OCTOBER 13
1941: Pop singer/songwriter Paul Simon was born in Newark, NJ. Known as one-half of Simon & Garfunkel, his “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was remade as a country hit by Buck Owens, while Emmylou Harris covered “The Boxer.”
1946: Lacy J. Dalton was born in Bloomsburg, PA. The husky-throated singer won the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female award in 1980 on the way to such hits as “Takin’ It Easy,” “Black Coffee” and the songwriter anthem “16th Avenue.”
1959: Marie Osmond was born in Ogden, UT. She netted a 1973 country hit with “Paper Roses” as a teenager, joined her brother as a host of ABC’s “Donny & Marie” TV show, then makes a mid-’80s comeback as a country singer with “There’s No Stopping Your Heart” and a Dan Seals duet, “Meet Me In Montana.”
1969: Rhett Akins was born in Valdosta, GA. After three hits as an artist in the 1990s, he transitioned into songwriting, composing Luke Bryan’s “I Don’t Want This Night To End,” Rodney Atkins’ “Take A Back Road,” Thomas Rhett’s “It Goes Like This” and Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee,” among others.
1974: The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame inducted Hank Cochran, whose numerous successes include Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces,” Mickey Gilley’s “That’s All That Matters” and Vern Gosdin’s “Set ‘Em Up Joe.”
1975: Ace In The Hole played its first date at the Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX. George Strait later emerged as a solo artist, and the group stayed with him as the Ace In The Hole Band.
1975: Minnie Pearl joined the Country Music Hall Of Fame during the ninth annual Country Music Association awards at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.
1975: Presenter Charlie Rich lit fire to the envelope as John Denver won Entertainer of the Year in the ninth annual Country Music Association awards at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Denver also took Song of the Year with “Back Home Again.”
1980: Johnny Cash, concert promoter Connie B. Gay and The Sons Of The Pioneers joined the Country Music Hall of Fame during the 14th annual Country Music Association awards at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
1980: George Jones won two times during the 14th annual Country Music Association awards at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House. He earned Male Vocalist and Single of the Year for “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which also won Song of the Year.
1982: Alabama was profiled on ABC-TV’s “20/20.”
1984: Ricky Skaggs’ version of Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen” topped the Billboard country chart.
1985: The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame added Carl Perkins and Bob McDill. Perkins wrote “Blue Suede Shoes” and Johnny Cash’s “Daddy Sang Bass.” McDill’s credits include “Gone Country,” “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and “Good Ole Boys Like Me.”
1986: Reba McEntire took the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award, joining Dan Seals as double-winners at the 20th annual event at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House. Her other win was her third straight for Female Vocalist of the Year.
1988: George Strait recorded “Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye” and “What’s Going On In Your World” at Nashville’s Emerald Sound.
1993: Capricorn released Kenny Chesney’s debut single, “Whatever It Takes.”
1999: Johnny Rodriguez was acquitted of murder for shooting Israel Borrego, whom he mistook as a burglar, in his home the previous year.
2001: Alan Jackson’s “Where I Come From” topped the Billboard country chart.
2013: Randy Owen was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame at the Music City Center, along with “What Hurts The Most” songwriter Jeffrey Steele, “Rub It In” author Layng Martine Jr. and “Please Remember Me” songwriter Will Jennings.