SEPTEMBER 24
1933: Drummer Mel Taylor was born in Brooklyn, NY. A member of the rock instrumental group The Ventures beginning in 1961, he also handled the sticks on a pair of Buck Owens hits, “My Heart Skips A Beat” and “Together Again”
1952: Hank Williams signed a three-year contract to return to “The Louisiana Hayride” for $200-a-week for Saturday night performances.
1955: Lynne Connie Voorlas was born in Oak Park, IL. As Lane Brody, she shared a #1 hit with Johnny Lee in 1984 after recording “The Yellow Rose Of Texas.” She also sang the Oscar-nominated “Over You” in the Robert Duvall movie “Tender Mercies.”
1956: The Grand Ole Opry fired Jim Denny, booking agent for Opry road shows, after Roy Acuff accused Denny of favoritism and misappropriation of funds.
1959: The Browns recorded “Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)” at Nashville’s RCA Studio B in Nashville. Archie Campbell joined producer Chet Atkins to help the trio learn the song
1960: An ad placed by Johnny Horton’s manager, Tillman Franks, depicted John Wayne in a fight, captioned, “This’ll teach you to swipe my copy of Johnny Horton’s latest hit, ‘North To Alaska."” Wayne’s lawyer warned Franks not to tamper with Wayne’s image.
1962: Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs recorded “The Ballad Of Jed Clampett,” the theme for “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
1973: Hank Snow records “Hello Love.”
1974: Johnny Rodriguez made his acting debut on NBC-TV’s “Adam-12.”
1977: Barely a month after his death, the first Elvis Presley convention opened in Cincinnati. Some singles sold for as much as $300.
1980: CBS aired the special “John Schneider: Back Home” with guests Ray Charles and Barbara Mandrell. Schneider and Charles did a duet version of “Georgia On My Mind.”
1990: George Strait recorded “If I Know Me” and “Chill Of An Early Fall” in an afternoon session at Emerald Sound Studios in Nashville.
1993: The Ralph Emery-hosted “Nashville Now” aired for the last time, concluding a 10-year run on The Nashville Network.
1994: Joe Diffie’s “Third Rock From The Sun” rose to the #1 position on the Billboard country singles chart.
1997: Brenda Lee and songwriters Harlan Howard and Cindy Walker were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during the Country Music Association Awards show.
1997: “Strawberry Wine” won twice at the 31st annual Country Music Association awards, broadcast by CBS from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House. “Wine” earned Single of the Year for Deana Carter and producer Chris Farren, and Song of the Year for writers Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison.
2002: Tennessee’s Governor Don Sundquist appointed Dolly Parton as the Official Ambassador for the Tennessee Film and Music Industries.
2013: EMI released Alan Jackson’s “The Bluegrass Album.”
