- Today in 1959, the folk group Kingston Trio won the first country music GRAMMY for “Tom Dooley.”
- Today in 1987, Randy Travis’ second album, “Always and Forever,” was released.
- Today in 1991, Travis Tritt made his Grand Ole Opry debut.
- Today in 1992, fans buying tickets for Garth Brooks’ show in Waterloo, Iowa, overloaded the phone lines, knocking out 911 service in three counties.
- Today in 1993, the “No Fences” album by Garth Brooks was certified for sales of 10-million.
- Today in 1995, Clay Walker’s “If I Could Make A Living” album went platinum.
- Today in 1996, Shania Twain raced to number one on the Billboard country chart with “You Win My Love.”
- Today in 1999, Tim McGraw released his album, “A Place In The Sun,” while Steve Wariner’s “Two Teardrops” album also arrived in stores.
- Today in 2004, Big & Rich’s debut album, “Horse of a Different Color,” rode into stores.
- Today in 2009, Taylor Swift’s video, “You Belong With Me,” video premiered on CMT.
- Today in 2010, Chely Wright’s autobiography, “Like Me: Confessions Of A Heartland Country Singer,” was released – and with it, she officially became the first-ever openly gay commercial country artist.
- Today in 2011, Marie Osmond remarried first husband Stephen Craig at a Mormon temple in Las Vegas. She wore the same bridal gown she wore when she first walked down the aisle in June 1982.
- Today in 2015, Trace Adkins played a colonel on the NBC series “The Night Shift.”
- Today in 2016, Dierks Bentley earned a gold single from the RIAA for “Somewhere On A Beach.”
- Today in 2016, Darius Rucker was announced as a national chair for the National Museum of African American Music, destined to be built in Nashville. He shared the distinction with India.Arie, Keb’ Mo’ and CeCe Winans.
- Today in 2016, Kelsea Ballerini sang “Peter Pan” in a guest slot on the ABC drama “Nashville,” providing a backdrop as the characters of Mark Collie and Charles Esten duked it out in the alley behind the bar.
- Today in 2017, Jennifer Nettles took a tumble and broke a rib during a corporate performance at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.
- Today in 2017, Loretta Lynn suffered a stroke at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, and gets checked into a Nashville hospital. She returned to the stage the following October to honor Alan Jackson at his Country Music Hall of Fame induction.
- Today in 2018, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Brice, Travis Tritt and Terri Clark are on the guest list for the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Gala on the eve of the race in Louisville. Also appearing are Kid Rock, Naomi Judd, Richie Sambora and Eddie Montgomery.
- Today in 2019, Randy Travis celebrated his 60th birthday with an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, singing “Forever And Ever, Amen” with Ricky Skaggs and songwriter Don Schlitz. Charles Esten performed “Honky Tonk Moon” and Josh Turner sang “Out Of My Bones.”
- Today in 2020, Dwight Yoakam announced his marriage to longtime love Emily Joyce in March, just before COVID-19 forced a quarantine. The ceremony in Santa Monica was attended by 10 people, each of them separated by at least six-feet for safety. The couple welcomed their son, Dalton Loren Yoakam, on August 16th, 2020.
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