NOVEMBER 20

1887: Eck Robertson was born in Delaney, AR. In 1922, the fiddler joined his friend Henry Gilliland to record 12 sides in New York for the Victor label, making them the first performers to record country music.

1930: Songwriter Curly Putman was born in Princeton, AL. A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, he penned Tammy Wynette’s “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” Moe Bandy’s “It’s A Cheating Situation” and George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

1946: Songwriter Roger Murrah was born in Athens, AL. His credits include Alabama’s “I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why),” The Oak Ridge Boys’ “It Takes A Little Rain (To Make Love Grow)” and Alan Jackson’s “Don’t Rock The Jukebox.”

1946: Rock guitarist Duane Allman was born in Nashville. He’s a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, a Southern rock ensemble referenced in Conway Twitty’s 1978 country hit “Boogie Grass Band.”

1946: Songwriter Even Stevens was born. A co-writer of most of Eddie Rabbitt’s hits, he also authored The Oak Ridge Boys’ “No Matter How High,” Kenny Rogers’ “Love Will Turn You Around” and Conway Twitty’s “Crazy In Love,” among others.

1959: WABC radio in New York fired Alan Freed after the disc jockey refused to sign an affidavit saying he never received payola. Thus began the undoing of a rock & roll legend, credited as a co-writer of the future Forester Sisters hit “Sincerely.”

1961: Billy Walker recorded “Charlie’s Shoes” and “Funny How Time Slips Away” during an evening session at Nashville’s Bradley Recording Studio.

1961: Jim Reeves recorded “Welcome To My World” during the evening at Nashville’s RCA Studio B. He also records “Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue),” which became a hit 20 years later when his vocals are paired with Patsy Cline’s.

1961: At the top of this chart stands a big, big man: “Big Bad John” took Jimmy Dean to #1 on the Billboard country chart.

1974: Dierks Bentley was born in Phoenix, AZ. Debuting in 2003, his career folded in traditional country, bluegrass and alt-rock sounds, leading to Grand Ole Opry membership and the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award.

1977: Josh Turner was born in Hannah, SC. On the heels of 2003’s “Long Black Train,” he built a line of tradition-minded, deep-voiced hits, including “Firecracker,” “Would You Go With Me,” “Time Is Love” and “Why Don’t We Just Dance.”

1986: Ex-smoker Chet Atkins was the honorary chairman of the sixth annual Great American Smokeout, asking nicotine addicts to lay off their cigarettes for one day.

1999: Patty Loveless rode the Santa Train from Pikeville, KY, to Kingsport, TN, helping distribute 15 tons of Christmas gifts to people in three states.

2006: Movie director Robert Altman died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Best known for such pictures as “M*A*S*H” and “Nashville,” he also co-wrote the John Anderson hit “Black Sheep.”

2010: Martina McBride and Train teamed up for a new edition of “CMT Crossroads.”

2013: Loretta Lynn was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Washington, D.C.