JANUARY 12
1905: Maurice “Tex” Ritter was born near Murvaul, TX. A successful silver-screen cowboy, he built a music career on top of his acting, with the theme to “High Noon” and several recitations. He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1964.
1926: Ray Price was born in Peach, TX. Nicknamed the “Cherokee Cowboy,” he was instrumental in the growth of the country shuffle and the use of recorded strings. His legacy includes “Crazy Arms,” “For The Good Times,” “I’ve Got A New Heartache” and a plaque in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1939: William Lee Golden was born in Brewton, AL. He joined The Oak Ridge Boys in January 1965, aiding their leap from gospel to country to pop. A baritone with a mountain-man image, he left the group in 1987, but returned 10 years later.
1952: Ricky Van Shelton was born in Grit, VA. A smooth and powerful vocalist, Shelton earned a reputation for revitalizing country staples such as “From A Jack To A King” and “Statue Of A Fool,” winning the CMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year in 1989.
1957: Elvis Presley recorded “All Shook Up” and “Tell Me Why” at Radio Recorders in Hollywood.
1957: Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper joined the Grand Ole Opry.
1959: Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown Records in Detroit. The company established a country label, Melodyland, in the mid-1970s, launching T.G. Sheppard’s first hits, “Devil In The Bottle” and “Tryin’ To Beat The Morning Home.”
1961: Ray Price recorded “Heart Over Mind” and “The Twenty-Fourth Hour” in an evening session at Nashville’s Bradley Studios.
1970: Decca released the Conway Twitty album “To See My Angel Cry/That’s When She Started To Stop Loving You.”
1976: RCA released “Wanted: The Outlaws.” The album features Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser.
1977: John Denver filmed part of his ABC special “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” at the Palomino in Los Angeles. Guest Mary Kay Place sang “Baby Boy,” and Denver and Place were joined by Glen Campbell and Roger Miller on “Jambalaya (On The Bayou).”
1982: Ronnie Milsap recorded “Inside” at Groundstar Laboratory in Nashville.
1987: MCA released George Strait’s album “Ocean Front Property.”
1990: Columbia released Ricky Van Shelton’s “RVS III.”
1991: Johnny Paycheck was released from a prison in Chillicothe, OH, after serving two years for shooting a man in a bar during December 1985. Paycheck was originally sentenced to seven years.
1991: Garth Brooks occupied the #1 position on the Billboard country singles chart with “Unanswered Prayers.”
1994: Alan Jackson recorded “I Don’t Even Know Your Name.”