AUGUST 31
1939: Jerry Allison was born in Hillsboro, Tx. In addition to playing drums on Buddy Holly hits as a member of The Crickets, he appears on records by Waylon Jennings, Billy Walker and The Everly Brothers.
1945: Singer/songwriter Van Morrison was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Known for the pop hits “Domino” and “Brown Eyed Girl,” he recorded a country album with Linda Gail Lewis and remade “Mule Skinner Blues” for a Jimmie Rodgers tribute album.
1950: Hank Williams recorded “Moanin’ The Blues” and “Nobody’s Lonesome For Me” at Nashville’s Castle Studio in an afternoon session.
1959: The Browns claimed a #1 country single in Billboard magazine with “The Three Bells.”
1968: Jeannie C. Riley made her Grand Ole Opry debut.
1968: Merle Haggard’s prison-themed “Mama Tried” did time at #1 on Billboard magazine’s country singles chart.
1973: Shelter released Leon Russell’s first country album, “Hank Wilson’s Back Vol. I.” The disc included remakes of “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” “A Six Pack To Go,” “In The Jailhouse Now,” “Uncle Pen” and “Lost Highway,” among others.
1974: “Step right up…” to #1: George Jones topped the Billboard country singles chart with “The Grand Tour.”
1981: Rosanne Cash brought her father, Johnny Cash, into a Nashville studio for a collaboration on the Tom T. Hall song “That’s How I Got To Memphis.”
1983: Warner Bros. releases Gary Morris’ “Why Lady Why” album.
1984: Epic released Exile’s “Kentucky Hearts” album.
1984: Capitol/Curb released Sawyer Brown’s debut single, “Leona.”
1993: Liberty released Garth Brooks’ “In Pieces” album.
1998: Ronnie Dunn recorded “Tennessee Oiler Fight Song,” which he co-wrote with Terry McBride, as a give-away for the NFL team’s first home game in Nashville.
1999: George Strait recorded “The Best Day.”
2002: The Grand Ole Opry paid tribute to Minnie Pearl as it presented its 4,000th Saturday night show. Included in the tribute: Clint Black, Barbara Mandrell, Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Steve Wariner, who wins the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award.
