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Country Music History – October 15

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OCTOBER 15

1917: Entertainment executive Alan Livingston was born in McDonald, PA. He ran Capitol Records in the 1960s, when the label included The Beatles, Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, The Beach Boys, Sonny James and Buck Owens.

1949: Gloria Thomas was born in Lynchburg, VA. The wife of B.J. Thomas, she also wrote his country hit “New Looks From An Old Lover.”

1950: Bill Monroe recorded the original version of “Uncle Pen” during an afternoon session in Nashville.

1959: Jim Reeves recorded “He’ll Have To Go” during a morning session at RCA Studio B in Nashville, then recorded “Snow Flake” that afternoon.

1960: Loretta Lynn made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, singing “I’m A Honky Tonk Girl” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. She received an invitation to tour with Johnny Horton, but he died just three weeks later.

1969: Gene Autry joined the Country Music Hall Of Fame during the NBC telecast of the Country Music Association’s third annual awards from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on “The Kraft Music Hall.”

1969: Johnny Cash won a record-setting five times during the third annual Country Music Association awards at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. He took home Entertainer and Male Vocalist; Album, for “San Quentin“; Single, for “A Boy Named Sue“; and Vocal Group, with June Carter.

1973: Chet Atkins and the late Patsy Cline were named to the Country Music Hall Of Fame during the seventh annual Country Music Association awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

1973: Charlie Rich won three times in the seventh annual CMA awards at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Rich took Male Vocalist of the Year, while “Behind Closed Doors” claimed Single of the Year and provided the title for the Album of the Year.

1982: Epic released Merle Haggard’s album “Going Where The Lonely Go.”

1984: RCA/Curb released The Judds’ “Why Not Me” album.

1988: Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens teamed up at #1 on the Billboard country singles chart with “Streets Of Bakersfield.”

1992: Trisha Yearwood appeared on “Arsenio,” the same date she had originally been slated for “The Tonight Show” before she was bumped. Manager Ken Kragen claimed “The Tonight Show” talent booker has created a war between the two programs. The booker eventually lost her job in the aftermath.

1993: Reba McEntire and Burt Reynolds co-starred in “The Man From Left Field,” a CBS-TV movie that put the two in a romance surrounding Little League.

1994: Brooks & Dunn collected a #1 single in Billboard with “She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind.”

1997: Patty Loveless’ “On Down the Line” was certified gold, while her “Honky Tonk Angel” project was certified platinum.

1997: John Denver’s remains were cremated in California and his ashes then flown to Aurora, CO where a memorial service was planned by the late singer’s mother and brother.

2002:  Faith Hill’s “Cry” album arrived in stores.

2013: Legacy released Willie Nelson’s “To All The Girls…” featuring 18 duets with women. They include Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Loretta Lynn, Alison Krauss, Rosanne Cash, Wynonna Judd, Mavis Staples and Shelby Lynne.