OCTOBER 7
1870: Uncle Dave Macon was born in Smart Station, Tennessee. The singer, comedian and banjo player became an early star in country music through his membership in the Grand Ole Opry. He entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966.
1927: Jimmie Rodgers’ first record, “The Soldier’s Sweetheart” backed with “Sleep Baby Sleep,” went on sale.
1931: Fiddler Gordon Terry was born in Decatur, AL. He racked up credits with Bill Monroe, Faron Young and Johnny Cash, and performs on a Bob Wills tribute album recorded by Merle Haggard. He also appears in the movie “Honkytonk Man.”
1932: Booking agent Buddy Lee was born in Brooklyn, NY. He established one of Nashville’s most successful agencies, Buddy Lee Attractions, associated with Garth Brooks, Tracy Lawrence, Marty Stuart and Jason Aldean, among others.
1933: Burrus Mill filed a $10,000 suit against Bob Wills, calling for Wills to halt advertising his band members as former members of The Light Crust Doughboys. The court later decided there’s nothing damaging in advertising the truth.
1940: Bill Monroe had his first recording session with the Blue Grass Boys, at the Kimball Hotel in Atlanta, for RCA Records. Among the day’s tracks: “Mule Skinner Blues.”
1949: Kieran Kane was born in Queens, New York. He had moderate commercial success as a solo artist in the early-1980s before joining with Jamie O’Hara to form The O’Kanes. In the 1990s, he co-founded Dead Reckoning Records, an artist-owned indie label.
1967: Sevier County held the first Dolly Parton Day as 7,000 people gathered at the courthouse for a show that also featured Porter Wagoner and Mel Tillis.
1976: John Conlee recorded “Rose Colored Glasses” and “Backside Of Thirty” at Nashville’s Music City Recorders.
1977: Johnny Cash sued Yashica Camera Corporation for $1 million for creating the impression he endorsed their product. A commercial with a low-voiced man starts out, “Hello, I’m Johnny…” and fades to thunderous applause.
1977: RCA released the album “Elvis In Concert.”
1978: Merle Haggard married Leona Williams at a ranch in Nevada. Among the bridesmaids were his ex-wife, Bonnie Owens. Rose Maddox and brother Fred Maddox performed.
1979: The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame inducted Elsie McWilliams (“Blue Yodel“), Thomas A. Dorsey (“Peace In The Valley“), Joe South (“Rose Garden“) and The Louvin Brothers (“If I Could Only Win Your Love“).
1983: Willie Nelson recorded “City Of New Orleans” at the Moman Studios in Nashville.
1984: “Songwriter,” starring Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, opened in Nashville. Nelson sings “For The Good Times” in the film. Guests at the premiere included Chet Atkins, Faron Young, Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell.
1984: The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame inducted Hal David and Billy Sherrill. David’s credits include “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before” and “It Was Almost Like A Song.” Sherrill wrote “Almost Persuaded” and “Stand By Your Man.”
1987: Mel Tillis announced he’s selling his publishing companies to PolyGram Music for an estimated $4 million. Among Tillis-penned songs in the catalog are “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town,” “Detroit City” and “Burning Memories.”
1990: The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame inducted Jimmy Webb (“Wichita Lineman,” “Highwayman“) and Ted Harris (“The Hand That Rocks The Cradle“), plus Sue Brewer, noted for her humanitarian efforts for Nashville songwriters.
1995: Daryle Singletary performed “Too Much Fun” at a rodeo in the plot of CBS-TV’s “Touched By An Angel.”
1995: Little Texas’ “Kick A Little” aired during a bar scene on the CBS military drama “JAG.”
1999: Johnny Rodriguez went on trial in Uvalde, TX, for killing an acquaintance who he believed was a robber in his home in August 1998.
2015: The Judds reunited for a nine-date mini-residency, titled Girls Night Out, at the Venetian in Las Vegas.