OCTOBER 25
1912: Sarah Colley was born in Centerville, TN. Performing as Minnie Pearl, she spent 50 years on the Grand Ole Opry and became a regular on “Hee Haw,” joining the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1975.
1944: Kathy Nivert was born in Washington, D.C. Under the name Taffy Danoff, she wrote John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Please, Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas).” She also founded The Starland Vocal Band, whose pop hit “Afternoon Delight” is remade as a country single by Johnny Carver.
1951: Hank Williams recorded “There’s A Tear In My Beer.” The tape remained in boxes at Bill Lister’s house until 1988, when Lister sent it to Hank Williams Jr., who eventually recorded a duet matching him with his father’s performance.
1958: Mark Miller, of Sawyer Brown, was born in Dayton, OH. He became the lead singer for the group, which began earning hits after winning “Star Search” in 1984. The band claimed the Country Music Association’s Vocal Group of the Year award in 1997.
1965: Eddy Arnold recorded “I Want To Go With You” at RCA Studio B in Nashville.
1970: Chely Wright was born in Kansas City, MO. She won the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female award in 1995 and earned a #1 hit in 1999 with “Single White Female.”
1978: Harper & Row published “Making It With Music: Kenny Rogers’ Guide To The Music Business,” co-written with Len Epand.
1983: Mel Tillis purchased Cedarwood Publishing for $3 million. Cedarwood held copyrights include the Tillis-penned songs “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town,” “Detroit City” and “Burning Memories.”
1984: Alabama became the first country group to go triple-platinum, with the “Feels So Right” and “Mountain Music” albums each certified for shipment of three million copies. The albums “Roll On” and “The Closer You Get” also went double-platinum.
1994: MCA released “Skynyrd Frynds,” a tribute album featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd songs recorded by Travis Tritt, Wynonna, Sammy Kershaw, Confederate Railroad, Alabama and The Mavericks, among others.
1997: Tim McGraw’s “Everywhere” traveled to #1 in Billboard.
1992: Roger Miller died from cancer in Los Angeles. A singer/songwriter with a quirky brand of humor, he sang “King Of The Road,” “Chug-A-Lug” and “Dang Me,” among others, and wrote hits by Alan Jackson, Jim Reeves and Ernest Tubb. He entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995.
2003: Word/Curb released Randy Travis’ album “Worship & Faith.”
2003: Del McCoury joined the Grand Ole Opry, inducted by Patty Loveless. Together they perform the gospel song “Working On A Building.”
2007: Hank Williams Jr. was honored in a “CMT Giants” concert shot at Los Angeles’ Gibson Amphitheatre. Guests included Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Toby Keith, Steven Tyler, Gretchen Wilson, Buddy Guy and Terry Bradshaw.
2015: The Oak Ridge Boys, The Browns and guitarist Grady Martin are inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
2017: Kenny Rogers played a farewell concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, joined by Little Big Town, Lionel Richie, Alison Krauss, Jamey Johnson and Elle King, among others. Chris Stapleton sang “The Gambler,” and Dolly Parton sang with Rogers on “Islands In The Stream” before serenading him with “I Will Always Love You.”
