Apr 7, 1932: Cal Smith is born in Gans, Oklahoma. He plays rhythm guitar and opens for Ernest Tubb for six years, then develops his own solo career, where his “Country Bumpkin” earns the Country Music Association’s Single of the Year honor in 1974
Apr 7, 1935: Bobby Bare is born near Ironton, Ohio. He earns a reputation as a champion for songwriters and for quality songs, garnering hits with “500 Miles Away From Home,” “Marie Laveau” and “Detroit City,” which earns him a Grammy in 1963. He joins the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013
Apr 7, 1948: Jim Reeves gets a win pitching for the Henderson Oilers. An injury makes it the final game of his baseball career
Apr 7, 1952: Capitol releases Faron Young’s debut single, “Tattle Tale Tears”
Apr 7, 1956: Carl Perkins takes “Blue Suede Shoes” to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart
Apr 7, 1959: Marty Robbins records “El Paso” and “Big Iron” in the same recording session at the Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville while cutting the entire “Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs” album in a single day
Apr 7, 1970: John Wayne wins the only Oscar of his career for the movie “True Grit.” The picture was the first to feature Glen Campbell in an acting role
Apr 7, 1977: Vern Gosdin records “Till The End” during an evening at Nashville’s Sound Stage
Apr 7, 1978: Bill Anderson becomes the first country artist to appear on a soap opera, playing himself on ABC’s “One Life To Live.” He sings “Sometimes”
Apr 7, 1979: Rosanne Cash marries Rodney Crowell
Apr 7, 1998: “The Oak Ridge Boys Live From Las Vegas” debuts on The Nashville Network. The first weekly prime-time show to emanate from Vegas, its inaugural guests are Lou Rawls and John Schneider
Apr 7, 2009: The theatrical version of “9 To 5,” with music written by Dolly Parton, debuts on Broadway at New York’s Marquis Theatre
