NOVEMBER 11

1929: The Municipal Auditorium was dedicated in Shreveport, LA. The building became the home of “The Louisiana Hayride,” a radio show that provided a launching pad for Elvis Presley, Johnny Horton, Hank Williams and David Houston, among others.

1930: Guitarist Hank Garland was born in Cowpens, SC. As a member of Nashville’s “A-Team,” his credits include Jim Reeves’ “He’ll Have To Go,” Elvis Presley’s “Little Sister” and Johnny Horton’s “The Battle Of New Orleans.”

1938: Narvel Felts was born near Kaiser, AR. The rockabilly-tinged singer notched a handful of hits in the mid-1970s, including country remakes of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away” and Jackie Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops.”

1957: Elvis Presley performed on Veterans Day at Pearl Harbor, HI. Ironically, it became his last show before his own induction into the Army.

1965: Loretta Lynn recorded “You Ain’t Woman Enough” and “Dear Uncle Sam” during an evening session at Nashville’s Columbia Recording Studio.

1965: Songwriter Dallas Frazier recorded his original version of “Elvira,” a future country hit for The Oak Ridge Boys.

1975: Reba McEntire signed her first recording contract (with Mercury Records).

1985: Sweethearts Of The Rodeo won the Wrangler talent contest. The duo received $50,000 and a Dodge van.

1986: A Nashville benefit raised $40,000 for O.B. McClinton, suffering from liver cancer. Performers included Reba McEntire, Kathy Mattea, Waylon Jennings, Ricky Skaggs, Jeff Cook, Jessi Colter, Tom T. Hall, Larry Gatlin, Johnny Rodriguez, Steve Wariner and Rex Allen Jr.

1987: Epic released Merle Haggard’s “Chill Factor” album.

1991: Shenandoah announced they had reached a settlement that allows the band to continue using the name given the group by Columbia Records and producer Rick Hall. The members paid out $200,000 to three bands, plus $500,000 in legal fees. The band also announced it was leaving Columbia.

1993: Dolly Parton launched her new line of cosmetics at her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains.

1995: George Strait began a four-week stay at #1 on the Billboard country chart with “Check Yes Or No.”

2002: ABC’s “Monk” featured Willie Nelson in a plot involving the fictitious murder of his manager. Also appearing on the episode, titled “Mr. Monk & The Red Headed Stranger,” are Nelson sidemen Mickey Raphael, Bee Spears and Jody Payne.

2005: Songwriter Sam Garrett, who wrote under the pseudonym Hank Mills, died at home in Hagerstown, MD. His credits included Del Reeves’ “Girl On The Billboard,” Jim Ed Brown’s “Angel’s Sunday” and Robert Mitchum’s “Little Ole Wine Drinker Me.”

2014: RCA released the Garth Brooks album “Man Against Machine.”

2016: Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood album, “Christmas Together,” was released – so was Ronnie Dunn’s album, “Tattooed Heart.”