In 1890, Carson Robison was born in Oswego, Kansas. Robinson was a singer, songwriter, and musician who collaborated on the first true country music hit, "The Wreck Of The Old 97" with Vernon Dalhart. He had the top country hit in 1942 with "Turkey In The Straw", and was also known for the hit, "Life Gets Tee-jus Don't It".
In 1919, James Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet was born. They were one of the inspirations for Elvis Presley, and actually backed him for a time. When he saw their tour bus, he immediately had one built for himself.
In 1927, Jimmie Rodgers made his first Bristol recordings for Ralph Peer and RCA records. The rest, as they say, is history. He became the Father of Country Music.
In 1932, Scotty Stoneman of the Stoneman Family, a pioneering country group, was born.
In 1940, Larry Knechtel was born in Los Angeles, California, Though primarily known as the pianist for Bread, he backed many singers and groups as a member of the Wrecking Crew and backed up two of our favorites, Elvis Presley and Johnny Rivers.
In 1950, Vickie Hackerman of Dave and
Sugar was born in Louisville, Kentucky. As I grow older, I like to watch
videos of this entertaining trio, which had several different women as
Sugar, but always showcased Dave Rowland. Dave was a real showman. They
debuted on the charts with "The Queen Of The Silver Dollar", and then
enjoyed ten top tens, including three Number Ones. Dave and Sugar also
worked as backup for Charlie Pride.
In
1959, Skeeter Davis debuted on the Grand Ole Opry. I never realized how
big a star she really was until I went to her estate sale, and met some
of her friends and heard some of their stories.
In 1982, world famous left handed fiddler Tex Atchison passed away. He was known far and wide as probably the best left handed fiddler of his time. He was a member of the Kentucky Ramblers, and the Riders of the Purple Sage, and his travels as a fiddler brought him into contact with many of the most famous people in the world. He played on Patsy Montana's hit, "I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart", the first million seller for a female in country music, and many of Gene Autry's hits, and even worked on a radio station with "Dutch", also known as Ronald Reagan. He actually was raised in Rosine, Kentucky, and he and Bill Monroe were boyhood friends. He also worked with Johnny Bond, who wrote "I Wonder Where You Are Tonight", the greatest country song to never be a Number One, in my opinion.
In 1973, "Lord, Mr. Ford" went to Number One for guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jerry Reed.
In 1978, old time fiddlin' great Fiddlin' Doc Roberts passed away in Madison County, Kentucky.
In 1984, "Mama He's Crazy" became a Number One hit for Naomi and Wynonna, the Judds.
In 1987, the Round Mound of Sound, Kenny Price, passed away from a heart attack. He was a great country singer, gospel singer, but was probably best known for his appearances on HeeHaw, which made him a well recognized star. "Walking On New Grass" was his biggest hit.
In 1990, Dan Seals was enjoying "Good Times" at the top of the charts.
In
2004, The Notorious Cherry Bombs debuted on the Tonight Show. They were
made up of Rodney Crowell, Tony Brown, Vince Gill, Hank Devito, and
Richard Bennett. "It's Hard to Kiss The Lips At Night (That Chew Your
A__ Out All Day Long)" was their first single and video.
In 2007, singer-songwriter-producer Lee Hazelwood died in Las Vegas, Nevada.
