JANUARY 1
1931: Piano player Bobbie Nelson was born in Abbott, TX. The older sister of Willie Nelson, she became a member of his band, playing on such hits as “Whiskey River,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “Uncloudy Day” and “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.”
1948: The American Federation of Musicians initiated a strike against the nation’s record companies. It lasted until December.
1950: Steve Ripley was born in Boise, ID. He became the lead singer for The Tractors, a raw amalgam of country, R&B and roots rock that defies a country tradition in 1994, achieving a gold album without ever having played a full concert.
1953: Hank Williams was pronounced dead at Oak Hill General Hospital in Oak Hill, WV, after passing away in the back seat of a Cadillac, en route to a show in Canton, OH. Many believe he died from a mix of alcohol and morphine.
1956: Sun Records released Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes.”
1958: Johnny Cash gave his first New Year’s performance at San Quentin prison in California. He did several more in ensuing years.
1959: Johnny Cash performed at San Quentin prison. Merle Haggard was in the audience.
1964: Eleven years after Hank Williams’ death, Audrey Williams started a promotional concert tour for Hank Williams Jr.’s first record, “Long Gone Lonesome Blues,” in Canton, OH, the city in which Hank Senior was scheduled to play the day he died.
1967: Elvis Presley’s new contract with manager Colonel Tom Parker took effect. Parker received a 50% commission on any income above guarantees.
1971: Tom T. Hall joined the Grand Ole Opry.
1985: Rick Nelson died in a plane crash outside of DeKalb, Texas.
1987: RCA limited its country albums to nine cuts. Within a few short years, the label abandoned the policy.
1987: Clint Black wrote “Nobody’s Home” after waking up with the flu in a new house following a breakup.
1990: Lisa Hartman first met Clint Black backstage at his concert in Houston, TX.
1994: Faith Hill resided at #1 on the Billboard country singles chart for the first time in her career with “Wild One.”
1997: Singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt died following a heart attack in Mt. Juliet, TN. His credits included Don Williams & Emmylou Harris’ “If I Needed You” and Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson’s “Pancho And Lefty.”
2002: Big Kenny, already $140-thousand in debt, lost most of his last $200 while playing black jack in a Las Vegas casino. He gave the dealer a $20 tip, which left himself with just one buck. This event inspired him to write a future Tim McGraw hit, “Last Dollar (Fly Away).”
2003: Toby Keith headlined the big year-end show for folks in Nashville at the Gaylord Entertainment Center for the first time. The show included performances from Scotty Emerick, Willie Nelson and Blake Shelton. Things went so well that Toby returned – this time with Terri Clark and Dierks Bentley in tow.
2011: The Band Perry performed “If I Die Young” on the ABC year-end special, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” along with, Fergie, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Hot Chelle Rae. It was the last iconic New Year’s Eve of Clark’s life.
2013: Patti Page died in Encinitas, CA. A traditional-pop star of the 1950s, she landed numerous songs on the country charts across several decades, including her signature hit, “The Tennessee Waltz.”
