DECEMBER 7

1931: Bobby Osborne is born in Hyden, KY. With younger sibling Sonny, The Osborne Brothers became a major bluegrass duo, joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1964 and developing their signature song “Rocky Top.”

1941: The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Tennessee Ernie Ford, working as a disc jockey at WORL, was the first person to inform Knoxville of the tragedy.

1948: Gary Morris was born in Fort Worth, TX. A considerably talented singer, he piled up a string of hits that includes “The Wind Beneath My Wings” and “Baby Bye Bye” beginning in 1980 before branching into night-time soaps and Broadway.

1954: Marty Robbins recorded a remake of Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right” during an evening session at Nashville’s Castle Studio.

1960: Gene Autry was approved by the American League as the owner of a new Southern California baseball team, which he named the Angels. Autry paid $2.45 million to establish the franchise.

1978: The Oak Ridge Boys sang “Y’all Come Back Saloon” as CBS aired “A Country Christmas,” a holiday special featuring Roy Clark, Minnie Pearl, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Jim Stafford, Lynn Anderson and Loretta Lynn with Patsy and Peggy Lynn.

1991: Reba McEntire’s “For My Broken Heart” topped the Billboard country singles chart.