APRIL 29
1925: Trumpet player Danny Davis was born in Dorchester, MS. His band, The Nashville Brass, blended country music with swing, winning a Grammy and six Country Music Association awards. He produces hits for Waylon Jennings and Don Gibson.
1933: Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, TX, though some relatives insist the birth was April 30. After writing “Crazy” and “Hello Walls,” he became a major figure in the ’70s outlaw movement, earning a plaque in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.
1934: Country historian Bob Pinson was born in Texas. He’s the primary builder of the Country Music Foundation’s music library, which consisted of approximately 200,000 discs at the time of his death in 2003.
1943: Duane Allen was born in Taylortown, TX. In 1966, he joined The Oak Ridge Boys, who successfully converted 11 years later from gospel music to country. Their version of “Elvira” sold 2 million copies, as they registered more than 30 Top 10 hits through 1991, joining the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
1951: NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt was born in Kannapolis, NC. He’s namechecked in the 2003 Chris Cagle single “Chicks Dig It” and the 2009 Tim McGraw hit “Southern Voice.”
1954: Goldie Hill and Justin Tubb recorded “Looking Back To See.”
1954: Karen Brooks was born in Dallas. Voted the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female Vocalist in 1983, she scored a #1 hit with T.G. Sheppard on “Faking Love,” and writes Emmylou Harris’ “Tennessee Rose.”
1957: Columbia released Marty Robbins’ first album, “A Song Of Robbins.”
1968: Decca released Loretta Lynn’s “Fist City” album.
1971: George Jones & Tammy Wynette recorded their first hit as a duo, “Take Me,” in the afternoon at Nashville’s Columbia Recording Studios.
1975: Merle Haggard recorded “Running Kind” in Nashville at the Jack Clement Studios.
1982: Alabama won three trophies at the 17th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, aired on NBC from Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA. The band claimed Entertainer of the Year; Top Vocal Group; and Album of the Year, for “Feels So Right.”
1989: RCA released Clint Black’s debut album, “Killin’ Time.”
1991: Curb released Hal Ketchum’s debut album, “Past The Point Of Rescue.”
1991: Alan Jackson and Michael Irwin shared song of the year honors at the “Music City News Country Songwriters Awards” in Nashville for “Here In The Real World” — the title track from Jackson’s first album.
1992: The Judd’s “Final Concert” video was released.
1992: Doug Stone underwent quadruple-bypass surgery in Nashville after experiencing chest pains three days earlier at a concert in Oregon.
1992: Garth Brooks was named Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist at the 27th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Plus: Billy Dean was one of seven double-winners. He took Top New Male Vocalist and Song of the Year, for “Somewhere In My Broken Heart.”
1996: Kenny Rogers underwent laser gall bladder surgery in Athens, GA.
1997: Patty Loveless recorded “You Don’t Seem To Miss Me” with George Jones in Nashville.
2002: Alison Krauss + Union Station began a two-night stand at the Palace Theater in Louisville, KY. The shows are recorded for a concert album, “Alison Krauss + Union Station – Live.”
2003: The documentary “King Of Bluegrass: The Life And Times Of Jimmy Martin” has its world premiere in Nashville. In attendance: Tom T. Hall, Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, Mac Wiseman and Del McCoury.
2021: Reba McEntire returned in her recurring role on the CBS sitcom, “Young Sheldon.” The episode introduced viewers to her character’s occupation as a hair stylist.
2026: David Allan Coe, songwriting legend and the definition of outlaw country, passed away the age of 86. Coe was in and out of prison for years before deciding to pursue a career in music, living in a hearse and regularly performing outside the Ryman Auditorium before eventually scoring a record deal in 1970. While his outlaw image and tendency to alienate most of the Nashville establishment hindered his mainstream success, his songwriting paved inroads, with his “Would You Lay With Me (In A Field of Stone)” becoming a massive #1 country hit for Tanya Tucker in 1974. His “Take This Job and Shove It” did likewise for Johnny Paycheck in 1977. Coe himself scored country hits with 1975’s “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” and 1983’s “The Ride.”
