NOVEMBER 1
1894: Billboard issued its first edition, eight pages long, with a 10-cent price. The publication became the leading trade magazine for the music industry.
1929: Bob Wills held his first recording session, playing “Gulf Coast Blues” and “Wills Breakdown” with guitarist Herman Arnspiger in Dallas.
1937: Bill Anderson was born in Columbia, SC. Whisperin’ Bill compiled a series of hits as an artist in the 1960s and ’70s and wrote more for Connie Smith, George Strait, Brad Paisley and Ray Price. Anderson joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1961 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
1940: SSgt. Barry Sadler was born in Carlsbad, NM. He joined the Army’s Special Forces and served in Vietnam until his leg was injured in a poisoned booby trap. After returning to the U.S., he wrote and recorded the million-selling single “The Ballad Of The Green Berets.”
1953: Producer/songwriter Keith Stegall was born in Wichita Falls, TX. Stegall produced Alan Jackson, The Zac Brown Band and Craig Campbell, and wrote such hits as “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” Mickey Gilley’s “Lonely Nights,” Glen Campbell’s “A Lady Like You” and Mark Wills’ “I Do (Cherish You).”
1956: Singer/songwriter Lyle Lovett was born in Klein, TX. Following his 1986 debut album, his eclectic music reaches a national audience, making him one of the ambassadors for the Texas red-dirt scene.
1959: The day Bill Anderson turned 22, he was disappointed that his girlfriend failed to recognize his red-letter day. As a result, he wrote “Happy Birthday To Me,” a future hit for Hank Locklin. By the end of the day, he received a surprise party.
1979: Conway Twitty recorded “I’d Love To Lay You Down” during the afternoon at Nashville’s Woodland Sound Studio.
1980: Waylon Jennings went to #1 in Billboard with “Theme From The Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys).”
1982: David Allan Coe recorded “The Ride.”
1982: Warner Bros. released the “Honkytonk Man” soundtrack with Marty Robbins, Porter Wagoner, John Anderson, Ray Price, David Frizzell & Shelly West, Johnny Gimble and Clint Eastwood.
1983: Alabama recorded “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)” and “(There’s A) Fire In The Night.”
1984: Dolly Parton recorded “Think About Love.”
1985: Waylon Jennings recorded “Working Without A Net” and “Will The Wolf Survive” at Nashville’s Emerald Sound Studios.
2003: Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places” took the top spot in the CMT special “40 Greatest Drinking Songs.”
2007: Turner Publishing released “Historic Photos Of The Opry: Ryman Auditorium 1974,” featuring images shot by Jim McGuire with a foreword written by Marty Stuart.
2012: Blake Shelton won three trophies during the 46th annual Country Music Association awards, broadcast on ABC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. He took Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist and shared Song of the Year with Miranda Lambert, for “Over You.”
2018: Faith Hill delivered the keynote speech for a Tennessee conference on economic development at the Opryland Resort in Nashville.
