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Country Music History – July 15

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JULY 15

1913: Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas was born in Blue Creek, OH. Dubbed the Waltz King of the Grand Ole Opry, he fashioned such hits as “Filipino Baby” and “Alabam.” He died in the same 1963 plane crash that killed Patsy Cline.

1946: Linda Ronstadt was born in Tucson, AZ. A multi-styled singer with a powerful voice, she found success in country music with such singles as “Blue Bayou” and “When Will I Be Loved,” as well as in collaborations with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.

1951: The Jay-Cees in Montgomery, AL, sponsor a Hank Williams Homecoming that included performances by Hank Snow, The Carter Family and Chet Atkins, who’s billed as the “Teenage Tantalizer.

1957: Mac McAnally was born in Red Bay, AL. He scored a minor hit as an artist with 1990’s “Back Where I Come From.” He teamed with Kenny Chesney on “Down The Road” and wrote such hits as “Two Dozen Roses,” “All These Years” and “Old Flame.” He also won the Country Music Association’s Musician of the Year six times.

1957: The Everly Brothers netted their first #1 country single with “Bye Bye Love.”

1961: Bill Anderson joined the Grand Ole Opry.

1973: Guitarist Clarence White died after being hit by a drunk driver in a nightclub parking lot. He spent three years as a member of the country-rock pioneers The Byrds.

1974: Waylon Jennings recorded “Rainy Day Woman” and “Amanda” at Nashville’s Glaser Studios. He overdubbed new lyrics to “Amanda” nearly five years later, before including it on his “Greatest Hits.

1974: Dolly Parton formally dissolved her partnership with Porter Wagoner.

1985: Kenny Rogers appeared on “Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous.”

1987: Capitol released Tanya Tucker’s “Love Me Like You Used To” album.

1999: The late Elvis Presley received 50 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, including the quadruple-platinum “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel,” triple-platinum “Love Me Tender” and double-platinum “Heartbreak Hotel” and “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear.”

2008: Warner Bros. released the Randy Travis album “Around The Bend.”

2010: Songwriter Hank Cochran died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Hendersonville, TN. Among his compositions: Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces,” Eddy Arnold’s “Make The World Go Away,” Vern Gosdin’s “Set ‘Em Up Joe” and George Strait’s “Ocean Front Property.” He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2014.