Apr 25, 1874: Guglielmo Marconi is born in Bologna, Italy. At age 22, he receives a patent for the radio, a medium honored by such hits as “Nothing On But The Radio,” “I Watched It All On My Radio,” “Radio Heart” and “There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With The Radio”
Apr 25, 1928: Fiddler Vassar Clements is born in Kinard, South Carolina. He gains five Grammy nominations while playing everything from bluegrass to jazz, including an appearance on The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s classic “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”
Apr 25, 1930: The Beverly Hill Billies make their first recordings for Brunswick Records. In 1963, they successfully sue producers of The Beverly Hillbillies for copyright infringement
Apr 25, 1933: Songwriter Jerry Leiber is born in Baltimore, Maryland. Best known for the rock and rhythm & blues songs he writes with partner Mike Stoller, Leiber also hits the country chart as a writer with such titles as “Jailhouse Rock,” “Don’t,” “Hound Dog,” “Stand By Me” and “Ruby Baby”
Apr 25, 1936: The Chuck Wagon Gang holds its first recording session for Vocalion Records, overseen by Art Satherley
Apr 25, 1940: O.B. McClinton is born in Senatobia, Mississippi. The self-billed “Chocolate Cowboy” charts often in the 1970s and ’80s. His “Don’t Let The Green Grass Fool You” ranks among country’s 500 greatest singles in a Country Music Foundation book
Apr 25, 1954: Singer/songwriter Rob Crosby is born in Sumter, South Carolina. He writes Lee Greenwood’s “Holdin’ A Good Hand,” Martina McBride’s “Concrete Angel” and Eric Paslay’s “Friday Night,” and has two hits in 1991 as an artist: “She’s A Natural” and “Love Will Bring Her Around”
Apr 25, 1965: Rory Lee Feek is born in Atchison, Kansas. He forms the duo Joey+Rory with his wife, Joey Martin, and authors Blake Shelton’s “Some Beach,” Clay Walker’s “The Chain Of Love” and Easton Corbin’s “A Little More Country Than That”
Apr 25, 1980: Asylum releases the “Urban Cowboy” soundtrack with Kenny Rogers, Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Anne Murray, Jimmy Buffett, The Eagles, The Charlie Daniels Band, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg and J.D. Souther
Apr 25, 1985: “Big River” opens on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill Theater. Featuring music written by Roger Miller, the play goes on to win seven Tony awards, including Best Score
Apr 25, 1986: The Judds receive their first platinum album, for “Why Not Me”
Apr 25, 1990: Clint Black claims four trophies in the 25th annual Academy Of Country Music awards on NBC from Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre: Top Male and New Male Vocalist; Album of the Year, for “Killin’ Time”; and Single Record of the Year, for “A Better Man”
Apr 25, 1994: The Eagles perform live for the first time in 14 years at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California. Two shows are shot for an MTV special, “The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over,” forming the foundation for their “Hell Freezes Over” album
Apr 25, 1994: Curb releases Tim McGraw’s “Don’t Take The Girl” commercially. The song is already being played on radio stations
