COUNTRY HISTORY

Today in 1966, Roy Orbison's first wife, Claudette, was killed in a motorcycle crash near Nashville. As a result, he stopped writing songs for years. His shutdown was complicated by the fact that two of their three…

Today in 1964, Buck Owens’ “Together Again” took him to #1 again on the Billboard country chart. Today in 1970, Conway Twitty rose to #1 on the Billboard Country chart with “Hello Darlin.” Today in 1980, the…

Today in 1980, The John Travolta movie “Urban Cowboy” premiered. It includes music by Kenny Rogers, Johnny Lee, Mickey Gilley, Anne Murray, The Eagles, The Charlie Daniels Band, Jimmy Buffet, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, and J.D.…

Today in 1982, Alabama held their first ever June Jam in their hometown of Fort Payne, Alabama. More than 30,000 attended the charity concert near the high school, where the hometown band shares the stage…

Today in 1949, an eighth grader named Elvis Presley got his report card – he scored an "A" in language, but only a "C" in music. Today in 1972, Donna Fargo topped the country music charts with…

Today in 1973, Tanya Tucker's “What's Your Mama's Name?” album was released. Today in 1984, Willie Nelson & Julio Iglesias' duet, "To All The Girls I've Loved Before," was certified gold. Today in 1986, "Whoever's In New England"…

Today in 1956, Country Music Hall of Famer Johnny Cash entered the country charts with "I Walk The Line." Today in 1966, Dolly Parton married Carl Dean in Ringgold, Georgia. While Dolly doesn’t use Dean's…

Today in 1952, Hank Williams Sr. his first wife, Audrey, (the mother of Hank Williams Jr.) finally divorced. Married since 1944, their union was marked by drug and alcohol addiction (his) and cheating (his). The…

Today in 1967, Barbara Mandrell married Ken Dudney. Barbara met Ken when he was hired by her family's band, The Mandrells, as a drummer. They were married shortly after Ken received his wings as a Navy…

Today in 1953, Jim Reeves made his debut appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. Today in 1975, B.J. Thomas received a gold record for the single "(Hey, Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song."…