Apr 23, 1936: Roy Orbison is born in Vernon, Texas. A 1987 addition to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he reaches the country charts with his solo hit “You Got It” and a duet with Emmylou Harris. His songs “Crying” and “Blue Bayou” also become country hits for Don McLean and Linda Ronstadt, respectively
Apr 23, 1947: Songwriter Kent Robbins is born in Mayfield, Kentucky. Among his credits: George Strait’s “Write This Down,” The Judds’ “Love Is Alive,” John Anderson’s “Straight Tequila Night,” Trace Adkins’ “Every Light In The House” and Gary Allan’s “Her Man”
Apr 23, 1953: Elvis Presley makes his first record, an acetate recording of “My Happiness,” at Sun Recording Studio in Memphis
Apr 23, 1956: Elvis Presley makes his Las Vegas debut, with Shecky Green and the Freddy Martin Orchestra, at the New Frontier Hotel. Reaction is so negative, his four-week booking ends after two weeks
Apr 23, 1977: Kenny Rogers records “Sweet Music Man” during an evening session at the Jack Clement Studios in Nashville
Apr 23, 1983: Columbia releases Willie Nelson’s “Take It To The Limit” album
Apr 23, 1994: Bill Monroe’s farm in Sumner County, Tennessee, is sold at auction for $375,000. The land is bought by the Grand Ole Opry, which refurbishes the log house and allows Monroe to continue living there
Apr 23, 1997: LeAnn Rimes wins three times at the 32nd annual Academy of Country Music awards, aired by NBC from the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. She’s named Top New Female Vocalist, while “Blue” takes Song and Single Record of the Year
Apr 23, 1998: Pam Tillis portrays con artist Kate Matthews on two CBS-TV shows on the same evening: “Promised Land” and “Diagnosis: Murder”
Apr 23, 2000: Johnny Cash and Ralph Stanley are given Living Legend medals from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Apr 23, 2015: A VIP grand opening party is held for the George Jones Museum in downtown Nashville. Guests include Dierks Bentley, Lee Greenwood, T.G. Sheppard, Jeannie Seely, Lorrie Morgan, John Rich and Rex Allen Jr.
