• Today in 1965, Waylon Jennings made his chart debut with “That’s The Chance I’ll Have To Take.”
• Today in 1976, RCA Victor announced that sales of Elvis Presley records had passed the 400-million mark. No other entertainer – living or dead – has equaled that milestone.
• Today in 1979, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” single by the Charlie Daniels Band was certified gold.
• Today in 1981, Willie Nelson’s “Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be)” album was released.
• Today in 1984, Hank Williams Jr’s “Greatest Hits” album was certified gold and platinum.
• Today in 1990, Kathy Mattea’s “A Collection Of Hits” and the Judds’ “Collector’s Series” album arrived in stores.
• Today in 1992, Tracy Lawrence’s single, “Runnin’ Behind,” topped the charts.
• Today in 1999, Alan Jackson headlined Brazil’s largest rodeo, the Barreto Rodeo. The 10-day event drew almost 2-million people, with Alan playing before a crowd of 50,000.
• Today in 1999, Sara Evans and hubby Craig Schelske welcomed their first child, a son named Avery Jack Lyons Schelske. Born at a Nashville hospital, the bundle of joy weighed in at 7-pounds 8 ¾-ounces.
• Today in 2001, Shania Twain and then-hubby Robert John “Mutt” Lange revealed that they’d become proud parents to a baby boy they named Eja (sounds like Asia) on August 12^th.
• Today in 2001, Mark Will’s “Loving Every Minute” album was released.
• Today in 2001, Billy Gilman and Amy Grant performed at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new addition to the Target House in Memphis. The renowned facility is considered a “home away from home” for patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and their families.
• Today in 2003, Johnny Cash held his final session, recording “Engine One-Forty-Three” at the Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
• Today in 2006, Rosanne Cash and Steve Earle taped a new episode of “CMT Crossroads” at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. The set list included “Seven Year Ache,” “Guitar Town,” “Devil’s Right Hand” and the Johnny Cash song “Big River.”
• Today in 2010, Brad Paisley headlined a stadium for the first time, playing for 51,000 fans at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, with Jason Aldean, Sara Evans, Darius Rucker and Easton Corbin.
• Today in 2015, Luke Bryan met over 200 kids at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where he performs “Play It Again.”
• Today in 2017, Tim McGraw’s single, “Humble And Kind,” went double-platinum. The same day, Florida Georgia Line earned gold singles from the RIAA for the album tracks “Tell Me How You Like It” and “Here’s To The Good Times.”
• Today in 2018, “The Champion,” a Carrie Underwood single featuring Ludacris, is certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
• Today in 2018, Dustin Lynch was invited by Trace Adkins to become a Grand Ole Opry member.
• Today in 2018, Brenda Lee, Ray Stevens, Jeannie Seely and Ben Folds are inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame.
• Today in 2019, a new Jeep commercial featuring Old Dominion debuts as the band uses an episode of the NBC series “Songland” to select the song. Judges on the show include professional songwriters Ester Dean, Ryan Tedder and Shane McAnally, who produces Old Dominion
• Today in 2019, Johnny Lee underwent his second brain surgery in Houston in an attempt to improve his mobility as he combats Parkinson’s disease.

• Today in 1986, the album, “My Home’s In Alabama,” by Alabama was certified double platinum.
• Today in 1993, Little Texas topped the country charts with “What Might Have Been.”
• Today in 1996, Billy Ray Cyrus released “Trail of Tears” and the Beach Boys released “Stars and Stripes Volume 1,” which featured the group collaborating with stars like Lorrie Morgan, Sawyer Brown, Toby Keith and Collin Raye.
• Today in 1997, Alabama Governor Fob James joined the mayors of Montgomery and Georgina, Alabama in the Alabama State Capitol to dedicate a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 65 to the memory of country great Hank Williams. The section of roadway was renamed the “Hank Williams Memorial Lost Highway.”
• Today in 2000, “InStyle” magazine released their annual “What’s Sexy Now” issue, which featured hundreds of their readers voting on the “lust factor” of various people, places and things. In the category of Sexiest Female Musician, the winner by a landslide was Shania Twain, with 52% of the vote.
• Today in 2000, Kenny Chesney’s third album, “I Will Stand,” which includes hits like “That’s Why I’m Here” and “She’s Got It All,” was certified platinum.
• Today in 2000, Shania Twain’s album, “Come On Over,” broke the record for being the #1 album on the “Billboard” Country Albums chart. On the top for 44-weeks, the album officially held the spot longer than any other album in history. The previous record holder was Randy Travis’ “Always and Forever,” which spent 43-weeks in the top spot. Plus, she also became the only country artist ever to have eight top 20 country hits from the same album: “Come On Over.”
• Today in 2002, Diamond Rio’s “Completely” and Lee Ann Womack’s “Something Worth Leaving Behind” albums arrived in stores.
• Today in 2010, Lady Antebellum earned a gold certification (marking sales of 500k) for their single, “American Honey” and a quadruple-platinum cert (marking sales of 4-million) for their single, “Need You Now.”
• Today in 2015, Carrie Underwood’s “Smoke Break” hit the airwaves.

Today in 1972, Elvis Presley’s “Burnin’ Love” debuted on the charts. It was “the King’s” final top 10 hit, and his final gold single. In 1992, Travis Tritt recorded “Burnin’ Love” for the “Honeymoon In Vegas” film soundtrack.
Today in 1978, Crystal Gayle topped the charts with the single, “Talking in Your Sleep.”
Today in 1986, John Schneider’s single, “You’re the Last Thing I Needed Tonight,” topped the country charts.
Today in 1994, the Tractors debuted on the country charts with “Baby Likes to Rock It.”
Today in 1997, Lonestar’s Dean Sams and his wife, Kim, welcomed their first child, daughter Britney Deann.
Today in 1998, Vince Gill’s album, “The Key,” debuted at the top of the country album chart.
Today in 1999, Dwight Yoakam earns a double-platinum album, with “Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.”
Today in 2003, two members of Kenny Chesney’s video crew and a helicopter pilot escaped serious injury when the helicopter crashed while shooting footage for the video to “There Goes My Life.”
Today in 2003, Dierks Bentley’s self-titled debut album was released.
Today in 2014, Sam Hunt made his Grand Ole Opry debut with a performance of “Leave The Night On” and “Take Your Time.”
Today in 2015, the Salt Life beach apparel company announced a partnership with Jake Owen that includes the introduction of the singer’s own fashion line – the proceeds of which benefit his charity, which is focused on helping sick and needy children.
Today in 2016, the Dolly Parton album, “Pure & Simple,” was released. The same day, Drake White’s second album, “Spark,” also hit shelves and streaming platforms.
Today in 2018, three days after Aretha Franklin’s death, Eric Church pays respect by covering “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” to launch his concert in Calgary, Alberta.
Today in 2019, Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and wife Hayley welcome their son, Luca Reed Hubbard, in Nashville.
Today in 2019, Chris Lane and his then-fiancée, Lauren Bushnell, announced that they’d purchased a house and adopted a puppy. The lovebirds got married the following October. They’ve since welcomed a son – and they’re expecting their second child in late October 2022.
Today in 2020, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge reopened in Nashville as a full-service restaurant, a move that made it easier to operate under city guidelines that limit barroom activities to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The iconic venue was, in another era, a regular hangout for Willie Nelson, Roger Miller and Marty Robbins
Today in 2021, Keith Urban’s “Wild Hearts” single hit the airwaves. On the same day, Kane Brown’s “One Mississippi” was released.

• Today in 1975, Asleep at the Wheel entered the charts with “The Letter That Johnny Walker Wrote.”
• Today in 1988, Restless Heart had a top five single with “The Bluest Eyes In Texas.”
• Today in 1991, Mac Davis’ “Greatest Hits” album was certified gold.
• Today in 1991, Tanya Tucker was shaken, but unhurt when her tour bus ended up in the middle of a police chase in Dallas.
• Today in 1994, Johnny Cash withdrew from Woodstock ’94.
• Today in 1996, George Strait’s single, “Carried Away,” hit #1.
• Today in 1997, Elvis Week began in Memphis as fans commemorated the 20^th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley.
• Today in 1997, Lonestar topped the charts with the single, “Come Cryin’ To Me.”
• Today in 1998, Trisha Yearwood was #1 on the singles charts with “There Goes My Baby.”
• Today in 2003, Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus got engaged to his then-girlfriend, Allison Alderson, in New York City. The couple exchanged vows May 15^th, 2004
• Today in 2005, Sugarland taped an installment of CMT’s Crossroads” with Bon Jovi in New York.
• Today in 2010, the single, “As She’s Walking Away,” by The Zac Brown Band Featuring Alan Jackson, hit the airwaves.
• Today in 2014, Jason Aldean began a 14-week ride at #1 on the “Billboard” country singles chart with “Burnin’ It Down.”
• Today in 2014, the Oak Ridge Boys’ Duane Allen was inducted in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Carthage Civic Center. He was also named an honorary admiral in the Texas Navy by governor Rick Perry.
• Today in 2015, Zac Brown Band became the first act to play three nights at Boston’s Fenway Park. The concert included a surprise appearance by Steven Tyler, who joins the band on “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion.”
• Today in 2016, Dan + Shay’s Shay Mooney got engaged to former Miss Arkansas Hannah Billingsley – they were married October 20^th the following year.
• Today in 2017, one day after Glen Campbell’s death, he was honored at the Grand Ole Opry with a mass performance of “Amazing Grace” by The Oak Ridge Boys, Luke Combs, Easton Corbin, Bill Anderson, Will Hoge, Michael Ray and Jeannie Seely. The same day, Toby Keith honored him during a concert at Coney Island in Brooklyn with a cover of “Wichita Lineman.”
• Today in 2018, Jason Aldean’s album, “Rearview Town,” went gold.
• Today in 2019, pitcher Clayton Kershaw presented Brad Paisley with the Challenge Impact Award during a ping pong event for charity at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
• Today in 2019, Jason Aldean scored a platinum single from the RIAA for “Drowns The Whiskey,” featuring Miranda Lambert.
• Today in 2021, Chris Janson was in his hometown: Perryville, Missouri. Why? To perform and to receive a key to the city from mayor Ken Baer.

• Today in 1975, Hank Williams, Jr. fell 500-feet while mountain climbing in Montana. He suffered terrible injuries and nearly died, but after two years of surgery to rebuild his body, he returned to touring and recording.
• Today in 1981, the single, “Step By Step,” by Eddie Rabbitt entered the Top 40 chart.
• Today in 1987,T. Oslin’s “80’s Ladies” album debuted at #15 on the “Billboard” country chart. At that time, it was the highest entry ever for a female artist.
• Today in 1995, Tracy Lawrence’s album, “Alibis,” was certified double platinum while his “I See It Now” album was certified platinum.
• Today in 1995, John Michael Montgomery got a lot of great news. His album “John Michael” was certified gold, platinum and double platinum simultaneously, while his “Life’s A Dance” album was certified triple platinum.
• Today in 1995, Shania Twain’s single, “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under,” was certified gold.
• Today in 1995, Neal McCoy’s “You Gotta Love That” album was certified gold.
• Today in 1996, Faith Hill’s album, “Take Me As I Am,” and Randy Travis’ “No Holdin’ Back” album were both certified double platinum.
• Today in 1996, the album, “The Best Of Vol.2: More Great Dirt,” by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band” was certified gold.
• Today in 1996, Dwight Yoakam’s “This Time” album was certified triple platinum.
• Today in 2000, the Kentucky Headhunters’ album, “Songs From The Grass String Ranch,” arrived in stores.
• Today in 2000, the film soundtrack for the movie, “Space Cowboys,” featuring Mandy Barnett, Chad Brock, Willie Nelson, Clay Walker and others, was released.
• Today in 2001, Billy Ray Cyrus’ PAX-TV drama, “Doc,” placed second on the Parents Television Council’s annual “Top 10 Best Television Shows” list. CBS-TV’s “Touched by an Angel” series topped the group.
• Today in 2012, Love & Theft’s “Angel Eyes” was certified gold.
• Today in 2014, Taylor Swift won Favorite country artist at the 40^th annual People’s Choice Awards. Tim McGraw wins Favorite Country Music Icon.
• Today in 2017, Sam Hunt scored a quadruple-platinum single from the RIAA for “Take Your Time” and a triple-platinum award for “Break Up In A Small Town.” He also earned a gold single for “Speakers.”
• Today in 2017, Glen Campbell died in Nashville following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. A deft guitarist and smooth vocalist, he earned numerous crossover hits as well as a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame.