MAY 1
1873: William Morris was born in Schwartzenau, Germany. He founded the William Morris Agency, one of the world’s most successful booking firms, which represented such country acts as Brooks & Dunn, Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley.
1929: Sonny James was born in Hackleburg, AL. Nicknamed the Southern Gentleman, he registered 16 straight #1 singles from 1967-1972, including “Running Bear” and “Heaven Says Hello.” He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
1945: Songwriter and keyboard player Carson Whitsett was born in Jackson, MS. Noted for his work with the R&B label Malaco, he wrote the Lorrie Morgan hit “Dear Me” and John Anderson’s “Mississippi Moon.”
1954: Comedian Andy Griffith made his Grand Ole Opry debut.
1967: Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas.
1967: Tim McGraw was born in Delhi, LA. Married to Faith Hill in 1996, his ear for outstanding songs gained him multi-platinum albums and more than 20 years of hits, including “Please Remember Me,” “Back When” and “Live Like You Were Dying.”
1968: Stock in Minnie Pearl’s Chicken Systems was traded publicly for the first time.
1969: Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan taped the first installment of “The Johnny Cash Show” at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. In the audience: future singer/songwriter John Hiatt.
1969: Capitol released Merle Haggard’s Jimmie Rodgers tribute album, “Same Train, A Different Time.”
1970: Johnny Cash made his acting debut in “The Trail Of Tears,” a PBS show co-starring Jack Palance that documents the plight of Georgia Cherokees, banished from their home by the American government. Cash is part Cherokee.
1976: Mickey Gilley’s “Don’t The Girls All Get Prettier At Closing Time” went to #1 on the Billboard country chart.
1982: Ricky Skaggs was one of several country artists who appear in Knoxville at the World’s Fair, where president Ronald Reagan gave an opening-day speech. Porter Wagoner sang “Y’all Come” and Bill Monroe performed “Blue Moon Of Kentucky.”
1982: “Mountain Music” peaked at #1 for Alabama on the Billboard country singles chart.
1991: Cable stations TNN and CMT ban Garth Brooks’ video for “The Thunder Rolls,” citing its graphic violence.
1993: Charley Pride joined the Grand Ole Opry.
1993: “Alibis” brought Tracy Lawrence to the top spot on the Billboard country chart.
2000: Steve Wariner was in Colorado to help raise money for the construction of a new library at Columbine High School library. He signed autographs in exchange for donations to “Hope Columbine,” an organization formed by the Columbine High School families after the 1999 shooting tragedy.
2002: Chely Wright was the only country artist to be featured in People magazine’s annual “50 Most Beautiful” issue.
2018: The downtown Nashville venue Ole Red, associated with Blake Shelton and the Grand Ole Opry, opened its doors on lower Broadway.
