- Today in 1955, Carl Perkins recorded his most enduring song, “Blue Suede Shoes,” at Sun Studios in Memphis.
- Today in 1994, Mary Chapin Carpenter topped the country charts with “Shut Up and Kiss Me.”
- Today in 1995, George Strait’s box set, “Strait Out of the Box,” was certified for sales of 5-million. It’s since gone on to sell over seven million copies, making it the third best-selling box set in history. The only boxes that have sold more were by Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen.
- Today in 1996, Mark Chesnutt released his “Greatest Hits” album.
- Today in 1997, LeAnn Rimes’ album, “The Early Years,” went gold, platinum and double platinum simultaneously.
- Today in 2001, Georgia Representative Mac Collins read the lyrics to Alan Jackson’s single, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” are read into the Congressional Record.
- Today in 2002, Shania Twain’s “UP!” album arrived in stores. It was a hot seller, too. A week later, it debuted atop the country and all-genre album charts after selling nearly 900,000 copies.
- Today in 2002, Dwight Yoakam’s box set, “Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Brothers Years,” was released.
- Today in 2002, Keith Urban was enjoying his eighth week at #1 on the country singles charts with “Somebody Like You.”
- Today in 2003, Lonestar teamed up with employees of the Home Depot, local community volunteers, the Boys and Girls Club of Jackson-Madison County and organizers from KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization. To build a playground in Jackson, Tennessee. The band earned the opportunity to have a community playground built in the town of their choice after wining the Home Depot Humanitarian Award at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas the previous May.
- Today in 2004, Josh Turner flagged down his first platinum album, “Long Black Train.”
- Today in 2010, Tim McGraw’s “Felt Good On My Lips” video debuted on CMT.com.
- Today in 2013, Craig Campbell’s “Keep Them Kisses Comin’” hit the airwaves.
- Today in 2017, Keith Urban took home three trophies during ABC’s telecast of the “American Music Awards” from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles: Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Song (for “Blue Ain’t Your Color”) and Favorite Country Album (for “Ripcord”).
- Today in 2017, Mel Tillis died at Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Florida. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, he earned the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year in 1976. The self-proclaimed stutterin’ boy had hits as an artist and as the writer of “Detroit City” and “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town.”
- Today in 2018, Jon Pardi’s album, “California Sunrise” was certified platinum by the RIAA.
- Today in 2018, Luke Combs’ single, “Beautiful Crazy,” hit the airwaves.
- Today in 2018, three of Glen Campbell’s children – Travis, Kelli and Wesley – ended their court battle in Nashville contesting their father’s will, which excludes them from his inheritance.
- Today in 2018, Taylor Swift announced she’d signed a label deal with Republic Records that gives her full ownership of her future recordings.
- Today in 2019, Blanco Brown performed “The Git Up” as he made his Grand Ole Opry debut at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
- Today in 2019, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum held a dedication ceremony celebrating the donation of songwriter/producer Jack Clement’s Gibson J-200 guitar. The event included performances by Charley Pride, Shawn Camp, Crystal Gayle and John Prine, who offered “Ballad Of A Teenage Queen” using Clement’s guitar.
- Today in 2019, the RIAA awarded a gold single for “Heartless,” a track credited to Thomas Wesley featuring Morgan Wallen and performed by Diplo.
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JELLY ROLL VISITS TOBY KEITH’S OK KIDS KORRAL
Posted on by Bob Ballard
If anyone can appreciate and relate to a huge charitable endeavor, it’s Jelly Roll. The singer stopped by the “OK Kids Corral,” a cost-free facility started by Toby Keith to help kids with cancer and their families. Rolling through Oklahoma on his “Beautifully Broken” tour, Jelly took the opportunity to visit the “Korral,” and he was obviously touched. Towards the end of the video, Jelly summed it up: “A big part of his heart was to give back. I’m hoping – especially in Toby’s absence – the country music community will do this every time one of us plays here. Go up, do what he did, be as big as he was. That’s the kind of legacy you really want to leave behind in life.”
This day in Country Music History
Posted on by Bob Ballard
- Today in 1970, Jerry Lee Lewis and his second wife, Myra – who was also his cousin – were divorced. Their 1958 wedding, which took place when she was just 13 years old, caused such a scandal that it effectively ruined his career. In fact, the only thing illegal about the marriage was the fact that Jerry hadn’t divorced his first wife when he wed Myra.
- Today in 1994, Patty Loveless’ CMA-winning album, “When Fallen Angels Fly,” went gold.
- Today in 1996, Jeff Foxworthy’s “Crank It Up–The Music Album” went gold.
- Today in 1996, Brooks & Dunn released the single, “A Man This Lonely.”
- Today in 1998, Garth Brooks’ TV special “Garth Brooks: Double Live” aired on NBC. The show was actually performed live three times, for three different time zones.
- Today in 1998, Reba McEntire was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
- Today in 1999, Faith Hill found out that her album, “Breathe,” debuted at #1 on the “Billboard” pop albums chart. The project sold 242,000 copies its first week out, good enough to knock the rock group Rage Against the Machine out of the top spot.
- Today in 2002, Jamie O’Neal left the country for a USO Tour of the Balkans and the Mediterranean Sea. She was overseas through the end of the month.
- Today in 2003, Reba McEntire’s album, “Room to Breathe,” is in stores. It’s her first studio album in 4 years.
- Today in 2003, LeAnn Rimes’ “Greatest Hits (To Be Continued)” was released.
- Today in 2003, a DVD of Shania Twain’s NBC concert special, “Shania: UP! Live in Chicago,” appears in stores.
- Today in 2005, The Johnny Cash biopic “Walk The Line” opened in theaters, with Joaquin Phoenix in the starring role. Reese Witherspoon portrays June Carter, Shelby Lynne took the role of Cash’s mother, and Shooter Jennings played his own late father, Waylon Jennings.
- Today in 2008, The Zac Brown Band’s album, “The Foundation,” was released.
- Today in 2011, Taylor Swift met Bruce Springsteen when he attended her show at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Also in attendance: Scotty McCreery.
- Today in 2012, Luke Bryan, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum each won during ABC’s American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
- Today in 2015, Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” was announced as a new addition to the GRAMMY Hall of Fame. The class also featured James Carr’s “The Dark End Of The Street,” plus music by the Andrews Sisters, Lead Belly and The Sir Douglas Quintet.
- Today in 2016, funeral services were held for Leon Russell at the Victory Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Steve Ripley, formerly of The Tractors, was a pallbearer. Honorary pallbearers included Elton John, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Mike Lawler, T. Graham Brown, Jim Halsey and Willie Nelson.
- Today in 2016, Dan + Shay’s Dan Smyers announced on social media that he’d gotten engaged to his girlfriend, Abby Law, in Hawaii. They got married in May 2017.
- Today in 2016, George Strait’s album ,”Strait Out Of The Box: Part 2,” was released.
- Today in 2019, with Taylor Swift in the midst of a public argument with Big Machine over her rights to perform some of her older songs on the American Music Awards, a pair of fans paid $1,000 to have two digital billboards in Nashville calling for the label to “let Taylor perform her own songs.”
- Today in 2019, Billy Ray Cyrus visited the White House in Washington, D.C., with the family of Channing Smith, a Tennessee teen who committed suicide, to discuss cyber bullying with first lady Melania Trump.
- Today in 2020, Brad Paisley sang “This Is Country Music” during the 14th annual Stand Up For Heroes event, raising millions online for a military charity. Also aboard were Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Ray Romano, Jon Stewart and Mickey Guyton, who covers “To Make You Feel My Love.”
MADDIE & TAE’S TAYLOR KERR IS NOW A PROUD BOY MOM
Posted on by Bob Ballard
Congratulations to Taylor Kerr, the “Tae” in Maddie & Tae, who’s a new boy mom! The singer and her husband Josh Kerr welcomed a baby boy on October 29. It’s the second child for the couple, following two-year-old daughter Leighton. On Instagram, dad captioned a pic of the baby, “Chapel Shields Kerr surprised us on October 29th and we are absolutely in love with our perfect little boy 💙 He’s making big moves in the NICU and we can’t wait to have him home with us soon” As dad indicated, the newborn came a bit early, just as his older sister did back in 2022. Leighton spent 53 days in NICU before she came home; hopefully Chapel makes the trip in a lot less time.
This day in Country Music History
Posted on by Bob Ballard
- Today in 1980, Kenny Rogers topped the pop singles chart with “Lady.”
- Today in 1985, the “Alabama Christmas” album was certified gold and platinum simultaneously.
- Today in 1987, the “Best Of Reba McEntire” album was released.
- Today in 1993, the album, “Pontiac,” by Lyle Lovett was certified gold.
- Today in 1995, the “Beyond The Season” album by Garth Brooks was certified triple-platinum.
- Today in 1999, Trisha Yearwood’s album, “Where Your Road Leads,” was certified platinum.
- Today in 2000, Jo Dee Messina’s “Burn” video debuted on CMT.
- Today in 2001, it was revealed that Brad Paisley was dubbed the “Sexiest Country Singer” in “People” magazine’s annual “Sexiest Man Alive” issue.
- Today in 2003, Toby Keith’s song “I Love This Bar” went to #1 on the Billboard charts.
- Today in 2004, Shania Twain’s “Come On Over” became the first country album in history certified for shipments of 20-million units.
- Today in 2005, Carrie Underwood’s debut album, “Some Hearts,” was released.
- Today in 2012, Hunter Hayes’ self-titled debut album was certified gold.
- Today in 2014, Sam Hunt’s “Montevallo” debuted at #1 on the Billboard country albums chart.
- Today in 2016, Blake Shelton earns three nominations as the top country finalist on the ballot for the People’s Choice Awards. In addition to Favorite Male Country Artist, he’s up for Favorite Male Artist and “If I’m Honest” contends for Favorite Album.
- Today in 2016, Crystal Gayle received a surprise invitation from Carrie Underwood to join the Grand Ole Opry during a broadcast from the Opry House in Nashville. The invite came moments after the pair teamed up on “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.”
- Today in 2018, Carrie Underwood was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in Tulsa.
- Today in 2018, Roy Clark died of complications from pneumonia at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A Country Music Hall of Fame member and former CMA Entertainer of the Year, he was an impressive guitarist, a hitmaker, a skilled comic and the longtime co-host of the syndicated TV show “Hee Haw.”
- Today in 2019, the documentary, “Bluebird,” debuted in theaters in limited release. On-screen participants include Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini.
- Today in 2019, the Lady Aalbum “Ocean” was released.
- Today in 2020, the Mississippi Department of Transportation officially revealedsigns along Interstate 55 and Highway 568 pointing visitors toward the site of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1977 plane crash. The band’s “Sweet Home Alabama” ranked among country’s 500 greatest singles in the Country Music Foundation book “Heartaches By The Number.”
H & S FEED & COUNTRY STORE PET OF THE WEEK: JOAN
Posted on by Bob Ballard
This week’s H&S Feed and Country Store Pet of the Week is “Joan”, a sweet 4 year old tabby who loves attention, loves to cuddle and would love to find her furr-ever home! Joan gets along great with other cats, doesn’t mind dogs, and loves kids. Joan is housetrained, fully vetted, spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and ready to go to a loving home.
If you’d like to set up an appointment to meet Joan or any of the pets at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, visit https://www.stephenmemorial.org/ and fill out an adoption application.
And because Joan is the Pet of the Week, the adoption fee is only $30 this week!
Check out our visit about Joan with Shanna & Nicole from Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter here:
DARIUS RUCKER GIVES EAST TENNESSEE STATE BIG DONATION AFTER AWKWARD APPEARANCE
Posted on by Bob Ballard
Following a somewhat awkward appearance at last weekend’s East Tennessee State University football game, Darius Rucker is making it up to the university and its fans. To recap: Darius showed up before the game, as excited fans saw him on the field expecting a performance. Instead, Darius was there to hype the crowd as his “Wagon Wheel” played over the stadium speakers. Odd, to say the least, and Darius recognized that fact. A few days later, he informed fans and followers, “Wanted to let y’all know I’m donating $2,980 to the @ETSU NIL fund, $10 for every second I stood at midfield during “Wagon Wheel” thinking it was as awkward as y’all did. Really just wanted to be there to bring attention to this great program and say thank you for singing our song at the top of your lungs every weekend. I love you JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE! #GoBucs.”
This day in Country Music History
Posted on by Bob Ballard
- Today in 1977, the single, “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” by Crystal Gayle was certified gold.
- Today in 1977, Crystal Gayle’s “We Must Believe In Magic” album was certified gold.
- Today in 1989, the “When I Call Your Name” album by Vince Gill was released.
- Today in 1992, Whitney’s Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” debuted on the pop charts. It made its way to #1 — and stayed there for 14 weeks. Whitney’s chart-topping rendition of the Dolly Parton classic provided the song’s third trip to the top of the charts. Dolly Parton had previously hit #1 with the song in 1974 and 1982.
- Today in 1994, the “Without A Song” album by Willie Nelson was certified platinum.
- Today in 1995, John Berry’s debut album, “Standing On the Edge,” was certified gold.
- Today in 1995, Raul Malo of the Mavericks welcomed his first child, Raul Joaquin Martinez Malo III, who’s known as “Dino,” after Dean Martin.
- Today in 1996, Raul Malo of the Mavericks welcomed his second son, Victor – on his first son Raul’s first birthday and he’s been expanding his family ever since. In March of 2000, Raul’s third son, Max was born.
- Today in 1997, Shania Twain’s single, “Love Gets Me Every Time,” was #1 on “Radio & Records’” Country Top 50 chart.
- Today in 2000, Cledus T. Judd’s album, “Another Day In Parodies,” and “The Mercy Project” album, which featured Martina McBride and Amy Grant, arrived in stores.
- Today in 2001, George Strait’s album, “The Road Less Traveled,” debuted at #1 on “Billboard’s” Top Country Albums chart.
- Today in 2001, Garth Brooks hit the stage at the LA Forum for the first of three live concert specials that air on CBS over the coming month.
- Today in 2004, Toby Keith claimed two trophies at the American Music Awards. Other country winners included Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson, Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire.
- Today in 2005, the Grand Ole Opry held a show at Carnegie Hall, with Trace Adkins, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, Martina McBride and Brad Paisley.
- Today in 2010, Grand Ole Opry performances by Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood were featured in ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
- Today in 2012, Carrie Underwood’s single, “Two Black Cadillacs,” was released.
- Today in 2015, Thomas Rhett’s “Die A Happy Man” rose to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart – and was there for a total of 17 weeks.
NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND ANNOUNCES 2025 FAREWELL TOUR DATES
Posted on by Bob Ballard
The legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is ready to wrap up their incredible career, announcing their 2025 farewell tour dates. The band will head back out in February for another set of farewell shows through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Tickets for these concerts go on sale Friday at 10 am CST with additional tour dates to be announced soon. Check out the 2025 tour dates here.
This day in Country Music History
Posted on by Bob Ballard
- Today in 1979, Dolly Parton’s “Great Balls Of Fire” album was certified gold.
- Today in 1982, the single, “You And I,” by Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle entered the pop chart.
- Today in 1987, Patsy Cline’s “Greatest Hits” album was certified platinum.
- Today in 1989, “The Royal Treatment” album by Billy Joe Royal was certified gold.
- Today in 1991, Travis Tritt’s “It’s All About To Change” album was certified platinum.
- Today in 1995, Kenny Rogers’ “20 Great Years” album was certified gold.
- Today in 1995, Faith Hill’s “It Matters To Me” album was certified gold.
- Today in 1996, Trisha Yearwood made her television-acting debut on an episode of ABC-TV’s “Ellen,” playing herself.
- Today in 1999, fans confused by Garth Brooks’ rock alter ego, Chris Gaines, may have had their bewilderment compounded when “Saturday Night Live” started promoting its upcoming show as being hosted by Garth with Chris Gaines appearing as the musical guest. Actually, it was Garth’s only live performance in the guise of his alter ego.
- Today in 2001, Garth Brooks’ highly anticipated project, “Scarecrow,” arrived in stores.
- Today in 2002, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood were among those performing at the Stormy Weather 2002 benefit in Los Angeles at the historic Wiltern Theatre. All proceeds from the show, which was open to the public, went to the Walden Woods Project and the Thoreau Institute. Other performers include Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks.
- Today in 2002, Keith Urban celebrated his seventh week at the top of the “Radio & Records” Country Top 50 with his single, “Somebody Like You.” He was also enjoying his sixth week at #1 on “Billboard’s” Hot Country Singles chart.
- Today in 2002, it was announced that Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana and Michelle Branch were the headliners for the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway. This year’s event will include a performance from Tim McGraw.
- Today in 2002, Troy Gentry‘s wife, Angie, welcomed their first child, daughter Kaylee Alexandra. Kaylee joined Taylor Peyton, Troy’s daughter from a previous relationship.
- Today in 2003, Wynonna was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. According to the police report, Wy was pulled over around 1am for going 47 in a 30 mph zone. Her Breathalyzer test registered a blood alcohol level of .175. The legal limit in Tennessee is .08. Wy was released after posting a $500 bond, which is the standard bail set for a first-offense DUI. In a written statement released later that day. Wynonna pulled no punches over the incident and added, “I know there is never a situation where drinking and driving is acceptable, and I take full responsibility for my error in judgment.”
- Today in 2005, the New York premiere of the Johnny Cash biopic, “Walk The Line,” was at the Beacon Theatre.
- Today in 2006, The Judds performed “Love Can Build a Bridge” at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Martin Luther King memorial in Washington, D.C.
- Today in 2008, Curb released the Rodney Atkins single “It’s America,” with Bruce Springsteen references in the chorus, to radio.
- Today in 2010, Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” ranked #1 on CMT debuts “40 Greatest Songs of the Decade.”
- Today in 2014, Lee Brice’s “Drinking Class” video premiered on CMT.
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