Apr 19, 1941: Songwriter Bobby Russell is born in Nashville, Tennessee. His hits include Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey,” Roger Miller’s “Little Green Apples” and Reba McEntire’s “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia”
Apr 19, 1962: ABC-Paramount rush releases an edited version of Ray Charles’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You” to beat Tab Hunter’s pop rendition of the song
Apr 19, 1965: Ernest Tubb records “Waltz Across Texas” at RCA Studio B in Nashville
Apr 19, 1969: Glen Campbell goes to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart with the Jimmy Webb song “Galveston”
Apr 19, 1975: Dave & Sugar perform their first concert, opening for Charley Pride in Oklahoma City
Apr 19, 1978: Columbia releases Willie Nelson’s “Stardust” album
Apr 19, 1979: Willie Nelson records “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground” at the Jack Clement Studios in Nashville
Apr 19, 1980: Crystal Gayle ascends to the top of the Billboard country chart with “It’s Like We Never Said Goodbye”
Apr 19, 1981: Fans get a bonus during a Johnny Cash concert at the Ahoy Hall in Rotterdam, Holland, when Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis make an unannounced appearance
Apr 19, 1989: Tim McGraw signs a management contract with Louisiana businesswoman Carol Booth. The deal later becomes the subject of significant litigation
Apr 19, 1993: George Strait records “Lovebug” and “The Man In Love With You” at the Sound Stage in Nashville
Apr 19, 1994: George Strait records “The Big One” and “You Can’t Make A Heart Love Somebody” at Emerald Sound Studios in Nashville
Apr 19, 2003: Loretta Lynn performs at a sold-out show at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom that pairs her with rock duo The White Stripes. She decided to do the concert after hearing their version of her 1972 release “Rated ‘X"”
Apr 19, 2012: Drummer Levon Helm dies after a battle with throat cancer at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. As a member of The Band, he sang lead on “Up On Cripple Creek,” ranked among the 500 greatest country singles in the Country Music Foundation book “Heartaches By The Number”
Apr 19, 2014: Kevin Sharp dies in Fair Oaks, California, of complications from previous stomach surgeries. He earned three Top 10 country hits during the 1990s, topped by a remake of “Nobody Knows,” after enduring a two-year battle with cancer
Apr 19, 2016: Hachette Books publishes “Waylon: Tales Of My Outlaw Dad,” written by Terry Jennings with David Thomas
