MAY 9

1895: Carl T. Sprague was born near Alvin, TX. In 1925, he recorded the first cowboy hit, “When The Work’s All Done This Fall.”

1909: Mother Maybelle Carter was born in Nickelsville, VA. With her cousin, Sara, and Sara’s husband, A.P. Carter, they form the Carter Family, one of the pioneering acts in country music. They entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.

1928: The Carter Family recorded “Wildwood Flower” and “John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man” at the Victor Recording Studio in Camden, NJ.

1952: Hank Thompson took over the #1 position in the Billboard country chart with “The Wild Side Of Life.”

1962: Johnny Cash played prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York. He’s supported on the bill by George Jones, Tompall & The Glaser Brothers and The Carter Family.

1966: Charley Pride recorded “Just Between You And Me.”

1969: Merle Haggard was seen at #1 on the Billboard country chart with “Hungry Eyes.”

1973: Dottie West recorded “Country Sunshine” at Nashville’s Columbia Recording Studios.

1975: Gary Stewart managed his only #1 single in Billboard with one of the great country titles of all-time: “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles).”

1978: CBS aired “Roger Miller,” a comedic movie about a semi-retired country singer who owns a motel. Guess who stars…

1980: Emmylou Harris collected a #1 country single in Billboard with “Beneath Still Waters.”

1986: Earl Thomas Conley recorded “I Can’t Win For Losin’ You.”

1986: The Judds reached #1 in Billboard with “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days).”

1987: Charlie Daniels portrayed recording artist Stoney Carmichael in an episode of the CBS drama “Murder, She Wrote.”

1999: Songwriter Shel Silverstein was found dead at his Key West, FL, home following a heart attack. The multi-talented cartoonist and author wrote Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue,” Bobby Bare’s “Marie Laveau” and Loretta Lynn’s “One’s On The Way.”