JULY 10
1929: Colleen Carroll was born. She signs in the 1950s with Capitol Records, the same label that ultimately launched the career of her son, Garth Brooks.
1938: Songwriter/guitarist Dave Kirby was born in Brady, TX. A nephew of Big Bill Lister, he authored “Is Anybody Goin’ To San Antone” and “There Ain’t No Good Chain Gang,” playing on hits by George Strait, Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton, among others.
1951: Singer/songwriter Cheryl Wheeler is born in Timonium, MD. She wrote Dan Seals’ 1988 hit “Addicted” and Suzy Bogguss’ 1992 recording “Aces.”
1952: Hank and Audrey Williams divorced for the second–and final–time.
1952: Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded “Blackberry Boogie” at the Capitol Studios on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood.
1954: Songwriter/producer Robert Byrne was born in Detroit, MI. Among his credits: Earl Thomas Conley’s “What I’d Say,” Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses,” Ronnie Milsap’s “How Do I Turn You On” and The Forester Sisters’ “Men.”
1958: Banjo player Bela Fleck was born in New York City. A member of the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival and the jazz act Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, he has played on recordings by Garth Brooks, Kathy Mattea, Randy Travis and Ricky Skaggs.
1961: Spade Cooley’s murder trial, in which he’s accused of killing his wife, began in Kern County, CA. He was sentenced to prison the following month.
1963: Ernest Tubb recorded “Thanks A Lot” at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville.
1965: Ken Mellons was born in Kingsport, TN. The deep-voiced singer earned a 1994 hit with “Jukebox Junkie.”
1970: Johnny Cash recorded Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
1974: Porter Wagoner introduced Barbara Lea as the replacement for Dolly Parton on his live shows and his syndicated television program. Parton still continued to record with Wagoner.
1975: Conway Twitty recorded “This Time I’ve Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me” at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN.
1980: Eddie Rabbitt hosted his first TV special, “The Eddie Rabbitt Show,” on NBC. Guests included: Emmylou Harris, Jerry Lee Lewis, Henny Youngman and Stockard Channing.
1984: Drummer Jim Gordon was sentenced to 16 years to life for brutally murdering his mother with a hammer and a knife in a schizophrenic rage. Gordon played on country hits by Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Gordon Lighftoot and Lynn Anderson.
1993: John Anderson deposited “Money In The Bank” at #1 on the Billboard country chart.
2014: Garth Brooks announced he partnered with Sony Music to release his comeback album as he prepared to tour again, ending a retirement from the road that lasted more than a decade.
