Mar 6, 1905
Bob Wills is born in Kosse, Texas. He becomes a leading figure in western swing, launching such material as “Stay A Little Longer,” “Faded Love” and “San Antonio Rose.” He joins the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Mar 6, 1934
Red Simpson is born in Higley, Arizona. He writes the Buck Owens hits “Gonna Have Love,” “Sam’s Place” and “The Kansas City Song,” and scores one Top 10 single of his own, “I’m A Truck,” in 1972
Mar 6, 1937
Doug Dillard is born in East St. Louis, Illinois. He plays banjo for The Dillards, a bluegrass quartet that influences The Eagles and appears regularly on “The Andy Griffith Show” as The Darlings
Mar 6, 1937
Steel guitarist Ben Keith is born in Fort Riley, Kansas. Raised in Kentucky, he plays on such hits as Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces,” Emmylou Harris’ “If I Could Only Win Your Love,” Faron Young’s “Country Girl” and Neil Young’s “Heart Of Gold”
Mar 6, 1938
Steel guitarist Buddy Charleton is born in New Market, Virginia. As a member of Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours, he plays on the classics “Thanks A Lot” and “Waltz Across Texas”
Mar 6, 1947
Hank Williams signs a recording contract with MGM Records. It takes effect April 1
Mar 6, 1954
Starday releases George Jones’ debut single, “No Money In This Deal”
Mar 6, 1958
The Everly Brothers record “All I Have To Do Is Dream” and “Claudette” at Nashville’s RCA Studio
Mar 6, 1958
Five days after he was fired from the Grand Ole Opry, Marty Robbins and the Opry patch up their differences
Mar 6, 1964
Skip Ewing is born in Redlands, California. After several hits as a recording artist in the late-1980s, he scores his biggest successes as a songwriter. Among his titles: Collin Raye’s “Love, Me,” Diamond Rio’s “I Believe,” Kenny Chesney’s “Me And You” and Randy Travis’ “If I Didn’t Have You”
Mar 6, 1973
Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn record “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee
Mar 6, 1974
John Denver records “Back Home Again” at Los Angeles’ RCA Recording Studios
Mar 6, 1983
Country Music Television (CMT) makes its cable debut. The first video to air on the channel: Faron Young’s “It’s Four In The Morning”
Mar 6, 1987
Former Eagle Bernie Leadon begins touring with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in Aspen, Colorado, replacing instrumentalist John McEuen
Mar 6, 1989
Capitol releases Garth Brooks’ debut single, “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old).” One line in the song, “a worn out tape of Chris LeDoux,” boosts the career of another fellow singer
Mar 6, 1990
Warner Bros. releases Travis Tritt’s debut album, “Country Club”
Mar 6, 1999
George Jones is seriously injured in a one-car accident while driving home in Nashville. The wreck occurs while Jones tries to play his next single, “Choices,” for his stepdaughter via cellphone. Authorities later find an opened vodka bottle in the car
Mar 6, 2003
George Jones and R&B singer Smokey Robinson are among the recipients when George W. Bush presents the National Medal of Arts at the White House. The award is bestowed by the National Endowment for the Arts
Mar 6, 2003
The Country Music Hall of Fame presents a medallion to Eddy Arnold, recognizing the largest memorabilia donation by an artist. Arnold’s contributions include over 2,000 photos, tuxedos and the first CMA award for Entertainer of the Year
