APRIL 2
1938: Warner Mack was born in Nashville, TN. A regular on “The Louisiana Hayride” and “The Ozark Jubilee,” he nabbed more than 10 Top 10 hits in the 1950s and ’60s, including his signature song, “The Bridge Washed Out.”
1941: Songwriter Sonny Throckmorton was born in Carlsbad, NM. He wrote The Judds’ “Why Not Me,” Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Middle Age Crazy” and George Strait’s “The Cowboy Rides Away,” joining the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987.
1942: Pop artist Leon Russell was born in Lawton, OK. He joined Willie Nelson on a 1979 remake of “Heartbreak Hotel,” and recorded two country albums under the assumed name Hank Wilson, a hybrid of Hank Williams and Hank Thompson.
1947: Emmylou Harris was born in Birmingham, AL. After attaining commercial success, she edged into what became an alt.country career, gaining numerous Grammy awards and a 2008 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1956: Johnny Cash recorded “I Walk The Line” and “Get Rhythm” at the Sun Recording Studio in Memphis.
1960: Bless their little pea-pickin’ magazine: Tennessee Ernie Ford was featured on the cover of TV Guide.
1961: Buddy Jewell was born in Osceola, AR. After singing on demos for a number of years in Music City, he won the first “Nashville Star” TV competition in 2003, leading to a recording contract and a gold album.
1962: Billy Dean was born in Quincy, FL. He told people his birthday is April 2nd, so they won’t think of him as an April Fool. He netted a series of smooth hits in the 1990s, including “Somewhere In My Broken Heart,” “Billy The Kid” and “Only The Wind.”
1970: Conway Twitty recorded “Fifteen Years Ago” at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN.
1977: “Lucille” brought Kenny Rogers his first #1 country single in Billboard magazine.
1978: “Dallas” debuted on CBS, introducing the world to J.R. Ewing, and contributing to the development of 1980’s “Urban Cowboy” movement. “Dallas” cast member Charlene Tilton went on to marry “Urban Cowboy” success story Johnny Lee.
1983: The Bellamy Brothers snagged the top spot on the Billboard country singles chart with “When I’m Away From You.”
1987: President Ronald Reagan presented Minnie Pearl with the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award at the White House in Washington, D.C.
1988: Reba McEntire’s “Love Will Find Its Way To You” found its way to #1 on the Billboard country singles list.
1989: Hank Williams Jr. enraged fans when he walked out on a concert just 40 minutes into his set at Viking Hall in Bristol, TN.
1990: Diamond Rio signed its first recording contract, with Arista Records.
1994: Little Texas topped the Billboard country singles chart for the first time with “My Love.”
1998: The Jordanaires entered the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, along with such other groups as The Imperials, J.D. Sumner & The Stamps, The Speer Family, The Chuck Wagon Gang and The Blackwood Brothers, during a Nashville ceremony.
1999: Trisha Yearwood appeared on “Sesame Street,” and got to rub shoulders with one of her biggest childhood influences. She said, quote, “As a child, Grover was my hero. To finally get to meet my childhood hero and have an opportunity to perform with him is something I’ll never forget.”
2004: Martina McBride’s image was shown on the billboard above NASDAQ’s headquarters in New York’s Times Square as Lifetime TV and the National Domestic Violence Hotline honored her commitment to ending domestic violence.
2006: Brad Paisley performed “When I Get Where I’m Going” during the funeral for Buck Owens at the Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield. Garth Brooks, Chris Hillman, Herb Pederson, Lulu Roman, Dwight Yoakam, John Berry and Trace Adkins were also in attendance.
2007: Clay Walker took part in opening day for the Houston Astros, singing the national anthem in advance of the baseball game and performing “God Bless America” during the seventh inning stretch.
2013: Wynonna Judd was the first celebrity voted off “Dancing With the Stars.”
2017: Clint Black postponed a concert at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Tennessee for a week as he battled an unspecified illness.
