DECEMBER 1
1951: Slim Whitman recorded “Indian Love Call” at the KWKH Studio in Shreveport, LA. The song was introduced in the 1930s by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy in the movie “Rose Marie.”
1954: Fred Rose died in Nashville of a heart attack. Rose founded Acuff-Rose Publishing with Roy Acuff and wrote “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.” He is one of the first inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
1957: Singer/songwriter Kim Richey was born in Zanesville, OH. Her credits include Radney Foster’s “Nobody Wins” and Trisha Yearwood’s “Believe Me Baby (I Lied).”
1964: Buck Owens recorded “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail” and “Cryin’ Time” in an afternoon session at the Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood.
1965: Merle Haggard & The Strangers recorded “Swinging Doors” at the Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood.
1966: Carter Stanley died in Bristol, TN. Along with younger sibling Ralph Stanley, The Stanley Brothers joined Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs among bluegrass’ pioneers, and their mountain harmonies significantly influenced Ricky Skaggs.
1972: Roy Clark recorded “Come Live With Me” and “Somewhere Between Love And Tomorrow” during a late-night session at the Jack Clement Studios in Nashville.
1978: Sgt. Barry Sadler shot and killed songwriter Lee Emerson in a dispute that involved 25-year-old Darlene Sharp. He was found guilty of murder, though he served only 22 days. Emerson wrote hits for Carl Smith, Marty Robbins and Porter Wagoner.
1979: Anne Murray’s “Broken Hearted Me” goes to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart.
1980: The CBS telecast “A Country Christmas,” aired featuring Glen Campbell, Tanya Tucker, The Oak Ridge Boys, Minnie Pearl, Tom Wopat, Debby Boone and Loretta Lynn.
1981: Ricky Skaggs recorded “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could.”
1982: Marty Robbins performed in Cincinnati. The concert would be his last.
1986: Alabama recorded “Face To Face” and “Fallin’ Again.”
1987: George Strait picked up his second platinum album, for “Ocean Front Property.”
1999: Wynonna and Naomi Judd held a press conference at Nashville’s Gaylord Entertainment Center to announce they’d go on a reunion tour in 2000. Explaining the timing, Naomi quips, “I’m not dead, and she’s not pregnant.”
2009: Songwriter Aaron Schroeder died in Englewood, NJ. Among his credits: Elvis Presley’s “A Big Hunk O’ Love” and “It’s Now Or Never,” Billy “Crash” Craddock’s “I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door” and Johnny Duncan’s “She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed (Anytime).”
