SEPTEMBER 14
1814: Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” after seeing the British military attack Fort McHenry in Baltimore, MD.
1946: Hank Williams auditioned for publisher Fred Rose at Acuff-Rose Publishing in Nashville. Rose signed Williams to a songwriting contract and ultimately became his record producer. Under the agreement, Williams wrote classics like “Jambalaya (On The Bayou),” “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
1956: Singer/songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman was born in Harlingen, TX. Primarily a pop recording artist, she wrote many country hits, including Faith Hill’s “This Kiss,” Alabama’s “Here We Are,” Lorrie Morgan’s “Five Minutes” and Trisha Yearwood’s “You Say You Will.”
1959: John Berry was born in Aiken, SC. The strong-voiced singer rose in 1994 with his Grammy-nominated “Your Love Amazes Me,” following up with such melodic hits as “You And Only You,” “She’s Taken A Shine” and “What’s In It For Me.”
1961: “The Porter Wagoner Show,” a syndicated TV program, debuted on 18 stations. It ran until 1981, airing on nearly 100 stations at its peak.
1967: Dolly Parton made her first in-concert appearance in Porter Wagoner’s show in Lebanon, VA. She was greeted with boos and chants for Norma Jean, the female singer she replaced.
1975: The Newport News Press quoted Ernest Tubb, who took two of his fellow country performers to task: “What I don’t like is the way people like Ray Price and Eddy Arnold have deserted country fans to try to appeal to the pop fans.”
1977: Johnny Duncan recorded “She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed (Anytime)” at the Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville
1979: Kenny Rogers received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1980: Lynn Anderson played New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall
1981: Waylon Jennings recorded “Shine” at the Moman Studios in Nashville.
1992: Atlantic released John Michael Montgomery’s first single, “Life’s A Dance.”
1992: MCA released George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart.”
1993: MCA released Vince Gill’s first Christmas album, “Let There Be Peace On Earth.”
1993: RCA released Martina McBride’s “The Way That I Am” album.
1996: Mindy McCready made the #1 position in Billboard with “Guys Do It All The Time.”
2006: Bluegrass mandolin player Doyle Lawson and R&B vocalist Mavis Staples were awarded a National Heritage Fellowship during a National Endowment for the Arts ceremony in Washington, D.C.
2010: Sugar Hill releases Joey+Rory’s “Album Number Two.”
2010: Mercury released the two-disc Jamey Johnson album “The Guitar Song.”
