MARCH 6
1905: Bob Wills was born in Kosse, TX. He became a leading figure in western swing, launching such material as “Stay A Little Longer,” “Faded Love” and “San Antonio Rose.” He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
1934: Red Simpson was born in Higley, AZ. He wrote the Buck Owens hits “Gonna Have Love,” “Sam’s Place” and “The Kansas City Song,” and scored one Top 10 single of his own, “I’m A Truck,” in 1972.
1937: Doug Dillard was born in East St. Louis, IL. He played banjo for The Dillards, a bluegrass quartet that influences The Eagles and appears regularly on “The Andy Griffith Show” as The Darlings.
1937: Steel guitarist Ben Keith was born in Fort Riley, KS. Raised in Kentucky, he played 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.”
1938: Steel guitarist Buddy Charleton was born in New Market, VA. As a member of Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours, he played on the classics “Thanks A Lot” and “Waltz Across Texas.”
1947: Hank Williams signed a recording contract with MGM Records. It took effect April 1.
1954: Starday released George Jones’ debut single, “No Money In This Deal.”
1958: The Everly Brothers recorded “All I Have To Do Is Dream” and “Claudette” at Nashville’s RCA Studio.
1958: Five days after he was fired from the Grand Ole Opry, Marty Robbins and the Opry patched up their differences.
1964: Skip Ewing was born in Redlands, CA. After several hits as a recording artist in the late-1980s, he scored 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.”
1973: Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn recorded “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN.
1974: John Denver recorded “Back Home Again” at Los Angeles’ RCA Recording Studios.
1983: Country Music Television (CMT) made its cable debut. The first video to air on the channel: Faron Young’s “It’s Four In The Morning.”
1987: Former Eagle Bernie Leadon began touring with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in Aspen, CO, replacing instrumentalist John McEuen.
1989: Capitol released 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.
1990: Warner Bros. released Travis Tritt’s debut album, “Country Club.”
1999: George Jones was seriously injured in a one-car accident while driving home in Nashville. The wreck occurred while Jones tried to play his next single, “Choices,” for his stepdaughter via cellphone. Authorities later found an opened vodka bottle in the car.
1999: Sara Evans got her first #1 single with “No Place That Far.”
2003: George Jones and R&B singer Smokey Robinson were among the recipients when George W. Bush presented the National Medal of Arts at the White House. The award is bestowed by the National Endowment for the Arts.
2003: The Country Music Hall of Fame presented 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.
2006: Miranda Lambert got her first gold single with “Kerosene.”
2010: Brad Paisley fell off the stage during a concert as he sang the last notes of his final song “Alcohol.” He was treated at a local hospital for bruises – and no, he wasn’t tipsy.
2012: The Country Music Association announced that Garth Brooks, Connie Smith, and session piano player Hargus “Pig” Robbins were the next to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
