APRIL 3

1942: Billy Joe Royal was born in Valdosta, GA. Best known for his pop hits “Down In The Boondocks” and “Cherry Hill Park,” he crafted a half-dozen Top 10 country singles from 1985-1990, including “Tell It Like It Is” and “Love Has No Right.”

1964: The Statler Brothers held their first recording session, cutting “The Wreck Of The Old ’97” in Nashville.

1967: Bobbie Gentry recorded “Ode To Billie Joe” at Los Angeles’ Capitol Recording Studios.

1968: Roy Clark made his first of several guest appearances on “The Beverly Hillbillies” as cousin Roy and Mother Myrtle.

1975: Emmylou Harris debuted with her famous “Hot Band” at a San Francisco club. Made up of some of the industry’s best singers and players, the “Hot Band” eventually became a proving ground for future country stars. Over the years, the lineup included, at various times, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs.

1982: The Oak Ridge Boys stormed the #1 spot in Billboard with “Bobbie Sue.”

1989: MCA released George Strait’s “What’s Going On In Your World.”

1989: MCA released Conway Twitty’s single “She’s Got A Single Thing In Mind.”

1990: MCA released Marty Stuart’s single “Hillbilly Rock.”

1991: Randy Travis debuted “Point Of Light“–written by Don Schlitz and Thom Schuyler at the request of president George Bush–on the CBS-TV special “Salute To The Troops.” Also appearing: Barbara Mandrell, Gary Morris, K.T. Oslin, Ray Stevens, Andy Griffith and Tony Orlando.

1992: Billy Ray Cyrus made his TV debut on TNN’s “Nashville Now.”

1992: Dolly Parton’s “Straight Talk” opened in theaters around the country, with the singer playing an unlikely radio talk show host in Chicago.

1995: BlackHawk released the single, “That’s Just About Right.”

2002: Brad Paisley received the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s Songwriter/Artist of the Year award.

2023: Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless and “Good Ole Boys Like Me” songwriter Bob McDill were announced as 2023 inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the museum’s Rotunda in Nashville.

2007: Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander was employed as a studio musician in Nashville when he played on “Tennessee Waltz” in a Patti Page recording session.

2011: Miranda Lambert won four trophies during the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. She nabbed Top Female Vocalist, while her song, “The House That Built Me,” garnered trophies in the Single Record, Song and Video of the Year categories.

2016: Chris Stapleton was the big winner, taking home trophies in four categories during the 51st annual Academy of Country Music Awards, aired by CBS from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. He claims Male and New Male Vocalist of the Year, while “Traveller” earns Album of the Year and “Nobody To Blame” gets Song of the Year.