JANUARY 24
1936: Doug Kershaw was born in Tiel Ridge, LA. An influential Cajun singer and fiddler, he hit country’s Top 10 with brother Rusty Kershaw in 1961 with “Louisiana Man.”
1939: Songwriter Bill Dees was born in Borger, TX. He co-wrote Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” remade as a country hit in 1970 by Arlene Harden, who retitled it “Lovin’ Man (Oh Pretty Woman).”
1939: Ray Stevens was born in Clarksdale, GA. Though capable of serious recordings such as “Everything Is Beautiful” and “Misty,” he earned a reputation for his comedy efforts, including “The Streak,” “Ahab, The Arab” and “Shriner’s Convention.”
1941: Pop singer Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn. He wrote several country hits: Glen Campbell’s “Sunflower,” T.G. Sheppard’s “Solitary Man” and Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius’ “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.”
1941: Aaron Neville was born in New Orleans. His 1966 pop hit “Tell It Like It Is” was remade as a country hit in 1989 by Billy Joe Royal. In 1993, Neville appeared on the country chart with “The Grand Tour.”
1947: Rock musician Warren Zevon was born in Chicago. Best known for his 1978 single “Werewolves Of London,” he also wrote the Linda Ronstadt hit “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” which Terri Clark remade for country consumption in 1996.
1950: Becky Hobbs was born in Bartlesville, OK. Highly regarded, her 11-year country chart span included a hit duet with Moe Bandy on “Let’s Get Over Them Together.” She also wrote Conway Twitty’s “I Want To Know You Before We Make Love.”
1953: Just weeks after his death, Hank Williams hit #1 with the prophetic “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive.”
1958: The Hank Snow Music Center, an instrument shop, opened at 810 Church Street in Nashville. On hand for the festivities: Ernest Tubb and The Wilburn Brothers.
1959: Songwriter Jimmy Driftwood played “The Louisiana Hayride” in Shreveport, where he worked with Johnny Horton to streamline the lyrics to “The Battle Of New Orleans.”
1962: Leroy Van Dyke recorded “If A Woman Answers (Hang Up The Phone)” at the Bradley Recording Studio in Nashville. The backing vocal group, the Merry Melody Singers, including Ray Stevens.
1968: Roger Miller recorded “Little Green Apples” in Nashville.
1981: The theme to “9 To 5” took Dolly Parton to the top of the Billboard country chart.
1989: Conway Twitty recorded “She’s Got A Single Thing In Mind” at Nashville’s Sound Stage.
1990: Capitol Records announced it would stop shipping albums on vinyl, beginning with Dan Seals’ “Love On Arrival.”
1991: Steel player Shot Jackson died in Nashville. One of the instrument’s innovators, he played with the likes of Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells and Webb Pierce, among others.
1994: George Strait’s “Pure Country” becomes a triple-platinum album.
1998: Justin Tubb died in Nashville following aortic surgery. The son of Ernest Tubb had three hits as a recording artist, and wrote Hawkshaw Hawkins’ “Lonesome 7-7203” and Highway 101’s “Walkin’, Talkin’, Cryin’, Barely Beatin’ Broken Heart.”
2003: As Joe Nichols sung “Brokenheartsville” at the Grand Ole Opry, a woman threw a green bra onto the stage. Supposedly, this makes history as the first time an undergarment has ever been thrown onto a stage during a performance.
2006: Josh Turner’s “Your Man” album was released.
2015: Jerry Lee Lewis was on hand as his 1959 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was sold at auction in Florida for $385,000.
2015: Blake Shelton performed “Neon Light” and “Boys ‘Round Here” as the musical guest on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” but he was also the host.