May 5, 1891
Carnegie Hall opens in New York, with Peter Tchaikovsky leading the New York Symphony Society. Over the years, Carnegie Hall hosts country performances by Ernest Tubb, Buck Owens, Reba McEntire and Willie Nelson, among others
May 5, 1922
Songwriter J.D. Miller is born in Iota, Louisiana. He pens Kitty Wells’ “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”
May 5, 1933
Songwriter Bobby Austin is born in Wenatchee, Washington. He co-writes Tammy Wynette’s first charted single, “Apartment #9,” with Johnny Paycheck, and co-writes Glen Campbell’s “Try A Little Kindness”
May 5, 1938
Roni Stoneman, of The Stonemans, is born in Washington, D.C. The group, led by father Ernest “Pop” Stoneman, wins the Country Music Association’s 1967 Vocal Group of the Year honor, although the banjo-playing Roni is better known for her comedic roles on “Hee Haw”
May 5, 1942
Virginia Wynette Pugh–alias Tammy Wynette–is born in Itawamba County, Mississippi. The Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, nicknamed the First Lady of Country Music, succeeds with a pain-soaked vocal style, exemplified in “Another Lonely Song,” “‘Til I Get It Right” and “Stand By Your Man”
Play “Apartment #9”
May 5, 1955
Fiddler Glen Duncan is born in Columbus, Indiana. His credits include George Strait’s “When Did You Stop Loving Me,” Dierks Bentley’s “What Was I Thinkin’,” Faith Hill’s “This Kiss” and Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”
May 5, 1964
Stonewall Jackson records “I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water”
May 5, 1965
Buck Owens records an instrumental called “Paris” at the Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood. He later retitles it “Buckaroo”
Apr 5, 1973
JMI releases Don Williams’ “Come Early Morning,” with the original version of “Amanda” on the B-side
May 5, 1974
Marty Robbins finishes 15th in a 1973 Dodge Charger in the Winston 500 at the Alabama International Speedway in Talladega
May 5, 1977
Loretta Lynn hits the cover of Rolling Stone, noting: “It’s a strange deal. I’m supposed to be a country singer, writing songs about marriage and family and the way normal folks live. But mostly I’m living in motel rooms and traveling on my special bus”
May 5, 1977
Three days after marrying her, Buck Owens files for an annulment from fiddler Jana Jae in Bakersfield, California, on grounds that she is insane. He will withdraw the motion within days
May 5, 1982
Dolly Parton and two publishers file suit in a preemptive effort to prove her song “9 To 5” does not infringe on Benny Martin’s “Me And My Fiddle”
May 5, 1984
Floyd Cramer plays piano for a family party at Michael Jackson’s house, honoring Jackson’s mother, Katherine. Cramer is her favorite artist; he accompanies Michael on “For The Good Times”
May 5, 1986
Cleveland is named as the future site of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, which goes on to include such country figures as Johnny Cash, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Hank Williams and Bill Monroe
May 5, 1992
Alabama records “I’m In A Hurry (And I Don’t Know Why)”
May 5, 1992
Tanya Tucker records “Your Love Amazes Me,” later cut by John Berry. Tucker’s version remains in the vaults until the 1994 release of her Tanya Tucker box set
May 5, 2001
Blake Shelton sings “Austin” during his debut on the Grand Ole Opry
May 5, 2008
Jerry Wallace dies of congestive heart failure at his home in Victorville, California. Originally a pop artist, he secured five Top 15 country hits in the 1970s, including the #1 single “If You Leave Me Tonight I’ll Cry”
Play “I’m In A Hurry”
