JULY 27
1920: Homer Haynes, of Homer & Jethro, was born in Knoxville, TN. For nearly 40 years beginning in the ’30s, the duo specializes in musical parodies such as “The Battle Of Kookamonga,” a Grammy-winning satire of “The Battle Of New Orleans.”
1928: Guitar manufacturer C.F. Martin presented a special Martin 000-45 guitar to Jimmie Rodgers with the word “Thanks” hand-painted on the back. The guitar is later handed down to Ernest Tubb by Rodgers’ widow, Carrie.
1944: Roberta Streeter–a.k.a. Bobbie Gentry–was born in Chickasaw, Mississippi. She won three Grammys in 1968, including Best New Artist, on the heels of her suspenseful hit “Ode To Billie Joe.” Gentry’s song “Fancy” later became a hit for Reba McEntire.
1956: Buddy Holly recorded “That’ll Be The Day” for Decca Records in Nashville. That version was not released, as producer Owen Bradley called it “the worst song I’ve ever heard.”
1956: Guitarist Duncan Cameron was born in Utica, NY. Following a tour of duty with The Amazing Rhythm Aces, he joined Sawyer Brown in 1991, contributing to “Thank God For You,” “Treat Her Right” and “The Boys And Me.”
1957: Bill Engvall was born in Galveston, TX. He emerged in 1997 with the album “Here’s Your Sign” to become a major country comic.
1963: “Ring Of Fire” burned the name of Johnny Cash into the #1 position on the Billboard country singles chart.
1976: Johnny Cash and June Carter began a week of filming in Los Angeles for an episode of “Little House On The Prairie.”
1979: Mel Tillis had a supporting role as “The Villain“–starring Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret and Arnold Schwarzenegger–debuted in theaters.
1987: Columbia released Ricky Van Shelton’s “Somebody Lied.”
1988: Capitol released Tanya Tucker’s “Strong Enough To Bend” album.
1989: Kenny Rogers’ ex-drummer, Bobby Daniels, was found guilty in Nashville for the murder of his ex-wife, Sylvia Coakley, and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
1991: Ricky Van Shelton netted a #1 country single in Billboard with “I Am A Simple Man.”
1992: Billy Ray Cyrus told The Tennessean why he low-keyed criticism from Travis Tritt in June: “My daddy told me a long time ago that if you stomp on (bleep), it will only smell worse. So I took one look at that pile and just walked around it.”
1993: Arista Records released Steve Wariner’s “Drive” album.
2002: Kenny Chesney’s “The Good Stuff” began a seven-week ride at the top of the Billboard country list.
2008: Jimmy Carter came on stage to play harmonica behind Willie Nelson on “Georgia On My Mind” during a concert at Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta. Nelson shared top billing with B.B. King, collaborating on “Night Life” and “The Thrill Is Gone.”
