Hank Snow began what proved to be his final Canadian sessions before his career shifted into the U.S. He recorded songs for the last time at the Victor Studio in Montreal in 1947.
Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys recorded Tennessee Waltz in Chicago at RCA Studio A in 1947.
Decca released Bobby Helms’ Christmas single Jingle Bell Rock in 1957.
Brenda Lee recorded Nobody Wins at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN in 1972. The song was written by Kris Kristofferson.
Charley Pride recorded Roll On Mississippi in 1980.
The movie Honkytonk Man premiered in Nashville in 1982. Starring Clint Eastwood, the movie features Marty Robbins performing the title track. Robbins also has an acting role, along with Ray Price, Porter Wagoner and David Frizzell & Shelly West.
RCA released The Judds’ first single, Had A Dream (For The Heart) in 1983.
Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton hosted the CBS-TV special A Christmas To Remember in 1984, designed to promote their album Once Upon A Christmas.
Piano player Marvin Hughes died in 1986. His credits include: Martha Carson’s Satisfied, Elvis Presley’s I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Ray Price’s Heartaches By The Number and Jim Reeves’ He’ll Have To Go, on which he played vibes.
Randy Travis went to #1 on the Billboard country chart with It’s Just A Matter Of Time in 1989.
Murder, She Wrote went to Music City in 1990, as Sheb Wooley, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Dean guest in an episode of the CBS drama titled Ballad Of A Blue Lady.
The Smoky Mountain Boys played I’ll Fly Away to close a 1992 memorial to Roy Acuff at the Acuff Theatre. Also taking part: Hank Snow, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe, Jeannie Seely, Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins and Little Jimmy Dickens.
Singer/songwriter Mark Gray died in 2016. A solo hitmaker in the 1980s, he also landed a duet with Tammy Wynette on Sometimes When We Touch and wrote Janie Fricke’s It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy and the Alabama singles Take Me Down and The Closer You Get
Reba McEntire was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, D.C. in 2018, alongside Cher, classical composer Philip Glass and jazz saxophone player Wayne Shorter.
In 2019 A&E launched a two-night biographical special, Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Herman Crook was born in Scottsboro, TN in 1898. The Crook Brothers performed regularly on the Grand Ole Opry for 62 years.
John Wesley Ryles was born in Bastrop, LA in 1950. He netted two country hits as an artist – 1968’s Kay and 1977’s Once In A Lifetime Thing. He also wrote Steve Wariner’s Starting Over Again and has provided background vocals on hits by Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Brooks & Dunn and Randy Travis, among others.
