Apr 18, 1930: Songwriter Don Hecht is born. He writes the Patsy Cline hit “Walkin’ After Midnight”
Apr 18, 1939: Gene Autry records “Back In The Saddle Again” in Los Angeles for the western movie “Rovin’ Tumbleweeds”
Apr 18, 1962: Johnny Cash and “Bonanza” star Lorne Greene hold a recording session at the Columbia Studios in Hollywood. The track is never released
Apr 18, 1963: Bobby Bare records “Detroit City” in Nashville during an afternoon session at RCA Studio B. He also cuts “She Called Me Baby,” destined to become a hit more than 10 years later for Charlie Rich
Apr 18, 1968: A friend accidentally shoots Roger Miller in the left hand with an air pistol in his Los Angeles home. It takes 90 minutes for doctors to remove the pellet, delaying a promotional trip to London
Apr 18, 1981: Alabama takes “Old Flame” to #1 on the Billboard country chart
Apr 18, 1982: HBO honors the Killer with “Twenty Five Years Of Jerry Lee… A Celebration,” featuring Johnny Cash, Dottie West, Kris Kristofferson, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, Mickey Gilley and The Oak Ridge Boys
Apr 18, 1987: The Bellamy Brothers bring “Kids Of The Baby Boom” to #1 in Billboard
Apr 18, 1988: MCA releases Reba McEntire’s “Reba” album
Apr 18, 1991: The Internal Revenue Service sells a 668-acre spread owned by Willie Nelson at auction for $86,100
Apr 18, 1992: Aaron Tippin picks up his first #1 country single in Billboard: “There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With The Radio”
Apr 18, 1994: George Strait records “Adalida” at Nashville’s Emerald Sound Studios
Apr 18, 1998: Diamond Rio joins the cast of the Grand Ole Opry, following an introduction by Little Jimmy Dickens. The first song the band performs as members: “Meet In The Middle”
Apr 18, 1998: Jo Dee Messina says hello to the top spot on the Billboard country singles chart with the Phil Vassar-penned “Bye Bye”
Apr 18, 2002: The Tennessean reports Tammy Wynette’s four daughters have settled a $50-million lawsuit against Dr. Wallis Marsh out of court. Filed in 1999, the suit implicated Marsh in the 1998 death of the singer
Apr 18, 2012: TV executive Dick Clark dies following a heart attack in Santa Monica, California. The “American Bandstand” host founded a production company, Dick Clark Productions, that handled the Academy of Country Music Awards
