Today in 1975, Willie Nelson picked up his first #1 single as an artist on the Billboard country chart with “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.”

Written by songwriter Fred Rose and originally performed by Roy Acuff, the song has been covered by many artists, including Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Russell, and Charley Pride. Most notably, the song was recorded by Willie Nelson as part of his 1975 album Red Headed Stranger. Both the song and album would become iconic in country music history, and jump start Nelson’s success as a singer and recording artist.

Source: Wikipedia

Today in 1995, Alison Krauss went home four with trophies from the 29th annual Country Music Association awards, aired on CBS from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House: Female Vocalist of the Year; the Horizon Award; Vocal Event; and Single, for “When You Say Nothing At All.”

Today in 1985, the film, “Sweet Dreams,” starring Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline, opened in theaters nationwide.

The film was written by Robert Getchell and directed by Karel Reisz. It stars Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ann Wedgeworth, David Clennon, James Staley, Gary Basaraba, John Goodman, and P. J. Soles.

The film was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress (Jessica Lange). For all the musical sequences, Lange lip-synced to the original Patsy Cline recordings. The soundtrack of the same name was released in September 1985. This film has developed a cult following based on Lange’s acclaimed performance.

Source: Wikipedia

Today in 1969, Loretta Lynn recorded her signature song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

Released in 1970, the 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.

“Coal Miner’s Daughter” tells the true story of Lynn’s life growing up in rural Kentucky “in a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler”, while her father, Melvin “Ted” Webb, worked all night in the Van Lear coal mine. The song additionally discusses how she and her seven siblings lived off of a coal miner’s salary (“Daddy loved and raised eight kids on a miner’s pay”), and that her father always made sure there was love in the Webb household.

Subsequent verses recall Lynn’s other childhood experiences and hardships, such as her mother reading the Bible by a coal-oil light or having bloody fingers from constantly doing the laundry using an abrasive “warsh” board (this pronunciation was reflective of her Appalachian Kentucky roots), ordering shoes from a mail-order catalog, and working so hard every day that everyone slept because “they were tired.”

In the song’s final verse, the now-adult Lynn returns to her homestead, which has since been abandoned (“Not much left but the floor; nothing lives here anymore …”). However, she remarks that the “memories of a coal miner’s daughter” remain.

“Coal Miner’s Daughter” was unlike anything Lynn had ever recorded previously. She had become known for her sassy back-talking songs, including “Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)” (an angry-wife’s warning to a hard-drinking husband not to come home drunk and intent on making love) and “Fist City” (wherein a married woman threatens her husband’s would-be temptress). However, fans quickly reacted to the song with praise and turned the song into one of country music’s iconic hits.

In addition to reaching No. 1 on the Country charts, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” also was Lynn’s first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 83.

Source: Wikipedia

Today in 1950, The “Grand Ole Opry,” was telecast for the first time from the historic Ryman Auditorium.

Ryman Auditorium was home to the Opry until 1974. By the late 1960s, the Ryman was beginning to suffer from disrepair as the downtown neighborhood around it fell victim to increasing urban decay. Despite these shortcomings, the show’s popularity continued to increase, and its weekly crowds were outgrowing the 3,000-seat venue. The Opry’s operators wanted to build a new air-conditioned theater, with greater seating capacity, ample parking, and the ability to serve as a television production facility. The ideal location would be in a less urbanized part of town to provide visitors with a safer, more controlled, and more enjoyable experience.

The new Opry venue was the centerpiece of a grand entertainment complex at that location, which later included Opryland USA Theme Park and Opryland Hotel. The theme park opened to the public on June 30, 1972, well ahead of the 4,000-seat Opry House, which debuted nearly two years later, on Saturday, March 16, 1974.

Opening night was attended by sitting U.S. President Richard Nixon, who played a few songs on the piano. To carry on the tradition of the show’s run at the Ryman, a six-foot circle of oak was cut from the corner of the Ryman’s stage and inlaid into center stage at the new venue. Artists on stage usually stood on the circle as they performed, and most modern performers still follow this tradition.

The Grand Ole Opry continues to be performed every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and occasionally Wednesday at the Grand Ole Opry House from February through October each year, and the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 2015.