MARCH 23
1868: Fiddlin’ John Carson is born in Fannin County, Georgia. When he performs on Atlanta’s WSB in 1922, he becomes one of the first country acts to appear on radio, and a year later, he becomes one of the first to be recorded.
1903: Songwriter Jay Johnson is born in Ellis, Kansas. He authors the holiday classic “Blue Christmas,” which becomes a seasonal hit for both Ernest Tubb and Elvis Presley.
1926: Maybelle Addington marries Ezra Carter. As a member of The Carter Family, she helps shape country harmony singing and ends up in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1929: Steel guitarist Bob Foster is born in Greenville, South Carolina. He appears on hits by Webb Pierce, Carl Smith, Kitty Wells and Faron Young.
1945: Mandolin player David Grisman is born in Passaic, New Jersey. A highly respected acoustic musician, he backs Jerry Garcia on “Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standin’ On The Corner),” included on the 1997 album “The Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers: A Tribute.”
1955: Jim Reeves signs his first RCA Records contract.
1970: Merle Haggard records “Jesus, Take A Hold.”
1970: Decca releases Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’.”
1973: Actor Ken Maynard dies in Woodland Hills, California. He made almost 90 films as the first of the singing cowboys to hit the silver screen. He paved the way for such figures as Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter and Gene Autry.
1974: Mandolin player Marty Stuart makes his “Hee Haw” debut as a member of Lester Flatt’s backing band. The episode also features Buddy Alan and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, plus hosts Buck Owens and Roy Clark, who leads a gang performance of “Take An Old Cold ‘Tater (And Wait).”
1980: Marty Stuart plays his first concert as a member of Johnny Cash’s band at the Des Moines Civic Center.
1981: John Denver records “Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)” in Nashville.
1982: RCA releases the Charley Pride album “Charley Sings Everybody’s Choice.”
1985: Ray Charles and fellow chess player Willie Nelson appear at #1 on the Billboard country chart with “Seven Spanish Angels.”
1987: Crystal Gayle appears on NBC’s “Another World” in a plot that finds the singer being stalked by a serial killer. She and Gary Morris introduce the show’s new theme song with a performance at a mythical nightclub, Tops.
1990: Epic releases Doug Stone’s self-titled debut album.
1993: Reprise releases Dwight Yoakam’s album “This Time.”
1996: This has to make her feel better: Patty Loveless tops the Billboard country chart with “You Can Feel Bad.”
2002: Waylon Jennings is remembered in a public tribute at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Among the participants: Hank Williams Jr., Kris Kristofferson, David Lee Murphy, Billy Ray Cyrus, Travis Tritt and Charley Pride, who sings “Good Hearted Woman.”
