DECEMBER 14

1899: DeFord Bailey was born in Smith County, TN. The first African-American to play the Grand Ole Opry, the harmonica player was a key member of the cast until his firing in 1941. He’s inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

1928: Walter Haynes was born in Kingsport, TN. He played steel guitar on records by Little Jimmy Dickens and Patsy Cline, wrote Del Reeves’ “Girl On The Billboard,” and produced hits by Jeanne Pruett, Mel Tillis and Cal Smith, among others.

1932: Charlie Rich was born in Forrest City, AR. Nicknamed The Silver Fox, he worked in jazz and pop music before finding a home in country, where he earned the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1974.

1955: Frank Sinatra sent a telegram to Tennessee Ernie Ford, congratulating him on “Sixteen Tons“: “It’s a gasser.”

1961: Jimmy Dean’s “Big Bad John” became the first country-based record awarded a gold single by the Recording Industry Association of America.

1973: Lorrie Morgan gave her first performance on the Grand Ole Opry, singing “Paper Roses” at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

1974: Billy Swan scored the only #1 country single of his career with “I Can Help.”

1980: Alabama recorded “Old Flame.”

1986: Dolly Parton starred with Lee Majors and John Ritter in the ABC-TV holiday special “A Smoky Mountain Christmas.”

1989: Songwriter Tommy Brasfield died in Nashville. Brasfield wrote Earl Thomas Conley’s “Holding Her And Loving You,” Barbara Mandrell’s “Angel In Your Arms” and Ronnie Milsap’s “(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me,” among others.

1991: Dwight Yoakam made his TV acting debut on CBS’ “P.S. I Love You.“