July 20 in Country Music History

In 1898, mountain and roots music pioneer J.E. Mainer was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

In 1918, Cindy Walker, Country Music Hall Of Fame Songwriter, was born in Texas. The first song of hers to be recorded was cut by Bing Crosby, and she had many cut by Eddy Arnold and Bob Wills. She may be the best female songwriter of all time, and even though her prowess as such is well known, she could also sing and dance. One of the most beloved ladies in country music.

In 1944, T G Sheppard was born William Neal Browder in Humboldt, Tennessee. In a great career, he had fourteen Number Ones, twenty-nine Top Tens, and almost forty Top Forties. He did tour in a bus that Elvis once owned, which later became a Kentucky Headhunters tour bus. He was one of the top acts of the eighties, having eight Number Ones in a row, and ten of twelve charted hits at one time became Number Ones.

In 1959, neo-traditionalist Radney Foster was born in Del Rio, Texas.

In 1968, Johnny Cash had a Number One hit on his remake of "Folsom Prison Blues". It was originally a hit for Cash in 1958, and went to Number Four on the charts.

In 1974, Bobby Bare had a Number One with "Marie Laveau", about the legendary Witch Queen of New Orleans.

In 1985, Lee Greenwood was informed that he had another Number One hit as he was riding down a "Dixie Road".

In 1996, Ricochet scored a Number One with "Daddy's Money". Though they were not a true Country group, Ricochet was a group well known for their harmonies, most famously their versions of "The Star Spangled Banner", and "The Seven Bridges Road".