NOVEMBER 12
1936: Songwriter Mort Shuman was born in New York City. He wrote several Elvis Presley hits, Dwight Yoakam’s “Little Sister” and “Save The Last Dance For Me,” which became a country hit three different times–for Buck Owens, for Emmylou Harris and for Dolly Parton.
1945: Rock artist Neil Young was born at Toronto General Hospital in Ontario. A solo performer and member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, he wrote Linda Ronstadt’s country hit “Love Is A Rose” and Waylon Jennings’ “Are You Ready For The Country.”
1950: Barbara Fairchild was born in Lafe, AR. After making her first record at age 15, her 1972 release “Teddy Bear Song” began a three-single run of innocent hits.
1955: Songwriter Walt Aldridge was born in Florence, AL. Among his songs: Heartland’s “I Loved Her First,” Earl Thomas Conley’s “Holding Her And Loving You,” Ricky Van Shelton’s “I Am A Simple Man” and Ronnie Milsap’s “(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me.”
1957: Songwriter Michael Garvin was born. He authored Conway Twitty’s “Desperado Love,” T.G. Sheppard’s “Only One You,” Michael Martin Murphey’s “From The Word Go” and Tanya Tucker’s “Highway Robbery,” among others.
1957: Johnny Cash recorded “Big River” and “Ballad Of A Teenage Queen” at Memphis’ Sun Recording Studio.
1963: Johnny Cash recorded “Understand Your Man” at the Columbia Recording Studios on Music Row in Nashville.
1964: Willie Nelson held his inaugural recording session in a new deal with RCA, with Chet Atkins producing at RCA Studio B in Nashville. The first song on the session was Nelson’s Christmas title, “Pretty Paper.”
1971: Construction began on the new Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Among the roofers who eventually worked on the project: future country singer John Anderson.
1974: The Association of Country Entertainers, ACE, was created when a group of country artists complained that some of the Country Music Association awards winners shouldn’t be considered “country.” Most often cited: Olivia Newton-John.
1988: Rosanne Cash topped the country charts with “Runaway Train,” becoming the first female country artist ever to have four #1 hits from one album. The album was “King’s Record Shop,” and the other three hits were “The Way We Make A Broken Heart,” “Tennessee Flat Top Box” and “If You Change Your Mind.”
1992: Billy Ray Cyrus became the first country artist to ship 5 million copies of his debut album, with the latest certification of “Some Gave All.”
1994: Barbara Mandrell made a guest appearance on ABC-TV’s “The Commish” as evil psychiatrist Gloria Cutler, who tried to eliminate the commissioner.
2001: Neal McCoy left on a USO tour to entertain American soldiers in Europe and Afghanistan. The troupe was led by Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton
2003: George Strait received the National Medal of Arts from president George W. Bush and the National Endowment for the Arts in a ceremony at the White House. “Austin City Limits” also became the first television program to win the honor.
2011: Producer Jack Clement and Billy Burnette were inducted into the Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in Jackson, TN.
