Today’s country music seems to have forgotten its roots, so I thought I’d take a moment to remind the fans.
Monday November 17th:
1938 – Gordon Lightfoot born in Orillia, Ontario. The pop singer-songwriter crosses into the country charts with his million-selling 1974 single “Sundown,” and writes Marty Robbins’ “Ribbon Of Darkness” and George Hamilton IV’s “Early Morning Rain”
1989 – “Steel Magnolias,” starring Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts, opens at theaters nationally
1997 -LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue” album is certified quintuple-platinum, while her single “How Do I Live” is recognized as double-platinum
Tuesday November 18th
1949 – MGM releases Hank Williams’ “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It.” Lurking on the B side: the classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
1969 – Conway Twitty records “Hello Darlin’” in an afternoon session at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee
1980 – Johnny Lee earns a gold single for “Lookin’ For Love,” his best-known contribution to “Urban Cowboy”
1980 – “Barbara Mandrell And The Mandrell Sisters” debuts on NBC-TV, with guests Dolly Parton and John Schneider
Wednesday November 19th
1994 -Mary Chapin Carpenters earns a #1 country single in Billboard with “Shut Up And Kiss Me”
1996 – American Recordings releases Johnny Cash’s “Unchained”
1997 – George Strait’s four-CD set, “Strait Out Of The Box,” is honored for shipments of 5 million units
Thursday November 20th
1946 – Songwriter Roger Murrah born in Athens, Alabama. His credits include “I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why),” by Alabama; “It Takes A Little Rain (To Make Love Grow),” by The Oak Ridge Boys; and “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” by Alan Jackson
1961 – At the top of this chart stands a big, big man: “Big Bad John” takes Jimmy Dean to #1 on the Billboard country chart
Friday November 21st
1955 – In a deal engineered by Col. Tom Parker, RCA Records buys Elvis Presley’s contract and master tapes from Sam Phillips’ Sun Records for $35,000. The papers are signed at the Sun Studios in Memphis
1981 – Hank Williams Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)” settles in at #1 on the Billboard country chart
1986 – Lynn Anderson collects the only platinum album of her career, for “Rose Garden” which was later made famous again by Martina McBride
Saturday November 22nd
1946 -Gene Autry rides in the Santa Claus Lane parade in Hollywood, as do Roy Rogers, Jack Benny and Red Skelton. When Autry hears children shouting, “Here comes Santa Claus,” he’s inspired to write “Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)”
1973 – George Jones & Tammy Wynette sing “We’re Gonna Hold On” in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
1980 – Kenny Rogers’ “Lady” goes to #1 on the Billboard country chart
Sunday November 23rd
1950 – Hank Williams writes “Cold, Cold Heart”
1967 – Jack Greene becomes the first country star to appear in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
1968 – Tammy Wynette sits at #1 in Billboard with “Stand By Your Man”
1992 -Roy Acuff dies from congestive heart failure in Nashville and is buried within eight hours. A Grand Ole Opry symbol for over 50 years, he was dubbed the “King Of Country Music,” and was the first living member inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame
And that is your week in country music history.
