NOVEMBER 25
1929: The Carter Family recorded “Jimmie Brown The Newsboy” in a four-song morning session at the Atlanta Women’s Club.
1949: Tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson died at age 71. His life later inspired The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Jerry Jeff Walker-penned “Mr. Bojangles.”
1960: Christian-pop singer Amy Grant was born in Augusta, GA. She married songwriter Gary Chapman, who eventually became the host of TNN’s “Prime Time Country.” After a 1999 divorce, she married country singer Vince Gill in 2000.
1961: Deejay Eddie Stubbs was born in Bethesda, MD. A musician with the bluegrass group The Johnson Mountain Boys, he works with Nashville’s WSM Radio, where he announced the Grand Ole Opry and became a voice for the genre’s heritage artists.
1968: Glen Campbell began work on his classic song, “Galveston,” at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. The song was completed on January 9th, 1969.
1969: Tammy Wynette recorded “Kids Say The Darndest Things.”
1969: Penn State defensive tackle Mike Reid placed fifth in voting for college football’s Heisman trophy and was named first team All-American by UPI. He went on to write country hits for Ronnie Milsap, Tanya Tucker and Barbara Mandrell, among others.
1970: Loretta Lynn recorded “You’re Lookin’ At Country” and “I Wanna Be Free” in an overnight session at Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, TN.
1976: The Band performed its farewell concert, “The Last Waltz,” at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, leading off with “Up On Cripple Creek.” The show was filmed for movie release. Among others on the bill: Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, The Staple Singers, Van Morrison and Neil Young.
1994: Reba McEntire starred in “Reba!,” a one-hour NBC-TV special co-starring Linda Davis that was shot in Omaha. It included a skit in which McEntire spoofs Lucille Ball.
1997: Capitol released Garth Brooks’ album “Sevens.” One day after its release, the Garth Brooks album broke a record by placing 12 of its 14 songs in “Billboard” magazine’s Hot Country Singles and Tracks Chart. The previous record holder? Garth’s “Fresh Horses” project, with 8 tracks.
1997: Trisha Yearwood made her first appearance on CBS-TV’s “JAG” in the recurring role of forensics specialist, Teresa Coulter.
1999: Clint and Lisa Hartman Black’s duet, “When I Said I Do,” was at #1 on “Radio & Records’” Country Top 50 chart.
1999: Reba McEntire starred as a single mom in the CBS-TV movie “Secret Of Giving,” along with Devon Alan and Ronny Cox.
2001: Garth Brooks topped “Billboard’s” Top Country Album chart as well as the Top 200 Album Chart with his album, “Scarecrow,” which was released the previous Tuesday. This marked the ninth time that Garth topped the country album chart and seventh time that he debuted at the #1 position on the pop chart — more times than any other artist. His other #1 debut albums (on the pop charts) include: “Ropin’ The Wind,” “The Chase,” “In Pieces,” “Double Live,” “The Limited Series Box Set” and “Sevens.” Over his impressive career, Garth has spent 51 weeks in the #1 position on the sales chart. That’s longer than any other artist in the 90’s since the inception of SoundScan.
2001: Trace Adkins was arraigned on charges of driving under the influence, speeding and carrying an open container of an alcoholic beverage following a July 5th He pleaded guilty to the DUI charge and was sentenced to two days in jail and a year’s probation. He also lost his license for a year.
2002: Tim McGraw’s “Tim McGraw & the Dancehall Doctors” CD arrived in stores. A book chronicling the making of the album was also released.
2002: Martina McBride’s “Joy Of Christmas” tour kicked off in Philadelphia.
2002: Trace Adkins headed overseas on a USO tour to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with our troops.
2002: The Dixie Chicks’ released a special 2-disc version of their “Home” CD. The release featured a totally redesigned package (which includes a new cover and hard bound book-type packaging), rare and unseen photos – over 50 of them – and much more. The music CD includes one extra track, “Landslide – The Sheryl Crow Remix,” which was produced by Sheryl. The DVD features the videos, “Landslide,” “Long Time Gone,” “Wide Open Spaces” and “Goodbye Earl.”
2002: Faith Hill’s “Cry” album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The news came nearly six weeks after the project’s release.
2004: PBS hosted “George Jones: 50 Years Of Hits.” Guests on the special include Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Kris Kristofferson, Trick Pony, Lorrie Morgan, Sammy Kershaw, Connie Smith, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie, Trace Adkins, Emmylou Harris and Tanya Tucker.
2004: Songwriter Bob House died in Hollister, MO. Best known for writing Anne Murray’s “Urban Cowboy” track “Could I Have This Dance,” he also penned T.G. Sheppard’s “Mister D.J.” and Gene Watson’s “Sometimes I Get Lucky And Forget.”
2010: Willie Nelson was arrested in Sierra Blanca, TX, for possession of six ounces of marijuana. He was released after posting a $2,500 bound.
2013: Tim McGraw collected a gold album for “Two Lanes Of Freedom.”
