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Compiled by Bill Morrison - billmorrison2002@hotmail.com
October is "Country Music Month," by Presidential Necree.
"October"
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Charles Grean, songwriter/producer/record company executive, born NYC 1913.
Skeets McDonald, born "Enos William McDonald," Greenway, AR 1915.
Bonnie Owens, born "Bonnie Campbell" in Blanchard, OK 1932. Bonnie is the former wife of Buck Owens, and Merle Haggard.
Ernest Tubb's "Slippin' Around" topped the charts 1949.
The "Town and Country Time Jamboree," debuted on WMAL TV in Washington, DC 1956.
Dave Gibson, "The Gibson/Miller Band," born El Dorado, AR 1956.
Capitol Records released Buck Owens' LP "Your For Me" 1962.
Kelly Willis born Lawton, OK 1968.
Loretta Lynn recorded "Coal Miner's Daughter," 1969.
Texas Bill Strength, age 45, recording artist/DJ died as the result of an auto accident 1973.
Tanya Tucker's "Blood Red and Goin' Down" was # 1 in 1973.
President Carter proclaimed October as "Country Music Month," in 1980.
Conway Twitty's "Tight Fittin' Jeans" topped the charts 1981.
Tony Booth joined Gene Watson's "Farewell Party Band," 1982.
Slim Newman, of "The Georgia Crackers" died 1982.
Michelle Wright debuted on the Grand Ole Opry 1992.
Tim Rushlow married wife Mary Jane 1993.
Beaumont, Texas named a street "George Jones Place" in honor of their favorite son 1995.
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Chubby Wise, fiddler, born Lake City, Fl 1915.
Leon Rausch, western swing vocalist, born Springfield, MO 1927.
Jo-el Sonnier born Rayne, La 1946.
Chris Ledoux born Biloxi, Ms 1948.
Sheila Biddy born Scottsville, KY 1952. Sheila was the first woman in history to run a country music record label (Decca, in 1993.)
Elvis Presley debuted on the Grand Ole Opry 1954. Jim Denny, the Opry manager told Elvis after the show, that he should go back to Memphis and resume his truck-driving career. Jim Denny was fired from the Opry two years later.
Greg Jennings, "Restless Heart," born Nicoma Park, OK 1954.
Earl Scruggs injured in car wreck 1955.
Joy Lynn White, born Turrell, AR 1961.
Tammy Sullivan of "Jerry & Tammy Sullivan" born Wagarville, AL 1964.
Gillian Welch born New York City, 1967.
Bill Anderson married Becky Stegall Davis, 1971.
Kenny Rogers married Marianne Gordon (Hee Haw Cast,) in 1977.
An attempt was made to steal Elvis Presley's body, from its burial place in Memphis 1977. The family had the bodies of Elvis, and Gladys Presley moved to Graceland, where they are buried side by side.
Marty Robbins released "An Occasional Rose/Holding On To You" 1980.
The 1991 CMA Award Show was held in Nashville, Tennessee.
Garth Brooks won four CMA awards, including Entertainer of the Year 1991.
After giving birth to her second child, Beau Grayson Tucker, Tanya Tucker watched the CMA Award Show from her hospital bed in Nashville. That's how she learned that she was the CMA's Female Vocalist of the Year in 1991.
Earl Thompson, age 77, sideman for Hank Sr., and Ernest Tubb died 1993.
Gene Autry, age 91, died Studio City, CA in 1998. Member CMHF 1969 NSHF 1970 Texas
CMHF 1998.
MCA Records released Gary Alan's album "Alright Guy" 2001.
Sony released Bela Fleck's album "Perpetual Motion" 2001.
Tim McGraw's album "Live Like You Were Dying" topped the charts 2004.
Austin City Limits taped the first show of their 30th year on PBS in 2004.
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Fiddlin' Cowan Powers, fiddle champion/recording artist, born Russell County, VA 1877.
Joe Allison, born McKinney, TX 1924. Elected NSHF 1978.
Eddie Cochran, Rockabilly pioneer, born Oklahoma City, OK 1938. Eddie grew up in Albert Lea, MN.
George Jones released "The Window Up Above" 1960.
Woody Guthery, age 55, died in Queens, NY 1967.
Dean Upson of "The Vagabonds" died 1975.
MCA released Jimmy Buffett's "You Had To Be There" 1978.
Marty Haggard, recording artist, son of Merle Haggard, was critically injured in a head-on automobile crash while driving to a performance in Arkansas 1988. Marty was thrown through the windshield, and it was four years before he could perform again.
Dennis McGee, age 96, Cajun fiddler/recording artist, died 1989.
Del Wood, age 69, died in Nashville, TN 1989. Member Grand Ole Opry.
Liberty Records released Garth Brooks' "The Chase" 1992.
Liberty Records released Suzy Bogguss's "Simpatico" 1994.
MCA released Mark Chesnutt's album "Wings" 1995.
Tim McGraw's "Where The Green Grass Grows" topped the charts 1998.
Asylum Records released Chad Austin's album "Chad Austin" in 2000.
John Berry's "My Heart Is Bethlehem" album was released in 2000.
Keith Urban received the Australian Recording Industry's Achievement Award 2001.
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Leroy Van Dyke born Spring Fork, MO 1929.
Lloyd Green, steel guitarist/ session musician, born Mobile, AL 1937.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, lectured from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, on behalf of the Nashville Girl Scouts, in 1938.
Larry Collins "Collins Kids," born Tulsa, OK 1944.
Greg Hubbard, "Sawyer Brown," born Orlando, FL 1960.
Johnny Cash arrested in El Paso, Texas, bringing drugs across the border 1965.
Capitol Records released "The Best Of Buck Owens, Vol. 4" 1971.
Esther "Violet" Koehler, age 57, "Coon Creek Girls," died 1973.
Tom T. Hall recorded "Subdivision Blues" 1973.
Billy Jean Campbell filed for divorce from Glen Campbell 1975.
Willie Nelson had his first #1 record "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain," 1975.
Tammy Wynette reported to police, that she had been kidnapped at a Nashville Mall in 1978. Years later, she admitted that the story was not true.
Alabama appeared on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" 1980.
Capitol Records released Buck Owens' album "Act Naturally" 1989.
Diamond Rio debuted on the Grand Ole Opry 1991.
Danny Gatton, guitar virtuoso, died in Newburg, MD 1994, the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Jerry Rivers, fiddler for Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys, died 1996.
A. L. "Doodle" Owens, songwriter, died 1999. Inducted NSHF 1999.
The 2000 CMA Award Show was presented in Nashville.
Charlie Pride and Faron Young inducted CMHF 2000.
GAC "The Great American Country" Network broadcast their first Grand Ole Opry show, after CMT "Country Music Television" and the Grand Ole Opry, could not come to terms in 2003.
Ernie Lynn, age 50, son of Loretta, injured in a car wreck, near Loretta's Tennessee ranch, in 2003. A passenger in Ernie's car was killed in the accident.
George Hampton, driver of Toby Keith's band bus, was shot while driving the vehicle through Carrollton, Texas in 2004. Hampton was able to stop the vehicle safely, and he was transported to a Dallas hospital. Department of Public Safety investigators believe the shooting was a random drive-by incident. The tour bus had no exterior marking identifying it as Toby's bus.
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On October, 5, 1925, at 7:00 PM, WSM was born, when Edwin Craig spoke the following words
into the microphone; "This is WSM, 'We Shield Millions.' The National Life and Accident
Insurance Company."
Billy Lee Riley, SUN Records/Rockabilly legend, born Pocahontas, AR 1933.
Margie Singleton, born Coushatta, LA 1935.
Johnny Duncan born Dublin, TX 1938.
The Davis Sisters' "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" topped the charts 1953.
Richie Dotson, banjo player for "New Tradition" born Dickson, TN 1966.
Sonny James' "Since I Met You, Baby" went to # 1 in 1969.
Capitol Records released Buck Owens' single "I Wouldn't Live In New York City" 1970.
Georgette Jones born Lakeland, FL 1970. Georgette is the only child born to George Jones & Tammy Wynette.
Tommy Magness, age 54, fiddler for Roy Acuff, and Bill Monroe, died 1971.
John Denver's #1 country hit "Back Home Again" charted 1974.
Ronnie Milsap's "Lost in the Fifties Tonight" topped the charts 1985.
Clint Black performed at Carnegie Hall 1989.
Merle Haggard inducted CMHF 1994.
Bill Monroe received the National Medal of the Arts Award 1995.
Roger Miller inducted CMHF, and Alison Krauss won five CMA awards 1995.
Warner Brothers released Anita Cochran's album "Anita" 1999.
Tracy Byrd's "Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo" topped the charts 2002.
George Strait's album "50 #1 Hits" was released 2004.
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Kendall Hayes, songwriter, "Walk on By," born Perryville, KY 1935.
Al Dexter's "Wine, Women and Song" was #1 in 1946.
Ernest Tubb and Red Foley recorded "Too Old to Tango," 1953.
Marty Robbins' "Devil Woman" topped the charts 1962.
Rex Allen's single "Don't Go Near The Indians" debuted on the charts 1962.
Tim Rushlow, "Little Texas" born Arlington, TX 1966.
Frank "Cicero" Weaver of "The Weaver Brothers & Elviry" died 1967.
Jerry Lee Lewis topped the country charts with "There Must Be More to Love Than This" 1970.
Claude Grant, age 69, of the "Tenneva Ramblers" died 1975.
Moe Bandy's single "I Cheated Me Right Out Of You' charted 1979.
Amos Binkley, age 90, of the Binkley Brothers Dixie Clodhoppers, died 1985.
Janie Frickie's "Always Have, Always Will," was #1 in 1986.
Alan Jackson debuted on the Opry 1990.
Garth Brooks became the 65th member of the Grand Ole Opry 1990.
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were married in Rayville, LA 1996.
Theron Eugene "Ted" Daffen, age 84, songwriter, bandleader, died 1996. Inducted NSHF 1970.
Carolyn Dawn Johnson debuted on the Grand Ole Opry 2001.
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Uncle Dave Macon born Warren County, TN 1870, inducted CMHF 1966.
Vaughn Monroe born Akron, OH 1911.
Hugh Cherry, disc jockey, born Louisville, KY 1922.
Jimmie Rodgers first record released 1927.
Jim Halsey, manager/promoter, born Independence, KS 1930.
Gordon Terry born Decatur, AL 1931.
Buddy Lee, Booking Agent, born Brooklyn, NY 1932.
Bill Monroe recorded his first solo cuts for RCA. Mule Skinner Blues was recorded on this date in 1940.
Tex Williams went to #1 with "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" 1947.
Kieran Kane, "The O'Kanes," born Queens, NY 1949.
"Cattle Call" took Eddy Arnold to #1 in 1955.
Marty Robbins released "The Story Of My Life," 1957.
Dale Watson, singer/songwriter/guitarist, born Birmingham, AL 1963.
Freddie Hart's "Easy Lovin'," topped the charts 1971.
Merle Haggard and Leona Williams married 1978.
"Songwriter," the movie, premiered in Nashville 1984. Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson starred.
Johnny Darrell, age 57, died in Kennesaw, GA from diabetes 1997.
Bill Anderson released his "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" album in 1997.
Chris LeDoux underwent successful liver transplant surgery in Omaha, NE 2000.
Jimmie Logsdon, age 79, singer/songwriter, died 2001.
Freddy Fender received the International Entertainment Buyers Assoc. "Pioneer Award," 2003.
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C. E. Moody, "The Georgia Yellow Hammers," born Calhoun County, GA 1891.
Pete Drake, producer, musician and publisher, born "Roddis Franklin Drake" in Atlanta, Georgia 1932. Inducted into the International Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1987. Elected to the Atlanta Music Hall of Fame 1989. Pete was presented with the Nashville Entertainment Masters Award on 5-7-87.
Susan Raye, recording artist, born Eugene, OR 1944.
Lynn Morris, Bluegrass singer/multi-instrumentalist/band leader, born Lamesa, TX 1948.
Jackie Frantz, "Dave & Sugar," born Sidney, OH 1950.
Russ Barenberg, Bluegrass/Guitar/Mandolin, born 1950.
Ricky Lee Phelps, "Kentucky Headhunters" born Paragould, AR 1953.
Anthony Kenney, "Kentucky Headhunters" born Glasgow, KY 1953.
Iry Lejeune, age 25, Cajun singer/accordionist, killed in a traffic accident on his way home from a gig 1954.
Jerry Lee Lewis' divorce from first wife Dorothy Barton, became final in 1954, twenty-three days after he married his second wife Jane Mitcham.
Sonny James quit the Big D. Jamboree, and joined the Ozark Jubilee 1955.
Harry Stone, age 70, radio executive, former manager of WSM, died 1968.
The 1979 CMA Awards Show was presented in Nashville.
Hubert Long and Hank Snow inducted CMHF 1979.
Willie Nelson named CMA Entertainer of the Year 1979.
Bob Newman, age 63, of "The Georgia Crackers" died 1979.
Barbara Mandrell won the CMA's Female Artist of the Year 1979.
Anne Murray becomes the first female to win the CMA's Album of the Year award 1984.
Floyd Tillman and Ralph Peer inducted CMHF 1984.
Tennessee Ernie Ford inducted CMHF 1990.
Trace Adkins was injured, in 2002, when the tractor he was riding, rolled over, pinning him to the ground. Just a few of the injuries sustained by Trace, prior to joining the Grand Ole Opry in 2003: Nose severed in vehicle accident; left finger cut off in the oil fields, shot through the heart by an ex-wife. There are more, but space is so limited.
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Gobel Reeves "The Texas Drifter," born Sherman, TX 1899.
Dennis "Boots" Woodall, songwriter/guitarist, founder of the "Radio Wranglers," born Paulding County, GA 1921.
The "Renfro Valley Barn Dance," debuted on WLW in Renfro Valley, KY 1937.
Bill Monroe debuted on the Grand Ole Opry 1938.
The Musicians Union strike, which began August 1, 1942, ended in 1943. The Record companies began recording again after one year of silence.
Elvis Presley debuted on the Louisiana Hayride 1954.
Buck Owens recorded "Second Fiddle" at Capitol Studios, Hollywood 1958. This single became Buck's first chart record in the spring of 1959.
Jimmy Dean's #1 hit "Big Bad John" debuted on the charts 1961.
Gary Bennett, "BR5-49," born Las Vegas, NV 1964.
Little Jimmy Dickens' "May the Bird of Paradise Fly up Your Nose," charted 1965.
Chick Hurt, age 56, "The Prarie Ramblers," died 1967.
Elvis Presley and Priscilla were divorced 1973.
The 1978 CMA Awards Show was presented in Nashville.
Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones inducted CMHF 1978.
Dolly Parton named "Entertainer of the Year," at the 1978 CMA Awards.
Hank Thompson, Cliffe Stone, and Jack Stapp, inducted CMHF 1989.
The Highwaymen kicked off their second tour 1990.
Joe Lubin, age 84, songwriter, died 2001.
Smoky Dacus, age 90, "Texas Playboys," died 2001.
Keith Urban's single "Days Go By" topped the charts 2004.
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Don Pierce, record company executive, born Ballard, WA 1915.
John Prine, born Maywood, IL 1946.
Marty Robbins released "I'll Go On Alone/You're Breaking My Heart" 1952.
Tanya Tucker, born Seminole, TX 1958.
Ray Charles' #1 hit "Georgia On My Mind" charted 1960.
The Browns gave their final Opry performance as a group in 1966.
1971 CMA Awards show was held in Nashville.
Charley Pride won CMA Entertainer of the Year 1971.
Merle Travis inducted CMHF 1977.
Marty Robbins released "Please Don't Play A Love Song/Jenny" 1978.
James Cecil "Little Jimmy" Dickens inducted CMHF 1983.
Loretta Lynn, and Roy Rodgers, inducted CMHF 1988.
Hank Williams Jr. named CMA's Entertainer of the Year 1988.
K. T. Oslin became the first woman to receive the CMA Song of the Year award 1988.
Capitol released Glen Campbell's "Essential, Vol. 3" 1995.
Capitol released Tennessee Ernie Ford's album "Sixteen Tons" in 1995, five years after the single was a hit.
Lee Ann Womack's single, "I Hope You Dance," released 2000.
RCA released Sara Evans' album "Born to Fly" 2000.
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 78th birthday in 2003.
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Dottie West born "Dorothy Marie Marsh," McMinnville, TN 1932.
Tom Mix died in a car wreck, between Florence and Tucson, AZ 1940.
Gary "Gene" Watson, born Palestine, TX 1943.
Paulette Carlson, "Highway 101" born Northfield, MN 1952.
Jimmy Murphy, singer/songwriter born Republic, AL 1952.
Johnny Cash recorded "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" 1957. Jack Clement produced the session.
Rex Griffin, age 46, songwriter, died in New Orleans 1958. NSHF 1970.
Capitol Records released Buck Owens single "Buckaroo/If You Want A Love" 1965.
The 1976 CMA Awards Show was held in Nashville.
"The Outlaws" was named CMA Album of the Year in 1976. This was the first Country Album to ever sell a million copies.
Kitty Wells and Paul Cohen inducted CMHF 1976.
The 1982 CMA Awards show was held in Nashville.
Lefty Frizzell, Marty Robbins, and Roy Horton, inducted CMHF 1982.
Tex Williams, age 68, died 1985.
T. Tommy Cutrer, age 74, former WSM announcer, died in 1998, from a heart attack. Cutrer was the TV announcer for the Porter Wagoner, and Johnny Cash shows.
Johnny Cash appeared on Larry King Live 2002.
Gary Allan's #1 single "Tough Little Boys" debuted on Billboard's Top 40 Chart 2003.
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Red Foley's "Smoke on the Water" topped the charts 1942.
Lefty Frizzell was the first artist, to place four songs in the Top Ten at the same time 1951.
"Jambalaya" took Hank Williams to #1 on the charts in 1952.
Marty Robbins released "Don't Make Me Ashamed/It's A Long Ride" 1953.
Bob Beckham's single "Just As Much As Ever" debuted on the charts 1959.
Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley P.T.A." took her to #1 and stardom in 1968.
Martie Seidel Maguire " Dixie Chicks," born 1969.
Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee" charted 1969.
Shane McAnally born 1974.
Conway Twitty's "The Games That Daddies Play" topped the charts 1976.
The 1981 CMA Awards were presented in Nashville.
Grant Turner and Vernon Dalhart inducted CMHF 1981.
Barbara Mandrell becomes the first artist to be named the CMA's Entertainer of the Year, two years in a row 1981. Barbara also won the award in 1980.
Terri Gibbs won the first CMA Horizon Award 1981.
Rod Brasfield inducted CMHF 1987.
Capitol released Charlie Daniels' album "Same Ol' Me" 1995.
John Denver, age 53, died when the plane he was flying crashed into the Pacific Ocean, near Monterey, CA 1997. Seven months earlier, the Federal Aviation Administration refused to issue a pilot's license to John, because of alcohol related problems.
Collectables released Johnny Cash's "Original Golden Hits, Vol. 1-2" 1999.
Diamond Rio's "Beautiful Mess" topped the charts 2002.
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Roy Rogers quit the Sons of the Pioneers 1937.
Roy Rogers signed his first Hollywood contract with Columbia Pictures 1938.
Acuff-Rose Publications was founded on this date in 1942. The formal partnership agreement was between Fred Rose, and Roy Acuff's wife Mildred.
Tex Ritter's "You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often" topped the charts 1945.
Lacy J. Dalton born "Jill Lynne Byrem," Bloomsburg, PA 1946.
Lefty Frizzell released "Cigarettes and Coffee Blues," 1958.
Olive "Marie" Osmond, born Ogden, UT 1959.
Leroy Van Dyke's "Just Walk On By" topped the charts 1961.
John Wayne Wiggins of "John & Audrey Wiggins" born Nashville, TN 1962.
Rhett Akins singer/songwriter, born Valdosta, GA 1969.
Johnny Rodriguez' "Ridin' My Thumb To Mexico" topped the charts 1973.
The 1975 CMA Award Show was presented in Nashville. Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty won their fourth straight award for Duo of the Year. Waylon Jennings won for Male Vocalist, and Minnie Pearl, age 63, was inducted into the CMHF.
The 1980 CMA Award Show was presented in Music City. Johnny Cash, Connie B. Gay, and the Original Sons of the Pioneers, inducted CMHF. Emmylou Harris named Female Vocalist of the Year, and George Jones named the Male Vocalist of the Year 1980.
Ricky Skaggs' single "Uncle Pen" went to #1 1984.
Dan Seals & Marie Osmond's duet "Meet Me In Montana" topped the charts 1985.
Deborah Allen released her album "Anthology" 1998.
Horace "Hoss" Logan, the founder of the Louisiana Hayride, died in Victoria, TX 2002.
Tommy Vaden, age 79, fiddler for Hank Snow died 2004.
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Dorsey Murdock Dixon, "Dixon Brothers, born Darlington, SC 1897.
Kenny Roberts, born "George Kingsbury" radio star, in Lenoir City, TN 1926.
Melba Montgomery, born Iron City, TN 1938.
The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company purchased a 30-minute segment of the Grand Ole Opry in 1938. The Prince Albert Show was born, and Roy Acuff was picked to be the host. The NBC radio Red network picked up the show, and broadcast it every Saturday night to twenty-six NBC stations, in addition to WSM. By 1943 the show was featured on the full NBC network, and could be heard coast to coast on 125 stations. Country music was on it's way.
Grandpa Jones married Ramona Riggins 1946.
Hank Snow went to #1 with "I Don't Hurt Anymore" in 1954.
The phrase "Nashville Sound," first appeared in Time magazine 1960.
Del Reeves joined the Grand Ole Opry 1966.
Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, born 1974, in President George Bush's state of Texas.
Johnny Paycheck's single "Take This Job and Shove It" was released 1977. It went to #1 the following month.
David Frizzell married Judy Britting 1982.
Sarah Ogan Gunning, age 73, of the singing Ogan clan, died 1983.
The 1985 CMA Awards show was presented in Nashville. Ricky Skaggs was named Entertainer of the Year, and Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs were inducted into the CMHF.
The Judds won their first, of three straight, CMA Vocal Group of the Year awards 1985.
Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton's duet "Both To Each Other (Friends & Lovers)" went to #1 in 1986.
Holly Dunn Joined the Grand Ole Opry 1989.
The last "Nashville Now" TV show was aired on TNN 1993.
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2000.
Bryan White and actress Erika Page married in Dallas, TX 2000.
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Texas Jim Lewis, leader of the "Lone Star Cowboys" born Meigs, GA 1909.
Louis Nunley, "Anita Kerr Singers" born Sikeston, MO 1931.
Larrie Londin, drummer, born Norfolk, VA 1943.
David Holt, multi-instrumentalist/TV Host/story teller, born Gatesville, TX 1946.
Bill Monroe recorded "Uncle Pen" 1950. The song was written about Bill's Uncle Pendleton Vandiver.
Hank Williams, and former girl friend Bobbie Jett, signed an agreement indicating that Hank, and his mother Lillie, would be responsible for Bobbie's unborn child on October 15, 1952. The child was named Cathy, and later "Jett Williams." Bobbie Jett died in 1974.
Loretta Lynn debuted as a guest, on the Grand Ole Opry 1960. She was invited back as a guest, for twenty-one consecutive weekends.
Ernie Ashworth's "Talk Back Trembling Lips" topped the charts 1963.
Frank Walker, age 73, entertainment industry executive died 1963.
Dean Miller born 1965.
The 1969 CMA Awards show was presented in Nashville.
Gene Autry inducted CMHF 1969.
The audience, at a Madison Square Garden Rock concert in 1971, booed Rick Nelson. As a result of this incident, Rick wrote "Garden Party."
Johnny Cash hosted the 1973 Country Music Association Awards in Nashville. Chet Atkins and Patsy Cline were inducted into the CMHF. Chet, age 49, was the youngest person ever inducted.
The 1974 CMA Awards show was presented in Nashville.
Pee Wee King and Owen Bradley inducted CMHF 1974.
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1975.
Al Stricklin, age 78, piano player for Bob Wills' Texas Playboys, died 1986.
"Cash: The Autobiography" went on sale 1997.
Tim McGraw's movie Friday Night Lights, opened in theaters in 2004.
Grand Ole Opry members Diamond Rio received the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award, from Steve Wariner during the Opry broadcast 2004.
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Bob Newman, of "The Georgia Crackers" born Cochran, GA 1915.
Dale Troy "Stoney" Cooper, born Harman, WV 1918.
George Morgan joined the Grand Ole Opry 1948.
Bland Simpson, of the "Red Clay Ramblers" born Durham, NC 1948.
Jim Ed Norman, record company executive/producer, born Fort Myers, FL 1948.
Carl Butler debuted on the Grand Ole Opry 1953.
Elvis Presley debuted on the Louisiana Hayride 1954.
Jimmie H. Davis inducted CMHF 1972.
Doyle Wilburn, age 52, of the "Wilburn Brothers" died Nashville, TN 1982.
Don Reno, age 58, of "Reno & Smiley" died Charlottesville, VA 1984.
Naomi Judd announced her retirement in 1990, due to illness.
Johnny Cash performed at Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Celebration in NYC 1992.
RCA released Vince Gill's "Super Hits" album 1996.
John Berry's "All the Way to There" album released in 2001.
Sara Evans single "Suds In The Bucket" topped the charts 2004.
The National Italian American Foundation honored Tim McGraw with their Special Achievement Award in Music 2004. Tim's mother is Italian.
The Ralph Stanley Museum was opened in Clintwood, VA 2004.
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Earl Thomas Conley, singer/songwriter born Portsmouth, OH 1941.
Marty Robbins released "Pretty Mama/Don't Let Me Hang Around" 1955.
"Alan" Eugene Jackson, born Newnan, GA 1958.
Garley Foster, age 63, of the "Carolina Tarheels," died 1968.
Willie Nelson taped the pilot show for Austin City Limits 1974.
Ernie Newton, age 66, stand-up acoustic bass player, died 1976.
Johnny Cash filmed a Christmas Special with Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis 1977.
Tennessee Ernie Ford became ill after attending a state dinner at the White House, and died in Reston, VA in 1991. Inducted CMHF 1990.
Johnny and June Carter Cash, filmed an episode of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" 1994.
RCA released Clint Black's "Looking for Christmas" album 1995.
A public memorial service for John Denver, age 53, was held in Aurora, CO. 1997. John was killed five days earlier when the plane he was flying crashed near Monterey, California.
American released Johnny Cash's "American III: Solitary Man" 2000.
Lee Ann Womack's single, "I Hope You Dance," certified platinum 2002.
Beecher Kirby "Bashful Brother Oswald," age 90, died in Madison, TN 2002.
June Carter Cash was diagnosed with a leaking heart valve 2002.
Lee Ann Womack sang "I Hope You Dance" on ABC-TV's Extreme Makeover 2004.
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Hank Williams married Billie Jean Jones Eshliman, in Minden, Louisiana in 1952. The following
day they repeated the wedding in two separate public ceremonies. Some folks say the last two
ceremonies were Hank's attempt to spite Audrey. After his death, a judge ruled the wedding was
not legal due to the fact that Billie Jean's divorce did not become final until eleven days after she
married Hank.
Keith Knudsen, "Southern Pacific" born Ames, IA 1952.
Harty Taylor, age 58, of the Cumberland Ridge Runners, and WLS's National Barn Dance died
1963.
Marty Robbins released "While You Were Dancing/Lonely Too Long" 1965.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans hosted the 1968 CMA Awards. The show was videotaped at the
Ryman Auditorium to be aired at a later date.
Bob Wills inducted CMHF 1968.
Sonny James' "Since I Met You Baby" topped the charts 1969.
The United Nations honored Johnny Cash with their Humanitarian Award 1979.
Asylum released "The Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol.2" 1982.
John Anderson married Jamie Atkinson 1983.
RCA released Chet Atkins' album "The RCA Years, 1947-1981" in 1992.
TNN debuted "Music City Tonight," in 1993.
Rhino released the Everly Brothers album "Heartaches & Harmonies" 1994.
Hightone Records released Rosie Flores' "Rockabilly Filly" 1995.
Ronald M. Anton, age 71, retired BMI executive killed in a fire at his home in Nashville 2000.
Donn Hecht, age 72, co-writer of "Walkin' After Midnight" died in Florida 2002.
Johnny Cash's "Hurt" video was shot in Hendersonville, TN on the 18th and 19th, 2002.
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Arthur Edward Satherley born in England 1889. Inducted CMHF 1970.
Hugh Ballard Cross of the Cumberland Ridge Runners, born Oliver Springs, TN 1904.
Don Parmley of the "Bluegrass Cardinals," born Monticello, KY 1933.
Harry Shelor, "New Grass Revival," born Louisville, KY 1941.
Mayf Nutter, born "Mayfred Nutter" Jane Lew, WV 1941.
Jeannie C. Riley born Anson, TX 1945.
Charlie Chase, Talk Show host, born Rogersville, TN 1952.
The Ozark Jubilee debuted on ABC TV 1954.
The CMA Awards Show made its debut in Nashville in 1967. The show was not televised. Jim Reeves was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Red Foley, J.L. Frank, and Stephen H. Sholes. The first ever "Song of the Year' award went to There Goes My Everything, written by Dallas Frazier, recorded by Jack Greene.
Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," charted 1968.
Cyndi Thomson born Tifton, GA 1976.
Grant Turner, age 79, the dean of WSM announcers, died in Nashville 1991. WSM and Opry announcer for forty-nine years. Inducted CMDJHF 1975. CMHF 1981.
RME released Bashful Brother Oswald's album "Carry Me Back" 1999.
MCA Records released Gary Alan's album "Smoke Rings In The Dark" 1999.
The 11th Annual International Bluegrass Music Association Awards Show was held in Kentucky in 2000.
Doc Watson and Lance LeRoy inducted IBMA Hall Of Honor in 2000.
Filming of Johnny Cash's "Hurt" video was completed in Hendersonville, TN 2002.
Johnny Faulk, age 79, of the Hackberry Ramblers died 2004.
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Stuart Hamblen, singer/songwriter/actor, born Kellyville, TX 1908.
Grandpa Jones, born "Louis Marshall Jones" Niagra, Kentucky 1913. Inducted CMHF 1978. Member of the Hee-Haw cast.
Jerry Irby, singer/songwriter, born New Braunfels, TX 1917.
Carolina Cotton, yodeling cowgirl, born Cash, AR 1926.
Wanda Jackson, the First Lady of Rockabilly, born Maud, OK 1937.
Ray Price's "City Lights" went to #1 on the charts 1950.
Leroy Van Dyke joined the Grand Ole Opry 1962.
Capitol Records released Buck Owens single "Big In Vegas" 1969.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crashed, killing six band members and back-up singers 1977.
Merle Travis, age 65, died in an Oklahoma hospital 1983. NSHF 1970. CMHF 1977.
Clint Black and actress Lisa Hartman married in Houston, TX 1991.
Curtis Massey, age 81, of "Louise Massey & the Westerners" died 1991.
Toby Keith's album, "Greatest Hits, Volume 1" released 1998.
Capitol Nashville released Deana Carter's "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" 1998.
Warner Bros. released "Chad Brock" 1998.
Johnny Cash hospitalized with pneumonia 1999.
-21-
Owen Bradley, Producer, born Westmoreland, TN 1915. Inducted CMHF 1974. Owen Bradley
turned Nashville into Music City USA.
Tommy Magness, fiddler, born Mineral Bluff, GA 1916.
Roy Nichols born 1931. Roy played guitar in Merle Haggard's band for twenty years.
Albert Green Hopkins, age 43, "The Hill Billies," died 1932.
Mel Street, born "King Malachi Street," Grundy, VA 1933.
Roy Acuff recorded "Wabash Cannon Ball," 1936.
Capitol Records released Buck Owens' single "Come Back/I know What It Means" 1957.
Buddy Holly's last recording session 1958.
Lefty Frizzell recorded "Saginaw, Michigan," 1963. It was his last #1 record.
Bill Black, age 39, former bass player for Elvis Presley, and leader of the Bill Black Combo, died from a brain tumor. 1965.
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1965.
Marty Robbins released "Camelia/Old Virginia" 1969.
Gene Vincent, age 36, died 1971.
Mel Street, age 45, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on his birthday in 1978.
Revenant Records released "Country Blues: Complete Early Recordings (1927-1929)" of Dock Boggs 1997.
Dave Apollon's album "The Man with the Mandolin" was released in 1997, twenty-seven years after his death.
-22-
Carl Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes" in his apartment 1955.
Leon Chappelear, age 53, died from a self-inflicted gunshot 1962.
Ernest Tubb inducted CMHF 1965.
The first CMA Award Show to be televised aired in 1966. It was on "The Jimmy Dean Show," on ABC-TV.
Eddy Arnold, James R. Denny, George D. Hay, and Uncle Dave Macon, inducted CMHF 1966.
Shelby Lynn born Quantico, VA 1968.
A Federal Judge ruled in Atlanta in 1975, that Billie Jean's marriage to Hank Williams was valid, and 50% of Hank's future royalties belonged to her. A few days after the judge's decision Audrey Williams died in her sleep, one day before the IRS was scheduled to seize her home.
Dorothy Shay, age 57, singer/actress/comedian died 1978.
Columbia Records released Mary-Chapin Carpenter's "A Place In My World" 1996.
Varese released "That's the Way Love Goes: The Final Recordings of Lefty Frizzell. 1966.
Clarence Cronic, age 88, of "Smith's Sacred Singers" died 1990.
Audium released John Anderson's two-disc "Anthology" 2002.
-23-
Johnny Carroll, Rockabilly/vocals/keyboards, born Cleburne, TX 1937.
Dwight Yoakam born Pikeville, KY 1956.
Johnny Cash made a guest appearance on the Burl Ives TV show 1959.
Roy Acuff Jr. debuted on the Grand Ole Opry 1965.
Johnny Cash performed at Carnegie Hall in NYC 1968.
Duane Mack "Junior" Bryant Jr., "Ricochet," born Pecos, TX 1968.
Mother Maybelle Carter, age 68, died 1978. Inducted CMHF 1970.
Gospel Road, a movie produced by Johnny Cash in Israel, premiered in Nashville 1972.
George Strait's "Easy Come, Easy Go" becomes his 25th #1 Billboard hit 1993.
Asleep At The Wheel released their "Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys"
1993.
Deja Disc released Wayne Hancock's debut album "Thunderstorms and Neon Signs" 1995.
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 75th Birthday in 1999. Dolly Parton and Vince Gill, hosted the show.
Rusty Kershaw, age 63, died 2001.
George Strait's single "I Hate Everything" topped the charts 2004.
-24-
Frank Walker music entertainment executive, born Fly Summit, NY 1889.
J. P. Richardson, "The Big Bopper," born Sabine Pass, TX 1930.
Whitey Shafer, master songwriter, born Whitney, TX 1934.
Glen Glenn, "Glen Troutman," born Joplin, MO 1934. Inducted RHOF.
Sanford Clark, singer/songwriter/guitarist, born Tulsa, OK 1935.
Mark Gray, singer/songwriter/musician, born Vicksburg, MS 1952.
Webb Pierce's "There Stands The Glass," charted 1953.
Billy Thomas "McBride & The Ride," born Ft. Myers, FL 1953.
Tom T. Hall & Patti Page recorded "Hello, We're Lonely" 1972.
Kirk McGee, age 83, died Franklin, TN 1983.
Gene Sullivan, age 69, of "Wiley & Gene" died 1984.
The Gaylord Entertainment Company came to Nashville, TN 1991. Traditional Country Music, was immediately exposed to a fatal disease, and slowly died a painful death.
Clay Walker and wife Lori married in 1992.
Chess Records released Dale Hawkins Rockabilly album "Oh Suzy Q" 1995.
The Oklahoma Music Hall Of Fame inducted Roy Clark, Wanda Jackson, and Jim Halsley, in 2000.
Razor & Tie released "The Best of Mac Davis" 2000.
Bryan White and wife Erika debuted as parents, when Justin Daniel arrived 2003.
Rosey Nix Adams, age 45, daughter of June Carter Cash, was found dead, along with Jimmy Campbell, in a converted School Bus 2003. Cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
-25-
Minnie Pearl born "Sarah Ophelia Colley" in Centerville, TN 1912. Inducted CMHF 1975.
Jack Hannah, "Sons of the San Joaquin" born Marshfield, MO 1933.
Jeanne Black, recording artist, born Pomona, CA 1937.
Marty Robbins released "It's A Pity What Money Can Do/It's A Long, Long Ride" 1954.
Mark Miller, "Sawyer Brown," born Dayton, OH 1958.
Chely Wright born Kansas City, MO 1970
Tom T. Hall recorded "Old Five And Dimers Like Me" 1972.
The Johnny Cash Show toured Japan from the 25th through the 31st in 1975.
Mother Maybelle Carter was buried in Hendersonville, TN 1978.
Alonzo Elvis "Tony" Alderman, age 83, "The Hill Billies," died 1983.
Roger Miller died in California in 1992, after losing his battle with throat cancer. NSHF 1973. CMHF 1995.
Johnnie Lee Wills, age 72, younger brother of Bob Wills, died 1984.
Johnny Cash played his final concert date in Flint, Michigan 1997.
The 9th annual, International Bluegrass Music Awards, were held in Louisville, KY 1998.The hosts were Ricky Skaggs, and Rhonda Vincent.
After the death of his mother, and divorcing his wife Sandy in 2000, Garth Brooks announced that he would release one more album and then retire.
Vernon White, age 68, road manager, died in Malibu, CA 2001.
Del McCoury joined the Grand Ole Opry 2003.
Angela Herzberg, wife of Gary Allan, died in Hendersonville, TN from a self-inflicted gunshot wound 2004.
-26-
Bob Luman released "Buttercup," and "Dreamy Doll," 1959.
Marty Robbins released "El Paso/Running Gun" 1959.
Columbia Records released Marty Robbins' "Ruby Ann/Won't You Forgive" 1962.
Bobby Bare's single "500 Miles Away From Home" debuted on Billboard's Top 40 Chart 1963.
Keith Urban born Whangarei, New Zeland, 1967.
Jack Barlow's "Baby Ain't That Love," charted 1968.
Rounder Records was founded in Somerville, MA 1970.
Waylon Jennings hospitalized in California, with chest pains 1988.
Collin Ray debuted as an actor in the Fox TV movie "Street Justice" 1992.
Aim Records released Harry Choates album "Cajun Fiddle King" 1999.
Hoyt Axton, age 61, singer/songwriter/actor, died in Victor, MT 1999.
Asylum released Chad Austin's album "All My Dreams" 1999.
Garth Brooks announced one of his many retirements from music in 2000. Reporters were not told if Chris Gaines was hanging it up too.
The Statler Brothers performed their final concert in Salem, VA 2002.
-27-
David Stone, WSM Grand Ole Opry announcer and head of the Opry Artist's Bureau, born
Savannah,GA1901.
DeWitt "Snuffy" Jenkins, Bluegrass banjo, born Harris, NC 1908.
Curley Rhodes born Tomahawk, WI 1911.
Bonnie Lou, Country/Rockabilly/vocals/guitarist, born "Mary Jo Kath," Towanda, IL 1924.
Floyd Cramer, piano/session musician/record producer, born Campti, LA 1933.
The Grand Ole Opry moved from WSM's Studio C, to Nashville's Hillsboro Theatre, in 1934. The Hillsboro seated 2,400 people, and for the first time the stars would have dressing rooms. At this time the artists were instructed to wear costumes on the show. The opening night at the Hillsboro Theatre was Vito Pellettiere's debut as the Opry's first stage manager. Mr. Pellettiere's contribution to the success of the Opry, over the next forty years cannot be overstated.
Ruby Wright born Nashville, TN 1939.
Dallas Frazier, singer/songwriter, born Spiro, OK 1939. Inducted NSHF 1976.
Lee Greenwood, vocals/keyboards/banjo/bass/guitar/saxophone, born Southgate, CA 1942.
Jack Daniels, "Highway 101," born Choctaw, OK 1949.
Willie Nelson married Jewel Matthews in Texas, 1952.
Joe Mullins "Traditional Grass," born Middletown, OH 1956.
Sonny James joined the Opry 1962.
Paula Nelson, daughter of Willie and Connie Nelson, born in Texas 1969.
Jerry Clower joined the Grand Ole Opry 1973.
Lorrie Morgan married Brad Thompson, 1991.
Jimmy Dean and Donna Meade were married 1991.
Epic released "The Swinging Best of Asleep at the Wheel" 1992.
CMT's concert series "All Access" debuted in 1998 with Travis Tritt.
RCA released Sara Evans' "No Place That Far" 1998.
Rural Rhythm Records released Vassar Clements album "20 Fiddle Tunes & Waltz Favorites" 1998.
Brooks & Dunn's single "Only In America" topped the charts 2001.
Josh Turner Day was celebrated in Florence, S.C. 2004.
-28-
William A. Bolick, "Blue Sky Boys," born Hickory, NC 1917.
Iry Lejeune, singer/accordionist born Church Point, LA 1928.
Mitchell Torok, singer/songwriter/recording artist, born Houston, TX 1929.
The Delmore Brothers conducted their first recording session 1931.
Johnny Western singer/songwriter, one of the last singing cowboys, born Two Harbors, MN 1934.
Cecil Blackwood "Blackwood Brothers" born Ackerman, MS 1934.
Charlie Daniels, born Wilmington, NC 1936.
Ted Hawkins singer/songwriter, born Lakeshore, MS 1936.
Bill Monroe Joined the Opry 1939.
Bill Monroe recorded his single "Christmas Time's A Comin'," 1951.
Elvis' "Love Me Tender" went to #1 on Billboards chart 1956. Later in the day he appeared on the Ed Sullivan TV show.
Buddy Holly and the Crickets appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand 1958.
Brenda Lee recorded "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" at Owen Bradley's Quonset Hut studio in 1958. The session musicians were; Buddy Harmon on drums, Grady Martin and Hank Garland on guitar, Floyd Cramer on Piano, Bob Moore on stand-up bass, and Harold Bradley on electric bass.
Brad Paisley, Grand Ole Opry member, born Glen Dale, WV 1972.
Jimmy Skinner, age 70, died 1979.
Marie Osmond married Brian Blosil 1986.
Mel Foree, songwriter for Acuff Rose Publishing, died 1990.
Tracy Lawrence released his debut album "Sticks and Stones" 1991.
Haley Marie Dunn, daughter of Ronnie and Janie Dunn, born 1994.
-29-
Albert E. Brumley, gospel music songwriter/publisher, born LeFlore County, OK 1905.
Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan born Gardena, CA 1916.
Gene Autry recorded "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" 1931.
Hank Snow conducted his first recording session 1936.
Sonny Osborne, of the "Osborne Brothers" born Hyden, KY 1937.
Charlie Monk, music publisher, born Noma, FL 1938.
The "Sunset Valley Barn Dance," debuted on KSTP in St. Paul, MN 1940.
Lee Clayton, singer/songwriter/guitarist, born Russellville, AL 1942.
Slim Whitman left the Louisiana Hayride and joined the Grand Ole Opry 1955.
Dolly Parton's "Coat Of Many Colors," charted 1971.
Elvis recorded his last hit, "Way Down," in his Graceland Studio 1976.
Alabama debuted on the Grand Ole Opry 1982.
Fred Maddox, age 73, of "Maddox Brothers & Rose" died 1992.
Alan Jackson's single "Livin' on Love" went to #1 1994.
Epic/Legacy released Charlie Daniels three-disc box set "Roots Remain" 1996.
Patty Loveless' album "Bluegrass and White Snow: A Mountain Christmas" released 2002.
-30-
Patsy Montana born "Ruby Rose Blevins" in Hope, AR 1908.
Lee Gillette, musician/publisher, born Indianapolis, IN 1912.
Kitty Wells, age 18, married Johnny Wright 1937.
Ernest Tubb recorded "Walking The Floor Over You" 1941.
Timothy B. Schmidt of the "Eagles," born Sacramento, CA 1947.
T. Graham Brown born Atlanta, Ga. 1954.
Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman," certified gold 1964.
Ronnie Milsap married Joyce Reeves 1965.
Tammy Wynette's "Run Woman Run" was the #1 Country song 1970.
Marty Robbins recorded "Twentieth Century Drifter" 1973.
Buck Owens recorded "It's A Monster's Holiday" 1973.
Jennifer and Heather Kinley, "The Kinleys," born 1976.
Kassidy Osborn, "SHeDAISY," born Magna, UT 1976.
The Oak Ridge Boys inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2000. The group was formed in 1945 as a gospel group.
Varese released Gene Autry's album "Goin' Back to Texas" 2001.
RCA released Clint Black's "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" 2001.
George Strait's single "I Hate Everything," and his album "50 Number Ones" were both #1 on Billboards country chars 2004.
-31-
Dale Evans born Uvalde, TX 1912.
Anita Kerr, "Anita Kerr Singers," born Anita Jean Grilli, in Memphis, TN 1927.
The Girls Of The Golden West recorded "Buckin' Bronco" 1934.
Ray Smith, SUN recording artist, born Melbar, KY 1934.
Kinky Friedman, & the Texas Jewboys, singer/songwriter, born Chicago, IL 1944.
Floyd Cramer's single "Last Date" debuted on the charts 1960.
Darryl Worley born Memphis, TN 1964.
Ernest Tubb recorded "Too Much Of Not Enough" 1967.
Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miners Daughter," charted 1970.
Larry Gatlin's "All The Gold In California" was the #1 Country song 1979.
Carl Belew, age 59, died from cancer in Salina, OK 1990.
Bob Atcher, age 79, died 1993. Member WLS National Barn Dance.
Shania Twain's "Honey I'm Home" went to #1 1998.
Dwight Yoakam released his 16th album, "Tomorrow's Sounds Today," in 2000.
Brooks & Dunn's album "Brand New Man" certified platinum X-6 in 2002.
OTHER MONTHS
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****This Country Music History Calendar is reprinted with permission from the original work copyrighted
by Bill Morrison © 2005.
See: Bill's "Rockabilly Country News & Views" Page
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