Apr 27, 1904: Syd Nathan is born in Cincinnati. He founds King Records, which nets country hits with Moon Mullican, The Delmore Brothers and Hawkshaw Hawkins, among others. He also writes “I’ll Sail My Ship Alone” and “Goodnight Irene”
Apr 27, 1929: Tommy Hill is born near Coy City, Texas. A producer and label executive, he writes Red Sovine’s “Teddy Bear” and Webb Pierce’s “Slowly”
Apr 27, 1932: Maxine Brown, of The Browns, is born in Campti, Louisiana. Along with sister Bonnie and brother Jim Ed, she becomes part of a smooth-singing harmony trio, netting major recordings with “The Three Bells” and “Scarlet Ribbons.” The Browns join the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015
Apr 27, 1942: Rock drummer Jim Keltner is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Known for his work with John Lennon, George Harrison and Art Garfunkel, he also plays on a series of Dolly Parton hits in the late-1970s
Apr 27, 1944: Herb Pedersen is born in Berkeley, California. A member of The Desert Rose Band, he also sings on such singles as Linda Ronstadt’s “Love Is A Rose,” Emmylou Harris’ “If I Could Only Win Your Love” and Deborah Allen’s “Baby I Lied”
Apr 27, 1959: Eddy Arnold records “Tennessee Stud” at RCA Studio B in Nashville
Apr 27, 1959: Sheena Easton is born in Glasgow, Scotland. Known for such pop hits as “Modern Girl,” “Strut” and “For Your Eyes Only,” she earns a #1 country single when she teams with Kenny Rogers in 1983 on “We’ve Got Tonight”
Apr 27, 1967: Waylon Jennings records “The Chokin’ Kind” during an afternoon session at Nashville’s RCA Studio B
Apr 27, 1968: Merle Haggard takes “The Legend Of Bonnie And Clyde” to #1 in Billboard
Apr 27, 1971: Charley Pride records “I’m Just Me” in Nashville
Apr 27, 1971: Dolly Parton records “Coat Of Many Colors” in Nashville at RCA Studio B
Apr 27, 1976: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris perform together for the first time during a taping of the syndicated “Dolly” TV show
Apr 27, 1978: Kenny Rogers dominates the 13th annual Academy Of Country Music awards at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium, winning four honors: Top Male Vocalist; Album of the Year, for “Kenny Rogers”; and Single Record and Song of the Year, for “Lucille”
Apr 27, 1984: Columbia releases Mark Gray’s debut album, “Magic”
Apr 27, 1986: Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, George Strait and Larry Gatlin play an Austin concert that ABC airs the following night as “Texas 150: A Celebration Special.” Also aboard: Gene Autry, Freddy Fender, Kenny Rogers, Mac Davis, Jimmy Dean and others
Apr 27, 1992: MCA releases McBride & The Ride’s “Sacred Ground” album
Apr 27, 1992: Gary Morris portrays a doctor on CBS-TV’s “Designing Women,” where he sings “Make The World Go Away.” Also heard in the episode: George Strait’s “You Look So Good In Love”
Apr 27, 1993: MCA releases Tracy Byrd’s self-titled debut album
Apr 27, 1993: RCA releases Larry Stewart’s first solo album, “Down The Road”
Apr 27, 1996: The Browns are reunited on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry
Apr 27, 2003: Media executive Ed Gaylord dies of pancreatic cancer at his home in Oklahoma City. He established Gaylord Entertainment, which owned TNN, CMT and the Grand Ole Opry for much of the 1990s
Apr 27, 2004: Interscope releases Loretta Lynn’s “Van Lear Rose” album, produced by White Stripes rocker Jack White
