SEPTEMBER 18
1933: Jimmie Rodgers was born in Camas, WA. Given the same name as The Singing Brakeman, who died four months earlier, Rodgers hit the Top 10 in pop and country music during the late 1950s with “Honeycomb” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine.”
1947: Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb and Rosalie Allen headlined the first country music show at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Tickets ranged from $1.20-$3.60.
1953: Banjo player/songwriter Carl Jackson was born in Louisville, MS. His songwriting credits include Vince Gill’s “No Future In The Past,” Glen Campbell’s “(Love Always) Letter To Home” and Pam Tillis’ “Put Yourself In My Place.”
1963: Johnny Cash recorded “Bad News” at Nashville’s Columbia Recording Studios.
1965: Connie Smith and Bob Luman joined the Grand Ole Opry.
1967: Merle Haggard & The Strangers recorded “Sing Me Back Home” at the Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood.
1968: Porter Wagoner recorded “The Carroll County Accident.”
1970: Psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix died of a drug overdose in London. The influential musician was the inspiration for Billy Joel’s song “Shameless,” covered by Garth Brooks. Hendrix was also referenced in Wynonna’s “Girls With Guitars.”
1971: “Hee Haw” aired in syndication for the first time on 196 TV stations, just months after CBS canceled it because it was considered too rural. Roy Rogers & Dale Evans appeared on the episode.
1971: Tom T. Hall checked in at #1 on the Billboard country singles chart with “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died.”
1986: RCA released the Earl Thomas Conley album “Too Many Times.”
1992: Alan Jackson visited the top spot on the Billboard country singles chart with “Love’s Got A Hold On You.”
1993: Garth Brooks rose to #1 on the Billboard country chart with “Ain’t Going Down (Til The Sun Comes Up).”
1994: Sugar Hill released “The Great Dobro Sessions.” Produced by Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor, the album includes appearances by Rob Ickes, Bashful Brother Oswald, Curtis Burch and Josh Graves, among others.
1997: The Farm Aid concert – canceled due to low ticket sales at the Texas Stadium – was rescheduled at the New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, Illinois, for the same day…October 4th. The benefit was a sell-out.
1998: Reba McEntire received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, next to Meryl Streep’s star, at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard.
1999: Kenny Chesney crooned his way to #1 on the Billboard country chart with “You Had Me From Hello.”
2000: Toby Keith was the guest of honor at a special event in Nashville. Toby was the benefactor of the first songwriter/artist endowment to support the work and mission of the Nashville Songwriters Association International.
2002: Joe Nichols scored a number of firsts: a debut artist, a debut single, a brand new label and a #1 record. Joe’s debut single, “The Impossible,” leapt four chart positions to claim the top spot on the “Radio & Records” Country Top 50 chart.
2006: Willie and Bobbie Nelson received misdemeanor citations for drug possession when his bus stopped on Interstate 10 in Louisiana. A search of the vehicle yielded 1.5-pounds of pot and 2/10 of a pound of mushrooms.
2017: Three years after the previous signs were removed, new signs proclaiming Marshville, North Carolina, as the birthplace of Randy Travis were dedicated. Travis was also presented keys to the city.
