SEPTEMBER 13
1911: Bill Monroe was born in Rosine, KY. Recognized as the Father of Bluegrass, he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1939 and entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 behind such titles as “Uncle Pen,” “In The Pines” and “Blue Moon Of Kentucky.”
1925: WDAD became the first radio station in Nashville, airing some country music before WSM, the future home of the Grand Ole Opry, signed on more than three weeks later.
1943: Drummer Jerry Carrigan was born in Florence, AL. After starting his career in Muscle Shoals, he moved to Nashville, appearing on hits by the likes of Eddy Arnold, Conway Twitty, Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings, Elvis Presley and Tanya Tucker.
1965: Capitol releases The Beatles’ “Yesterday.” The record’s B-side is a cover of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally.”
1971: Decca released the Loretta Lynn album “You’re Lookin’ At Country.”
1972: George Jones recorded “A Picture Of Me (Without You)” during the evening at the Columbia Studios in Nashville.
1972: Hank Williams Jr. recorded “Hank,” a tribute to his late father.
1973: Tom T. Hall recorded “I Love” at midday at the Mercury Custom Studios in Nashville.
1978: Aaron Latham’s “Ballad Of The Urban Cowboy,” about life at Gilley’s nightclub in Texas, was on the cover story in Esquire magazine. The piece became the basis for the movie “Urban Cowboy.”
1984: President Reagan brought his re-election campaign to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry House for a tribute to Roy Acuff that included appearances by Minnie Pearl, Bill Monroe, Billy Walker, Porter Wagoner, Chet Atkins, Ray Stevens and Lee Greenwood, who performed “God Bless The U.S.A.“
1986: Reba McEntire’s “Little Rock” checked in at #1 on the Billboard country singles list.
1994: Mercury released “Red Hot + Country,” a benefit album for AIDS featuring Mary Chapin Carpenter, Billy Ray Cyrus, Radney Foster, Dolly Parton, Randy Scruggs, Johnny Cash, Mark Chesnutt and Kathy Mattea with Jackson Browne, among others.
1994: Decca released Mark Chesnutt’s “What A Way To Live” album.
2001: The Oak Ridge Boys were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in Sharon, PA, along with The Eagles, The Bee Gees, The Chordettes, The Vogues, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The McGuire Sisters, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and The Weavers.
2003: The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a stamp featuring Roy Acuff during a ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. The art was based on a photo that appeared in a 1949 edition of Collier’s magazine.
2005: Bill Monroe’s Gibson F-5 mandolin was donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville by Murfreesboro philanthropist Bob McClean.
2017: Sturgill Simpson took Album of the Year, for “A Sailor’s Guide To Earth,” during the Americana Music Awards at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Marty Stuart & The Fabulous Superlatives earned Group/Duo of the Year, and John Prine was named Artist of the Year.
