FEBRUARY 3
1900: Emmett Miller was born in Macon, GA. He is believed to have influenced Jimmie Rodgers, while Bob Wills and Merle Haggard both cite him as an important act. Miller was the first to record “Lovesick Blues,” which launched Hank Williams to superstardom.
1946: Howard Bellamy was born in Darby, FL. Along with sibling David, The Bellamy Brothers net over 25 hits from 1979-1990, employing baby-boomer themes and double entendres. They earned 17 CMA nominations as a duo or group, but never won.
1957: Singer/songwriter Ashley Cleveland was born in Knoxville. Married to guitarist Kenny Greenberg, the Grammy-winning Christian artist backed up Reba McEntire on “Why Haven’t I Heard From You” and Martina McBride on “Wild Angels.”
1957: Sonny James hit #1 in Billboard with his signature hit, “Young Love.”
1959: Buddy Holly played his final concert, using a band that included Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup, in Clear Lake, IA. It was also the last show for J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) and Ritchie Valens.
1960: Cowboy Copas recorded “Alabam.”
1961: Little Jimmy Dickens recorded “Farewell Party” at the Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville. The song had to wait 18 years to become a hit, for Gene Watson.
1974: Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” went to #1 on the Billboard country chart.
1981: George Strait recorded his first hit, “Unwound,” at Music City Music Hall in Nashville.
1982: Marty Robbins recorded “Some Memories Just Won’t Die” in Nashville.
1987: RCA/Curb released The Judds’ “Heartland” album.
1989: Willie Nelson records “Nothing I Can Do About It Now.”
1990: Waylon Jennings recorded the first commercial version of “Where Corn Don’t Grow” at Nashville’s Eleven-Eleven Sound. The song became a hit for Travis Tritt in 1997.
1991: Paul Overstreet earned a #1 country single in Billboard with “Daddy’s Come Around.”
1994: The Country Music Hall Of Fame announced plans to move from Music Row to downtown in 1996. The move didn’t actually occur until May 2001.
2009: Dolly Parton was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Richland Country Club in Nashville.