18 MEI
1902 - Songwriter
Meredith Willson born in Mason City, Iowa.
He earns a country hit in 1951 with
Eddy Arnold's "May
The Good Lord Bless And Keep You"
1933 -
Jimmie Rodgers records "Yodeling My
Way Back Home" and "The Last Blue Yodel (The Women Make A Fool Out
Of Me)" in New York
1936 - Leon Ashley born near Covington, Georgia. Hits #1 in 1967
with his "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)"
1939 - "Down The Wyoming Trail" opens, starring
Tex Ritter.
His performances include "It Makes No Difference Now"
1939 -
Glen D. Hardin born. A keyboard player for Elvis Presley
and Emmylou Harris
1940 - Keyboard player Larry McCoy born in Middletown, Ohio. He
plays on Johnny Cash's "One Piece At A Time," plus
Cash's
duet with Waylon Jennings, "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang"
1942 - Rodney Dillard born in East St. Louis, Missouri. He plays
guitar for The Dillards
1942 - Pop artist Albert Hammond born in London, England.
Co-writes the Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson hit "To All The Girls
I've Loved Before"
1942 - Roy Rogers, Pat Brady,
Spade Cooley and
The Sons Of The Pioneers all have roles with the motion picture debut of "Romance
On The Range"
1944 - Pee Wee and Lydia
King have twins, Larry and
Gene King
1946 - Little David Wilkins born in Parsons, Tennessee. Has minor country
hits with: "Whoever Turned You On, Forgot To Turn You Off" and "One
Monkey Don't Stop No Show." He also writes
Conway Twitty's "Georgia
Keeps Pulling On My Ring"
1947 - Eddy Arnold records "Bouquet Of Roses," "What
A Fool I Was" and "I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You
In My Arms)" at RCA's Chicago Studios
1947 - Lonzo & Oscar hold a recording session in Chicago. Among
the four songs they record is "My Adobe Hacienda"
1947 - Dennis Lambert born in New York City. He writes
Glen
Campbell's "Country Boy (You Got Your Feet In L.A.)" and
The Oak Ridge Boys' "Dream On"
1948 - Joe Bonsall born in Philadelphia. The one-time gang member
becomes tenor singer for The Oak Ridge Boys, as a lead voice on such hits
as "Elvira," "Bobbie Sue" and "Love Song"
1949 - Earl Scruggs' first son, Gary Scruggs, born in
Knoxville
1950 - Songwriter Tom Shapiro born in Kansas City, Missouri.
Writes Brooks & Dunn's "Ain't Nothing 'Bout You,"
Neal
McCoy's "Wink" and
George Strait's "Living And
Living Well"
1952 - George Strait born in Poteet, Texas. The authentic cowboy
becomes a membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame
1953 - Bonnie Lou records "Tennessee Wig Walk" in
Cincinnati
1957 - Rusty & Doug
Kershaw Cajun act,
debuts on the Grand Ole Opry
1959 - Kitty Wells & Webb Pierce record "Finally"
1959 - The Crickets record the original version of "I Fought
The Law (And The Law Won)," written by group member
Sonny Curtis
1959 - Billboard Hot Country & Western Sides:
01 - "Battle Of New Orleans" -
Johnny Horton / 02 - "White
Lightning" - George Jones / 03 - "Home" -
Jim
Reeves / 04 - "I'm In Love Again" -
George Morgan / 05
- "Black Land Farmer" -
Frankie Miller (new)
1961 - Claude King records "Big River, Big Man," at
the Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville
1963 - Roy Orbison begins a tour of England with
The Beatles
as his opening act. The Beatles become the headliners by the end of the
tour
1963 - Bilboard Hot Country Singles:
01 - "Still" -
Bill Anderson / 02 - "Lonesome 7-7203" -
Hawkshaw Hawkins / 03 -
"Act Naturally" -
Buck Owens / 04 - "Is This Me" -
Jim Reeves / 05 - "The End Of The
World - Skeeter Davis
1964 - Jim Reeves records "I Guess I'm Crazy," "Angels Don't Lie," "I Won't Come
In While He's There" and "This Is It" at RCA Studio B in Nashville
1966 - Reprise releases Frank Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night." The single
features Glen Campbell on guitar
1968 - Billboard Hot Country Singles:
01 - "I Wanna Live" -
Glen Campbell (new) / 02 - "Honey" -
Bobby Goldsboro / 03 - "Wild Weekend" -
Bill Anderson / 04 -
"Another Place, Another Time" -
Jerry Lee Lewis
/ 05 - "Have A Little Faith" -
David Houston
1970 - Capitol releases Buck Owens' "The Kansas City Song"
1970 - Decca releases Bill Anderson & Jan Howard's "Someday We'll Be Together"
1971 - Elvis Presley records "He Touched Me" at Nashville's RCA Studio B
1971 - Johnny Cash & June Carter record "No Need To Worry" in Nashville
1971 - Loretta Lynn is named an honorary Texas citizen
1974 - Billboard Hot Country Singles:
01 - "Country Bumpkin" -
Cal Smith / 02 - "No Charge" -
Melba Montgomery / 03 - "Pure
Love" - Ronnie Milsap (new) / 04 - "Honeymoon Feelin'" -
Roy Clark (new) / 05 - "Is
It Wrong (For Loving You)" - Sonny James
1976 - Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius record "I Don't Want To Have To Marry
You," in Nashville
1977 - Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brother Band record "I Just Wish You Were Someone I
Love" iat Nashville's Creative Workshop
1978 - Warner Bros. releases T.G. Sheppard's "When Can We Do This Again"
1978 - "The Buddy Holly Story" makes its world premiere in Dallas.
1978 - Moe Bandy records "Two Lonely People" at Jack Clement Studios
1979 - David Nail born in Kennett, Missouri. He earns his first hit in 2009 with
"Red Light"
1981 - MCA releases Merle Haggard's "Rainbow Stew"
1982 - T. Graham Brown moves to Nashville
1982 - Conway Twitty records "The Rose" at Sound Stage
1983 - Mac Davis hosts the CBS-TV special "Country Comes Home." Guests include
The Oak Ridge Boys, The Bellamy Brothers,
The Sons Of The Pioneers,
Alabama,
Charley Pride, Glen Campbell,
Roy Rogers and Ricky Skaggs
1985 - Ricky Skaggs begins two nights of recordings at the Dominion Theatre,
resulting in the album "Live In London"
1985 - Willie Nelson gives a benefit concert for ex-President Jimmy Carter's
hometown, celebrating the centennial of Plains, Georgia
1985 - Vice President George Bush makes a brief appearance on the Grand Ole Opry
1985 - Douglas, Arizona, proclaims Marty Robbins Day
1985 - Billboard Hot Country Singles:
01 - "Step That Step" -
Sawyer Brown /02 - "Radio Heart" -
Charly McClain / 03 - "Fallin' In Love" -
Sylvia / 04 -
"Warning Sign" -
Eddie Rabbitt / 05 - "In A New
York Minute" - Ronnie McDowell (new)
1986 - Willie Nelson,
Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and
Waylon Jennings appear
in a CBS-TV re-make of the western movie "Stagecoach," along with
June Carter,
John Schneider, John Carter Cash, Jessi Colter,
David Allan Coe and
Billy Swan
1987 - MCA releases The Oak Ridge Boys' "This Crazy Love"
1987 - Warner/Curb releases Hank Williams Jr.'s "Born To Boogie"
1989 - John Denver and his wife, Cassandra Delaney, have a daughter,
Jesse Belle
1990 - Kenny Rogers receives the Horatio Alger award in Washington, D.C.,
celebrating the hard work that created his rags-to-riches story
1992 - RCA releases Alabama's "Take A Little Trip"
1993 - Alabama's
Randy Owen enters a Birmingham hospital with chest pains
1994 - Alabama records "Give Me One More Shot"
1995 - Patty Loveless records "Lonely Too Long" and "A Thousand Times A Day" in
Nashville
1995 - Songwriter Neil Diamond receives an honorary doctor in fine arts during
graduation ceremonies at New York University
1996 - Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks:
01 - "My Maria" -
Brooks & Dunn / 02 - "Heads Carolina, Tails California" -
Jo Dee
Messina / 03 - "Blue Clear Sky" -
George Strait / 04 -
"Someone Else's Dream" -
Faith Hill (new) / 05 - "Long As I Live" -
John Michael Montgomery
1998 - The All-American Football Foundation presents Southern comedian
Jerry
Clower its Outstanding American Award at Sam's Town Casino, in Tunica,
Mississippi
1999 - Island releases the soundtrack to "Notting Hill," featuring
Shania
Twain's "You've Got A Way," plus pop versions of "I Do (Cherish You)" and "When
You Say Nothing At All"
1999 - Arista releases the Radney Foster album "See What You Want To See." It
features the original version of "Raining On Sunday," plus "Godspeed
(Sweet Dreams)"
1999 - MCA releases Chely Wright's "Single White Female" album
1999 - Island releases Jimmy Buffett's "Beach House On The Moon" album
1999 - Reprise releases "Last Chance For A Thousand Years - Dwight Yoakam's
Greatest Hits From The 90's"
2001 - The Jennifer Lopez movie "Angel Eyes" debuts in American theaters. The
picture includes "Good Morning Beautiful"
2001 - The movie "Moulin Rouge!" debuts in movie theaters. The film includes a
rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You"
2001 - Country songwriter Trey Bruce wins a Daytime Emmy, along with co-writers
John Bettis and Brian D. Siewart, for best original song, honoring "Where There
Is Hope," from the soap opera "Guiding Light"
2002 - Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks:
01 - "My List" -
Toby Keith / 02 - "Drive (For Daddy Gene)" -
Alan Jackson / 03 - "I
Don't Have To Be Me ('Til Monday)" - Steve Azar / 04 - "What If She's An Angel" -
Tommy Shane Steiner / 05 - "Living And Living Well" -
George Strait (new)
2003 - A wheelchair-bound Johnny Cash sits in the front row at the funeral for
June Carter, at the First Baptist Church, in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Emmylou
Harris, Larry Gatlin,
The Oak Ridge Boys and
Sheryl Crow all perform at the
memorial
2004 - Loretta Lynn shoots a video with rocker
Jack White, of
The White Stripes,
for her song "Portland, Oregon"
2004 - Columbia releases Montgomery Gentry's "You Do Your Thing" album
2005 - Gretchen Wilson earns a gold single with "Here For The Party" and a
platinum one with "Redneck Woman"
2005 - Banjo player and rhythm guitarist Bobby Thompson dies. Played on hits for
Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Dan Seals, Loretta Lynn and
Mickey Gilley, among
others
2005 - Sara Evans films the video to "A Real Fine Place To Start" at the Valley
Of Fire State Park in Nevada
2006 - Johnny Van Zant has an emergency appendectomy at Stanford Medical Center
in Palo Alto, California
2006 - Sara Evans joins
Barbara Mandrell to record "Crackers" for the album "She
Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute To Barbara Mandrell"
2007 - Tim McGraw headlines a benefit concert for the Interfaith Dental Clinic
in Nashville. Others appearing on the Ryman Auditorium stage include
Blue
County, Lance Miller,
Julie Roberts and The Warren Brothers
2007 - Little Big Town and
Rodney Atkins perform at New York's Radio City Music
Hall as opening acts for Martina McBride
2007 - Clyde Pickler, the father of Kellie Pickler, is arrested and jailed in Albemarle, North Carolina, for stealing abandoned cars and selling them to
junkyards
2008 - Kenny Chesney appears in a Corona commercial that debuts during the
Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS-TV
2008 - Sugarland's "Stay" claims Single Record and Song of the Year during the
43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards
2008 - Mercury releases the Sugarland single "All I Want To Do" to radio
2009 - Filming is completed for the movie "Princes Of Night" in Wilmington,
North Carolina. The cast includes Dwight Yoakam and
Kris Kristofferson
2009 - Carrie Underwood is hailed by Forbes as the top-earning "American Idol"
graduate, making an estimated $14 million in the previous 12 months.
Kelly
Clarkson ranks #3, at $4.2 million; Kellie Pickler places #5, at $2.3 million
2010 - Tracy Lawrence,
Keith Anderson and Trent Tomlinson play a beneft for the
Delta Children's Home at the Opera House in Kennett, Missouri
2011 - Taylor Swift is the #7 on the Forbes Celebrity 100. Other country artists
listed are Brad Paisley, #48;
Toby Keith, #51; and Tim McGraw,
#61
2011 - FOX's "American Idol" contestent Scotty McCreery sings "Amazed," "Are You
Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" and "She Believes In Me"
