Jul 30, 1952
Songwriter Dennis Morgan is born in Tracy, Minnesota. Among his long line of hits: Ronnie Milsap’s “Smoky Mountain Rain,” George Strait’s “River Of Love” and Barbara Mandrell’s “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”
Jul 30, 1955
Johnny Cash records his first version of “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Luther Played The Boogie” and “So Doggone Lonesome” at the Sun Recording Studio in Memphis
Jul 30, 1956
Brenda Lee has her first recording session, remaking the Hank Williams classic “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)” at the Bradley Recording Studio in Nashville
Jul 30, 1956
Jesco White is born in Bandytown, West Virginia. Known as “the dancing outlaw,”
Jul 30, 1958
Neal McCoy is born in Jacksonville, Texas. Known for such mid-1990s recordings as “No Doubt About It” and “Wink,” he garners more acclaim for his energetic stage show, earning Entertainer of the Year twice in the TNN/Music City News awards
Jul 30, 1960
Songwriter Karen Staley is born in Hookstown, Pennsylvania. She authors Terri Clark’s “Everytime I Cry,” Tracy Byrd’s “The Keeper Of The Stars,” Trick Pony’s “On A Night Like This” and Faith Hill’s “Let’s Go To Vegas”
Jul 30, 1961
Brenda Lee sings the national anthem at the opening of the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. Jack Smith wins the Volunteer 500
Jul 30, 1964
Banjo player Ron Block is born in California. He joins Alison Krauss + Union Station in 1991, performing on “When You Say Nothing At All,” plus The Soggy Bottom Boys’ “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” and Vince Gill’s “High Lonesome Sound”
Jul 30, 1968
Johnny Cash records the Carl Perkins-penned “Daddy Sang Bass” at the Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, with The Statler Brothers and Jan Howard providing additional voices
Jul 30, 1972
“Deliverance,” starring Burt Reynolds, debuts in movie theaters. The picture includes Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell performing “Dueling Banjos”
Jul 30, 1973
Dottie West records “Country Sunshine” as a commercial for Coca-Cola with Steve Wariner playing bass
Jul 30, 1979
The morning after a show in Cleveland, Ohio, Jan Howard is fired from Johnny Cash’s tour. Within weeks, Nashville is abuzz with rumors that the two had had an affair
Jul 30, 1985
Alabama becomes the first country act to go quadruple-platinum, as the “Mountain Music” and “Feels So Right” albums are certified for shipments of 4 million copies. “The Closer You Get” goes triple-platinum
Jul 30, 1986
John Denver is dropped by RCA after releasing “What Are We Making Weapons For.” Some observers speculate it’s because General Electric, the new owner of RCA, manufactures weapons
Jul 30, 1989
Rodeo pro Lane Frost is killed by a Brahma bull after a ride in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His story inspires the 1994 movie “8 Seconds”
Jul 30, 1996
Decca releases Gary Allan’s debut single, “Her Man”
Jul 30, 2003
Record producer Sam Phillips dies at Memphis’ St. Francis Hospital from respiratory failure. Founding Sun Records, he played a role in the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and others, landing in the Country Music Hall of Fame
Jul 30, 2013
MCA releases the Vince Gill & Paul Franklin album “Bakersfield,” featuring remakes of songs first recorded by Merle Haggard and Buck Owens
