JULY 30
1952: Songwriter Dennis Morgan was born in Tracy, MN. 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.”
1955: Johnny Cash recorded his first version of “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Luther Played The Boogie” and “So Doggone Lonesome” at the Sun Recording Studio in Memphis.
1956: Brenda Lee had her first recording session, remaking the Hank Williams classic “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)” at the Bradley Recording Studio in Nashville.
1958: Neal McCoy was born in Jacksonville, TX. 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.
1960: Songwriter Karen Staley was born in Hookstown, PA. She authored 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.”
1961: Brenda Lee sang the national anthem at the opening of the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. Jack Smith won the Volunteer 500.
1964: Banjo player Ron Block was born in California. He joined 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.”
1968: Johnny Cash recorded the Carl Perkins-penned “Daddy Sang Bass” at the Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, with The Statler Brothers and Jan Howard providing additional voices.
1972: “Deliverance,” starring Burt Reynolds, debuted in movie theaters. The picture includes Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell performing “Dueling Banjos.”
1973: Dottie West recorded “Country Sunshine” as a commercial for Coca-Cola with Steve Wariner playing bass.
1979: The morning after a show in Cleveland, OH, Jan Howard was fired from Johnny Cash’s tour. Within weeks, Nashville is abuzz with rumors that the two had had an affair.
1985: Alabama became 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” went triple-platinum.
1986: John Denver was dropped by RCA after releasing “What Are We Making Weapons For.” Some observers speculate it was because General Electric, the new owner of RCA, manufactured weapons.
1989: Rodeo pro Lane Frost was killed by a Brahma bull after a ride in Cheyenne, WY. His story inspired the 1994 movie “8 Seconds.”
1996: Decca released Gary Allan’s debut single, “Her Man.”
2000: The Judds wrapped up their “Reunion Tour” in Virginia Beach, VA.
2007: Rodney Atkins received a diploma from Tennessee Tech in Cookeville – 14 years after he stopped taking classes. School officials discovered that he had racked up enough credits in his time there to qualify for a newly created degree.
2003: Record producer Sam Phillips died 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.
2013: MCA released the Vince Gill & Paul Franklin album “Bakersfield,” featuring remakes of songs first recorded by Merle Haggard and Buck Owens.
2015: Lynn Anderson passed at Nashville’s Vanderbilt Medical Center. A Female Vocalist of the Year for both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, she earned a million-seller with her 1970 single, “Rose Garden.”
