NOVEMBER 4
1940: Blues-rock singer Delbert McClinton was born in Lubbock, TX. McClinton teamed with Tanya Tucker on the 1993 duet “Tell Me About It” and wrote Emmylou Harris’ 1978 hit “Two More Bottles Of Wine.”
1952: Dwight Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson for president while singer/songwriter Stuart Hamblen, running on the Prohibition ticket, finished fourth. Because of Stevenson’s loss, Ernest Tubb lost $200 in a bet with Eddy Arnold.
1953: Van Stephenson was born in Hamilton, OH. He wrote Lee Greenwood’s “You’ve Got A Good Love Comin’” and Restless Heart’s “Bluest Eyes In Texas,” and had a pop hit as an artist with “Modern Day Delilah” before joining the 1990s trio BlackHawk.
1955: The first country music show on New York City’s famed Broadway began a one-week run at the Palace Theatre. It starred Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells and Johnnie & Jack.
1960: Kim Forester was born in Fort Oglethorpe, GA. She joined three siblings to form The Forester Sisters, whose thick, genetic harmonies, partially influenced by gospel music, created 15 hits in the late-1980s.
1960: Johnny Horton performed in what proved to be his final show at The Skyline Club in Austin, TX. The club also provided the setting for Hank Williams’ final concert.
1964: The MGM movie biography of Hank Williams, “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” opened in Montgomery, AL, with Hank Williams Jr. appearing on the soundtrack. Governor George Wallace declared Hank Williams Week.
1968: Capitol released Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” album.
1975: Hank Williams’ widow, Audrey Williams, died in her Nashville home the same day the IRS planned to repossess it.
1978: Barbara Mandrell earned her first #1 country single with “Sleeping Single In A Double Bed.”
1983: Epic released Exile’s self-titled album, its first marketed as a country project.
1988: Dolly Parton recorded “Yellow Roses,” with Ricky Skaggs co-producing, in Nashville.
1989: Sandy Brooks called husband Garth Brooks in Cape Girardeau to tell him she knew he’d been cheating and that she would leave if it continued. During that night’s show, he began crying during “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and confessed to the crowd.
1989: George Strait’s “Ace In The Hole” topped the Billboard country chart.
1990: Guitarist Phil Baugh died in Nashville. Winner of the Academy of Country Music’s first Top Guitarist award in 1966, his bent notes contributed to such recordings as Merle Haggard’s “Swinging Doors” and George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
1991: The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame announced Johnny Cash as a new inductee. Also added: Booker T. & The MGs, Jimi Hendrix, Sam & Dave, Bobby “Blue” Bland, guitar maker Leo Fender, songwriter Doc Pomus and The Yardbirds, including Eric Clapton.
1995: Hours before the start of a show, Steve Sanders quit The Oak Ridge Boys. In October, he had resigned but promised to stay until the end of the year. His exit paved the way for former Oak William Lee Golden to rejoin.
1997: Mercury released Sammy Kershaw’s “Labor Of Love” album.
1997: Shania Twain’s album, “Come On Over,” was released.
1997: Mindy McCready’s “If I Don’t Stay The Night” album was released.
2004: Songwriter Dale Noe died in Mesa, AZ. Among his credits were Wynn Stewart’s “It’s Such A Pretty World Today” and Jim Reeves’ posthumous hits “Missing You” and “Angels Don’t Lie.”
2008: HarperOne published “Born Country,” the autobiography of Randy Owen, co-written with Allen Rucker.
2008: As Barack Obama won a historic presidency, Brad Paisley was inspired to write the song, “Welcome To The Future.”
2013: Warner Bros. released the Kenny Rogers duet with Dolly Parton “You Can’t Make Old Friends” to radio.
2015: Chris Stapleton won three trophies–Male Vocalist of the Year; New Artist; and Album, for “Traveller” – during the 49th annual Country Music Association Awards, telecast by ABC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
2016: Trace Adkins played a former outlaw as the western “Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story” debuts in theaters.
