George Strait is set to be honored at this year’s Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony. Strait will be given the Career Maker Award, which recognizes those outside the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame membership, whose artistic work has helped songwriters earn their dreams of induction into the hall’s coveted membership. The only other recipient has been Reba McEntire. Strait responded to the announcement saying “I look forward to being there with some of the most talented hall of fame songwriters I’ve been so lucky to be associated with throughout my career. You folks definitely make the world a better place through your amazing abilities as songwriters and artists. See you there.” The ceremony takes place on October 26 in Nashville.
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This day in Country Music History
Posted on by Bob Ballard
- Today in 1983, unknown singer/songwriter Kix Brooks debuted on the country charts with the song “Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down.” The song was a failure – it only reached #73. Eight years later, Kix was #1 with his new partner Ronnie Dunn, and their first single, “Brand New Man.”
- Today in 1982, the “Highways & Heartaches” album by Ricky Skaggs was released.
- Today in 1988, the first Elvis Presley credit card was issued.
- Today in 1991, the Judds’ “Greatest Hits Volume 2” album was released.
- Today in 1998, Mac Davis received the 2117th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Today in 1998, the albums “Crank It Up – The Music Album” by Jeff Foxworthy and “The Restless Kind” by Travis Tritt, were certified platinum. On the same day, Faith Hill’s album, “It Matters To Me,” was certified triple platinum.
- Today in 1999, the Dixie Chicks confirmed that they’d perform during Sheryl Crow’s concert in New York’s Central Park on September 14th.
- Today in 1999, Kenny Chesney‘s single, “You Had Me From Hello,” was #1 in “Radio & Records.”
- Today in 2000, SHeDAISY performed at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament at the USGA Tennis Center in New York City. The girls sang an acapella version of “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” for the 22,000 capacity crowd between the men’s and women’s semi-finals.
- Today in 2001, Kenny Chesney was dubbed “Country’s Hottest Bachelor” in “Country Weekly” magazine.
- Today in 2001, Chris Cagle married Elizabeth Filer. The couple divorced a year later.
- Today in 2001, Carolyn Dawn Johnson walked into the Canadian Country Music Awards with a record 10 nominations and emerged with five trophies.
- Today in 2002, Radney Foster’s “Another Way To Go” album, Rebecca Lynn Howard’s “Forgive” CD and Aaron Tippin’s “Stars & Stripes” project arrived in stores.
- Today in 2005, the MTV stations aired “ReACT Now: Music & Relief,” a Hurricane Katrina benefit with Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Paul McCartney, Big & Rich, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland and more.
- Today in 2010, The Zac Brown Band’s video for “As She’s Walking Away” featuring Alan Jackson premiered on CMT.
- Today in 2013, Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift topped the list of finalists for the 47th annual Country Music Association awards list with six nominations apiece.
- Today in 2016, Bacon artist Nancy Baker unveiled a bust of Chris Stapleton, made completely of bacon strips, at the annual LouFest in St. Louis. See it HERE.
- Today in 2016, Blake Shelton brought out Gwen Stefani at Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena for the second night in a row to duet on “Go Ahead And Break My Heart.” On top of that, Shelton donated $600,000 – the proceeds from both nights – to the Jimmy Everest Children’s Hospital.
- Today in 2017, a dapper Thomas Rhett served as a judge during the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City. Miss Louisiana offered up a ventriloquist version of “I Wanna Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” and Miss Alabama sings “Over The Rainbow.” Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Back Road” also played as background music during the broadcast.
- Today in 2017, Jessie James Decker performed the national anthem and Hunter Hayes played the halftime show as the Tennessee Titans opened their NFL season with a 26-16 loss against the Oakland Raiders at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
- Today in 2017, following a moment of silence for victims of Hurricane Harvey, Clay Walker sang the national anthem at Houston’s NRG Stadium. The Eli Young Band also performed at halftime as the Jacksonville Jaguars took the Texans, 29-7, during the opening weekend of the NFL season.
This day in Country Music History
Posted on by Bob Ballard
- Today in 1956, Elvis Presley made his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” He sang four songs, including “Love Me Tender” and “Don’t Be Cruel,” shot only from the waist up (because of his naughty hip movements). Charles Laughton was hosting in place of Sullivan, who was recuperating from an auto accident.
- Today in 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis took “Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On” to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart.
- Today in 1968, Buck Owens performed for president Lyndon Johnson at the White House. His set list includes “Act Naturally,” “Together Again,” “Gentle On My Mind,” “Orange Blossom Special” and “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail.”
- Today in 1989, the single, “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” by Garth Brooks made its country chart debut on its way to #1.
- Today in 1989, the late Keith Whitley was at #1 on the Billboard country chart with “I Wonder Do You Think Of Me.” Keith had passed the previous May.
- Today in 1991, Tracy Byrd married his wife, Michelle.
- Today in 1996, Bill Monroe died at the Northcrest Medical Center in Springfield, Tennessee, five months after suffering a stroke. Acknowledged as the “Father of Bluegrass,” he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1939 and entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.
- Today in 2001, the second season of Billy Ray Cyrus’ PAX television series, “Doc.”
- Today in 2002, Alan Jackson performed in Washington, D.C. as the nation’s capital began its remembrance of the September/2001 terrorist attacks. His performance at The Pentagon aired live on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Later that evening, he performed as part of the “Concert for America” at the Kennedy Center. That show, which also featured Reba McEntire, was taped for broadcast two days later (on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks).
- Today in 2004, Willie Nelson performs a concert in Plains, Georgia, for an upcoming TV special, “CMT Homecoming: Jimmy Carter In Plains.”
- Today in 2007, Joe Nichols married Heather Singleton at Whitfield Chapel in Savannah, Georgia.
- Today in 2011, Lady A’s “We Owned The Night” video debuted on CMT.
- Today in 2013, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert’s duet, “We Were Us,” was released.
- Today in 2016, Glen Campbell tributes bookend the CBS special, “The ACM Honors.” Hosts Lady A opened with “Galveston.” The close had Blake Shelton singing “Southern Nights,” Dierks Bentley’s “Gentle On My Mind,” Keith Urban’s “Wichita Lineman,” Toby Keith’s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” and all four on “Rhinestone Cowboy.”
Lainey Wilson To Host The CMAs Solo For A Second Year
Posted on by Bob Ballard
Lainey Wilson is making Country Music history…again. The “Choosin’ Texas” singer is set to host the CMA Awards solo for the second consecutive time, making her the first woman to do so. Dolly Parton was the first woman to solo host the CMAs in 1988, then Reba McEntire hosted alone in 1991. This is Lainey’s third time hosting overall…with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning being her co-hosts in 2024. Nominees for the CMAs will be revealed on “Good Morning America” on Thursday morning. The 60th annual CMA Awards will air live November 18 at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+, then the next day on Hulu.
Grand Ole Opry To Celebrate Vince Gill’s 35th Opry Anniversary
Posted on by Bob Ballard
The Grand Ole Opry has announced it’s celebrating one of its biggest supporters and members. Vince Gill‘s 35th anniversary as an Opry member will be marked with two special shows on Saturday, October 17th, at 7pm and 9:30pm. Joining Gill for his big night will be longtime friends and fellow Opry members Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless, along with his wife Amy Grant, acclaimed vocalist Wendy Moten, and others that will be announced in the coming weeks. Those looking to be there for the celebration can check out the Opry’s website for more details.
This day in Country Music History
Posted on by Bob Ballard
- Today in 1973, he‘s been this far several times: Conway Twitty reached #1 in Billboard with “You’ve Never Been This Far Before.”
- Today in 1979, Conway Twitty hit the top of the charts with “I May Never Get To Heaven.”
- Today in 1986, George Strait’s “Merry Christmas Strait To You” album was released.
- Today in 1987, the “Greatest Hits Volume II” collection by George Strait was released.
- Today in 1995, “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw topped the country singles charts.
- Today in 1997, Kenny Rogers’ “Greatest Hits” album was certified gold.
- Today in 1997, LeAnn Rimes’ version of “How Do I Live” is certified platinum.
- Today in 1998, Vince Gill’s “Breath Of Heaven” album was released.
- Today in 1998, Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell proclaimed the week of September 8-13th as “Garth Brooks Week” in Philly. During a formal ceremony at the First Union Center the Mayor presented Garth with a personalized replica of the Liberty Bell.
- Today in 1999, the Dixie Chicks’ album, “Fly,” debuted at #1 on both “Billboard’s” Top Country Album and the all-genre Billboard 200 charts. It marked the first time a country duo/group ever did so. The ladies repeated their feat with their current album, “Home.” In fact, the first-week sales (nearly 780,000) of their that project dwarfed those of “Fly,” which moved 341,000 copies in its first week.
- Today in 2000, Alan Jackson’s single, “It Must Be Love,” topped on “Radio & Records” country chart.
- Today in 2007, Rodney Atkins climbed to #1 on the Billboard chart with “These Are My People.”
- Today in 2013, Carrie Underwood debuted as the voice of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” theme, “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night.” The game had George Strait serving as honorary captain of the Dallas Cowboys, who hosted the New York Giants.
- Today in 2015, it was confirmed that Glen Campbell’s family had moved him back into their Nashville home as he lived with the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Today in 2015, a plaque was placed in front of a building in Frederick, Maryland, designating it as the former home of Patsy Cline.
- Today in 2016, Taylor Swift donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe account set up to help cover the funeral and medical expenses for a fan who died in a car accident. The same day, she made a half-hour phone call to an 18-year-old Cincinnati fan who was dying of a congenital heart defect.
- Today in 2017, Kip Moore’s “Slowheart” album was released. On the same day, Toby Keith album, “The Bus Songs,” was also released.
- Today in 2017, Troy Gentry was killed following a helicopter crash in Medford, New Jersey. He was half of a Grand Ole Opry-member Montgomery Gentry that successfully knit country and Southern rock together, winning the Country Music Association’s Vocal Duo trophy in 2000. Their hits included “My Town,” “Lucky Man” and “Roll With Me.” In the hours after his death, one of the first public commemorations happened at an Old Dominion show in Sandwich, Illinois. The group was performing at the Sandwich Fair remember Troy by covering Montgomery Gentry’s “My Town.”
- Today in 2017, Don Williams died in Mobile, Alabama. A 2010 inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the “Gentle Giant” left a string of 44 Top 10 singles, including landmark hits “Tulsa Time,” “I Believe In You” and “Good Ole Boys Like Me.” Hours after his passing, Brothers Osborne paid homage by covering “Tulsa Time” during a show in Athens, Ohio.
- Today in 2017, Kelsea Ballerini, Hunter Hayes and Maren Morris are part of a multi-network TV special, “Entertainment Industry Foundation Presents: XQ Super School Live.”
- Today in 2017, Rory Feek performed publicly for the first time since the death of his wife, Joey Feek, at his home in Pottsville, Tennessee.
- Today in 2018, Dierks Bentley headlined Madison Square Garden in New York for the first time. He brought out Brothers Osborne for “Burning Man” and team’s with LANCO’s Brandon Lancaster on “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident).”
- Today in 2019, Carrie Underwood premiered her new version of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” theme, “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night,” featuring Joan Jett. The New England Patriots thump the Pittsburgh Steelers in the game, 33-3.
Alan Jackson’s Final Concert Sets A New Single-Show Record
Posted on by Bob Ballard
Talk about going out with a bang. The numbers are in, and Alan Jackson‘s final concert has set a new world record for single-show revenue. According to new figures from “Touring Data,” “Last Call: One More for the Road – The Finale” grossed $34.7-million at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on June 27th, with all 56-thousand available tickets sold. That makes Jackson the first artist in history to gross more than $30-million from a single concert. The average ticket price of $618.95 was also the highest ever reported for a stadium concert. It was Alan’s farewell show, but he shares that record with the many artists that appeared on stage before and with him, including George Strait, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Riley Green, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett, Little Big Town and Lee Ann Womack.
This day in Country Music History
Posted on by Bob Ballard
- Today in 1954, Elvis Presley made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry. It was the only time he ever performed there.
- Today in 1961, the single, “I Fall To Pieces,” by Patsy Cline peaked at #12 on the pop singles chart.
- Today in 1973, Charlie Rich’s single, “Behind Closed Doors,” was certified gold.
- Today in 1981, the album, “Saddle Tramp,” by Charlie Daniels Band was certified gold.
- Today in 1981, George Strait’s album, “Strait Country,” was released.
- Today in 1984, John Anderson’s “Greatest Hits” album arrived in stores.
- Today in 1990, the “Rumor Has It” album by Reba McEntire was released.
- Today in 1991, Dottie West died at the age of 58 as a result of injuries she sustained five days earlier in a car accident. As the first female country GRAMMY winner, Dottie was considered by many as a trailblazer for female country performers.
- Today in 1998, Jo Dee Messina was certified for the first time, scoring a gold album for “I’m Alright” and a gold single for the double-sided hit “I’m Alright” and “Bye Bye.”
- Today in 2001, Jeff Carson’s album, “Real Life,” and Hal Ketchum’s “Lucky Man” project arrived in stores.
- Today in 2001, Trace Adkins and his wife, Rhonda, welcomed their second child, Brianna Rhea. The newest addition to the family joined the couple’s other daughter, Mackenzie and Trace’s two teenage daughters (from his previous marriage). Here’s a piece of fun trivia for you: while Brianna Rhea weighed in at 6-lbs, 6-oz at birth – ironically, her daddy is 6′, 6″ tall.
- Today in 2002, the Dixie Chicks’ album, “Home,” debuted at #1 on the multi-genre Billboard 200 chart and the “Billboard” Country Albums charts with the highest first full week’s sales of any female group in the SoundScan era. In fact, fans snapped up 779,828 copies of “Home” in its first week of release. The accomplishment also set the record for the highest first week sales for any female country artist and any country group. In case you were wondering, the previous record holder was the Chicks themselves. They previously held the title in both categories.
- Today in 2008, Trace Adkins performed the national anthem at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, where John McCain accepted the presidential nomination during the Republican National Convention.
- Today in 2012, Gary Allan’s single, “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain),” was released.
- Today in 2014, Garth Brooks officially ended his retirement from the road as he and Trisha Yearwood launched an 11-show run at the Allstate Arena in Chicago.
MEET THE H & S FEED & COUNTRY STORE PET OF THE WEEK: HONEYBUN
Posted on by Bob Ballard
This week’s H & S Feed & Country Store Pet of the Week is “Honeybun”, an adorable 11 month old female kitty who gets along great with other cats and dogs, and positively loves people! Honeybun loves to cuddle, and is ready for her ‘fur-ever’ home.
Honeybun is fully vaccinated, vetted, spayed, microchipped and ready to go!
And since Honeybun is the H & S Feed & Country Store Pet of the Week, her adoption fee is only $30 this week!
If you’d like to set up an appointment to meet Honeybun or any of the pets at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, visit https://www.stephenmemorial.org/ and fill out an adoption application.
Check out our visit about Honeybun with Izzy from Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter here:
Why Dolly Parton Kept Her Cancer Diagnosis A Secret
Posted on by Bob Ballard
Dolly Parton had been telling fans that she was ill, that she had suffered from kidney stones that were keeping her sidelined, but as we all now know, there was more going on than that. Dolly’s passing came after a very private battle with cancer, and fans are wondering why the singer had kept that diagnosis under wraps. Jada Star, Dolly’s niece, explained that to “Extra.” “We kind of kept all that stuff real private,” Star said of the illness. “She never wanted to worry anybody. So I think it was just a shock on Tuesday.”
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