DECEMBER 26
1911: Dobro player Beecher Kirby was born in Sevier County, TN. Under the name Bashful Brother Oswald, he became a key member of Roy Acuff’s Smoky Mountain Boys, eventually joining the Grand Ole Opry as a solo act in 1995.
1946: Keyboard player Bob Carpenter was born in Philadelphia. A member of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band beginning in 1978, he was with them when they reached their commercial peak in the 1980s, turning out such hits as “Fishin’ In The Dark” and “Modern Day Romance.”
1955: Banjo player Alan O’Bryant was born in Reidsville, NN. A member of The Nashville Bluegrass Band, he wrote “Those Memories Of You,” a 1987 hit for Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
1968: A man threatening to kill Waylon Jennings broke into J.D.’s in Phoenix after hours and forced the Waylors to lie on the floor. The man was killed while running from police.
1970: “Rose Garden” brought Lynn Anderson her first #1 single on the Billboard country chart.
1975: Dolly Parton sang “Jolene” and Charlie Rich performed “All Over Me” during an NBC telecast of “The Midnight Special“
1978: Willie Nelson receives a platinum album from the RIAA for “Stardust“
1980: Jim McBride quit his job at the post office in Huntsville, AL, to become a Nashville songwriter. He amassed such credits as Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee,” Tammy Cochran’s “Angels In Waiting” and Waylon Jennings’ “Rose In Paradise“
1981: Alabama’s “Love In The First Degree” topped the Billboard country singles chart.
1982: Songwriter Roger Bowling was found dead on the couch at his home in Rabun County, GA. Bowling wrote Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille” and “Coward of the County.”
1987: Highway 101 collected a #1 single with “Somewhere Tonight.”
1991: RCA released Alabama’s “Born Country“
1992: Vince Gill’s “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away” rode to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart.
1993: Toby Keith sang “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” at halftime of Dallas’ NFL game against the Washington Redskins at Texas Stadium in Irving. The Cowboys romp, 38-3
1996: Johnny Cash was hailed on CBS-TV’s “The Kennedy Center Honors.” Rosanne Cash sang “I Walk The Line” and delivered “I’ll Fly Away” with Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson and Lyle Lovett.
1998: Terri Clark went to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart for the first time with “You’re Easy On The Eyes“
2003: Loretta Lynn was celebrated during CBS-TV’s “The Kennedy Center Honors.” Reba McEntire sang “You’re Lookin’ At Country“; Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood did “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man“; Lyle Lovett performed “Rated ‘X‘”; and Patty Loveless covered “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
2006: Dolly Parton was celebrated in the CBS special “The Kennedy Center Honors.” Kenny Rogers and Carrie Underwood did “Islands In The Stream“; Alison Krauss, Suzanne Cox and Cheryl White covered “Jolene“; Shania Twain performed “Coat Of Many Colors“; and Vince Gill closed with “I Will Always Love You.”
2018: Brooks & Dunn covered “Why Haven’t I Heard From You,” Kelly Clarkson performed “Fancy” and Lady Antebellum did “Is There Life Out There” and “The Greatest Man I Never Knew” as Reba McEntire was recognized in the CBS telecast of “The Kennedy Center Honors.” Little Big Town and Cyndi Lauper helped pay tribute to Cher.
