May 21, 1954
Johnnie & Jack record “Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight”
May 21, 1955
Chuck Berry records “Maybellene,” a song inspired by Bob Wills’ “Ida Red,” at Chicago’s Chess Recording Studio, with Willie Dixon on bass. George Jones & Johnny Paycheck have a country hit with the song in 1979
May 21, 1955
Webb Pierce quits the Grand Ole Opry on the WSM airwaves after a three-year membership. Pierce laments that he never had his own half-hour Opry segment
May 21, 1956
Brenda Lee signs her first recording contract, with Decca Records
May 21, 1969
“The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” is no longer a replacement show. With its promotion to regular weekly series, Campbell’s salary rises to $15,000-a-week
May 21, 1974
Mickey Gilley records “Bouquet Of Roses” and “I Overlooked An Orchid” during an evening session at Nashville’s RCA Studio B
May 21, 1977
Waylon Jennings’ “Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love),” featuring vocal guest Willie Nelson, begins a six-week run at #1 on the Billboard country chart
May 21, 1980
Warner Bros. releases the soundtrack to “Roadie,” as well as a single from the movie, Roy Orbison’s duet with Emmylou Harris, “That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again.” The album also features Eddie Rabbitt’s “Drivin’ My Life Away”
May 21, 1984
People magazine’s lead story goes “Inside Country Music” with cover pics of Willie Nelson, George Strait, Kenny Rogers, Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle
May 21, 1988
Kathy Mattea drives to #1 in Billboard with “Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses”
May 21, 1988
The Judds, Alabama, George Strait and Randy Travis play a sold-out show at New York’s Madison Square Garden
May 21, 1991
Tracy Lawrence signs a recording contract with Atlantic Records
May 21, 1994
Trisha Yearwood and The Mavericks’ Robert Reynolds get married at the Ryman Auditorium, walking down the aisle to the “Tennessee Waltz”
May 21, 1994
John Berry’s “Your Love Amazes Me” goes to #1 in Billboard
May 21, 1996
Razor & Tie releases satirist Cledus T. Judd’s debut album, “I Stoled This Record.” Among its song spoofs: “(She’s Got A Butt) Bigger Than The Beatles,” “Skoal: The Grundy County Spitting Incident” and “Grandpa Got Runned Over By A John Deere”
May 21, 2000
“King Of The Hill” goes to Nashville in an episode titled “Peggy’s Fan Fair.” Guests include: Clint Black, Brooks & Dunn, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, Lisa Hartman Black, Terri Clark, Wynonna, Randy Travis and Martina McBride
May 21, 2000
The grainy speaking voice of Willie Nelson is heard in the animated FOX-TV series “The Simpsons”
May 21, 2006
Billy Walker dies–along with his wife and two band members–when his van overturns after veering off Interstate 65 near Fort Deposit, Alabama. Nicknamed the Tall Texan, the Grand Ole Opry member left a trail of more than 15 Top 10 hits
May 21, 2010
Dolly Parton and Oprah Winfrey sing background vocals as Kenny Rogers performs “The Gambler” on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”
