NOVEMBER 2
1920: KDKA in Pittsburgh went on the air, becoming America’s first radio station.
1926: Charlie Walker was born in Copeville, TX. Following a career as a country disc jockey in San Antonio, he developed a handful of hits, including the 1958 shuffle “Pick Me Up On Your Way Down,” en route to membership in the Grand Ole Opry.
1948: Roy Acuff lost the Tennessee governor’s race by a 2-1 margin to his friend, Democrat Gordon Browning.
1955: Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons” first appeared on the music charts. One of the fastest selling records in history, it sold more than four million copies.
1965: Tommy Collins recorded “If You Can’t Bite, Don’t Growl.”
1966: The Johnny Cash movie “Door-To-Door Maniac” debuted in theaters, five years after it was originally filmed. Also featured are Merle Travis and Ron Howard.
1968: Conway Twitty collected the first of his #1 country singles with “Next In Line.”
1976: Conway Twitty recorded “Play, Guitar Play” during an evening session at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN.
1981: Ricky Skaggs recorded “Highway 40 Blues.”
1992: Travis Tritt appeared on “Arsenio,” which got him banned from “The Tonight Show.” When manager Ken Kragen brings the battle to public attention, “The Tonight Show” booker lost her job.
1993: The “Greatest Hits” album by Waylon Jennings was certified quadruple platinum.
1999: DreamWorks released Toby Keith’s album “How Do You Like Me Now?!“
2003: Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Paul Overstreet, and Hal Blair joined the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in a Loews Vanderbilt Plaza ceremony.
2007: Hank Thompson announces his retirement from performing.
2009: Cracker Barrel released the Alan Jackson album “Songs Of Love And Heartache.”
2015: Tommy Overstreet died at his home in Oregon. He piled up 11 Top 10 country hits during the 1970s, including “Gwen (Congratulations),” “I’m A Believer” and “Heaven Is My Woman’s Love.”
2016: Garth Brooks won Entertainer of the Year during the 50th annual Country Music Association awards, telecast by ABC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It was his fifth time to take the trophy and first in 18 years.
2018: The Pistol Annies’ album, “Interstate Gospel,” was released. On the same day? Miranda Lambert met New York police officer Brendan McLoughlin when the group guested on ABC’s “Good Morning, America.” Miranda and Brendan were married within three months.
