Eldridge Johnson formed the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey in 1900. The Victor label hosts the first country recording session in 1922 and releases singles by some of the genre’s first stars, including Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family
“The Andy Griffith Show” debuts on CBS. Set in Mayberry, North Carolina, it runs eight years and features The Dillards, a bluegrass band that influences The Eagles, as a recurring TV group The Darlings, beginning in 1963.
Woody Guthrie died in Queens in 1967 after a 15-year struggle with Huntington’s disease. The folk singer/songwriter influenced the social content of several 20th-century genres, including country, and is eventually added to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The “Elvis In Concert” special, featuring live performances from Elvis Presley’s final tour, runs on CBS in 1977. It includes his rendition of the future hit “My Way”
Dolly Parton began recording her “White Limozeen” album with Ricky Skaggs on board as producer on October 3, 1988.
MCA released Marty Stuart’s “Hillbilly Rock” album in 1989.
Garth Brooks files suit against rapper Warren G in 1997. The litigation was aimed to protect his use of the lower-case “g” as a symbol.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Joe Allison was born in McKinney, TX in 1924. He wrote such hits as Jim Reeves’ “He’ll Have To Go” and Faron Young’s “Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young” and serves as the head of Liberty Records’ country division in the 1960s
Pop singer Chubby Checker was born in 1941. He was given the name Ernest Evans. After changing his name, he became a major star in the early-1960s with “The Twist” and “Let’s Twist Again.” He tried his hand at country music in the 1990s with “Texas Twist,” but the song was not as successful as his other Twists.
