MARCH 24
1928: Dulcimer player Kitty Cora Cline made her Grand Ole Opry debut. She became the first female soloist to perform on the show.
1935: Bass player Carol Kaye was born in Everett, WA. One of the session players in the West Coast’s Wrecking Crew, she appeared on records by The Beach Boys, The Righteous Brothers and Nancy Sinatra, plus Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.”
1947: Peggy Sue Webb was born in Butcher Holler, KY. A sister to both Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle, she performs under the name Peggy Sue, sliding into country music’s Top 30 during the 1960s, but never attaining the stature of her siblings.
1947: Songwriter Charlene Montgomery was born in Hodges, AL. She co-wrote George Jones’ 1972 hit “Loving You Could Never Be Better.”
1969: Porter Wagoner signed a contract with RCA Records making him a co-producer on all Dolly Parton sessions.
1979: Anne Murray registered a #1 country single in Billboard with “I Just Fall In Love Again.”
1980: The first all-country panel of guests debuted on “Hollywood Squares.” Joining regular George Gobel: George Jones, Jim Stafford, Tammy Wynette, Minnie Pearl, Mel Tillis, comedian George “Goober” Lindsey, Margo Smith and Roy Clark.
1984: “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” drove Alabama to the top position on the Billboard country singles chart.
1986: MCA released The Oak Ridge Boys’ album “Seasons.”
2000: Steel guitarist and executive Joe Talbot died in Nashville of lung cancer. A publisher and owner of a record pressing plant, he performed with Hank Snow from 1950-1954, appearing on “(Now And Then There’s) A Fool Such As I” and “I’m Moving On.”
2006: After a chicken-fried steak dinner, Buck Owens performed for the last time at his Crystal Palace theater in Bakersfield. He died in his sleep the following morning. His last song: “Big In Vegas.”
2007: Henson Cargill died in Oklahoma City, days after undergoing surgery. He earned a trio of hits in the late-1960s, including “Skip A Rope,” a crossover single with a distinct message about hypocrisy and social injustice.
2012: Carol Lee Cooper retired from the Grand Ole Opry with one last performance after 40 years with the backing group The Carol Lee Singers. The remaining vocalists continued with a new name, The Opry Singers.
