FEBRUARY 19

1940: William “Smokey” Robinson was born in Detroit, MI. Two songs he wrote for his Motown group The Miracles became country hits as well: “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” for Mickey Gilley, and “The Tracks Of My Tears” for Linda Ronstadt.

1943: Songwriter/keyboard player Bobby Emmons was born in Corinth, MS. In addition to writing “Luckenbach, Texas” and “So Much Like My Dad,” he played on hits by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks and Billy “Crash” Craddock.

1945: Three days after first meeting at the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee, songwriters Boudleaux and Felice Bryant married informally. The real marriage didn’t occur until later that year. The two went on to membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1957: Lorianne Crook was born in Wichita, KS. She co-hosted a series of TV and radio shows with Charlie Chase in syndication and on TNN, including “Crook & Chase” and “Music City Tonight.”

1957: Webb Pierce quit the Grand Ole Opry for the second time in two years. The Opry chides his “unwillingness to conform”; Pierce said he was tired of paying to play on the Opry, and of the Opry’s parent company using his likeness to sell insurance policies.

1969: Elvis Presley recorded Eddie Rabbitt’s “Kentucky Rain” at Memphis’ American Studios, with Ronnie Milsap on backing vocals.

1969: Johnny Cash heard songwriter Shel Silverstein’s “A Boy Named Sue” for the first time during a songwriters party in Tennessee, also attended by Graham Nash, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Joni Mitchell. Cash recorded the song five days later.

1974: Dolly Parton announced she was ending her duet partnership with Porter Wagoner.

1974: Charley Pride won Favorite Male Country Vocalist and Favorite Favorite Album, for “A Sunshiny Day,” in ABC’s first-ever American Music Awards, co-hosted by Roger Miller. Other winners: Lynn Anderson, Charlie Rich and The Carter Family.

1976: Loretta Lynn nabbed four honors from the Academy Of Country Music during its 11th annual awards at the Hollywood Palladium: Entertainer, Top Female Vocalist, Album of the Year (“Feelins’“) and Top Vocal Group, the latter two shared with Conway Twitty.

1977: Larry Gatlin’s “Broken Lady” won Best Country Song during the 19th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

1977: Elvis Presley hit #1 on the Billboard country chart with “Moody Blue.”

1987: Willie Nelson’s movie “Red Headed Stranger” premiered in Austin. Among those attending: Morgan Fairchild, Floyd Tillman and football coach Darrell Royal.

1993: Columbia released Dolly Parton’s album “Slow Dancing With The Moon.”

1993: Sawyer Brown topped the country charts with the single “All These Years.”

1998: Grandpa Jones died at McKendree Village in Nashville, seven weeks after suffering a stroke. A longtime Grand Ole Opry star and key member of the “Hee Haw” cast, he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1978.

1998: Lorrie Morgan issued a strongly worded denial over an article in the “Star” tabloid magazine that claimed she’d taken, quote, “a wild ride in the back seat of a limousine with President Bill Clinton.” She contended, quote, “The only accurate information in the article with regard to my relationship with President Clinton was that I joined him on stage for the Christmas tree lighting in Washington.”

2000: Garth Brooks agreed to join the New York Mets in Florida during spring training.

2002: Blake Shelton was named the Best New Artist of 2001 in the annual “Radio & Records” Country Radio Readers Poll.

2002: Tim McGraw and Lonestar were named as members of the American Red Cross’ newly developed 12 person celebrity board. As part of the honor, Tim and the band also committed to serving the Red Cross for a one-year term of volunteer service.

2003: Johnny Paycheck died in his sleep at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The colorful singer, closely associated with the “outlaw” movement, scored honky-tonk hits from 1966-1986, while building a checkered personal reputation.

2004: Ricky Skaggs was among the inductees into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. In addition, Dwight Yoakam and Montgomery Gentry received awards during the induction ceremony in Frankfort, Kentucky.

2004: Illness forced George Strait and Alabama to cancel shows. Strait postponed a concert in Detroit because he was suffering from a throat infection. Alabama scrapped a scheduled performance in Springfield, Illinois because frontman Randy Owen was still recovering from a viral condition affecting his inner ear.

2005: Darryl Worley Home Furnishings, a 38-hundred square-foot store, opened in Enterprise, Alabama.