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Country Music History – October 24

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OCTOBER 24

1930: J.P. Richardson–a.k.a. “The Big Bopper”–was born in Sabine Pass, TX. Known for his pop hit “Chantilly Lace,” he wrote Hank Snow’s “Beggar To A King,” George Jones’ “White Lightning” and Sonny James’ “Running Bear.”

1934: Sanger D. “Whitey” Shafer was born in Whitney, TX. He wrote Merle Haggard’s “That’s The Way Love Goes,” George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live In Texas” and Keith Whitley’s “I Wonder Do You Think Of Me.”

1942: Jim Reeves signed his first professional baseball contract to play for the St. Louis Cardinals’ D-level Albany Cardinals. However, Reeves never actually played until 1945.

1952: Mark Gray was born in Vicksburg, MS. Briefly a member of Exile, he penned Janie Fricke’s “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy” and Alabama’s “Take Me Down” and “The Closer You Get.” Gray also recorded three 1984 solo hits and a duet hit with Tammy Wynette.

1966: Wynn Stewart recorded “It’s Such A Pretty World Today.”

1975: George Jones recorded “The Battle” during the afternoon at the Columbia Studios in Nashville. The performance earned him a Grammy nomination.

1979: John Conlee recorded “Friday Night Blues” at midday at Nashville’s Creative Workshop.

1980: The albums, “The Best Of Eddie Rabbitt” and “Horizon,” by Eddie Rabbitt were both certified gold.

1991: Garth Brooks’ “No Fences” album was certified for sales of 5-million copies.

1991: Alan Jackson’s album, “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” was certified platinum.

1992: Wynonna’s “No One Else On Earth” kicked off a four-week ride at #1 in Billboard.

1993: Garth Brooks gave a fan a signed guitar at a North Dakota concert after she gave him a picture she had commissioned just for him.

1995: RCA released Aaron Tippin’s “Tool Box” album

1998: Sawyer Brown played their 3000th show in front of 15,000 fans in Salt Lake City, Utah. The concert offered the band a bit of déjà vu – the venue was where they performed their first gig as a headline act in the mid-’80s.

2006: Trace Adkins performed the national anthem before Game 3 of the World Series. The Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-0.

2010: Don Williams and Jimmy Dean were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

2012: Randy Travis and The Avett Brothers shot an installment of “CMT Crossroads” at The Factory in Franklin, TN.

2014: The documentary “Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me” opened in New York and Nashville. It includes appearances by Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow.