NOVEMBER 18
1909: Songwriter Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah, GA. In addition to writing such classics as “Moon River” and “Jeepers Creepers,” he co-founded Capitol Records, crucial in the careers of Merle Haggard, Keith Urban and Garth Brooks, among others.
1946: Jacky Ward was born in Groveton, TX. Developing as a disc jockey and Las Vegas performer, the smooth-voiced singer hits his stride with a half-dozen pop-tinged hits from 1977-1980, including remakes of “Rhythm Of The Rain” and “A Lover’s Question.”
1947: The Louvin Brothers held their first recording session, for Apollo Records, at Nashville’s Castle Studio in the Tulane Hotel.
1949: MGM released Hank Williams’ “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It.” Lurking on the B side: the classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
1969: Conway Twitty recorded “Hello Darlin’” during an afternoon session at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN.
1970: Jerry Lee Lewis and his second wife, Myra – who was also his cousin – were divorced. Their 1958 wedding, which took place when she was just 13 years old, caused such a scandal that it effectively ruined his career. In fact, the only thing illegal about the marriage was the fact that Jerry hadn’t divorced his first wife when he wed Myra.
1974: Conway Twitty recorded “After All The Good Is Gone” at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN, during an evening session.
1977: Janie Fricke recorded a remake of “Please Help Me, I’m Falling (In Love With You)” in an afternoon session at Columbia Studio B in Nashville.
1980: “Barbara Mandrell And The Mandrell Sisters” debuted on NBC-TV, with guests Dolly Parton and John Schneider. Parton sang “9 To 5” and joined Mandrell on The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
1980: RCA released the Dolly Parton album “9 To 5 And Odd Jobs.”
1982: Columbia released Ray Charles’ “Born To Love Me,” the first single by the R&B legend issued under a country recording contract.
1994: Patty Loveless’ CMA-winning album, “When Fallen Angels Fly,” went gold.
1996: Jeff Foxworthy’s “Crank It Up–The Music Album” went gold.
1996: Brooks & Dunn released the single, “A Man This Lonely.”
1998: NBC-TV presented “Garth Brooks: Double Live.” The special was actually triple live–he performed it three times for three different time zones.
1999: Faith Hill found out that her album, “Breathe,” debuted at #1 on the “Billboard” pop albums chart. The project sold 242,000 copies its first week out, good enough to knock the rock group Rage Against the Machine out of the top spot.
2003: A DVD of Shania Twain’s NBC concert special, “Shania: UP! Live in Chicago,” appears in stores.
2005: The Johnny Cash biopic “Walk The Line” opened, with Joaquin Phoenix in the starring role. Reese Witherspoon portrays June Carter, Shelby Lynne takes the role of Cash’s mother, and Shooter Jennings plays his late father, Waylon Jennings.
2006: Alison Krauss rode in the Santa Train, a charity vehicle that distributes 15 tons of toys in 14 towns throughout Appalachia.
2007: Steel guitarist John Hughey died of a heart ailment at Hendersonville Medical Center in Tennessee. He played on hits by Conway Twitty, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton and Barbara Mandrell, among others.
2016: Funeral services were held for Leon Russell at the Victory Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, TN. Steve Ripley, formerly of The Tractors, was a pallbearer. Honorary pallbearers included Elton John, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Mike Lawler, T. Graham Brown, Jim Halsey and Willie Nelson.
2016: George Strait’s album ,”Strait Out Of The Box: Part 2,” was released.
2019: Billy Ray Cyrus visited the White House in Washington, D.C., with the family of Channing Smith, a Tennessee teen who committed suicide, to discuss cyber bullying with first lady Melania Trump.
2020: Brad Paisley sang “This Is Country Music” during the 14th annual Stand Up For Heroes event, raising millions online for a military charity. Also aboard were Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Ray Romano, Jon Stewart and Mickey Guyton, who covers “To Make You Feel My Love.”
