JUNE 9
1935: Guitarist Jimmy “Spider” Wilson was born in Nashville. He became a member of Little Jimmy Dickens’ band and played on Skeeter Davis’ “The End Of The World,” Ray Price’s “My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You” and Faron Young’s “Sweet Dreams.”
1937: Willard Cox was born in Cotton Valley, LA. He is the patriarch of The Cox Family, a gospel and bluegrass act that contributed to the multi-platinum “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack.
1969: Columbia released “Johnny Cash At San Quentin.”
1975: Asleep At The Wheel recorded “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read” at Nashville’s Jack Clement Studios on the first day of sessions for the “Texas Gold” album.
1975: MCA released the Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty duet album “Feelins’.”
1975: Guitarist Jamie Dailey was born in Corbin, KY. Following work with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, he eventually joined Darrin Vincent to form the bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent.
1979: Kenny Rogers’ ballad “She Believes In Me” locked up the #1 position on the Billboard country singles chart.
1984: Lorrie Morgan joined the Grand Ole Opry.
1986: General Electric bought the RCA Corporation for $6.4 billion. Among RCA’s country artists are Alabama, John Denver, The Judds, Earl Thomas Conley and Ronnie Milsap.
1989: One month after he died from alcohol poisoning, Keith Whitley’s “I Wonder Do You Think Of Me” was released by RCA.
1990: George Strait began a five-week visit to #1 on the Billboard country chart with “Love Without End, Amen.”
1993: Reba McEntire & Linda Davis recorded “Does He Love You?”
1993: The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a commemorative stamp of Hank Williams at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds during Fan Fair in Nashville.
1993: Vince Gill, The Statler Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys, Tammy Wynette and Connie Smith performed at Conway Twitty’s memorial service at the First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, TN. Coinciding with Fan Fair, the event drew thousands.
1995: George Jones & Tammy Wynette performed in Tupelo, MS, in their first full concert together in 17 years.
2007: Mel Tillis officially joined the Grand Ole Opry as he performed a medley of songs he wrote, including “Detroit City” and “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town.”
2009: George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, along with The Kingston Trio’s “Tom Dooley” and The Stanley Brothers’ “Rank Stranger.”
