SEPTEMBER 22
1947: Columbia released Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys’ original version of “Blue Moon Of Kentucky.”
1956: Debby Boone was born in Hackensack, NJ. The daughter of Pat Boone and granddaughter of Red Foley, she earned a million-selling pop/country hit in 1977 with “You Light Up My Life,” then scored a 1980 country hit, “Are You On The Road To Lovin’ Me Again.”
1956: June Forester was born in Fort Oglethorpe, GA. The Forester Sisters emerged as a tight-harmonied female vocal group in the 1980s, leaning toward positive messages with such hits as “I Fell In Love Again Last Night,” “You Again” and “Letter Home.”
1976: Columbia released Willie Nelson’s gospel album “The Troublemaker.”
1979: The Eagles’ Joe Walsh announced he was running for president in 1980.
1979: Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley appeared on TV’s “Hee Haw.” Bandy sang “Barstool Mountain,” and Stampley performed “Do You Ever Fool Around.”
1979: “Just Good Ol’ Boys” hits #1 on the Billboard country singles chart for duet partners Moe Bandy & Joe Stampley.
1980: Electric guitarist Jimmy Bryant died of lung cancer in Moultrie, GA. Teamed with steel player Speedy West, they were jointly known as the Flaming Guitars for their lightning-quick facility. Bryant also wrote the Waylon Jennings hit “Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line.”
1980: Liberty released Kenny Rogers’ “Lady,” written and produced by Lionel Richie.
1981: Conway Twitty recorded “The Clown” and “Slow Hand” in two separate sessions at the Sound Stage in Nashville.
1985: Willie Nelson sponsored the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, IL, with Merle Haggard, John Cougar Mellencamp, Roger Miller, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alabama, George Jones, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, B.B. King, Judy Rodman and Waylon Jennings, among others.
1986: MCA released Reba McEntire’s “What Am I Gonna Do About You” album.
1986: George Strait recorded “Ocean Front Property” at Sound Stage in Nashville.
1992: Garth Brooks released his album, “The Chase.” It was the second country album ever to enter both the pop and country album charts at #1 – his “Ropin’ the Wind” was the first.
1998: Decca released Lee Ann Womack’s “Some Things I Know” album.
1998: Columbia released “Tribute To Tradition.” The album features “Same Old Train,” a Grammy-winner with 13 artists, including Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs and Marty Stuart.
1999: Dolly Parton, Johnny Bond and Conway Twitty were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during the 33rd Country Music Association awards, held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
2008: Toby Keith ranked #3 on the “Forbes” List of the World’s Best-Paid Music Stars, earning $48-million that year. Rascal Flatts’ $40-million puts them at #7. In the pop arena, Justin Timberlake was #4; Madonna came in at #5; and The Police were at the top of the heap at #1 with earnings of $115-million.
2010: Del McCoury is honored with the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
2017: Reba McEntire celebrated 40 years since her Grand Ole Opry debut. Her Opry anniversary includes surprise appearances by Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood, who performed with McEntire on “Does He Love You.” Underwood’s set also includes “Wasted” and “I Told You So.”
