DECEMBER 2
1898: Herman Crook was born in Scottsboro, TN. The Crook Brothers performed regularly on the Grand Ole Opry for 62 years.
1947: Hank Snow began what proved to be his final Canadian sessions before his career shifted into the U.S., at the Victor Studio in Montreal.
1947: Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys recorded “Tennessee Waltz” in Chicago at RCA Studio A.
1950: John Wesley Ryles was born in Bastrop, LA. He netted two country hits as an artist, 1968’s “Kay” and 1977’s “Once In A Lifetime Thing“; wrote Steve Wariner’s “Starting Over Again“; and provided background vocals on hits by Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Brooks & Dunn and Randy Travis, among others.
1957: Decca released Bobby Helms’ Christmas single “Jingle Bell Rock.”
1972: Brenda Lee recorded “Nobody Wins,” written by Kris Kristofferson, at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN.
1979: Debby Boone recorded “Are You On The Road To Lovin’ Me Again” at the Jack Clement Studios in Nashville. The session also featured “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again,” which will become a hit for T. Graham Brown six years later.
1980: Charley Pride recorded “Roll On Mississippi.”
1982: The movie “Honkytonk Man” premieres in Nashville. Starring Clint Eastwood, the movie features Marty Robbins performing the title track. Robbins also has an acting role, along with Ray Price, Porter Wagoner and David Frizzell & Shelly West.
1983: RCA released The Judds’ first single, “Had A Dream (For The Heart).”
1984: Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton hosted the CBS-TV special “A Christmas To Remember,” designed to promote their album “Once Upon A Christmas.”
1986: Piano player Marvin Hughes died. His credits included: Martha Carson’s “Satisfied,” Elvis Presley’s “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,” Ray Price’s “Heartaches By The Number” and Jim Reeves’ “He’ll Have To Go,” on which he played vibes.
1989: Randy Travis went to #1 on the Billboard country chart with “It’s Just A Matter Of Time.”
1990: “Murder, She Wrote” went to Music City, as Sheb Wooley, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Dean guest in an episode of the CBS drama titled “Ballad Of A Blue Lady.”
1992: The Smoky Mountain Boys played “I’ll Fly Away” to close a memorial to Roy Acuff at the Acuff Theatre. Also taking part: Hank Snow, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe, Jeannie Seely, Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins and Little Jimmy Dickens.
1998: Johnny Cash, Brian Wilson and Jeff Barry received the Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters in Los Angeles.
2016: Singer/songwriter Mark Gray died in Lebanon, TN. A solo hitmaker in the 1980s, he also landed a duet with Tammy Wynette on “Sometimes When We Touch” and wrote Janie Fricke’s “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy” and the Alabama singles “Take Me Down” and “The Closer You Get.”
2018: Reba McEntire was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, D.C., alongside Cher, classical composer Philip Glass and jazz saxophone player Wayne Shorter.
2019: A&E launched a two-night biographical special, “Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On.”
