MARCH 4
1932: Betty Jack Davis was born in Corbin, KY. Along with Skeeter Davis, to whom she is not related, she formed The Davis Sisters, but died in a car crash just weeks before their only hit, “I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know,” reached the national charts.
1934: Bluegrass mandolin player John Duffey was born in Washington, D.C. He gained acclaim as a member of The Country Gentlemen, whose blend of traditional and progressive bluegrass allowed them to work for over 40 years, despite numerous lineup changes.
1965: Little Jimmy Dickens recorded “May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” during the evening at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville.
1967: Merle Haggard went to #1 on the Billboard chart for the first time with “The Fugitive.”
1967: Capitol released Merle Haggard’s album “I’m A Lonesome Fugitive.”
1968: Glen Campbell won three trophies in the third annual Academy of Country & Western Music awards at Los Angeles’ Century Plaza Hotel: Top Male Vocalist; Single Record of the Year, for “Gentle On My Mind“; and Album, for the LP of the same name.
1975: Mac Davis won Favorite Male Musical Performer and Olivia Newton-John won the female honor in the first People’s Choice Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Other winners included: Barbra Streisand, John Wayne, The Osmonds, and Mary Tyler Moore.
1978: Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson parked themselves at #1 in Billboard, where they stay for four weeks, with “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”
1980: “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” the story of Loretta Lynn’s life, premiered in Nashville, with Sissy Spacek in the lead role. Also receiving minor roles: Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl.
1983: George Jones married Nancy Sepulveda at the home of his sister, Helen Scroggins, in Woodville, TX. The newlyweds ate their wedding-night dinner at a Burger King 25 miles away in Jasper, TX.
1986: Buck Owens announced he was leaving the syndicated TV show “Hee Haw” after 17 years as co-host with Roy Clark.
1994: Joe Diffie recorded “Third Rock From The Sun” and “I’m In Love With A Capital ‘U’” at the Soundshop in Nashville.
1994: “Reba McEntire’s Greatest Hits” became her fifth double-platinum album.
1996: Minnie Pearl died in Nashville of complications from a stroke. Noted for her homespun humor, the country comic spent more than 50 years with the Grand Ole Opry, becoming a regular on “Hee Haw” and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
2003: Toby Keith received eight nods to lead the competition when the Academy of Country Music announced its nominees in Los Angeles at Tiffany’s.
2006: Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton’s “When I Get Where I’m Going” reached Billboard’s #1 spot.
2008: Alan Jackson’s “Good Time” album was released.
2020: Garth Brooks received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress during a tribute concert in Washington, D.C. Performers include Chris Stapleton, Keb’ Mo’, Keith Urban and Trisha Yearwood.
2021: Richie McDonald announced his departure from Lonestar. He works the road with The Frontmen of Country, featuring fellow lead singers Larry Stewart and Tim Rushlow.
