JANUARY 10
1948: Loretta Webb married Oliver “Mooney” Lynn in Butcher Holler, KY, officially becoming Loretta Lynn. He gave her her first guitar, became her first manager, and inspired many of her feisty domestic songs.
1949: Hank Williams began hosting a morning show, sponsored by Johnnie Fair Syrup, on Shreveport radio station KWKH, where he bills himself as “the ol’ syrup sopper.” The job lasts about four months, before he moves to Nashville.
1950: Hank Williams recorded his first recitations as Luke The Drifter at the Castle Studio in downtown Nashville.
1952: Audrey Williams filed for divorce from Hank Williams for the second time in four years.
1956: After kicking off the studio date with Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman,” Elvis Presley records “Heartbreak Hotel” during his first Nashville session, held at the Methodist Television, Radio & Film Commission.
1964: Roger Miller held his first recording session for Mercury Records’ sister label, Smash, at the Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, inaugurating the peak period of his career.
1967: Singer Kelly Lang was born in Oklahoma City. The daughter of Conway Twitty’s road manager, she married T.G. Sheppard seven months after her 40th birthday.
1980: Willie Nelson recorded “Faded Love” with his buddy–and former boss–Ray Price.
1981: Merle Haggard’s “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink” made a stir at #1 on the Billboard country chart.
1982: The Oak Ridge Boys’ “Bobbie Sue” was released by MCA.
1991: Clint Black joined the Grand Ole Opry during a taping for its 65th anniversary special.
1994: Patty Loveless recorded “Halfway Down” at Woodland Sound in Nashville.
1994: Alan Jackson recorded “Livin’ On Love.”
1995: The Kentucky HeadHunters’ “Pickin’ On Nashville” album is certified double-platinum.
2000: America Online announced the purchase of Time Warner for $162 billion. Current acts with Warner and its subsidiaries include Faith Hill, Clay Walker, Tracy Lawrence, John Michael Montgomery and Chad Brock.
2003: Darryl Worley performed “Have You Forgotten?” publicly for the first time on the Grande Ole Opry at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
2018: John Berry had surgery to remove malignant tonsils in Nashville. When doctors discovered the cancer had spread, a portion of his soft palate was removed as well.
