,
"In a Mansion Stands
My Love." However,
"Mansion" failed to
catch on, and disc
jockeys began
playing the B-side
instead where it
remained at the top
of the charts for
14 consecutive
weeks.
|
17-Apr-1970 |
Johnny Cash played
at the White House
with June Carter and
The Statler Brothers
for President Nixon,
who requested that
he played "A Boy
Named Sue." Cash
declined Nixon's
request to do Merle
Haggard's "Okie From
Muskogee" but did
perform "Folsom
Prison Blues",
"Peace In The
Valley" and "What Is
Truth." |
18-Apr-1970 |
Johnny Cash was at
#1 on the Country
album chart with
Hello, I'm Johnny
Cash, his 33rd
album release. The
album featured "If I
Were a Carpenter",
the famous duet with
his wife, June
Carter Cash, which
earned the couple a
Grammy
Award for Best
Country Performance
by a Duo or Group
with Vocal in 1971.
|
25-Apr-1970 |
A Real Live
Dolly the first
live album by Dolly
Parton was recorded
at Parton's high
school alma mater,
Sevier County High
School in
Sevierville,
Tennessee. Parton
gave the benefit
show to establish a
scholarship fund and
purchase musical
instruments for
students at the
school. |
27-Apr-1970 |
Tammy Wynette
released her seventh
studio album
Tammy's Touch
which peaked at #1
on the
Billboard
Country Albums
chart, Wynette's
second album to top
the chart. The
album's first
single, "I'll See
Him Through", peaked
at #2 on the Country
Singles chart, and
the second single,
"He Loves Me All the
Way", peaked at #1,
Wynette's eighth
song to top the
chart. |
6-May-1970 |
Marty Robbins was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with, "My
Woman, My Woman, My
Wife", his
fourteenth #1 hit on
the country chart.
The song won Robbins
a Grammy
Award for Best
Country Song the
following year.
|
7-May-1970 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the Country
music album chart
with Okie from
Muskogee. The
album won the
Academy of
Country Music
award for Album of
the Year in 1969.
Haggard also won
Single of the Year
for "Okie from
Muskogee" as well as
Top Male Vocalist.
|
7-May-1970 |
Chet Atkins and
Jerry Reed record
the Grammy-nominated
album Me And
Jerry in a
single day at
Nashville's RCA
Studio B. Among the
songs recorded were:
"MacArthur Park,"
"Tennessee Stud,"
"Bridge Over
Troubled Water" and
"Something". |
10-May-1970 |
Decca records
released "Coal
Miner's Daughter" by
Loretta Lynn. The
autobiographical
song became Lynn's
signature song, one
of the genre's most
widely-known songs,
and provided the
basis for both her
autobiography and a
movie on her life.
|
22-May-1970 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the Country
music album chart
with Okie from
Muskogee. The
album won the
Academy of
Country Music
award for Album of
the Year in 1969.
Haggard also won
Single of the Year
for "Okie from
Muskogee" as well as
Top Male Vocalist. |
26-May-1970 |
Born on this day in
Georgetown, Texas,
was country music
artist, Keith
Gattis, who has
written songs for
George Jones, Kid
Rock, Randy Houser,
Charlie Robison,
Gary Allan, Ashley
Monroe, Waylon
Payne, Sara Evans
and the Eli Young
Band. |
30-May-1970 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the Country
music album chart
with Okie from
Muskogee. The
album won the
Academy of
Country Music
award for Album of
the Year in 1969.
Haggard also won
Single of the Year
for "Okie from
Muskogee" as well as
Top Male Vocalist. |
21-Jun-1970 |
Conway Twitty held
the #1 position on
the country charts
with "Hello
Darlin'". Twitty's
fourth #1 song was
named the #1 song of
1970 and aside from
being Twitty's
standard concert
opener, the song
became a country
standard as well as
his signature song. |
5-Jul-1970 |
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
"He Loves Me All the
Way." Written by
Billy Sherrill,
Norro Wilson, and
Carmol Taylor, it
became Tammy
Wynette's seventh #1
solo hit on the
country charts. |
8-Jul-1970 |
Born on this day in
Brownwood, Texas,
was Drew Womack,
singer, songwriter
with Sons Of The
Desert. Womack wrote
Kenny Chesney's
"She's Got It All",
from his 1997 album
I Will Stand,
which became
Chesney's first #1
single on the
country charts. |
10-Jul-1970 |
Born on this day in
Columbus, Ohio, was
Gary LeVox,
guitarist, vocalist,
and songwriter with
the American country
trio Rascal Flatts
who have scored 11
US Country #1's. |
10-Jul-1970 |
Johnny Cash recorded
his third live album
at the Grand Ole
Opry as a tie-in
with Cash's
then-current TV
series of the same
title The Johnny
Cash Show. It
spawned the highly
successful single
"Sunday Mornin'
Comin' Down", which
helped kickstart the
career of
singer-songwriter
Kris Kristofferson.
The song and album
both reached #1 on
the Country charts. |
25-Jul-1970 |
Born on this day in
Norwich, Connecticut
was drummer Rich
Redmond. He worked
with Rushlow, and
later became a
member of Jason
Aldean's band,
playing on "Big
Green Tractor,"
"Dirt Road Anthem"
and "She's Country" |
3-Aug-1970 |
Once More the
fifth collaborative
studio album by
Porter Wagoner and
Dolly Parton was
released by RCA
Victor. The album
which was produced
by Bob Ferguson
peaked at #7 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums
chart. The album's
single, "Daddy Was
an Old Time Preacher
Man" was nominated
for Best Country
Performance by a Duo
or Group at the 13th
Annual Grammy
Awards. |
22-Aug-1970 |
Born on this day in
New Glasgow, Nova
Scotia was George
Canyon Canadian
country singer. He
was runner up in
Nashville Star
2 in 2004. |
24-Aug-1970 |
Born on this day
near Magna, Utah,
was Kristyn Osborn.
With sisters Kristyn
and Kassidy, she
formed SHeDAISY,
whose 1999 debut
album, The Whole
SHeBANG, won them a
nomination from the
Academy of Country
Music for top new
duet or group. Their
hits include "Little
Good-Byes," "This
Woman Needs" and
"Don't Worry 'bout a
Thing". |
25-Aug-1970 |
Born on this day in
Framingham,
Massachusetts, was
Jo Dee Marie Messina
country music
singer, songwriter,
who has scored nine
#1 singles on the
Billboard
country music
charts. She has been
honored by the
Country Music
Association, The
Academy of Country
Music and has
been nominated for
two Grammy
Awards. She was the
first female country
artist to score
three multiple-week
#1 songs from the
same album. |
27-Aug-1970 |
Born on this day in
Barrie, Ontario, was
Jason McCoy, who has
won many awards
including the 2001
Male Vocalist of the
Year at the
Canadian Country
Music Awards.
McCoy was a member
of the country-rock
group The Road
Hammers from
2005-2010. |
5-Sep-1970 |
Janis Joplin started
recording sessions
recording a version
of the Kris
Kristofferson and
Fred Foster song "Me
and Bobby McGee".
Joplin, (who was a
lover and a friend
of Kristofferson's
from the beginning
of her career to her
death), topped the
US singles chart
with the song in
1971 after her
death, making the
song the second
posthumous #1 single
in US chart history
after the 1968
"(Sittin' On) The
Dock of the Bay" by
Otis Redding. |
10-Sep-1970 |
Lynn Anderson
recorded "Rose
Garden" at the
Columbia Recording
Studios in
Nashville.
Anderson's version
of "Rose Garden"
remains one of the
most successful
country crossover
recordings of
all-time. The track
topped the US
Billboard country
chart for five
weeks, reached No.3
on the US Billboard
Hot 100 pop chart
and was a major hit
in Australia,
Canada, New Zealand,
Ireland, Norway and
the UK. |
4-Oct-1970 |
Born on this day in
Healdsburg,
California, was
country music artist
Heidi Newfield. She
was lead singer,
rhythm guitarist and
harmonica player for
Trick Pony, from
1996 until 2006,
when she left in
pursuit of a solo
career. She made her
solo chart debut in
2008 with the
single, "Johnny &
June" which peaked
at #11 on the Hot
Country Songs
charts. |
5-Oct-1970 |
Tammy Wynette
released her eighth
studio album The
First Lady which
peaked at #2 on the
Billboard
Country Albums
chart. The album's
single, "Run, Woman,
Run", peaked at #1
on the Country
Singles chart,
Wynette's ninth song
to top the chart. |
10-Oct-1970 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with The Fightin'
Side of Me. The
title track (like
the song "Okie from
Muskogee") became a
success and gave
Haggard a #1 hit
single. |
14-Oct-1970 |
The fourth CMA
Awards were held at
The Ryman
Auditorium. Merle
Haggard received
four awards,
including
Entertainer of the
Year, Male Vocalist
of the Year and
Album of the Year
for Okie From
Muskogee. Kris
Kristofferson won
Song of the Year
with "Sunday Morning
Coming Down." Tammy
Wynette won Female
Vocalist of the
Year.
Dolly Parton
performed with
Porter Wagoner
during the show. |
15-Oct-1970 |
Porter Wagoner,
Dolly Parton, Billy
Walker, The Wilburn
Brothers, The Willis
Brothers, Jim &
Jesse and Skeeter
Davis all performed
during the WSM
Luncheon and
Spectacular at the
Municipal Auditorium
as the Grand Ole
Opry celebrated its
45th anniversary. |
24-Oct-1970 |
"Run Woman Run" by
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the Country
charts. Written by
Ann Booth, Duke
Goff, and Dan
Hoffman, it spent
two weeks at the top
and a total of
thirteen weeks on
the country charts
and became the 8th
chart topper for
Wynette. |
25-Oct-1970 |
Born on this day in
Kansas City,
Missouri, was Chely
Wright, Country
music singer,
songwriter. Her
first Top 40 country
hit came in 1997
with "Shut Up and
Drive". Two years
later, her fourth
album yielded her
first #1 single, the
title track, "Single
White Female". |
7-Nov-1970 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with The Fightin'
Side of Me. The
title track (like
the song "Okie from
Muskogee") became a
success and gave
Haggard a #1 hit
single. |
14-Nov-1970 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with The Fightin'
Side of Me. The
title track (like
the song "Okie from
Muskogee") became a
success and gave
Haggard a #1 hit
single. |
15-Nov-1970 |
Born on this day in
The Woodlands,
Texas, was Jack
Ingram country music
singer, songwriter
who scored the 2005
US #1 Country hit
"Wherever You Are".
Ingram has sent six
other songs into the
country Top 40:
"Love You," a cover
version of Hinder's
"Lips of an Angel,"
"Measure of a Man,"
"Maybe She'll Get
Lonely," "That's a
Man" and "Barefoot
and Crazy."
|
20-Nov-1970 |
Merle Haggard was
at #1 on the Country
album chart with
The Fightin' Side
of Me which was
recorded live in
Philadelphia, on
Valentine's Day
1970. |
9-Dec-1970 |
Born on this day in
Humble, Texas, was
David Kersh country
music singer who
made his debut in
1996. His #3 single
"Another You" was
written by a
then-unknown Brad
Paisley. |
10-Dec-1970 |
Born on this day in
Redding, California,
was Kevin Sharp
country music artist
and author who made
his debut on the
country music scene
in 1997 with a cover
of R&B artist Tony
Rich's single
"Nobody Knows", a
cover which topped
the Billboard
country charts for
four weeks. Sharp
died on 19th April
2014 after a
long-running and
high-profile battle
with cancer.
|
18-Dec-1970 |
Born on this day
Cowboy Troy,
American musician
who performs country
rap (also referred
to as "Hick-Hop").
He is a member of
the MuzikMafia, an
aggregation of
country music
singer-songwriters
whose membership
also includes Big &
Rich, Gretchen
Wilson and James
Otto. He scored the
2005 Country #2
album Loco
Motive. |
20-Dec-1970 |
Loretta Lynn was at
#1 on the Country
chart with "Coal
Miner's Daughter."
The song became
Lynn's signature
song, one of the
most widely known
Country songs, and
provided the basis
for both her
autobiography and a
movie on her life.
It also became
Lynn's first single
to chart on the
Billboard Hot
100. |
29-Dec-1970 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "Rose
Garden". Written by
Joe South, the song
was also a major pop
hit internationally,
topping the charts
in Australia,
Canada, New Zealand,
Ireland, Norway and
hitting the top
three in the United
Kingdom. Anderson's
version of "Rose
Garden" remains one
of the most
successful country
crossover recordings
of all-time.
|
7-Jan-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the country
music chart with
"Rose Garden." The
title track from her
album stayed at the
#1 position for four
weeks. Anderson
received a Grammy
Award for the
song for Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance.
|
13-Jan-1971 |
"Kiss an Angel Good
Mornin'" by Charley
Pride was at #1 on
the US Country
charts. The song has
since become one of
his signature tunes
and became his
eighth country #1
hit.
|
5-Feb-1971 |
Born on this day in
Boonville, Missouri,
was Sara Evans
country singer and
songwriter who
scored the 1999 US
#1 Country hit "No
Place That Far." Her
fifth #1 hit, "A
Little Bit
Stronger", was
co-written by
Hillary Scott of
Lady Antebellum. |
6-Feb-1971 |
The soundtrack album
Little Fauss and
Big Halsy was
released, composed
entirely of songs by
country singer
Johnny Cash (and is
his 36th overal
album). The album
includes tracks
written by Cash,
Carl Perkins and Bob
Dylan. |
7-Feb-1971 |
Dolly Parton was at
#1 on the Country
chart with "Joshua"
her first single to
reach #1 on the US
country charts.
Parton received her
first Grammy
nomination in the
Best Country Female
Vocal category for
the song, (losing to
Lynn Anderson). |
13-Feb-1971 |
Rose Garden
by Lynn Anderson,
was at #1 on the
Country album
chart, and remained
at #1 for 12
consecutive weeks,
the year's longest
unbroken run atop
the chart. It also
marked a record for
the longest
uninterrupted run at
#1 by a female
vocalist which would
stand until 1989,
when Reba McEntire
topped the listing
for thirteen
consecutive weeks
with Sweet
Sixteen. |
15-Feb-1971 |
Dolly Parton
released her sixth
solo studio album
The Golden
Streets of Glory
which peaked at #22
on the US
Billboard Hot
Country LP's chart. |
16-Feb-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with Rose
Garden. The
title track went on
to top the country
charts, where it
stayed at the #1
position for five
weeks, and reached
#3 on the pop charts
in 1971. Anderson
received a
Grammy Award
for the song for
Best Female Country
Vocal Performance. |
22-Feb-1971 |
Sammi Smith was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with her
country - pop
crossover hit, "Help
Me Make It Through
the Night". Smith's
version won a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Music Female
performance. Written
by Kris
Kristofferson and
released on his 1970
album
Kristofferson,
he later stated that
he got the
inspiration for the
song from an
magazine interview
with Frank Sinatra.
When asked what he
believed in, Frank
replied, "Booze,
broads, or a
bible...whatever
helps me make it
through the night."
|
27-Feb-1971 |
Sammi Smith was at
#1 on the Country
charts with her
version of the Kris
Kristofferson song
"Help Me Make It
Through the Night."
Kristofferson said
that he got the
inspiration for the
song from an
Esquire
magazine interview
with Frank Sinatra.
When asked what he
believed in, Frank
replied, "Booze,
broads, or a
bible...whatever
helps me make it
through the night."
Other cover versions
of the song appeared
on early 1970s
albums by Lynn
Anderson, Loretta
Lynn, Olivia
Newton-John, Skeeter
Davis, Tammy
Wynette, and Dottie
West. |
4-Mar-1971 |
Born on this day in
Gilmer, Texas, was
Jason Sellers
country music
artist. Has worked
with Ricky Skaggs,
recorded two solo
studio albums:
1997's I'm Your
Man and 1999's
A Matter of
Time which
produced five
singles on the
Country Singles
charts; Jason has
had continued
success as a
songwriter, with
acts such as
Lonestar, Kenny
Chesney, and
Montgomery Gentry
all recording his
songs. |
10-Mar-1971 |
Born on this day in
Cairo Georgia was
Daryle Singletary,
country music
singer. Singletary
entered the top 40
of the Hot Country
Songs charts five
times in the 90's,
reaching #2 with "I
Let Her Lie" and
"Amen Kind of Love",
and #4 with "Too
Much Fun". He died
on February 12, 2018
age 46. |
16-Mar-1971 |
"If I Were a
Carpenter" won
Johnny Cash a
Grammy for
Best Country
Performance by a
Duo/Group at the
13th annual awards,
(Cash's last
Grammy for
more than 15 years).
Other Country music
winners included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
- Lynn Anderson for
"Rose Garden", Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Ray Price for "For
the Good Times" and
Best Country Song -
Marty Robbins
(songwriter) for "My
Woman, My Woman, My
Wife." |
18-Mar-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the Country
album charts with
Rose Garden.
It remained at the
top of the charts
for 14 weeks, the
longest run at the
top of that chart
for any country
female vocalist
until Shania Twain's
The Woman in
Me) album in
1995. |
20-Mar-1971 |
Janis Joplin started
a two week run at #1
on the US singles
chart with her
version of the Kris
Kristofferson and
Fred Foster song "Me
And Bobby McGee."
Joplin, who was a
lover and a friend
of Kristofferson's
from the beginning
of her career to her
death, changed the
sex and a few of the
lyrics in her cover.
Kristofferson states
he did not write
this song for her,
but the song is
associated with her
- especially, he has
said, in the line
"Somewhere near
Salinas, Lord, I let
her slip away."
Joplin died of a
drug overdose the
year before on 4th
October aged 27. |
22-Mar-1971 |
Winners at the 6th
Academy of
Country Music
Awards held at
The Palladium in
Hollywood hosted by
Dick Clark included:
Top Male Vocalist of
the Year - Merle
Haggard, Top Female
Vocalist of the Year
- Lynn Anderson, Top
Vocal Group -
Kimberleys, Song of
the Year - Ray Price
"For the Good
Times", and Top
Television
Personality of the
Year went to Johnny
Cash. |
31-Mar-1971 |
The final Johnny
Cash television
music variety show
hosted by Johnny
Cash was aired. The
Screen Gems
58-episode series
ran from June 7,
1969 to March 31,
1971 on ABC; it was
taped at the Ryman
Auditorium in
Nashville,
Tennessee. The show
featured many
folk-country
musicians, such as
Joni Mitchell, Bob
Dylan, Linda
Ronstadt, Kris
Kristofferson,
Mickey Newbury, Neil
Young, Gordon
Lightfoot, Merle
Haggard, James
Taylor and Tammy
Wynette. |
3-Apr-1971 |
Loretta Lynn and
Conway Twitty were
at #1 on the US
country singles
chart with "After
the Fire Is Gone".
The duet written by
L.E. White was the
only single released
from the LP, We
Only Make
Believe. "After
the Fire Is Gone"
was the first chart
topper for Lynn and
Twitty as a duo.
|
4-Apr-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. |
12-Apr-1971 |
RCA Records released
"Take Me Home,
Country Roads" by
John Denver, from
his 1971 breakout
album Poems,
Prayers and
Promises. The
single went to #2 on
the Billboard Hot
100 and became one
of John Denver's
most popular and
world-wide beloved
songs. |
12-Apr-1971 |
Dolly Parton
released here
seventh solo studio
album Joshua
which peaked at #16
on the US Billboard
Hot Country LPs
chart. The album's
single, "Joshua",
was nominated for a
Grammy and
was Parton's first
song to reach #1 on
the US
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
22-Apr-1971 |
Born on this day in
Moore, Oklahoma, was
Kellie Coffey,
country music
artist. She made her
debut in 2002 with
the release of her
single "When You Lie
Next to Me", a Top
10 hit on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts. Her debut
album, also titled
When You Lie Next
to Me, was
released the same
year and in 2003,
Coffey won the Top
New Female Vocalist
award from the
Academy of
Country Music. |
25-Apr-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with Rose
Garden. The
title track went on
to top the country
charts, where it
stayed at the #1
position for five
weeks, and reached
#3 on the pop charts
in 1971. Anderson
received a
Grammy Award
for the song for
Best Female Country
Vocal Performance. |
26-Apr-1971 |
Born on this day in
Columbus, Ohio, was
Jay DeMarcus, bass
guitarist, harmony
vocalist, pianist
and songwriter with
the American country
trio Rascal Flatts
who have scored 11
US Country #1's. |
30-Apr-1971 |
Born on this day in
Grande Prairie,
Alberta, was Carolyn
Dawn Johnson,
country music
singer-songwriter.
Johnson co-wrote
Chely Wright's 1999
single, "Single
White Female," which
reached #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
1-May-1971 |
Man in Black
the 38th overall
album by Johnny Cash
was released. Many
of the songs on the
album contain
political
references, either
broad or specific,
while the title song
refers both to
Cash's tendency to
wear black at live
shows and to the
tumultuous times in
which the song was
created, implying
the Vietnam War. |
14-May-1971 |
Johnny Cash appeared
on the UK TV
David Frost
Show, where he
talked about his
career as well as
performing "Man In
Black" and "If I
Were A Carpenter.' |
16-May-1971 |
Born on this day in
Houston, Texas, was
Rick Trevino, a
Mexican American
country music artist
who scored the 1997
US #1 Country hit
"Running Out of
Reasons to Run." |
25-May-1971 |
Hag the
thirteenth studio
album by Merle
Haggard was at #1 on
the country chart,
becoming his fifth
album to top the
Billboard country
album charts. |
6-Jun-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with Rose
Garden. The
title track went on
to top the country
charts, where it
stayed at the #1
position for five
weeks, and reached
#3 on the pop charts
in 1971. Anderson
received a
Grammy Award
for the song for
Best Female Country
Vocal Performance. |
29-Jun-1971 |
Jerry Reed was at #1
on the US Country
chart with, "When
You're Hot, You're
Hot", his most
successful on the
country charts
peaking at #1 for
five weeks. |
1-Jul-1971 |
Born on this day was
American actress and
comedian Melissa
Peterman best known
for her role as
Barbra Jean in the
television comedy
series Reba. |
23-Jul-1971 |
Born on this day in
Decatur, Illinois,
was Alison Maria
Krauss,
bluegrass-country
singer, songwriter
and fiddler. She
released her first
solo album in 1987
and then was invited
to join the band
with which she still
performs, Alison
Krauss and Union
Station. Krauss
recorded Raising
Sand with Robert
Plant in 2007 which
was nominated for
and won 5
Grammys at
the 51st
Grammy
Awards.
|
25-Jul-1971 |
Sonny James was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
"Bright Lights, Big
City", James'
fifteenth #1 hit in
a row in the country
chart. |
30-Jul-1971 |
Born on this day,
was Gordie Sampson,
Canadian
singer-songwriter
and producer from
Big Pond, Nova
Scotia. He has
written songs for
Carrie Underwood
("Jesus, Take the
Wheel", "Just A
Dream", "Get Out Of
This Town"), Martina
McBride ("If I Had
Your Name", "You're
Not Leavin Me"),
LeAnn Rimes ("Long
Night", "Save
Myself"), and George
Canyon ("My Name").
|
25-Aug-1971 |
The Western movie
A Gunfight
directed by Lamont
Johnson and starring
Kirk Douglas and
Johnny Cash was
released across the
US. |
30-Aug-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with You're My
Man, Anderson's
fourth studio album.
The record was a #1
hit on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums chart
for seven weeks,
Anderson's third
(and to date, last)
#1 on the chart.
Produced by
Anderson's husband
Glenn Sutton, the
title song was
Anderson's second #1
record. |
17-Sep-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with You're My
Man, Anderson's
fourth studio album.
The record was a #1
hit on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums chart
for seven weeks,
Anderson's third
(and to date, last)
#1 on the chart.
Produced by
Anderson's husband
Glenn Sutton, the
title song was
Anderson's second #1
record. |
20-Sep-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the US Country
album charts with
You're My Man
her fourth studio
album for Columbia
Records. The album
stayed at #1 for a
total of seven
weeks. |
28-Sep-1971 |
Born on this day,
was Aimee Mayo,
American songwriter,
primarily known for
writing country hits
for artists such as
Lonestar, Martina
McBride, Sara Evans,
Tim McGraw, Faith
Hill, and Kellie
Pickler. Mayo was
named BMI
Songwriter of the
Year in 2000.
"Amazed," recorded
by Lonestar that
same year, is her
most popular song to
date. |
2-Oct-1971 |
Lynn Anderson was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with You're My
Man, Anderson's
fourth studio album.
The record was a #1
hit on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums chart
for seven weeks,
Anderson's third
(and to date, last)
#1 on the chart.
Produced by
Anderson's husband
Glenn Sutton, the
title song was
Anderson's second #1
record. |
4-Oct-1971 |
Dolly Parton
released her eighth
solo studio album
Coat of Many
Colors. The
album was nominated
for Album of the
Year at the 1972
CMA Awards
and Parton has cited
the title track on
numerous occasions
as her personal
favorite of all the
songs she has
written. |
18-Oct-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. |
20-Oct-1971 |
Born on this day was
Jimi Westbrook from
Little Big Town. All
of their albums have
accounted for over
20 singles on Hot
Country Songs and
Country Airplay,
including the No. 1
singles "Pontoon",
"Girl Crush", and
"Better Man." |
30-Oct-1971 |
Dolly Parton
released "Coat of
Many Colors" as a
single which peaked
at #4 on the Country
charts. Parton
explained in her
1994 memoir, My
Life and Other
Unfinished
Business she
composed the song in
1969, while
traveling with
Porter Wagoner on a
tour bus but because
she had no paper, as
the song came to
her, she wrote it on
the back of a dry
cleaning receipt
from one of
Wagoner's suits;
when the song became
a hit, Wagoner had
the receipt framed. |
29-Nov-1971 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the Country
chart with "Daddy
Frank (The Guitar
Man)". The first
single from the
album Let Me Tell
You About a Song,
became
Haggard's tenth #1. |
4-Dec-1971 |
George Strait
married his high
school sweetheart,
Normain in Mexico.
In this same year he
enlisted in the
United States Army
and was stationed at
Schofield Barracks
in Hawaii as a part
of the 25th Infantry
Division. |
28-Dec-1971 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
"Kiss an Angel Good
Mornin'" his eighth
song to reach the
top of the country
charts. The song has
since become one of
his signature tunes. |
1-Jan-1972 |
Charley Pride's
album Charley
Pride Sings Heart
Songs went to
#1. Pride's album
remained in the top
spot for a total of
16 consecutive
weeks. When it was
eventually displaced
from the top spot it
was by the
compilation album
The Best of
Charley Pride,
Volume 2, which
also spent 16 weeks
at #1. Pride
therefore topped the
chart without
interruption for 32
consecutive weeks.
After five weeks out
of the top spot,
Pride returned to #1
with A Sunshiny
Day with Charley
Pride, which
spent 10 weeks atop
the chart, giving
him a total of 42
weeks at #1 in 1972. |
19-Jan-1972 |
Merle Haggard and
The Strangers were
at #1 on the Country
charts with
"Carolyn". It was
the eleventh #1 for
Haggard and the
single stayed at the
top of the charts
for three weeks and
spent a total of
fifteen weeks on the
chart. |
24-Jan-1972 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with "Kiss an
Angel Good Mornin'",
his eighth song to
reach the top of the
charts. |
27-Jan-1972 |
Born on this day in
Bracebridge, Ontario
was Deric Ruttan,
Canadian country
music artist. In
September 2007,
Ruttan was awarded
his first
Canadian Country
Music Award
(CCMA) for
Songwriter Of The
Year. His first #1
as a songwriter was
with friend and
collaborator Dierks
Bentleys' "What Was
I Thinkin.'" |
29-Jan-1972 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with the
Tommy Collins penned
song "Carolyn", the
singers eleventh
chart topper.
|
30-Jan-1972 |
Born on this day in
Austinburg, Ohio,
Tammy Cochran,
American country
music artist. Her
self titled debut
album released in
2001 was followed a
year later by
Life
Happened. These
two albums produced
a total of six chart
singles of which the
highest-charting was
"Angels in Waiting"
at #9. |
10-Feb-1972 |
Born on this day in
Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, was Dude
Mowrey country music
artist. His song
"Cowboys Don't Cry",
was later a Top 40
hit when Daron
Norwood recorded it
for his debut album
three years after
Mowrey's version. |
12-Feb-1972 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 on the US Country
music album chart
with Charley
Pride Sings Heart
Songs. In the
early-to mid-1970s,
he became the
best-selling
performer for RCA
Records since Elvis
Presley. |
21-Feb-1972 |
Dolly Parton
released "Touch Your
Woman" which peaked
at #6 on the US
country singles
charts. A number of
country radio
stations refused to
play the track
because they found
the song too
sexually suggestive. |
23-Feb-1972 |
Born on this day in
Dallas, Texas, Steve
Holy, who has scored
fifteen singles on
the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts, including
the #1 hits "Good
Morning Beautiful"
(which was featured
in the movie
Angel Eyes)
and "Brand New
Girlfriend". |
6-Mar-1972 |
Dolly Parton
released her ninth
solo studio album
Touch Your
Woman. The
album's title song
and single, "Touch
Your Woman", was
nominated for Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Female,
at the 15th Annual
Grammy
Awards. |
13-Mar-1972 |
Winners at the
Academy of Country
Music Awards
hosted by Dick Clark
from Knott's Berry
Farm Buena Park
included: Top Female
Vocalist of the Year
- Loretta Lynn, Top
Male Vocalist of the
Year - Freddie Hart,
Most Promising
Female Vocalist of
the Year - Barbara
Mandell, Top
Television
Personality of the
Year - Glen Campbell
and Song of the Year
- Freddie Hart "Easy
Lovin'". |
14-Mar-1972 |
California governor
Ronald Reagan
granted Country
singer Merle Haggard
a full pardon for
all his past crimes.
Haggard was arrested
for attempting to
rob a Bakersfield
tavern in 1957 and
was sent to the San
Quentin state prison
for three years. |
15-Mar-1972 |
Country music
winners at the 14th
Annual Grammy
Awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
Sammi Smith for
"Help Me Make It
Through the Night",
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Male
Jerry Reed for "When
You're Hot, You're
Hot", Best Country
Vocal Performance by
a Duo or Group,
Loretta Lynn &
Conway Twitty for
"After the Fire Is
Gone", Best Country
Instrumental
Performance Chet
Atkins for
"Snowbird" and Best
Country Song, Kris
Kristofferson
(songwriter) for
"Help Me Make It
Through the Night"
performed by Sammi
Smith. |
19-Mar-1972 |
Freddie Hart and the
Heartbeats were at
#1 on the country
chart with "My
Hang-Up Is You",
Hart's second #1 on
the US country
singles chart. The
single stayed at the
top for six weeks
and spent a total of
eighteen weeks on
the chart. |
5-Apr-1972 |
Born on this day in
San Antonio, Texas,
was Pat Green who
scored the 2003 #3
hit "Wave on Wave"
from his
gold-certified album
of the same name. |
5-Apr-1972 |
Freddie Hart and the
Heartbeats were at
#1 on the US Country
chart with, "My
Hang-Up Is You",
Hart's second #1 on
the US country
singles chart. The
single stayed at the
top for six weeks
and spent a total of
eighteen weeks on
the chart. |
23-Apr-1972 |
Jerry Lee Lewis was
at #1 on the
Billboard
Country Singles
chart with
"Chantilly Lace."
Written by Jerry
Foster, Bill Rice,
and The Big Bopper,
who released the
song in 1958, the
song depicts one
side of a flirting
telephone
conversation, with a
young man talking
about what he likes
about his
girlfriend. |
29-Apr-1972 |
Born on this day in
Winter Park,
Florida, was James
Bonamy, American
country music artist
who scored the 1996
#2 Country hit "I
Don't Think I Will". |
14-May-1972 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the Country
chart with "Grandma
Harp" which was
released as the
second single from
the album Let Me
Tell You About a
Song. "Grandma
Harp" would become
Merle Haggard's 12th
#1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
23-May-1972 |
Born on this day in
Bethesda, Maryland,
was Brian McComas
country music artist
who scored the 2003
Top Ten single
"99.9% Sure (I've
Never Been Here
Before)". |
27-May-1972 |
Born on this day in
Evansville, was
Indiana Jace Everett
country music
singer who co-wrote
Josh Turner's #1
single "Your Man".
His song "Bad
Things" is the theme
for the HBO series
True Blood. |
3-Jun-1972 |
The Opryland
USA country
music theme park
opened in Nashville.
Opryland USA
which was later
called Opryland
Themepark was an
amusement park
located in suburban
Nashville,
Tennessee. During
the late 1980s,
nearly 2.5 million
people visited the
park annually.
Billed as the 'Home
of American Music,'
Opryland USA
featured a large
number of musical
shows along with
amusement park
rides. |
22-Jun-1972 |
American country
music guitarist and
singer-songwriter
Elton Britt died
aged 58. He recorded
over 60 albums for
RCA and is best
known for such hit
songs as "Someday
(You'll Want Me to
Want You),"
"Detour," "Chime
Bells," "Maybe I'll
Cry Over You,"
"Pinto Pal," and the
million-selling
wartime hit "There's
a Star-Spangled
Banner Waving
Somewhere". |
30-Jun-1972 |
Opryland USA
Theme Park and
Opryland
Hotel opened to
the public well
ahead of the Grand
Ole Opry House,
which debuted nearly
two years later, on
March 16, 1974. The
opening night, was
attended by US
President Richard
Nixon, who played a
few songs on the
piano. |
17-Jul-1972 |
Born on this day in
Wildwood, Florida,
was country music
singer Elizabeth
Cook who released
the single
"Sometimes It Takes
Balls To Be A Woman"
which was co-written
with Melinda
Schneider. |
21-Jul-1972 |
Born on this day in
Calgary, Alberta,
was Canadian country
music artist Paul
Brandt who made his
mark on the country
music charts with
the single "My Heart
Has a History,"
propelling him to
international
success and making
him the first male
Canadian country
singer to reach to
the Top 10 of the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart
in the US since Hank
Snow.
|
25-Jul-1972 |
Ben Isaacs singer
with American
country, bluegrass
and gospel group The
Isaacs. On August
10, 2021, they were
invited to become
members of the Grand
Ole Opry. The group
was initially named
the Calvary Mountain
Boys and later
became Sacred
Bluegrass before
settling on the
family name, the
Isaacs. |
26-Jul-1972 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"It's Gonna Take a
Little Bit Longer",
his ninth #1 on the
country chart. The
single stayed at the
top for three weeks
and spent a total of
fourteen weeks on
the country chart. |
4-Aug-1972 |
Born on this day in
Muscle Shoals,
Alabama was
singer-songwriter
John Paul White a
member of the Grammy
Award-winning duo
The Civil Wars. |
16-Aug-1972 |
Born on this day in
Pittsfield,
Massachusetts, was
Emily Robinson,
singer-songwriter,
with the Dixie
Chicks. Of the Dixie
Chicks' twenty-five
singles, six have
reached #1 on the
Billboard
country singles
chart: "There's Your
Trouble", "Wide Open
Spaces", "You Were
Mine", "Cowboy Take
Me Away", "Without
You", and "Travelin'
Soldier". |
16-Aug-1972 |
Tammy Wynette's
released what would
become her twentieth
hit on the country
charts "My Man
(Understands)". The
single written by
Billy Sherrill,
Norro Wilson, and
Carmol Taylor peaked
at #1. |
2-Sep-1972 |
Don Gibson was at #1
on the Country chart
with "Woman
(Sensuous Woman)."
Gibson's final #1 on
the country charts
has also been
covered by Ray
Charles on his 1984
album Do I Ever
Cross Your Mind,
and later by Mark
Chesnutt. |
4-Sep-1972 |
The Happiest Girl
in the Whole
U.S.A. the debut
studio album by
Donna Fargo was at
#1 on the Country
chart. The album was
produced by Fargo's
husband and manager
Stan Silver and the
album's title track
became Fargo's first
major hit and a
crossover Country
pop hit. |
11-Sep-1972 |
Porter Wagoner and
Dolly Parton
released the album
Together
Always. The
album contains their
hit "Lost Forever in
Your Kiss", in
addition to the
humorous "Ten Four
— Over and Out",
which exploited the
C.B. radio craze a
few years before it
became a major
phenomenon in the
US. The album peaked
at #3 on the US
Billboard Hot
Country LP's chart. |
17-Sep-1972 |
Faron Young who has
international
success with "It's
Four in the Morning"
- was charged with
assault for spanking
a girl in the
audience at a
concert in
Clarksburg, West
Virginia after
claiming she spat on
him. Young appeared
before a Wood
County, West
Virginia justice of
the peace and was
fined $24, plus $11
in court costs. It
was the first in a
string of incidents
involving Young,
whose increasingly
bizarre behavior
would begin
overshadowing his
success. |
25-Sep-1972 |
Tammy Wynette
released her
eleventh studio
album My Man
which peaked at #2
on the
Billboard
Country Albums
chart. The album's
three singles, "My
Man" "Good Lovin'
(Makes It Right) and
"'Til I Get It
Right", all peaked
at #1 on the Country
Singles chart. |
2-Oct-1972 |
Dolly Parton
released her tenth
solo studio album
My Favorite
Songwriter, Porter
Wagoner with all
tracks being written
by Porter Wagoner. |
16-Oct-1972 |
Glen Campbell opened
the sixth annual CMA
Awards show in a
telecast from the
stage of the Ryman
Auditorium. Winners
at the Awards
included: Freddie
Hart, won the Song
of the Year with
"Easy Loving",
Loretta Lynn, and
Conway Twitty won
the Vocal Duo of the
Year Award, Charley
Pride was named the
Male Vocalist of the
Year, Loretta Lynn
won the Female
Vocalist of the
Year, Merle
Haggard's "Let Me
Tell You About A
Song" won the Album
of the Year and
Charlie McCoy won
the Instrumentalist
of the Year. |
22-Oct-1972 |
Born on this day was
Michael Elizondo
American musician,
songwriter, and
record producer. He
co-wrote Carrie
Underwood's single,
"Cowboy Casanova." |
23-Oct-1972 |
Born on this day in
Kings Mountain,
North Carolina, was
Jimmy Wayne country
music singer and
songwriter. He
released his
self-titled debut
album in 2003, four
singles were
released from it,
including "Stay
Gone" and "I Love
You This Much",
which both reached
Top Ten on the
Billboard
country charts. "Do
You Believe Me Now"
became his first #1
hit in late 2008. |
28-Oct-1972 |
Born on this day in
Wheeling, West
Virginia, was Brad
Paisley,
singer-songwriter
and musician. His
style crosses
between traditional
country music and
Southern rock, and
his songs are
frequently laced
with humor and pop
culture references.
He scored the 2000
US Country #1 hit
"We Danced." |
14-Nov-1972 |
Born on this day in
Franklin, Tennessee,
was Will Hoge, a
Grammy
nominated American
singer, songwriter
and musician. Hoge
co-wrote "Even If It
Breaks Your Heart"
the #1 hit for the
Eli Young Band. |
20-Nov-1972 |
Loretta Lynn
released "Rated "X""
which became Lynn's
sixth #1 country
single as a solo
artist. The song
dealt with the
stigma faced by
divorced women
during the early
'70s, and was
regarded as somewhat
controversial at the
time, due to its
frank language. |
28-Nov-1972 |
Charlie Rich
recorded "Behind
Closed Doors" which
went on to give Rich
his first #1 hit on
the country charts.
Written by Kenny
O'Dell, some radio
stations banned the
record initially as
being too racy. |
1-Dec-1972 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 on the Country
charts with "She's
Too Good to Be
True". Written by
written by Johnny
Duncan, it became
Pride's tenth #1
single. |
12-Dec-1972 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was Hank
Williams III,
musician, singer and
multi-instrumentalist
who scored the 2008
#2 album Damn
Right, Rebel
Proud. |
13-Dec-1972 |
"Kiss an Angel Good
Mornin'" by Charley
Pride was at #1 on
the US Country
charts. The song has
since become one of
his signature tunes
and became his
eighth country #1
hit. Both George
Jones and Alan
Jackson have covered
the song. |
31-Jan-1973 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the
Billboard
Country album chart
with It's Not
Love (But It's Not
Bad). The title
track was the lead
off single which
also reached #1 and
gave Haggard his
thirteenth #1 on the
country chart. |
4-Feb-1973 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Behind Closed
Doors. The album
received three
Country Music
Association
awards: Best Male
Vocalist, Album of
the Year, and Single
of the Year, for the
title song which
gave the singer his
first #1 hit. |
26-Feb-1973 |
Winners at the 8th
Academy of
Country Music
Awards hosted by
Dick Clark included:
Top Female Vocalist
of the Year -
Donna Fargo, Top
Male Vocalist of the
Year -
Merle Haggard, Most
Promising Female
Vocalist of the Year
- Tanya Tucker, Most
Promising Male
Vocalist of the
Year
- Johnny Rodriguez
and Song of the
Year
Donna Fargo
"Happiest Girl/USA". |
26-Feb-1973 |
Loretta Lynn
released her
twenty-second solo
studio album
Entertainer of
the Year which
went on to peak at
#1 on the Country
music chart. This
album was titled
Entertainer of
the Year after
Lynn received the
Entertainer of the
Year award from the
Country Music
Association the
previous year,
becoming the first
woman to win that
award. |
3-Mar-1973 |
Country music
winners at the 15th
Annual Grammy
Awards (the first to
be broadcast live on
CBS),
included; Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Female
- Donna Fargo for
"Happiest Girl in
the Whole USA", Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Charley Pride for
Charley Pride
Sings Heart
Songs, Best
Country Vocal
Performance by a Duo
or Group - The
Statler Brothers for
"Class of '57", Best
Country Instrumental
Performance -
Charlie McCoy for
Charlie McCoy/The
Real McCoy, Best
Country Song - Ben
Peters (songwriter)
for "Kiss an Angel
Good Mornin'"
performed by Charley
Pride. |
5-Mar-1973 |
Born on this day in
Amarillo, Texas, was
Trent Willmon,
country music
artist, who scored
the 2006 top 20
album A Little
More Livin'. |
6-Mar-1973 |
Born on this day in
Amarillo, Texas was
country music artist
Trent Willmon. Apart
from releasing his
own albums, as a
songwriter he
co-wrote Montgomery
Gentry's 2009 single
"Back When I Knew It
All" and Steel
Magnolia's 2010
single "Keep On
Lovin'" and had a
co-write on Brad
Paisley's 5th
Gear album. |
7-Mar-1973 |
A song from the
movie
Deliverance
called "Dueling
Banjos" by Eric
Weissberg and Steve
Mandel became one of
the few 1970s
instrumentals to be
awarded a Gold
record. The record
had topped the
Cash Box
Magazine Best
Sellers list and
reached No.2 on the
Billboard Hot
100.
|
17-Mar-1973 |
Eric Weissberg was
at #1 on the country
album chart with
Dueling
Banjos. The song
"Dueling Banjos" was
composed in 1955 by
Arthur "Guitar
Boogie" Smith as a
banjo instrumental
called "Feudin'
Banjos", which
contained riffs from
"Yankee Doodle". The
version by Eric
Weissberg and Steve
Mandell went to #2
for four weeks on
the Hot 100 in 1973.
The song was made
famous by the 1972
film
Deliverance,
which also led to a
successful lawsuit
by the song's
composer, as it was
used in the film
without his
permission.
|
28-Mar-1973 |
Barbara Fairchild
was at #1 on the
Country singles
chart with "Teddy
Bear Song". The song
was Fairchild's only
#1 song on the
Billboard magazine
Hot Country Singles
chart was nominated
for a Grammy Award
for Best Country
Vocal Performance by
a Female in 1974,
but did not win. |
30-Mar-1973 |
Eric Weissberg was
at #1 on the country
music album chart
with Dueling
Banjos. The song
"Dueling Banjos" was
made famous by the
1972 film
Deliverance,
(starring Jon Voight
and Burt Reynolds),
which also led to a
successful lawsuit
by the song's
composer, as it was
used in the film
without his
permission.
|
2-Apr-1973 |
Dolly Parton
released her
eleventh solo studio
album My
Tennessee Mountain
Home. The house
pictured on the
album cover was the
house in which the
Parton family lived
during the late
1940s and early
1950s. |
28-Apr-1973 |
Charlie Rich scored
his first #1 on the
Billboard
country chart with
"Behind Closed
Doors", which spent
20 weeks on this
chart. The song
earned awards for
Song of the Year and
Single of the Year
from both the
Country Music
Association and
the Academy of
Country Music,
and Rich also
received a
Grammy Award
for Best Male
Country Vocal
Performance.
|
3-May-1973 |
Born on this day in
Greenfield, Ohio,
was Brad Martin his
debut 2002 album
Wings of a
Honky-Tonk
Angel, produced
the #15 single
"Before I Knew
Better". Martin died
in Nashville on
March 11, 2022, at
the age of 48. |
7-May-1973 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"Behind Closed
Doors". The single
became Rich's first
#1 hit on the
country charts, and
also became a
crossover hit on the
pop charts. "Behind
Closed Doors" earned
awards for Song of
the Year and Single
of the Year from
both the Country
Music
Association and
the Academy of
Country Music,
and Rich also
received a
Grammy Award
for Best Male
Country Vocal
Performance. In
2003, it ranked #9
in CMT's 100
Greatest Songs in
Country Music. |
22-May-1973 |
Dolly Parton
recorded the song
"Jolene" during
sessions at RCA
Studio B in
Nashville. Released
in October 15, 1973
the song became
Parton's second #1
hit on the
Billboard US
Country charts. |
6-Jun-1973 |
Born on this day in
Surrey, British
Columbia, was
Canadian country
music
singer/songwriter
and actress, Lisa
Brokop, who has
charted more than
twenty singles on
the country music
charts in her native
Canada. |
12-Jun-1973 |
Dolly Parton
recorded "I Will
Always Love You"
during sessions at
RCA's Studio B in
Nashville. Parton
wrote the song for
her one-time partner
and mentor Porter
Wagoner, from whom
she was separating
professionally after
a seven-year
partnership. When
released in March
1974 the song
reached #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart.
Whitney Houston's
version of the song
for the 1992 film
The Bodyguard
holds the record for
being the
best-selling single
by a woman in music
history. |
23-Jun-1973 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Behind Closed
Doors. The album
received three
Country Music
Association
awards: Best Male
Vocalist, Album of
the Year, and Single
of the Year, for the
title song which
gave the singer his
first #1 hit. |
26-Jun-1973 |
Born on this day in
Pocahontas,
Illinois, was
country singer,
songwriter, Gretchen
Wilson who made her
debut in 2004 with
the Grammy
Award-winning single
"Redneck Woman," a
#1 hit on the
Billboard
country charts. She
has since charted 13
singles on the
charts, of which
five have reached
Top Ten and has now
sold over 6 million
records worldwide.
|
26-Jun-1973 |
Kyle Jacobs,
American country
music songwriter,
vocalist, guitarist,
pianist. Jacobs was
the co-writer on
Garth Brooks'
single, "More Than a
Memory", which
became the first
song to debut at #1
on Billboard's
Country Singles
chart. He was also a
staff writer for
Curb Music from 2003
until his death on
17 February 2023. |
8-Jul-1973 |
Kris Kristofferson
was at #1 on the
Country charts with
"Why Me." The single
features backing
vocals by soon-to-be
wife Rita Coolidge
and up-and-coming
singer-songwriter
Larry Gatlin and was
included on the
album, Jesus Was
a Capricorn. The
song became the
biggest hit of his
career. |
11-Jul-1973 |
Born on this day in
Hollywood, Florida,
was Scotty Emerick,
country music
artist, known
primarily for his
work with Toby
Keith. Amongst his
co-writing credits
are the #1's "I'm
Just Talkin' About
Tonight," the Willie
Nelson duet "Beer
for My Horses," "I
Love This Bar,"
"Whiskey Girl," and
"As Good as I Once
Was", as well as the
Top Five hits "Get
Drunk and Be
Somebody" and "A
Little Too Late." |
12-Jul-1973 |
Born on this day in
Taylorsville,
Kentucky, was
Shannon Lawson
country music
artist. Lawson
co-wrote former
Alabama lead singer
Randy Owen's 2008
single "Like I Never
Broke Her Heart" and
James Otto's 2008
single "These Are
the Good Ole Days". |
12-Jul-1973 |
Born on this day was
American country
music
singer-songwriter
Troy Olsen who
co-wrote Blake
Shelton's 2009
single "I'll Just
Hold On" and Tim
McGraw's "Ghost Town
Train," a cut from
the album
Southern
Voice. |
14-Jul-1973 |
Billboard
increased the number
of positions for its
Hot Country Singles
chart to 100 (up
from 75), which it
would keep until
January 1990. The
expansion came at a
time when the number
of #1 songs in a
given year continued
to increase; for the
first time in
history, there are
at least 35 #1 songs
in one year. |
14-Jul-1973 |
Bluegrass/country
guitarist Clarence
White (of The Byrds)
died at 29 after
being hit by a drunk
driver. He was
loading equipment
into his car after a
gig in Palmdale,
California, when he
was struck. |
21-Jul-1973 |
Jeanne Pruett was at
#1 on the country
album chart with
Satin Sheets,
the singer's second
studio album. The
album contained
Pruett's first major
hit and signature
song of the same
name as the album.
The single reached
#1 on the
Billboard
Country Chart. |
29-Jul-1973 |
Born on this day was
James Otto, country
music singer,
songwriter, who is a
member of the
MuzikMafia, a group
of country musicians
known for their
"country music
without prejudice".
Otto began his
career on Mercury
Nashville Records in
2002, charting three
minor singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs charts
and recording his
debut album Days
of Our Lives. He
scored the 2008 US
Country #1 hit "Just
Got Started Lovin'
You." |
8-Aug-1973 |
Born on this day in
Cleveland,
Tennessee, was Mark
Wills, country music
artist who scored
the 1999 US #1
Country hit "Wish
You Were Here." |
9-Aug-1973 |
"Lord, Mr. Ford" by
Jerry Reed was at #1
on the Country
chart, Reed's second
of three #1's.
"Lord, Mr. Ford" is
a satire on the
social, cultural and
economic influence
the automobile has
had on the American
public. The lyrics
bemoan the fact that
a seemingly simple
invention to assist
mankind has instead
brought nothing but
grief.
|
10-Aug-1973 |
Born on this day,
was Jennifer Hanson,
country singer,
songwriter, (well as
a former Miss
California). Hanson
who is married to
songwriter Mark
Nesler has also
written singles for
other artists,
including "Leave the
Pieces" for The
Wreckers, and "A
Different World" for
Bucky Covington, a
co-write with
Nesler, and "Let Me
Down Easy" for Billy
Currington. She also
co-wrote "Country
Strong" for Gwyneth
Paltrow for the
movie of the same
name.
|
11-Aug-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. |
13-Aug-1973 |
Born on this day in
West Monroe,
Louisiana, was Andy
Griggs country music
artist who scored
"You Won't Ever Be
Lonely" and "She's
More", both of which
peaked at #2 on the
Country music
charts. He also
charted "Grow Young
With You," a cut
from the soundtrack
to the film Where
the Heart Is. |
13-Aug-1973 |
Loretta Lynn
released her
twenty-third solo
studio Love Is
the Foundation
which went on the
peak at #1 on the
Country album chart.
The album's first
single, "Love Is the
Foundation",
released in April
1973 peaked at #1 on
the US Hot Country
Singles chart. |
18-Aug-1973 |
Conway Twitty &
Loretta Lynn were at
#1 on the
Billboard
country chart with
"Louisiana Woman,
Mississippi Man",
the lead single, and
the title track, of
their 1973 album was
also the duo's third
single. |
19-Aug-1973 |
Rita Coolidge and
Kris Kristofferson
were married in
Malibu, California.
Kristofferson had
just enjoyed a #1
country hit with
'Why Me', which
included Coolidge on
backing vocals. The
couple divorced near
the end of 1979. |
22-Aug-1973 |
Born on this day was
Shannon Forrest
American drummer and
percussionist known
primarily for his
session work.
Forrest has worked
with many Country
artists including:
Brooks & Dunn,
Taylor Swift, Rascal
Flatts, Carrie
Underwood, Mary
Chapin Carpenter,
Willie Nelson,
Trisha Yearwood,
Merle Haggard, Faith
Hill, Tim McGraw and
many others. |
31-Aug-1973 |
Jeanne Pruett was at
#1 on the country
album chart with
Satin Sheets,
the singer's second
studio album. The
album contained
Pruett's first major
hit and signature
song of the same
name as the album.
The single reached
#1 on the
Billboard
Country Chart. |
10-Sep-1973 |
Dolly Parton
released her twelfth
solo studio album
Bubbling
Over. The
album's only single,
"Traveling Man",
peaked at #20 on the
US Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart. |
15-Sep-1973 |
Dottie West released
"Country Sunshine".
The song was both a
Coca-Cola ad jingle
and a single and was
co-written by West,
along with Billy
Davis and Dianne
Whiles. Its
popularity as a
commercial jingle
led to its single
release by RCA
Victor and the
single became among
West's
commercially-successful
releases, reaching
the top ten of the
US and Canadian
country charts. The
commercial was such
a success that Coke
offered West a
lifetime contract to
write jingles for
their company. West
had reportedly
composed 15 Coke
commercial jingles
by 1979. |
18-Sep-1973 |
Conway Twitty scored
his 10th US Country
#1 hit single with
"You've Never Been
This Far Before". It
was Twitty's only
song from the
country chart to
cross over onto the
Top 40 of the
Billboard Hot
100, where the
single peaked at
#22. |
19-Sep-1973 |
Country rock singer,
songwriter,
26-year-old Gram
Parsons, formerly of
The Byrds and The
Flying Burrito
Brothers, died under
mysterious
conditions in Joshua
Tree, California.
His death was
attributed to heart
failure but later
was officially
announced as a drug
overdose. His coffin
was stolen by two of
his associates,
manager Phil Kaufman
and Michael Martin,
a former roadie for
The Byrds, and was
taken to Cap Rock in
the California
desert, where it was
set alight, in
accordance to
Parson's wishes. The
two were later
arrested by police.
|
6-Oct-1973 |
Country music's most
successful
syndicated radio
countdown program to
date, American
Country
Countdown, made
its debut. The
three-hour program
was created by Casey
Kasem and Don
Bustany, and was
modeled after
American Top
40 (which Kasem
also hosted).
Comedian Don Bowman
was the original
host, but by 1978,
he would be replaced
by Bob Kingsley. |
6-Oct-1973 |
Born on this day in
Atlanta, was
Georgia, Ryan Tyler,
country music artist
made her debut in
2003 with the single
"Run, Run, Run" on
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
charts. |
9-Oct-1973 |
Born on this day in
Austin, Texas, was
Tommy Shane Steiner,
country music
artist. He made his
debut in 2001 with
the single "What If
She's an Angel",
which peaked at #2
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts. |
9-Oct-1973 |
Elvis and Priscilla
Presley were granted
a divorce after six
and half years of
marriage. She was
given property along
with $725,000 and an
additional $4,200 a
month for the
support of their
five-year old
daughter, Lisa
Marie. The
settlement also
included half the
proceeds from the
sale of an L.A. home
and five percent of
the total
outstanding stock in
two publishing
companies. The
couple emerged from
a Santa Monica,
California
courthouse arm in
arm, kiss and depart
separately. |
14-Oct-1973 |
The Nashville
Songwriters Hall Of
Fame added Don
Gibson ("I Can't
Stop Loving You"),
Jack Clement
("Ballad Of A
Teenage Queen"),
Harlan Howard
("Busted"), Roger
Miller, Ed and Steve
Nelson ("Bouquet Of
Roses") and Willie
Nelson. |
15-Oct-1973 |
Dolly Parton
released "Jolene" as
the first single and
title track from her
album of the same
name. According to
Parton, the song
which peaked at #1
on the Country
charts was inspired
by a red-headed bank
clerk who flirted
with her husband
Carl Dean at his
local bank branch
around the time they
were newly married.
"Jolene" is the song
most recorded by
other artists of all
the songs Parton has
written. |
15-Oct-1973 |
Charlie Rich won
three awards during
the seventh annual
CMA Awards show at
the Grand Ole Opry
House. He won Single
of the Year, for
"Behind Closed
Doors,", Album of
the Year and Male
Vocalist of the
Year. Loretta Lynn
won Female Vocalist
of the Year and Roy
Clark won the
coveted Entertainer
of the Year Award. |
22-Oct-1973 |
John Denver released
"Sunshine on My
Shoulders" which hit
#1 early in 1974. It
was originally the
B-side of one of his
earlier songs, "I'd
Rather Be a Cowboy".
As the Vietnam War
came to an end, the
song took on a new
significance and
began to receive
airplay. It was also
his first of four
#1's between
1974-1975, the other
three being:
"Annie's Song",
"Thank God I'm a
Country Boy", and
"I'm Sorry." |
3-Nov-1973 |
Kris Kristofferson
was at #1 on the
country album chart
with his fourth
studio release,
Jesus Was a
Capricorn. The
album cover pictures
Kristofferson and
his soon-to-be wife
Rita Coolidge. The
track "Why Me" from
the album reached #1
on the Country
singles charts. The
Kris Kristofferson
and Rita Coolidge
album Full
Moon went to #1
on the Country chart
the following week.
|
10-Nov-1973 |
One of Nashville's
most notorious
murders made
national headlines
when David Akeman
(aka Stringbean) and
his wife, Estelle,
were killed when
they interrupted a
burglary after
returning home.
Their bodies were
found the next day.
Their assailants, 23
year old cousins
John and Marvin
Douglas were later
captured, convicted
and sentenced to
prison. Stringbean,
who was 58, was best
known to his
audiences for his
role on the
syndicated series
Hee Haw. In
1996, 23 years after
the murders, $20,000
in paper money was
discovered behind a
chimney brick in
Stringbean's home. |
11-Nov-1973 |
The Kris
Kristofferson and
Rita Coolidge album
Full Moon was
at #1 on the Country
chart. The duet
album was the first
of three duet albums
by the couple, who
married the year
before the album's
release. |
19-Nov-1973 |
Born on this day in
Savannah, Georgia,
was Billy Currington
country music
singer, songwriter.
Hits include "Must
Be Doin' Somethin'
Right", "Good
Directions", "People
Are Crazy", "That's
How Country Boys
Roll", "Pretty Good
at Drinkin' Beer",
and "Let Me Down
Easy". He has also
charted as a duet
partner on Shania
Twain's single
"Party For Two." |
24-Nov-1973 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"The Most Beautiful
Girl" which was also
a #1 on the pop
charts. "The Most
Beautiful Girl" was
also recorded by
Slim Whitman in the
1970s.
|
21-Dec-1973 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Behind Closed
Doors. The album
received three
Country Music
Association
awards: Best Male
Vocalist, Album of
the Year, and Single
of the Year, for the
title song which
gave the singer his
first #1 hit. |
30-Dec-1973 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Behind Closed
Doors. The album
received three
Country Music
Association
awards: Best Male
Vocalist, Album of
the Year, and Single
of the Year, for the
title song which
gave the singer his
first #1 hit. |
2-Jan-1974 |
Tex Ritter, the
American country
music singer and
movie actor died 10
days before his 69th
birthday. Ritter who
was popular from the
mid-1930s into the
1960s scored over 15
US country hits
including "I'm
Wastin' My Tears on
You" and 'You
Two-Timed Me One
Time Too Often".
|
7-Jan-1974 |
Born on this day was
John Rich, country
music
singer-songwriter.
From 1992 to 1998,
he was a member of
the country music
band Lonestar, in
which he played bass
guitar and
alternated with
Richie McDonald as
lead vocalist. In
2003, he joined Big
Kenny to form the
duo Big & Rich, who
released three
albums on Warner
Bros. Records as
well as ten singles,
including the #1 hit
"Lost in This
Moment". In addition
to his work in Big &
Rich, John has
co-written singles
for Faith Hill,
Keith Anderson,
Jason Aldean and
Gretchen Wilson.
|
16-Jan-1974 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with Behind
Closed Doors.
The album received
three Country
Music
Association
awards: Best Male
Vocalist, Album of
the Year, and Single
of the Year, for the
title song written
by Kenny O'Dell. The
album also went
gold. Rich won the
Grammy for
Best Male Country
Vocal Performance,
and he took home
four Academy of
Country Music
awards. |
22-Jan-1974 |
George Jones
recorded "The Grand
Tour" which became
Jones' sixth #1
song. The song is
widely hailed as one
of the finest
performances in
country music
history and in 2014,
Rolling Stone
named the song #38
on its "40 Saddest
Country Songs of All
Time". |
2-Feb-1974 |
Dolly Parton scored
her second #1
Country hit single
with "Jolene."
Parton has said that
the inspiration for
the story was a
tall, red-headed
bank teller whom
Parton believed was
flirting with her
husband, and her
husband's apparent
vulnerability to the
teller's charm as
indicated by his
sudden interest in
making frequent
trips to the bank. |
4-Feb-1974 |
Dolly Parton
released her
thirteenth solo
studio album
Jolene. The
title track became
Parton's second solo
#1 country single
and was also a
moderate pop hit.
One of the album's
songs, "I Will
Always Love You",
was reportedly
written to express
the remorse Parton
felt over the
professional breakup
with Porter
Wagoner. |
17-Feb-1974 |
Born on this day in
Lawton, Oklahoma,
was Bryan White
country singer,
songwriter. His
fourth album, 1999's
How Lucky I
Am, produced 2
Top 40 hits with
singles, "You're
Still Beautiful To
Me," and, "God Gave
Me You." White has
charted seventeen
singles on the
Billboard
country charts, of
which six reached
#1. |
24-Feb-1974 |
John Denver appeared
in The Colorado
Cattle Caper
episode of the
police drama
McCloud
television show,
with Dennis Weaver
as Marshal Sam
McCloud. |
2-Mar-1974 |
Country music
winners at the 16th
Annual Grammy
Awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
- Olivia Newton-John
for "Let Me Be
There", Best Country
Vocal Performance,
Male - Charlie Rich
for "Behind Closed
Doors", Best Country
Vocal Performance by
a Duo or Group -
Rita Coolidge & Kris
Kristofferson for
"From the Bottle to
the Bottom", Best
Country Instrumental
Performance - Steve
Mandell & Eric
Weissberg for
"Dueling Banjos" and
Best Country Song -
Kenny O'Dell
(songwriter) for
"Behind Closed
Doors" performed by
Charlie Rich. |
3-Mar-1974 |
Johnny Cash was a
special guest in an
episode of the TV
decective series
Columbo
staring Peter Falk
entitled Swan
Song. Cash
played the role of a
musical star who
murdered his wife,
an evangelist who
has been exploiting
his talent to
finance her own
religious crusade. |
11-Mar-1974 |
Dolly Parton
released "I Will
Always Love You"
which reached #1 on
the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
chart. It later
toped the chart in
October 1982, with
her re-recording on
the soundtrack of
the movie version of
The Best Little
Whorehouse in
Texas. Parton
wrote the song for
her one-time partner
and mentor Porter
Wagoner, from whom
she was separating
professionally after
a seven-year
partnership. |
16-Mar-1974 |
The Grand Ole Opry
moved from the Ryman
Auditorium, its home
of the past 41
years, to the newly
built 4,400 Grand
Ole Opry House, on
the Opryland
complex. President
Richard Nixon was a
guest at the Ryman's
last show. |
17-Mar-1974 |
Born on this day was
Phillip Sweet from
Little Big Town. All
of their albums have
accounted for over
20 singles on Hot
Country Songs and
Country Airplay,
including the No. 1
singles "Pontoon",
"Girl Crush", and
"Better Man." |
24-Mar-1974 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Behind Closed
Doors. The album
received three
Country Music
Association awards:
Best Male Vocalist,
Album of the Year,
and Single of the
Year, for the title
song which gave the
singer his first #1
hit. |
25-Mar-1974 |
Winners at the 9th
Academy of
Country Music
Awards hosted by
Roger Miller, and
Charlie Rich
included: Top Female
Vocalist of the Year
- Loretta Lynn, Top
Male Vocalist of the
Year - Charlie Rich,
Most Promising
Female Vocalist of
the Year - Olivia
Newton John,
Most Promising Male
Vocalist of the Year
-
Dorsey Burnette, and
Album of the Year
Charlie Rich -
Behind Closed
Doors. |
26-Mar-1974 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with Behind
Closed Doors.
The album received
three Country
Music
Association
awards: Best Male
Vocalist, Album of
the Year, and Single
of the Year, for the
title song written
by Kenny O'Dell. The
album also went
gold. Rich won the
Grammy for
Best Male Country
Vocal Performance,
and he took home
four Academy of
Country Music
awards. |
27-Mar-1974 |
Born on this day was
Aubrey Haynie
American bluegrass
musician who plays
the fiddle and
mandolin. Haynie has
worked with Shania
Twain, Tim McGraw,
Kenny Rogers, Darius
Rucker, Luke Combs,
Blake Shelton and
many other artists. |
30-Mar-1974 |
John Denver's
"Sunshine On My
Shoulders" was at #1
in the US. The song
first appeared on
his 1971 album
Poems, Prayers &
Promises and it
came to prominence
after featuring in
the made-for-TV
movie
Sunshine in
1973. |
5-Apr-1974 |
Johnny Cash released
Ragged Old
Flag, his 46th
album. The album
addresses several
political as well as
ethical issues, not
unlike many of
Cash's other
releases. The title
track, and
simultaneously the
only single from the
album, is a spoken
word tribute to
patriotism amid the
Watergate scandal. |
6-Apr-1974 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the country
charts with "A Very
Special Love Song".
Written by Billy
Sherrill and Norro
Wilson, who had also
written Rich's 1973
hit, "The Most
Beautiful Girl". The
song was included on
Rich's 1974 album,
Very Special Love
Songs. |
16-Apr-1974 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with, "A Very
Special Love Song".
The song was written
by Billy Sherrill
and Norro Wilson,
who had also written
Rich's 1973 hit,
"The Most Beautiful
Girl". Sherrill and
Wilson won a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Song at the 1975
ceremony for "A Very
Special Love Song".
|
25-Apr-1974 |
Born on this day in
Arlington Heights,
Illinois was
mandolinist and
singer Jeff Austin
best known for being
a founding member of
the Yonder Mountain
String Band. Austin
died on June 24,
2019 age 45. |
4-May-1974 |
Porter Wagoner and
Dolly Parton made
what was billed as
their last duet
appearance on the
Grand Ole Opry.
Dolly Parton had
joined Porter
Wagoner on his
popular country TV
show in 1967. |
6-May-1974 |
Merle Haggard
appeared on the
cover of Time
Magazine in the
US. |
9-May-1974 |
Merle Haggard had
the #1 country
single with "Things
Aren't Funny
Anymore", Haggard's
seventeenth #1 on
the country charts
spent ten weeks on
the country chart. |
19-May-1974 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with Behind
Closed Doors.
The album received
three Country
Music
Association
awards: Best Male
Vocalist, Album of
the Year, and Single
of the Year, for the
title song written
by Kenny O'Dell. The
album also went
gold. Rich won the
Grammy for
Best Male Country
Vocal Performance,
and he took home
four Academy of
Country Music
awards. |
20-May-1974 |
Freddy Fender was at
#1 on the Country
music album chart
with his first album
Before The Next
Teardrop Falls.
The album includes
the #1 hits "Before
the Next Teardrop
Falls" and "Wasted
Days and Wasted
Nights." |
6-Jun-1974 |
RCA Records released
"I Will Always Love
You" by Dolly
Parton, the second
single from Parton's
thirteenth solo
studio album,
Jolene.
Recorded on June 13,
1973, the singer
wrote the song for
her one-time partner
and mentor Porter
Wagoner, from whom
she was
professionally
splitting at the
time.
|
6-Jun-1974 |
Born on this day in
Mount Clemens,
Michigan, was
Matthew Shafer known
as Uncle Kracker who
scored the US #6
Country single
"Smile" in 2009
which was taken from
his album Happy
Hour. |
8-Jun-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. |
22-Jun-1974 |
Charlie Rich was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with Behind
Closed Doors.
The album received
three Country
Music
Association
awards: Best Male
Vocalist, Album of
the Year, and Single
of the Year, for the
title song written
by Kenny O'Dell.
Rich won the
Grammy for
Best Male Country
Vocal Performance,
and he took home
four Academy of
Country Music
awards. |
27-Jun-1974 |
Born on this day in
Dallas, Texas, was
Christian Kane,
actor and singer and
songwriter and lead
singer of the
country-southern
rock band Kane. He
is known for his
roles in the
television shows
Angel,
Leverage and
Into the
West, and the
movies Just
Married and
Secondhand
Lions. |
5-Jul-1974 |
Linda Ronstadt
recorded her
breakthrough hit
"You're No Good" at
the Sound Factory in
Hollywood with
producer Peter
Asher. The song was
originally released
by Dee Dee Warwick
in 1963. Ronstadt
began performing
"You're No Good" to
close her live shows
in early 1973, after
her band member
Kenny Edwards
suggested it to her.
|
9-Jul-1974 |
Born on this day in
Savannah, Georgia
was six-time Grammy
Award-winning
American record
producer, songwriter
Dave Cobb, best
known for producing
the work of The
Highwomen, Chris
Stapleton, Sturgill
Simpson, Jason
Isbell, Brandi
Carlile and John
Prine. |
13-Jul-1974 |
Olivia Newton-John
was at #1 on the
country album chart
with If You Love
Me, Let Me Know.
The title track
ranks as
Newton-John's
highest charting
single on the
country charts,
reaching #2,
although she would
have many more top
10 hits to come. The
album spent eight
weeks at the top of
the charts. |
17-Jul-1974 |
Guitarist and fiddle
player Don Rich, a
member of Buck
Owens' backing band,
The Buckaroos, was
killed in a
motorcycle accident
on State Route 99
north of
Bakersfield,
California, he was
32. As the
bandleader for Buck
Owens and the
Buckaroos it was the
sound of Rich’s
Telecaster and his
close harmonies with
Buck that became the
foundation for The
Bakersfield Sound. |
22-Jul-1974 |
Born on this day was
Sonya Isaacs,
American country
singer. Isaacs is
married to
singer-songwriter
Jimmy Yeary, with
whom she co-wrote
Martina McBride's
2011 #4 single "I'm
Gonna Love You
Through It". |
3-Aug-1974 |
Billy "Crash"
Craddock's signature
song, "Rub It In,"
was at #1 on the
Billboard
country chart. The
song was written and
originally recorded
by Layng Martine,
Jr., and credited as
Layng Martine. His
version, released on
the Barnaby Records
label, was produced
by Ray Stevens. |
11-Aug-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.
|
12-Aug-1974 |
If You Love Me,
Let Me Know the
third North American
album by singer
Olivia Newton-John
was at #1 on the
Country chart. Two
hit singles were
released from the
album, the title
song and "I Honestly
Love You", the
latter of which
became Newton-John's
first #1 US single,
and her signature
song as well. |
26-Aug-1974 |
John Denver recorded
"Thank God I'm A
Country Boy" at the
Universal
Amphitheatre in Los
Angeles in his first
night of concerts
that become the
double album An
Evening With John
Denver. |
31-Aug-1974 |
Dolly Parton
released "Love Is
Like a Butterfly" as
the first single and
title track from the
album of the same
name. The song
became her fourth #1
on the country chart
as a solo artist
(and her third
consecutive #1).
Parton used the song
as the opening theme
for her 1976–77 TV
variety show
Dolly! |
31-Aug-1974 |
Pop! Goes the
Country aired on TV
for the first time.
The weekly half-hour
syndicated variety
country series ran
from 1974 through
1982 for a total of
234 episodes.
Originally hosted by
Ralph Emery, the
series was recorded
at the Grand Ole
Opry House and
featured
performances by and
interviews with
country music
singers, both
established
celebrities and up
and coming singers
and musicians. This
first show featured
Marty Robbins, Don
Gibson and Conny Van
Dyke. |
3-Sep-1974 |
"Please Don't Tell
Me How the Story
Ends" a song written
by Kris
Kristofferson, and
recorded by Ronnie
Milsap was at #1 on
the Country chart.
Kristofferson
recorded the song
with Rita Coolidge
for their final duet
album, Natural
Act, and later
with Mark Knopfler
for The Austin
Sessions. |
12-Sep-1974 |
Born on this day,
was Jennifer
Nettles, American
Grammy
winning country
music artist, lead
vocalist with the
duo Sugarland who
scored the 2009 US
#1 album Live on
the Inside'. |
16-Sep-1974 |
John Denver was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Back Home
Again. The
multi-platinum album
contained the hit
singles "Annie's
Song" (#1 pop, #1
adult contemporary),
"Back Home Again"
(#5 pop, #1 AC, #1
country), and "Sweet
Surrender" (#13 pop,
#1 AC). In addition,
the studio version
of "Thank God I'm a
Country Boy"
appeared on this
album.
|
16-Sep-1974 |
Dolly Parton
released her
fourteenth solo
studio Love Is
Like a
Butterfly. The
title track was the
third consecutive
single to reach #1
on the U.S. country
charts for Parton.
For the few years
before her pop chart
success, "Butterfly"
was considered
Parton's signature
song and was used as
the theme song for
her 1976 syndicated
music series
Dolly! |
21-Sep-1974 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included Barbara
Mandrell, Bobby Bare
and Ronnie Milsap.
The weekly half-hour
syndicated variety
country series ran
from 1974 through
1982 for a total of
234 episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. The show
featured
performances by and
interviews with
country music
singers, both
established
celebrities and up
and coming singers
and musicians. |
1-Oct-1974 |
Olivia Newton-John
was at #1 on the
country album chart
with If You Love
Me, Let Me Know.
The title track
ranks as
Newton-John's
highest charting
single on the
country charts,
reaching #2,
although she would
have many more top
10 hits to come. The
album spent eight
weeks at the top of
the charts. |
11-Oct-1974 |
Born on this day was
Josh Kear American
songwriter. His
credits include Lady
Antebellum's #1
"Need You Now", for
which Kear won the
Grammy Award
for Song of the Year
and Best Country
Song at the 53rd
Grammy Awards
and Carrie
Underwood's #1
"Before He Cheats."
Kear was award
"Songwriter of the
Year" at the 2013
ASCAP Country
Music Awards, where
he was also awarded
"Song of the Year",
along with Chris
Tompkins, for Luke
Bryan's "Drunk on
You".
|
12-Oct-1974 |
Born on this day in
Mineral Wells,
Texas, was Shane
McAnally singer,
songwriter and
producer. McAnally
has written a string
of American Country
Music hits including
Kenny Chesney's
singles "Somewhere
with You" and "Come
Over", Jake Owen's
2011 single "Alone
with You", Luke
Bryan's single "Kiss
Tomorrow Goodbye",
The Band Perry's
single "Better Dig
Two", Lady
Antebellum's single
"Downtown" and
Miranda Lambert's
single "Mama's
Broken Heart". |
14-Oct-1974 |
Born on this day in
Lubbock, Texas, was
Natalie Maines,
singer-songwriter
and lead vocalist
the Dixie Chicks. Of
the Dixie Chicks'
twenty-five singles,
six have reached #1
on the
Billboard
country singles
chart: "There's Your
Trouble", "Wide Open
Spaces", "You Were
Mine", "Cowboy Take
Me Away", "Without
You", and "Travelin'
Soldier".
|
14-Oct-1974 |
Johnny Cash opened
the eighth annual
CMA Awards show at
The Grand Ole Opry
House. Winning
awards was: Charlie
Rich Album of the
Year for A Very
Special Love
Song, The
Statler Brothers won
Vocal Group of the
Year, Loretta Lynn
and Conway Twitty
won Vocal Duo of the
Year, Olivia
Newton-John won
Female Vocalist of
the Year and Ronnie
Milsap won Male
Vocalist of the
Year. Don Wayne won
the Song of the Year
award for "Country
Bumpkin" and the
song also won Single
of the Year for
singer Cal Smith. |
9-Nov-1974 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included Dolly
Parton, Johnny
Paycheck and David
Houston. The weekly
half-hour syndicated
variety country
series ran from 1974
through 1982 for a
total of 234
episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. The show
featured
performances by and
interviews with
country music
singers, both
established
celebrities and up
and coming singers
and musicians. |
13-Nov-1974 |
"Love Is Like a
Butterfly" by Dolly
Parton was at #1 on
the Country chart,
her fourth #1 as a
solo artist. Parton
used the song as the
opening theme for
her 1976-77 TV
variety show
Dolly!. She
also uses a
butterfly as the "W"
in the trade dress
for her
Dollywood
theme park. |
21-Nov-1974 |
Born on this day
near Magna, Utah,
was Kelsi Osborn.
With sisters Kristyn
and Kassidy, she
formed SHeDAISY,
whose 1999 debut
album, The Whole
SHeBANG, wom them a
nomination from the
Academy of Country
Music for top new
duet or group. Their
hits include "Little
Good-Byes," "This
Woman Needs", "I
Will But", "Don't
Worry 'bout a
Thing". |
7-Dec-1974 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included George
Jones and Tammy
Wynette. The weekly
half-hour syndicated
variety country
series ran from 1974
through 1982 for a
total of 234
episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. The show
featured
performances by and
interviews with
country music
singers, both
established
celebrities and up
and coming singers
and musicians. |
14-Dec-1974 |
Billy Swan scored
his only #1 country
single with "I Can
Help". The song was
also a hit in the UK
and Australia as
well as Norway where
it charted for 37
weeks on the
Norwegian charts,
making it the 4th
best-performing
single of all time
in that country. |
20-Dec-1974 |
John Denver was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with his
eighth studio album
Back Home Again.
The
multi-platinum album
contained the hit
singles "Annie's
Song" and "Back Home
Again". In addition,
the studio versions
of "Thank God I'm a
Country Boy" and
"Sweet Surrender"
appear on this
album. On the cover,
John is shown with
his then-wife Ann
Martell. |
23-Dec-1974 |
John Denver was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Back Home
Again. The
multi-platinum album
contained the hit
singles "Annie's
Song", "Back Home
Again" and "Sweet
Surrender". In
addition, the studio
version of "Thank
God I'm a Country
Boy" appeared on
this album. |
1-Jan-1975 |
John Denver was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with his
eighth studio album
Back Home
Again. The
multi-platinum album
contained the hit
singles "Annie's
Song" and "Back Home
Again". In addition,
the studio versions
of "Thank God I'm a
Country Boy" and
"Sweet Surrender"
appear on this
album. On the cover,
John is shown with
his then-wife Ann
Martell. |
25-Jan-1975 |
Dolly Parton
released "The
Bargain Store" which
became her fifth #1
on the country chart
as a solo artist.
Worn, second-hand
merchandise in a
discount store is
used as a metaphor
for a woman
emotionally damaged
by an ill-fated
relationship. The
song was dropped
from a number of
country stations'
playlists when
programmers mistook
the line "you can
easily afford the
price" as a thinly
veiled reference to
prostitution. |
9-Feb-1975 |
Born on this day in
Grosse Pointe,
Michigan was country
singer, songwriter,
Marcel Chagnon known
professionally as
Marcel. In 2003, he
released his debut
album You, Me,
and the
Windshield and
charted on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs charts
with the single
"Country Rock Star".
In addition to his
recording career,
Marcel has directed
several music
videos, and has
written charted
singles for Josh
Gracin, Trace
Adkins, and Jessica
Andrews, to whom he
is married. |
11-Feb-1975 |
Willie Nelson
recorded "Blue Eyes
Crying in the Rain"
which went on to
become his first #1
hit as a singer.
Written by
songwriter Fred Rose
the song was
originally performed
by Roy Acuff and
later by Hank
Williams. |
17-Feb-1975 |
Dolly Parton
released her
fifteenth solo
studio album The
Bargain Store.
The Parton-penned
title track, one of
her best-known
compositions, she
used worn,
second-hand
merchandise in a
discount store as a
metaphor for a woman
damaged by an
ill-fated
relationship. The
song was dropped
from a number of
country stations'
playlists when
programmers mistook
the line "you can
easily afford the
price" as a thinly
veiled reference to
prostitution.
Despite the decrease
in airplay, the song
nonetheless topped
the U.S. country
singles charts in
April 1975. |
18-Feb-1975 |
Born on this day in
Woodhaven, Michigan
was songwriter and
musician Trevor
Rosen from Old
Dominion who scored
the #1 Country hits
"No Such Thing as a
Broken Heart" and
"Written in the
Sand". |
22-Feb-1975 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included Charley
Pride, Gary Stewart
and The Four Guys.
The weekly half-hour
syndicated variety
country series ran
from 1974 through
1982 for a total of
234 episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. The show
featured
performances by and
interviews with
country music
singers, both
established
celebrities and up
and coming singers
and musicians. |
26-Feb-1975 |
Linda Ronstadt was
at #1 on the US
Country music album
chart with Heart
Like a Wheel,
which featured
her version of
"You're No good".
The album spent 51
weeks on the
Billboard
Album chart. |
29-Feb-1975 |
Linda Ronstadt was
at #1 on the Country
music charts with
her fifth solo album
Heart Like a
Wheel. Ronstadt
won her first of a
record 11
Grammy Awards
in early 1976 for
Best Country Vocal
Performance Female
for "I Can't Help It
(If I'm Still In
Love With You)",
from the album. |
1-Mar-1975 |
Country music
winners at the 17th
Annual Grammy
Awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
- Anne Murray for
"Love Song", Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Ronnie Milsap for
"Please Don't Tell
Me How the Story
Ends", Best Country
Instrumental
Performance - Chet
Atkins & Merle
Travis for The
Atkins -Travis
Traveling Show,
Best Country Song -
Billy Sherrill &
Norro Wilson
(songwriters) for "A
Very Special Love
Song" performed by
Charlie Rich. |
8-Mar-1975 |
Olivia Newton-John
was at #1 on the US
Country chart with
Have You Never
Been Mellow. The
title track was also
a US #1 single.
Newton-John received
a Grammy
nomination for Best
Female Pop Vocal
Performance for her
work on the song
"Have You Never Been
Mellow."
|
12-Mar-1975 |
The divorce of
George Jones and
Tammy Wynette is
finalised. Wynette
took custody of
their only child,
Tamala and kept
their home on
Franklin Road in
Nashville. Three of
their duets ("We're
Gonna Hold On,"
"Golden Ring" and
"Near You") ended up
as #1 hits, two of
which were recorded
after their divorce
in 1974. |
13-Mar-1975 |
George Jones and
Tammy Wynette
divoced after 6
years of marrage.
The couple had
married in 1969. |
25-Mar-1975 |
Linda Ronstadt
released her version
of the Everly
Brothers 1960 hit
"When Will I Be
Loved" from her
album Heart Like
a Wheel, which
peaked at #1 on the
US Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart. |
18-Apr-1975 |
Olivia Newton-John
was at #1 on the US
Country album chart
with Have You
Never Been
Mellow. The
title track was also
a US #1 single.
Newton-John received
a Grammy
nomination for Best
Female Pop Vocal
Performance for her
work on the song
"Have You Never Been
Mellow." |
30-Apr-1975 |
The Vietnam War ends
with the fall of
Saigon. Many
returning veterans
suffer ill effects,
which is the subject
of the song "Still
in Saigon" by The
Charlie Daniels
Band. |
13-May-1975 |
American Western
swing musician Bob
Wills died. Wills
who was also a
member of The Texas
Playboys is
considered by music
authorities as the
co-founder of
Western swing. He
was recording an
album with fan Merle
Haggard in 1973 when
a stroke left him
comatose until his
death. From the
1970's until his
2002 death, Waylon
Jennings performed a
song called "Bob
Wills is Still the
King". |
17-May-1975 |
B.J. Thomas was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with, "(Hey
Won't You Play)
Another Somebody
Done Somebody Wrong
Song". The song
which became Thomas'
second #1 single is
also the
longest-titled #1
song (not including
the Stars On 45
Medley) to date.
|
18-May-1975 |
Five times married
country singer,
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the UK singles
chart with "Stand By
Your Man."
Originally recorded
and released as a
single in 1968 in
the USA, it proved
to be the most
successful record of
Wynette's career and
is one of the most
covered songs in the
history of country
music. |
26-May-1975 |
Willie Nelson
released his
eighteenth studio
Red Headed
Stranger which
became his first #1
country album. The
cover of "Blue Eyes
Crying in the Rain",
released as a single
previous to the
album full release
became Nelson's
first #1 hit. |
29-May-1975 |
Freddy Fender was at
#1 on the US country
chart with Before
The Next Teardrop
Falls. The album
included the #1 hits
"Before the Next
Teardrop Falls" and
"Wasted Days and
Wasted Nights." |
3-Jul-1975 |
Born on this day in
Blytheville,
Arkansas, was Trent
Tomlinson, country
music artist. His
debut album
Country Is My
Rock, released
in early 2006
produced three Top
40 singles on the US
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts: "Drunker
Than Me", "One Wing
in the Fire" and
"Just Might Have Her
Radio On." |
14-Jul-1975 |
Born on this day in
Enterprise, Alabama,
was Jamey Johnson,
country music
artist. His second
album, That
Lonesome Song
produced two
singles, the Top 10
hit "In Color" and
"High Cost of
Living." |
17-Jul-1975 |
A Russian language
version of Conway
Twitty's 1970 hit,
"Hello Darlin'" was
broadcast to a
worldwide audience
as part of the
Apollo-Soyuz Test
Project. The song,
which in Russian was
called "Privet
Radost," was seen as
a "gesture of
goodwill" from the
Apollo crew to the
Soviet Union's Soyuz
crew. Twitty had
worked with a
language professor
from the University
of Oklahoma to
record the phonetic
Russian version of
the song. |
19-Jul-1975 |
Lefty Frizzell the
American country
music singer and
songwriter of the
1950s died. He
became a major
influence on Merle
Haggard, Willie
Nelson, George
Jones, John Fogerty
and Roy Orbison,
(who as a part of
the Traveling
Wilburys chose the
name "Lefty Wilbury"
to honor his musical
hero).
|
2-Aug-1975 |
Becky Isaacs singer
with American
country, bluegrass
and gospel group The
Isaacs. On August
10, 2021, they were
invited to become
members of the Grand
Ole Opry. The group
was initially named
the Calvary Mountain
Boys and later
became Sacred
Bluegrass before
settling on the
family name, the
Isaacs. |
8-Aug-1975 |
American Country
musician Hank
Williams, Jr.
suffered a near
fatal fall off the
side of Ajax
Mountain in Montana.
He slipped while
mountain climbing
and fell nearly 500
feet, landing on a
boulder. He suffered
multiple skull and
facial fractures and
later to hide the
scars and the
disfigurement from
the accident,
Williams grew a
beard and began
wearing sunglasses
and a cowboy hat.
The beard, hat, and
sunglasses have
since become his
signature look, and
he is rarely seen
without them. |
26-Aug-1975 |
Glen
Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
singles chart with
"Rhinestone Cowboy".
The song was one of
six songs released
in 1975 that topped
both the
Billboard Hot
100 and
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts. The other
songs were "Before
the Next Teardrop
Falls" by Freddy
Fender; "(Hey Won't
You Play) Another
Somebody Done
Somebody Wrong Song"
by B.J. Thomas,
"Thank God I'm a
Country Boy" and
"I'm
Sorry"/"Calypso,"
both by John Denver;
and "Convoy" by C.W.
McCall.
|
6-Sep-1975 |
Glen Campbell
started a two week
run at #1 on the US
singles chart with
'Rhinestone Cowboy',
his first #1 after
13 Top 40 hits. It
made #4 in the UK.
Written by Larry
Weiss, Campbell
first heard the song
on the radio and,
during a tour of
Australia decided to
learn the song. Soon
after his return to
the United States,
Campbell went to Al
Coury's office at
Capitol Records,
where he was
approached about "a
great new song" -
"Rhinestone Cowboy." |
9-Sep-1975 |
Born on this day in
Alexandria, Indiana
was American country
music singer and
songwriter Joey
Feek. From 2008 to
2016, the duo Joey +
Rory comprised of
Joey and her
husband, Rory Lee
Feek. She died from
cancer on March 4,
2016. |
13-Sep-1975 |
Born on this day was
Joe Don Rooney,
guitarist, vocalist,
and songwriter with
the American country
trio Rascal Flatts
who have scored 11
US Country #1's. |
15-Sep-1975 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
album chart with
Rhinestone
Cowboy, the
singer, guitarists
30th album. Campbell
had heard the song
(written by Larry
Weiss) on the radio
during a tour of
Australia and once
back in the US
decided to record a
version. |
15-Sep-1975 |
Dolly Parton
released
hersixteenth solo
studio Dolly.
The album's first
single, "The
Seeker", peaked at
#2 on the US
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
26-Sep-1975 |
Ronnie Milsap was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
"Daydreams About
Night Things" his
eighth hit on the
country chart and
his fourth #1 on the
country chart. |
27-Sep-1975 |
John Denver's "I'm
Sorry" hits #1 on
the singles chart,
giving him his
second chart-topper
of the year,
following "Thank God
I'm A Country Boy." |
28-Sep-1975 |
Born on this day,
American country
music singer Amanda
Barnett. Barnett has
held the titular
role in the musical
Always… Patsy
Cline, a musical
based on the life of
Patsy Cline, which
opened in 1994 at
the Ryman Auditorium
in Nashville. She
has performed the
role in nearly 500
performances over a
20-year period. |
5-Oct-1975 |
Willie Nelson was at
#1 on the Country
singles chart with
"Blue Eyes Crying in
the Rain". Written
by songwriter Fred
Rose and originally
performed by Roy
Acuff, the song
taken from his 1975
album Red Headed
Stranger became
Nelson's first #1
hit as a singer.
|
9-Oct-1975 |
Born on this day was
American
singer-songwriter
Brandy Clark. Her
songs have been
recorded by Sheryl
Crow, Miranda
Lambert, The Band
Perry, Reba
McEntire, LeAnn
Rimes, Billy
Currington, Darius
Rucker, and Kacey
Musgraves. She was
nominated for Best
New Artist at the
2015 Grammy
Awards. |
13-Oct-1975 |
Winners at this
years Country Music
Association Awards
included: Dolly
Parton won Female
Vocalist of the
Year, John Denver
won Entertainer of
the Year and Song of
the Year for "Back
Home Again", Waylon
Jennings won Male
Vocalist of the
Year, Freddie Fender
won Single of the
Year for "Before
The Next Teardrop
Falls" and Loretta
Lynn & Conway Twitty
won Vocal Duo of the
Year. |
4-Nov-1975 |
American Country
singer, Audrey
Williams, (the first
wife of Hank
Williams) died from
heart failure
related to her years
of alcohol and drug
use at the age of
52, outliving Hank,
Sr. by 22 years. |
20-Nov-1975 |
Born on this day in
Phoenix, Arizona,
was Dierks Bentley
country music artist
who has scored
eighteen singles on
the country singles
charts, of which
nine have reached
#1. His debut single
"What Was I
Thinkin'", as well
as "Come a Little
Closer", "Settle for
a Slowdown", "Every
Mile a Memory",
"Free and Easy (Down
the Road I Go)",
"Feel That Fire",
"Sideways", "Am I
the Only One", and
"Home".
|
22-Nov-1975 |
John Denver was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with
Windsong his
ninth album which
contained the songs
"I'm Sorry" and
"Calypso," which
comprised a
two-sided hit for
Denver in the fall
of 1975.
|
22-Nov-1975 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included Johnny Cash
and June Carter
Cash, The Tennessee
Three and Anita
Carter. The weekly
half-hour syndicated
variety country
series ran from 1974
through 1982 for a
total of 234
episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. The show
featured
performances by and
interviews with
country music
singers, both
established
celebrities and up
and coming singers
and musicians. |
30-Nov-1975 |
Born on this day in
Fort Myers, Florida,
was Mindy McCready
country music singer
who scored the 1996
US Country #1 hit
"Guys Do It All the
Time," as well as
the Top Ten hits
"Ten Thousand
Angels" and "A
Girl's Gotta Do
(What a Girl's Gotta
Do)." McCready was
found dead from a
self-inflicted
gunshot wound on her
front porch on 17th
Feb 2013. McCready's
first four studio
albums yielded
twelve singles on
the Billboard
country singles
charts.
|
2-Dec-1975 |
Willie Nelson was at
the top of the US
Country charts with
Red Headed
Stranger. The
album was inspired
by the "Tale of the
Red Headed
Stranger", a song
that Nelson used to
play as a DJ on his
program in Fort
Worth, Texas. |
15-Dec-1975 |
Tammy Wynette
recored "'Til I Can
Make It on My Own"
at Columbia
Recording,
Nashville,
Tennessee. The song
became Wynette's
fifteenth #1 on the
country charts.
Wynette noted on
multiple occasions
that the song was
her personal
favorite of all that
she had written or
recorded. |
18-Dec-1975 |
Born on this day in
Lake, Mississippi,
was Randy Houser,
who reached #1 with
"How Country Feels",
the title track to
his third album, and
with "Runnin' Outta
Moonlight" in 2013.
He co-wrote the
singles "Honky Tonk
Badonkadonk" by
Trace Adkins, "Back
That Thing Up" by
Justin Moore, and
"My Cowboy" by
country-pop artist
Jessie James.
|
3-Jan-1976 |
C. W. McCall was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Black Bear
Road, which
included the #1 hit
novelty song,
"Convoy". The song
itself was largely
responsible for
starting a
nationwide citizens'
band radio craze.
The song "Black Bear
Road" in turn
popularized the
now-infamous road
itself, along with
its "You don't HAVE
to be crazy to drive
this road - but it
helps" sign.
|
6-Jan-1976 |
C. W. McCall was at
#1 on the US Country
album chart with
Black Bear
Road. It is
largely considered
the album which gave
him the most
significant boost of
his career, almost
entirely due to the
hit novelty song,
"Convoy". The song
itself was largely
responsible for
starting a
nationwide citizens'
band radio craze.
The song "Black Bear
Road" in turn
popularized the
now-infamous road
itself, along with
its "You don't HAVE
to be crazy to drive
this road - but it
helps" sign. |
14-Jan-1976 |
Glen Campbell's
signature song
"Rhinestone Cowboy"
was up for
nominations for a
Grammy Award for
Best Country Song as
well as for Record
of the Year, (but
didn't win). Written
by Larry Weiss,
Campbell first heard
the song on the
radio during a tour
of Australia and
decided to record
it. |
22-Jan-1976 |
Reba McEntire made
her first recordings
for Mercury Records.
Upon its release
that year, her
single "I Don't Want
to Be a One Night
Stand" failed to
become a major hit
on the
Billboard
country music chart,
peaking at #88 |
23-Jan-1976 |
C.W. McCall was at
#1 on the Country
chart with the
novelty song,
"Convoy". The song
itself was largely
responsible for
starting a
nationwide citizens'
band radio craze.
The song "Black Bear
Road" in turn
popularized the
now-infamous road
itself, along with
its "You don't HAVE
to be crazy to drive
this road - but it
helps" sign. |
21-Feb-1976 |
C. W. McCall was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Black Bear
Road, which
included the #1 hit
novelty song,
"Convoy". The song
itself was largely
responsible for
starting a
nationwide citizens'
band radio craze.
The song "Black Bear
Road" in turn
popularized the
now-infamous road
itself, along with
its "You don't HAVE
to be crazy to drive
this road - but it
helps" sign. |
21-Feb-1976 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included Jimmy Dean,
Anne Murray and John
Allen Cameron. The
weekly half-hour
syndicated variety
country series ran
from 1974 through
1982 for a total of
234 episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. The show
featured
performances by and
interviews with
country music
singers, both
established
celebrities and up
and coming singers
and musicians. |
22-Feb-1976 |
"Good Hearted Woman"
by Waylon Jennings
and Willie Nelson
was at #1 on the
country chart. In
1969, Jennings and
Nelson were staying
in a motel in Fort
Worth, Texas.
Jennings was
inspired to write
the song after
reading an
advertisement that
promoted Ike and
Tina Turner.
Jennings joined
Nelson during a
poker game and told
him about the idea
and the singers
completed the song
while Nelson's wife,
Connie Koepke, wrote
it down. |
28-Feb-1976 |
Country music
winners at the 18th
Annual Grammy
Awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
- Linda Ronstadt
for "I Can't Help It
(If I'm Still in
Love With You)",
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Willie Nelson for
"Blue Eyes Crying in
the Rain", Best
Country Vocal
Performance by a Duo
or Group - Rita
Coolidge & Kris
Kristofferson for
"Lover Please", Best
Country Song - Larry
Butler & Chips Moman
(songwriters) for
"(Hey Won't You
Play) Another
Somebody Done
Somebody Wrong Song"
performed by B. J.
Thomas.
|
1-Mar-1976 |
Winners at the 11th
Annual Academy
of Country Music
Awards hosted by
Marty Robbins at The
Palladium Hollywood
included: Top Male
Vocalist of the Year
- Conway Twitty,
Most Promising
Female Vocalist of
the Year -
Crystal Gayle, Song
of the Year went to
Glen Campbell for
"Rhinestone Cowboy"
and Album of the
Year went to Conway
Twitty and Loretta
Lynn for
Feelings. |
22-Mar-1976 |
Wanted! The
Outlaws
featuring Waylon
Jennings, Willie
Nelson, Jessi
Colter, and Tompall
Glaser, was at #1 on
the US Country music
album chart.
Wanted! The
Outlaws earned
its place in music
history by becoming
the first country
album to sell a
million copies. |
17-Apr-1976 |
Eddie Rabbitt scored
his first #1 country
single with
"Drinkin' My Baby
(Off My Mind)", the
first of fifteen
solo #1 country hits
for the singer,
songwriter. |
27-Apr-1976 |
Dolly Parton,
Emmylou Harris and
Linda Ronstadt
performed together
for the first time
during a recording
of the syndicated
Dolly! TV
show. The show's
opening theme was
"Love Is Like A
Butterfly" and the
show's closing song
was "I Will Always
Love You", both #1
hits for Dolly in
1974, and both sung
by Dolly on the
show. |
28-Apr-1976 |
Bruce Springsteen
toured lower
Broadway in
Nashville during the
afternoon and later
played the Grand Ole
Opry House that
evening. Springsteen
played for over 2
hours to over 3,000
fans. |
1-May-1976 |
Johnny Cash released
his 54th album
One Piece at a
Time. The album
is notable for being
credited to "Johnny
Cash and the
Tennessee Three", a
credit that hadn't
been used on Cash
releases since the
1960s, and for
featuring Cash's
recording of "Love
Has Lost Again,"
written by his
daughter, Rosanne
Cash prior to the
launch of her own
solo career. |
2-May-1976 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the Country
charts with "It's
All in the Movies."
The title track
became Merle
Haggard's
twenty-second #1
single on the
Country chart. |
5-May-1976 |
Mickey Gilley had
the #1 song on the
country singles
chart with "Don't
the Girls All Get
Prettier at Closing
Time". Written by
Baker Knight the
song became Gilley's
fifth #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
8-May-1976 |
Johnny Cash received
an honorary
Doctorate of Human
Letters from San
Diego's National
University. San
Diego mayor Pete
Wilson also declared
this day 'Johnny
Cash Day'. |
20-May-1976 |
CBS aired Glen
Campbell... Down
Home--Down Under
pairing Campbell
with guest Olivia
Newton-John on
"Happy Together."
The two join
Australian pop band
Sherbet for "Let Me
Be There," and
Campbell sings a
medley of "Country
Boy (You Got Your
Feet In L.A.)" and
"Rhinestone Cowboy"
with Aussie duo Bill
& Boyd. |
4-Jun-1976 |
Born on this day in
Mount Gambier, South
Australia, was
country
singer-songwriter
Kasey Chambers who
has scored 4
Australian #1 hits
and the 2001 US top
20 album
Barricades &
Brickwalls. |
8-Jun-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. |
18-Jun-1976 |
Born on this day in
Ada, Oklahoma, was
Blake Shelton,
country music
artist. In 2001, he
made his debut with
the single "Austin"
released from his
self-titled debut
album, which went on
to spend five weeks
at #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country charts.
Shelton is married
to fellow country
singer Miranda
Lambert, whom he met
at the CMT's 100
Greatest Duets
Concert. |
18-Jun-1976 |
Born on this day in
Walnut Creek,
California, was
songwriter, record
producer and record
label executive
Michael James Ryan
Busbee (known
professionally as
busboy). He worked
with Keith Urban,
Jon Bellion, Kelly
Clarkson, Florida
Georgia Line, and
Lady Antebellum.
Busbee was nominated
for a Grammy
Award for Best
Country Song in 2017
for his work on
Maren Morris' debut
single, "My Church."
He died on September
28, 2019 from brain
cancer age 43. |
21-Jun-1976 |
Reba McEntire
married Charlie
Battles at the First
Baptist Church in
Stringtown,
Oklahoma. They had
their honeymoon in
Texas, where they
promoted her latest
single to local
radio stations. |
26-Jun-1976 |
Marty Robbins was at
#1 on the country
charts with "El Paso
City", his fifteenth
#1. Robbins wrote
"El Paso City" while
flying over El Paso,
in - he reported -
the same amount of
time it takes to
sing, four minutes
and 14 seconds. It
was only the second
time that ever
happened to him; the
first time was when
he composed the
original El Paso as
fast as he could
write it down. |
17-Jul-1976 |
Born on this day,
Luke Bryan, country
singer, songwriter
who began his
musical career in
the mid-2000s,
writing songs for
Travis Tritt and
Billy Currington.
Had the #1 singles
"Rain Is a Good
Thing" and "Someone
Else Calling You
Baby". |
5-Aug-1976 |
Kenny Rogers
recorded "Lucille"
in an afternoon
session at
Nashville's American
Studio. It became
Rogers' first major
hit as a solo artist
after leaving the
successful
country/rock group
The First Edition
the previous year. |
9-Aug-1976 |
George Jones and
Tammy Wynette
released their
seventh studio album
Golden Ring
which peaked at #1
on the
Billboard
Country Album chart.
The singles "Near
You" and "Golden
Ring" both reached
#1 on the Country
Singles chart. |
14-Aug-1976 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
country album chart
with Are You
Ready for the
Country. Its
title track is a
song from Neil
Young's seminal 1972
album
Harvest.
Despite the title,
this outlaw country
album featured
covers of rock
songs, including
"Can't You See" by
the Marshall Tucker
Band. MacArthur Park
(Revisited)" and won
Waylon his first
Grammy Award
in 1969.
|
16-Aug-1976 |
Dolly Parton
released her
seventeenth solo
studio album All
I Can Do. The
album which peaked
at #3 on the US
Billboard Hot
Country Albums chart
includes two covers;
Emmylou Harris'
"Boulder to
Birmingham" and
Merle Haggard's
"Life's Like
Poetry". |
1-Sep-1976 |
Born on this day in
Martin County,
Kentucky, was
Angaleena Presley,
country music
singer-songwriter.
She is a member of
the female country
trio Pistol Annies
who released their
debut album Hell
on Heels in
2011. |
13-Sep-1976 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
country album chart
with Are You
Ready for the
Country. Its
title track is a
song from Neil
Young's seminal 1972
album Harvest.
Despite the
title, this outlaw
country album
featured covers of
rock songs,
including "Can't You
See" by the Marshall
Tucker Band.
MacArthur Park
(Revisited)" and won
Waylon his first
Grammy Award
in 1969. |
2-Oct-1976 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included Sonny James
singing "Bright
Lights Big City."
Don Gibson "Sweet
Dreams." Sarah Johns
- "Let the Big
Wheels Roll." And
Sonny James and Don
Gibson sang a
medley: "Sea of
Heartbreak," "Take
Good Care of Her,"
"Just One Time,"
"Young Love," "Oh
Lonesome Me" and
"Running Bear." The
weekly half-hour
syndicated variety
country series ran
from 1974 through
1982 for a total of
234 episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. |
4-Oct-1976 |
Loretta Lynn
released her
twenty-eighth solo
studio album
Somebody
Somewhere which
went on to peak at
#1 on the Top
Country Albums
chart, Lynn's sixth
solo album to top
the chart. The
album's single,
"Somebody Somewhere
(Don't Know What
He's Missin'
Tonight)" peaked at
#1 on the Hot
Country Songs chart,
Lynn's ninth solo
single to top the
chart. |
9-Oct-1976 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included Merle
Haggard and The
Strangers, Leona
Willimas, Ronnie
Reno and Tiger Bell.
The weekly half-hour
syndicated variety
country series ran
from 1974 through
1982 for a total of
234 episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. The show
featured
performances by and
interviews with
country music
singers, both
established
celebrities and up
and coming singers
and musicians. |
11-Oct-1976 |
Johnny Cash and Roy
Clark hosted the CMA
Awards show at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. Winners
included: Willie
Nelson and Waylon
Jennings won Vocal
Duo of the Year,
Dolly Parton won the
Female Vocalist of
the Year, Willie
Nelson, Waylon
Jennings, Jessi
Colter and Tompall
Glaser won Album of
the Year award for
Wanted! The
Outlaws, The
Statler Brothers won
Vocal Group of the
Year and Ronnie
Milsap won the Male
Vocalist of the
Year, |
16-Oct-1976 |
Tammy Wynette was at
#1 on the Country
music charts with
"You and Me" the
singers sixteenth
and final #1 country
hit as a solo
artist. The single
stayed at #1 for two
weeks and spent a
total of twelve
weeks on the country
chart. |
19-Oct-1976 |
Born on this day in
Tifton, Georgia, was
Cyndi Thomson, her
debut 2001 single,
"What I Really Meant
to Say", became a #1
hit on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. |
23-Oct-1976 |
Linda Ronstadt was
at #1 on the Country
music album chart
with the
Grammy Award
winning Hasten
Down the Wind.
Her third straight
million-selling
album made Ronstadt
the first female
artist in history to
accomplish this
feat. |
30-Oct-1976 |
Born on this day
near Magna, Utah,
was Lorraine Osborn.
With sisters Kristyn
and Kassidy, she
formed SHeDAISY,
whose 1999 debut
album, The Whole
SHeBANG, won
them a nomination
from the Academy
of Country Music
for top new duet or
group. Their hits
include "Little
Good-Byes," "This
Woman Needs", "I
Will But", "Don't
Worry 'bout a
Thing". |
18-Nov-1976 |
Born on this day in
Jackson, Tennessee
was country music
artist Jessi
Alexander. She has
had her songs
recorded by Patty
Loveless, Trisha
Yearwood, Little Big
Town, Blake Shelton,
Reba McEntire and
Miranda Lambert. |
24-Nov-1976 |
Wanted: The
Outlaws,
featuring Waylon
Jennings, Willie
Nelson, Tompall
Glaser and Jessi
Colter, became the
first country album
to receive the new
platinum
certification,
signifying one
million units sold. |
26-Nov-1976 |
Born on this day in
Rogers, Arkansas,
was Joe Nichols,
country music
artist. Nichols has
released seven
studio albums which
have produced
fourteen Top 40
singles on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts, including
the #1 singles
"Brokenheartsville,"
"Tequila Makes Her
Clothes Fall Off"
and "Gimmie That
Girl" as well as
five other Top Ten
entries.
|
6-Dec-1976 |
Willie Nelson was at
#1 with The
Troublemaker.
The gospel album
was recorded in
1973, but Nelson's
label Atlantic
Records refused to
release the record
at the time. After
Nelson signed a
contract with
Columbia Records,
that gave him total
creative control,
the album was
released in Sept
1976. |
7-Dec-1976 |
Born on this day in
Houston, Texas, was
Sunny Sweeney
country music
artist. The lead-off
to her second studio
album, "From a Table
Away," became her
first single to
chart in 2010. |
8-Dec-1976 |
A Star Is
Born was
released in the US.
The musical film
told the story of a
young woman, played
by Barbra Streisand
who enters show
business, and meets
and falls in love
with an established
male star, played by
Kris Kristofferson,
only to find her
career ascending
while his goes into
decline. It won five
Golden Globe
Awards and the
Academy Award
for Best Original
Song for
"Evergreen." |
16-Dec-1976 |
Born on this day was
songwriter Andrew
Dorff. He wrote the
hits included Kenny
Chesney's "Save It
for a Rainy Day" and
Hunter Hayes
"Somebody's
Heartbreak." Dorff's
other major cuts
were Martina
McBride's "Ride,"
Blake Shelton's "My
Eyes" and "Neon
Light," Ronnie
Dunn's "Bleed Red,"
Old Dominion's "Shut
Me Up," Gary Allan's
"Kiss Me When I'm
Down" and William
Michael Morgan's
"Missing." Dorff
died on December 19,
2016. |
15-Jan-1977 |
Emmylou Harris was
at #1 on the US
Country chart with
her version of the
Don Gibson song,
"Sweet Dreams."
Gibson originally
recorded the song in
1956 with his
version hitting the
top ten of
Billboard's country
chart, but was
eclipsed by the
success of a
competing version by
Faron Young. The
song which has
become a country
standard was also
recorded by Patsy
Cline.
|
24-Jan-1977 |
United Artists
released Kenny
Rogers' "Lucille".
Written by Roger
Bowling and Hal
Bynum, the song is
about a man in a bar
that meets a woman
who has left her
husband. It became
Rogers' first major
hit as a solo artist
after leaving the
successful
country/rock group
The First Edition
the previous year.
An international
hit, it reached #1
on the
Billboard
Country Singles
chart and #5 on the
Billboard Hot
100 and reached the
top of the UK
singles chart in
June 1977. |
29-Jan-1977 |
Emmylou Harris
released Luxury
Liner which
became her second
successive #1
country album on the
Billboard
Music Charts. |
31-Jan-1977 |
Winners at this
years American
Music Awards
included: Loretta
Lynn, Glen Campbell,
Conway Twitty,
Charley Pride,
Willie Nelson,
Olivia Newton-John
and The Eagles.
Johnny Cash became
the first country
artist to win the
Award of
Merit. |
14-Feb-1977 |
Dolly Parton
released her
eighteenth solo
studio album New
Harvest...First
Gathering. The
album is significant
for being Parton's
first self-produced
album, as well as
her first effort
aimed specifically
at the pop charts. |
18-Feb-1977 |
Born on this day was
Sean Watkins
American guitarist,
vocalist, and
songwriter. He is a
member of the
contemporary folk
band Nickel Creek,
the duo Fiction
Family and the
supergroup Works
Progress
Administration. He
is the brother of
Sara Watkins. |
19-Feb-1977 |
Country music
winners at the 19th
Annual Grammy
Awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
-
Emmylou Harris for
Elite Hotel,
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Ronnie Milsap for
"(I'm a) Stand By My
Woman Man", Best
Country Vocal
Performance by a Duo
or Group -
Amazing Rhythm Aces
for "The End Is Not
in Sight (The Cowboy
Tune)", and Best
Country Song - Larry
Gatlin (songwriter)
for "Broken Lady."
|
19-Feb-1977 |
Elvis Presley was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country chart with
"Moody Blue".
Written by Mark
James, (who also
penned Elvis'
"Suspicious Minds"),
the song became
Presley's last #1
hit in his lifetime, |
24-Feb-1977 |
Winners at the 12th
Annual Academy
of Country Music
Awards hosted by
Pat Boone, Pattie
Page and Jerry Reed
included: Top Female
Vocalist of the Year
- Crystal Gayle, Top
Male Vocalist of the
Year - Mickey
Gilley, Most
Promising Female
Vocalist of the Year
- Billy Jo Spears,
Most Promising Male
Vocalist of the Year
- Moe Bandy and Song
of the Year went to
Mickey Gilley for
"Don't the Girls Get
Prettier at Closing
Time." |
28-Feb-1977 |
Born on this day in
Macon, Georgia, was
Jason Aldean country
music singer, who
has scored six #1
singles: "Why",
"She's Country",
"Big Green Tractor",
"The Truth", "Don't
You Wanna Stay" (a
duet with Kelly
Clarkson), and "Dirt
Road Anthem." |
21-Mar-1977 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with "Southern
Nights", a song
written by Allen
Toussaint and the
first single
released from
Campbell's 1977
album, Southern
Nights. The
lyrics were inspired
by childhood
memories of Allen
Toussaint, who had
of visiting
relatives in the
Louisiana backwoods
which often entailed
storytelling under
star-filled
nighttime skies.
|
22-Mar-1977 |
Luxury Liner
gave Emmylou Harris
her second
successive #1
country album on the
Billboard
Music Charts. The
highest charting
singles were the #6
Chuck Berry cover
"(You Never Can
Tell) C'est la Vie"
and the #8 "Making
Believe" (originally
a hit for Kitty
Wells). The title
track was written by
Gram Parsons. |
24-Mar-1977 |
Born on this day in
in Puxico, Missouri
was country music
songwriter and
singer Natalie
Hemby. She has
written songs for
Lee Ann Womack, Eli
Young Band, Toby
Keith, Miranda
Lambert, Sunny
Sweeney, Little Big
Town, Jon Pardi, and
Lady Gaga. In 2019,
she joined an
all-female quartet
The Highwomen. |
31-Mar-1977 |
Glen Campbell was at
#1 on the US country
charts with
"Southern Nights".
Written by Allen
Toussaint the lyrics
of "Southern Nights"
were inspired by
childhood memories
Toussaint had of
visiting relatives
in the Louisiana
backwoods which
often entailed
storytelling under
star-filled
nighttime skies.
|
4-Apr-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. |
11-Apr-1977 |
Waylon Jennings
released the single
"Luckenbach, Texas
(Back to the Basics
of Love)" which
became his fifth US
Country #1 hit. In
his autobiography,
Waylon remarked
about his feelings
on the song: "I knew
it was a hit song,
even though I didn't
like it, and still
don't." |
11-Apr-1977 |
American songwriter
Eddie Miller died
age 57. He co-wrote
"Release Me" covered
by Patti Page
(1954), Ray Price
(1954), and Kitty
Wells (1954) and
Engelbert
Humperdinck (1967).
Patsy Cline covered
his song "In Care of
the Blues". He was
the founder of the
Country and Western
Music Academy in
Hollywood, as well
as a co-founder of
the Nashville
Songwriters
Association
International. |
15-Apr-1977 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the country
charts with
"Lucille". Written
by Roger Bowling and
Hal Bynum, the song
is about a man who
acquaints himself
with a downhearted
married woman named
Lucille. An
inebriated Lucille
admits her
unhappiness in life
and a longing for
adventure. An
international hit,
it reached #1 on the
Billboard
Country Singles
chart and #5 on the
Billboard Hot
100 and reached the
top of the UK
singles chart in
June 1977. |
29-Apr-1977 |
Born on this day in
Danville, Kentucky,
was Ashley Gorley,
singer, songwriter
who has written hits
for Trace Adkins'
"You're Gonna Miss
This," Darius
Rucker's "It Won't
Be Like This For
Long" and Brad
Paisley's "Then." |
30-Apr-1977 |
Glen Campbell went
to #1 on the US
singles chart with
"Southern Nights",
(a song written by
Allen Toussaint),
and Campbell's
second US chart
topper. |
3-May-1977 |
Born on this day in
Granite Falls, North
Carolina, was Eric
Church, Country
singer, songwriter.
His debut album
Sinners Like
Me produced four
singles on the
Billboard
country chart,
including the Top 20
hits "How 'Bout
You", "Two Pink
Lines", and "Guys
Like Me". |
12-May-1977 |
Chet Atkins holds
the first of three
sessions for the
album "Me And My
Guitar" at
Nashville's Sound
Masters. The album
earns a Grammy
nomination. |
13-May-1977 |
Born on this day was
Ilse DeLange, Dutch
country and pop rock
singer-songwriter.
In 1998 while being
a member of the
group Cash On
Delivery, she
traveled to
Nashville, to record
her debut album
World of
Hurt. She won
the Country Music
Association Global
Country Artist Award
of The Year in 2022. |
21-May-1977 |
Taken from his album
Ol' Waylon,
Waylon Jennings
started a six week
run at #1 on the US
Country charts with
"Luckenbach, Texas
(Back to the Basics
of Love)." |
9-Jun-1977 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
country album charts
with Ol'
Waylon. The
album features one
of his signature
songs, a track
featuring Willie
Nelson called
"Luckenbach, Texas
(Back to the Basics
of Love)", as well
as the Neil Diamond
song "Sweet
Caroline", a version
of Kenny Rogers'
"Lucille" and a
medley of the two
Arthur Crudup songs
previous recorded by
Elvis Presley. |
12-Jun-1977 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
country album charts
with Ol' Waylon.
The album
features one of his
signature songs, a
track featuring
Willie Nelson called
"Luckenbach, Texas
(Back to the Basics
of Love)", as well
as the Neil Diamond
song "Sweet
Caroline", a version
of Kenny Rogers'
"Lucille" and a
medley of the two
Arthur Crudup songs
previous recorded by
Elvis. |
16-Jun-1977 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the UK singles
chart with
'Lucille'. It was
the American Country
music singer's first
of two UK #1's. |
24-Jun-1977 |
Crystal Gayle
relerased her fourth
studio album We
Must Believe in
Magic.
It became her
highest selling
album, reaching #2
on the Billboard
Country Albums chart
and #12 on the main
Billboard album
chart. We Must
Believe in Magic
also has the
distinction of being
the first platinum
album recorded by a
female artist in
country music. |
25-Jun-1977 |
Waylon Jennings' hit
"Luckenbach, Texas
(Back to the Basics
of Love)" spent its
sixth week at #1 on
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart. It was just
the third (and
final) six-week #1
song of the 1970s,
and would be the
last song to spend
as long atop the
charts for 20 years
(until 1997's "It's
Your Love" by Tim
McGraw and Faith
Hill). |
26-Jun-1977 |
Elvis Presley made
his last ever live
stage appearance
when he appeared at
the Market Square
Arena in
Indianapolis.
Presley would die
less than two months
later. The last two
songs he performed
were "Hurt" and
"Bridge Over
Troubled Water."
Before the show
Elvis was presented
with a plaque
commemorating the 2
billionth record to
come out of RCA's
pressing plant. |
27-Jun-1977 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the country
chart with
"Luckenbach, Texas
(Back to the Basics
of Love)". Released
at the height of
outlaw country
movement, from his
hit album Ol'
Waylon, the song
was written by Chips
Moman and Bobby
Emmons. |
2-Jul-1977 |
"That Was Yesterday"
by American country
music singer Donna
Fargo was at #1 on
the Country chart.
It was released in
April 1977 as the
first single from
the album Fargo
Country. The song
became her sixth and
final #1 song. |
15-Aug-1977 |
Reba McEntire
released her self
titled debut studio
album on Mercury
Records. The album
featured her first
single "I Don't
Wanna Be a One Night
Stand", but the
album was not a
commercial success,
failing to chart. |
16-Aug-1977 |
Elvis Presley was
found dead lying on
the floor in his
bathroom by his
girlfriend Ginger
Alden; he had been
seated on the toilet
reading The
Scientific Search
For Jesus. He
died of heart
failure at the age
of 42. The most
significant pop
artist of the 20th
century, the
beginning and end of
his career are
grounded in country.
He entered the
Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1998.
|
18-Aug-1977 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
country album charts
with Ol'
Waylon. The
album features one
of his signature
songs, a track
featuring Willie
Nelson called
"Luckenbach, Texas
(Back to the Basics
of Love)", as well
as the Neil Diamond
song "Sweet
Caroline", a version
of Kenny Rogers'
"Lucille" and a
medley of the two
Arthur Crudup songs
previous recorded by
Elvis. |
20-Aug-1977 |
Born on this day in
in Amarillo, Texas
was country singer
Aaron Watson. In
February 2015,
Watson made history
when he released
The Underdog
making him the first
solo male artist to
debut at #1 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums chart
with a self-released
and independently
distributed and
promoted album. |
23-Aug-1977 |
Born on this day in
Clinton, Mississippi
was Shelly
Fairchild, country
singer, songwriter
who scored the 2005
hit "You Don't Lie
Here Anymore". |
27-Aug-1977 |
Jimmy Buffett
married his second
wife, Jane Slagsvol,
of Columbia, South
Carolina, who had
co-written two of
his songs,
"Something So
Feminine About A
Mandolin" and "Kick
It In Second Wind." |
31-Aug-1977 |
Crystal Gayle was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with "Don't It
Make My Brown Eyes
Blue". The song was
written by Richard
Leigh and first
appeared on Gayle's
1977 album, We
Must Believe in
Magic. The song
became Gayle's
first, (and
biggest), crossover
pop hit, reaching #2
on the
Billboard Hot
100 for 3 weeks, and
won the singer a
Grammy Award
for Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance. In
1999, the song was
recognized by
ASCAP as one
of the ten
most-performed songs
of the 20th century.
|
7-Sep-1977 |
Crystal Gayle was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with "Don't It
Make My Brown Eyes
Blue". The song was
written by Richard
Leigh and first
appeared on Gayle's
1977 album, We
Must Believe in
Magic. The song
became Gayle's
first, (and
biggest), crossover
pop hit, reaching #2
on the
Billboard Hot
100 for 3 weeks, and
won the singer a
Grammy Award
for Best Female
Country Vocal
Performance. In
1999, the song was
recognized by
ASCAP as one
of the ten
most-performed songs
of the 20th century. |
17-Sep-1977 |
Reba McEntire made
her Grand Ole Opry
debut. She almost
did not make it in
the door after a
guard at the Opry
gate missed her name
on the night's list
of performers. Her
parents and older
sister, Alice, drove
1,400 miles round
trip from their
Oklahoma home to see
what turned out to
be Reba's
three-minute
performance that
night. |
10-Oct-1977 |
Johnny Cash hosted
the 11th annual CMA
Awards show at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. Winners
included: Crystal
Gayle won Female
Vocalist of the
Year, Kenny Rogers
won Single of the
Year for "Lucille"
and Ronnie Milsap
won Entertainer of
the Year. Crystal
Gayle, Dolly Parton,
Loretta Lynn and
Conway Twitty all
performed live
during the show. |
21-Oct-1977 |
Born on this day in
Buchanan, Virginia
was musician and
songwriter Matthew
Ramsey, the lead
vocalist of the
American country
band Old Dominion.
Ramsey has penned
hit songs for The
Band Perry, Craig
Morgan, Dierks
Bentley, Sam Hunt,
Luke Bryan and Kenny
Chesney. |
29-Oct-1977 |
Dolly Parton
released her 19th
solo studio album,
Here You Come
Again. The album
included Parton's
first significant
"crossover" success,
the Grammy
award-winning title
single. The album's
cover was the first
to show the
distinctive "Dolly"
signature logo,
created by Michael
Manoogian, would
become Parton's de
facto logo,
appearing on all of
her solo albums for
the remainder of her
association with
RCA. |
8-Nov-1977 |
Born on this day in
Rockingham, North
Carolina, was Bucky
Covington, country
music singer. He
placed eighth on the
5th season of
American
Idol. His
self-titled debut
album, released on
April 17, 2007
debuted at #1 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums
chart, and produced
three hit singles:
"A Different World",
"It's Good to Be
Us", and "I'll
Walk". |
12-Nov-1977 |
Guests on this
week's edition of
the TV show Pop!
Goes the Country
included Tammy
Wynette singing
"Your Good Girl's
Gonna Go Bad" and
"You and Me". George
Jones and Tammy
Wynette duet on
"Golden Ring" and
"Near You". Larry
Gatlin sings
"Statues Without
Hearts" and "Broken
Lady". The weekly
half-hour syndicated
variety country
series ran from 1974
through 1982 for a
total of 234
episodes and was
recorded at the
Grand Ole Opry
House. |
17-Nov-1977 |
Born on this day was
Canadian country
musician Aaron
Lines, who has
charted three
singles on the Hot
Country Songs charts
in the United
States, including
the 2002 "You Can't
Hide Beautiful". |
20-Nov-1977 |
Born on this day was
Josh Turner singer
and actor who scored
the 2006 US Country
#1 album Your
Man.
Haywire,
released in 2010,
produced his biggest
hit, the #1 "Why
Don't We Just Dance"
and another #1 "All
Over Me". |
11-Dec-1977 |
Willie Nelson
recorded tracks for
his forthcoming
album
Stardust.
Produced by Booker
T. Jones, all the
songs on the album
consist entirely of
pop standards that
Nelson picked from
among his favorites.
Executives of
Columbia Records
were not convinced
that the album would
sell well, because
the project was a
radical departure
from his earlier
success in the
outlaw movement.
When released,
Stardust was
on
Billboard's
Country Album charts
for ten years - from
its release until
1988. |
29-Dec-1977 |
Glen Campbell and
his wife, Sarah,
filed a $2-million
lawsuit against Us
magazine, claiming
invasion of privacy
among other charges.
Campbell maintained
the magazine had
promised not to
mention their
previous marriages
in a story on the
couple. |
31-Dec-1977 |
Dolly Parton's "Here
You Come Again"
spent its fifth week
at #1 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. It would be
the last song to
spend that long atop
the chart until
1990's "Love Without
End, Amen" by George
Strait. |
23-Jan-1978 |
Born on this day in
Cedarburg,
Wisconsin, was Josh
Thompson who scored
a 2009 hit with
"Beer On The Table,"
from his debut album
Way Out Here.
Thompson has also
written songs for
Jason Aldean, Blake
Shelton, Justin
Moore, Brad Paisley,
Brett Young, Morgan
Wallen and Darius
Rucker. |
27-Jan-1978 |
Born on this day in
Monticello,
Kentucky, was Kevin
Denney country music
artist who made his
debut on the country
music scene with the
release of his
self-titled album
(2001's Kevin
Denney), which
produced three chart
singles, including
"That's Just
Jessie". |
14-Feb-1978 |
Dolly Parton was at
#1 on the US Country
music album chart
with Here You
Come Again her
nineteenth solo
studio album. The
album included
Parton's first
significant
"crossover" success,
the Grammy
award-winning title
single, which scored
her a #3 on the US
pop singles charts.
|
23-Feb-1978 |
Country music
winners at the 20th
Annual Grammy
Awards, hosted by
John Denver
included; Crystal
Gayle who won Best
Country Vocal
Performance for
"Don't It Make My
Brown Eyes Blue",
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Kenny Rogers for
"Lucille", Best
Country Vocal
Performance by a Duo
or Group - The
Kendalls for
"Heaven's Just a Sin
Away", Best Country
Instrumental
Performance - Asleep
At The Wheel for
"One O'Clock Jump",
Best Country Song -
Richard Leigh
(songwriter) for
"Don't It Make My
Brown Eyes Blue"
performed by Crystal
Gayle.
|
4-Mar-1978 |
The Public
Broadcasting
System broadcast
live, the first
complete Grand
Ole Opry show
from the new Grand
Ole Opry House. The
show featured George
Hamilton IV, Bill
Monroe, Del Reeves,
The Willis Brothers,
Billy Grammer,
Ronnie Milsap, Lonzo
and Oscar, Porter
Wagoner, Roy Acuff,
The Crook Brothers,
The Fruit Jar
Drinkers, Grandpa
Jones, and others. |
20-Mar-1978 |
Waylon Jennings and
Willie Nelson had
"Mammas Don't Let
Your Babies Grow Up
to Be Cowboys" at #1
on the country
charts. The song was
first recorded by Ed
Bruce, written by
him and wife Patsy
Bruce. Waylon
Jennings and Willie
Nelson won the 1979
Grammy Award for
Best Country
Performance by a Duo
or Group with Vocal
for the song.
|
22-Mar-1978 |
"Mamas Don't Let
Your Babies Grow Up
to Be Cowboys" by
Waylon Jennings and
Willie Nelson was at
#1 on the US Country
chart. It beacame
the last song for 12
years to spend four
weeks at the top of
the chart. |
25-Mar-1978 |
"Mamas Don't Let
Your Babies Grow Up
to Be Cowboys" by
Waylon Jennings and
Willie Nelson became
the last song for 12
years to spend four
weeks at #1 on
Billboard's
Hot Country Singles
chart. There
wouldn't be another
four-week #1 until
"Hard Rock Bottom of
Your Heart" by Randy
Travis in April
1990. |
4-Apr-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. |
11-Apr-1978 |
Born on this day in
Roblin, Manitoba,
Canada, was country
music singer,
songwriter Tara Lyn
Hart. Hart's
self-titled debut
album released in
1999 featured the #6
Canadian country
singles chart hit
"Stuff That
Matters." |
12-Apr-1978 |
Winners at the 13th
Annual Academy
of Country Music
Awards hosted by
Donna Fargo, Kenny
Rogers and Barbara
Mandrell at The
Shrine Auditorium,
Hollywood included:
Top Female Vocalist
of the Year -
Crystal Gayle, Top
Male Vocalist of the
Year - Kenny Rogers,
Top Vocal Group -
Statler Brothers,
Top New Female
Vocalist of the Year
- Debby Boone, Top
New Male Vocalist of
the Year -
Eddie Rabbitt and
Song of the Year
went to
Kenny Rogers for
"Lucille". |
15-Apr-1978 |
Born on this day in
in Lexington,
Kentucky was
American country and
bluegrass musician
Chris Stapleton who
scored the 2015 US
No.1 album
Traveller. Stapleton
who is a former
member of The
SteelDrivers has
also written hits
for Kenny Chesney,
Tim McGraw, Adele
and George Strait. |
25-Apr-1978 |
"Every Time Two
Fools Collide" by
Kenny Rogers and
Dottie West was at
#1 on the US Country
charts. Written by
Jan Dyer and Jeff
Tweel the duet
happened after a
recording session
with West was
running over
resulting in Rogers
sitting in the
studio wating for
his session to
begin. They began
talking about
recording a duet,
and West suggested
"Every Time Two
Fools Collide".
|
4-May-1978 |
Born on this day in
Hartstown, PA was
Luke Laird country
music songwriter and
producer. He has
written over 20 #1
Billboard
singles, including
Carrie Underwood’s
"So Small",
"Temporary Home",
and "Undo It"; Blake
Shelton’s "Gonna";
Sara Evans’ "A
Little Bit
Stronger"; Rodney
Atkins’s "Take a
Back Road"; Eric
Church’s "Drink in
My Hand", "Give Me
Back My Hometown",
and "Talladega";
Little Big Town's
"Pontoon", and Luke
Bryan's "I See You"
and "Fast." |
6-May-1978 |
Bob Kingsley took
over hosting
American Country
Countdown, a
stint that would
last for 27 years.
He had been a
producer of the
radio countdown show
since 1974. |
12-May-1978 |
Dolly Parton had the
country #1 single
with "It's All
Wrong, But It's All
Right". Originally
appearing on
Parton's Here You
Come Again
album, "It's All
Wrong, But It's All
Right" became Dolly
Parton's seventh #1
country single as a
solo artist.
|
14-May-1978 |
Born on this day in
Denville Township,
New Jersey was Ketch
Secor the Grammy
award-winning
American musician
and a co-founder and
current frontman for
the band Old Crow
Medicine Show. Secor
is a
multi-instrumentalist,
playing fiddle,
banjo, harmonica,
guitar and other
instruments, and is
known for infusing
old-time Americana
and Appalachian
music with more
modern punk
influences. |
24-May-1978 |
The United States
Postal Service
issued a 13-cent
commemorative stamp
honoring Jimmie
Rodgers. The Rodgers
stamp, designed by
artist Jim Sharpe,
became the first in
the Postal Service's
long-running
Performing
Arts series. |
31-May-1978 |
Kenny Rogers and
Dottie West held the
top position on the
Country chart with
Every Time Two
Fools Collide,
the duo's first
album together. The
album spawned two
big country hits:
the title track went
to #1 followed up by
the #2 hit "Anyone
Who Isn't Me
Tonight". |
10-Jun-1978 |
Johnny Cash was
presented with the
United Nations
Humanitarian
Award at the
annual United
Nations Citation
Dinner in New York
City. |
11-Jun-1978 |
Willie Nelson's
remake of Hoagy
Carmichael's
"Georgia On My Mind"
was at #1 on
Billboard
country singles
chart. Nelson won a
Grammy award
for Best Male
Country Vocal
Performance for the
song. |
12-Jun-1978 |
Johnny Bond died
aged 63. Best known
for his 1947 hit
"Divorce Me C.O.D.",
one of his seven top
ten hits on the
Billboard
country charts.
In 1965 at the age
of 50, he scored the
biggest hit of his
career with the
comic "Ten Little
Bottles", which
spent four weeks at
#2. Bond's other
hits include "So
Round, So Firm, So
Fully Packed"
(1947), "Oklahoma
Waltz" (1948), "Love
Song in 32 Bars"
(1950), "Sick Sober
and Sorry" (1951)
and "Hot Rod
Lincoln" (1960).
|
13-Jun-1978 |
Born on this day in
Youngsville, North
Carolina, was Jason
Michael Carroll,
American country
music artist. His
debut album
Waitin' in the
Country produced
three consecutive
Top 40 country hits
for him on the
Billboard Hot
Country Songs
charts: "Alyssa
Lies", "Livin' Our
Love Song" and "I
Can Sleep When I'm
Dead". |
17-Jun-1978 |
Emmylou Harris was
at #1 on the
Billboard
country charts with
her version of
Delbert McClinton's
"Two More Bottles Of
Wine."
|
6-Jul-1978 |
Tammy Wynette
married songwriter
George Richey at her
home in Jupiter
Beach, Florida. This
was the singers
fifth marrage and
saw Richey becoming
her manager
throughout much of
the 1980s. |
5-Sep-1978 |
Dolly Parton was at
#1 on the US country
music album chart
with
Heartbreaker,
her 20th solo studio
album. The title
song, a ballad
written by Carole
Bayer Sager, topped
the US country
charts, and became
Parton's third
top-forty pop hit. |
14-Sep-1978 |
Born on this day in
Jacksonville, North
Carolina, was
Danielle Peck
country music
artist. Her
self-titled debut
2006 album produced
the Top 30 country
hits "I Don't",
"Findin' a Good
Man", and "Isn't
That Everything". |
4-Oct-1978 |
One of Nashville's
most mysterious
crimes was reported
which involved the
abduction of singer,
Tammy Wynette. Media
reports said that
Wynette had been
abducted by a masked
man at a shopping
center. No suspects
were ever found or
arrested. While
Wynette insisted the
story was true, her
daughter raised
doubts, claiming the
incident was
fabricated.
|
9-Oct-1978 |
Johnny Cash hosted
the 12th annual
Country Music
Association Awards
Show, broadcast
live from the Grand
Ole Opry House in
Nashville, Tennessee
on the CBS-TV
network. Dolly
Parton won
Entertainer Of The
Year, Kenny Rogers
and Dottie West won
Vocal Duo of the
Year, Oak Ridge Boys
won the Vocal Group
of the Year, Crystal
Gayle won Female
Vocalist of the Year
and Grandpa Jones
was inducted into
the Hall Of
Fame. |
12-Oct-1978 |
Born on this day in
Sarasota, Florida
was Jim Van Cleve,
fiddle player,
songwriter, session
musician, and
producer. He is a
founding member of
Mountain Heart, and
a Grammy winning
session musician and
Grammy nominated
solo artist. He has
worked with many
artists including
Carrie Underwood. |
13-Oct-1978 |
Dolly Parton was at
#1 on the US country
music album chart
with
Heartbreaker,
her 20th solo studio
album. The title
song, a ballad
written by Carole
Bayer Sager, topped
the US country
charts, and became
Parton's third
top-forty pop hit.
|
21-Oct-1978 |
Mel Street the honky
tonk-styled singer,
who had long battled
clinical depression
and alcoholism,
committed suicide on
his 43rd birthday.
He had signed a
recording contract
with Mercury Records
earlier in the year.
He recorded the
biggest hit of his
career, "Lovin' on
Back Streets", in
1973. |
23-Oct-1978 |
American country
musician Maybelle
Carter died aged
69. She is best
known as a member of
the historic Carter
Family act in the
1920s and '30s and
also as a member of
Mother Maybelle and
the Carter Sisters.
Maybelle Carter was
inducted as part of
The Carter Family in
the Country Music
Hall of Fame in
1970. In 1993, her
image appeared on a
US postage stamp
honoring the Carter
Family. |
11-Nov-1978 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
country album chart
with I've Always
Been Crazy.
Three singles from
the album hit the
country charts' top
ten: the title
reached #1 and
"Don't You Think
This Outlaw Bit's
Done Got Out of
Hand" peaked at #5,
as did "Girl I Can
Tell (You're Trying
to Work It Out)".
"Don't You Think
This Outlaw Bit's
Done Got Out of
Hand" was Jennings'
personal statement
on the state of the
outlaw movement,
written after having
been detained by the
Drug Enforcement
Administration
in 1977 for
possession of
cocaine and
conspiracy to
distribute. Jennings
was never convicted
of the crime due to
critical faults in
the legal process
against him. |
11-Nov-1978 |
|
5-Dec-1978 |
The Charlie Daniels
Band recorded "The
Devil Went Down To
Georgia" at
Nashville's Woodland
Sound Studios. The
track was later
released on their
1979 album
Million Mile
Reflections and
the song was the
band's biggest pop
hit, reaching #3 on
the Billboard
Hot 100. It was also
featured in the 1980
movie Urban
Cowboy.
|
5-Dec-1978 |
Born on this day,
was David Hodges,
songwriter,
producer, composer,
keyboardist and
vocalist from Little
Rock, Arkansas. Once
a member of the band
Evanescence, he has
since worked with
both Carrie
Underwood (he
co-wrote "What Can I
Say"), and Reba
McEntire, ("Because
of You"). |
16-Dec-1978 |
American country
music
singer-songwriter
Jenny Lou Carson
died aged 63. She
was the first woman
to write a #1
country music hit
("You Two-Timed Me
One Time Too
Often"), and from
1945 to 1955 she was
one of the most
prolific songwriters
in country music.
She became an expert
sharpshooter and
learned to spin a
rope and manipulate
a bullwhip. She
toured the state of
Texas putting on her
cowgirl show and
singing with her
partner Texas Tommy. |
18-Dec-1978 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
country album chart
with I've Always
Been Crazy.
Three singles from
the album hit the
country charts' top
ten: the title
reached #1 and
"Don't You Think
This Outlaw Bit's
Done Got Out of
Hand" peaked at #5,
as did "Girl I Can
Tell (You're Trying
to Work It Out)".
"Don't You Think
This Outlaw Bit's
Done Got Out of
Hand" was Jennings'
personal statement
on the state of the
outlaw movement,
written after having
been detained by the
Drug Enforcement
Administration
in 1977 for
possession of
cocaine and
conspiracy to
distribute. Jennings
was never convicted
of the crime due to
critical faults in
the legal process
against him. |
8-Jan-1979 |
American country
music musician,
singer, and
songwriter Sara
Carter died aged 80.
She was the lead
singer on most of
the recordings of
the historic Carter
Family act in the
1920s and 1930s. In
1993, her image
appeared on a US
postage stamp
honoring the Carter
Family. In 2001 she
was inducted into
the International
Bluegrass Music Hall
of Honor. |
9-Jan-1979 |
Willie and Family
Live the double
live album by Willie
Nelson was at #1 on
the US Country
charts. Recorded
live at Harrah's in
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
in April 1978 at the
height of Willie
madness, the album
features Emmylou
Harris and Johnny
Paycheck on some of
the songs. |
16-Jan-1979 |
Roger Miller sang a
medley of songs on
The Muppet Show. He
also performed "In
the Summertime" in a
patch of musically
skilled watermelons
and drops the
bombshell news that
he, like the
all-chicken cast of
Vet's Hospital, once
suffered from
"Cluckitis." |
18-Jan-1979 |
Willie Nelson was at
#1 on the country
music album chart
with the double set,
Willie and Family
Live. Recorded
live at Harrah's in
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
in April 1978 at the
height of Willie
madness, the
recordings featured
Emmylou Harris and
Johnny Paycheck as
guests on some of
the songs. |
20-Jan-1979 |
Dolly Parton was at
#1 on the Country
charts with "Baby
I'm Burnin'" which
was released as a
double A-side single
with "I Really Got
the Feeling." The
song was aimed at
the pop charts,
while "I Really Got
the Feeling" was
aimed toward to
country charts. |
26-Jan-1979 |
The American
television series
The Dukes Of
Hazzard aired on
CBS, starring John
Schneider, as Bo
Duke; Tom Wopat, as
Luke Duke; and
Waylon Jennings, as
The Balladeer, the
show was set in
fictional Hazzard
County, Georgia with
their attractive
cousin Daisy. The
series which was
inspired by the 1975
film
Moonrunners,
featured Jennings
singing the theme
song. |
1-Feb-1979 |
Born on this day in
Lancaster, South
Carolina, was Julie
Roberts, country
music singer who
made her debut in
2004 with the single
"Break Down Here", a
Top 20 hit on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
charts. |
1-Feb-1979 |
Born on this day in
Green Hill, Alabama
was country
singer-songwriter
Jason Isbell, best
known for his solo
career and as a
former member of the
Drive-By Truckers
for six years, from
2001 to 2007. |
11-Feb-1979 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the US Country
music chart with his
sixth studio album,
The Gambler
which has now sold
over 35 million
copies world wide. |
14-Feb-1979 |
Taken from the
soundtrack to the
film of the same
name, "Every Which
Way But Loose" by
Eddie Rabbitt was at
#1 on the Country
chart. Released just
weeks before the
film premiered
nationwide, the
title track
immediately broke in
popularity. In fact,
the song debuted at
#18 on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart, the highest
debut since the
inception of the
100-position chart
in July 1973. The
record was later
tied by Garth
Brooks' "Good Ride
Cowboy" in 2005. |
15-Feb-1979 |
Willie Nelson won
two trophies during
the 21st annual
Grammy Awards
in Los Angeles: Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Male,
for "Georgia On My
Mind"; and Best
Country Vocal Duo or
Group (shared with
Waylon Jennings),
for "Mammas, Don't
Let Your Babies Grow
Up To Be Cowboys."
|
3-Mar-1979 |
The Public
Broadcasting
Service (PBS)
telecasted an entire
Saturday Night
Live from the
Grand Ole Opry for
the very first time.
The show featured
many acts including
Del Reeves, Barbara
Mandrell, Bill
Monroe, Hank Snow,
Roy Acuff, Minnie
Pearl, Don Gibson
and many others. The
telecast became the
most popular one of
the year for
PBS, and was
a part of their
March fundraising
campaigns. |
10-Mar-1979 |
Soul singer James
Brown appeared at
The Grand Ole Opry.
Brown (who was in
Nashville recording
new tracks), was not
the first
non-country act to
perform at the Opry,
and wouldn't be the
last, but Brown's
appearance caused an
immediate media
frenzy during which
several Opry
regulars expressed
their disdain at the
Soul singers
appearance. |
30-Mar-1979 |
Tammy Wynette was
admitted to
Underwood Memorial
Hospital in
Woodbury, New
Jersey, with an
abdominal infection,
a complication from
a previous surgery
the singer had in
New Orleans. |
8-Apr-1979 |
Anne Murray was
spending her third
week atop of the
country charts with
"I Just Fall in Love
Again". Written by
Larry Herbstritt,
with co-writers
Steve Dorff, Harry
Lloyd, and Gloria
Sklerov. The song
was originally
recorded by The
Carpenters and later
covered by Dusty
Springfield, whose
version inspired
Anne Murray to
record her own
cover. |
24-Apr-1979 |
Born on this day in
Salyersville,
Kentucky, was
Rebecca Lynn Howard,
country music
artist. Her
highest-charting
single, "Forgive",
peaked at #12 on the
country music charts
in 2002. |
24-Apr-1979 |
Ray Charles'
"Georgia On My Mind"
was proclaimed the
state song of
Georgia. The music
to the song was
written in 1930 by
Hoagy Carmichael,
who also recorded a
version of the song
in New York in the
same year. Ray
Charles, a native of
Georgia, recorded it
in 1960 on the album
The Genius Hits
the Road. |
2-May-1979 |
Winners at the 14th
Annual Academy
of Country Music
Awards hosted by
Roy Clark, Barbara
Mandrell and Dennis
Weaver at The
Palladium, Hollywood
included: Top Male
Vocalist of the Year
- Kenny Rogers, Top
Female Vocalist of
the Year - Barbara
Mandrell, Top Vocal
Group - Oak Ridge
Boys and Waylon
Jennings, Top New
Female Vocalist of
the Year - Christy
Lane, Top New Male
Vocalist of the Year
- John Conlee and
Single Record of the
Year went to Don
Williams for "Tulsa
Time." |
11-May-1979 |
Lester Raymond Flatt
the bluegrass
musician died. Best
known for his work
in the Bluegrass duo
The Foggy Mountain
Boys he was also
known as "Flatt and
Scruggs," with banjo
picker Earl Scruggs
who performed "The
Ballad of Jed
Clampett", which was
used as the theme
for the television
show The Beverly
Hillbillies. He
also released many
solo and
collaboration works
and hed been a
member of Bill
Monroe's band during
the 1940s. |
18-May-1979 |
Born on this day in
Kennett, Missouri,
was David Nail
country music
singer, songwriter.
His 2009 album
release I'm About
to Come Alive
produced three
singles: the title
track, "Red Light",
and "Turning Home";
the latter two
reached Top 20. His
second studio album,
The Sound of a
Million Dreams,
was released in
November 2011; "Let
It Rain" hit #1 in
January 2012. |
19-May-1979 |
The Bellamy Brothers
scored their first
#1 country single
with "If I Said You
Have A Beautiful
Body Would You Hold
It Against Me".
Songwriter David
Bellamy stated that
he got the title
from an old Groucho
Marx quote used in
the American Quiz
show You bet Your
Life, where Marx
sometimes used the
quote while
interviewing an
attractive female
contestant, then
shake his cigar and
raise his eyebrows
to elicit a
reaction.
|
19-May-1979 |
Born on this day,
was Shooter
Jennings, American
singer-songwriter
(the only child of
country music icons
Waylon Jennings and
Jessi Colter).
Jennings made his
debut with the
single "4th Of July"
of his 2005 album
Put the "O" Back
in Country.
Jennings portrayed
his father in the
Johnny Cash biopic
Walk the Line
alongside Joaquin
Phoenix, and Reese
Witherspoon. |
28-May-1979 |
Dolly Parton
released her
twenty-first solo
studio album
Great Balls of
Fire. The
album's first
single, "You're the
Only One", topped
the U.S. country
charts in mid 1979. |
9-Jun-1979 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country chart with
"She Believes In
Me". The song became
one of his biggest
crossover hits in
the late spring of
1979, reaching #5 on
the Billboard
Hot 100 pop singles
chart. |
10-Jun-1979 |
Born on this day, in
Sumter, South
Carolina. was Lee
Brice, country music
singer signed to
Curb Records. His
highest-charting
single "A Woman Like
You", reached #1 in
April 2012. He also
scored
Billboard's
Top Country Song of
2010 with "Love Like
Crazy", the title
track to his 2010
debut album; the
song spent 56 weeks
on the Hot Country
Songs chart, peaking
at # 3 and setting a
record for the
longest run in the
chart's history. |
1-Jul-1979 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
country charts with
"Amanda", a song
written by Bob
McDill and which was
also recorded by Don
Williams. Taken from
his 1974 album
The Ramblin'
Man, "Amanda"
would be Waylon
Jennings's eighth
solo #1 on the
country chart. |
7-Jul-1979 |
Born on this day in
Hobbema, Alberta,
was Cree-Canadian
country music
singer, songwriter
Shane Yellowbird. He
was named the
Aboriginal
Entertainer of the
Year at the
Aboriginal
People's Choice
Music Awards,
Chevy Trucks Rising
Star of the Year at
the Canadian
Country Music
Awards, and had
one of the 10 most
played country music
songs of the year in
Canada. Yellowbird
died on April 25,
2022, in Calgary. He
was 42 years old. |
24-Jul-1979 |
Born on this day,
was Jerrod Niemann
country music
singer, songwriter,
who charted with the
single "I Love Women
(My Momma Can't
Stand)". He has also
co-written three
singles for Garth
Brooks: the Chris
LeDoux tribute "Good
Ride Cowboy", as
well as "That Girl
Is a Cowboy" and
"Midnight Sun". |
14-Sep-1979 |
American singer and
songwriter Kenny
Rogers was awarded a
star on the
Hollywood Walk of
Fame at 6666
Hollywood Blvd. He
charted more than
120 hit singles and
sold more than 100
million records
worldwide during his
lifetime. |
17-Sep-1979 |
Born on this day,
was Stephen Cochran
American Country
music singer and
songwriter. In 2009
Stephen was named as
a spokesman for the
United States
Department of
Veterans Affairs
(VA) Research and
Development. The VA
and Cochran
collaborated to
produce a music
video for Veterans
who need help. |
23-Sep-1979 |
Born on this day in
Watkins Glen, New
York was Willie
Watson, American
singer-songwriter,
guitarist, banjo
player, actor and
founding member of
Old Crow Medicine
Show. Watson
appeared as The Kid
in the Coen
brothers' The
Ballad of Buster
Scruggs (2018),
performing in "When
a Cowboy Trades His
Spurs for Wings." |
29-Sep-1979 |
Alabama released
their second single
"I Wanna Come Over"
which became their
first Top 40 hit
peaking at #33 on
the Country Charts. |
8-Oct-1979 |
Winners at this
years CMA Awards
included: Willie
Nelson who won
Entertainer of the
Year, Top Male
Vocalist went to
Larry Gatlin,
Crystal Gayle won
Female Vocalist,
Charlie Daniels Band
won Band of the
Year, Larry Gatlin
won Album of the
Year for Straight
Ahead and
Electric
Horseman won
Country Music Movie
of the Year. |
18-Oct-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. |
18-Nov-1979 |
Kris Kristofferson
and Rita Coolidge
appeared on the
comedy-variety
television series
The Muppet
Show. No guest
star ever appeared
twice on The
Muppet Show,
although John Denver
appeared both on the
show and in two
specials (John
Denver and the
Muppets: A Christmas
Together and
John Denver & the
Muppets: Rocky
Mountain
Holiday).
|
19-Nov-1979 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the US Country
charts with his
seventh studio album
Kenny. It
included the singles
"Coward of the
County" and "You
Decorated My Life"
and went on to enjoy
25 weeks on the
album chart. |
9-Dec-1979 |
American fiddle
player Tommy Jackson
died in Nashville at
the age of 53.
Regarded as "one of
the finest fiddle
players of all
time". He played on
hundreds of country
records from the
1940s to the 1970s,
and it has been
claimed that he "has
probably been heard
on more country
records than any
other musician".
Jackson played on
many of Hank
Williams' classic
recordings. |
15-Dec-1979 |
Singer-songwriter
Alan Jackson married
his high school
sweetheart, Denise
Jackson. They had
three daughters. |
17-Dec-1979 |
Born on this day in
Sonoita, Arizona
country was singer
Mark Wystrach, lead
singer with Midland.
Their second album
Let It Roll
went to #1 on the
Country album chart.
Midland was
nominated for two
Grammy Awards in
2018: Grammy Award
for Best Country
Song and Grammy
Award for Best
Country Duo/Group
Performance, both
for "Drinkin’
Problem." |
21-Dec-1979 |
The Electric
Horseman,
starring Robert
Redford and Jane
Fonda, had its
premiere. Willie
Nelson was a
supporting character
in the film, and he
also contributed to
the movie's
soundtrack. |
21-Dec-1979 |
Linda Ronstadt held
a fundraising
concert for her
boyfriend,
California governor
Jerry Brown, who is
running for
president at the San
Diego Sports Arena.
The Eagles also
performed. |
27-Dec-1979 |
Born on this day in
Mobile, Alabama was
country pop singer
and songwriter
Walker Hayes. His
2019 single "Fancy
Like" peaked at #1
on the US Country
chart spending 18
weeks at the top of
the chart and the
track also peaked at
#3 on the US
Billboard Hot 100. |
2-Jan-1980 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the country
album charts with
Greatest
Hits, (the album
reached #1 on both
the Pop and Country
charts in the US),
and featured three
singles that were
not included on any
of Rogers' studio
albums: "Lady"
(written and
produced
specifically for
Rogers by Lionel
Richie), "Love The
World Away" (a top
five country and top
20 pop hit that was
featured on the
soundtrack of the
box-office smash
Urban Cowboy)
and "Long Arm of the
Law". This was also
Rogers' third #1
album of the year.
(the other two being
Kenny and
Gideon). |
5-Jan-1980 |
Kenny Rogers started
a three-week run at
the top of the
Billboard
country chart with
"Coward Of The
County." The song
also reached #3 on
the Billboard
Hot 100 chart, and
#1 on the UK pop
chart where it
remains the most
recent traditional
country music song
to hit #1 in the
UK.
|
25-Jan-1980 |
At the age of 84,
comedian George
Burns became the
oldest performer (to
that time) to have a
single in the top 40
of
Billboard's
Hot Country Singles
chart with "I Wish I
Was 18 Again." The
song peaked at #15
on the chart.
|
1-Feb-1980 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with his
seventh studio album
Kenny, which
featured the hit
singles "Coward of
the County" and "You
Decorated My Life."
|
7-Feb-1980 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the country
album charts with
Greatest
Hits, (the album
reached #1 on both
the Pop and Country
charts in the US),
and featured three
singles that were
not included on any
of Rogers' studio
albums: "Lady"
(written and
produced
specifically for
Rogers by Lionel
Richie), "Love The
World Away" (a top
five country and top
20 pop hit that was
featured on the
soundtrack of the
box-office smash
Urban Cowboy)
and "Long Arm of the
Law". This was also
Rogers' third #1
album of the year.
(the other two being
Kenny and
Gideon). |
9-Feb-1980 |
The Oak Ridge Boys
reached the top of
the Billboard
country chart with
the Rodney
Crowell-penned
"Leaving Louisiana
In The Broad
Daylight". The song
was initially
covered by Emmylou
Harris (in whose
band Crowell had
played during the
late 1970s), who
included it on her
1978 Quarter Moon
in a Ten Cent
Town album. |
27-Feb-1980 |
Country music
winners at the 22nd
Annual Grammy
Awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
- Emmylou Harris for
Blue Kentucky
Girl, Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Kenny Rogers for
"The Gambler", Best
Country Vocal
Performance by a Duo
or Group - The
Charlie Daniels Band
for "The Devil Went
Down to Georgia",
Best Country
Instrumental
Performance - Doc
Watson & Merle
Watson for "Big
Sandy/Leather
Britches" and Best
Country Song -
Debbie Hupp & Bob
Morrison
(songwriters) for
"You Decorated My
Life" performed by
Kenny Rogers.
|
1-Mar-1980 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the
Billboard
country chart
with the Rodney
Crowell-penned song
"I Ain't Living Long
Like This." Emmylou
Harris had also
coverd the song for
her 1978 album,
Quarter Moon in a
Ten Cent Town. |
2-Mar-1980 |
The Public
Broadcasting
Company
telecasted the Grand
Ole Opry for the
third time. The show
featured Tom T.
Hall, Ronnie Milsap,
Roy Acuff, Hank
Snow, Minnie Pearl,
Porter Wagoner,
Billy Grammer,
George Hamilton IV,
Marty Robbins, and
many others. Sissy
Spacek also appeared
with Loretta Lynn,
promoting the new
movie Coal
Miner's
Daughter, which
opened the following
week. |
5-Mar-1980 |
The film Coal
Miner's Daughter
debuted in
Nashville, and soon
became the #1 box
office hit in the
United States. The
film starred Sissy
Spacek as Loretta
Lynn and Tommy Lee
Jones as her husband
Mooney Lynn. The
film received seven
Academy Award
nominations, winning
a Best Actress
Oscar for
Spacek. |
7-Mar-1980 |
The film Coal
Miner's
Daughter, the
biography of Loretta
Lynn and starring
Sissy Spacek opened.
Spacek won the
Academy Award
for Best Actress for
her portrayal of
Lynn; Tommy Lee
Jones and Beverly
D'Angelo also play
leading roles in the
film, which was a
huge success with
critics and at the
box office.
|
9-Mar-1980 |
At the age of 84,
comedian George
Burns became the
oldest performer to
have a single in the
top 40 of
Billboard's
Hot Country Singles
chart when "I Wish I
Was 18 Again" peaked
at #15.
|
11-Mar-1980 |
Willie Nelson was at
#1 on the Country
music charts with
"My Heroes Have
Always Been Cowboys"
which was featured
on the soundtrack to
the 1979 film The
Electric
Horseman. The
song gave Nelson his
fifth #1 on the
country chart. |
13-Mar-1980 |
Willie Nelson was at
#1 on the country
chart with "My
Heroes Have Always
Been Cowboys", the
title of a song from
the soundtrack to
the 1979 film The
Electric
Horseman,
(starring Robert
Redford and Jane
Fonda and directed
by Sydney Pollack).
Written by Sharon
Vaughn, it become
his fifth #1.
|
18-Mar-1980 |
Taken from the
soundtrack to The
Electric
Horseman, Waylon
Jennings was at #1
on the Country
singles chart with
"My Heroes Have
Always Been Cowboys"
which was first
recorded on the 1976
album Wanted! The
Outlaws. |
29-Mar-1980 |
Conway Twitty was at
#1 on the
Billboard
country singles
chart with "I'd Love
To Lay You Down",
his 24th Country #1. |
1-Apr-1980 |
Born on this day in
Tifton, Georgia, was
Kip Moore,
singer-songwriter,
who scored the 2012
#1 Country single
"Somethin' 'Bout a
Truck", which was
taken from his debut
album Up All
Night. |
8-Apr-1980 |
Kenny Rogers as
The Gambler
premiered on CBS. It
was loosely based on
the Grammy-winning
Kenny Rogers song of
the same name, and
stars the singer as
Brady Hawks, a
gambler trying to
reunite with a son
he never knew,
played by Ronnie
Scribner. It was a
critical and
commercial success,
receiving an Eddie
Award and two
Emmy
nominations, and
resulting in four
sequels. |
14-Apr-1980 |
George Jones
released "He Stopped
Loving Her Today",
the lead single from
his album I Am
What I Am. The
song, which was
written by Bobby
Braddock and Curly
Putman has been
named in several
surveys as the
greatest country
song of all time.
Jones didn't want to
record the song, and
when he cut it, he
said, "Nobody will
buy that morbid
S.O.B."
|
14-Apr-1980 |
Dolly Parton
released her
twenty-second solo
studio album
Dolly, Dolly,
Dolly. The album
was her least
traditional
country-sounding
album to that point,
with a number of
songs bordering on
disco. Though the
album's two singles,
"Starting Over
Again" (written by
Donna Summer and
Bruce Sudano) and
"Old Flames Can't
Hold a Candle to
You" topped the U.S.
country charts. |
19-Apr-1980 |
For the first time
in chart history,
the top 5 positions
on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart were held (or
co-held) by female
artists. "It's Like
We Never Said
Goodbye" by Crystal
Gayle, "A Lesson in
Leavin'" by Dottie
West, "Are You on
the Road to Lovin'
Me Again" by Debby
Boone, "Beneath
Still Waters" by
Emmylou Harris and
"Two Story House" by
Tammy Wynette (Duet
with George Jones). |
24-Apr-1980 |
Born on this day,
was American country
music singer Danny
Gokey who was the
third place finalist
on the eighth season
of American
Idol. His debut
single "My Best Days
Are Ahead of Me"
lifted from his
debut album, My
Best Days,
debuted on the
Billboard
charts at #4, and
was the highest
debut of digital
downloads sold by
any new country
artist ever. |
27-Apr-1980 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the Country
chart with his
eighth studio album
Kenny. It
includes the singles
"Coward of the
County" and "You
Decorated My Life."
The album reached
the top five of the
US Billboard album
chart and #1 in the
Country charts
(where it stayed for
a record total of 25
weeks). |
1-May-1980 |
Winners at the 15th
Annual Academy
of Country Music
Awards hosted by
Loretta Lynn,
Charley Pride and
Claude Akins at
Knott's Berry Farm,
Buena Park included:
Top Female Vocalist
of the Year -
Crystal Gayle, Top
Male Vocalist of the
Year - Larry Gatlin,
Band of the Year -
Touring went to the
Charlie Daniels Band
and Single Record of
the Year went to
Larry Gatlin for
"All The Gold in
California." |
16-May-1980 |
Alabama released
"Tennessee River"
which became their
first US Country #1
hit. "Tennessee
River" began
Alabama's string of
21 consecutive #1
singles in as many
releases, a string
that spanned from
1980 through 1987. |
6-Jun-1980 |
The movie Urban
Cowboy, starring
John Travolta and
Debra Winger, opened
in American
theaters. The movie,
which showcased
Mickey Gilley's
nightclub, was a
huge success at the
box office and its
soundtrack included
several major hits. |
3-Jul-1980 |
Born on this day in
Lawrence, Kansas,
was Sarah Buxton,
singer, songwriter
who had the 2012 US
Country #1 hit with
David Nail, "Let It
Rain." |
3-Jul-1980 |
The film
Honeysuckle
Rose, starring
Willie Nelson, made
its world premiere
in Austin, Texas.
The plot sees Buck
Bonham (Willie
Nelson) a country
singer, with a good
family, struggling
to find national
fame. He juggles his
music career with
his responsibilities
to his wife and son.
He has everything
going his way until
the daughter of his
former guitarist
joins his tour. The
road leads to
temptation, which
leads to his
downfall. |
5-Jul-1980 |
George Jones'
classic track, "He
Stopped Loving Her
Today" was at #1 on
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
charts. The
melancholy song,
written by Bobby
Braddock and Curly
Putman has been
named in several
surveys as the
greatest country
song of all time.
|
14-Jul-1980 |
The combustible
couple Glen Campbell
and Tanya Tucker
opened the
Republican National
Convention in
Detroit with a duet
of the National
Anthem. Campbell
later admitted they
were "higher than
the notes we were
singing." |
18-Jul-1980 |
The film
Honeysuckle
Rose, starring
Willie Nelson,
opened across
America. The plot
sees Buck Bonham
(Willie Nelson) a
country singer, with
a good family,
struggling to find
national fame. He
juggles his music
career with his
responsibilities to
his wife and son. He
has everything going
his way until the
daughter of his
former guitarist
joins his tour. The
road leads to
temptation, which
leads to his
downfall. |
19-Jul-1980 |
Dolly Parton
released "Old Flames
Can't Hold a Candle
to You" which went
to #1 on the US
country singles
charts the following
month. Written by
Pebe Sebert and Hugh
Moffatt it was a #14
country hit for Joe
Sun in 1978. |
24-Jul-1980 |
The Urban
Cowboy
soundtrack was
certified platinum.
The double album
featured Anne
Murray, Kenny
Rogers, The Eagles,
Johnny Lee, Mickey
Gilley, Bonnie
Raitt, Linda
Ronstadt & J.D.
Souther, Jimmy
Buffett and The
Charlie Daniels Band
and others. The film
is said to have
started the 1980s
boom in pop-country
music known as the
"Urban Cowboy
Movement" also known
as Neo-Country or
Hill Boogie. |
26-Jul-1980 |
Merle Haggard and
Clint Eastwood were
at #1 on the US
Country music charts
with "Bar Room
Buddies". The song
was featured in the
film Bronco
Billy (starring
Clint Eastwood). |
9-Aug-1980 |
The Urban
Cowboy
soundtrack double
album was at #1 on
the US Country
chart. The album
spawned numerous Top
10 Billboard
Country Singles,
such as #1 "Lookin'
for Love" by Johnny
Lee, #1 "Stand by
Me" by Mickey
Gilley, #3 (AC
chart), "Could I
Have This Dance" by
Anne Murray, and #4
"Love the World
Away" by Kenny
Rogers. The film is
said to have started
the 1980s boom in
pop-country music
known as the "Urban
Cowboy Movement"
also known as
Neo-Country or Hill
Boogie. |
11-Aug-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." |
29-Aug-1980 |
Alabama released
"Why Lady Why" which
became the group's
second #1 song on
the Billboard
magazine Hot Country
Singles chart. The
track was the second
in a string of 21
consecutive #1
singles in as many
releases, a string
that spanned from
1980 through 1987. |
18-Sep-1980 |
Johnny Lee was at #1
on the US Country
charts with "Lookin'
for Love". The song
was part of the
soundtrack to one of
the years biggest
movies, Urban
Cowboy. |
13-Oct-1980 |
The 14th annual CMA
Awards show was held
at The Grand Ole
Opry House. George
Jones won Male
Vocalist of the Year
as well as Single of
the Year and Song of
The Year for "He
Stopped Loving Her
Today", Barbara
Mandrell won
Entertainer of the
Year, the movie
soundtrack from
Coal Miner's
Daughter won the
Album of the Year
award, Emmylou
Harris won Female
Vocalist of the
Year, The Statler
Brothers won Best
Vocal Group and
Johnny Cash was
inducted into the
Country Music
Hall Of Fame.
The presentation was
made by Kenny
Rogers. |
18-Oct-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." |
21-Oct-1980 |
Don Williams was at
#1 on the Country
music charts with "I
Believe in You",
Williams' eleventh
#1 on the country
chart. It was also
hit in Australia,
New Zealand and
Europe. |
3-Nov-1980 |
Waylon Jennings was
at #1 on the US
Country charts with,
"Theme from The
Dukes of Hazzard
(Good Ol' Boys)".
The theme to the CBS
comedy adventure
television series,
The Dukes of
Hazzard, spent
seventeen weeks on
the Billboard
country singles
charts and became
his biggest hit. |
10-Nov-1980 |
Dolly Parton
released "9 to 5"
which went to #1 on
both the
Billboard Hot
100 and the Adult
Contemporary chart
as well as the
Billboard
Country Chart. The
song was written for
the comedy film 9
to 5, starring
Jane Fonda, Lily
Tomlin, and Parton
in her film debut. |
12-Nov-1980 |
The soundtrack album
Honeysuckle
Rose was at #1
on the US Country
chart. The 1980
musical drama film
of the same name,
featured Willie
Nelson. Tracks on
the album include
songs by Nelson and
various artists
including Kenneth
Threadgill, Emmylou
Harris, Johnny
Gimble, Hank
Cochran, Jeannie
Seely and Dyan
Cannon.
The song "On the
Road Again" was
nominated for Best
Original Song in the
53rd Academy
Awards. |
17-Nov-1980 |
Dolly Parton
released her
twenty-third solo
studio album 9 to
5 and Odd Jobs.
A concept album
about working, the
album was centered
on Parton's hit "9
to 5", which served
as the theme song to
the film of the same
name. |
18-Nov-1980 |
The country-variety
TV series,
Barbara Mandrell
and the Mandrell
Sisters was
aired for the first
time. Barbara
Mandrell hosted this
music-variety series
with her younger
sisters, Louise and
Irelene. Also
helping out was
Truck Shackley & the
Texas Critters, a
group of Krofft
puppets that
included five
musicians and a dog.
Each week, a
well-established
country star made
appearances. |
30-Nov-1980 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the country
album charts with
Greatest
Hits, (the album
reached #1 on both
the Pop and Country
charts in the US),
and featured three
singles that were
not included on any
of Rogers' studio
albums: "Lady"
(written and
produced
specifically for
Rogers by Lionel
Richie), "Love The
World Away" (a top
five country and top
20 pop hit that was
featured on the
soundtrack of the
box-office smash
Urban Cowboy)
and "Long Arm of the
Law". This was also
Rogers' third #1
album of the year.
(the other two being
Kenny and
Gideon). |
19-Dec-1980 |
The film Nine to
Five, with Dolly
Parton in one of the
leading roles opened
across America
grossing over $3.9
million in its
opening weekend.
The movie's theme
song, "9 to 5",
became one of
Parton's biggest
hits of the decade
and went to #1 for
two weeks on the
Billboard Hot
100.
|
24-Dec-1980 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on the country
album charts with
Greatest
Hits, which
featured three
singles that were
not included on any
of Rogers' studio
albums: "Lady"
(written and
produced
specifically for
Rogers by Lionel
Richie), "Love The
World Away" (a top
five country and top
20 pop hit that was
featured on the
soundtrack of the
box-office smash
Urban Cowboy)
and "Long Arm of the
Law". This was also
Rogers' third #1
album of the year.
(the other two being
Kenny and
Gideon).
|
10-Jan-1981 |
"I Think I'll Just
Stay Here and Drink"
by Merle Haggard was
at #1 on the US
Country charts.
Taken from his from
the album, Back
to the Barrooms
it became Merle
Haggard's
twenty-sixth #1
country hit. The
single stayed at #1
for one week and
spent a total of
twelve weeks on the
country chart.
|
16-Jan-1981 |
The TV series Harper
Valley P.T.A.,
inspired by the
Jeannie C. Riley
song and the 1978
movie of the same
name, debuts on NBC.
Barbara Eden, who
played scandalous
single mom Stella
Johnson in the
movie, reprises her
role. The show
lasted two seasons. |
17-Jan-1981 |
Eddie Rabbitt was at
#1 on the US Country
chart with "I Love A
Rainy Night."
According to Rabbit,
the song was 12
years in the making.
Rabbitt had a
collection of old
tapes he kept in the
basement of his
home. While
rummaging through
the tapes one day in
1980, he heard a
fragment of a song
he had recorded one
rainy night in the
late 1960s. The song
succeeded Dolly
Parton's song "9 To
5" at the #1
position on the
Billboard Hot
100 pop singles
chart - the last
time, to date, that
pop chart featured
back-to-back country
singles in the #1
position.
|
23-Jan-1981 |
Alabama released
"Old Flame" which
became the group's
third #1 single on
the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart. The track was
the third in a
string of 21
consecutive #1
singles in as many
releases, a string
that spanned from
1980 through 1987. |
24-Jan-1981 |
The Muppet
Show staring
Johnny Cash was
broadcast, in which
Cash inspired Kermit
the frog to hold an
old-fashioned
hoedown. During the
show Cash sang
"Ghost Riders In The
Sky" and a medley of
his famous railroad
songs. |
30-Jan-1981 |
Kenny Rogers won
four American
Music Awards,
including Favorite
Country Single, for
"Coward Of The
County" and Country
Album, for The
Gambler. Other
winners include:
Barbara Mandrell,
The Statler Brothers
and The Eagles. |
7-Feb-1981 |
Hank Williams Jr.
released "Texas
Women" as the first
single from the
album Rowdy
which became his
third #1 on the
country chart, the
first since "Eleven
Roses" in 1972. |
20-Feb-1981 |
Born on this day in
Oceanside,
California, was
Chris Thile,
musician, with the
acoustic
folk/progressive
bluegrass quintet
Punch Brothers. He
was nominated for a
Grammy Award
for Best Country
Instrumental
Performance for "The
Eleventh Reel" in
2006. |
25-Feb-1981 |
Country music
winners at the 23rd
Annual Grammy
Awards held at Radio
City Music Hall in
New York City
included; Best
Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
George Jones for "He
Stopped Loving Her
Today", Best Country
Vocal Performance by
a Duo or Groupwent
to Emmylou Harris &
Roy Orbison for
"That Lovin' You
Feelin' Again"and
Willie Nelson won
(songwriter) for "On
the Road Again." |
28-Feb-1981 |
Country music star
Eddie Rabbitt
crossed over to the
Pop chart to score a
US #1 hit with "I
Love a Rainy Night".
He had earlier
written the Elvis
Presley smash
"Kentucky Rain"
before having a #5
hit with "Drivin' My
Life Away". Although
it sounds like he
made up a stage
name, his real name
is Edward Thomas
Rabbitt. |
29-Feb-1981 |
Dolly Parton was at
#1 on the country
chart with 9 to 5
and Odd Jobs,
her 23rd solo studio
release. A concept
album about working,
the album was
centered around
Parton's hit "9 to
5", which served as
the theme song to
the film of the same
name. |
14-Mar-1981 |
The final showing of
Live From The
Grand Ole Opry
on the Public
Broadcasting System
(PBS) was aired.
The show actually
went beyond the
televised segment,
but the show was
ended with a clip of
Marty Robbins
singing "El Paso" (a
song he used to
close out his Opry
segment at midnight)
from the year
before. |
16-Mar-1981 |
Johnny and June
Carter Cash filmed
their Spring
television special,
titled Johnny
Cash And The Country
Girls, at the
Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville. Guests on
the show, included
Emmylou Harris, Anne
Murray and Rosanne
Cash. |
21-Mar-1981 |
"Angel Flying Too
Close to the Ground"
gave Willie Nelson
his seventh #1 on
the country chart.
The song is commonly
believed to have
been written about a
friend of Nelson's
who was a Hells
Angel, who died in a
motorcycle crash. |
23-Mar-1981 |
Dolly Parton was at
#1 on the country
chart with 9 to 5
and Odd Jobs,
her 23rd solo studio
release. A concept
album about working,
the album was
centered around
Parton's hit "9 to
5", which served as
the theme song to
the film of the same
name. |
23-Mar-1981 |
Born on this day in
Anaheim, Orange
County was country
music singer Brett
Young. His second
album Ticket to
L.A. released in
2018 topped the
Country album chart. |
28-Mar-1981 |
Willie Nelson was at
#1 on the country
chart with "Angel
Flying Too Close to
the Ground", a
track from the film
Honeysuckle
Rose. Nelson's
seventh chart topper
is commonly believed
to have been written
about a friend of
Nelsons who was a
Hells Angel, who
died in a motorcycle
crash.
|
3-Apr-1981 |
Hank Williams Jr.
was at #1 on the US
country singles
chart with "Texas
Women", his third #1
on the country
chart. |
10-Apr-1981 |
Born on this day,
was Laura Bell
Bundy, American
actress and singer
who has performed in
a number of
Broadway, television
and film roles. She
signed to Mercury
Records Nashville
and released her
first country music
single, "Giddy On
Up," in early 2010. |
23-Apr-1981 |
George Strait
released what would
become his first
major hit "Unwound"
the lead-off single
from his debut album
Strait
Country when it
peaked at #6 on the
United States
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart. Dean Dillon
and Frank Dycus
originally wrote the
song for Johnny
Paycheck, but,
Paycheck was in jail
at the time. |
30-Apr-1981 |
Winners at the 16th
Annual Academy
of Country Music
Awards hosted by
Larry Gatlin, Tammy
Wynette and Con
Meredith at the
Shrine Auditorium,
Hollywood included:
Top Female Vocalist
of the Year - Dolly
Parton, Top Male
Vocalist of the Year
- George Jones, Top
Vocal Group -
Alabama, Top New
Female Vocalist of
the Year - Terri
Gibbs and Top New
Male Vocalist of the
Year went to Johnny
Lee. |
1-May-1981 |
Alabama released
"Feels So Right"
which became the
group's fourth
straight #1 single
on the Country
charts. The track
was the fourth in a
string of 21
consecutive #1
singles in as many
releases, a string
that spanned from
1980 through 1987. |
11-May-1981 |
Linda Ronstadt
receives a Tony
nominaton in New
York for Outstanding
Performance by an
Actress in a
Musical, recognizing
her work in "Pirates
Of Penzance". |
12-May-1981 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was Holly
Williams,
singer-songwriter,
and the
granddaughter of
Hank Williams, Sr.,
the daughter of Hank
Williams, Jr. and
half-sister of
country singer Hank
Williams III. |
13-May-1981 |
Heartworn
Highways the
documentary film by
James Szalapski was
released. The film
captured some of the
founders of the
Outlaw Country
movement in Texas
and Tennessee and
features Guy Clark,
Townes Van Zandt,
Steve Earle, David
Allan Coe, Rodney
Crowell, Gamble
Rogers, Steve Young,
and The Charlie
Daniels Band. |
13-May-1981 |
Cajun accordion
player Nathan
Abshire dies in
Mamou, Louisiana.
His 1949 recording
of "Pine Grove
Blues" is heralded
in the Country Music
Foundation's
"Heartaches By The
Number" among the
500 greatest country
singles in history. |
17-May-1981 |
Willie Nelson was at
#1 on the Country
album chart with
Somewhere Over
the Rainbow
which featured
1940's pop standards
arranged by Nelson.
The album's acoustic
jazz instrumentation
was also meant to
play tribute to one
of his heroes,
Belgian gypsy jazz
guitar virtuoso
Django Reinhardt,
who influenced
Nelson's playing. |
27-May-1981 |
Alabama were at #1
on the country music
album chart with
Feels So
Right, their
second studio album.
The album produced
three #1 hits on the
Billboard Hot
Country Singles
chart: "Old Flame",
the title track and
"Love in the First
Degree". |
30-May-1981 |
Hank Williams Jr.
released "Dixie on
My Mind" which give
him his fourth #1 on
the country chart.
The track was second
single from the
album Rowdy. |
1-Jun-1981 |
Born on the day in
Ravensdale,
Washington was
singer-songwriter
Brandi Carlile who
formed the
all-female quartet
with Amanda Shires,
Maren Morris and
Natalie Hemby called
The Highwomen. Their
self titled 2019
debut album went to
#1 on the US Country
charts. |
8-Jun-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. |
9-Jul-1981 |
Born on this day in
Waterloo, Iowa, was
Emily West, country
music artist, who
debuted on
Billboard Hot
Country Songs charts
in early 2008 with
the single "Rocks in
Your Shoes" and also
scored a hit with
"Blue Sky", a duet
with Keith Urban, in
2010. |
14-Jul-1981 |
$175,000 worth of
sound equipment and
instruments was
stolen from Merle
Haggard prior to a
show in Houston.
Most of the
equipment was
recovered the next
day when the thief
tried to sell it at
a local pawn shop. |
31-Jul-1981 |
Alabama were at #1
on the Country
charts with "Feels
So Right" the title
track from their
second studio album
which was their
first #1 on the
Billboard Top
Country Albums
chart. |
19-Aug-1981 |
Born on this day in
Sewickley,
Pennsylvania, was
Rissi Palmer who
debuted in 2007 with
the single "Country
Girl", which made
her the first
African-American
woman to chart a
country song since
Dona Mason in 1987. |
20-Aug-1981 |
American A&R
director, record
producer and
musician Lee
Gillette died age
68. He signed, and
produced most of
Capitol's country
stars in the
immediate post-war
period, including
Tex Ritter, Jack
Guthrie, Jimmy
Wakely, Merle
Travis, Tex Williams
and Tennessee Ernie
Ford. |
28-Aug-1981 |
Born on this day in
Vero Beach, Florida,
was Jake Owen,
country music
singer, songwriter.
In September 2011,
Owen achieved his
first #1 on the
country charts with
the title track to
his third album,
Barefoot Blue
Jean Night. He
has also toured as
an opening act for
several country
acts, including
Kenny Chesney, Brad
Paisley, Little Big
Town, Sugarland, and
Keith Urban. |
4-Sep-1981 |
"(There's) No
Gettin' Over Me" by
Ronnie Milsap was at
#1 on the Country
charts, (the song's
official title
appears nowhere in
the lyrics). It
became one of
Milsap's biggest
country and pop hits
during his recording
career. |
5-Sep-1981 |
Hank Williams Jr.
released "All My
Rowdy Friends (Have
Settled Down)" from
the album The
Pressure Is On.
The track gave him
his fifth #1 on the
country chart. The
phrase "all my rowdy
friends" would later
become a catch
phrase of sorts for
Williams, who would
use the line in 1984
for "All My Rowdy
Friends Are Coming
Over Tonight," in
1987 for "Born to
Boogie" and "All My
Rowdy Friends Are
Here on Monday
Night," and in 2011
for "Keep the
Change." |
11-Sep-1981 |
Born on this day in
Augusta, Georgia,
was Charles Kelley,
country music
singer-songwriter
with Lady
Antebellum, who
scored the 2009 US
#1 Country hit "I
Run To You." The
group won five
awards at the 2011
Grammy
Awards,
including Song of
the Year and Record
of the Year for
"Need You Now." Lady
Antebellum was also
awarded the Best
Country Album award
at the 54th
Grammy
Awards.
|
15-Sep-1981 |
Born on this day was
Andy Gibson American
country music
singer. He co-wrote
"Don't You Wanna
Stay", a duet
between Jason Aldean
and Kelly Clarkson
which reached #1 on
the country music
charts in 2011. |
18-Sep-1981 |
Born on this day was
Jesse Erasure
American music
publisher, record
producer,
songwriter, and DJ.
He has produced,
co-written, or
remixed for artists
including: Meghan
Trainor, Florida
Georgia Line, Luke
Bryan, Rascal
Flatts. In 2015, he
reached the #1 spot
on the
Billboard
Country charts with
his Florida Georgia
Line co-write "Sun
Daze." |
2-Oct-1981 |
Alabama released
"Love in the First
Degree" a song
written by Jim Hurt
and Tim DuBois. The
track was the fifth
in a string of 21
consecutive #1
singles in as many
releases, a string
that spanned from
1980 through 1987.
It also became
Alabama's biggest
crossover hit,
peaking at #15 on
the Billboard
Hot 100 in early
1982. |
7-Oct-1981 |
Step by Step
the seventh studio
album by American
country music artist
Eddie Rabbitt was at
#1 on the Country
chart. Three singles
were released from
the album including
the "title track",
which went to #1 on
country charts. |
12-Oct-1981 |
Alabama was named
instrumental group
and vocal group of
the year, at the
15th Annual CMA
Awards, hosted
by Entertainer of
the Year (for that
year), Barbara
Mandrell. George
Jones won Male
Vocalist of the
Year, Album of the
Year went to Don
Williams for I
Believe in You
and Single of the
Year went to The Oak
Ridge Boys for
"Elvira". |
16-Oct-1981 |
Eddie Rabbitt was at
#1 on the US country
album chart with
Step by Step,
his seventh studio
album. The album
continued the
crossover success
established in the
singer's two
previous albums.
Three singles were
produced including
the title track,
which went to #1 on
country charts and
reached the top 5 on
both the Adult
Contemporary and
Billboard 100
charts. |
31-Oct-1981 |
Charley Pride was at
#1 on the Country
chart with "Never
Been So Loved (In
All My Life)" a song
written by Wayland
Holyfield and Norro
Wilson. The first
single from his
Greatest Hits
album it became
Charley Pride's
twenty-fifth #1
single on the
country chart. |
11-Nov-1981 |
During sessions at
Woodland Sound
Studio
Nashville,
Tennessee, Reba
McEntire recorded
"Can't Even Get the
Blues" which when
released in
September 1982 gave
the singer her first
US #1 Country hit. |
24-Nov-1981 |
Johnny Cash was
honoured with the
Pride Of
Tennessee Award
for his promotion of
a statewide campaign
against adult
illiteracy. The
recent movie
Pride of Jessie
Hallam was the
basis for the award,
which was
established by
Governor Lamar
Alexander. |
29-Nov-1981 |
Kenny Rogers was at
#1 on both the
Country and
Billboard
charts with "Lady".
Written by Lionel
Richie, it became
the first record of
the 1980s to chart
on all four of
Billboard
magazine's singles
charts - country,
Hot 100, adult
contemporary and Top
Black Singles. |
13-Dec-1981 |
Country singer
Johnny Paycheck was
arrested on a sex
charge only minutes
after giving a free
concert for 1,200
inmates at the
Missouri State
Penitentiary. He was
charged with having
sex with a 12
year-old girl and
later released on
$10,000 bond. |
23-Dec-1981 |
While Johnny Cash
and his family were
sitting down to
enjoy their evening
meal, three armed
intruders broke into
their Montego Bay
home. Johnny and his
family were all
locked in a cellar
and over $35,000
worth of items were
stolen during the
robbery. All were
unharmed during the
ordeal. |
4-Jan-1982 |
Born on this day in
Nashville,
Tennessee, was
American
singer-songwriter
Justin Townes Earle
(son of Steve
Earle). He was
recognized with an
Americana Music
Award for Emerging
Artist of the Year
in 2009 and for Song
of the Year in 2011
for "Harlem River
Blues". He died on
August 20, 2020 age
38 from an
accidental overdose
of fentanyl-laced
cocaine. |
9-Jan-1982 |
Following a
recommendation from
the Hendersonville
Chamber of Commerce,
the City Commision
dedicated Highway
31, known locally as
Gallatin Road, as
the Johnny Cash
Parkway. A
ceremony was later
held in the parking
lot at The House Of
Cash. |
22-Jan-1982 |
Alabama released
"Mountain Music" as
the lead-off single
and title track to
Alabama's album of
the same name. The
track was the sixth
in a string of 21
consecutive #1
singles in as many
releases, a string
that spanned from
1980 through 1987. |
25-Jan-1982 |
Kenny Rogers, Willie
Nelson, Barbara
Mandrell, Anne
Murray and The Oak
Ridge Boys all
picked up trophies
at the American
Music Awards. |
3-Feb-1982 |
Born on this day was
Jessica Harp,
American songwriter
and former country
artist from Kansas
City, Missouri.
Between 2005 and
2007, Harp and
Michelle Branch
recorded and
performed as The
Wreckers, a duo that
topped the country
charts in 2006 with
the Grammy
nominated "Leave the
Pieces." After The
Wreckers disbanded,
Harp began a solo
career with her
single, "Boy Like
Me," debuted in
March 2009 and was a
Top 30 hit on the US
Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart. |
13-Feb-1982 |
American songwriter
and record producer
Ian Fitchuk. He has
worked with many
artists including
Shania Twain, Kacey
Musgraves, Miranda
Lambert, Little Big
Town, Brothers
Osborne and
Beyoncé. |
24-Feb-1982 |
Country music
winners at the 24th
Annual Grammy
Awards included;
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Female
-
Dolly Parton for "9
to 5" which also won
Best Country Song.
Best Country Vocal
Performance, Male -
Ronnie Milsap for
"(There's) No
Gettin' Over Me" and
Best Country
Performance by a
Group with Vocal -
The Oak Ridge Boys
for "Elvira."
|
25-Feb-1982 |
Alabama released
their sixth studio
album Mountain
Music which
became their most
successful album and
becoming their
second US Country
#1. It won 1982's
Grammy Award
for "Best Country
Performance by a Duo
or Group with
Vocals. Early LP
pressings were
mastered at a slower
speed. Reissues made
after have corrected
this error. |
5-Mar-1982 |
Born on this day
American
singer-songwriter
and fiddle player
Amanda Shires. She
has performed as a
member of the Texas
Playboys, Thrift
Store Cowboys and
Jason Isbell & the
400 Unit, as well as
in a duo with Rod
Picott. In 2019, she
joined The Highwomen
alongside Brandi
Carlile, Maren
Morris and Natalie
Hemby. |
15-Mar-1982 |
Alabama were at #1
on the Country album
chart with
Mountain
Music, their
award-winning third
studio album. A
crossover success,
it ranked well as an
album on both
country and pop
charts and launched
singles that were
successful in
several markets.
This was Alabama's
most successful
non-compilation
album. |
29-Mar-1982 |
Dolly Parton
released her
twenty-fourth solo
studio album
Heartbreak
Express. The
album returned
Parton to a more
fully realized
country sound (a
process she had
begun on the
previous year's 9
to 5 and Odd
Jobs), after her
late 1970s pop
recordings. |
30-Mar-1982 |
George Jones was
arrested and charged
with drunken driving
after he wrecked his
1981 Lincoln while
driving home in
Mississippi. The
accident happened on
a country road about
10 miles from the
Alabama -
Mississippi state
line. Just 24 hours
earlier Jones and
his fiancee Nancy
Ford Sepulvada were
stopped near Jackson
and state narcotics
officers said they
found a 'small
amount' of white
substance in his
car. |
5-Apr-1982 |
Merle Haggard was at
#1 on the Country
singles charts with
"Big City". The song
was |