COUNTRY HISTORY

Today in 1957, "Jailhouse Rock" gave Elvis Presley a #1 country single in Billboard magazine. Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller,  RCA Victor released the song on a 45 rpm single on September 24,…

This day in 1959, "The Battle Of New Orleans" won Song of the Year for composer Jimmy Driftwood and Best Country & Western Performance for Johnny Horton during the second annual GRAMMY Awards. The song…

Today in 2001, Reba McEntire was nominated for a People’s Choice Award for her acting in the TV series, “Reba.” Other country stars that received nominations were The Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Garth…

On this day in 2010, Willie Nelson was arrested in Sierra Blanca, Texas for possession of six ounces of marijuana. He was released after posting a $2,500 bond.    

Today in 2001, Garth Brooks topped “Billboard’s” Top Country Album chart as well as the Top 200 Album Chart with his album, “Scarecrow,” which was released the previous Tuesday. This marked the ninth time that…

This day in 1986, Lorrie Morgan married Keith Whitley.  The couple were married until Whitley died in 1989 of alcohol poisoning.

This day in 1955, in a deal engineered by Colonel Tom Parker, RCA Records bought Elvis Presley's contract and master tapes from Sam Phillips' Sun Records for $35,000. The papers were signed at the Sun…

This day in 1961" “Big Bad John” took Jimmy Dean to #1 on the Billboard country chart. "Big Bad John" is a country song originally performed by Jimmy Dean, who wrote and composed it in…

This day 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.  …

This day 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…