JANUARY 5

1923: Sun Records founder Sam Phillips is born in Florence, AL. He signs and produces such acts as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, entering the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

1923: Big Bill Lister is born in Kenedy, TX. A friend of Hank Williams, he records the first commercial version of “There’s A Tear In My Beer” and eventually gives Williams’ demo to Hank Williams Jr., who turns it into a duet hit.

1946: Two singles tie for the #1 position on the Billboard country chart: Tex Ritter’s “You Will Have To Pay” and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys’ “White Cross On Okinawa.”

1947: Drummer and vocalist Larry Michael Lee is born in Springfield, MO. After a career with pop’s Ozark Mountain Daredevils, he goes on to produce country hits for Alabama, Restless Heart and The Remingtons.

1960: Hank Locklin records “Please Help Me, I’m Falling” at RCA Studio B in Nashville. The session marks the development of Floyd Cramer’s “slip-note” style of playing piano.

1961: Singer/songwriter Mark Nesler is born in Beaumont, TX. He writes Tim McGraw’s “Just To See You Smile,” George Strait’s “Living And Living Well,” Josh Turner’s “Time Is Love” and Keith Urban’s “You Look Good In My Shirt,” among others.

1968: Jerry Lee Lewis records “Another Place, Another Time” at the Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville.

1972: Larry Gatlin holds his first recording session at the Monument Studios in Nashville.

1973: Tanya Tucker records “What’s Your Mama’s Name.”

1976: MCA releases the Tanya Tucker album “Lovin’ And Learnin’.”

1979: John Anderson records his first Top 10 single, “1959,” at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville during a midday session.

1980: Kenny Rogers kicks off a three-week run at the top of the Billboard country chart with “Coward Of The County.”

1982: Earl Scruggs and Tom T. Hall record an early version of the Alabama hit “Song Of The South” in Nashville. Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash and The Oak Ridge Boys lend backing vocals. In the band: Randy Scruggs, Byron Berline and Jerry Douglas.

1985: George Strait goes to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart with “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind.”

1989: Tanya Tucker records Garth Brooks’ “The Thunder Rolls.” It remains in the vaults until the 1994 release of her box set, “Tanya Tucker.”

1992: Hank Williams Jr. appears on “Hot Country Nights” without a beard. It’s the first time he’s been seen clean-shaven since a mountain-climbing accident in August 1975. Also featured: Billy Dean, Tammy Wynette, Patty Loveless and Sawyer Brown.

1998: Former pop singer Sonny Bono dies in a skiing accident in South Lake Tahoe, CA. With former partner Cher, he recorded the original version of “All I Ever Need Is You,” which also became a country hit for Kenny Rogers & Dottie West.

2000: Waylon Jennings plays Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium for the last time. Travis Tritt joins him on “I’ve Always Been Crazy” and Montgomery Gentry contributes to “I’m A Ramblin’ Man.” Also on board: Jessi Colter and John Anderson.