DECEMBER 22

1921: Hawkshaw Hawkins was born in Huntington, WV. He scored a handful of hits from 1949-1963, including “Slow Poke,” “Soldier’s Joy” and “Lonesome 7-7203.” He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1955.

1948: Hank Williams recorded “Lovesick Blues” in Cincinnati at the E.T. Herzog Studio.

1949: Robin and Maurice Gibb were born in Manchester, England. With brother Barry, they formed the pop group The Bee Gees. They also wrote several country hits, including Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton’s “Islands In The Stream,” Olivia Newton-John’s “Come On Over” and Susie Allanson’s “Words.”

1957: Merle Haggard attempted to rob a restaurant, mistakenly believing it had closed. He ended up serving time in San Quentin.

1960: Guitarist Chuck Mead was born in Nevada, MO. He became one of two lead vocalists in BR549, a traditionally-influenced band that emerged from the lower Broadway club scene in Nashville to become a critical favorite in the 1990s.

1962: Paul Martin was born in Winchester, KY. He replaced J.P. Pennington as the lead singer of Exile in 1989, contributing to the band’s subsequent hits “Keep It In The Middle Of The Road,” “Nobody’s Talking” and “Even Now.” Martin eventually joins Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives.

1973: Merle Haggard was perched at #1 on the Billboard country singles chart with “If We Make It Through December.”

1984: The Judds and “Why Not Me” are found at #1 on the Billboard country chart.

1986: MCA released George Strait’s single “Ocean Front Property.”

1992: Ken Mellons recorded “Jukebox Junkie.”

2002: Nashville’s morning paper, “The Tennessean,” named Alan Jackson the Tennessean of the Year, in great part because of his accomplishments with the song “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).” The funny thing is, Alan hails from Newnan, Georgia.

2003: Dave Dudley died of a heart attack in WI. A former disc jockey, he earned a reputation for his trucker hits, particularly the 1960s classics “Six Days On The Road” and “Truck Drivin’ Son-Of-A-Gun.”