JANUARY 14
1919: Actor/songwriter Joe Seneca was born in Cleveland, OH. Cast in such films as “Kramer Vs. Kramer” and “Silverado,” he writes the pop hits “Talk To Me” and “Break It To Me Gently,” which become country hits for Mickey Gilley and Juice Newton.
1929: Billy Walker was born in Ralls, TX. Shuffling the #1 “Charlie’s Shoes” among 16 Top 10 hits, he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1960.
1938: Billie Jo Spears was born in Beaumont, TX. After working on The Louisiana Hayride as a teenager, she moved to Nashville in 1964, netting five Top 10 hits, including the #1 single “Blanket On The Ground.”
1948: T Bone Burnett was born in St. Louis, MO. An artist in his own right, he produced Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’ “Raising Sand” album, the soundtracks to “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “Crazy Heart,” and the music of ABC-TV’s “Nashville.”
1952: Hank Williams and Ray Price began moving into a house at 2718 Wedgewood in Nashville. They shared the home for about six months.
1972: Jerry Lee Lewis recorded “Chantilly Lace” at the Mercury Recording Studio in Nashville.
1972: Connie Smith recorded “Just For What I Am” and “Love Is The Look You’re Looking For” at RCA Studio B in Nashville.
1973: “Elvis Live From Hawaii Via Satellite,” aired from Honolulu’s HIC Arena, set a record by reportedly drawing a global TV audience of one billion viewers. Elvis Presley’s performance of James Taylor’s “Steamroller Blues” later became a single.
1977: The Gatlin brothers recorded “Love Is Just A Game” in an afternoon session at Nashville’s Creative Workshop.
1986: Reba McEntire joined the Grand Ole Opry during a CBS special celebrating the Opry’s 60th anniversary. Hank Snow boycotted the special when producers limited him to one verse of “I’m Moving On.”
1987: Warner Bros. released “To Know Him Is To Love Him,” the first single from the trio of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt.
1990: Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson starred in the CBS-TV movie “Pair Of Aces.”
1992: Reprise released Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers’ live album “At The Ryman.”
2000: The Music City News shut down after 37 years of operation. The fanzine was founded by Faron Young, and established an awards show in 1967, which later morphed into the TNN Country Music Awards.